Author: LYNNE Gruszka

The entire Northport K-8 School community welcomed new and returning students and their families with a fabulous “Welcome to Northport!” Open House recently! The year was kicked off with teachers and staff that have feelings of renewal and revitalization and are charged with a coordinated effort to bring the best experiences possible to their students. Many Northport students and their familes are thrilled with the K-8 concept that allows students to remain in the same school their entire middle and elementary educational years. Students that are returning are thrilled to look up their teachers and visit with familiar faces. Another … Read More

Northport K-8 School administration, teachers and staff incorporated the St. Lucie County School Board’s theme of “Cruising To Excellence” into the overarching theme of the Northport message for the 2013-14 school year.  Faculty and staff returned to the school Media Center for introductory meetings, review of Common Core initiatives, team planning, Instructor evaluation reviews and reinforcement of positive messages. They were welcomed into the center completely decorated in a Hawaiian Islands motif complete with tiki hut and totem pole. The messages of unity with the focus on student achievement were clear and the brevity of polishing the collective Northport halo was … Read More

Northport K-8 School celebrated the annual formal eighth grade graduation ceremony recently with several hundred parents, grandparents and family members present in the school gymnasium. Instructor Angel Bracero, who is also the pastor of the Lighthouse Church in Port St. Lucie, gave a moving and funny imparting of words and advice as guest speaker, referencing George Jefferson and “Moving on Up,” encouraging students to always move forward and choose the right friends. The school community also honored the Northport K-8 School Veteran Partners In Education by beginning the program with an Honor Guard of all branches of the military and … Read More

Northport K-8 kindergartners, fifth, and eighth grade students are celebrating their accomplishments with “Moving Up” ceremonies, dances, picnics and parties. Parents and grandparents, as well as teachers and administrators, are proud of the students’ progress at Northport. Kindergartneners celebrated with classroom ceremonies, fifth graders will host a formal celebration, and eighth graders will celebrate with a formal ceremony in the evening with a host of Veteran partners serving as flag bearers for an honor color guard to kick off the ceremony. Students will also honor Sgt. Ray Carter of the United States Army, who participated in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy Beach … Read More

Northport K-8 School Northstar team students in six, seventh and eighth grades visited St. Augustine recently for a day long learning excursion. Northstar instructors Mala Woessner and Mehgan Drost planned and organized the “Step Back Into History” program as a scaffold to information gleaned in the classroom about Spanish Colonial Florida and an examination of Florida History. Students perused artifacts and heard stories of the native Americans and Colonial settlers. Students drank heartily from the Fountain of Youth and learned why Ponce de Leon named Florida when he claimed the land for Spain. The oldest fort and the oldest school house were toured … Read More

Seven Northport K-8 students and their families participated in the St. Lucie County Reading Council Young Authors program held recently at Fort Pierce Central High School. All students at Northport K-8 School participate in the Young Author’s program as evidentiary data for the school’s Parent Involvement goals for the School Improvement Plan. Student, family and teacher involvement in the authentic writing program is  nearly 100%. Each year, at the beginning of the school year, teachers prepare their students for the “whole community- project based” program. Writing workshops are held in conjunction with the 21st Century after school program and classroom teachers prepare their … Read More

First grade students in Rachel Ellsworth’s class at Northport K8 School recently participated in a grand celebration of Young Author’s books, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Parents and grandparents were excited to participate with their young students in a day of sharing by partnering with students in the classroom to read Young Author books.  Students then performed two reader’s theater productions titled, “Mom:  Every Day Is Mother’s Day” and “Hats Off To Dad!”  Students had a wonderful opportunity to talk about their accomplishments and demonstrated an intensity and lively pace that both students and families throughly enjoyed! The lessons also … Read More

Northport K-8 fourth grade students in Carissa Berkely’s class listened to their teacher read a book that they could really relate to and enjoy.  Mrs. Berkel, along with fourth grade teacher Juliette Thelusma, read the book “Sped” by Re Marzullo to their students recently. The students then wrote letters expressing their delight with the book and the story line to the author. Re Marzullo responded to the student’s questions in a letter and also sent each student an autographed bookmark. The book is about a small special education class in a middle school affectionately dubbed “Small Group Superstars.”  The main character is a … Read More

Northport K-8 School students from kindergartners to eighth grade enjoyed Northport’s annual Field Days recently held at Sportsmen’s Park. Students and teachers attended the Field Days in rotations with their classroom and elective teachers assisting to make sure all students were safe and enjoying the event. Activities included the 50 yard dash, 100 yard dash, jump rope, hula hoops, javelin throws, grass relays, crab races and the tug of war. This year was the first year that middle schoolers have been invited to participate in the events. Clownfish team teacher Sandra Tyndaler said, “The students thoroughly enjoyed the well organized event. The students were … Read More

Northport K-8 School’s youngest authors share their secrets to publishing a well planned, revised, edited and  well written, illustrated book as they meet in the Media Center with their classes. Kindergarten student Isaac Muniz, from Melody Nieves’ class, and Fabian Allen from Lorri Lamm’s second grade class, sit together to share their stories. Isaac’s book, titled “SpongeBob” and Fabian’s book, titled “The Day I Was A Super Hero,” were instant success stories with students as they moved from buddy to buddy sharing their stories and their secrets to effective writing! The promotion of positive interactions can be attributed to a school culture … Read More

