by Kerry Padrick | Apr 1, 2019 | District News, School News
The PSLHS Jaggernauts ranked 48th out of 64 teams at the First Robotics Competition in West Palm Beach, including international teams. The students learned the value in collaboration, and they will keep building from it! Prior to their arrival, their robot worked at 70% of its attainable project. Combined with the selfless dedication of other teams, they assisted in getting the robot to 100% of the envisioned robot.
Cheers to the future engineers of PSLHS!
by Kerry Padrick | Apr 1, 2019 | District News
The American Association of School Librarians celebrate school librarians and their programs every April during School Library Month. During this time, school librarians are encouraged to host activities to help their school and local community learn more about the essential role that strong school library programs offer to tranform learning. To learn more, visit http://www.ala.org/aasl/advocacy/slm
by Kerry Padrick | Apr 1, 2019 | District News
Join us in celebration for 2019 National Autism Awareness Month! National Autism Awareness Month represents an excellent opportunity to promote autism awareness, autism acceptance, and to draw attention to the tens of thousands facing an autism diagnosis each year.
Put on the Puzzle! The Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon is the most recognized symbol of the autism community in the world. Autism prevalence is now one in every 59 children in America. Show your support for people with autism by wearing the Autism Awareness Puzzle Ribbon – as a pin on your shirt, a magnet on your car, a badge on your blog, or even your Facebook profile picture – and educate folks on the potential of people with autism! For more information visit https://www.autismspeaks.org
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 29, 2019 | District News
SLWCHS students were mentored by veteran Student Perks kiosk operators from PSLHS during the soft opening of the Student Perks kiosk located in Port St. Lucie at the City’s government office administration building. PSLHS students have successfully managed a kiosk at the St. Lucie County Administration Office for two years.
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 29, 2019 | School News
SLWCHS Dance Team competed in the solo/ensemble competition. Congratulations!
Giulia Mastronicola (solo) – superior rating
Giulia Mastronicola, Elizbeth Acosta, Jady Gonzalez, and Kendra Basiliere (small group ensemble) – superior rating
Eagles Dance Team (large ensemble) – excellent rating
Go Eagles!
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 29, 2019 | District News
NOTICE OF REFERENDUM ELECTION
April 23, 2019
School District of St. Lucie County Florida Referendum Election
DEADLINE TO REGISTER
March 25, 2019
This is an all-mail ballot election which means that every registered voter in St. Lucie County will receive a ballot during the first week of April. All ballots must be received no later than 7:00 pm on April 23rd. Therefore, in order to ensure that your ballot will be counted, please mail your ballot no later than 4 days prior to the election.
OR HAND DELIVER TO SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE LOCATIONS:
250 NW Country Club Dr., Pt St Lucie
1664 SE Walton Rd., Pt St Lucie
4132 Okeechobee Rd, Ft. Pierce
New Tax Collector Building in Tradition 10264 SW Village Parkway Dr., Port St Lucie
Sample ballots are available on our website and office locations in English and Spanish. For information, call the office at 772-462-1500 or visit www.slcelections.com, or stop by any of our 4 office locations listed above.
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 29, 2019 | District News
April is Autism Awareness Month; see the flier above to join in on a great event to raise awareness for this cause.
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 29, 2019 | District News
We are featuring an all new Que Pasa St. Lucie, hosted by Linda Tapia, and the #BuildAFuture show, hosted by LeiNitia Robinson. Don’t forget to watch the State of the Schools Update, the March School Board Workshop, and the 2019 Music in Our Schools Concert! Great things are happening in St. Lucie Public Schools! These are shows that you do not want to miss.
We are on Comcast Channel 13 (Fort Pierce), Channel 19 (Port St. Lucie), and Channel 99 on AT&T U-Verse. You can also catch us on YouTube. While you’re there, subscribe to our channel, then head over to Facebook and like/follow our page – WLX-TV.
