Year: 2013

Northport K-8 students in Pam Mishler’s first grade class and Lisa Cash’s sixth grade class made new friends all in the name of literacy recently when the students paired up to prepare for the school’s vocabulary parade.  Students used words from their reading text for the year to make vocabulary costumes and  hand made signs to wear in the parade to celebrate words. Teachers and students used the book “Miss Alaineus” by Debra Frasier to hone ideas and to prepare to model their costumes in the vocabulary parade.  The vocabulary parade is just one of the activities made available to … Read More

Northport K-8 School kindergarteners in Melody Nieves’ class shared with a room full of parents the many reading and writing skills that they have acquired throughout the school year. Students shared Gingerbread books that illustrated an excellent use of beginning, middle and ending for a story plot, good use of punctuation and started each sentence with a capital letter. Students also demonstrated a working knowledge of shapes by reading a sentence that each wrote using shapes such as circle, square, rectangle, triangle and rhombus. Parents and friends oohed and aahed over each student’s data books that were explained by the children demonstrating … Read More

Students in Colleen Wilson’s sixth grade science class at Forest Grove Middle worked on a class science project, “Can you protect a falling egg?” Students created “protectors” for their eggs out of different materials with the goal of dropping an egg from the second story balcony and ensuring that the egg arrived on the ground unharmed. Pictured are Guadaloupe Rubio, left, and Marissa Garcia.

Northport K-8 School students in June Wilson’s seventh grade math class exercised their creativity by reproducing scale models of furniture in their classroom.  Students learned proportion, similarity, scale drawing, perimeter and area of similar figures. Students utilized bridge maps for clarification of similarities.  At the completion of the project, students were able to compute the perimeter and areas of their models to the actual objects by using the scale factor. Mrs. Wilson stated that students were thrilled to be learning math skills with a hands-on approach and social interactions were a positive influence on student output.

Students in Shirley Helton’s fifth grade class at Fairlawn Elementary took top honors in the VFW (Veteran’s of Foreign Wars) essay contest promoting citizenship and patriotism. Jillian Markle, left, placed first in the district and Sariah Strunk came in second. They won for the district and will go on to the state competition. Congratulations!

Northport K-8 lower school students proved their domination over hundreds of words by participating in a vocabulary parade recently. Students poured over lists of words from their texts and chose words that appealed to each, then made posters, signs, decorations and costumes declaring the definitions, the synonyms, antonyms, correct spelling and use of the words in sentences. All students used the book “Miss Alaineus” by Debra Frasier as a road map to comprehension. Northport K-8 School reading coach Deb Mock led the parade with an excellent costume of “Miss Alanieus” herself! Northport K-8 particpated fully in the Just Read, Florida initiative, “Celebrate Literacy!” … Read More

Eighth grade Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition student Drew Maciel won second place in the  middle school category for the Martin Luther King, Jr., oratorical contest which was recently held at Lincoln Park Academy. Drew, pictured, was allowed up to three minutes to capture the audience with his speech and he did. Congratulations Drew! 

Northport K-8 School teachers, reading coach Deb Mock, and media specialist Lynne Gruszka utilized a variety of means and modes to get students involved in the Just Read, Florida initiative “Celebrate Literacy!” Students from grades K-8 appeared on the morning announcements to talk about their love of reading and to recommend good books. Students worked on posters for a display themed, “Take the Lead and Read” and buddied up with students in other classes to hone reading skills and encourage the joy of reading. Students also were offered the opportunity to show off their writing skills by penning an essay titled, “What … Read More

At Southport Middle School, students in Adrianne Mendoza’s seventh grade math class from the Panthers team made rice krispie treats by using math to determine half a portion. Pictured is Hannah Spurr, who had the opportunity to use a variety of measuring tools to determine how much was needed for a single portion. Students also worked in pairs and divided the recipe in half. With their knowledge of how to divide fractions and measurement, the students were able to create a delicious treat that was fun to eat.

