News and Communications for St. Lucie Public Schools
Manatee Academy’s monthly SUNDAY BRUNCH had a special guest for December. The Big Guy himself Ho-Ho-Ho’ed his way into the library and children were treated to something better than candy canes from Santa — free, brand new books TO KEEP! Families also enjoyed Mrs. Remington’s world-famous chocolate-chip pancakes after snapping pictures with bigger-than-life holiday characters, singing Christmas carols, and checking out up to 10 books!
Boy, do we have fun in the library! Miss Alicia and Miss Victoria from the SLC Public Library brought cool books and library cards for all of the first grade students at Manatee Academy. Mrs. Remington invited county librarians to visit Manatee Academy as part of “Library Card Sign-up Month.” Students enjoyed listening, interacting, and being a part of the story telling with the county librarians.
Manatee Academy students in Ms. Shaver’s 1st period Civics class won first place in the state finals of the Project Citizen for their portfolio. Additionally, they won 2nd place for the oral competition which was scored on their presentation and question responses. Representatives from Ms. Shaver’s class participated in the state finals of Project Citizen on May 20th. Students presented their project to a panel of two different sets of judges comprised of Nova faculty, the League of Women Voters, and Florida Law Related Association staff. The competition had a total of 6 middle schools, three from St. Lucie Public … Read More
On Wednesday, May 18, a group of graduating seniors from St. Lucie West Centennial High School walked through the halls of Manatee Academy for the first ever high school clap out. Each year our 8th grade students participate in a clap out on their way to their middle school graduation ceremonies but this was the first time with high school seniors. It was special for the seniors as some of them had once attended Manatee and had the opportunity to come back one last time to see the teachers and staff who helped them get to this point. It was … Read More
Students and staff were “Feelin’ Groovy” at our Rockin’ Family Night. Parents learned about websites they can use with their children at home. We also had Deputy Lopez from the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department talk to parents and students about Internet safety. Students were also able to shop for books with their families in our Scholastic Book Fair. Other highlights of the evening were performances by our administrators singing “Feelin’ Groovy” and Mrs. Remington and Mrs. Valinote performing as Sonny and Cher. Manatee Academy is currently promoting family literacy by encouraging families to read together for 20 minutes per … Read More
VIP readers visited several classes for our Dr. Seuss Day on March 2nd. Media Specialist Debbie Remington organized this event in which our “VIPs” read to our students and engaged in meaningful conversations about what they read. Students and staff were appreciative of the VIP guests who took time to read with them and celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” – Dr. Seuss
Manatee Academy’s Student Government and Honor Society will be hosting a 5k Run/Walk to support the fight against hunger. The event to benefit the Treasure Coast Food Bank will be held on January 23, 2016. Registration is available online at www.active.com and search for “Manatee” or participants can obtain registration information from Charles Pilson at Manatee Academy (340-4745). The first 125 participants to register will receive a free t-shirt!
On Monday, December 7th, the first graders at Manatee Academy were fortunate to have Port St. Lucie’s Mayor Gregory Oravec as a special guest speaker. He talked about the duties and responsibilities he has as our mayor. The students found this very informative and had many questions for him. This was an excellent opportunity for them to continue to learn about the roles leaders have in our community.
For the second year, Manatee Academy 7th grade students have partnered with the Indian River Oyster Reef Restoration Project and the 4 H Foundation in building an oyster reef off Harbor Point Park in Ft. Pierce. The students use the natural water filtration ability of the oysters to promote a better water quality in the lagoon system. They have been involved in enrichment lessons that promote real world application of how humans impact the Earth’s water. The unit includes a series of research labs in oyster anatomy along with dissection and water quality testing. The students will return to the … Read More
Mrs. Remington, Manatee Academy’s media specialist, set a school-wide challenge to read 3,000 pages in one day. After two hours in (because students were already at 9,000 pages) she upped the ante to 30,000!!! Our voracious students surpassed our goal and read 76,106 pages in one day!!! The challenge? Kiss an exotic animal on live TV! Mrs. Remington kissed our own Vet Prep lab rats, “Iggy” and “Izzy”(although Mrs. Remington nicknamed them both “Icky”)! It is quite apparent what she will go to great lengths to encourage reading at Manatee!
Manatee Academy continued to celebrate Children’s Book Week Tuesday with presentations by not one, but two authors. Pictured is author David Mark Lopez speaking to engaged fourth grade students. David writes the spectacular Maddie’s Magic Marker series. Amy Adams, author of Tagged, presented to our seventh and eighth grade students.
Our third graders are so excited to participate in their first “Skirmishes Over Stories” (S.O.S.) luncheon. Students read a certain number of books prior to our meeting, then enjoy their lunch along with Mrs. Remington’s world-famous brownies, and a prize while answering questions about the books they’ve read. S.O. S. is a precursor for “Battle of the Books” which our 4th and 5th graders eagerly participate in every month using the SSYRA books.
Manatee Academy Vet Prep eighth graders and several of their parents visited Fort Pierce Westwood High School’s Veterinary Assisting Academy to tour the available programs offered through the Career and Technical Education Department. Middle school students studying animal science learned about the many benefits the attractor program has to offer. Seniors in the program guided them through several hands-on experiences that they could expect as students, such as proper dog restraints, dog grooming and the many college/career opportunities available through FFA. Speakers included Mr. Brandon Perdue, program instructor, Mr. John Lynch, school principal and Ms. Kathie Schmidt, CTE Director. Everyone … Read More
Manatee Academy middle school students are excited about the Grand Reopening of “Pages Cafe” (which serves one item and one item only:BOOKACCINOS! ). Students use Manatee dollars to purchase the fabulous beverage that they can sip while reading a book in our Media Center. Media Specialist A.K.A. Barrista (or BOOKarrista) Debbie Remington loves discussing and recommending books with her patrons as she prepares their BOOKaccino!
Manatee Academy was fortunate to have the dynamic Patty Mayer from our local Red Cross speak to 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes. Debbie Remington, Manatee’s media specialist organized the event. The Pillowcase Project is a preparedness education program for children in grades 3 – 5 which teaches students about personal and family preparedness, local hazards, and basic coping skills. Generally given as a 40-minute presentation by Red Cross volunteers, the program leads students through a “learn, practice, share” framework to engage them in disaster preparedness. Students receive a sturdy pillowcase upon completion of the program in which they are encouraged … Read More
Manatee Academy’s Pre-Vet class organized a fantastic school-wide collection program this year for “Save the Chimps,” a local animal sanctuary that cares for about 300 rescued chimpanzees. Students donated over 535 items to this local organization. The goal of the non-profit animal sanctuary is to provide endangered chimpanzees a private, comfortable existence in an environment which simulates a natural habitat as closely as possible. Every chimp costs $16,000 per year to support, and chimps live to an old age of 80 years on average. To encourage donations, Mrs. Friend’s eighth grade Vet Prep students designed an EXPO which was held … Read More