Marking Excellence with Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff

Have you ever considered working for the School District of Osceola County? We have more than 8,000 employees, and the majority of them are not teachers. We have everything from bookkeepers to secretaries to school nutrition services employees to maintenance workers to bus route coordinators and so much more. So consider joining the SDOC family because there's a place for you!

Did you know that our buses go through a rigorous monthly inspection process to ensure they are safe for our students and drivers? In this episode of Shanoff Shadows, you will learn about that process from one of the most thorough mechanics in the state of Florida.

Voyager K-8 is our first K-8 school to adopt the Leader in Me framework. Helen Reid discusses how the curriculum helps students develop the skills needed to be successful leaders in their communities.

There are so many components to the college application process. Mrs. Malfara, our coordinator of college and career counseling, sits down with Dr. Shanoff to help simplify the process for students and parents. 

The learning gains and progress that our district has made over the last year have been a joint effort from students, teachers, staff, parents, and the surrounding community. Collaboration has played a huge role in that progress, which is why Dr. Shanoff is hosting a series of District Dialogues this fall. You can view the complete schedule here: https://bit.ly/DistrictDialogues2024.

Parents, we know that there are a lot of resources out there to guide you and child through the school year. On this episode, Dr. Shanoff sits down with Dr. Francisco Rivera Mieles to discuss the best ways to communicate with your child's teachers, to track their grades, and to help them gain extra reading or math practice at home.

Your principals, assistant principals, and custodians have been working hard throughout the summer to prepare for the new school year. Now, it's your turn to prepare! In this episode, Dr. Shanoff and Mr. Chris Todd, principal of Celebration High School discuss new policies for high school schedule changes, Meet the Teacher nights, bus route information, free and reduced lunch, and more.

We’re less than a month away from the first day of school and many of our students will be transitioning to middle school or high school for the first time. Principal Monique Machado has some tips to help parents and students ease into these transitions.

Did you know the best thing your student can do during summer break is read for 20 minutes every day? Reading will help them continue to build a strong foundation for success across all subjects.

Before the end of the school year, Dr. Shanoff visited Celebration High School to help Mr. Irving Reyes prepare his students for their final exams and industry certifications.

During the spring semester, School Board Vice Chair Terry Castillo hosted a community conversation about educational gaps and how the school district is addressing those gaps to ensure all students receive a quality education. This podcast episode expands on that conversation.

Dr. Shanoff attempts to learn ballet and jazz with Mrs. Burns at St. Cloud High School. Will he be successful in his attempt to master the grand jete? Listen to his latest episode of Shanoff Shadows to find out!

From FAST testing to end-of-course exams to AP Exams, our students will be taking multiple tests throughout the month of May. Dr. Shanoff knows that all these tests can be overwhelming for students, which is why he invited Dr. Leah Torres onto the podcast to talk about ways to overcome testing anxiety and provide some words of encouragement to all students.

Dr. Shanoff is thrilled to introduce you to our 2025 Teacher of the Year, Ms. Vanessa Gomez. Ms. Gomez is a Medical Assistant Instructor for Osceola Technical College and her students have achieved a 100% certification pass rate and graduation rate at the conclusion of her program. She discusses this and more on the latest episode of Marking Excellence!

Dr. Shanoff sits down with Mrs. Dawn Parker to talk about being named the 2024 School-Related Employee of the Year.

Ride alone with Dr. Shanoff as he delivers mail to various schools and departments. You can read about his experience on the RoundUp blog at osceolaschools.net.

Today, Dr. Shanoff is joined by Jake and Sara, two high school seniors who are part of his advisory council. During the first semester, Dr. Shanoff tasked them with creating a collaborative plan that would foster a greater sense of student connection across the School District of Osceola County. The seniors will be presenting this plan at the board meeting on February 27, 2024. You can tune in at...

It's time to prepare for kindergarten! Dr. Reyes, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction, sits down with Dr. Shanoff to discuss some of the activities and routines you can start establishing now so they are ready for a successful first day. To register your child, visit https://bit.ly/SDOCStudentRegistration.

School Board Vice Chair Terry Castillo recently held a town hall with parents and employees regarding safety and security. Since safety and security are a top priority for our school district, Ms. Castillo brought those questions to Dr. Shanoff. In this episode you will learn some of the policies and procedures in place to promote safety on all of our campuses.

Safety and Security is a top priority of our school district. In honor of School Resource Officer Day, Dr. Shanoff visited Partin Settlement Elementary to shadow Deputy Russ. You can read a brief reflection of his experience at www.osceolaschools.net.

Dr. Shanoff trades his shirt and tie for a t-shirt and sneakers as he heads back to the classroom to experience a day in the lives of our students. Listen to his experience with Jahmoy, a senior at Poinciana High School, as he engages in Entrepreneurship, English 4, and Marketing. You can also read Dr. Shanoff's reflection on the Osceola Roundup blog at https://bit.ly/ShanoffShadowsBlog.

Dr. Shanoff heads back to the classroom in this episode of Shanoff Shadows! Working alongside Ms. Torres at St. Cloud Elementary School, he helps her conduct various small group interventions centered around phonics, central idea, and reading comprehension.

Seniors, the FAFSA is your first step for securing money for college as it can open you up to college-based funding and various scholarships. The federal form opens in December and Mrs. Danielle Malfara is here to talk about everything you need to know when completing it. She also discusses other trusted sources for locating scholarships.

In this episode, Dr. Shanoff discusses some of the things he's accomplished and learned as the superintendent of schools. He has spent a large part of this time visiting schools and meeting with parents, students, community members, and staff to understand the strengths of our district as well as areas for improvement.

Our school nurses are always busy attending to students and their needs whether that be receiving medication, helping a headache subside, treating an injury, or putting on a bandaid. On today's episode of Shanoff Shadows, you will here about Kaitlyn Griffin's role at Zenith Accelerated Learning Academy where she is responsible for children as young as six months old to high school students...