Retired St. Lucie Schools princpal Charles Cuomo made a special visit to second graders at St. Lucie Elementary School recently for literacy week. Mr. Cuomo stopped in to read to the students. Every student’s full attention was on Mr. Cuomo as he shared many great books with the class!

After much preparation and studying, Northport K-8 School declared Northstar eighth grade student Jordan Gray as spelling bee champion of the school.  Also, Northport will send fifth grade student Matthew Zoll from Valerie Niewieroski’s class as first place student in grades four and five.  Students asked for definitions, words to be used in  correct sentences, parts of speech and language of origin.  After seven grueling rounds with 29 students participating, the winners were declared and prizes awarded.  Participating students were: Sabrina Kim, Brian Chamizo, Alex Peraza, James Crowhorn, Jason Derilus, Christina Lambert, Radravious Williams, Mayra Solarte, Shawn Outer-Johnson, Matthew Zoll, … Read More

Students in Janet Balletta’s first grade class at Mariposa Elementary recently hosted a Gingerbread Man Celebration. The first grade students read several versions of the Gingerbread Man, performed a Gingerbread Man readers’ theater, and created their own Gingerbread Houses. Several parents participated in the festivities by donating treats, helping students build Gingerbread houses, and engaging students in a special read aloud of the Gingerbread Man. Special thanks go to Carl Nimal, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Caldwell, and Mrs. Baksh for joining in the holiday cheer! Pictured is Mike Caldwell reading to the students.

Students Allison Pozo’s class at Mariposa Elementary created timelines comparing and contrasting the past, present, and future of their own lives. The students used words and phrases related to chronology while making personal connections to the social studies content. Pictured, back row, Nicole Cifuentes, left, and Lina Rodriguez. Middle row, from left, Julona Garber, Natalie Pineda, David Lemus and Kevin Ferdinand, and in front, Riley O’Dowd.

The Mariposa Elementary School band and chorus put on a musical performance during the month of December titled “Santa Goes Green” under the direction of Linda McCartney. The students worked hard for months to prepare for the performance. The audience was able to see the students dance, sing, and play various musical instruments. DVDs were created to help earn money for the N.E.E.D program that includes a trip to Washington DC. Pictured, from left, are Alexandria Perry, Nichole Ledoux, Dylan Brook and Sydney Garcon.

Thanks to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8058, many students had the opportunity to enter a recent Voice of Democracy essay contest with cash prizes for the winners. Students who entered have a chance to win at various levels, excel to the national competition, and possibly win $30,000 along with an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. This year, the prompt asked, “Is the Constitution Still Relevant Today?” Port St. Lucie High cadet Second Lieutenant Mauricio Campos placed first locally and third in district competition, received $350 with a gold medal and a certificate. Mauricio appreciated the opportunity to … Read More

Students in Shirley Helton’s fifth grade class at Fairlawn Elementary swept the fall competition of the Florida Stock Market Challenge. In the divisional section of the competition, the team placed first, second, and third. Bertony Ferinand, J. Flores, Nicholas Macias, Jacob Boyd, and Kameron Schulz placed first, Bryan Quigley, Kobe White, Jacob Ridle, Brooks Holmes, and Logan Folan took second place, and Fabian Quinteros, Roselis, Nicole Rathburn, Demitri Derice, and Holly Gamble placed third. The Stock Market Challenge is a simulation of the actual stock market with students using math and economic skills to become good consumers and producers as … Read More

Students in Cara Ackenbrack’s third grade class at F. K. Sweet Elementary, have been doing a unit of study on penguins. They concluded this unit by making “Pet Penguins” out of recycled soda bottles.  Each child painted their own pet penguin, named it and wrote an imaginative narrative story that included both themselves and their new pet. Pictured from left, are Samia Ahmed, Madison Hendry, Adriana Varn, and Donavyn Jackson.