The American Security Council Foundation flew essay contest winners Jayden Diago from Northport K-8 School in Port Saint Lucie, FL and Alex McGuigan from Storm Grove Middle School in Vero Beach, FL on an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C in December. All enjoyed and learned about national monuments and our nation’s capital. Visitors enjoyed the Capitol Building, visited the White House, the National Archives, and the Museum of Natural History. Everyone was also invited to dinner with a special guest General Kroesen (three-time Purple Heart recipient and  American Security Council Foundation Board Member).  A special event that served to … Read More

Northport K-8 middle grades students participated in a writing contest themed, “What Does Being A Woman Really Mean?” Students from all across the spectrum of writing capabilities wrote beautiful and meaningful essays that were included in the school’s annual Women’s History Program held in the media center recently. The essay contest, spearheaded by New Horizons’ Prevention Specialist Maryanne Warren allowed students to think deeply about female characters in their lives and how each has proven influential. Third place winner is Andrew Moscuzza, second place is Emily Avery and first place winner is Misty Hall, all eighth grade Mariner team members. … Read More

Northport K-8 School has taken a leap forward by engaging students in a community atmosphere where growth, development, social mores and guidance are the focus. Many students experience difficulty making the transition to becoming productive and achievement oriented individuals with positive goals and dreams. Boys and girls in the middle grades often times succumb to peer pressure and make decisions that can be long lasting and counter productive. At Northport, two groups, “Girls To Women” and “Boys To Men” assist and guide selected students in a three prong approach to address issues academically, behaviorally and socially. The students meet with … Read More

Northport middle grades students in Tracy Lejeune, Susan Matteson and Susan Smith’s classes participated in an activity filled with dark humor by attending a funeral in the school’s media center for “Dead” words. Students agreed that writing and the ability to use important words is more vital now than ever before. Students and teachers considered that personal and professional writing has become a digital representation of how each individual is perceived because whether it is applying for employment, applying for college or writing on the many thousands of blogs or digital media spaces that it’s not your physical appearance that … Read More

Northport K-8 middle grades chorus,  under the direction of instructor and new choral director James Kirk have been diligently preparing for their debut as a distinguished chorus.  Students will don dress attire and sing an arrangement of America The Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates at the school’s first assembly of the year.  Students will sing at the September 11 Commemoration to be held on September 10 in the Northport gymnasium.  Mr. Kirk previously directed at Alfred Ely Beach High School in Savanna, Georgia.  Mr. Kirk began directing in 2004.  The debut should prove to energize the Northport Choral Department and … Read More

Seventh and eighth grade students in Northstars STEM class are working on finishing their PLTW Medical Detectives unit ending in a “murder mystery.” Students have calculated time of death, dusted for prints, analyzed hair samples, and compared shoe-print patterns among other things to determine which suspects they would question. Today students interrogated their suspects. Next, students will act as lawyers, judge and jury to determine the guilt of one of the fictitious suspects. Students in these classes have learned a great deal about the human body, as well as the methods that doctors and criminal investigators use to solve many … Read More

Northport Media Specialist Lynne Gruszka is celebrating with two of the school’s fantastic volunteers from PSL Church — Stephanie Sakowski and Northport Senior Volunteer of the Year, Jean Lindo. These great ladies serve Northport with love and care ❤. Happy Valentines Day from some of the school’s library staff.

@NP, students earn SAIL Notes for PBIS or Positive Behavior Intervention Support. So many community partners, such as First United Methodist Church, volunteers, Cindy Cairo, Women of the Moose and so many individual donors give school supplies and books to the children of our school. We have shirts donated by Joe the Biker with an anti-bullying logo and so many more items that need to get into the hands of our kids. The media center, often times, serves as a clearinghouse for so many of these coveted items. Today, we set up a storefront with school supplies, books and anti-bullying … Read More

Northport K-8 Media Service Center opened its doors to new and returning students on the very first day of school. Teachers sign up for class orientations for media center procedures to establish routines, review the Destiny library program, review the Dewey Decimal System and how to locate books and resources available. Students select books based on interest and review choices with the instructor and the Media Specialist, Lynne Gruszka. The Media Center at Northport is available every day for class visits to check out books, to work on research assignments utilizing technology and support materials, allows for interaction with the … Read More

Northport students have been selecting new books of their choice in the media center recently.  The school has hundreds of new books to offer.  The books are intriguing for all types of readers.   Student choice is one of the surest ways to assist children in literacy development. Students have also been listening to the story, “Puff the Magic Dragon” this week and learned the song together.  The students went ” live” on the Northport Facebook page for their parents to join in the singing.   It has been so much fun and a great week filled with activity.

