Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind - Do More. Be More. Achieve More.

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) announces public meetings to which all persons of the public are invited. Location • FSDB Campus: 207 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, FL 32084 • Building: Moore Hall (corner of San Marco Ave. and Macaris St.) • Room: Center for Learning and Development (CLD) Date and Time Friday, August 23, 2024 • 8:00 a.m. – Enrollment and Outreach Committee (Room 215) • 8:45 a.m. – Audit Committee (Room 215) • 10:00 a.m. – Endowment/Investment Committee (Room 215) • 10:45 a.m. – Board Workshop (CLD) • 2:30 p.m.– Regular Board Meeting (CLD) Please note: Only the Regular Board meeting will be livestreamed and available on the FSDB Board of Trustees Meeting webpage at www.fsdbk12.org/board-of-trustees-meetings.

BHS art students are excited to showcase their work in The St. Augustine Art Association’s Tactile Art Show again this year with 24 pieces included in the show. STAAA hosts this annual show in partnership with the Florida DeafBlind Association and FSDB. The show is on display in-gallery (Tuesdays through Sundays, 12:00 – 4:00pm) and online at any time: October 4 – 27, 2024. https://www.staaa.org/event/tactile-art-show/ A small group of BHS students visited the gallery on Friday for a community service project with Ms. Hall, Mr. Crozier, and Mr. Jacobsen. Students prepared Braille signage for the show and previewed the art. BHS art classes will take a field trip to visit the show later this month. Here’s a sneak peek!

On Saturday, October 5th, six Blind High School students traveled to Huntsville, Alabama for Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS). The US Space & Rocket Center Space Camp hosts this camp once a year, specifically adapted for students with visual impairments. The students participated in activities that would allow them to experience tasks or missions like those of astronauts and pilots. Some of these included scuba diving, team building exercises in the outdoors, simulators, and more. As part of their training, students participated in missions that would allow them to put into practice the skills and knowledge they learned throughout the week. Our Advanced Space Academy students Alden Porter, Damian Palacios and Christian Chapu were part of team Marineris. Our Aviation Challenge students were Jazmin West, Hope Dixon and Kayla Bodiford. As part of the camp, the students were able to meet other visually impaired students from across the US and other countries like Costa Rica, Canada, Romania and Belgium. #FSDBCampusLifeTuesday

Welcome Erin Keane to FSDB! Erin will be a Residential Instructor for Gregg Hall. Erin is looking forward to starting her position by doing two things she loves- teaching & working with students with disabilities. Erin is originally from Quincy, Massachusetts, and loves singing, swimming, fishing, and everything outdoors! We are super excited to have you as part of our FSDB Family! #ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB

Welcome back, Sarah Robinson! Sarah will be working with our Deaf Middle School girls in Gregg Hall. Sarah previously worked as a residential instructor at Rhyne Hall and for Amazon. She also attended FSDB from 2004 to 2015, graduating in 2015. Sarah shared that FSDB taught her a lot as a student. "I am excited to return to my second home and contribute to FSDB with the knowledge I gained while growing up!" shared Sarah. FSDB is thrilled to have you back with us! #ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongAtFSDB

The FSDB campus has been assessed and determined to be safe for staff and students to return. Classes will resume on Tuesday, October 15, as originally scheduled after the long weekend. Click the link below to read the full announcement and view it in ASL. https://www.fsdbk12.org/alerts

Based on the most recent weather advisory and due to the lateness of the storm passing through our area, FSDB will be closed the remainder of the week. Click the link below to read the full announcement and view it in ASL. https://www.fsdbk12.org/alerts

FSDB participated in several weather briefings this morning on Hurricane Milton. The leadership team has decided to close the school from Tuesday, October 8, through Thursday, October 10. Click the link below to read the full announcement and view it in ASL. https://www.fsdbk12.org/alerts

Recap of September 30- October 4: - FSDB Swim Team had a meet against Tocoi and Fleming Island on Thursday, October 3. - Two 2nd graders earned pennies in their class throughout the week. They visited the class store and had enough saved to buy cat ears. - The Apartments make dinner every night as part of their Daily Living Skills Instruction. On one of the nights this week, they made spaghetti, Italian sausage, green beans, and garlic toast for dinner. Yummy! #FSDBRecapSundays

The girls' volleyball team made it safely to New Mexico to compete in Spikeout XXlV! To learn more about the tournament and stay up-to-date with results, visit https://sites.google.com/nmsd.k12.nm.us/spikeout2024/home #GoDragons #OneTeamOneHeartbeat

