Category: School News

Students in Christopher Calvo’s third grade class at WestGate K8 School have been studying the history of Costa Rica for Hispanic Heritage Month. The students’ main focus was the volcanoes of Costa Rica.  Students created volcanoes constructed using cardboard and plastic water bottles, covered with paper mache and painted. Pictured, standing from right, are Assistant Superintendent Dr. Mark Rendell, WestGate Principal Robert Cranmer, and Mr. Calvo with students watching in awe as the six volcanoes were erupted in the hallway.

Students in grades kindergarten, first, and second grade at Allapattah Flats K-8 School watched a special performance titled “Men in Plaid: The Kilowatt Connection.” The performance was put on by The National Theatre for Children and it was sponsored by Florida Power and Light. The performers conveyed important messages to students about energy conservation in order to make the world a better place. Pictured, from left, are Kaylee Harris from Kylee Dvorak’s second grade class and visiting performers Zack and Nate.

Lakewood Park Elementary fourth grade students recently participated in a STEM design project called “Make it Stick.” They used common kitchen ingredients like flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt to mix a solution to see which group could make the strongest glue. Students tested their glue using beans and index cards.  After their first glue solution was created, they analyzed and recorded the class results to design a new recipe using a different combination of the same ingredients. Pictured are fourth grade teacher Allison King with students Kathryn Baldwin, left, and Kimberly Temene finding out which homemade glue sticks better.

Lakewood Park Elementary fourth grade students had the opportunity to participate in the Channel 25 WPBF Weather School Wednesday with meterologist Chris Martinez. The program was fun, interactive and informative for the Lakewood Park Elementary students. The students received information about the local weather, weather forecasting, hurricanes, tornadoes, and many other interesting facts. The students loved visiting the Channel 25 weather truck, viewing the TV cameras, TV monitors which had the students’ photos on it, seeing the live shows in progress, and hearing the interesting facts presented by the Channel 25 WPBF Crew. The highlight for the students was to see themselves … Read More

Northport K-8 students participated in a celebration of small increments of success with a focused looked at amounts of Adequate Yearly Progress in a PTO organized AYP celebration recently. Students who achieved progress on the FCAT test last year were treated to several styles of bounce houses and slides, popcorn, hoola hoops and snowcones, as well as the chance to dunk Principal Glenn Rustay and other members of the faculty and staff in the dunk tank. Students also had the opportunity to celebrate PBS, or Positive Behavior Support, gains with a variety of school based activities in classes and on … Read More

Northport K-8 School faculty, staff, administration, students and the family community celebrate the selection of Christine Hunsicker as our representative for Northport K-8 School Adult Volunteer of the Year!  Mrs. Hunsicker has volunteered for the school for the last eight years serving as grade mother for several teachers, PTO parent volunteer and School advisory Board member. This year, Mrs. Hunsicker serves as PTO president. She organizes so many fundraiser and student centered activities such as the Holiday Shoppe, Valentine’s dance, Teacher Appreciation lunches, Yankee Candle, and World’s Finest Chocolate sales. Without Mrs. Hunsicker, many school activities would not be nearly as fruitful and … Read More

Fifth grade students at Fairlawn Elementary School are researching and learning about Native Americans, their dwellings, clothing, foods, and location of different tribes. Students researched and wrote a report, created a natural habitat for display, and gave an oral presentation of their projects. Shown, from left, from Shirley Helton’s class are Hunter Holmes with a Shawnee wigwam display, Layne Chesney is showing an Iroquois Longhouse, and Brooke Green with an Inuit Igloo dwelling.

Northport K-8 fifth grade students in Carla Caldwell’s class demonstrated critical information learned through intensive studies of Native American tribes from different geographic regions of North America. Students compared and contrasted the different interactions each had with their geographic region and how this affected their lifestyle and their dwellings. Students identified cliff dwellers and Pueblo people of the Desert Southwest, coastal tribes of the Pacific Northwest, nomadic nations of the Great Plains and Eastern Woodlands tribes found east of the Mississippi River. Students constructed replicas of dwellings and tribal regions for display in the media center. The construction supported the … Read More

Students in Cindy Langel’s and Dorian Newbern’s first grade classes have been learning about the different attributes of shapes. In one of their lessons, the students were able to make a shape caterpillar identifying  some of the defining and non-defining attributes of the shapes. Pictured, top row from left, are La Teya Weatters, Drew Sperber, and Jenna Franklin. Bottom row, from left, are Addison Kim, Omar Andrade, and Myron Pratt.

