Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,
The Chamber’s Golden Bell Education Foundation began their annual school site visits. Like with most things this year, these school visits are also different. Instead of the traditional in-person hands-on visits to observe the classes and students in action – they are virtual. In addition, the needs of the individual schools are different as they adjust to a split in-person and virtual learning model. During these virtual school visits, Foundation Board Members are learning how the schools are navigating virtual and in-person learning in very innovative ways. Boca Raton Elementary and J.C. Mitchell Elementary have implemented home visits to virtual learning student to make sure they remain strong academically. Eagles Landing Middle School will begin piloting a new virtual sports and academic program to help students learn while having fun. To deal with the social and emotional strains of balancing life with academics, Boca Raton Community High School has implemented Motivational Mondays to help students stay encouraged and focused. We cannot express enough appreciation to all our front-line educators, support staff, and administrators of our local public schools. It is because of their dedication we have A-rated schools!
This past week, the Chamber held five virtual events, two-hybrid meetings, and one in-person luncheon. These programs featured speakers that included Lincoln Mendez, CEO of Boca Raton Regional Hospital, and Cheryl Kirby, Ph.D, Interim CEO of Florida Small Business Development Center. These important and timely programs attracted well over 100 members, which created countless off-line connections, referrals, and business activity among our members. As you know, people do business with people they know, like, and trust, and that is why the Chamber works tirelessly to connect our members to one another.
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an Executive Order Monday giving school districts an extra two weeks in the Spring to administer the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA) exams. Students are required to take the FSA exams in-person, including children who are currently enrolled in distance learning. Scores can impact important outcomes including graduation eligibility, teacher raises, school funding, and promotion to the next grade level. As a result of the testing windows being extended, the results of the Grade 3 English Language Arts (ELA) assessment will be available no later than June 30th. The results of the remaining assessments will be available no later than July 31st.
The School District of Palm Beach County has assisted 250 employees, ages 65 years and older, to secure a COVID-19 vaccine appointment. These employees include teachers, bus drivers, custodians, and other members of the district staff that are involved in the daily operation of the school district. Employees will receive their vaccination this Saturday by the Department of Health.
Looking for a quick way to find an event, register for an event, and receive pop-up notifications of important Chamber, County, City of Boca Raton, and City of Boynton Beach information? Download the Boca Chamber App – found on the App Store and Google Play Store. Keep your Chamber at the tip of your fingers! You can also stay up to date on all Chamber activity by visiting us at bocachamber.com.
We continue to provide you with valuable educational webinars, along with virtual and in-person experiences. Most are recorded and available for you to access on the Boca Chamber’s YouTube Channel. Hit the subscribe button to find out when new content is posted on our channel.
Below is a list of our upcoming virtual and in-person experiences:
2/23 – 12:00 p.m. Virtual Smart Talk for Women
Topic: Sales, Marketing, and Operational Challenges to Consider in 2021 – How Do You Sustain Success?
Speaker: Nancy Proffitt, Founder, Proffitt Management Solutions
2/23 – 5:00 p.m. Virtual Live After Five
Meet, Greet, Connect, and Have fun at this After-Hours Virtual Networking Event
2/25 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual Boynton Beach Government Affairs Council
Topic: Boynton Beach Tourism Master Plan
Speaker: Don Kolodz, President & CEO of Tourism Strategic Solutions
2/26 – 8:30 a.m. Virtual Boynton Beach Women’s Business Council
Topic: How to Find the Perfect Employee in 2021
Speaker: Andrea Hoffer, Founder & CEO of AHA! Recruiting Experts
The Chamber’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to support the two amendments to the Boca Raton City Charter. These Amendments will be on the March 9th ballot. The first proposed question considers changing the residency requirement for candidates running for municipal office from the current 30 days to one year. If passed, it would also disqualify anyone with a non-City homestead exemption. The second question considers eliminating the qualifying fee and requiring a candidate to secure a minimum of 200 signatures from electors. If approved, both amendments would take effect on April 1, 2021. These sensible proposed amendments will improve the qualification process for those seeking to serve the City in an elected capacity.
As we get closer to election day, be sure to create your voting plan. With no early voting option offered this year, in-person voting will be held on the day of the election. The deadline to request a Vote-by-Mail ballot is 5:00 p.m. on the tenth day before the election. With two of the five City of Boca Raton Council Seats on the ballot, this election could ensure that businesses will be supported, and the city’s quality of life is maintained while Moving Boca Raton Forward. The Chamber’s Business Leaders United Political Action Committee (BLU-PAC) has endorsed Constance Scott, Seat C, and Brian Stenberg, Seat D.
As always, thank you for making Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and all South Palm Beach County the best place to Live, Work, Learn and Play.
Moving Business Forward,
