On Tuesday, October 7, 2014 West Gate K-8 held their first “Million Father March” in conjunction with the SLC School Board initiative. The Million Father March is a national event that promotes a father’s active involvement in the education of their children. West Gate’s event was held in the gym and had over 300 participants. 170 dads signed a contract vowing to be more involved in their children’s lives. The dads were invited to participate in some of West Gates most exciting Physical Education activities. Each dad had a task sheet that included cup stacking, hula hooping, basketball, volleyball, table … Read More

Mrs. Kawa, a retired 2nd grade teacher, volunteers each week for Ms. Schumacher’s class. She is reading one of her favorite read a-louds, Charlotte’s Way by E.B  White. The students look forward to her visits each week with excitement, and can’t wait to work with her during small groups. Mrs. Kawa works with all students to deepen their knowledge on the targeted skill for the unit. she also does reteach and enrichment groups.

As part of participating in The Great American Smoke Out recently, students in the West Gate K-8 SWAT chapter created and unveiled a pledge board filled with pledges from friends and loved ones who promised to quit smoking for a day. This was in conjunction with the monthly Tobacco Free Partnership meeting that was hosted by West Gate K-8. Pictured, from left, are Dana Buehrig, West Gate SWAT advisor/ESE teacher and chairman of The Tobacco Free Partnership, Kelsey Melandes and Noah Binner, co-secretaries, Andrea Arvelo, president, Gregg Austin, 7th grade Social Studies teacher, Kayla Moccia, ambassador, Dan Regis, American Cancer … Read More

Students in Marta Almiron’s kindergarten class at WestGate K8 School recently got a presidential-sized surprise recently when they received a response letter from the White House. The students had written letters to President Barack Obama in November, 2012, congratulating him on his victory, and Ms. Almiron sent the letters to the White House. I thought the letters were just too cute to keep them for my self, so I mailed them to the White House. President Obama sent a response, along with his autographed photograph, and a picture of First Dog Bo. Pictured are the kindergartners with their prized letter … Read More

West Gate K-8 sponsored the first Autism Walk on the Treasure Coast, Saturday April 27th in Tradition Square. The walk was held to increase public awareness of the needs of autistic children and to raise money for autism research. It was a huge sucess, with over 450 people attending the walk. Over 40 community agencies and local businesses supported and contributed to the walk. Thanks to all the walkers and sponsers, $31,000 dollars was raised for Autism Speaks.

The parade float team at WestGate K8 School is proud to accept awards for their second place entry in the Martin Luther King, Jr., parade January 16, 2012. Accepting the award for art direction are Cat Palmer, Marcia Aquino, and Wendy Stewart.  Accepting for set direction are  Christopher Calvo, Arthur Kitchen, Jonathan Dodson, Easter Weathers, Minnie  Spivey, Carla Manning,  Rose Wong,  Sean McInerney, Anita Downing,  Kristine Bowman, and Shequita Merelus. A special thanks goes to Steve Ragland and the amazing WestGate marching band for their musical support.  

Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation Fundraiser Students at West Gate K-8 raised over $1000 dollars for the Alex Lemonade Stand Foundation. ALSF is a childhood cancer foundation which raises money for childhood cancer research and families. All donations were made in memory of our 3rd grade student Julian Fraga who passed away in February.

Look who stopped by — it’s Mary Poppins! Actually, Beverly Buehrig, second grade teacher at WestGate K8 joins some other book characters in her class.  WestGate students were recently invited to come to school dressed as their favorite book character as the kick-off activity for Literacy Week . Pictured with Ms. Buehrig are, fr0m left, Julian Guerro, Nicolas Tavares, Caleb Gross, Justin Padilla, Alex Daniels,  Noami Osceola and Nathen Rodriguez.

Riverside Children’s Theater On the Go came to West Gate K-8 to perform for First Grade.  Students were enthralled with The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  Students enjoyed watching the singing, tap dancing, fun, and adventure in this classic tale. The first graders loved the characters and the humor throughout the show. Students compared the play to the original Book written by Beatrix Potter and wrote opinion papers explaining which version of the story they liked best. Riverside Children’s Theater did a fabulous job! The First Graders at West Gate K-8 hope to see them again soon.  

