Author: Heather Ricksecker

Weatherbee Elementary School was excited to celebrate their Night of the Stars recipients at this year’s annual gala.  Michelle Baker, teacher of the year, Brooke Gagliano, first year teacher of the year, Saily Belfast, school-related employee of the year, and Yahaira Oms, distinguished minority educator of the year, were all honored.  Our representatives and the other stars of the night represent the best of the best of St. Lucie Public Schools Employees.  We all enjoyed our time celebrating the hard work and achievements of everyone.  It was a lovely evening, and we look forward to celebrating again next year.

Weatherbee Elementary Kindergarten students set sail on an exciting math adventure during Topic 9, Unit 6: Let’s Investigate – Boat Ride! While having tons of fun, students reviewed and practiced math standards NSO.1.1 and NSO.2.1. NSO.1.1: Students counted forward and backward within 120, practiced skip counting by 2s to 20, and by 5s to 100.  NSO.2.1: Students worked on recalling addition facts with sums to 10 and related subtraction facts with automaticity. Students rolled a die (1–6) and hopped aboard the boat! Once on board, they determined how many seats were filled, how many were empty, and how many more were … Read More

In Ms. Gagliano’s Kindergarten class at Weatherbee Elementary, math came to life through a fun game of musical chairs! Students are currently working on Unit 4 – Understanding Addition and Subtraction, with today’s focus on making connections to addition as “putting together” or “counting on” (NSO.3.1). As music played, students moved around the room, eagerly waiting for it to stop. When it did, they quickly sat down, grabbed a dry-erase board and marker, ready to write down the equation announced by their teacher. Using the counting on strategy, students solved each problem, proudly showing their work before erasing and jumping back into the next round. The classroom … Read More

Third-grade students in Mrs. Martinez’s math class from Weatherbee Elementary had math leap out of the pages of their book to centers posted up around the classroom.  Students are working on Unit Two in math, which focuses on attributes of two-dimensional figures, including points, lines, and quadrilaterals, and understanding the concepts of area and perimeter.  The students enjoyed taking math around the room as they moved from station to station, making area and perimeter come to life, often with real-world problems.  Students also enjoyed working in collaborative groups with their peers to figure out these problems and support each other. … Read More

Mrs. Maxwell’s 5th grade science class at Weatherbee Elementary tackled moon phases this week.  The students got hands-on to learn about moon phases, using models they created out of Oreos.  They represented each phase of the moon as they discussed the transitions as well as the Earth’s movement, including rotation and revolution.  From 1st quarter moon, to waxing and waning crescent moons, the student’s understood how the moon and sun’s positions affect us all. Then the students even enjoyed the lesson as they ate their phases of the moon at the conclusion of the task. The students are looking forward … Read More

Fairlawn Students put on the performance of a lifetime this past Friday night at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach.  Students from grades three to five practiced for months to present “Finding Nemo” to friends, families, and staff in the audience.  Under the direction of Mrs. Deborah Quillinan, Fairlawn’s music teacher, the students are able to experience this rare opportunity of partnering with the local theatre to bring their big dreams to life.   The students swam and sang their way into the hearts of all who were able to join us.  Congratulations on a job well done, and we look forward … Read More

Fairlawn Elementary celebrated student appreciation week April 7-11. The week was filled with opportunities for the students to share how they are shining stars, walk the red carpet, and feel the love they deserve each and every day. The week also found students getting pizza, treats, and a special ending to the week.  Students voted earlier in the year for who they would want to see run an inflatable race, and on Friday, their votes were heard.  Students came out and watched staff members in inflatable costumes from dinosaurs, to a dachshund, to flamingos, and even an alien try their … Read More

Fairlawn hosted student-led conferences last week for grades kindergarten to fifth grade. Parents, families and friends alike were invited to come in and be treated to students sharing their data and growth throughout the school year. Students were also able to share examples of math, reading, writing, and science work with their guests. Guests were amazed at how well students were able to explain what they have accomplished and how they set their goals throughout the year. Students revise these goals based on their performance over the course of the school year and the teachers work closely to align those … Read More

Fairlawn Elementary spent the last week of January celebrating Literacy Week! Students were able to wear “fashionable to read” attire one day. Students were also treated to guest readers from all around our community, including the Fort Pierce police department, St. Lucie Public School Board Members, and even the Mayor! All students were gifted finger lights to help track their reading in school and at home. The week wrapped up with our annual vocabulary parade where students displayed their newly learned words accompanied by a costume and marched around the school for everyone, including parents, to see! We love to … Read More

Fairlawn second-grade students in Mrs. Chowdhury’s class discovered the world of fractions.  The students sorted fractions based on whether they were partitioned equally and worked cooperatively to solve problems.  By the end of the lesson, students were able to identify academic vocabularies such as denominator, numerator, partitioned equal, halves, thirds, and fourths.  Our second-grade students are now confidently able to sort and identify fractions up to fourths and apply what they have learned in real-world situations, they may have even benefited from an equally partitioned giant Hershey chocolate bar to wrap up the lesson. What will they learn next?

Fairlawn paired their annual Title One meeting with a student success night for all families. Parents learned what a day in the life of their child is like in school and how they can support their student’s learning both in school and at home. Families had pizza and a great night of learning.

Last week, Fairlawn Elementary celebrated all of its grandparents by inviting them out to lunch with their grandchildren. Over 400 grandparents showed up to celebrate the special day! 

Fairlawn’s school counselor Heather Malone teaches kindergarten students about character education. Students were introduced to Buddy and learned about how every person is different and that is what makes us all special!

Fairlawn hosted their annual back-to-school luau Friday, August 23rd. Students, staff, and families had an amazing time dancing, playing games, and spending time together. Thank you to all those who came out for the fun!

Fourth-grade students in Mrs. Ascani’s math class participated in a stand-up, hand-up, pair-up activity to discuss place value relationships among different numbers.  Students found partners and had to explain their reasoning behind the relationships they identified between numbers.  

Fairlawn Elementary held an over-the-top ice cream party to celebrate the students who participated in the Sunshine State Reading Challenge.  Students who read more than 5 Sunshine State readers throughout the school year were treated to every imaginable topping to culminate all their hard work.  We had many students who read every Sunshine State book as well.  Way to go readers!

Students in fourth grade were able to hold assistant principal, Mrs. Reid to her word from last year. The grade level with the highest proficiency was able to duct tape her to the wall! The students had a blast taking turns taping her and making sure she didn’t budge! Way to go fourth grade!

Fifth-grade students at Fairlawn Elementary participated in a science boot camp to prepare for their upcoming state science test. Students took part in hands-on experiments and enjoyed healthy competition against one another. Best of luck on your test, we know you will rock it!

Fairlawn students in grades three to five dazzled Friday night in their performance of Aladdin Jr. at Riverside Theater in Vero Beach. Under the direction of music teacher Mrs. Quillinan, students have been practicing since January and their hard work was evident as they wowed the audience with their amazing performance!