Category: School News

Northport K-8 School welcomed students, parents and grandparents back to a wonderful kickoff for a fresh and positive new school year! Northport K-8 School is a Title I school nestled in a community of hardworking families who appreciate the welcoming nature of the school community including the administration, teachers, staff, custodians and cafeteria staff. The schools extended community came out in droves on the first day of school to welcome students with shouts of “Welcome Back,” signs with positive messages, American flags held by veterans, police officers, fire fighters, school board members, staff from Big Brothers, Big sisters and the … Read More

On May 8, as part of Floresta Elementary’s Positive Behavior Intervention Support Program, Riverside Community Theatre presented to all grade 2-5 students, the performance entitled “The Wolf and Its Shadows.” Based on Aesop’s fable “The Dog and the Wolf,” the play weaves together stories about wolves, dogs, and humans, and includes tales from Russian, Tlingit, English, Inuit and German folklore. The message, according to some students was, “Don’t be influenced by the opinions of others.” For other students, the message was, “Freedom is worth more than being served as royalty.”   Alexandria Howlett stated that she liked the play and thought … Read More

Nine JROTC Cadets from Ft Pierce Westwood High School join 76 Cadets from 8 area high schools in Southern Florida in earning the JROTC RECONDO Award. Only 150 Cadets have ever earned this award since its inception. Cadets traveled to Scout Key Florida and over a 4 day training period completed the following training: Rappelling; High COPES Obstacle Course; Swim Test; Snorkeling; Drownproofing; SCUBA; 5 Mile Open Water Kayak Course; 6 Mile Road March; Water Leadership Reaction Course. To Date, this is the only training event of this type held nationally within the JROTC Program. See the link for more … Read More

June 11th was the grand opening of the White City Elementary Media Center Summer Program.  White City students are encouraged to stop by to check out books and participate in the weekly themed activities.  Deisy Baza and Marissa Thurman learned about fireflies.  After listening to the story of Moongirl by Henry Selick, they enjoyed creating a sequel to the book.  Themes for the summer include, fireflies, butterflies, dragonflies, bats and more.  Several WCE teacher are volunteering their time as guest readers, and lending a helping hand with the activities.

At the April 8th School Board Meeting, the winners of the Dr. Samuel S. Gaines Essay Contest were announced. The First Place award was presented to Grishma Patel, Manatee Academy K-8. The Second Place Award was presented to Jewel Edwards, Lincoln Park Academy. The Third Place Award was presented to Alyssa Fernandez, Forest Grove Middle School. Congratulations! Pictured on back row, David Foxx (LPA Assistant Principal), Terry Davis (FGM Principal), Debbie Hawley (Board Chairman), Genelle Yost (Superintendent), Dr. Samual S. Gaines; on the second row, Jewel Edwards (LPA), Katina Barriner (FGM Teacher), Lillian Beachamp (MANK-8 Principal), Peggy Chase (MANK-8 Assistant … Read More

Recently hundreds of students participated in our Regional STEM Fair held in St. Lucie County. STEM education includes every field under the umbrella of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – everything from chemistry to physics, software design to trigonometry. From this academic showcase, individuals participated in the 59th Annual State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida held in Lakeland in April. Our students participated and made quite an impact on a continuum of categories ranging from zoology to biochemistry. In fact, three of our 14 participants were invited to participate in the next level of competition- the International Science Fair … Read More

Fifth graders enjoyed a trip back in time to the 11th century. They were able to experience the living conditions, weapons, housing, and village life of the Medieval Times.

On May 16th, 25 students in grades 2-5 competed in White City’s Spelling Bee. After nine rounds fifth grader Isaiah Alonso won first place. Fourth grader Nicholas Telicien won 2nd place and third grader Adrian Lopez won third place. All students received a medal and certificate.

Students at White City Elementary wrote and published their own books for Young Authors. Every student started with an idea, narrowed the focus and wrote a story. After editing and revising their work, the students published their work, including illustrations, in a Bare Book. Four students’ books were chosen as representatives from each grade level. Pictured are the 24 representatives with their certificates and medals.  

