Learning Letters with Hillsborough

by Laura Cross, photos provided by Hillsborough County Public Schools

Move over “Sesame Street” and “Blue’s Clues.” You have some serious competition from Ms. Lisa, Ms. Ronda and Ms. Stephanie from “Learning Letters with Hillsborough County Public Schools.”

Learning Letters is a video series aimed at helping our PreK students with phonics and literacy.

It came to life when School Board Chair Nadia Combs wanted a way for our littlest learners to better know and understand their letters and phonics before entering kindergarten. So, she went to the amazing staff in our district’s Early Learning department and started to brainstorm ideas with the team.

“Having my own children, I realized the importance of literacy and how important it was for children to begin school knowing the letters and sounds and how that can really positively impact student success,” Combs says. “Through my tutoring business, I noticed that there were huge gaps when it came to students knowing their sounds from PreK even up to grade 2, so I have always thought teaching kids the basics from the beginning would improve a child’s literacy. The creativity of this project from the academic team was so incredible.”

Three early learning educators, Lisa Haynes, Ronda Mort and Stephanie Loebel, worked together to create a video series highlighting each letter of the alphabet.

The videos are about 10 minutes long. Through each video, kids will learn how to recognize a letter, say it, find it, sign it, build it and write it. The super cool thing with these videos is that they are very specific to the Tampa Bay area with local restaurants, stores, attractions and even schools illustrating each letter of the alphabet.

There is also a link to an online read-aloud story book that highlights the focused letter and sound under each Learning Letters video.

“The videos will benefit our littlest learners because it will help children understand that letters are linked to sounds and to spelling patterns, which will help them apply this knowledge to reading,” says Loebel.

Here’s another advantage of the videos. If a parent wants to sit down with their child and watch the videos and discuss them, they absolutely can! It’s fun for the whole family! However, if the parent wants to let their child work independently, they can set them up in front of the computer to interact with the educational video on their own. These videos are directed specifically to the PreK learner.

“Our videos were created by VPK and kindergarten teachers and touch on many modalities to reach every learner,” explains Mort. “They are interactive and fun. Students will practice a letter and sound in each video to help them crack the code to literacy!”

And cracking the code to literacy is the first step to student success!

There’s a separate video for every letter of the alphabet. You can find the videos at HillsboroughSchools.org/LearningLetters.

VALRICO LAKE ADVANTAGE ACADEMY 13306 Boyette Road, Riverview 33569 813-699-5049; valricoacademy.com

A tuition-free, public charter school proudly serving students in kindergarten through fifth Grade, the school provides a well-rounded elementary foundation through a challenging curriculum with a focus on teaching math and science in proven and innovative instructional methods preparing students for their secondary education and beyond. We are an “A” rated Florida School of Excellence offering the Cambridge program for Advanced Studies. Cognia accredited.

VANGUARD SCHOOL 22000 US Highway 27, Lake Wales 33859 863-676-6091; vanguardschool.org

The Vanguard School is a co-educational boarding and day school for students in grades 6-12. Vanguard specializes in educating students who experience academic learning challenges in an environment that works with academic strategies, executive functioning, social skills, celebrates student strengths and assists in transitioning into higher educational opportunities and independent living. Grades: K-5 Tuition: FREE

Enrollment: 100 boarding, up to 120 total Class-Size: 6-10 Grades: 6-12 Tuition: 7-day $49,000; 5-day $43,000; Day $25,500

WEB OF WISDOM 5238 Mile Stretch Drive, Holiday 34690 727-389-4750; wowschools.org

WOW, where learning meets adventure and education, isn’t limited to the classroom. We offer college preparatory academics (AP/Dual Enrollment) in conjunction with extraordinary extracurriculars. These include snorkeling, kayaking, fishing, climbing, camping, athletics (K-12), computer programming, automotive repair, music and photography. We are the education that you’re looking for, with the experiences that your child will remember forever.

WESTLAKE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 1551 Belcher Road, Palm Harbor 34683 727-781-3808; westlakechristianschool.org

Westlake Christian School, a National Blue Ribbon School, is accredited by the Florida Council of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools/Cognia. Westlake’s mission is to help students develop in their faith, academics, fine arts and athletics. Westlake serves approximately 475 students in Kindergarten through eighth grade from Northern Pinellas County, Southern Pasco County, Trinity, Westchase and surrounding communities.

WALKER MIDDLE MAGNET (IB)

8282 N. Mobley Road, Odessa 33556 813-631-4726; hillsboroughschools.org/walker

We develop creative and confident learners. Communication, reflection and whole-child learning energize Walker Middle Magnet, Odessa's IB World School. As a Magnet School of Distinction, students are exposed to a rigorous curriculum. High-impact teachers and our Florida Power School Library highlight our exceptional, highly-rated team of educators. Enrollment: 150 Class-Size: 10-19 Grades: K-12 Tuition: $8,800 - $10,500

Enrollment: 475 Class-Size: 1:18 Grades: K-8 Tuition: $8,950-$9,275

Enrollment: 1,094 Grades: 6-8 Tuition: FREE

WILLIAMS MIDDLE MAGNET (IB)

5020 N. 47th St., Tampa 33610 813-744-8600; hillsboroughschools.org/williams

We are a top-ranked IB World School, earning an A-grade for nearly 20 years! We create global learners focused on intercultural awareness and communication. Scholar Quest high school credit offerings challenge students in French, algebra and emerging technology in business. Connect through clubs including LEGO Robotics, Model UN, Future Business Leaders of America and our award-winning Chess Club. Enrollment: 847 Grades: 6-8 Tuition: FREE

YOUNG MIDDLE MAGNET (CREATIVE SCIENCE CENTRE)

1807 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd., Tampa 33610 813-276-5739; hillsboroughschools.org/young

We empower creative learners with our Project Lead the Way STEM curriculum. We focus on engineering, sustainability and "Global Planting"— engaging students in hands-on learning with an on-campus hydroponic farm and greenhouse, along with student-constructed rain gardens. Students learn using state-of-the-art technology, including touch-enabled whiteboards and 3-D printers. Enrollment: 446 Grades: 6-8 Tuition: FREE