Category: School News

Teachers and staff welcomed back students and parents for the 2012-2013 school year at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @Tradition’s “Open House”.  Families met their new teachers, purchase planners and spirit shirts, get information on before and after school providers, pay lunch money and get information on buses. Students also visited the library to turn in their summer reading logs and families visited teachers from previous years. It was a fantastic day seeing everyone anxious to begin the new school year!  Pictured, from left, are Mrs. Losee, Clayton Losee, Colby Losee and kindergarten teacher Jenny Clancy.

Dr. Adolph Brown, Passionate Educator is pictured with Brandi Pagano, speech-language pathologist at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition.  Dr. Brown, “The World’s Greatest Edu-tainer,” kicked off the school year right for all of St. Lucie Public Schools educators with an informative, awe inspired and energized presentation! Dr. Brown lives in Brandi’s hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and is a professor at Hampton University where Brandi received her Master’s Degree.

Television and print media covered the opening day for St. Lucie Schools, visiting several campuses for the Kids at Hope tunnels and get a glimpse of the first day of school for approximately 40,000 students at 42 schools. Pictured is Superintendent Michael Lannon being interviewed by Tasha Martinez of Channel 12 WPEC at 6:30 AM at Fort Pierce Westwood High School.

As kindergarten teacher Patricia Collins stands and shares tidbits about herself, Village Green Environmental Studies School teachers look on with warm smiles and excitement as they ready themselves to welcome her to the Village Green family with applause. The process is repeated more times as they welcome Jacqueline Baptiste-Harris and Margot Williams to first grade, Ashley Foreman to the kindergarten team, and Erin Saunders as the new speech language pathologist. Gina Burns joined the second grade team after this opening day event.

Village Green teacher Christopher Kelly tracks his progress on the professional development learning goal. The professional development session was facilitated using the research-based strategies that teachers use in the classroom to focus on quality instruction in order to help students succeed.

Although Josiah Fullwood is a first-time kindergartner who is scheduled to attend Frances K. Sweet, he has already made a huge impression on teachers at Village Green Environmental Studies School during the opening professional development day. As 100 Book Challenge trainer Meighan Radigan models how teachers should level an incoming kindergarten child for his appropriate reading level, teachers and administrators were both stunned and thrilled that Josiah continued to ascend the reading levels to match first grade reading fluency and comprehension! Josiah shared with the group that he enjoys reading about animals and even pointed out that he saw a fish in the … Read More

Boys’ and Girls’ State are summer leadership and citizenship programs for high school students between their junior and senior years. American Legion post 318 sponsored Posrt St. Lucie High School cadet First Sergeant Troy Conover and cadet Second Lieutenant Jeremy Dardon for Boys’ State, while Girls’ State Chairperson for American Legion Post 318 Ladies Auxiliary Ms. Rita Woodburn sponsored Port St. Lucie High School cadet Devynn Rhodes to participate in Girl’s State. The students had the opportunity to go to Florida State University in Tallahassee, where they learned government processes and earned college credits. Pictured, from left, are cadet First … Read More

Three St. Lucie County public schools were recgonized at the August 14, 2012, St. Lucie County School Board meeting for continuously maintaining accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS-CASI) for 25 years. Windmill Point Elementary, Village Green Environmental Studies, and Northport K-8 Schools were presented a plaque to commemorate the achievement. While the highly regarded accreditation is a set of rigorous protocols and research-based processes for evaluating an institution’s organizational effectiveness, accreditation also examines the whole institution — the programs, the cultural context, the community of stakeholders — to determine how … Read More

The school district’s 21st Century Learning Centers summer programs just completed last week and served over 200 children in a wide variety of activities to enrich, educate and enlighten. Four sites hosted the programs, including C. A. Moore and Weatherbee elementary schools, Garden City Early Learning Academy, and Sam Gaines K-8 School. Activities ranged from a wildlife hospital presentation, swimming and basketball camps, Girl Scouts’ leadership and positive character empowerment, and a community gardening project where children not only learned how to grow vegetables, but utilized literacy and math skills in the process. Hands-on science activities involved project in robotics … Read More

The 2012 St. Lucie Public Schools’ Annual Report to the Community focuses on the value of the school system to the greater community. The report has been published and posted on the school district website. To view the publication, click on the following link: http://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/pdf/AnnualReport2012.pdf.

