Floresta Elementary School participated in the annual Martin Luther King Parade.  Thanks go to committee chairman Danielle Eugene, advisor Cemera Clancy, members Raina Ingrum, Sandy Pagliughi, Sharon Koen, and volunteer Jinny Holler, for their contributions in designing the float.  Huge thanks also go to  Betty Carling, Sylvia Johnson, Sandy Pagliughi, Elish Mancuso and Linda Menikheim for their support of this event by marching alongside the float, to Doug Abbuhl, Celeste Hartsfield and Grace Duvelsdorf for support and guidance in the preparation of this event, and all the teachers and students who made or provided posters for our float.  Parent volunteer Carlos Fundora not only offered … Read More

The Floresta Elementary choral performance held recently was a glorious night of engaged students, parents, families and staff enjoying the annual “Winter Concert!” The event was kicked off by the 4th and 5th grade students singing a stirring rendition of “A Hard Knock Life” from Annie. The students, led by Music Director Ms. Kraus, then performed a variety of mixed arrangements, traditional Holiday carols and ended with a beautiful rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” sang by all faculty and students.

Students at Floresta Elementary participated in the school’s inaugural Vocabulary Parade recently. The Vocabulary Parade is part of Floresta Elementary’s ongoing effort to increase word recognition among students. Prior to the parade, teachers read Debra Frasier’s book, Miss Alaineus, A Vocabulary Disaster, to their students. The school’s Literacy Council, k-5 classroom and resource teachers, and all support staff worked together to make the Vocabulary Parade an enormous success. Students learned a plethora of new words and enjoyed sharing original and creative representations of some extremely challenging words. A special thank you goes to administration, faculty, and staff who modeled for … Read More

Floresta Elementary School recently hosted its first CSI night to help solve the riddle of who removed the ice cream freezer from the cafeteria. Throughout the week prior to the event, students were informed of the curious incident, and were given information each day on the morning announcements. This information allowed them to formulate a hypothesis regarding who would do such a thing, and why. The suspects were coach Adam Schwimer, music teacher Jaclyn Kraus, media specialist Gerri Wills, media clerk Cemera Clancy, and custodial services’ Doug Abbhul. Pictured, from left, are Jaclyn Kraus, Adam Schwimer, Doug Abbuhl, Cemera Clancy, … Read More

Floresta Elementary hosted its Title I Family Night “Bingo for Books” recently in the school’s cafeteria. Parents and students who arrived early were awarded two free bingo cards and a free snack ticket, and additional bingo cards were available for purchase throughout the evening, and Floresta’s very supportive PTO provided snacks for a small fee. Distinguished guest and official caller was Superintendent Michael Lannon. Winners were awarded prizes of books and a variety of other educational materials. For a portion of the evening, fourth grade teachers Elish Mancuso and Sandy Pagliughi presented important information to families about the upcoming FCAT Writes writing … Read More

Floresta Elementary recently hosted a Family Learning Night, “100 Book Challenge Evening.” The school’s literacy council worked together to plan this very worthwhile family event. Several teachers performed in a skit, modeling the importance of 100 Book Challenge, highlighting how fun and easy it is to incorporate this routine into one’s daily schedule. Each grade group of teachers created a booth promoting the love of reading, through providing useful facts about reading, and engaging students and families in interactive activities connecting reading, writing, and drawing. Third grade teachers designed a beach theme for their booth, complete with buckets, shovels, blankets, … Read More

Floresta Elementary School hosted its Annual BOO Bash recently. This event was sponsored by the school’s very supportive PTO. TRAXX Entertainment provided the music and great entertainment, and even brought along a very special guest visitor just for this spooky occasion. Students in each grade level were awarded prizes and other recognition for the best costume. All proceeds benefit the school and students.

Floresta Elementary School recently hosted its monthly Title I Family Learning Night. November’s focus was on FCAT testing, and how families can help support their child’s success on this important test. While parents spent time in the school’s Media Center, children were given opportunities to read and discuss literature, and answer a variety of questions relating to reading, math, and science. For each correct response, students earned a token, which they could use to compete against others in a friendly game of cards. Dealers at each card table kept track of the winnings, and provided each winner a gift bag … Read More

Volunteering is more than just fulfilling tasks; it’s about showing kindness, compassion, and care. The dedication from our volunteers has made a tangible difference, whether it was helping a student, beautifying our campus, spoiling our teachers, or fostering a sense of community. We showed our appreciation during a special breakfast hosted by our amazing Volunteer Coordinator, Mrs. Sarah Neil in partnership with our outstanding Math Coach, Mrs. Valerie Lindh.

