Environmental Studies Center

TOWN HALL ON ALL THINGS EDUCATION 📣📚 The Martin County School District is hosting a series of town hall sessions designed to engage our local community in conversations about issues impacting education. Sessions will be held in each area of our community. The first session will take place on Wednesday, January 17, at 6:00 p.m. at J.D. Parker Elementary School. Before this first session, we encourage community members to fill out a survey on topics and questions they would like to see covered during the town hall. Click here for the survey: https://bit.ly/48I7dLI This is a great opportunity to talk with fellow Martin County neighbors and MCSD leaders about legislation, safety, funding and all trends impacting our students’ educational experience. RSVP here: https://bit.ly/41JZZEK #ALLINMartin👊 #MCSDBetterTogether💫

👋 WELCOME BACK👋 We’ve missed you! We hope all of our students, employees and families had a nice, relaxing Winter Break! We are ready to make 2024 the best chapter yet in our learning journey together! 🍎📚 #ALLINMartin👊

📣SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK📣 The Martin County School District seeking your feedback about a potential year-round school pilot program. What is year-round school? Year-round school does NOT mean students will be in the classroom for more days. Instead, the mandated 180 days of instruction are spread throughout the year, changing the duration and timeframes of breaks. In May, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 891 into law, establishing a four-year pilot program for year-round schooling. To contemplate joining the program (which starts in the 2024-2025 school year), the District was required to apply by the Florida Department of Education. The District has initially identified Warfield Elementary, Pinewood Elementary, Port Salerno Elementary, and Indiantown Middle as potential schools to participate in the pilot program. Join the conversation! Share your insights or questions by heading to this link or participating during public comment at the Board Workshop on January 9, 2024: https://bit.ly/3S5PGqv #ALLINMartin👊

❄️WINTER BREAK IS HERE❄️ On behalf of Superintendent Michael Maine and the Martin County School Board, we wish all of our students, employees and families a happy, safe and relaxing holiday season! Classes will resume on January 4, 2024. 🎄❄⛄🎅 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

Due to the likelihood of inclement weather impacting our local area this afternoon into tomorrow, all OUTDOOR school/District activities planned for today and tomorrow have been cancelled. INDOOR activities may proceed as planned at the discretion of the hosting school/department. School buses will not run for any activities planned for Saturday, 12/16. Please continue to monitor our website - www.martinschools.org - and social media channels for the latest information.

📚BOOK OF THE MONTH📚 As Winter Break is approaching fast, the Florida Department of Education Commissioner’s Book of the Month picks for December have arrived just in time to keep students reading while they're out of the classroom! Commissioner’s Book of the Month is a monthly reading challenge to promote literacy and reading engagement in K-12 schools. Books of the Month for December: 📙Pre-K: "Crinkle Bells" by Jay Fleck 📕Grades K-2: "Jeremy’s Dreidel" by Ellie B. Gellman 📗Grades 3-5: "The Legend of the Christmas Tree" by Pat Matuszak and Rick Osborne 📘Grades 6-8: "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott 📙Grades 9-12: "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry #ALLINMartin👊

Something BIG is coming. Connect with your child's teacher(s) like never before through a two-way communication solution...all in ONE app. Starting in January 2024, staying up-to-date with the district, schools, AND your student’s teachers, classes and clubs will be easier than ever. Download the Martin County School District app in your preferred store now. 📲 Download for Android https://bit.ly/384NjgH Download for iPhone https://apple.co/3Dl3iWC #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDBetterTogether💫

📢SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK📢 In accordance with Florida's instructional materials adoption cycle, the Martin County School District is beginning the Science curriculum adoption process. Students, parents/caregivers, employees and members of the community are encouraged to review materials that have been submitted by publishers and provide their feedback as part of the process. Learn more and get involved by clicking this link: https://www.martinschools.org/.../instructional-resources... #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🍂GIVING THANKS🍂 We wish all of our students, families and employees a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving Break! We look forward to seeing students back on Monday, November 27. 🍂🦃🧡 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🎉🍎CELEBRATING SUBSTITUTES🍎🎉 Today, we celebrate the amazing people who step into classrooms with enthusiasm and adaptability! To all the substitute teachers making a difference daily, thank you for your flexibility, resilience, and dedication to our students. The impact of our guest teachers is immeasurable, and their role in education is truly valued! 🍎📚 #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDBetterTogether💫

