Author: MARY ROTI

Shark Nation kicked off spring with our annual Carnival! Student Council did an extraordinary job planning this incredible event! Clubs and grade levels set up fantastic booths with games, raffles, food, and fun. The foam party, bounce houses, dunk tank, and petting zoo were a hit!    

Man Your Battle Stations! Fifth graders in Mrs. Portee’s class put their mathematical skills to the test. Students strategically placed their ships on the battlefield and took turns firing at their opponent’s fleet by naming their coordinates. Awesome strategies, Sharks!  

Students in Mrs. D’Andrea’s 3rd grade Gifted Class discovered and investigated real-world examples of the three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. Students identified the characteristics of each item and compared the item’s masses. Way to go, scientific Sharks!    

SLWK8 seventh graders presented at the District Project Showcase. They have been preparing since December by researching problems in their community and finding a public policy solution. Our students went through three rounds of judging to display their knowledge and hard work. Thank you to our incredible students and Civics teachers for all their dedication!

St. Lucie West K8, in conjunction with Kona Ice of White City, celebrated Read Across America. Mr. Walter read to Mrs. Richardson’s kindergarten class. Additionally, the class was given a Kona Ice along with other treats. We want to say a big Thank You to Kona Ice for donating their time to us and celebrating Read Across America Day!

Shark Nation was well-represented at this year’s STEM Fair. Ten students were invited to showcase their projects during the event. Students had to explain their reasoning behind their projects to judges. While at Indian River State College, they had the opportunity to visit the Robotics and EMT labs. Thank you to Ms. Laurino for encouraging our students to think beyond today!

SLWK8 students participated in the Treasure Coast Chapter Competition for the first time and earned 2nd place. They are eligible to compete at the state level! Way to go, Sharks!

Inspired by the Award-Winning Show Shark Tank, Mrs. Balletta’s second-grade class celebrated Inventors’ Day by creating robots. Amelia Horn presented her Pencil Robot project which she constructed out of clay. Congrats to our future inventors!

SLWK8 students had a blast at PBIS Field Day! Our sharks worked in teams to compete in several activities, including Tug of War, Water Sponge Relay, Hula Hoop Race, Basketball Dunk, Ball Bounce, and Water Balloon Toss!  

SLWK8 earned the Aim for 100 Award for our percentage of increase in attendance on 12/21/23 from last year’s early release the day before winter break. The team was honored at the school board meeting and received a banner. Congratulations, Shark Nation!

SLWK8 eighth-grade students in Mrs. Boham’s STEM class explored creative problem-solving by using limited resources to create a paper pallet to hold the most books. They could only use 3 sheets of paper and 10 cm of tape to complete the project. The students were able to support 39 books equaling 156 pounds. Way to problem-solve, Sharks!

SLWK8 students in Ms. Boham’s STEM class explored careers in construction by building houses, adding lighting, and 1-point perspective drafting of an interior room. They started by designing a floor plan. They had to find a sq. ft cost for the state they would like to build in. They followed a template to make precise cuts, making walls and roof pieces to assemble their standing structure. Students then added paint and lighting to their 1-point perspective drawing to finish the house. We have many talented builders, designers, and drafters!  

Second graders in Mrs. Kauth’s class put their mathematical skills to the test. Students collaborated and completed a scoot around the room, practicing their coin-counting skills.   

SLWK8 students celebrated the 100th Day of School by showing their spirit. Students in Ms. Walker’s second through fourth-grade class celebrated the 100th Day of School by showing they are 100 Days Sharper! First-grade students turned into Dalmatians, 101 to be exact!

Middle school students in Ms. Velazquez’s science classes learned how to describe motion with graphs. Students answered two essential questions; how an object’s motion can be recorded on a graph and how can a graph help you understand an object’s motion. They had four different tasks to perform: hopping, walking backwards, walking normally, and speed walking.  They were timed and given how quickly they arrived at the appointed destination (5 meters and 10 meters) which they then wrote down. Once they had completed all four of the tasks given and they had annotated their times, they were then instructed to … Read More

Middle school students explored the Allied Health Certificate offered at many high schools. Students learned about different certificates and related careers and practiced related skills such as how to answer an office phone professionally, file reports, schedule appointments, take blood pressure, clean teeth as a dental hygienist, fill prescriptions like a pharmacy technician, and complete an evaluation as a physical therapist.  

Sixth-grade students in Ms. Boham’s STEAM class were learning about Assembly lines and Systems thinking. Students used the Engineering Design Process to design an Assembly line that they then ran twice and timed to see if they could make improvements to the design and improve their time/production.

At St. Lucie West K8, students in Ms. Paries’ third-grade class competed in a race all about text features. Using an informational article about technologies for hearing-impaired students, they used text features to answer questions and race to the finish!  

St. Lucie West K8 Sharks collaborated to create an outstanding float for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. This year’s theme was Dream, Believe, Achieve. Thank you to all the dedicated staff and students who made this incredible vision come to life!