Foundation for Rural Education Excellence

Supporting Academic Achievement in Rural Northeast Florida Communities

September 2018 Newsletter

The Foundation for Rural Education Excellence, a registered 501 (C)(3) organization, was founded in 1998 to facilitate philanthropic support for rural school districts of the   North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC): Baker, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Nassau, Putnam, Suwannee and Union Counties as well as Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind and PK Yonge Developmental Research School. Working collaboratively, our mission is to enhance academic success and career opportunities for rural students in northeast Florida.

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Bridge to Bachelors Program

Twenty-one paraprofessionals from seven NEFEC districts (Bradford, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Putnam, and Union counties) met with admissions representatives from the University of Florida to learn more about the new Bachelor of Arts in Educational Sciences (BAES) degree. The Bridge to Bachelors program is an initiative that will support paraprofessionals as they pursue their BAES degree and move to obtaining their teacher certification. FREE is actively pursuing funding support to offset tuition costs.

New Teacher Connect Session

NEFEC member districts are making huge investments in the induction of new teachers to help them grow their practice.  On September 5th, 35 new teachers from seven member districts engaged in their first professional learning session through the NEFEC CONNECT: New Teacher Network. NEFEC CONNECT is an award winning mode of cross-district professional learning that serves multiple content areas. This day’s learning featured breakout sessions devoted to successfully preparing for the school year and organizing students for learning. These sessions were facilitated by NEFEC Instructional staff.

There was also a general session on the topic of de-escalation strategies for behavior management facilitated by the director of FDLRS/NEFEC, Amy Lane.   These new teachers will meet two other times this year to dig deeper into these topics and their group goals.

Upcoming Events

21st Annual Golf Tournament FREE's annual golf tournament is scheduled for March 22, 2019, at The Palatka Golf Club. Stay tuned for more information.

Summer Leadership Conference NEFEC's Annual Summer Leadership Conference is scheduled for July 8-11, 2019, at the Sawgrass Marriott in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

Foundation for Rural Education Excellence (352) 317-0621 foundationruraled@gmail.com freeneedsyou.org

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