Calendar of Events:

Feb. 3—13: Feed our Furry

Friends Campaign

Feb. 6: Newcomers Breakfast -

8:30 am

Feb. 9: Principal’s Coffee Chat

9:00 am

Feb. 10: OPE OTTER RUN (Rain

date is Feb. 13)

Feb. 12: STEM Family Expo for

Grades K, 1, 2; 6:00—7:00 p.m.

Feb. 13: 2nd Box Tops collec-

tion deadline!

Feb. 16: NO SCHOOL

Presidents Day

Feb. 19: SAC Meeting 3:15 pm

Mar. 3: 2nd Grade Musical

Performance 6:30 p.m.

Mar. 12: Kindergarten Registra-

tion 1:00—5:00 p.m.

Pride and Excellence through Learning and Leadership

Ocean Palms Elementary Newsletter Issue 1, Vol. 11— February 6, 2015

Palms Post

St. Johns

County

School District

Dear Ocean Palms Families,

It has been a week filled with excitement at Ocean Palms!

Tuesday morning, I had the honor to welcome Dr. Joyner to our cam-

pus. He was here to present a surprise award to a very special per-

son. After a solid week of covert planning by Mrs. Kerry Fodor, we were

able to completely surprise Mrs. Lyn Gabrielsen, our PTO President ex-

traordinaire with the news that she has been named as the St. Johns

County School District Adult Volunteer of the Year! The accolades contin-

ued as Dr. Joyner also announced that Mrs. Gabrielsen has been selected

by the Department of Education as the Region II winner for the State of

Florida! We could not be happier for Lyn as she is extremely deserving of

this recognition. She has spent countless hours supporting the overall suc-

cess of Ocean Palms Elementary, and we appreciate her time, talents, and

efforts. With a smile that can light up a room and positive energy that radi-

ates wherever she is, Lyn Gabrielsen is a mighty force around the campus

of Ocean Palms. One of her greatest character traits is her humility. She

continually places others in front of herself and works tirelessly to ensure

that students, staff, and teachers have exactly what they need so they can

focus on teaching and learning. Please join me in congratulation Lyn on

this wonderful accomplishment. You can read the official Press Release

at: http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/about/press/2015-2-5

On Wednesday evening St. Johns County celebrated teachers at the annu-

al Teacher of the Year and Rookie Teacher of the Year Banquet. Please

join me in congratulating our Teacher of the Year, Mrs. Peg Daniels and

our Rookie Teacher of the Year, Ms. Nicole Mackowiak. Both of these

teachers represent Ocean Palms with the utmost professional, creativity,

and a zeal for educating and building relationships with students.

Last night, the school was filled with creative science projects produced by

our amazing 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. It was such a treat to walk around

and see how mature and professional the students were acting as they

presented their projects and spoke so proudly of their hard work.

We cannot wait to see everyone at the Otter Run on Tuesday, February

10th. Please check the next page for your scheduled time. Make sure you

arrive a few minutes early to check in outside and be prepared to show

your driver’s license.

Until next time, be well.

Mrs. Richardson

Otter Run Update

Hi parents, we wanted to give an update about our success thus far in reaching our Otter Run

goals…as of today, we are at 75%! We’re very excited about this progress, and feel that with a

strong closing leading up to Tuesday’s run, we will reach 100%! Thank you to all who have

continued to search out new sponsors, and please tell your kids that Ocean Palms Elementary

and the Otter Run Committee are very proud of their efforts so far. We only have a couple

more days to enter sponsors, so please go out this weekend and find a couple more. If every

student finds just $20, we will reach our goal for sure! You are all doing so great.

Make sure to ask your kids about the Ponte Vedra High School Drum Line that performed today – they sat in the driz-

zling rain and entertained all the parents coming through car loop as well as the buses pulling in. Then, they marched

through the school and made an appearance on the morning news before heading off to their own school for the

day. There is definitely a lot of buzz and excitement about our first annual In-House Otter Run!

We thank you for your commitment to our technology initiative. Please come out on the day of the run if you are

able! The day of the run is all about fun for the kids and not about sponsorships. Come cheer with us!

Kimberly McGowan, Otter Run Chair

Art Buddies share the bowls they made in Ms. Rodrigues’s class.