Second graders from West Gate K-8 had a great day at the Brevard Zoo. Ms. Schumacher’s students got up close and personal with giraffes. They fed them and had their own personal trainer educate them about these wonderful creatures. The students spent the rest of the day exploring different habitats and the wonderful exhibits. Pictured left to right, Arianna Saitta, Jasmine Rivas, Tori Roe and Macy Ernst.

WestGate K8 1st graders studied the sun’s beneficial and harmful effects. They spent time reading in the class space bubble as well as singing a parody of a popular song explaining the sun’s effects, magnification, stars, and gravity.

WEST Prep celebrated their faculty and staff by having a PopUp Spa party for self-care and relaxation before they left for the winter break. There were several stations that panthers could choose from to tailor their self-care wishes. Station set ups included vision boards, coloring, sensory, stretch/yoga, massage, infused water and facials.

Westwood teachers and staff enjoyed a historic tour of Fort Pierce led by Mayor Linda Hudson, former Mayor Bob Benton, and St. Lucie County Planning Manager Kori Benton. Locations such as the Zora Neale Hurston Library, the A.E. Backus Museum, and Old City Hall were highlighted as well as the surrounding neighborhoods where many students reside. Thank you to our wonderful tour guides for starting this preservice week with information about our beautiful city.

Incoming 9th graders enjoyed an information-packed orientation filled with sessions on Fort Pierce Westwood Academy’s magnet programs, graduation requirements, and a scavenger hunt around campus. Welcome Class of 2026!

Fort Pierce Westwood Academy: The WEST Prep Magnet hosted a celebratory luncheon for the Class of 2021 top ten students. 1 – Kevin Vanderneut Jr. 2 – Samuel Porter 3 – Ellyn Delano 4 – Neriah Nicholas 5 – Allen Lin 6 – Merissa Spence 7 – Mya Forestal 8 – Leigh-Ann Spalding 9 – Kailynn Webb 10 – Patrick Kloeckner

The time and effort our Ag panthers put in each year is impressive and this year it all paid off. While all exhibitors from FFA and 4H from across the area did an incredible job, WEST Prep swept the top awards and we could not be more proud of them. Grand Champion Heifer- Philip Black Reserve Grand Champion Heifer- Reed Blankenbaker Sr I- Grand Champion Grooming- Philip Black SR I- Reserve Grand Champion Grooming- Allison Kohler Sr I- Reserve Grand Champion Showmanship- Allison Kohler Sr II- Grand Champion Grooming- Reed Blankenbaker Sr II- Reserve Grand Champion Grooming- Elizabeth Rufo Sr … Read More

All homeroom classes were charged with brainstorming, designing, and implementing community service projects. Several classes created Valentine’s Day cards for the elderly and their teachers delivered them for them. Showcased here are cards from Ms. Hoffman’s, Ms. Owen’s, and Ms. Tillman’s classes. Ms. Tillman’s classroom had several groups and one named themselves the “KCP Post-Its”. The K is for Kindness, the C is for Compassion, and the P is for Poverty. They developed a mission statement and will be doing monthly projects moving forward.

The Steam Advocates, with the help of several teachers and students, applied for an international award from the Future of Education Technology Conference (FETC) in “STEM Excellence.”  They have been selected as 1 of 3 high school finalists from across the country! This is an amazing accomplishment for Fort Pierce Westwood Academy: The WEST Prep Magnet. The faculty and staff are dedicated to the implementation of the STEAM school initiatives and this award would not be possible without their hard work for our students’ success. Below is the link to the video portion of our application.

The Fort Pierce Westwood Academy: The WEST Prep Magnet PBIS Team created a PBIS T-shirt and Logo Contest to allow students to showcase their artistic and design talents. There were 13 students who submitted artwork and the judges had a challenge to choose the one to represent the T-shirt for the 21-22 school year. The Winners of the contest are: 2nd Place tie to Rayna Duzart (Grade 12) and Bella Gentry (Grade 9). Each will receive a $50 gift card. 1st place is Jaime Espinoza Hurtado (Grade 10) and he will receive a $100 gift card. Congratulations to all of … Read More