Backpack Lady Makes Special Delivery to Skycrest Elementary

The Backpack Lady Project delivered 10 backpacks to Skycrest Elementary School in Clearwater on Tuesday. The school serves a large population of low-income students, the principal says.

Rob Ditro was nervous before walking into Skycrest Elementary School with 10 new backpacks on Tuesday.  Even though he's told his story dozens of times, he's always afraid he won't be able to get through it without getting emotional. He picked up a pink Hello Kitty backpack loaded with school supplies, unzipped it, showed off some of the contents and started telling his story. Ditro, of Dunedin, is in his second year of The Backpack Lady Project, a non-profit he began as a way to preserve his late mother's legacy. He found after her passing that his mother anonymously delivered two backpacks every year to a Dunedin school for more than a decade. The project solicits community donations every year around back-to-school shopping time and …

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Dozens Busted For School Zone Speeding, Passing School Buses

The Clearwater Police Department's crackdown on school safety resulted in more than 100 citations earlier this week — including one DUI arrest.

The results are in from the Clearwater Police Department's safety crackdown in school zones earlier this week. Dozens of people were busted for speeding in a school zone, passing a stopped school bus and other violations — even one DUI arrest — during the Traffic Enforcement Team's back to school detail at various local schools and bus stops Monday through Wednesday. Here is a summary, according to public safety spokesperson Elizabeth Watts: 29 - Citations issued for speeding in a school zone 25 - Citations issued for passing a stopped school bus 43 - Moving citations issued (other violations than listed above) 21 - Non-moving citations issued 20 - Warnings given 5 - Criminal citations issued 1 - DUI arrest

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First Day is Genesis of Hebrew Language Charter School

Ben Gamla Charter School, the first Hebrew language charter school in Pinellas County, opened its doors for the first time Monday, Aug. 20.

Elizabeth DaSilva might be more excited than her son Jordan for his first day of kindergarten. DaSilva's other children attended Pinellas County Jewish Day School, and when the school closed after the 2010 school year, she worried about the importance of a Hebrew education for her younger children, and where they would get that. “It’s such a blessing to be in this environment,” Elizabeth said. “We all felt like orphans.” DaSilva was one of many parents dropping their children off at Ben Gamla, the first Hebrew language charter school in Pinellas County, on Monday. Seventy kindergartners through fifth-graders are enrolled at the Clearwater school, which teaches a traditional public school curriculum supplemented by a Hebrew language …

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Cavaliere Named School Resource Officer of the Year

Clearwater Police Officer John Cavaliere is recognized as the School Resource Officer of the Year by the Pinellas County School Board Tuesday.

Officer John Cavaliere started a Students Against Drunk Driving chapter and a crime watch unit at Countyside High School. His keen ability to build relationships with parents and students will be recognized at Tuesday’s School Board meeting when Cavaliere is named the district’s School Resource Officer of the Year. “I was taken back because I had no idea I was up for an award,” Cavaliere, 47, said. “It’s very nice to get an award like this. There are good SROs all over this county and I’ve probably not done anything more than them. I was fortunate enough to get picked.” Gary Schlereth, Countyside High’s principal, said that Cavaliere’s efforts should be modeled. “We should model what he does in terms of how he works with kids, parents and …

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Slow Down, the Kids Are Going Back to School

Clearwater Police will be on the lookout for speeders in school zones and near bus stops when school begins Monday.

Speeders beware: School is back in session. That's the message from Clearwater Police, who will be on the lookout for speeders in school zones and near bus stops when the school year begins Monday in Pinellas County. "Operation School STEP (Special Traffic Enforcement Program)" runs from Aug. 20-22 and will focus on speeding violations and safe driving as students arrive and are dismissed from school. Speeding violations in schools zones could cost you. Here are the minimum fines: At bus stops, drivers are reminded that they: Failing to stop for a school bus will result in a $271 fine. Officers will also be enforcing pedestrian safety, including violating the right of way of a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

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What Time Does School Start, End in Pinellas County?

View the full schedule of bell times for Pinellas County Schools in 2012-13.

Wondering what time school starts and ends this year? Most Pinellas County schools will operate on the same schedule as last year, but a handful of schools have different bell times. For a full list of Clearwater area school hours, visit the district's website or see the attached PDF.

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Check Out Our 2012 Back-to-School Guide

Patch has everything you need to know about the start of the 2012-13 school year in Pinellas County.

Seven Ways to Save and Use School Supplies

Looking for ways to reduce, reuse and recycle school supplies?

Here are some ways to save and use school supplies: 1. Sort through last year's school supplies. Reuse durable items such as scissors, staplers, pencil sharpeners and rulers. 2. Make items such as backpacks or lunch boxes "new" with fabric paint, patches, ribbons or other decorations. 3. Some companies offer ways to recycle their products. Elmer's Glue has a recycling program for those empty glue sticks and bottles. Melted or unwanted crayons can be recycled, too! 4. Cover and protect your school books with brown grocery store bags. Get creative with markers or colored pencils to create special designs. 5. Buy reusable school supplies like refillable mechanical pencils or rechargeable batteries. 6. Save wrappers, egg crates, aluminum foil …

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Florida's Sales Tax Holiday Is Underway

Attention shoppers, Florida's 2012 Sales Tax Holiday is Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday Aug. 5! Here's what you need to know before you head out the door.

Thanks to the Florida Dept. of Revenue for providing this information.

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