WestGate K8 School “Autism Speaks” walking team co-captains Jessica McLaughlin, right, and Valentina Whyte were recently presented with a $500 check from Nate Rivaldo representing the Port St. Lucie chapter of The Sons of Italy. Whyte, who is a behavior tech in one of WestGate’s autism units, said the donation will help reach the $2000 goal set for the year. The generosity of the members of The Sons of Italy is greatly appreciated.
Northport K-8 eighth grade Clownfish boys are supporting the school’s Relay For Life team this year by stepping into some big shoes! The theme this year is “Old Hollywood Glamour” and the boys are raising money for the event bypaying $5 per day to wear high heels. The Clownfish team leader Dru DeHart came up with the great idea to help support Relay For Life, and the boys have been vying to wear the shoes. The fundraiser for eighth grade boys runs October 30-November 16, and for seventh grade boys from November 27-December 19. The idea supports one of the school’s goals of providing opportunities for students to get involved with their local community efforts and to offer service to those in need of assistance. Pictured are eighth grade students, from left, Alex Lejeune, Kevin Sanchez, Sevon Cooper, Christian Gilbert and Osmany Venereo.
Students in the third grade classrooms at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition have been learning about different reading skills. To heighten the students’ awareness of these skills and to incorporate a creative, hands-on activity, every year third graders create Pumpkin People projects. Students partner to read a storybook and organize their information into various maps to show cause and effect relationships, character development, vocabulary, and elements of a story. Once they have completed their maps, students paint and decorate a pumpkin to look like the main character of their book. Pictured is Cameron Cavanaugh displaying her Sponge Bob pumpkin project.
Get your ice cold lemonade, for only 75 cents at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition! The first nine weeks of school, students in Kaitlyn Olesik’s autistic middle school class worked very hard on identifying coins and their values. They put all of their prior and new knowledge to the test by opening up their very own class lemonade stand! The students were given the opportunity to make homemade lemonade. They used skills such as following directions, measuring ingredients, taking turns and squeezing fresh lemons! The turnout was great, they had many classes stop by and they got to utilize their new skills. The class would like to thank everyone who participated! Pictured, from left, are Principal Debra Snyder purchasing lemonade from Stephen LePore, and Curriculum Specialist Kathleen Melrose getting ready to purchase hers.
Northport K-8 sixth grade Starfish students and instructors joined forces to compare and contrast the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon man recently as part of a unit of study. Students studied the characteristics of the two as well as weaponry and methods of survival. As a culminating activity, teachers dressed the parts of Wilma Flintstone, Betty Rubble and Pebbles Flintstone and encouraged students to compete in a “Deadliest Warrior” Survivor game. Each group of five students were given “dino bone survival scenarios” to read and then determined which man, Neanderthal or Cro-magnon, would survive the scenario. Students were engaged in the game and used critical thinking skills to determine the winning man. Pictured, back row from left, are instructors Amanda Sartain, Georgia Stone and Mindi Slater as well as students Javan Bellamy, front row left, and Trey Bingham.