Mariposa Elementary Kindergarten, First, & Second Grade Students Visited Their Future Grade Level Classrooms

At Mariposa Elementary, Mrs. Ryan’s Kindergarten class visited Mrs. Lantaigne’s first-grade classroom. They practiced first-grade skills and discussed with the current first-graders what they enjoyed most about being first-graders. Then, Mrs. Lantaigne’s first-graders visited Ms. Watson’s second-grade class. They had a great time playing a math game and learning what to expect! This was a wonderful way to ease the transition into the next grade level and the students really enjoyed meeting the first and second-grade teachers.  

Mariposa Elementary’s VPK Visits CAST

At Mariposa Elementary, Mrs. Claudia Bonilla’s VPK was very fortunate to visit CAST (Creative Arts Academy of St. Lucie) to watch their rendition of  “The Rainbow Fish”. The VPK students also enjoyed dancing on the stage. What a fantastic presentation and a fun day for all!

Mariposa Elementary’s FSA Student Incentives

A Texas Roadhouse sponsored lunch with Mariposa Elementary’s Deputy Miller! This is one of ten incentives students could receive for doing their best on the FSA! Others included Principal for the Day, Asst. Principal for the Day, lunches with other leadership team members, and taping the Principal to the wall!

Mariposa Elementary VPK Learns About Butterflies and Insects

Mrs. Bonilla’s VPK students at Mariposa Elementary have begun their second week of insect learning. They learned about characteristics, identifying different types, what makes them special, and insect body parts. The students used an Insect Checklist to help them learn these skills. Each day the students focused on one insect and used visuals and technology to further their learning. The students also listened to insect stories during storytime. They wrote sentences that described each insect while practicing correct sentence structure. They continued their learning by sorting insects, practicing writing skills using dry erase boards, and visiting the school Butterfly Garden … Read More

Mariposa Elementary Receives a Grant and Donations to Create a Monarch Hatchery for All to Enjoy

Since we are the Mariposa Monarchs, what better way to learn about our mascot than in person? Assistant Principal Ms. Patton was awarded a grant for our school from the Educational Foundation. This grant has helped us to buy new books about butterflies and their life cycle. We were also able to build a beautiful garden that has already attracted Monarch, Zebra Longwings, and white butterflies. Some of the Monarch butterflies laid eggs on our milkweed, and before long our plants were covered in caterpillars! Our students have been able to observe the caterpillars, the beautiful green chrysalis, and each … Read More

First Grade Poetry Café at Mariposa Elementary!

First grade had a Poetry Café! Each student in the class was able to get on stage and read aloud a poem of their choosing. We were lucky enough to have so many wonderful spectators observe all our hard work. Thank you to all that came to share in our special moments!

FSA Pep Rallies at Mariposa Elementary

Mariposa Elementary recently held pep rallies for their third, fourth, and fifth graders. Mrs. Whitaker and Ms. Patton led the group with several cheers. Kindergarten, first, and second graders showed their support with posters and cards, and teachers prepared skits and cheers as well.        

Mariposa Elementary Partners with Port Saint Lucie High School Drama Students

Mariposa Elementary 5th graders performed their show of Broadway musicals with the help of their drama coaches from Port St. Lucie High School. For more than 20 years, PSLHS drama students have partnered with Mariposa students to choreograph popular Broadway songs.  The 5th graders shine as they perform the songs for other grade levels as well as their parents.

Dell Innovator Program at Mariposa Elementary

Mariposa Elementary welcomed the Dell Innovators program led by media specialist, Wendy Munao. In this technology-infused enrichment course, students assembled presentations of various subjects utilizing tools such as email, OneNote, Padlet, Canvas, Sway, PowerPoint, Flipgrid, Forms, and Stream. The mission of this project-based learning program was for students to develop enough fluency with the technology tools to be able to carry on without teacher guidance. This autonomy will help foster students’ self- efficiency and confidence as they prepare for a future that frequently engages with the digital world. Pictured working on their projects are Lana Thomas, Danica Jonas, Moises Perez, … Read More

Mariposa Elementary’s VPK Focuses on Emergent Reading through Transportation Lessons

Mrs. Claudia Bonilla’s VPK students discussed things that move, including transportation. The students identified what modes of transportation move on land. They were able to help list a couple of examples: cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, etc. The students were able to determine the similarity between each mode of transportation because they all had wheels. Next, the class listened and watched a BrainPOP Jr. snippet about transportation. They then moved into their daily centers. One center reviewed sentence writing: starting with a capital, leaving spaces, and ending with a period. They wrote the following sentence “Cars move on the road.”  … Read More

Mariposa’s VPK Students Practice Positive Relationships with Peers

Mariposa Elementary VPK students are practicing discussing options, how to problem solve, how to use trial and error, and most importantly, how to be cooperative. Mrs. Claudia Bonilla’s VPK students defined the words, provided examples, saw a video, and listened to a Sesame Street song. They cut 5 pieces out of each rectangle to make it look like a puzzle. Then they had to draw, color, and decorate their pieces. Once they finished the task, the students then had to show cooperation by working together, taking turns, and putting the pieces back together in the form of the rectangle. These … Read More

A “Day in Court” at Mariposa Elementary

5th grade Mariposa Elementary students participated in a “Day in Court” to argue their opinion papers for writing. Prosecuting attorneys argued against a topic, Defense attorneys argued for and each side had to provide supporting evidence to convince the jury of their reasoning. Jury members followed a rubric for evidence, discussed the outcomes of the arguments, then shared the verdict with the “Judge” of which side provided the strongest case. A great day of learning!

Mariposa Elementary’s Media Center Gives Students a Unique Experience During Story Time

Mariposa Elementary students enjoyed having story time in the media center amongst themselves while using the app Novel Effect. The app follows along with interactive music and sound effects which makes for an extraordinary read aloud. Mason De La Haye Hendrix is seen here reading his favorite book, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat to his three friends David Sagre, June Collins, and Yalena Pastes . Mason’s friends enjoyed the magical moments listening to their friend read to them.

Mariposa Elementary VKP Students Explore Things They Can Build

Mariposa Elementary’s VPK has been focusing on things they can build. A lot of the answers have been literal and very common for our students: build a tower, build a castle, bridge. Mrs. Claudia Bonilla has tried to move the conversation into topics that are not as obvious such as we can build friendships, stories, etc. The students were able to review the parts of a story, and/or story elements. They reviewed characters, setting, plot, lesson, and then they discussed how they could build their own story by including some of those elements. The students practiced writing a sentence “I … Read More

Mariposa Elementary “Kindness Squad”

Mariposa Elementary proudly announced the creation of their “Kindness Squad,” led by teachers Ms. Theresa Delancy and Ms. Erica Anderson. This team of fifth-graders began meeting monthly to plan activities that promote kindness across our campus. They helped lead a drive-by event with our kindergarten staff and students to bring sunshine to a student who has been out of school for an extended period of time. On Monday, the Kindness Squad welcomed students at parent drop-off with music, cheers, and posters, wishing everyone a wonderful day. Lots of smiles and laughter to start the day! It was a great way … Read More

Mariposa Elementary Schoolwide STEM Challenge

During our recent early release day, Mariposa Elementary participated in a schoolwide STEM Tower Challenge. Students enjoyed the hands-on activities while using their STEM skills. Mariposa K-2 students were challenged to build a tower with cups and index cards tall enough for them to help save Rapunzel, who needed help because the evil stepmother had cut her hair so she couldn’t escape. At the same time, the 3-5 graders were challenged to engineer the tallest balloon tower possible. During the process, the students had many unforeseen economic situations arise. First, there was the loss of resources due to company loss … Read More