At Frances K. Sweet Elementary, media specialist Genie DuPell is sharing a variety of books by author Mo Willems with the kindergarten classes. Pictured, from left, Ireland Wagerer, Madison Paul, Jeremiah Hill, and Lennon Paquette are holding books and stuffed animals from two of his most popular books, “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!” and “Knuffle Bunny”. In the school media center, there are 38 books by Mo Willems available to check out by students.

Eleven students representing the Southport Middle School Chorus joined their voices with other middle school singers from around the Treasure Coast to participate in 4-County Middle School Honor Choir at Indian River State College. Each year, middle and high school choruses from Martin, Indian River, Okeechobee, and St. Lucie counties come together to rehearse and perform a concert in the recent event at the McAlpin Fine Arts Center on the main campus in Fort Pierce. Southport students included seventh graders Danielle Timbo, Haley Racanelli, Amber Walter, Shantell Figueroa, Cynthia Oyola-Ortiz, Kelsey Cuevas, Ursula Duran, Ashlei Murphy, Dameika Henry, Manacko Simms, … Read More

Dan McCarty students have shown their support of Breast Cancer Awareness in the month of October by wearing pink!  Pictured are a group of students representing all grade levels showing their hope for finding a cure for the disease.

At Northport K-8 School, the Fall season brings an uptick in literary opportunities for students to enjoy the crisp pages of a well written book and the tales of authors that many students enjoy reading. The fall season at Northport K-8 School brings the book fair that is decorated with pumpkins, acorns and falling leaves. The book fair runs from October 28 through November 7. Nothport media specialist Lynne Gruszka and prevention specialist Mary Ann Warren have collaborated in a Trick or Treat Trivia Contest to students using questions from some spooky authors. Students thrive on tales of terror and … Read More

Students in Patrick Madden’s advanced drama class at Port St. Lucie High School visit St. Lucie West K8 School daily to work with students in Mindy Tsunoda’s sixth grade drama class. Pictured is St. Lucie West K8 student Savannah Simmons taking stage direction from Port St. Lucie High students Cristy Dill, Sarah Machesko, and others.

Students in Melissa Dixon’s seventh grade science classes at St. Lucie West K8 School regularly buddy up with students in Sarah Rivas’s fifth grade classes to discuss science and conduct scientific investigations. Recently, the students conducted an investigation on thermal energy. Pictured, from left, are seventh grader Danny Varon, fifth grader Sallvador Italia, and fifth grader Andre Smith.

Fifth grade students at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition used a variety of resources to compare and contrast two Native American cultures from different regions of America. They specifically studied how the two regions are alike and different in aspects of food, clothing, shelter, music, art and religious beliefs. Pictured from Jade Joie’s fifth grade class are Nadia Mihajalovski, left, and Ashley Coronel as they proudly show their projects.

Students in Donald Logue’s fifth grade class have investigated chemical changes. They performed investigations using chemicals in test tubes to observe color changes, a release of thermal energy, and an absorption of thermal energy.  They discussed their observations and wrote down evidence from each investigation on their lab record sheet.  Pictured are Ni’Derria Cobb, left, and Bradyn Moxley.

Palm Pointe first graders are Super Scientists! Students from Glenna Sigmon’s first grade class generated and tested hypotheses and used their super science skills to observe matter. Fort Pierce’s Manatee Observation Center’s Super Science Day presentations gave these first grade scientists the opportunity to make lava lamps and flubber. Students watched the matter change before their eyes.  Students were excited to record data and reflect in their journals. Pictured are Matthew Antonakos, left, and Zachary Veldhuis.

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.

Northport K-8 middle grades students are diligently planning, organizing and researching for the Northport K-8 School Annual Science Fair. Students in grades six through eight follow a timeline, beginning with getting special certification forms completed, checking and completing logbooks that include purpose, hypothesis, procedures, analysis, conclusion and much more. Students also are collecting data, completing research papers and formatting bibliographies. Finally, completed science research projects including science boards are due in December. The whole process is an all-encompassing community effort in time management, data collection, research skills and a multitude of other far reaching lessons that will impact student achievement … Read More