Class Notes 04.23.15

+ More VPK classes added for next year

Orange County School Board members approved increasing the district’s Voluntary Prekindergarten programs to 75 for the 2015-16 school year.

The increase includes four more Title I full-day programs and one Title I half-day program for the 2015-16 school year.

OCPS has been offering VPK since Florida’s inception of the program in 2005. At that time, there were 56 schools offering VPK. Currently, there are 70 schools.

VPK is free for all children who live in Florida who have turned 4 years of age by Sept. 1 of the current school year.

Recently, OCPS held a VPK enrollment event that enrolled 1,077 students in VPK classes. Already, 32 classes are full for the 2015-16 school year. 

If a school does not offer VPK, it typically is because that school is at capacity or the school did not have enough students registered for the class. 

The School Board also discussed growth for the district’s Career and Technical Education program.

The expansion plans have involved middle schools. The number of middle-school CTE programs has grown from 53 programs last year to 75 currently. For the 2015-16 school year, the district projects an increase to 87 programs in middle schools.

The number of CTE programs in high schools has grown from 168 last year to 182 this year. This jump includes dual-enrollment opportunities for students at their home high school. 

Dual-enrollment programs offered rose from two programs last year to 20 programs this year, with an implemented plan to grow to 28 programs by 2015-16.

+ Women's League hosts annual scholarship luncheon

The Central Florida Women’s League recently held its annual scholarship luncheon to honor recipients chosen from four area high schools. Emily Crowell, Mical Estifanos, Kendall Meyer and Trista Sinex are this year’s West Orange High School recipients of the CFWL Scholarship, and Ryyan Kassoo is the recipient of the George Fortier Memorial Scholarship.