SPHS & STC Combined Open House Schedule

On the Subject of Community Service...

As all of our students and families know, Community Service is an important part of the SPHS learning experience. The hours that our students serve in our community can be applied toward application to the FL Bright Futures Scholarship Program, numerous other scholarships, and college applications. More importantly, serving the community provides the opportunity for students to experience the value of sharing their talents and energy with other members of their community.  Seniors at SPHS should be finishing up their hours as soon as possible, as the application for Bright Futures opens up in December. Late Spring submissions can cause some serious delays in financial aid decisions for Fall college entrance.


HOW MANY HOURS ARE NEEDED?

There are three levels of FL Bright Futures Scholarship, with different requirements for Community Service hours.  To receive the FL Academic Scholars award, 100 hours are required.  FL Medallion Scholars require 75 hours, and Gold Seal Vocational Scholars require 30 hours. 

In addition, students will earn 1/2 elective credit for 75 hours and a full credit for 150 hours on their official transcripts. 100 cumulative hours of Community Service are required for students to graduate from SPHS.

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

Community service hours must be served with a non-profit organization for which the student receives no monetary compensation or a for-profit agency which has an established volunteer program, (i.e. a candy stripe volunteer program at a hospital.)

Acceptable Community Service Activities:
Volunteer with church outside of religious services such as nursery, office, community outreach, etc.
Participating with a team, club, or band in a community service project or outreach program when attendance is not mandatory
Volunteering at an ALF, Nursing Home, or Hospital conducting enrichment &/or entertaining
Coaching, Scorekeeper, Referee for a little league team
Volunteering after school at a school

Not Acceptable Community Service Activities:
Volunteer hours before graduating 8th grade
Volunteering at a non-profit agency to replace a paid staff member
Internships with a for-profit business
Helping at a parent’s business without pay
Church participation during religious services (such as alter server, choir, band, acolyte, etc.)
Church mission camp, teaching bible studies, vacation bible school
School sponsored sports
Playing as a member on a community sports team
Any required participation to be a member of a team, club, group, or band
Any political campaigns of any kind
Meetings for clubs, scouts, 4-H, etc.
Teacher's Aid during school hours

HOW DO STUDENTS GET STARTED:

Students must register online and get pre-approved for EVERY location where they will be serving. If they haven't already, students will need to visit http://scs-webapps2.sarasota.k12.fl.us/hscs/ to get started.

Students will then pick up a Community Service log sheet from the SPHS Front Office and get it signed each time they serve.

Save the Dates!

Here's a rundown on upcoming Volunteer Opportunities and activities around SPHS:

Tuesday, November 3rd – Veteran’s Day Celebration

Tuesday, November 3rd is our Veteran’s Day Celebration! This is a great opportunity for our students to honor those who have served in our military!  Veterans from our community come to SPHS and are greeted by the Student Council and hosted with coffee, juice and pastries.  They are then escorted by the Student Council members to speak to the classes.  The Veterans finish their visit with lunch in the STC Bistro where they are presented with a gift bag.  During lunch, the SPHS students are treated to red, white and blue patriotic cupcakes.

To support this event, we are in need of the following:

Donations:

• Monetary donations for purchase of coffee, juice, doughnut holes, pastries, items for gift bags for the veterans. (We need approximately $50 for the morning reception and $150 for the gift bags.)
• We are looking for sponsors to purchase 20 $10 gift cards for Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks for the Veteran’s gift bags. (If you can sponsor 1, 2 or even more that would be great!) Large red, white and blue cupcakes for all of the Veterans (we are expecting 15-20)
• Red, white and blue cupcakes for all of the students, approximately 600 or 50 dozen. Monetary donations for purchasing cupcakes would also be great!

Volunteers:
We need 4-6 volunteers between 9 am and approximately 11:30 am to help set-up, greet the Veterans, put together gift bags, decorate Bistro tables and hand out cupcakes to students.

Saturday, November 7th – VEX Robotics Competition

SPHS will be hosting another VEX Robotics Competition on November 7th from 7:30 am until approximately 4:00 pm.  Once again, the TSA (Technology Student Association) Club would like to set up a concession stand to help fundraise for their participation in the local and state competitions.
If you would like to support them, we are looking for donations of the following items to be sold at the concession table:

• Sodas
• Cases of water
• Boxes of candy bars
• Boxes of granola bars, energy bars, etc.
• Paper plates
• Napkins

We also need a couple of volunteers throughout the day to help with the concession stand, as well as go pick up pizza.  Whether you can spend an hour or all day, any help is greatly appreciated.

Monday, November 9th – Hispanic Month Celebration

On Monday, November 9th, the Spanish Language classes will be holding their celebration of Hispanic Month.   We are in need of several volunteers during each period to help with setting up the food and serving, as well as manning the microwave. Whether you can spend one period or all day, every little bit of assistance helps.