Northport VPK-8 School Media Center is promoting stellar Florida Book Lists this year. The Sunshine State Reader Program is co-sponsored by the Office of Library Media and the Florida Association for Media in Education or FAME. “Started in 1984, this reading motivation program for students in grades 3-8 is designed to entice students to read high interest, contemporary literature for personal enjoyment. The long term goal of the program is to nurture lifelong readers who will continue to read for information needs and personal pleasure.” Northport students will have the opportunity to do book talks, promote the books on the … Read More

Each year, Northport K-8 School presents a tribute to the tragedy of September 11, 2001.  This year the school hosted retired New York City detective and First Responder Albert Hickey, St. Lucie County firefighter Gary Hollett, and many veteran Partners in Education from across the county. This year, Detective Hickey spoke of seeing only a handful of American flags while driving on his way to visit the school for the program. Students at the program expressed to Detective Hickey that they needed an American flag. In honor of the nine months of work that Detective Hickey performed at Ground Zero and in … Read More

Northport K-8 Media Center is busy promoting books, programs and initiatives, but the one most special to media specialist Lynne Gruszka and principal Glenn Rustay is the “Building American Pride, One Flag At A Time” program. The program was kick started immediately following the Northport annual 9/11 Remembrance program in September. Guest speaker, retired New York City Detective and 9/11 First Responder Albert Hickey, spoke to the students about his experiences and noted that few homes had American flags waving on his drive to the school. Many students expressed that they would like an American flag flying from their homes … Read More

Northport VPK-8 School Media Center is working with the Saint Lucie County Public Library System to help students and families achieve reading success, assist in helping to promote summer reading and to make reading and public library programming easily accessible while the school is closed for summer break. The Saint Lucie County Public Library offers a variety of programming including tablet tutoring, movie matinees all summer long, family game nights, Lego learning activities, and a plethora of books that will  make a child thrilled to check out the action. The public library will be offering summer reading activities. Stay tuned … Read More

The Northport K-8 School Media Center offered students an opportunity to showcase their multifaceted talents in a terrific Women’s History and Girl’s Empowerment Program recently. The program highlighted the accomplishments of women role models in history, Northport teachers and staff, mothers, daughters, and students. Students were empowered to shed poor role models like Miley Cyrus, Amanda Bynes, Britney Spears and Beyoncé and to look for strong women who have made important changes in the world. Women’s struggles and successes were highlighted in a PowerPoint presentation that included music, news clips and clips from actress Hilary Swank playing the role of … Read More

Middle grades students at Northport K-8 School have been working diligently on learning how to build strong leadership skills. Through a series of guest community leaders, students are learning to generate and pose deeper level questions about a variety of topics and to dig deeper and get into a more provocative atmosphere of questioning. Students have asked extended, well thought out questions of each guest and then have been learning to respond to those questions with follow up questions. The platform allows students to get out of their comfort zone, stand up and pose questions on serious issues and to … Read More

Northport Principal Glenn Rustay gave our Northport Media Center Christmas decorations an “A” Grade after the Student of the Month celebration. HATS OFF to Mr. Rustay for topping off our “It’s A Hallmark Christmas @NP.” Everything we do at Northport is with our children and families in mind. Stop over and visit our “Hallmark Christmas @NP!”

Northport kindergarten students from Mrs.Ceville’s class, Toore Chester and Abigail Reid, took the very first Valentine picture in the media center Valentine Picture Booth. The little girls were thrilled to take their first Valentine photo together. The picture booth will be open until Valentines Day for pictures with students and teachers as well as parents, grandparents and families. Simply PRECIOUS!

Thank you for the beautiful gift to our Northport K-8 School media center from our art teacher, Stephanie Ramirez. A Frida Kahlo design! We can’t wait to show the piece off to our students. Frida is an expressive artist of Mexican descent. Frida believed in open self expression and so do we. It is perfect for the theme for the media center this year…”It’s All About the Kids!” Mrs. Gruszka and Mrs. Majors are so excited to see the kids and start talking about good books. ❤

Northport K-8 lower school students proved their domination over hundreds of words by participating in a vocabulary parade recently. Students poured over lists of words from their texts and chose words that appealed to each, then made posters, signs, decorations and costumes declaring the definitions, the synonyms, antonyms, correct spelling and use of the words in sentences. All students used the book “Miss Alaineus” by Debra Frasier as a road map to comprehension. Northport K-8 School reading coach Deb Mock led the parade with an excellent costume of “Miss Alanieus” herself! Northport K-8 particpated fully in the Just Read, Florida initiative, “Celebrate Literacy!” … Read More