State of the Schools Update
School Board Workshop
Que Pasa
#BuildAFuture
Music in Our Schools
by Stephanie Stark | Mar 29, 2019 | School News
International Business Academy students from Treasure Coast High School (TCHS) attended the Future Business Leaders of America State Leadership Competition, with over 4500 students in Orlando, Florida, themed “Leave Your Mark”. Students had an opportunity to compete and learn during this fun-filled, fast-paced week during spring break. During the conference, students competed in their chosen competitive events, attended seminars, and learned in workshops. TCHS students won regional level events to secure their entry to state level competition in Emerging Business Issues, Business Ethics, Business Communications, and Securities and Investments.
President, Jenna Klahne, a four-time State Competitor and National Finalist with her partner, Vice President, Lynzie Holt, a three-time State Competitor, competed and made it to the final round in Business Ethics. Treasurer, Kevin Saha and Secretary, Kimani Walker, competed at States in Emerging Business Issues; Parliamentarian, Gabriel Mustaciulo, competed in Securities and Investments; Public Relations Officer, Jennifer Rodriquez, competed in Business Communication and Reporter, Isabel Garcia, competed in Broadcast Journalism.
TCHS’s International Business Academy students compete with students from all over the state from public, private, and online schools and their academy teacher, Ms. Choppa is extremely proud of their dedication and work ethic. Way to go Titans!
by Laurie Boyer | Mar 29, 2019 | District News
The Office of Teaching and Learning would like to share some of the exciting Professional Development sessions taking place at Allapattah Flats K-8 this summer. Make sure to reserve a seat by signing up in Frontline!
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 28, 2019 | District News
St Lucie Public Schools middle and high school students attended the opening ceremony of the State of Florida Science and Engineering Fair-STEM Competition in Lakeland, FL on March 28, 2019. We are so proud of you all!
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 28, 2019 | School News
The Early Learning Coalition of St. Lucie County is sponsoring their annual Family Fun Fair! This event is free and will take place on Saturday, April 6, 2019 at Lawnwood Stadium. For more information, see the flier above.
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 28, 2019 | School News
Students at Village Green Environmental Studies School received a visit from WPBF News Channel 25’s Meteorologist Britley Ritz. 5th grade students showed Ms. Ritz one of the school’s weather stations and explained how it tracks winds, precipitation, and barometric pressure.
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 28, 2019 | School News
Students from Ms. Nelson’s class help plant seeds for our very first Tower Garden! A Tower Garden is a general vertical hydroponic growing system, which require less space and water to grow the plants than traditional systems.
by Kerry Padrick | Mar 28, 2019 | District News
St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) has experienced unprecedented academic achievement over the last four years. This success is not due to just having people in place – it is due to having the RIGHT people in the RIGHT place. High quality, highly trained teachers dedicated to helping all students achieve and learn in safe and caring environments have supported the District’s rise to a B rated district with no failing schools. Likewise, their influence has helped catapult SLPS from 45th to the State’s top ten in graduation rate (96.5% for comprehensive high schools) and from the bottom third to Florida’s top third in overall academic performance.
This is great news for our students, for our citizens, and for our community. To keep this positive momentum going, we need to keep our high-quality teachers in our schools. To do this, we must remain competitive with other districts. It is also vital to maintain safety with the assurance of a school resource officer on every campus and the ability for our staff to meet the mounting mental health needs of our students. Like no other time in history, children of all ages are coming to school with issues and challenges that necessitate our attention.
That’s why SLPS is appealing to St. Lucie County (SLC) voters to support a one mill referendum. Twenty other counties have already passed similar referendums in the past year. Voters will receive a mail-in ballot on or about April 3rd asking for a vote to raise teacher pay in order to recruit and retain high quality teachers, improve school safety with a school resource officer in every school, expand mental health services for our children, and preserve important programs.
