by Kerry Padrick | Aug 30, 2018 | District News
The Smithsonian at the St. Lucie County Aquarium and FAU Harbor Branch are working together to host an open house for teachers on Sept 19th from 10am-2pm at both the Aquarium and FAU Harbor Branch Ocean Discovery Visitor’s Center.
Come learn about the exciting 2018-2019 educational opportunities offered by local organizations at this Teacher Open House! There are two host locations for this event and teachers are invited to either (or both!).
The Open House at the Aquarium will offer free admission to registered teachers, snacks and light refreshments, and our educators will be on-site to discuss Smithsonian education programs for K-12 classes.
The second open house will be held at FAU Habor Branch Ocean Discovery Visitor’s Center (located at 5600 US Highway 1, Fort Pierce) and will feature on-site outreach staff to discuss marine science research, careers and education programs. FAU Harbor Branch is also offering a FREE Immersion Tour from 10:30am-12pm for middle and high school teachers. Space is limited for this opportunity to see the research campus, so please register by Sept 5th by calling 772-242-2293.
Takeaway packets containing information about field trips and ideas from several area educational organizations will be available at each site.
by Kerry Padrick | Aug 30, 2018 | School News
Florida’s Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program, established by the Florida Legislature, offers classroom teachers a monetary scholarship based on SAT or ACT scores and job performance evaluations. To qualify, a classroom teacher must have received a “highly effective” rating on their most recent performance evaluation and have scored at or above the 80th percentile on the SAT or ACT. Beginning classroom teachers who have not been evaluated must only submit official documentation showing that their score on the SAT or ACT meets the eligibility requirements. The amended statute indicates that a school district or charter school employee who is eligible for the $6,000 scholarship and who is no longer a classroom teacher may receive a Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship award if the employee met the requirement as a classroom teacher in the prior school year and was rated highly effective.
Classroom teachers can receive up to $6,000. However, if the number of eligible teachers statewide causes bonuses to exceed the total amount of the legislative appropriation, the Florida Department of Education will prorate the per-teacher scholarship amount. Please read the Q and A document for additional details to assist in understanding the program’s parameters and provisions.
Classroom teachers must submit a completed Florida’s Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Application Form with the requested documentation to Marla Grant in Human Resources, by November 1, 2018. Note, previous recipients must submit the complete application form only.
Best and Brightest Q and A
Best and Brightest Application Form
FLDOE Memo Re: Best and Brightest
ACT-SAT Percentile Charts
by Kerry Padrick | Aug 30, 2018 | District News
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), nearly 1 in 3 kids or teens in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Check out the AHA’s newsletter to find ways to keep both you and your students acting in healthy ways this year.
by ALBERTO NEVAREZ | Aug 30, 2018 | School News
Port St. Lucie High School had its second game of the season at 7pm, Friday night on August 24, 2018. Our Cadets set out for the parking lots around 5pm to collect fees and welcome our guests. Our Jaguar Battalion’s JROTC Color Guard kicked off the night with the presentation of the colors commanded by Sergeant First Class Lawrence Moleon-Mathews, with Sergeant Justin Bennett as the state flag, Corporal Alex Nangle as state guard, and Sergeant Justin Locklar as national guard. Our Jaguars went head-to-head in a heated game with the Lake Placid Dragons. The score was 21 to 28. Pictured are: Cadet Sergeant Nangle, Cadet Sergent Bennett, and our color guard for this event.
by Kerry Padrick | Aug 30, 2018 | Press Releases
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL – The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced that Gretchan Davenport of St. Lucie West K-8 School (SLWK8) has been offered a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms grant. She is one of approximately 76 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad through the program in 2018-2019. Ms. Davenport was selected by the program’s leaders on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential.
We are so proud of her accomplishment and not at all surprised that others value her teaching and leadership qualities as well,” said SLWK8 Principal Eldrique Gardner. “As a middle grades math and Algebra teacher and team leader, who has been recognized as a High Impact Teacher by the FLDOE, she is dynamic and innovative in her approach to teaching. Our students admire and respect her,” he added.
The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries to solve global challenges. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
About St. Lucie Public Schools
St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) proudly serves students as the highest-ranking District on the Treasure Coast and fifth in Florida with a graduation rate of 90.1 percent. As a B rated District, there are no failing schools, and SLPS is ranked among the top one-third of Florida’s districts for student achievement. The District also has the distinction of being recognized as one of St. Lucie County’s Best Places to Work. The mission of SLPS is to ensure all students graduate from safe and caring schools equipped with the knowledge, skills and desire to succeed. For more information, visit http://www.stlucieschools.org.
