Author: LAUREN MONROE

National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization, is pleased to recognize that Lakewood Park Elementary School in Fort Pierce has successfully created a Certified Schoolyard Habitat® through its Garden for Wildlife® program. Lakewood Park Elementary has joined with over 11,000 schools nationwide that have transformed their schoolyards into thriving wildlife habitats that provide essential elements all wildlife need: natural food sources, clean water, cover, and places to raise young. The habitat also serves as an outdoor classroom where students can engage in cross-curricular learning in a hands-on way. “We are excited to have another school join … Read More

Order up! Fifth graders at Lakewood Park Elementary recently transformed their classroom into a bustling restaurant as part of their decimal unit. Students stepped into the roles of servers, cashiers, and customers — greeting guests, taking orders from a hand-picked menu, totaling bills, and counting back exact change, all using decimal numbers. Every check had to balance, which meant careful adding and subtracting of decimals, double-checking a teammate’s work, and solving problems on the spot when an order changed at the last minute. Along the way, students strengthened their teamwork, communication, and real-world financial literacy skills, discovering that the math … Read More

The excitement was in the air as our K–5 students gathered for one of the most anticipated events of the year, our PBIS End of the Year Carnival! What a fun-filled celebration for students who demonstrated positive behavior, kindness, and responsibility throughout the school year. With bright decorations, upbeat music, and smiling faces everywhere, the carnival transformed our campus into a vibrant space of laughter and joy. Students enjoyed a variety of activities, including obstacle courses, soccer darts, basketball, bounce houses, staff dunk tank, and relay races. From Kona Ice to dunking your favorite teacher, there was something for every … Read More

Lakewood Park Pre-K and Kindergarten students were invited to take part in creating memorable human and nature connections through the live release of butterflies. The revealing and releasing of the butterflies occurred in our new school garden to help positively support their lifespan so they can survive and thrive longer during their initial transition from captivity into the wild. Before transforming into butterflies, the caterpillars were kept in a meshed enclosure in one of our grade Kindergarten classrooms. From late-Winter through early-Spring, the caterpillars transformed from a pupa, also known as a chrysalis, and underwent metamorphosis to become butterflies. Before … Read More

Students participating in Special Olympics events at Lakewood Park demonstrated perseverance, teamwork, and joy as they competed in activities such as the 100-meter dash, softball throw, tennis ball throw, and cornhole. Each athlete gave their best effort, embodying the Special Olympics motto, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” Cheers of encouragement could be heard from teachers, fellow students, and the School Resource Officer, all of whom proudly supported the athletes throughout the day. Teachers guided and motivated their students, peers celebrated each accomplishment with excitement, and the SRO provided both encouragement … Read More

  Fifth-grade students at Lakewood Park Elementary recently took learning to the next level during an action-packed Science Bootcamp designed to sharpen their skills ahead of the state Science assessment. Led by the energetic and engaging Professor Hypothesis and her team, the event transformed the cafeteria into a lively laboratory filled with curiosity and discovery. Students were fully immersed in hands-on investigations that brought key scientific concepts to life. From exploring the fascinating processes of the Water Cycle, to bending light with Refraction, to uncovering the inner workings of the Digestive System, every activity sparked excitement and deepened understanding. With … Read More

STOP and STEAM at Lakewood Park Elementary engaged all Kindergarten–5th grade students. Students worked cooperatively in minds-on, hands-on activities to communicate complex problems and propose solutions. Kindergarten and first-grade students explored animals of the Florida Everglades and created habitats for Everglades animals. Second-graders investigated sink-and-float concepts. Third-graders researched Everglades habitat problems and built bridges. Fourth-graders collaborated on the Save Fred problem-solving challenge. Fifth-graders examined human impact on the Everglades ecosystem by designing informative posters that shared research findings, solutions, and messages of environmental responsibility. All activities emphasized creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, perseverance, and reflection. 

Mrs. Kimball’s classroom project is up and running with enthusiastic, engaged students! The POD area adjacent to Mrs. Kimball’s ESE classroom has been transformed into the Falcon Learning Village. There are 7 stations for the students to interact with hands-on equipment. The Grand Opening took place on February 2nd, with nine students entering the Falcon Learning Village with awe and amazement on their faces. They circled around as they took in each learning station: the Falcon Pet Care, Automotive Shop, Workshop, Medical/Dental Clinic, Art Club, Fresh Market, and Kozy Kitchen with such excitement! When they were instructed to check things … Read More

Our first-grade students recently took part in an exciting MTSS enrichment experience that combined creativity, collaboration, and literacy development. During this enrichment time, students participated in a hands-on slime-making project that encouraged them to carefully follow directions, practice sequencing, and work cooperatively with their peers. In addition, students enjoyed participating in Reader’s Theater, which provided meaningful opportunities to build reading fluency, expression, and comprehension. As they practiced their roles, students gained confidence in their reading abilities while developing stronger communication and teamwork skills. These engaging enrichment activities helped strengthen their reading skills in a fun and interactive way. Overall, MTSS … Read More

