Northport K-8 School teachers, reading coach Deb Mock, and media specialist Lynne Gruszka utilized a variety of means and modes to get students involved in the Just Read, Florida initiative “Celebrate Literacy!” Students from grades K-8 appeared on the morning announcements to talk about their love of reading and to recommend good books. Students worked on posters for a display themed, “Take the Lead and Read” and buddied up with students in other classes to hone reading skills and encourage the joy of reading. Students also were offered the opportunity to show off their writing skills by penning an essay titled, “What … Read More

At Southport Middle School, students in Adrianne Mendoza’s seventh grade math class from the Panthers team made rice krispie treats by using math to determine half a portion. Pictured is Hannah Spurr, who had the opportunity to use a variety of measuring tools to determine how much was needed for a single portion. Students also worked in pairs and divided the recipe in half. With their knowledge of how to divide fractions and measurement, the students were able to create a delicious treat that was fun to eat.

Retired St. Lucie Schools princpal Charles Cuomo made a special visit to second graders at St. Lucie Elementary School recently for literacy week. Mr. Cuomo stopped in to read to the students. Every student’s full attention was on Mr. Cuomo as he shared many great books with the class!

After much preparation and studying, Northport K-8 School declared Northstar eighth grade student Jordan Gray as spelling bee champion of the school.  Also, Northport will send fifth grade student Matthew Zoll from Valerie Niewieroski’s class as first place student in grades four and five.  Students asked for definitions, words to be used in  correct sentences, parts of speech and language of origin.  After seven grueling rounds with 29 students participating, the winners were declared and prizes awarded.  Participating students were: Sabrina Kim, Brian Chamizo, Alex Peraza, James Crowhorn, Jason Derilus, Christina Lambert, Radravious Williams, Mayra Solarte, Shawn Outer-Johnson, Matthew Zoll, … Read More

Students in Janet Balletta’s first grade class at Mariposa Elementary recently hosted a Gingerbread Man Celebration. The first grade students read several versions of the Gingerbread Man, performed a Gingerbread Man readers’ theater, and created their own Gingerbread Houses. Several parents participated in the festivities by donating treats, helping students build Gingerbread houses, and engaging students in a special read aloud of the Gingerbread Man. Special thanks go to Carl Nimal, Mr. and Mrs. Mike Caldwell, and Mrs. Baksh for joining in the holiday cheer! Pictured is Mike Caldwell reading to the students.

Students Allison Pozo’s class at Mariposa Elementary created timelines comparing and contrasting the past, present, and future of their own lives. The students used words and phrases related to chronology while making personal connections to the social studies content. Pictured, back row, Nicole Cifuentes, left, and Lina Rodriguez. Middle row, from left, Julona Garber, Natalie Pineda, David Lemus and Kevin Ferdinand, and in front, Riley O’Dowd.

The Mariposa Elementary School band and chorus put on a musical performance during the month of December titled “Santa Goes Green” under the direction of Linda McCartney. The students worked hard for months to prepare for the performance. The audience was able to see the students dance, sing, and play various musical instruments. DVDs were created to help earn money for the N.E.E.D program that includes a trip to Washington DC. Pictured, from left, are Alexandria Perry, Nichole Ledoux, Dylan Brook and Sydney Garcon.

Thanks to Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8058, many students had the opportunity to enter a recent Voice of Democracy essay contest with cash prizes for the winners. Students who entered have a chance to win at various levels, excel to the national competition, and possibly win $30,000 along with an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. This year, the prompt asked, “Is the Constitution Still Relevant Today?” Port St. Lucie High cadet Second Lieutenant Mauricio Campos placed first locally and third in district competition, received $350 with a gold medal and a certificate. Mauricio appreciated the opportunity to … Read More