Allison Lankow, the Special Projects Coordinator for the Port St. Lucie Public Works Department did a presentation for Southport’s 6th graders on litter prevention and recycling. The students actively participated in the presentation to better understand how being involved in litter prevention and recycling makes their community a better place for both humans and animals alike.

Jacqueline Harris, a First grade teacher at Village Green Environmental Studies School won 1st Place in the Out-of-the-Box category in the 35th Annual Florida Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching Economics. Mrs. Harris’ project focused on incorporating Social Studies across the curriculum where her First grade students created a mini café and gift shop called the Primary Kidz Café with a classroom mini factory with assembly lines and was given the opportunity to work with two Ninth grade volunteers which they rarely have the chance to do. The First graders learned about goods and services, buying and selling goods, the … Read More

Aliza Ahmed, Erika Austria, Kendrick Carpenter, Nichapa Dancharnjitt, Noah Hamilton, Angela Witz-Schaffer and Charley Willoughby represented our school, county, region, and state at the Odyssey of the Mind World Competition in Ames, Iowa, May 27-31, 2014. They ranked 2nd in the world overall with a perfect score in the spontaneous competition! What a life changing opportunity and experience to meet and greet students who came from all over the world.

Students at Gaines Academy generously donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Pennies for Pasta campaign. We surpassed our school goal of $2,000 with a grand total of $2,700 being donated to help local blood cancer patients with their treatments and hopefully find a cure. Ms. Lenaiah Wood’s second grade class collected the most donations and were treated to a delicious luncheon by Olive Garden. Pictured enjoying their pasta are David Hernandez (L) and Pierre Jerome (R).

Students at Floresta Elementary were truly awestruck by the captivating and mesmerizing tricks performed by the Magician Jamie Porter as part of the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention & Support. Students were charged 15 Dolphin Dollars to participate in the magic show which was held in the school’s cafeteria, on Friday, May 17. The magician performed amazing card tricks and tricks with bags and ribbons that boggled students’ minds.  Some students described the event as entertaining and exciting, while others said that the magician was very funny.  All in all, the magic show was a refreshing and delightful experience for the students at Floresta Elementary School. Written by Norda Clarke and Suzanne … Read More

Second grade students from Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition in Lorri Rudzinski’s class had a special visitor. The Writing Wizard, aka James Dean from Thinking Maps, stopped by to provide writing instruction. There were rich discussions on Making Our Writing more precise using a Bridge Map. Pictured from left is: Naje’ Carter-Evans, The Writing Wizard, and Cooper Kuba.    

Northport K-8 School celebrated students, parents and teachers with a wonderful Fifth Grade Moving Up ceremony recently in the school gymnasium. The gym was packed with cheering parents, grandparents and friends as the students listened to principal, Glenn Rustay give words of advice for becoming successful students in the middle grades. Children’s Services Council Communications Director, Ashley Mock was the keynote speaker with more pearls of wisdom on success and becoming a great student. Ms. Mock is a graduate of University of South Florida. Northport was so pleased to host Ms. Mock. The school has a strong partnership with the … Read More

It’s that time of year again! Field day at Floresta Elementary kicked off on Monday, May 12, 2014. Students from all grades participated in a half-day of friendly, yet challenging competitions. The fourth grade students participated in eight events consisting of baton-relay racing, scooter relays, basketball-dribbling relays, paired beach ball relay, sponge relay, tug-of-war, and 50-yard dash. The competition was friendly and hard fought with Mrs. Diaz edging out Mrs. Clarke, Ms. Pagliughi, and Mrs. Burkett. Many parents were in attendance to support their child’s class and to celebrate good sportsmanship. Our very thoughtful and supportive Floresta Elementary PTO provided a … Read More

Northport K-8 School graduated their twenty-eighth group of eighth grade students in the gymnasium recently. Over two hundred students completed the school requirements and were able to march to Pomp and Circumstance to receive their diplomas. The gym was decorated in the school colors with banners flying! As the families arrived in the courtyard, Bagpiper Michael Hyde, a Merchant Marine, welcomed the community to gather together. A full Honor Guard of veterans from across St. Lucie County, including Jack Ivy Detachment 666, United Veterans, Sons of the American Revolution, Vietnam Chapters and many other Northport Veteran Partners were on hand … Read More