Port St. Lucie High School biology teacher Leslie Taylor was nominated to receive the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award (OBTA), sponsored by the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), which recognizes an outstanding biology educator grades 7-12 in each of the 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C, Canada, Puerto Rico, and overseas territories. Candidates for this award do not have to be NABT members, but they must have at least three years public, private, or parochial school teaching experience. A major portion of the nominee’s career must have been devoted to the teaching of biology/life science, and candidates are judged on their … Read More

The distinction of “Master Board” was awarded to the St. Lucie County school district leadership team by the Florida School Boards Association at their Annual Spring Conference, held June 13 – 15, 2012, in Tampa. The St. Lucie County school district is one of only thirty-five (35) school districts in Florida to currently hold this prestigious award, or about half of the state’s school districts. The Master Board Program is a voluntary program which provides opportunities for the leadership team (defined as the superintendent and the school board) to engage in training that enhances its capacity to provide visionary leadership … Read More

Fort Pierce Central High School AP World History teacher and department chair Sharon Ortiz recently participated in the College Board’s Annual AP Reading in World History. Each June, AP teachers and college faculty members from around the world gather in the United States to evaluate and score the free-response sections of the AP Exams. AP Readers are high school and college educators who represent many of the finest academic institutions in the world. The AP Reading is a unique forum in which an academic dialogue between high school and college educators is both fostered and encouraged. “The Reading draws upon … Read More

Through the continued generosity of Cheryl and Ray Lalloo, who lost their daughter Jessica several years ago, Laura Lenihan, who lost her husband, the Jessica Clinton Foundation and the cooperation of AED provider Cardiac Science, a portable AED was donated to Fort Pierce Central High School at the June 12, 2012, St. Lucie County School Board meeting. Pictured, from left, front row, FPCHS ROTC instructor First Sgt.(Ret.) Darin Randall, Cheryl Lalloo, Lenihan, Assistant Principal Susan Seal, Ray Lalloo, Assistant Principal Arthur Jamison, and Rob williams of Cardiac Science. Back row, from left, Principal Todd Smith, school volunteer Tom Estep, Athletic … Read More

Kindergartners at Manatee Academy recently dressed to impress and celebrated Fancy Nancy Day in the media center by exploring (that’s a fancy word for discovering) a Fancy Nancy glitter puzzle, listening to an original story by Media Specialist Debbie Remington titled “Radical Tad”, playing the Rad Tad fishing game, listening to the latest Fancy Nancy chapter book, “Nacy Clancy” and of course sipping sweet tea, pinkies up of course!

Seventh grade students in Claudy Bois’ and Joshua Burgess’ classrooms at Palm Pointe Educational Research School at Tradition were recently celebrated with a visit by Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (VGTI) scientists for being named the overall district winners in the VGTI Grand Challenge! The challenge, posed to all seventh grade science classes in the district, invited students to complete a collaborative project aligned to genetics and ecology course standards. Students were awarded prizes emblazoned with the STEM logo signifying the district’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics initiative. The scientists talked with students about their projects and also answered student … Read More

Fifth grade students at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition participated in a Moving Up ceremony recently. The group is pictured as they wait for their turn to take the stage and accept their awards. 

Eighth grade students were recognized at the recent graduation ceremony at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition for making the Principal’s Honor Roll. This award is for students with straight  As. Pictured, back row from left, St. Lucie County School Board vice chairman Debbie Hawley, Alexa McGlade, Genicia Williamson, Ashley Smith, Adonis Smartt and Shannon Robinson. Front row, from left, Megan Wichern, Nicole Delano,Brianna McGlade, Aishani Kalluri, Yolie Cius and Danae’ Beech.

Student Takara Thomas was the grand prize winner of Garden City Early Learning Academy’s 100 Book Challenge. This year, the school was able to accept a donated computer as a prize to the winner. The challenge was that any time a student read over 250 steps (62.5 hours) during independent reading time or at home, their name was put into the drawing. Many students met the challenge and had an entry into the grand drawing. This challenge was set up by instructional coach Alexandra Laoutas as a way to promote independent reading. Pictured are Takara and her excited father with … Read More

The St. Lucie County Young Author Celebration sponsored by the St. Lucie County Reading Council was recently held at Manatee Academy. Over 200 parents and students enjoyed author Donna Gephart, a light lunch, book fair and free books and prizes. Pictured is the organization’s Executive Council, who made the event happen, from left, Vince Scotto, Debbie Remington, Wanda Galey, Dorothy Still and Alma Goff.