Students in Shirley Helton’s fifth grade class at Fairlawn Elementary swept the fall competition of the Florida Stock Market Challenge. In the divisional section of the competition, the team placed first, second, and third. Bertony Ferinand, J. Flores, Nicholas Macias, Jacob Boyd, and Kameron Schulz placed first, Bryan Quigley, Kobe White, Jacob Ridle, Brooks Holmes, and Logan Folan took second place, and Fabian Quinteros, Roselis, Nicole Rathburn, Demitri Derice, and Holly Gamble placed third. The Stock Market Challenge is a simulation of the actual stock market with students using math and economic skills to become good consumers and producers as … Read More

Students in Cara Ackenbrack’s third grade class at F. K. Sweet Elementary, have been doing a unit of study on penguins. They concluded this unit by making “Pet Penguins” out of recycled soda bottles.  Each child painted their own pet penguin, named it and wrote an imaginative narrative story that included both themselves and their new pet. Pictured from left, are Samia Ahmed, Madison Hendry, Adriana Varn, and Donavyn Jackson.

Christian Baca and Adrian Colon, students from Kelita Singleton’s third grade class at Windmill Point Elementary recently enjoyed lunch with Principal Jonetha Maness. Christian saved up his Wildcat Cash for an opportunity to bring a friend and enjoy lunch in the principal’s conference room. Pictured, from left, are Principal maness, Christian and Adrian.

Students in Meghan Brown’s third grade class at Windmill Point Elementary are enjoying working on their science experiments during their science block as they explore the scientific process. Students help one another by coaching and encouraging their teammates to formulate questions, generate hypotheses, conduct experiments and collect data.  Pictured, from left, are Julia Ribeiro, Paul Alegre, Catherine Nehru, and Karicia Santiago.

Port St. Lucie’s Sunset Rotary President Larry Breault and Rotary Volunteer Julie Lambert received a huge “thank you” from third graders at Village Green Environmental Studies School after they were presented with free dictionaries and lessons on how to use them via a quick sleuthing activity. During the presentation, the children also learn about the Rotary and its commitment to helping children around the world and their continues effort to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters, the CASTLE program, and anti-bullying programs. Pictured are Breault and Lambert with students proudly displaying their dictionaries.

Third grade students in Millerlandy Palomino’s class at Palm Pointe Educational Research School @ Tradition recently researched and presented their findings about different customs and traditions for celebrating the New Year. Students picked a country and did the research for the topic. The parents were invited to their class to hear the students’ reports and see the PowerPoint presentation that was made to support their research. Foods from different countries were brought in to share.  It was a great learning experience as well as a lot of fun!  Pictured is Braylen Lopez as he presents his report on Puerto Rico.

Third grade students at Allapattah Flats K8 have been learning about different forms of energy in science class. Students in Shannon Johnson’s class went to the science lab to learn more about potential and kinetic energy. Science teacher Joseph Kline instructed students to experiment with different heights of a ramp to test the objects’ potential and kinetic energy. Students rolled a tennis ball down a ramp at different heights towards a funnel and then measured how far the funnel moved. Pictured, from left, are eighth grade student Mallorie Sonenblum, with third graders Austyn Adderly and Von’che Jones.

Sixth through eighth grade students at Allapattah Flats K8 in John Koch’s Career and Technical Education course, Business Keyboarding, stood up to cyber bullying for Bully Prevention Month. Each student completed a research paper using newly learned internet research and word processing techniques. The students then took that research and put it into a group PowerPoint presentation using their newly acquired electronic presentation skills.  Those presentations were later presented to their classmates.  Pictured, from left top row, are Skylar Lasseure, Lia Optacy, Seth Bertorelli, Allen Castro, Vincent Ancewicz, Grace Jiminez, Q’Markis Brooks, and William Taylor (top row), and bottom row, … Read More

Students in eighth grade language arts classes at Allapattah Flats K8 are busy brainstorming and categorizing different topics. Pictured, from left, Jonaton Jeantry, Latonia Jones, and Skylar Lasseur are racing against a clock to brainstorm as many phrases, words or related categories as possible. Once their time is up they create different categories to narrow the topic for the words they wrote on their desks. Students love the novelty of writing all over their desks, but don’t worry — the desk washes clean.