LucieLink – News and Communications for St. Lucie Public Schools
St. Lucie West K8 students in Ms. Paries’ class used a bright strategy to identify clue words within an informational text focused on chronological order text structure. Students collaborated in pairs with their interactive notebooks underneath a black light to highlight the sequence of events!
Shark Nation is proud to honor and celebrate our exquisite employees of the year. Your passion, dedication, and expertise is truly inspirational. Congratulations to our SLWK8 Stars! Distinguished Minority Educator of the Year: Roselor Saget School Related Employee of the Year: Jerquesia Martin Teacher of the Year: Lindsey Laurino Outstanding First Year Teacher: Susanna Roberts The Superb Stars of St. Lucie West K8
Fifth-grade students conducted a science experiment to determine the most effective adaptation of insulation for animals in the Arctic. They compared human skin, aluminum foil (fish scales), marbles (turtle shells), and Crisco (blubber) by placing a hand inside a bag filled with an insulator and then into buckets of icy cold water. After making observations through repeated trials, the students concluded that blubber was the most effective adaptation for warmth, with aluminum foil coming in second place!
CAST Students in Mr. Reiher’s Media Arts program celebrated May 4th, Star Wars style! Media Arts students created their own Star Wars-themed Morning Announcements by using various techniques they’ve learned, such as camera operation, presenting, audio engineering, and production lighting. Check out our CAST K-8 YouTube channel to watch this episode and many other outstanding performances at CAST—filmed and produced by CAST students! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUEnhppBovxQ8EyfwhB_eVg
Sixth Grade students in Mrs. Proctor’s and Mrs. Albers’ classes have been learning about famous female scientists for Woman’s History Month. Rosalind Franklin was a crystallographer who studied the structures of DNA, RNA, coal, and graphite. The students grew crystals to understand the structure of them and Ms. Franklin’s contribution as a scientist.
In honor of Women’s History Month, fifth-grade students at CAST collaborated to create a banner honoring women in the arts. Students researched notable women in the fields of visual and performing arts. Their pennants included important life events, life lessons, and traits that led to their success. As a result of studying notable women of our past and present, the students discovered great things can come from adversity when they believe in their own abilities and the abilities of those around them and that they, too, can become notable artists of the future.
During Women’s History Month, sixth-graders in Ms. Kenny’s English Language Arts classes learned about and researched female artists known for their self-portraits. Students wrote their own, “I am” poem, and created self-portraits with a unique and artistic twist. The final product was a fusion of language and art materials, creating a unique self-expression.
In celebration of Women in Art, CAST middle school Graphic Arts students listened to a story written and illustrated by Croatian artist Smiljana Coh called The Seven Princesses. Each princess in the story had specific likes and talents – from architecture to art to athletics, and everything in between. Students were then instructed to imagine themselves as designers inside the kingdom where they were hired by one of the princesses to create a business card for their entrepreneurial venture. The students learned a quick overview of the anatomy of a business card and created a card fit for a princess.
St. Lucie County’s public transportation system – Area Regional Transit (ART) – recently announced a countywide Call to Artists. In partnership with the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance, Area Regional Transit invited local artists to submit images of their artwork for display on the exterior of the county buses. The opportunity was designed with a youth preference, and CAST is proud to announce that Daniella SanJuan (7th grade) and Rayley Sheltra (8th grade), students in Mrs. Grasso’s middle school Graphic Arts class, were 2 of 6 student artists chosen to have their work displayed on a St. Lucie County ART bus! These talented ladies … Read More
During Women’s History Month, CAST students in kindergarten, first, and second grade used their creativity to honor artistic women in innovative ways. Kindergarteners researched Frida Kahlo’s life and legacy; they observed her many beautiful self-portraits and how she always wore ornate clothing, jewelry, and flowers in her hair. They made flower crowns to match her! First-grade students created mosaic rainbow masterpieces inspired by the artist Alma Woodsey. Second grade had a fun time exploring women in the arts as well. Students researched and used the information to create a poster of Frida Kahlo, Queen of Selfies, and drew a portrait … Read More
CAST eighth-graders in Mr. Barnes’ class rocked the science fair held at Indian River State College. Their experiments ranged from fertilizer comparisons, hydraulic can dispensers, ice insulators, and natural oil products for hair to just name a few! Eighth-grade students Hannah Rios and Lauryn Rodriguez were awarded 2nd place in their category as well as the Cleveland Clinic Biomedical Award for their outstanding Biomedical project. Sidonie Gordon-Tucker and Amaya Ethridge received 2nd place awards in the Plant category, while Allison Buchmeyer and Marcella Gardini-DaSilva received a special award from SAAVAS Realize for their project in environmental science.
CAST artists in Ms. Swabon’s Visual Arts class were inspired by the Australian Papunya culture and community to create their own spirit animals. Their sensational artwork was showcased at the St. Lucie County Fair and embodied the theme of, “Dream Makers -Arts, Academics, and Athletics.”
St. Lucie County’s public transportation system, Area Regional Transit (ART), announced a Call to Artists! In partnership with the St. Lucie Cultural Alliance, Area Regional Transit invited local artists to submit images of their artwork for display on the exterior of the county buses. CAST Intermediate Visual Arts students researched and created their own designs for the contest.
Sixth graders in Mrs. Alber’s and Mrs. Proctor’s science classes are learning about animal cells and the structure and function of major organelles. To help students understand this concept better, they created 3D animal cells using the collage art technique. Models help them to gain knowledge in the structures and organelles of a cell. The students compared their animal cells models to the 2D plant models they created last week.
Sixth graders in Mrs. Proctor’s Science class are learning about plant cells and the structure and function of major organelles. To help students understand this concept better, Mrs. Proctor’s classes used watercolor paints to paint a plant cell and its structures. Once painted, students labeled the structures and identified what function each one has.
First-grade CAST students in Mrs. Lundy’s class drew and drafted their own plans to design a bridge with an underpass. They used a variety of materials to construct their bridges as a team. They expanded their creativity through art, engineering, and synergy!
Middle school students in Mrs. Grasso’s Graphic Arts class recently finished a unit on Typography – which is an essential component in Graphic Design. Students learned about the different font categories including serif, sans serif, script, and display. Using that knowledge, along with the Principles of Design, students created beautiful mini typographic posters for Black History Month utilizing industry-standard design software, Adobe Illustrator.
Ms. Denman’s fourth-grade students at CAST put the “E” in STEAM! They used engineering to build a cofferdam. Students are learning about Flagler’s Florida East Coast Railway. They are learning about the Key West Extension, an overseas railroad and how it was built.
Mrs. Albers’ sixth-grade classes explored force and motion using zSpace technology in our CAST Science Lab. They observed how friction, mass, and the amount of force affected the distance a block would travel. zSpace technology encourages and inspires students to interact with the curriculum and to experiment through augmented and virtual reality!
The Instrumental department at CAST put on a Modern Band Holiday Rock Concert last December. The performance featured students from grades fifth through eighth, showcasing the following: Keyboard Ensemble, Pre-Band Nuvo Ensemble, Ukulele Ensemble, keyboard solos/duets, and various CAST Rock Bands. The music performed ranged from the holiday classics to current pop-rock. The CAST instrumental program will continue to perform with these types of ensembles. Rock on, performers!