Pemayetv Emahakv School Students Receive Awards

By Susan Etxebarria

BRIGHTON — With an exciting announcement, Principal Russell Brown kicked off the Student Awards Assembly for the end of the second nine weeks on Jan. 18 at Pemayetv Emahakv Charter School, telling the audience the school achieved a 93 percent attendance rate in 2007.

“It is because of your help,” he told the parents who filled the room. “I hope we continue to see the children coming to school. We are really seeing results.”

Brown also told the parents more than half of the students stay after school for tutoring twice weekly.

“It has helped children strengthen academic areas where they are weak,” he said. “I am very comfortable and pleased with the learning rate of the students,” he said.

Each of the kindergarten through fifth grade classes came in separately to the school’s Community Room where folding chairs were set up for their parents. The students sat on the floor while their teachers gave out the awards. Pride, anticipation and excitement shone in the eyes of the youth as they went forward to receive their awards and have their photos taken.

Six times during the day, starting at 11:15 a.m., Brown welcomed new groups of parents as one class left and the next one arrived. He used these moments to tell the parents they are welcome to visit the school on a daily basis and to volunteer. He also thanked parents for working with the school to get the best education for their children they can get.

“I have been talking to teachers and they say the children are doing a great job getting their homework done,” said Brown.

He told parents of the third, fourth and fifth graders that teachers started preparing their classes to pass the statewide assessments in May known as the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Tests (FCAT) from day one.

“We built it into our curriculum so there is no pressure at the end when tests have to be taken,” said Brown.

In compliance with the No Child Left Behind federal legislation, FCAT starts with testing third graders in reading and math; fourth graders in reading, math and writing; and fifth graders in reading, math and science.

“The children are also learning about technology in their classrooms, acquiring computer skills and using their iPods®,” Brown said. “You have already seen the iPod® they bring home, and hopefully you are learning along with your children. In the future we hope to offer technology classes to parents in the evenings.”

Awards given the students included: Effort, Citizenship, Improvement, Bronze (3-3.4 GPA) Silver (3.5-3.9 GPA) and Gold (4.0 GPA) awards.

“It is very hard to get a 4.0 because every test, every paper the student hands in, has to be a 4.0,” said fourth grade teacher Stephanie Tedders as she handed out her class’s Gold Awards.

In addition, the Citizenship award was also handed out to deserving recipients.

“Good citizenship is showing respect for adults, for classmates, and for the school,” explained teacher Renea Finney. “If you see a piece of paper on the grounds you don’t let it litter the ground. You pick it up and put it in the trash container. That shows you respect your school.”

Principal Brown stressed citizenship is about building character and developing life skills. He said he is proud of the students’ behavior and attitudes.

“We are dealing with very little discipline problems and I believe it is because the children are so involved in what they are learning,” Brown said.

The students received certificates and pins for their awards that they proudly showed their parents after their assembly.