Polk County Public Schools
The public is invited to Sikes Elementary’s Diversity Celebration on Thursday, February 19. The event includes food, music, art displays and poetry readings. Performances include the Sikes chorus and a creative dance demonstration. There is no cost to attend the event although the school is asking attendees to call and RSVP. The event begins at 6 p.m., February 19, at Sikes Elementary, 2727 Shepherd Road, Lakeland. Call Gwendolyn Williams at (863) 648-3525 for further information or to RSVP.
The statewide FCAT testing period is from March 10 to March 19. The school district’s Office of Assessment, Accountability and Evaluation has registration information for parents of home school students and individuals who graduated with a certificate of completion and need to pass the FCAT or the High School Competency Test (HSCT).
Home school parents and individuals with a certificate of completion and needing to pass the FCAT or HSCT must call the office at (863) 534-0688 by March 3 to register for the FCAT and to receive FCAT testing information.
For students with a certificate of completion, FCAT reading retakes will be March 10 and FCAT math retakes will be March 11. In addition, the HSCT will no longer be given. Individuals with a certificate of completion previously taking the HSCT will now need to pass the FCAT to receive a standard diploma.
The statewide U.S. Army JROTC Drill Championships will be held Saturday, March 7, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at George Jenkins High, 6000 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland. More than 90 schools from all parts of Florida will compete and display their talents in precision drill. Admission is free and concessions will be sold. Participating Polk schools are George Jenkins High (Lakeland), Haines City High, Lake Gibson High (Lakeland), Mulberry High, Ridge Community High (Davenport) and Summerlin Academy (Bartow). The Mulberry High team finished fifth in the 2008 National High School Drill Team Championship. The George Jenkins High U.S. Army JROTC “Eagle Battalion” are the hosts for the event. Information: Jeff Elson, George Jenkins High, (863) 648-3566.