What could possibly be more fun than reading under the stars? Gazing into them! Floresta’s March Title I Family Learning Event offered both of these opportunities, and much, much more. Families brought their blankets, sleeping bags, and pillows so they could stretch out and enjoy a good book together under the twinkling stars. Members of The Treasure Coast Astronomical Society were on location manning their reflector telescopes, allowing visitors a close up look at the moon, the stars, and the planets Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. Charlie Alonso, from Mrs. Browning’s class was one of the first to get a glimpse … Read More

Floresta Elementary School recently hosted Family Math Nights. Kindergarten through second grade and third grade through fifth grade students and parents attended two special presentations explaining the new Common Core State Standards along with an overview of what students are expected to become fluent in with regards to mathematics. Parents and students participated in math tutorials that included double-digit multiplication using partial product and long division using partial quotient. Parents learned math games to use at home with their students as well as tricks and tips on how to talk with their children about math. Family Math Night at Floresta … Read More

Floresta Elementary School science resource teacher Mollie Mukhamedov has been recognized by the Executive Director of the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project Board of Directors and staff for her outstanding energy education project.  Additionally, Floresta Elementary School was selected Florida Elementary School of the Year and also elementary finalist at the national level.  Mrs. Mukhamedov and her students are invited to attend the NEED National Recognition Ceremonies scheduled for June 22-25, 2012 in Washington, D.C.  Congratulations to Mrs. Mukhamedov and all students and staff who have worked together to make this project worthy of state and national recognition. Pictured, from left, are Christopher Rahuba, … Read More

Congratulations to our teachers/employees of the year, Heather Knab, Judy Rotella, Shelby Rebora, and Adam Schwimer. A great big “Shout Out” to our St. Lucie District Teacher of the Year nominee: Heather Knab Floresta Elementary’s Heather Knab serves the elementary school as a literacy coach for grades K through five. In this role, she happily finds herself wearing many hats throughout the day. Whether it be modeling, coaching, collaboratively planning with teachers, analyzing data, conducting a literacy meeting, or coordinating the Title One tutorial program, she embraces them all with enthusiasm and is dedicated to providing a remarkable environment for … Read More

Students, faculty, and staff at Floresta Elementary School recently pulled together for a worthwhile cause — to collect and distribute food and related items to local needy families. Pictured are members of the student council, who performed the groundwork necessary to collect the donations each morning for two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. A great deal of appreciation is due these students, and the families, faculty and staff who contributed through donations or effort. Written by Suzanne Diaz.

Our Floresta Elementary School Dolphins want to share how much we appreciate our amazing assistant principal, Ms. Angela Patton! Her dedication, kindness, and constant support make a difference every day. Ms. Patton encourages students, supports our hard-working teachers, and brings positivity to our campus. She also shows incredible school spirit, always wearing the theme of the week! She brings goodies for staff weekly, while cheering on students and staff with pride and enthusiasm. Our Dolphin Families are grateful for her leadership and commitment to excellence. Thank you, Ms. Patton, for everything you do to make Floresta a better place!

To celebrate Earth Day, all students at Floresta Elementary took part in a campus-wide cleanup focused on caring for their school and community. Partnering with Keep Port Saint Lucie Beautiful, students were provided gloves and guidance to safely collect litter around the campus. Each grade level was assigned a specific area, with classes rotating through scheduled cleanup times to ensure full coverage. Every student participated, discovering common items such as lollipop sticks, candy wrappers, pencils, erasers, Band-Aids, and small plastic pieces. The activity reinforced responsibility, teamwork, and environmental awareness while showing how small actions can make a big difference. Great … Read More

On Tuesday, December 12, the Rotary Club of PSL hosted its annual Christmas party for boys and girls who may not otherwise receive anything for Christmas.  Mrs. Dohrmann and Mrs. Cortes, our school counselors, accompanied 9 of our Floresta students to this event.  The students enjoyed a lunch provided by the Rotary Club, and had the opportunity to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus who brought along a gift for each one of them. They ate cookies, colored Christmas pictures and just had a few hours of Christmas magic.

Students In Mrs. Madorma’s class engaged in exploratory science inquiry activities to explore the distance of stars. Students used flashlights, grid paper, and meter sticks to simulate the brightness of stars at different distances. Students discovered the answers to such questions as: How does the distance of a star affect how bright it looks?  How do you think the distance of a star will change its brightness?  What causes some stars to be brighter than others?

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go”. Floresta Dolphins explored the places they can go when reading books in celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.