LSE Tigers celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, reading competitions, spirit activities

From celebrating culture to excelling in reading competitions and more, Lake Silver Elementary School had a busy month.

LSE families gathered to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with food, music, dance and literature from the Hispanic culture.

Fourth graders celebrated winning the Accelerated Reader Champion for those who read the most words within a month.

Members of the competitive Battle of the Books Club read Sunshine State books to prepare for the upcoming competition. Teams from different schools compete to prove who knows the most about this year’s 15 selections.

Students from first, second and third grades successfully broke out of their locked Breakout Box, an educational escape room that tested their problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. They solved hidden clues to figure out number, letter, directional and color codes to complete the challenge.

Principal Nate Hay and one of our first-grade students dressed up as their favorite characters during Lake Silver’s Red Ribbon Week dress-up days.

Kindness Week brought another reason to dress up to show our school spirit. Proud Crazy Hair Day participants included Principal Hay and one of our creative kindergarten students.

Investigation and discovery are pillars of learning in the new STEM program at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic School, where students’ project-based learning opportunities complement their classroom lessons. Middle school students have a trimester dedicated to STEM classes; elementary students have STEM programming all year long.

This year, students have played the part of materials engineers by modeling their own high-rise structures and Mars Rovers, and they’ve applied the principles of flight to operate drones.

The new STEM lab in the middle school building engages students in hands-on, inquiry-based learning experiences. Projects and experiments encourage them to question, analyze and solve problems independently, which fosters critical-thinking skills, enabling students to approach challenges with a logical, analytical and problem-solving mindset.

STEM programming benefits learners with real-world relevance, connecting classroom lessons to practical applications, so students gain a deeper understanding of the subjects and their significance in everyday life. Building simple machines or coding programs exposes students to the tangible impact of STEM disciplines on technology, industry and society. This connection enhances their academic knowledge and cultivates a sense of curiosity and appreciation for the world around them.

Mr. Steve Barnaby leads our STEM program with collaborative projects that require students to work together, mirroring the real-world work environment. Through teamwork, students learn effective communication, cooperation and the importance of leveraging each other’s strengths.