This year’s Girls on the Run season at Lakewood Park Elementary was nothing short of inspiring! Our Grades 3–5 team began with the theme “What Makes Me, Me!” and built confidence through lessons like Star Power, Happy Pace, Self-Talk, and Feel Your Feelings. The girls learned to shine together, pause and breathe, and foster true friendship. Mid-season, they completed a practice 5K with incredible energy and support! We explored how to be includers, mapped our community, and created a heartfelt Community Impact Project—handmade hairpin beads gifted to the Girls on the Run of Floresta Elementary. The season ended with a … Read More

On our early dismissal day, Lakewood Park kindergarten students turned into engineers during STOP and STEM Day! The day began with an exciting question: What does an engineer do? Students learned that engineers solve problems—and then they were given one of their own. The letters of the alphabet wanted to climb the Chicka Chicka BOOM BOOM tree, but the tree wasn’t strong enough. It wobbled and fell, knocking all the letters off! The challenge? Build a stronger tree that can hold all the letters. Students put on their “engineer hats,” examined the materials provided, and created a plan. Then the building began! Some trees held letters … Read More

At Lakewood Park Elementary, third-grade students in Ms. Johnson’s enrichment group have been working hard on their Reader’s Theater while also having a blast! Students took responsibility for everything from choosing their play groups, deciding on a play to perform, creating props, “stage” setup, and even costumes! During this fun experience, students learned about character development and used their imaginations to bring their characters to life. In “The Jack and the Beanstalk Trial”, they also got to practice paying attention to how theme is developed and decided that not being selfish was a lesson everyone could learn from the tale. … Read More

5th-grade students at Lakewood Park Elementary had such a fun and engaging time stepping into the roles of customers and restaurant servers while practicing adding and subtracting decimals! This real-world math activity gave students the chance to apply their skills in a hands-on way, making learning both exciting and meaningful.  Each student had the opportunity to play the role of a guest at the restaurant, ordering and ensuring to keep their bill under $20 for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.  Students also stepped into the role of the server, filling out checks and giving out appropriate change to each guest.  … Read More

Lakewood Park Elementary’s Everglades Champion School committee and our Student Ambassadors celebrated at the St. Lucie Earth Day Festival.  The Earth Day Festival took place on April 12 at the Oxbow Eco-Center. Lakewood Park Falcons shared their passion for being good stewards of our Mother Earth.  The vendor booth included an Everglades Animal Classification activity, a Guess how long it takes to decompose activity, student ambassadors repurposed material art sculptures, and a selfie station. The day was abuzz with education, inspiration, music, and community connection.  Lakewood Park staff and students enjoyed this beautiful day out in the community, sharing their … Read More

On Wednesday, March 5, Lakewood Park Elementary School came together to celebrate Special Olympics Awareness Day. The event aimed to promote understanding, respect, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities.  In preparation for the celebration, the media center hosted a special presentation focused on teaching students and staff about disabilities, and the importance of treating everyone with respect and dignity.  To show their support, students and staff wore red, white, and blue, the signature colors of the Special Olympics. Each participant also received a Special Olympic bracelet as a symbol of unity and solidarity.  The highlight of the event was a … Read More

During their Media Resource, Lakewood Park Elementary’s Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classes have been pen pals with some popular Characters (who look a lot like some very talented drama students from Fort Pierce Central High School).  Students exchanged cards and letters throughout the year and then went to Fort Pierce Central to meet their pen pal.  Characters put on an amazing show of skits, singing, dancing and games! It was exhilarating for Lakewood Park’s students to read each letter that was written directly to their class, since the writings and pictures were from the characters’ persona.  It was a … Read More

The second-grade students at Lakewood Park Elementary are learning everything that they can by giving 100% effort, believing in themselves, and working collaboratively. Quality instruction often includes the gradual release method. Our instruction includes a “they do together” part of the plan that we feel is one of the most impactful sections of the lesson. Working with assigned or self-chosen partners or small peer groups gives students a chance to share ideas before presenting to a larger group, gain confidence with their own responses, and hear other students’ ideas and strategies for added clarification and understanding. We are sure to … Read More

Lakewood Park Elementary needed some help bringing holiday joy to some of their students and families this year.  Osborne and Francis Law Firm stepped in to lend a helping hand.  Joe Osborne and Nick Johnson of Osborne and Francis presented Principal Melrose with a very generous check that Lakewood Park put to use shopping for their families in need.  This donation was able to provide a magical holiday for so many families! Lakewood Park Elementary is so grateful for the support of our amazing community partners who helped put a smile on so many faces this holiday season.  Wishing all … Read More

Each day, through Acaletics, first-grade teachers at Lakewood Park introduce and expose students to a variety of math concepts. Sometimes students see a concept for the first time and use mathematical thinking and reasoning to solve it.  Other times, students revisit a previously taught skill and are tasked with choosing their own strategy to solve. Students are truly excited to solve each problem while building math fluency. Students are given an opportunity to talk about their thinking and strategies with their peers. We are so proud of the progress we are seeing. First-grade Falcons are on a fast track to … Read More

Staff at Lakewood Park Elementary partnered with American Smoke BBQ Company to support the community after Hurricane Milton destroyed homes and left many without power for days.  The team of volunteers provided free hot meals from the food truck and collected and passed out essential supplies on Saturday and Monday.  Families were invited to enjoy free food while spending some quality time with neighbors.  Thank you to American Smoke BBQ and to all who donated items and volunteered their time for these events!