In preparation for your child's annual IEP meeting, being prepared with all your questions and concerns is the key to a productive meeting that results in a high-quality IEP for your child. To help you prepare, consider completing the IEP Parent Input Form prior to the meeting.

Know that you have the right to invite agency representatives to the meeting. However, this directive has to come from the parent in order for us to invite outside agencies. Please contact your IEP Coordinator as soon as possible before the meeting.

IEP Parent Input Form

The ECC Clinic is meant to be a triage for students who have an area of need. Teachers/staff may refer a student, the student may refer themselves, or parents may submit a request. Depending on the student, they may be seen once to learn a particular skill or may be seen regularly in order to master a priority need. When referring a student, please be detailed in order for us to best serve them.

This clinic will take place only on Thursdays and students will be selected based on the urgency of their need. 

Please use this form to refer students to our Expanded Core Curriculum Clinic.

Parent Engagement Workshop: Power Up for Success, Level Up Your Learning

All FSDB Families are invited to attend on August 29.

Topics:

• Pause, Recharge, Play On: Mental Health Matters at FSDB  

• Level up your access!  

• New Website overview and mobile app introduction 

• Using the Portal!  Skyward Parent Portal overview 

• Decode assessments and progress monitoring  

• President Pop-In

RSVP Here

There will be an Informational Ski Club Meeting on Friday, August 29 at 12:45 (during high school lunch) in the Canteen in Gibbs Hall. Please pick up a to-go lunch prior to the meeting.

The Ski Club selects 10 students based on their points earning system. The students and staff attend a weeklong trip in the Rockies in January to learn how to ski and all other kinds of winter sports and activities!

See photos from prior years and get more information on the website! Blind Ski Club

Application Packet

Students in high school are signing up to participate in this year's Book Club. Students interested in Book Club should have emailed Ms. Joy or Ms. Zuaro. Parent permission forms will be sent out soon will a list of books students will be able to vote on for group reading and discussions. BHS Book Club will meet monthly in the library for dinner, discussion, debates and discovery of literacy resources. The first meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 18th.

Students who were interested in taking music lessons should have completed the Google Form or let Mrs. Costello know. Additional students may be placed on the waiting list for an open spot. Lessons will begin in mid-September.

International Thespian Society (ITS)/Drama Club meets on EVEN Thursdays in the Music Building Auditorium. Students can participate to be in a show on stage, or can work behind the scenes in any of the many areas of support. Students can earn points toward membership in the ITS program and may participate in district - state - international competition.

Students interested in assisting with the yearbook should email Mrs. Carr.

The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind – Blind High School Chapter of the National Honor Society will have inductions on February 27, 2026.

The purpose of this chapter shall be to create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership, and to encourage the development of character in students of Blind High School.

For more information, visit National Honor Society - Becoming a Member

Congratulations to these students who made the Show Choir!

The Blinding Lights Show Choir serves as FSDB Ambassadors in the Blind Department. The Reflections Show Choir is a developmental group who practices with the primary group, joining in as alternates as needed or joining for particular events.

Ms. Carr's Literature class had a special visit from Christes, a student from Greece who is in America for the first time, heading off to college next week. He read a bit of The Odyssey in ancient Greek, then answered questions from students about life in Greece, culture and traditions, food, school, Greek history, and more. Students were engaged and listening the entire period, wishing they could spend more time learning about how students experience life in Greece.

See photo

History students kicked off the year by building their Historian's Toolkit: a set of skills and background knowledge that will support their learning as we discuss various cultures and world events throughout the year.

In a lesson about timelines, students defined terms that we use to measure the passage of time: BCE, BC, CE, AD, circa, era, and more. Then, they worked together to place pieces of a shuffled-up timeline in the correct order.

With clear communication and clever cooperation, plus literacy and mobility skills, they organized 10,020 years of history in the Bryant hallway.

See more

Sculpture students in Blind High School kicked off the new school year with a Paper Tower Challenge. They were given fifteen sheets of paper, a roll of painter’s tape, and fifteen minutes to create the tallest structure with the most negative space. It was a great way to get to know each other.

See Photos

Music Theory print students practiced writing treble and bass clefs on the board while braille theory students learned about octave signs and music braille notes using tac-tiles.

Did you know that print music and braille music function differently?

The difference between print music and braille music is quite significant because they are designed for very different ways of reading and interpreting music. Braille music allows blind and visually impaired musicians to access the same musical information as sighted musicians, but it requires a different kind of literacy and often a lot of memorization and practice. The main difference between print and braille music is the method of notation: Print music uses visual, staff notation of symbols, whereas braille music is a linear, tactile code that uses the same six-dot cells as literary braille but in different combinations.

A fun way for students to learn these braille symbols is to say "In this building (Music)...." the dots have different meaning. For example, "In Bryant Hall, dots 1, 4, 5 are the letter D, but in the Music Building, dots 1, 4, 5 are an eighth note C." This helps the students to learn the codes separately associating them with a location until they become fluent.

Louis Braille was a musician and created the braille music code to help him compete and participate with sighted musicians. Being French, the code is based on the fixed do solfege system; the cells tell both pitch and rhythm at the same time, with the top 4 dots telling the pitch (dots 1, 2, 4, 5) and the bottom 2 dots telling the rhythm (dots 3, 6). There are hundreds of music symbols in Western written music, and thousands once you figure in tablature and other cultural notations, but the limitations of the braille cell allow for only 64 combinations. What this means for the braille music reader is that they must use their critical thinking skills to determine in context what the symbol means; for instance, a whole note and a sixteenth note look the same so the reader must determine which value it is based on the time signature and how many beats are in the measure otherwise versus how many there can be. Those math skills come in handy!

