Month: September 2014

Northport fifth grade instructor, Melanie Polascak and her students learned about the Survivor’s tree at Ground Zero. Students learned that the pear tree was crushed as the towers collapsed but, like the human spirit, it was repaired, nourished and has regenerated. The tree is now in a precious spot at Ground Zero. Mrs. Polascak’s class made a wonderful analogy about the rebirth of that small pear tree and the healing of the millions of people affected by 9/11. The class constructed a quilt highlighting the healing that has taken place and placed it outside the doors of the school’s 9/11 … Read More

Northport K-8 School celebrated Grandparents Day recently with a grand flair and style! Hundreds of grandparents and extended family members celebrated their children and the community efforts of the school by visiting the cafeteria and courtyard and lunching, picnic style. Culinary Arts instructor, Rachel Ellsworth and her students prepared a wonderful salad bar and sweet treats for grandparents to enjoy. The camaraderie and joy was evident and the school was thrilled to host the magnificent opportunity to remember grandparents. Special thanks to Mrs. Ellsworth, the PTO, kitchen staff and all who helped make the day a joyful one! Northport, a … Read More

September 9th the volunteers at Weatherbee Elementary were given a breakfast and orientation for new prospects.  Last year our volunteers donated over 7,000 hours of their time to our classrooms.  We look forward to seeing more of them in this coming school year and appreciate all they do for our children.  Featured here are Elizabeth Thomas, PTO President, and  Donna Pancoast.

Fairlawn Elementary School received a $1000.00 check from the National VFW.  The State Commander,  T. Wayne Makham, presented the check to Principal Jennifer Hedeen at a faculty meeting with Superintendent Genelle Yost, Dr. Kevin Perry, and Lydia Martin in attendance.   This donation to Fairlawn Elementary was a result of Shirley Helton (retired 5th grade teacher) receiving the national honor of VFW Teacher of the Year 2014.  Mrs. Helton graciously accepted this award recently in St. Louis, Missouri.  Mrs. Helton was nominated by Nell Moyers to the local chapter and then continued on to win at the state and national levels.    … Read More

The privilege of educating students on vital issues in history, patriotism, the strength and power of music and respect for our military and our veterans is evident at Northport K-8 School. The Northport K-8 School Media Center presented a beautiful and timeless program educating our students on the very somber issues of 9/11. The program began with a welcome from principal, Glenn Rustay and media specialist, Lynne Gruszka. Veteran Partners, teacher veterans on campus and guests were given a hearty welcome to the school. The pledge of Allegiance was led by sixth grader, Bradley Venneau. Kindergarten instructor, Tiffany Tredor played … Read More

It was not a typical lunch period for the 35 boys delighted by a visit with Dr. David Washington, SLCSB Director of Recruitment and Retention, to kick-off Weatherbee’s monthly Hour-with-a-Positive-Powerful-Role-Model event.  This Peer Leadership Program is coordinated by Dr. Jennifer Nelson (5th grade teacher) and Guermithe Ogé (1st grade teacher). The young men were captivated as Dr. Washington shared the timeline of his life — beginning with 3rd grade when his school, C. A. Moore Elementary, became racially integrated; to the challenges he overcame which made him stronger, the friend for life he made when he was the age of … Read More

First Graders at Allapattah Flats K-8 took their first steps in earning their green thumb!  First graders are learning how to create a garden.  Our first step was to prepare the garden by adding a fresh layer of soil.  Elijah Adorno and Veneah Mussenden used their sense of touch while spreading out the soil.  The students will plant vegetable seeds next. We can’t wait!

The students in Mrs. Auciello’s Kindergarten class at Mariposa Elementary started the year with a fun activity to practice counting objects accurately with one to one correspondence up to 10. Pictured is Jessie Hindman who very accurately used his play-dough to make the number 8 and to count out 8 play-dough circles to match. The students are off to a great start this year!

Southern Oaks Middle School’s media center has already been extremely busy with students this year. Ms. Odom and Ms. Aguila started the year off by working with Mrs. Kappler’s 7th grade Civics Class during the first week of school. The students came in for lessons on text features within their Civics Textbook. First, they took an interest inventory and a pre-test. Then the students were given a lesson on text features using a power point presentation. The students came back to the media center and were put into small groups based on their interests and scores on the pre-test. After multiple … Read More

Due to a horrific accident with a sidelight window, Steve Shea suffered a laceration from glass in his forearm down to the bone that severed an artery. His daughter, Mackenzie Shea, is a Captain in Port Saint Lucie High School’s JROTC program.

On Thursday, September 11, 2014, sixth grade students at Palm Pointe Elementary Research School at Tradition participated in a special lesson about using oral histories to present multiple perspectives of an historical event. World History teachers, Mrs. Melanie Larsen and Mr. Dennis Keane (former NYFD fireman), and St. Lucie County fireman Ray Reiprecht shared their personal accounts of September 11, 2001. Students also viewed a compilation video featuring the oral histories of other sixth grade teachers and PPE principal, Debra Snyder.  Students then discussed the merits of oral histories as primary sources and how the various perspectives aided their overall … Read More

Northport K-8 School and Big Brothers, Big sisters of Saint Lucie County have formed an excellent working partnership to bring the very best services to the students. Not only are targeted students the recipient of a terrific mentoring program under the direction of Lauren Fowler, but the AmeriCorps tutoring branch of Big Brothers, Big Sisters of SLC supports our Kindergarten through second grade targeted learners with in depth and strategically intensive lesson plans. The plans are designed in collaboration with the classroom teacher to bring each student to grade level and beyond. The tutors plan and then meet with individual … Read More

4th graders at Frances K. Sweet learn how to make observations and create scientific questions during an ice balloon investigation. The investigation involves a frozen, water filled balloon and the students remove the latex and examine the ice using magnifying glasses, flashlights, toothpicks, popsicle sticks, and paper clips.  They then observe what happens when salt and food coloring are added.  Throughout the lesson, students document their observations and raise questions about what they see. Pictured here are 4th graders Ansel Espinal and Dona Lima from Mrs. Elish Mancuso’s class.

Ft. Pierce Westwood kicked off the 2014-2015 school year with a celebration of hope. The Tunnel of Hope is a yearly tradition at Westwood. As students came into the school the very first day of classes, staff was assembled in formation, waving banners, singing the “Happy” song and clapping. Mr. Rivera, a reading teacher at Ft. Pierce Westwood explained that each year students depart their buses only to be surprised at the warm welcome they receive. Mr. Rivera stated, it gives the students an understanding that the whole staff shares in the common welfare of each and every Westwood student. … Read More