So, what does this investment in our future amount to? The average taxable value to single family homes and condos is about $8.50 per month. Every penny of this four-year levy will remain in SLC, and a Citizens Advisory Committee will be established to guarantee that every dollar is spent as intended.
Without voter support, we face a daunting challenge. Neighboring counties offer more attractive salary benefits. Depending on years of service, a teacher can drive to Martin or Palm Beach County and earn $1,000 to $10,000 more per year than they currently earn as a teacher in SLPS. There is a national teacher shortage, and SLPS cannot afford to lose a single teacher to another district. Our children are our most precious resource who stand to benefit the most from high performing teachers. They deserve nothing less than quality educators delivering quality instruction every day.
This need is urgent. Despite the rhetoric in Tallahassee, there is no guarantee that things will change. In a recent report on average teacher salaries published by the National Education Association, Florida just dropped from 45th to 46th in the country. That’s a move in the wrong direction, and this slip in an already abysmal national standing is yet another testament to the fact that education is sorely underfunded.
A quality education system supports the entire community. A successful referendum will benefit our children, our teachers, our safety, and our future.
To learn more, visit https://www.stlucie.k12.fl.us/cast-your-vote/
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Superintendent E. Wayne Gent proudly serves as the Superintendent of St. Lucie Public Schools – a B rated District with no failing schools — where he has led unprecedented academic growth launching the District into the State’s top ten for graduation rate and top third for academic achievement.
by LEINITIA ROBINSON | Mar 26, 2019 | School News
Fort Pierce Westwood High School’s Criminal Justice students toured the St. Lucie County Emergency Operation center. This tour was hosted by St. Lucie County Officials and the Human Resources Department. Students gained insight on potential careers and how to utilize their industry certification starting this summer! Students were excited and look forward to the many opportunities right here in St. Lucie County.
by LYNNE Gruszka | Mar 26, 2019 | School News
Oh what a lucky day it was at Northport K-8 School! The Chief Meteorologist for WPTV, Channel 5, Steve Weagle visited to not only give students an engaging lesson on weather forecasting, but he also participated in the Wearing of the Green in the media center. Northport first and second graders listened intently about the use of radar to find rain and learned about how rain buckets are used to measure the amount of precipitation. Steve showed the students an anemometer that measures wind speed and direction and what funnel clouds really look like. He reviewed the Saffir Simpson Scale, spoke about hurricane hunters, and showed students a small weather station. Steve told the students his favorite weather is hurricanes because they are so intense and he is awake for days studying and reporting the weather. Thank you for the awesome visit Steve!
by LYNNE Gruszka | Mar 26, 2019 | School News
Northport K-8 sixth grade drama students with the assistance of several eighth graders, performed four short plays for the entire kindergarten group recently in the Northport Black Box theater. Under the direction of drama coach, Allison Barajas, students performed “The Frog Prince,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “The Princess and the Pea,” and “Cinderella.” It was a wonderful and heartwarming adventure into beginning theater appreciation. The sixth graders were professional and the kindergartners learned an appreciation for theater etiquette.
by Dana Caputo | Mar 26, 2019 | School News
St Lucie West Centennial High Culinary Arts students had their moment to shine at the 19th Annual Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association’s Competition. The pictures show the beautiful fruit carvings and culinary dishes Centennial’s Eagles prepared at the competition. Chef Calvin Lewis and Chef Christina Gedke-Balachak were very proud of their talented Eagles!
by LYNNE Gruszka | Mar 26, 2019 | School News
Northport K-8 students had the amazing opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. over spring break. Almost forty students, along with teachers, Thomas McDonald, Angela Elliott, Andrew Mackenzie, and parent chaperones were overwhelmed by the profound history and primary source learning opportunity. Students visited Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, United States Capitol, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the White House, Smithsonian Museum of American History and so much more. For some, this was a once in a lifetime trip to learn about the history of our country. We are so proud of our students and teachers who represented Northport K-8 School so very well.
