English is not the first language for 14% of our students with more than 6,300 students in our English Language Learners program.

Important Dates in April

Share Your Ideas & Suggestions

STEM Conference Presenters Wanted

Message from the Superintendent

I have had many wonderful days in my first 10 full months with you and just when I think I have experienced the greatest day, another great one comes along. This time it was the day spent touring the school district visiting classrooms and recognizing our 2012 Teachers of the Year and our School-Related Employee of the Year, a revered elementary school Plant Operator. The best part of the day was seeing the excitement in the eyes of the recipients and witnessing the admiration they receive from their students. When I asked one group of students what they loved most about their teacher, in unison they replied "everything!" Our teachers are truly valued by their students and I can tell you they are genuinely valued by me personally, by our five School Board members, as well as their peers. They do us proud! ~ Dr. Kamela Patton

Message from a School Board Member

Spring is my favorite time of the year. The golden blooms of the tabebuia trees emerge to grace our landscape and we celebrate the end of winter. Every spring our schools also bloom with gold with the crowning of six new Golden Apple teachers thanks to the The Education Foundation of Collier County. Congratulations go to this year’s recipients: Maria Christmas from Vineyards Elementary, Darlene Crete from Lorenzo WalkerTechnical High, Michal Durik from Barron Collier High, Paul Horne from Naples High, Eileen Schoenknecht from Lorenzo Walker Institute of Technology, and Sheila Snyder from Palmetto Elementary. I am pleased that the district has recently been evaluated by the AdvancEd SACS/CASI accreditation team and passed with flying colors. Accreditation is an important stamp for our district to have on its resume because it makes a statement to colleges reviewing our students for acceptance into their programs and gives us an unbiased opinion of how our school district measures up against other districts around the world. I am proud of the progress the district has made since the last evaluation five years ago. ~ Julie Sprague

Feedback Welcome

Let us know what you think about the newsletter, our website, or if you have suggestions for future newsletters. We'd love to hear from you at feedback@collierschools.com

LACES OF LOVE is a non‐profit organization that provides new shoes (primarily sneakers) to low income and disadvantaged children in Collier County. Since its inception in 2005, over 40,000 needy kids have received new sneakers from Laces of Love. In 2011, nearly 7,000 children (first walkers – age 18) received new shoes. Laces works with many Collier County School guidance counselors, school nurses, principals, administrators, and teachers to identify children in need, measure their feet for correct sizing, and fit and distribute their “laces” shoes. Shoes are also distributed through human service agencies that serve underprivileged kids.