Students in LS D – LS G had the exciting opportunity to join the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s annual Marine Quest, where they met FWC scientists and explored real research labs. Highlights included fish pathology, DNA exploration, electron microscopy, touch tanks, and even a simulated manatee rescue.
As part of her ongoing professional development, Erica attended the Southern Early Childhood Association’s annual conference, an organization of which she is a member. During the conference, Erica visited thriving early childhood programs across multiple settings, gaining valuable insight into strategies for enhancing our own program. She also participated in several interest sessions focused on social-emotional literacy, creating creative classroom environments, and the foundations of literacy.
We had a very special visit this week from Kevin Kiermaier and Raymond the Seadog from the
Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball team. They joined our students for fun games and interactive activities! This unique experience, the Take a Player to School program, won by one of our amazing families, gave students the chance to learn, play, and be inspired by a successful community member. It was an energetic and memorable day for our whole school community! A big thank you to Kevin, Raymond, and the Tampa Bay Rays!
Our Biology students dive into their final sprout counts as they wrap up a months‑long, hands‑on genetics investigation. After engineering a self‑watering light‑box system in the classroom, they cultivated the F1 generation of Wisconsin Fast Plants, harvested the F2 offspring, and analyzed the ratio of dominant to recessive traits that appeared in the sprouts. By comparing their real data to Mendel’s famous 3:1 pattern, students brought the science of heredity to life through authentic, student‑driven experimentation.
On Thursday, November 20th, all students were involved in a variety of presentations and interactive sessions given by volunteers from the areas of business, science, the arts, sport, and medicine. Sessions were designed to introduce students to different careers and to enhance their learning by providing insights into the real world. We heard from a chief financial officer, a pediatric nurse/educator, a genetic counselor, a player development professional from the New York Yankees, a veterinary nurse, a radiographer, a librarian, and an entrepreneur/social influencer. Students had opportunities to ask questions and engage directly with the speakers.
Our grateful thanks to the following people for giving up their time and for providing interesting and most engaging presentations:Chris Basso, Scott Cierebiej, Kerin Clarkin, Sandra Cohen, Niki Meister, Chris Nyden, Deborah Rodriguez, and Brittany Sears.
Our Thanksgiving Lunch of turkey pinwheels, vegetables, fruit and, of course, apple pie and pumpkin pie, was set up and served by parent volunteers It was a beautiful day to be outside and to enjoy such a delicious lunch.
Lee Academy’s Head of Kindergarten, Erica Brundidge, spoke at October’s annual conference of the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC) in Orlando. Her session’s topic was “Bringing Play Back to Kindergarten in a Data Driven Climate.” Erica explained that in today’s increasingly data-driven educational landscape, the role of play in early childhood education has often been overshadowed by standardized assessments and performance metrics. This session aimed to address the tension between academic rigor and the importance of play in kindergarten classrooms. As data becomes a central tool in tracking student achievement, there is growing concern that play-based learning—an essential element of early childhood development—is being diminished or even eliminated in favor of more structured, test-oriented approaches. Her session explored the balance between using data effectively to support learning while ensuring that the critical developmental benefits of play are not lost.