Bus Passes

Due to the fact Transportation

moved students around on buses

recently, we can now write bus

passes for all busses (EXCEPT

BUS 230).

We are still limited to three bus

passes per bus per day, so it is a

first-come, first -served. A written

note is required to receive a bus

pass. The note should include your

student’s name, the bus number for

the bus requested, the student’s

name who they are going home with

(this identifies the bus stop to the

bus driver), the date, and the

parent’s signature.

Please be reminded that bus passes

are not to be used to accommodate

transportation for playdates for more

than one child or for birthday par-

ties.

Here are the Otter Run times by grade:

8:45— 9:30 2nd grade

9:30—10:15 3rd grade

10:15—11:00 5th grade

12:15—1:00 4th grade

1:00—1:45 Pre-K & Kindergarten

1:45—2:30 1st grade

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12th: 6—7 pm PRIMARY GRADES

Kindergarten

Kindergarteners will share some of the concepts they have learned in

science, technology, engineering, and math. Parents will have the

opportunity to take a guided tour with their child through each kinder-

garten class to discover a snapshot of their learning. Each classroom

will showcase a different math and science standard and students will

share their knowledge of that area through interactive games and ac-

tivities. Two sessions, 6—6:30 and 6:30—7:00 will be offered and par-

ents will be able to choose which session they would like to attend.

These are the following concepts each class will feature:

Rm 134 Ms. Felice: 2 D and 3 D shapes Rm 138 Ms. Salzman: States of Matter Rm 140 Ms. Shilling: Gravity Rm 146 Ms. Desanto: 10 Frame Math Rm 163 Ms. Kennedy & Ms. Aiken: Gardening/Technology

2nd

Grade

Our 2nd grade teachers are offering a variety of activities and exhibits

for STEM evening in the Cafeteria. Some students have prepared In-

vention Convention projects which include creating an actual in-

vention as well as researching inventions and inventors. Students are

also creating math games using pizza boxes which will be on display.

Finally, there will be a station where students and parents can have fun

working together to solve problems using nothing more than scissors,

index cards and straws.

1st

Grade

1st graders and their parents will have the opportunity to participate in

three different centers on STEM Expo evening. There will be a Tech-

nology station and an interactive Science Lab in our Kitchen/

Resource rooms and a Math Games Center in Mrs. Daggett’s room

(201). Students attending will receive a ticket to get punched at each

center and receive a classroom prize for returning the ticket to their

teacher on the following day.

Helping Your

Child Succeed on

Florida Standard

Assessments

What is FSA?

Did FCAT Go Away?

How can I help my

child?

If you’ve asked any of these

questions, please plan on at-

tending an FSA Informational

presentation. Each evening

will begin at 6:30 and con-

clude by 8:00, and will con-

sist of a writing and ELA ses-

sion followed by a mathemat-

ics portion. Time for questions

will be built into the process.

This is valuable information for

families of 3rd, 4th, and 5th

grade students. For more in-

formation call 904-547-7503

Tuesday, February 10th, Mill

Creek Elementary School

Tuesday, February 17th,

Ketterlinus Elementary School

Thursday, February 19th,

Valley Ridge Academy

Tuesday, February 24th,

Palencia Elementary School

Read and Achieve!

Has your 2nd through 5th

grade student shared how they

are using the Achieve 3000

program at our school? The

Achieve 3000 program is a dig-

ital resource that provides our

students with high-interest,

non-fiction reading passages

levelled to their reading ability

and asks them to respond to

high-level, FSA-style ques-

tions about those passages.

This year we are very fortunate

to be a pilot school for this

digital reading program. Stu-

dents took an initial reading

assessment in October which

identified their “lexile” level.

Since then, our teachers and/

or students have been choos-

ing reading passages related

to non-fiction topics of inter-

est.

As a school, we want all stu-

dents to be completing one

passage a week at school with

more done independently or at

home if possible. Children

receive a “ticket” when they

successful complete a pas-

sage. Each week we draw 5

tickets to recognize our read-

ers on the morning news with

an Achieve wristband prize.

