Clay County School News

Clay County 2023-2024 VPK Lottery

The VPK Lottery for next school year opens February 15, 2023.

• Available to all children who will turn 4 years old by September 1 and have not already participated in VPK.

• No fees are charged for VPK three hours instruction.

• Before and After Extended Day available for a nominal fee through CCSD deduction or Scheduled Payment Agreement Form.

• Transportation must be provided by parents.

• VPK Summer enrollment opens in May 2023. The application will be posted online when open. There are 12 seats available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Steps for Parents

• Parents will need to apply for the Certificate of Eligibility (see below). Please make sure your application is submitted in a timely manner in order to receive your certificate no later than February 28, 2023.

• Parents will complete the lottery application beginning February 15, 2023, through February 28, 2023, available on myoneclay.net.

• Parents may only request one VPK location for the elementary schools.

• Parents will be notified of the lottery results via the email provided in the application on March 15, 2023.

Certificate of Eligibility

• Must have a Certificate of Eligibility form to apply for the lottery.

• Parents must obtain a Clay County VPK Certificate of Eligibility by registering online at Family Services – Florida Early Learning.

• Create an account with a valid email address.

• Follow link sent to valid email address.

• Complete application *** County for Service – CLAY

• Child’s Birth Certificate and Parent’s Proof of Florida Residency must be electronically submitted during the application process before a Certificate of Eligibility will be issued.

• Once documents are verified by Episcopal Children’s Services (approximately two to four days), an email will be sent to the valid email address to inform the parent to log in and print the Certificate of Eligibility.

Required Documents

• Birth Certificate

• FL680 Immunization Record

• School Entry Health Exam

• Parent’s Government Issued Photo ID

Unique Opportunity

There may be a few VPK spots available at Clay County’s High School Child Care Learning Labs. As part of the Early Childhood Education program, the Child Care Center is a Learning Lab where high school students who desire to work with children in the future can practice and improve their teaching craft while providing quality instruction for younger learners.

There are paid, trained adults who are Clay County School Board Employees in the center at all times, along with the high school students who are helping.

The centers are open from 6:45 to 4:15 and the cost is $190 every two weeks. If you are a school board employee, tuition is paid through payroll deduction. If you are a community member, tuition is paid through MySchool Bucks.

If you are interested in applying for a seat at one of the high schools, please complete the application found at myoneclay.net, and the program director will contact you.

If you have any questions concerning this process, please contact the District Registration Office at registrations@myoneclay.net or 904-336-6577.

Career Fair

February 16th

Seniors – explore military opportunities, colleges, apprenticeships, technical schools, and more at the Career Fair on February 16th at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Green Cove Springs, FL.

Participants will be able to visit over 100 business and community partners to learn more about opportunities to enroll in various post-secondary institutions, enlist in the military, or become employed.

Students must turn in a signed parent permission slip to their College and Career Coach to attend. Transportation will be provided from each high school.

Students should sign up online in their One Clay student portal to receive a parent permission slip. See your school’s College and Career Coach for more information.

Clay County District Schools selects Teacher of the Year and SchoolRelated Employee of the Year

The Clay Education Foundation hosted the annual Apple Awards on January 26, 2023, at the Thrasher-Horne Center in partnership with Clay County District Schools. Ms. Heather Miller from Lake Asbury Elementary School was named Clay County’s Teacher of the Year and Ms. Abegail Rosario-Castillo from Orange Park Elementary was named Clay County’s School-Related Employee of the Year.

Heather Miller is a fourth-grade teacher that has been teaching for 25 years. She serves as a Teacher Model Classroom for her school, Math Field Day Coach, and is a Professional Learning Community leader, where she spends time modeling lessons for other teachers, creating assessments, and supporting new teachers. She also is the coordinator for Lake Asbury Elementary School’s Robotics Team and Club. When asked about the importance of school culture and the club, Ms. Miller shared, “Students deserve an advocate to facilitate new learning experiences. My hope is to spark an interest, passion, and deep love for a future career in STEM.” www.myoneclay.net

OP/Middleburg (904) 272-8100

Green Cove Springs (904) 284-6500

Keystone Heights (888) 663-2529

TDD (904) 284-6584

February Calendar

Abegail (Abby) Rosario-Castillo has been part of Orange Park Elementary since 2007 when she began as a parent volunteer where she earned over 100 hours per year. In 2016, Ms. Rosario-Castillo became the Media Technical Assistant for Orange Park Elementary School. As the Media Technical Assistant, Abby has made a personal commitment to promoting diverse authors or books with characters who are female or people of color. Ms. Rosario-Castillo strives to know the reading habits and preferences of the students and is often asked for recommendations from students, teachers, and parents. When asked about Ms. Rosario-Castillo, Assistant Principal Dr. Suzanne Herndon shared, “She is an advocate for our students and works diligently to instill a love of reading in our children.”

Both Ms. Miller and Ms. Rosario-Castillo will move forward in the state selection process as the Florida Department of Education narrows down the county winners to the top-five nominees toward the end of the school year.

Connect with us!

February 2, 6pm – 9pm Regular School Board Meeting, Teacher Training Center, Fleming Island High School

February 6, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Orange Park High School

February 7, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Middleburg High School

February 9, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Fleming Island High School

February 10 Interim Reports to Parents

February 13, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Clay High School

February 15

Early Dismissal Elementary Schools

February 15, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Oakleaf High School

February 16, 8:30am – 12:30pm Senior Career Fair, Clay County Fairgrounds

February 16, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Keystone Heights High School

February 20

Presidents’ Day – Student/Teacher Holiday

February 23, 6pm – 9pm District Spelling Bee, Lake Asbury Jr High School

February 23, 6pm – 8pm 9th Grade Parent Night Expo – Ridgeview High School

February 25, 8am – 12pm Clay District Elementary Track Meet, Middleburg High School