Participation in an organized science competition is an important part of the Country Day School commitment to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Under the guidance of science teacher Mr. Kyle Dinger, students worked thru the scientific process; learning to test an idea and evaluate evidence. Our curriculum supports the creative process, promoting independent thinking.

At the 2012 awards ceremony, honors were awarded to:

• Savanah T. and Darcy B. with “Organic Vs. Non-organic”
• Megan O. and Alyssa S. with “Wash Out”
• Lindsey H. with “Get Charged”
• Alicia B. with “Preserving Fruits”

Congratulations to the award winners, as well as all our science fair participants!

• $30 could help St. Jude provide meal cards for a patient family for one day in the hospital’s cafeteria
• $25 could help pay for a No Mo’ Chemo party for a patient finishing chemotherapy treatment
• $30 could help provide books for patients and parents

This list is just a fraction of how these funds make a difference in the lives of children with deadly diseases all over the world.

We are pleased to announce that the students at Country Day School raised $7,123.00!

Students participated by getting pledges from friends and family and in return, doing math problems. Students worked hard on their ‘Funbooks’ by setting personal goals toward completion. Families did their part with their generous contributions and encouragement. Math-A-Thon has the additonal benefit of fitting in with our commitment to the math portion of the STEM program.

Young Innovator Emma with 'the Magi-Comb'

It takes ingenuity and imagination to be an inventor. To foster this spirit of creativity in our students and increase our commitment to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), Country Day School entered student projects in the USF Young Innovators Competition

Of the record 536 entries from Tampa bay, (which included high school, middle and elementary age students), there were 60 semifinalists; 20 from Pinellas County and…. 2 from Country Day School. We are proud to offer congratulations to:

Miss Emma Parsley, seventh grade, submitted her invention ‘the Magi-Comb.’

Fifth grader Mr. Josh Prietowith his invention the ‘Baby Bat’.

Young Innovator Josh with 'Baby-Bat'

Entries were judged by an elite panel of invention/product experts including:

Neal Martinelli, Vice President of Merchandising at HSN, Steve Rogai, CEO of TV Goods, Inc., Guy Hagen, Vice President at Tucker Hall, Michael Colitz, III, Shareholder and Patent Attorney at Gray Robinson, Anton Hopen, Patent Attorney at Smith & Hopen and competition founder.

The USF chapter of the National Academy of Inventors will select the top 15 finalists from the 60 semi-finalists.  A presentation workshop will be held on Saturday, February 4 at USF from 10 am to 12 pm.  The live presentation event will take place before a panel of celebrity judges at USF’s Patel Center on Friday, February 10, 2012.

Again, congratulations to Emma and Josh, along with the other semi-finalists!

Jennifer Kosharek is a local artist who creates everything from whimsical handmade rag dolls to beautiful mailart to silly felt bacon and eggs scarves. She is a full time artist and mother of three. Her gallery, Eve n’ Odd, is located on the 600 Block of St. Petersburg, a large community of artists’ galleries and studios in downtown St. Petersburg. Kosherak has exhibited in numerous exhibitions locally, nationally and internationally.

Eve n’ Odd Gallery features outsider, whimsical, folk, Etsy, mailart, fluxus, emo, and handmade art. Most of the art featured in her gallery is created by local artists, but she also features artwork by artists from all over the world. Every month, the gallery participates in Downtown St. Petersburg’s Gallery Hop on the Second Saturday of the month and hosts unique art exhibitions, such as the recent T-Shirt Show in January and the upcoming Hipstaprint/ One Year Anniversary Show in February. You can learn more about Eve n’ Odd Gallery and Jennifer Kosherak on her Eve n’ Odd Gallery FaceBook page or her website: http://www.eve-n-odd.blogspot.com

The classes that will be participating in the Visiting Artist’s Workshops will be:
12:30-1:15pm 1st Grade (Group A)
1:15-2:00pm 4th Grade
2:00-2:45pm 5th Grade
2:45-3:30pm Open Session for Middle School Students

We will continue to host 1-2 artists each month throughout the school year and into the summer. The Visiting Artists will talk to students about careers in the arts, let students see examples of their work, and lead hands-on arts workshops. Different classes will be selected each time to participate in the workshops.

Country Day School’s Visiting Artists Program is sponsored by an Arts Education Grant from Target. Target believes that music, art, dance, drama and visual arts are all part of the well-rounded education our kids deserve. Through their grants, Target helps schools bring more arts and culture into the classroom, enabling them to expand their creativity and their horizons.

Starting in January, we will engage with a school in China (through skype and other e media) to collaborate on a shared project that preferably incorporates STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and focuses on a globally significant issue. This project would culminate with our visit to China.

During the Spring, we will identify and plan a service initiative to be incorporated into our visit to China.

We will be departing Tampa on April 23rd and returning on May 2nd. The ground itinerary will include spending time with the Chinese students at their school, completing the community service, visiting historic sites and enjoying other opportunities to experience the culture.

More than 1.5 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) which served as the initial screen of program entrants. The semifinalists were selected from a pool of 1.5 million high school students taking the 2010 preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. The nationwide pool of semi-finalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

Carrie has an opportunity to compete for over 8,300 scholarships valued at $34 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship Award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the next level. More than half of the finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship.

Our contest winners outside the Channel 10 News studios.

Congratulations to Country Day School 4th graders Tyson & Dylan. Along with the rest of the 4th grade class, they entered the City of Largo’s 3rd annual Recycled Innovations Contest.

Largo’s eco-innovators were challenged to construct useful creations from the contents of their trash can. This online contest encouraged innovators to go beyond recycling by re-purposing their waste. All entries were to be made of 75 percent or more recycled or material that would otherwise be discarded. Contrary to a recycled art show, Recycled Innovations are items that may be reused in daily activities.
The boys were recognized for their achievements at the Channel 10 Studio in a live interview.  Check it out!

St. Petersburg Free Clinic is a multi-service, independent, not-for-profit, human services agency providing our community neighbors temporary assistance with food, shelter and health care. We have been caring for the unserved and underserved facing temporary emergency needs throughout Pinellas County, Florida, since 1970.

St. Petersburg Free Clinic began as a walk-in medical facility that provided basic health care services to individuals without health insurance, primarily those people who fall through the cracks of existing systems and services. In subsequent years, we expanded our services to become a multi-service, multi-site agency addressing the need for food, shelter and health care through our five essential programs: Free Clinic Health Center, Free Clinic We Help Services, Free Clinic Food Bank, Free Clinic Women’s Residence, Free Clinic Beacon House (men’s transitional housing).

Please send in food items to support this cause. If every student sends in just one item, we will be making a significant difference in a families holiday. Please review the list for helpful suggestions.

Additionally, the Primary classrooms are using this as a learning opportunity in the classroom. A food item is the theme of the classroom ‘share’ show ‘n tell for Thursday, Nov. 17th.

Visit our ‘Groupon Store’ and become a follower!