The schedule for the different periods are 7am to 9am, 9am to 11am, 11am to 1pm, and 1pm to 3pm. The first and last “shifts” will be helping with set-up and clean-up.  We will also need donations of the following items:

• Sodas
• Cases of water
• Paper plates
• Napkins
• Plastic Silverware
• Cups

Friday, November 13th – Café Renegade Open Mic Night

Come join us as our students take to the stage to let their inner rock star, poet or comic shine in the spotlight! To support this entertaining and fun evening, we will be in need of the following:

Donations:

• “Coffeehouse” style pastries (think scones, muffins, croissants, banana bread, pound cake, cake pops, specialty cupcakes, brownies, cookies.) We need enough for approximately 50-100 people.
• Items for coffee service – creamer, sugar, stirrers
• Tea Bags
• Hot Chocolate mix
• Bottles of water
• Napkins
• Small paper plates
• Cups for hot drinks

Volunteers:
To help with set-up, coffee prep and clean up we need 3-4 people.  You should plan to arrive at 6:00 pm and be finished about 9:30 pm.

Thursday, November 19th – Great American Teach-In

On Thursday, November 19th,  SPHS invites our various business partners to come in and talk to the students about careers in a variety of fields.  To support this event we are in need of the following:

Donations:

• Pastries
• Juice
• Bottles of water

Volunteers:
We need 3-4 volunteers throughout the morning, starting around 7 am until around 12:30 to help with the hospitality table. We can easily break this into one hour shifts so you don’t need to plan on being at the school the entire time. We just need one or two people to help with setting up the table and really to keep it from being raided by the students. (If they see donuts they will come.)

Here’s a few more to keep in mind for December:

• Poinsettia Sale
• Teacher Holiday Baskets
• December 10th – Book Fair
• December 11th – Winter Dance

If you can help with any of the above events, please email us at sphsboosterpres@gmail.com

Congratulations September Students of the Month!

Grade 9: Michael Wieczorek, nominated by Mrs. Fuller

Michael is a wonderful new addition to our 9th grade team.  He embodies the qualities we are looking for at SPHS.  He is attentive, polite, cooperative, strives to do his best and learn more. It is shown in his written work. He has acclimated well to high school!

Grade 10: Anthony Elkhatib, nominated by Mrs. Lowery

Everybody knows about Anthony's outstanding artistic ability.  Some are aware of his dedication to his extracurricular sports.  However, what makes Anthony exceptional is how he meets all four of the SPHS pillars. He is a student that all of his peers look up to for the wisdom he possesses.  He is helpful to other students in the classroom who are struggling. He is also a mentor to many ninth-grade students. Before the school year even started, his ninth grade teachers spoke about what a natural leader and what a great person he is.  It is the beginning of the school year and we are already very proud of Anthony.

Grade 11: Gabriela Soto, nominated by Mr. Disz

It is my pleasure to nominate Gabriela Soto as the first junior student of the month for the 2015/2016 school year.  Gabriela earned, was not given, but earned a 100% on her first batch of homework assignments and her first test.  It’s always a pleasure to see a student work hard and reap the benefits, especially right from the start.  Congratulations to Gabriela.

Grade 12: Will Mathews, nominated by Dr. Burns

I taught Will as a freshman and now have him again as a senior.  I have seen tremendous growth in him since then.  As a freshman he was often confused and sometimes despairing.  Now he is a competent and confident young man.  He pays careful attention in class, almost always “catches on” and usually has the right answers.  He is respectful, always knows his place, and, although accommodations are always available to him, he seldom uses any excuses but participates as an active member of the class.  He is a success story for our school.  

Reminder: College Night @ Robarts Arena

Don't forget to visit College Night at Robarts. Colleges from across Florida and the U.S. will be visiting to bring our students information about their programs and opportunities.

Sarasota County College Night
Wednesday October 7, 2015
Robarts Arena / 6 - 8 PM

SPHS Fundraiser at Fred's Market Restaurant

When: Thursday, October 8th 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm

Where: Fred’s Market Restaurant
   4000 Cattleman Rd
   Sarasota, FL 34233

Why: To help raise money for SPHS activities throughout the year

How: Just come enjoy a meal at Fred’s Market and let them know you are there to help support SPHS!

Show your class spirit! Enjoy a great meal! Get a volunteer hour!

Please don’t forget to bring the flyer to the event so that we get credit for your purchase! Flyers can be picked up at the SPHS Front Office or found in the email sent by Kris Kelly, Booster President.

Coming Soon: PSAT

The PSAT will be given on the SPHS campus on October 14th. All 10th grade students will be taking this test free of charge, but if you have a 9th or 11th grade student, they may also register to take the test for a fee of $20. The PSAT can be used as practice for the SAT and ACT, and is one of the starting points on your student's college admissions journey. Additionally, it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship.

There is a limited number of tests available, so have your student register at the SPHS Front Office by October 7th to reserve their spot.