Say Hello to Lori Smith!   Lori has worked at FSDB since 1998. Her first position was in Accounting as a Fiscal Assistant. Lori has worked in Human Resources since 2009 but has had other positions before HR.   Listed below are all the positions and OPS she has worked during her time here at FSDB: - Related Services- Secretary - Special Needs- Instructional Assistant & Secretary - Deaf Elementary- Administrative Assistant - OPS Recreation - OPS Dance Teacher - OPS Chaperone - OPS Summer Camps - Assistant Girls Basketball Coach for C-Team - Assistant Girls Soccer Coach   Lori's daughter was born deaf. She learned about FSDB from an early intervention program serviced in the area where she lived. She started coming to the school to attend Silent Weekends and other parent events to learn to sign and be exposed to the Deaf culture for her daughter. At the same time, Lori enrolled her daughter in Pre-K and landed a job at FSDB! Now, she has a granddaughter who was born deaf and attends FSDB.   "FSDB has a special place in my heart as a Parent, Grandparent, and an Employee," shared Lori.   Lori has many unforgettable memories, and it is almost impossible for her to choose one. However, the first thing that came to mind was watching and being part of her daughter and granddaughter developing their language through friends and the deaf community at FSDB.   " I will eternally feel blessed and thankful for my FSDB Family and all it means to my family and me," shared Lori.   A fun fact about Lori is she loves the outdoors and spending time with her family!   We love having you as part of our FSDB Family!   #ThisIsFSDB #FSDBFam #YouBelongatFSDB #FSDBGrowingUpAtFSDB

Takeover Thursdays are back! This week, our Recreation Department will be in charge of our social media. Don't miss out on the exciting content they will be sharing in our stories later today! #FSDBTakeoverThursdays

Then & Now: The top photo was taken around 1915 and the bottom photo was taken in 2020. The tree is now around 200 years old. There were not many changes over the years. Credit goes to Jamie McElfresh,  Museum Staff.   #FSDBHistory #FSDBWayBackWhensday

Blind Elementary School student McKenzie represented FSDB Blind Elementary School at the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Game. Mckenzie was invited to sing the National Anthem before the August 31st game, and she wowed the crowd! #FSDBCamousLifeTuesday

St. Johns County Firefighters came to visit our Blue Classroom in the ELC! The students had a fantastic time meeting the firefighters! They loved feeling the different equipment pieces, exploring the firetruck's inside, and learning about how firefighters serve our community. It was a hands-on experience that brought their lessons to life! #FSDBAcademicMondays

Due to Hurricane Helene, not much happened in the FSDB community this week. However, we ensured our cross country team made it safely to Fremont, California, for their National Deaf Prep Cross Country Tournament! #FSDBRecapSundays #GoDragons #OneTeamOneHeartbeat

Next Saturday, October 5, Alabama School for the Deaf will be coming to take on our Boys Football at 2 p.m. Come on out to support our team! We hope to see you there! #FSDBSportsSaturdays #GoDragons

Say Hello to Kendall McDonald! Kendall is a senior in the Blind Department. She has been with FSDB for twelve years! Kendall enjoyed meeting all her friends throughout the years at FSDB. Kendall enjoys art of all kinds! We will miss you once you graduate!  #ThisIsFSDB #YouBelongAtFSDB #FSDBFam #GrowingUpAtFSDBFridays

Based on the most recent weather advisory, the strengthening of the storm, and the delay in the storm passing through our area, FSDB classes for Friday, September 27 are canceled and the campus will be closed. At this time, school will be in session and under normal operations on Monday, September 30. Boarding programs students will be picked up at their regularly scheduled time and bus stop. ––– Según el aviso meteorológico más reciente, el fortalecimiento de la tormenta y el retraso en el paso de la tormenta por nuestra área, las clases de FSDB para el viernes 27 de septiembre se cancelan y el campus estará cerrado. En este momento, la escuela estará en sesión y bajo operaciones normales el lunes 30 de septiembre. Los estudiantes de los programas de internado serán recogidos en su horario y parada de autobús programados regularmente.

View in ASL: https://vimeo.com/1013311934 Based on the most recent weather advisory, FSDB plans to have classes on Friday, September 27. All Yellow Bus routes (morning and afternoon) will follow the regular Friday schedule. We will continue to monitor the weather and the impacts of the storm. If we need to cancel any bus routes on Friday morning, we will inform families via School Messenger, social media and our website. (Yellow Bus Routes: 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, and 29 ––– Según el aviso meteorológico más reciente, FSDB planea tener clases el viernes 27 de septiembre. Todas las rutas de los autobuses amarillos (mañana y tarde) seguirán el horario regular de los viernes. Continuaremos monitoreando el clima y los efectos de la tormenta. Si el viernes por la mañana necesitamos cancelar alguna ruta de autobús, les informaremos a las familias a través de School Messenger, redes sociales y nuestro sitio web. (las rutas de los autobuses amarillos: 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, and 29)