Author: SHANNON DOLAN

Lawnwood Elementary kindergarten, first grade, and second grade science scholars presented a “Solar System Throw Down”.   Planets, stars, the moon, an asteroid, a meteor, the milky way and even the “black hole” were given bragging rights to explain to the audience why “each” reigns supreme in the galaxy. The students researched their information, wrote a monologue,  built the costume, and created a character with “attitude” to the delight of parents and peers. You can view the performance by clicking the link below: http://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/MediaServicesVideos/School_Report_5_30_14_LWNsolar.mp4  

Samantha Lamora’s first grade writing class students take a break from writing their stories for The St Lucie County Young Author’s Festival to have a picnic and share their narratives with other students. The entire school (grades first through fifth) participated in writing their opinion, informative, and narrative pieces in hopes of becoming a Young Author’s finalist.

Singer, dancers, karate, gymnastics, and football moves were only a few of the dozens of talented teachers and students who took the Lawnwood Elementary stage. The annual Talent Show Night was presented to over 300 friends and parents who excitedly packed the auditorium. All performers received a goody bag and a big dose of self esteem for their hard work. pictured l to r are Keirra Holycross and Audrey Kloeckner.

Lawnwood Elementary Media Specialist, Mrs. Schaeperkoetter, represented her faculty team in April’s PBS challenge. The teachers joined a team of kindergarteners in  a game of dodge ball during the annual and popular award event.  The students worked for several weeks collecting “Lawnwood loot ” behavior rewards to participate in the friendly challenge, which included PE coaches, resource, and kindergarten teachers.

Lawnwood Elementary teacher of the year, Ashlay Parker , has been selected to attend the ExxonMobil Academy. The selection panel based their decision on Ms. Parker’s “qualifications, dedication to inspiring students, and overall commitment to enhancing the teaching profession.” This selection gives Ms. Parker an opportunity to network with other educators and help her discover innovative ways to teach math and science to her students. Ms. Parker is pictured  l to r with Anazia Lundia and Kayla Hildago-Agular.

Lawnwood Elementary students are practicing “Metric Math Activities” by walking the campus and measuring everything in sight. This measuring exercise will culminate with a play starring several K-2nd grade students as the planets who compare and contrast their celestial bodies’ distance from the sun and the Earth. Pictured from left:  Alexis Nieves, Madison Talley, and Raul Pozniak.

The students of Lawnwood Elementary School hosted a Walk-A-Thon with students maneuvering an obstacle course to raise money for the PTO and their many school sponsored events. Pictured taking a break from the festivities and enjoying a snack are first row, from left, Mika Blakeman, Raul Pozniak, and Ethan Stabile; second row, from left, Sarah Jones, Rowan Crandall, John Donnelly, and Albert Han; back row, from left, Madison Talley, Audrey Kloeckner, and Keirra Holycross.

Lawnwood Elementary School second grade student Ethan Stabile is pictured with his project on display in the Kiwanis Building at the St. Lucie County Fair. Ethan’s project was on the county firefighters. Over 30 projects were selected among first through fifth graders to be displayed for Lawnwood Elementary this year, which won first place in the elementary division for the second year.

The students in Carolyn Bates’s first grade class at Lawnwood Elementary School are writing about literary characters using their collection of nutcrackers. Students recently took a field trip to The Sunrise Theatre in downtown Fort Pierce to see a production of The Nutcracker Ballet, and then wrote about their favorite moments adding illustrations and captions. The students then presented their writing to the rest of the class. Pictured are Ms. Bates and students in the class’ Writer’s Club.

Students in Karen Crosby’s VPK class at Lawnwood Elementary recently rode The Polar Express. The class donned their pajamas, and with their golden tickets in hand, boarded the Polar Express for an imaginary trip to the North Pole. In the darkened room, the children listened to The Polar Express read aloud and reenacted the events from singing carols to drinking hot chocolate. Pictured are students ready for their adventure!

The students of Lawnwood Elementary School were busy collecting non-perishable items this month for The Harvest Outreach Center. The students loaded over 40 extra-large boxes for the center to distribute over the holidays. Pictured, from left, are ESE teacher and student council co-chair Kara Watkins, Ashon Moore, Alex Jules, Brisaldo Castro, and Dominick Peterson.

Lawnwood Elementary School fifth grade teacher James Johnson has challenged his colleagues to match or beat the amount of food his students have collected for the upcoming holiday season. Johnson boasted that his is such a caring class this year, he is excited to see how enthused they are to help others during the holiday season. Johnson is pictured with students Giselle Cerda, center, and Phillip Adams.

Alyceson Laidlaw, Ladies Auxiliary secretary, VFW Post 8058 presents Lawnwood Elementary students with their Buddy Poppies. These students have adopted U.S. ARMY Arcent G2, which is in its first deployment in Kuwait. The students are writing letters, sending pictures, and collecting personal supplies to be sent to Afghanistan over the holiday season. One student wrote, “I will think of you every time I say The Pledge of Allegiance, you are not forgotten!” Pictured, from left, are Raul Pozniak, Maddy Talley, Ms. Laidlaw, Kirstyn Macy, Tommy Wuchte, and Rowan Crandall.

Lawnwood Elementary School teachers Ashlay Parker and Theresa Brandifino received a grant from the St. Lucie Education Foundation for funds to create a Saturday Academy at Lawnwood Elementary. The goal of the  Academy is to help targeted students improve their scores on the FCAT by providing an increase in time focusing on skills. Over a six-week, half-day Saturday program, third, fourth, and fifth graders will receive intense reading and math instruction. In addition, fifth graders will be exposed to a hands-on science curriculum. The six weeks will culminate with a celebration of their participation and success. Pictured are Parker, left, and Brandifino discussing … Read More

The third graders from Lela Studivan’s class at Lawnwood Elementary School have finished their unit on recycling, and as a capstone project, they are  making compost from last year’s garden. This compost consisted of rocks, egg shells, apple and orange peels, which the students mixed and prepared for the 2013-14 growing season. They are ready to plant this year’s crop of vegetables and flowers and are eager to harvest this year’s bounty. Pictured is Ms. Studivan with students working with their garden.

Lawnwood Elementary School teacher Denise Ferrara-Slater is breaking reading records with her after school tutoring program. Pictured is Ms. Ferrara-Slater with some of her prize readers, who are working on gaining 200, 15-minute independent reading steps in October. The students gain steps by reading both at home and in school. These reading superstars are in the 21st Century second grade tutoring program. Pictured, from left, are Xymia Woodson, Marily Alcantar, Miguel Alcantar, Ms. Ferrara-Slater, Aline Cervantes, Wendy Tamayo, and Asia Carter.

Students in Shannon Dolan’s second grade class at Lawnwood Elementary are using bubble gum and brace maps to create a display to merchandise their research and writing about the nocturnal creatures that are featured in both fiction and non-fictional literature at this time of the year. Pictured are John Donnelly, from left, Ethan Stabile, Albert Han, and Keirra Holycross.