🔬SCIENCE FUN FOR EVERYONE🔬 Looking for something fun to do to kick off Thanksgiving Break? Dive into a sea of science fun at the 2023 Indian River Lagoon Science Festival this Saturday, Nov. 18, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Fort Pierce! It's FREE day of discovery that will be a blast for the whole family with dozens of hands-on, minds-on activities exploring the wonders of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). The Indian River Lagoon Science Festival aims to show the importance of science and highlight how fun it can be! In addition to more than 70 hands-on educational STEAM exhibits, stage shows, raffles and food trucks, there will be free admission to the Smithsonian Exhibit at the St. Lucie County Aquarium and Regional History Center! For more information, click here: https://irlsciencefest.org/ #ALLINMartin👊

🇺🇸CELEBRATING HEROES🇺🇸 Happy Veterans Day to all who have served our country! Join us in honoring the bravery of those who have fought to protect us all. We humbly thank all the heroic men and women who have served our great nation to preserve our freedoms. #ALLINMartin👊 #MCSDBetterTogether💫

🍁THANKSGIVING BREAK UPDATE🍁 The Martin County School District would like to formally announce students and teachers will have Nov. 20-24 off for Thanksgiving Break. As noted in the Instructional Calendar, Nov. 20 and 21 were designated as emergency makeup days to ensure our students would receive the instruction in the event the District had to close schools due to storms or other unforeseen emergencies. The District has had no such situation creating a need to make up instructional time; therefore, those two days are included in Thanksgiving Break for students and teachers. The Martin County School Board approved the 2023-2024 School Calendar during its meeting on Nov. 22, 2022. To view the calendar, click here: https://www.martinschools.org/page/calendars #ALLINMartin👊

🕰️ Reminder, Martin County families: Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour tonight! 🕰️ Daylight saving time ends Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, at 2 a.m. #ALLINMartin👊 #MCSDBetterTogether💫 #FallBack

🗓️EARLY RELEASE DAY🗓️ Just a reminder, families - tomorrow, October 31, is an early release day. Students will be dismissed two hours earlier than normal. View our complete school calendar: https://www.martinschools.org/page/calendars #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

🗓️EARLY RELEASE DAY🗓️ Just a reminder, families - Tuesday, October 31, is an early release day. Students will be dismissed two hours earlier than normal. View our complete school calendar: https://www.martinschools.org/page/calendars #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud

📆HURRICANE MAKEUP DAYS📆 Reminder for families: Hurricane season doesn't officially end until Nov. 30. As we near the end of the season, we want to remind Martin County families of the scheduled Emergency Makeup Days built into the 2023-2024 School Calendar. We are also nearing the first set up Emergency Makeup Days on our Instructional Calendar, which precedes Thanksgiving Break (Nov. 20-21). These days may be used to make up instructional time in the event we need to close for one or more storms. IF we do NOT experience any emergency situations or storms requiring us to use one or more of these Emergency Makeup Days, those two days will be added to Thanksgiving Break, giving students the week away from school (Nov. 20-24). At this time, that appears to be the case. If we experience conditions that would necessitate making up one or more school days, we will provide notice of the appropriate date(s) to families and employees as soon as possible. The Martin County School Board approved the 2023-2024 School Calendar during its meeting on Nov. 22, 2022. To view the calendar, click here: https://www.martinschools.org/page/calendars #ALLINMartin👊 #MCSDBetterTogether💫

🍎EDUCATING ALL STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS🍎 Mark your calendar: our Fall Conference Nights are coming soon! Please watch for additional details coming from your child's school. View our complete instructional calendar: https://www.martinschools.org/page/calendars #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolProud #MCSDBetterTogether💫

🌊🐢OPEN HOUSE🐢🌊 Do you want to see the gem of the Martin County School District? The Environmental Studies Center is hosting an Open House this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.! 💎🐢🌊 Meet Coral the resident Sea Turtle and Joey the Alligator! Discover the newly renovated and famous Wet Lab! Create unforgettable memories and have a blast learning about Martin County's local ecosystem! #ALLINMartin👊 #escistheplacetobe #MCSDBetterTogether💫

🍎 LEAVING A LASTING LEGACY 🍎 Please join us in celebrating the career of Mr. Tony Barrett! Mr. Tony has served the Martin County School District for 27 wonderful years. His journey with the District started at the Environmental Studies Council Center, but he was part of the Felix A. Williams Elementary family for the last decade. Principal Sara Tuthill says Mr. Tony kept the FAWE grounds beautiful. Through his outstanding work, it was clear he took pride in the school. He was always there with a helping hand and truly enjoyed his job. FAWE students and staff will surely miss Mr. Tony very much. We wish you all the best in your retirement, Mr. Tony! Thank you for your commitment and service to our students and staff. #ALLINMartin👊 #PublicSchoolPROUD #mcsdbettertogether💫