School news from Marion County Public Schools
Raised Beds Growing Attention
And we’re not talking about the sleeping kind! These are raised beds for growing lettuce, vegetables and other table delights at schools throughout Marion County. Thanks to a FANS grant (Fitness and Nutrition in Schools) from the Marion Hospital District, thousands of students are now digging into the dirt to discover healthier lifestyle choices. The raised beds are already in use at 16 elementary schools.
Reading Revs Up The Stallions
When it comes to reading, students in Elizabeth Rockey’s third-grade classroom at Saddlewood Elementary are tops! They read more than any other third-grade class in the entire district over winter break. As a result, Rockey received a surprise visit from the myON Winter Reading Challenge prize patrol, including Ocala Health CEO Chad Christianson, Superintendent Dr. Heidi Maier and Lauren Debick, APR with Ocala Health.
The Day The Crayons Quit
Students at Evergreen Elementary marched in their own parade for literacy’s sake. Yes, for the sake of reading! Students read books, even The Day the Crayons Quit, and then dressed up like their favorite book characters to share their experiences about building literacy skills at school and at home.
Pillow Pals At Sparr
“Monsters on a Mission” turned into character-based pillows given to these Sparr Elementary kindergarteners as part of a learning project based at nearby North Marion Middle School. Students there turned these youngsters’ monster drawings into actual hand-created pillows. The goal? To reduce the youngsters’ fear of reading aloud by reading to the monsters on the pillows, increasing their literacy skills in the process.
More Bikes For Harbour View
Physical education students at Harbour View Elementary are enjoying more bikes on their campus these days thanks to the Rotary Club of The Villages. The local group recently donated 22 bicycles to the school’s PE program so all students would have access to safe biking and confidence to build their riding skills.
Harmony On Gator Turf
Shady Hill Harmony, directed by music teacher Sondra Collins, sang the national anthem for a Gator men’s basketball game inside the O-Dome recently. No stranger to public performances, this group also shared at the Golden Apple Gala. But there’s something truly special about performing for thousands of Gator fans just an hour up the highway.