Northport K-8 School is kicking off Young Author season this year in a big way! Each year, the Northport K-8 media center is decorated to showcase the terrific Young Author books at the school. This year, the theme is “Take Me Out To The Ballgame!” Teachers selected a table or counter space and decorated with items that incorporate the theme. Tables this year are decorated with themes of the Miami Heat from Juliette Thelusma’s fourth grade class, Chicago Cubs from Jennifer Gomez’s fourth class, kindergarten has a Mets theme and many, many other teams and sports are represented as a backdrop for … Read More

Northport K-8 School Media Services program, under the direction of Lynne Gruszka, along with students, faculty, administration and staff are assisting Northport alumnus Sgt. Xiovani Guanill of the U. S. Army. Sgt. Guanill, who administers Morale, Welfare and Recreation at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan, requested  assistance for the 80 men and women in his company. His request included shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shaving cream, magazines and other items. Not only did Northport students and families assist as a school community that filled 20 boxes, but many teachers offered  with a generosity of spirit that included mailing all 20 boxes to Afghanistan. Special thanks to Dr. … Read More

Members of the Northport K-8 School student council, under the direction of Christine Persick, promoted school spirit recently during a week long series of community building activities. Students and faculty, as well as administration and staff, participated in “Professional Dress Day,” “Hippie Day,” “Jersey Day” and several other activities to build school spirit and to add to the continuous rapport and “love your school” feeling that teachers and students address on a daily basis! Pictured, from left, are teachers in the groove John Fallon, Laura Poveromo, Michelle McCloskey, Melanie Polascak and Diana Lankow.

Students and parents from Northport K-8 School participated in the Family Reading Festival held recently at Mets stadium, sponsored by the St. Lucie County Reading Council. The event was a wonderful and authentic testament to the entire school community, and the sharing of literary ideas, and reading and writing possibilities. Some of the events available for families were “Read To A VIP,” Reader’s Theater stage, many authors to visit, Mother Goose Storytime, Scholastic Book Fair, Gently Used book exchange and a Manga drawing contest. Pictured is Northport student Canon LeJeune, who entered a piece of his artwork in the contest.

Northport K-8 School administration, faculty, staff, parents and students participated in a very meaningful way at this year’s Relay For Life 2013! Through terrific support and dedication, the school’s Relay For Life team was able to offer a donation to the American Cancer Society that far surpassed their goal of $2,500. Northport K-8 raised $3,400, decorated luminaries and stars in honor of loved ones who succumbed to or beat cancer, decorated the school booth and walked the walk! Some of the fundraisers held at Northport K-8 School were a High Heel relay race for seventh and eighth grade boys, a “No Collar … Read More

Northport K-8 School sixth grader Tatiana Hamilton from Ellen Weiss’ class spent some very engaging and quality time on her homework recently. Tatiana baked a homeade cake depicting a cell study using edible items. The cake was an excellent portrayal of the cell demonstating ribosomes, lysosomes, mitochondria, cell membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus and cytoplasm. Weiss’ students processed new information and literally “digested” the information into interesting and easily visualized little bites. Students celebrated the finale of their science FCAT by bringing in their cell cakes to share with the rest of their class. Pictured is Tatiana Hamilton with her “cell cake.”

Northport K-8 School Media Center is always alive with students, teachers, staff and community members buzzing in and out completing tasks that require information, information technology or conversation, but the week of April 14 – 20 is extra special. Northport K-8 School is celebrating with the theme ” Communities Matter @ your library!”  Fully funded libraries will continue to be valuable resources in our communities far into the future. Only fully funded libraries will be able to teach and collaborate with teachers to enhance dynamic 21st century skills and nuture the love of reading in young people that will serve them … Read More

Northport K-8 School is celebrating 27 years of educational growth and community connections. The doors opened to accept students on April 8, 1986 with John Townsend as the supervising principal of the school. The school began as a junior high school accepting students in grades 7 and 8, then moved into the middle school concept bringing in sixth graders. In 2005, Northport became a K-8 school with Eric Seymour as principal overseeing those dramatic changes. Currently, Glenn Rustay is the principal of the school assisting in keeping those community connections vibrant and the education of students top notch. The school held a wonderful reunion … Read More

Northport K-8 fifth grade students in the classrooms of Judy Fowler, Charlotte Tombline, Tracey Healy, Nichole Robinson and Valerie Niewieroski deepened their knowledge and insight of the horrors of the Holocaust and scaffolded new information about World War II, Hitler and the Nazi Occupation by listening and interacting with speaker and Holocaust survivor, Peter Feigl, who was one of the children who was saved by the 5000 French villagers from Chambonne who assisted countless homeless children. Students were enthralled by the information and asked many questions including heartwrenching questions about the loss of Feigl’s family. Feigl recommended a book called “Weapons of … Read More

Northport K-8 students and teachers on the Northstar and Starfish teams collaborated on a critical lesson using new and intriguing information recently. Teachers Mala Woessner and Georgia Stone, along with Media Specialist Lynne Gruszka, worked together to present indepth information on the shocking assassination that changed America. Students read the student version of Bill O’Reilly’s “Killing Lincoln,” a realistic and historical best selling account of the last two weeks of Lincoln’s life and the conspiracy that brought a nation to its knees. The student version called “Lincoln’s Last Days” is filled with pictures, timelines and enrichment sources. The book is very student reader friendly … Read More