Dear Parents and Community Members:

 

Pictured Left to Right:  School Board Chair Maura Barry-Sorenson, Port Salerno Elementary Principal Liz Tetreault, MCSD Teacher of the Year LaRhonda Brown, Publix District Manager Russ Reaver, and Superintendent Laurie J. Gaylord

I would like to congratulate the Martin County School District's Teacher of the Year, LaRhonda Brown,the Visual Arts Teacher at Port Salerno Elementary.  Mrs. Brown is an inspiring teacher who ignites creativity, enthusiasm, and a love of the arts among her students. 

 

Following the District's Teacher of the Year Celebration, I had the pleasure of visiting Mrs. Brown at Port Salerno Elementary as the school held its own recognition in her honor.  It was a tremendous celebration.  Students created artwork, delivered moving speeches, and even danced in the aisles.  It was clear that Mrs. Brown is respected and admired by her students and coworkers.  

 

I commend Mrs. Brown, as well as the District's Middle School Teacher of the Year Amy Clark, the Director of Bands at Murray Middle School, and the High School Teacher of the Year, Ebony Jarrett, a Reading/English teacher at Jensen Beach High School.  Each are outstanding role models in their profession.  I would also like to thank the sponsors for our District's Teacher of the Year Celebration including Publix, Palm Beach Post, Keiser University and the Education Foundation of Martin County.  We are all partners in our student's education.

 

Budget

The District is currently facing significant budget issues.  The State of Florida Auditor General has reissued the 2011-2012 Martin County School District Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) with two significant audit findings.  Staff recently provided a Budget Workshop to fully disclose these findings, which had significant impact to the 2011-2012 Financial Report, as well as the 2012-2013 budget.  The next School Board Budget Workshop is scheduled for April 2nd at 5 p.m. The Workshop will be held in the Stuart Middle School Cafeteria.

 

FCAT Testing 

The first round of assessments for the FCAT are complete.  Students in grades 4, 8, and 10 took the Writing portion of the FCAT on February 26th and 27th.  Schools are now looking ahead to the next major testing sessions.  Students in grades 3 through 10 will take the Reading, Mathematics or Science portions of the FCAT beginning April 15th.  We appreciate the support of our teachers, administrators, staff and families for their help ensuring the testing process goes as smoothly as possible. 

 

Music In Our Schools

The Music In Our Schools concert took place on March 5th.  As always, it proved to be a tremendous event. The performances were outstanding.  I would like to thank all of those who work so hard each year to make this concert a success.  

   

 

 

Laurie J. Gaylord

Superintendent 

Martin County School District 

  

OPUS Performs During the Auditorium's Gala Reopening Ceremony on March 11th

On Monday, March 11th, a special gala celebration was held at Martin County High School. The event marked the long-awaited reopening of the school's auditorium. The auditorium officially reopened in February after a fire in January 2012 caused extensive water and smoke damage. The reopening celebration included performances by OPUS, Drama, and the Band.

 

"We know that the reopening of the auditorium has been a long time coming, but believe it was worth the wait! It looks incredible. Everyone did a great job not only repairing the damage, but making the auditorium better than ever," said Superintendent Laurie Gaylord. "We appreciated the patience of the school staff, students and families. It is wonderful having the students be able to once again take the stage in their own auditorium."

  

Students pictured left to right: MMS 8th grade student Shantanu Jakhete (2nd Place), AMS 6th grade student Tarun Neelavannan (1st Place) and  PSE 5th grade student Rohan Jakhete (3rd Place)

Martin County students spelled their way to the top of the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee competition.  The Regional Bee was held on Saturday, March 9th, at the Port St. Lucie Civic Center and included students from Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties.  

  

Congratulations to Anderson Middle School 6th grade student Tarun Neelavannan for taking the 1st place prize after correctly spelling the world "rubicelle."  Murray Middle 8th grader Shantanu Jakhete won 2nd place, and his brother, Port Salerno Elementary 5th grade sudent Rohan Jakhete, won 3rd. 

  

For taking the top spot, Tarun now qualifies to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., which takes place May 28th-May 30th. 

  

Pictured Left to Right:  FAWE Principal Howard Marder, Lillian A. Dassori Elementary Spelling Bee Winner Victoria Tsang, and School Board Member  Marsha Powers

The District also congratulates Felix A. Williams Elementary (FAWE) 5th grade student Victoria Tsang for winning the Lillian A. Dassori Elementary Spelling Bee.  The annual event was held January 24th at Jensen Beach Elementary School.

Citrus Grove Elementary Students in the iStand club perform an anti-bullying skit during a school-wide assembly on March 6th

There's a new club at Citrus Grove Elementary that is taking a unique approach to stopping bullying. It's called iStand and is an afterschool club that includes about a dozen students who pledge to be "iStanders", not bystanders to bullying.  The students serve as school ambassadors and look for creative ways to encourage positive behaviors at school.  This has included poster contests, skits during school assemblies, a "Dear Bully" mailbox, and videos on the school's morning announcements. 

  

"We have received a lot of feedback about iStand.  It has really helped to open up discussions.  Students can talk about bullying, how it makes them feel, and learn ways to address it," said  Citrus Grove Media Assistant Shawna Hixon, who co-founded iStand with Media Specialist Lana Barros. 

  

iStand is becoming so popular, the school has been approached by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center to create a toolkit that would allow other schools to start their own iStand clubs. 

  

For more information on iStand, contact Ms. Barros or Ms. Hixon at Citrus Grove Elementary, 772-223-2513. 

  

Families and community partners enjoy the Open House at the Title I Parent Resource Center in Indiantown

On Friday, February 22nd, more than 100 people attended the Open House for the Title I  Parent Resource Center in Indiantown.  The event was aimed at raising community awareness about the many services the Parent Resource Center provides including educational materials for students, parent workshops, career awareness workshops, Pinnacle courses, and more. 

  

Guests at the Open House included Superintendent Laurie Gaylord, School Board members, representatives from Martin County Sheriff's Office, Indiantown Chamber of Commerce, local businesses, teachers, and families. 

 

  

J.D. Parker Elementary School's Track Team is honored by the School Board on Febuary 19th.

The annual Russell Holloway Track Meet was held on Saturday, January 26th Jensen Beach High School.  The event included approximately 600 students in gr des 3 - 5 (representing all of the District's elementary schools and 5th grade at Indiantown Middle School).  

  

Congratulations to J.D. Parker Elementary for taking top honors.  The team was recognized by the Superintendent and School Board during the February 19th School Board Meeting.  Hobe Sound Elementary also won the Cheryl Hubbard Sportsmanship Award.

  

Stuart Middle Students Recognized for Project Northland and Tobacco Free Partnership Contests

 

MMS students with their prize winning posters.  Photo courtesy of the  Hometown News

  

  

  

J.D. Parker Elementary Planetarium

Students in 4th and 5th grade at J.D. Parker Elementary are enjoying an "out of this world" experience.  As part of a science project, they converted a room at the school into their very own planetarium!  The project was funded by a grant from the Education Foundation of Martin County.  The students are now providing tours of the planetarium for other classes at the school so that everyone can benefit from the project.