Greetings from MacWilliams Hall.

· Welcome back students!! We are excited to start another great school year with you all!

· We would like to welcome four new students to FSDB & MacWilliams Hall: Leonel B-C., Carlos P-C., Nico B. & Nick M.!! We’re glad you’re here!

· Koger Hall and MacWilliams Hall supervisors and staff are planning our “back to school kickoff” event. Our Ice Cream Floats were a huge success last year, I’m not sure how we’ll “top” it this year. We anticipate to have pictures and a great story for you in the next newsletter.

· Hats off to our Freshmen. They’ve done incredibly well learning their new routes, their school and dorm are in complete different areas and they’ve done very well to learn their way around in such a short period of time. Good Job Guys!

· This year we say “so long” to one of our senior staff members, Mr. Baker. Mr. Baker has been in MacWilliams Hall for about 10 years and this year has transferred to an expanded Apartment Program. His presence will be missed in MacWilliams Hall, but we know his skills and experience will greatly benefit our Seniors and SOAR students in the Apartments. We anticipate the return of our National Guardsman, Mr. Gabriel. He was deployed for the last year in Washington D.C. as Capitol Security and is currently being discharged to return home and resume his role with our students in the dorm.

· Our Juniors will be making their first shopping trip on August 28 and will begin cooking meals the following Tuesday when they return from the long weekend.

The 2025/2026 school year is off to a great start in Koger Hall. The girls have been busy getting back into their routines, catching up with friendships and trying out for after school activities.

August 2025 was the very first few weeks of a brand-new school year. I could not be prouder of our Apartment Program team, young adults and team members, alike. The month continues to be full of the program adhering to FSDB policies and procedures as well as the Boarding Program Guidelines as we continue to ensure students and staff are focused and working toward FSDB’s organizational goal.

Several students have returned to our S.O.A.R. and boarding program. The Apt program continues to implement the PBIS philosophy of cooperating, being respectful, and being responsible as well as Character Ed. Providing support and guidance to the students is the continued practice for our team. This is a big part of our school, and the apartment program wanted to show the students that they can count on the support of their staff. The Apartment Program’s 2025 Kick-Off is dated for September 2025.

The students of Apartment Program continue to enjoy socializing while hanging out and watching their favorite shows on TV. The lobby area is the main meeting area and central location for student interaction which makes it an ideal location for relationship building, support and learning from others. Students really enjoy video game competitions, especially Madden NFL, NBA2K and online gaming.

The students continued with their routine after school activities such as goal ball, cross country, football practice to prepare for the season. The Independent living program of shopping, planning and preparing meals also continues as the students go shopping off campus to Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, and Publix. I am so proud of our Apartment team as they represent the school and themselves well in public during independent living shopping.

We look forward to the continuous progress as our students go through the program and team members continue to focus on developing lives and shaping the futures of the young adults we serve.

Dear FSDB Families and Staff,

We’re excited to share the success of our Track Incentive Program for students in grades K–Post Graduate! Every Thursday, students have the opportunity to participate in this fun and motivating initiative designed to promote physical activity, goal-setting, and school spirit.

Here’s how it works:

• 🏅 Lanyard Achievement: After completing their first 20 laps, students earn a special FSDB lanyard to proudly display their progress.

• 📌 Lapel Pin Milestones: Every 20 laps  or 5 miles , students  can choose from a variety of specialty lapel pins to decorate their lanyard, backpack, or cane pouch. 

• 💯 100 Lap Celebration: Upon reaching 100 laps, students receive a commemorative 100th lap pin to honor their dedication and hard work.

This program not only encourages healthy habits but also fosters a sense of accomplishment and community among our students. We’re incredibly proud of their efforts and look forward to seeing even more milestones reached in the coming weeks!

Thank you for your continued support in helping our students thrive

Marco De Santiago, Swim Coach

This year we have divided our team into two groups varsity (competition team) and junior varsity (development team).

Congratulations to the BHS students who made the team!

Varsity: Ryan Hairston, Lily James

Anna Tutak, Cross Country Coach

The Cross Country team participates in several meets through October, with Districts, Regionals, and States taking place in November.

The Cross Country team is often in need of Guide Runners. Please contact Anna Tutak in the Athletics Department to volunteer!

Congratulations to the BHS students who made the team!

Runners: Jazmine West, Teagan Young, Ethan Jones, Khayree Lofton, Mason Long, Jasen McDaniel

Student Manager: Caidan Hadley

Justyn Keller, Girls Goalball Coach

The Girls Goalball team has a competitive team and a developmental team. Students may move up and/or down throughout the year based on their actions and committment, both in and out of goalball.

Congratulations to the BHS students who made the team!

Competitive Team: Lily James, Alina Davila Tirado, Jazmine West

Developmental Team: Vivienne Matos, Barbara Alberro Hernandez, Briella Lawson, Serenity Herrell

Eric LeFors, Football Coach

FSDB's Football Team plays in the Sunshine State Athletic Association in the 8-man format. They are the 2024 Champions!

Congratulations to the BHS students who made the team!

Varsity: Dino Jeudy, Jr.

JV: Moses Jeudy, Isaiah Jeudy

Athletics Page

Health Care Center Newsletter – August 2025

Welcome Back Message from President Snow

FSDB Arts Receives International ADP Award

Virtual ECC Presents: Let's Make Lunch! Expanded Core Competency (ECC) Interactive Learning series for children ages 6-17 who are blind/visually impaired (BVI), deaf/hard of hearing (DHH), dual sensory impaired (DSI), and living in Florida.

If you would like to contribute something to the Prism newsletter, please send your article and photos to Mrs. Costello at costellol@fsdbk12.org All students may submit stories, poems, information, jokes, photos, etc. for consideration.