1st & 2nd Grade

Reading Incentive Program

Students in first and second grade are invited to participate in our

optional Reading Bingo incentive program. Students who participate

will read books in different categories on the Reading Bingo card to

earn rewards. Students will not receive a grade for this program,

and participation is optional. The goal of the program is to encour-

age students to read a variety of books.

On February 3, students will be given their first Reading Bingo card.

Each time the student reads a book in one of the categories on the

card, write the title of the book in that space and your initials. When

the card is completed, parents or guardians should sign the bottom

and return the card to the library. Each time the student completes

a card, he or she will earn a reward and advance to the next Read-

ing Bingo card. Completed cards will be kept in the library. Please

remember that students can read the books in any order on the

card. They may also choose any titles that fit the categories. The

books may come from any source, including the OPE library, public

library, classroom, and home. Any book read by, to, or shared with

the student between February 3, 2015 and May 1, 2015 may count.

Books read in class, by teachers, or for assignments may also

count if their teacher chooses to initial the cards. Each book counts

only once. You may not repeat the same book.

Students may turn in their first Reading Bingo cards to Ms. Hudson

on or after February 20, 2015. Early submissions will not be accept-

ed; however, students may have additional time to complete the

card if needed. Students will receive their rewards after February

20. Students will earn one extra book checkout coupon for every

row they complete on the card. For example, a student who only

completes one row will only earn one extra book checkout coupon,

but a student who completes three rows will earn three extra book

coupons. Students can also earn a charm necklace, charms, and

other rewards for their participation.

Please contact Hilaree Hudson if you have any questions.

hilaree.hudson@stjohns.k12.fl.us

Contact Us

Ocean Palms

355 Landrum Lane

Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

32082

Office: (904) 547-3760

Principal: Jessica Richardson (904) 547-3762

Assistant Principal: Kasey Baker (904) 547-3763

Visit our web site at:

http://www-ope.stjohns.k12.fl.us

Drawing for St. Johns County 2015 Super Summer Spectacular

Camp Registration

St. Johns County, FL – Hosted by the St. Johns County Recrea-

tion and Parks Department, the Super Summer Spectacular is a

summer camp for children ages 5-12 that emphasizes outdoor

activities, and includes exciting field trips and swimming ses-

sions. Due to high demand and limited space, those wishing to

attend the Super Summer Spectacular must first be entered into a drawing for the op-

portunity to register for the camp.

Entries for the drawing will be accepted March 2 - 15. St. Johns County residents inter-

ested in registering for the drawing can do so online at www.sjcfl.us/youth, by calling

904.209.0377 or 904.209.0333, or by visiting the Ketterlinus Gymnasium, 60 Orange

Street, or the Solomon Calhoun Center, 1300 Duval Street, during standard business

hours. The drawing will take place March 27, with results being mailed by April 5.

Entry into the Summer Camp drawing does not guarantee a position in the program.

For more information regarding the registration drawing, or Super Summer Spectacular

Camp locations, dates, and fees please call 904.209.0337 or visit www.sjcfl.us/youth.

Juicy Fruit Sponsors

OPE’s K-2 classes would like to thank Winn Dixie of Ponte Vedra and Fresh Start Produce for their generous donations of

fresh fruit to our “Juicy Fruit Wednesdays” snack time. Fresh Start Produce invites our OPE families to the Palm Valley

Community Center farmers’ market on Tuesdays from 2-5:30 pm and the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Saturdays of the month from 10

am – 12 noon. Fresh Start Produce offers our A/B Honor Roll students’ families a 10% discount off your total purchase

when you present your student’s honor roll card at the market.

Please support our Partners in Education!

MULCH MADNESS IS HERE!

Spring is just around the corner and so is Ponte Vedra High School boy’s Lacrosse team’s

annual Mulch Madness. This annual event gives you the opportunity to not only make

your home more beautiful but to also support your local high school.

Pre-orders receive FREE delivery to your home on February 28th

and March 1st

. Please go to

Five Tool Summer Camps are the prem-ier camp experience in Ponte Vedra at

Davis Park. Join us at one of our three weeks of All Sport Camp for boys and girls or

softball camp for girls in the month of June.

For more information such as dates, times, prices and other details go to www.fivetoolsoftballtraining.com or

email fivetoolsoftballtrain-ing@yahoo.com or call 201.532.9363. All camps are sponsored by PVGS.