FROM JANE’S DESK By Jane Floyd-Bullen, Principal

There has been a great deal going on since the winter break with lots of good instruction

and a great deal of supplemental activities that we have all enjoyed experiencing which

has enriched learning for the students. We had a great time on snow day thanks to the

Everhart Excellence Foundation. We celebrated Black History month in February with

wonderful displays from the different departments.

We are fortunate to have so many wonderful college students, volunteers and community

partners that have provided countless hours of service to our school. Grandmother

McGriff is a finalist for Senior Volunteer of the Year and Candy Pieszchala is a finalist for the School

Related Employee of the Year! Thanks to your donations and help from J.P. II High School and F.S.U.

Dance Marathon we raised $424 at the Everhart Dance Marathon! We will be recognized at the Leon

County School Board meeting in March. Thanks to all of the parents/guardians that are actively in-

volved in the school by attending meetings, providing supplies, and supporting the work of us all to help

each and every student achieve to their potential. We couldn’t do it without all of you! If you can help

us restock our basic supplies that will be great especially wet wipes, tissue, and hand sanitizer. Please

check with the school or your child’s teacher about some of the items that are needed.

Our 3rd – 11th grade students will soon complete the Florida Standards Alternate Assessment. We are

anxious to receive our results (in June) to compare with our results from last year. The teachers have

been working hard to continually improve on the instruction we provide to students. We are very proud

of what we are accomplishing with the students each and every day.

As we approach the spring and summer months we want to encourage everyone to help us keep our

students safe. You can help us by not using cell phones at school while supervising and with children.

Please help us by observing this no cell phone policy. The spring months will be busy with IEP meetings

where we will be able to share the progress your child has made as well as develop plans and transitions

for the summer and fall. It is important that you take an active role as a partner with us in this process.

Enjoy the Spring Break (March 16th – 20th). The school offices will be open Monday through Thursday with

limited staff during this week. Monday, March 23rd is a Planning Day for teachers. Students will return to

school on Tuesday, March 24th.

We look forward to seeing all of you at Everhart in the months to come! Make sure you continue to look

at our website for updated information, activities and the calendar of events. You can find us at: http://

www.leonschools.net/everhart.

Whooooo’s News?......

March, 2020

Department news

HIGH SCHOOL

The High School department shared the love on February 14 at our Valentine's dance held in conjunction with a dance marathon to raise money for Children's Miracle Network and Shands Hospital. Students from John Paul Catholic High School came out to lead activities, decorate, and dance. Everhart high schoolers also learned all about geography this past nine weeks as they read about a man named Joe and his travels throughout the 7 continents. They identified man made landmarks and natural features in each location. We are now starting a unit on sound and light and how they travel. Do you want to know how they travel? Ask a high schooler! Thank you to Cle and Charlie's families for donating ex-tra Clorox wipes, to Omar and Ethan's families for donating Valentine's treats and to Cle, Charlie, Claire, Michael, Rushi, Jonathan, Ethan, Alan, and Anthony's families for donating gifts for para appreciation week. We welcomed 2 new paraprofessionals to our high school family. Jeremy Johnson joined Ms. Parnell's class and Nina Chokrane started in Ms. Droze's room. We love them already! Ms. Lori Thompson is always recruiting valuable volunteers and Ms. Droze's class was the lucky recipient of 2- Mr Henry and Ms. Kristina. Mr. Henry has been a life saver during CBI trips and Ms. Kristina an angel during hands on science lessons. Thank you so very much, Mr. Henry and Ms. Kristina!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The Middle School department has had quite

a busy 9 weeks! We said thank you to our

wonderful paraprofessionals by giving them

thank you notes, lunches and gifts to show our

appreciation for all that they do for our

students. And a BIG shoutout to all of the

parents who sent in snacks for our paras…

they were certainly one of the highlights of

the week’s celebration!

We have traveled to Canada and Mexico

(within our classrooms) and learned all about

how to plan for a trip, including what clothes

to wear for the different climates.

We also paid homage to the many famous

black Americans that we learned about

throughout history. Ms. Pittinger, Ms. Hutchins

and Ms. Brennan’s classes participated in the

Black History door displays. We also were

lucky enough to be one of the stops for the

Godby Gospel Choir and they performed for

us on the last day of Black History month…

always a treat for our students!!!

We hope that everyone has a safe and enjoy-

able spring break and are ready to finish up

the last 9 weeks strong.

ELEMENTARY

2020 has gotten off to a very busy start in the

elementary department! We are excited to

welcome a new student, Lily, to Ms. Jen’s

class. As part of our Unique Learning

curriculum, we spent January learning more

about history. We compared things from the

past and present, and learned about how life

in the United States has changed over time.

During February, we explored geography and

the use of maps to learn more about natural

and man-made features. Our classes have

also been continuing to explore the alphabet

letters and Safari alphabet animals, and have

read even more about the adventures of

Curious George! Ms. Jen’s class has contin-

ued to write to their pen pals in Illinois and

Iowa, sending letters, Valentines, and pictures

from our snow day.

We all had a blast at Snow Day this year

(Thank you Everhart Excellence Foundation).

We loved getting to sled and make snowballs.

We also enjoyed the school-wide

performances including watching the FSU

Opera group as they performed Hansel and

Gretel and the Godby Choir celebration for

Black History Month. We are looking forward to

Spring Break adventures and the return of

spring weather. Thank you again to all the

parents and families who have continued to

donate supplies, snacks, sensory items, toys,

and their time. You make our jobs much

easier!

PRE_K

We have had a great start to 2020! We have

been studying several topics. In January, all

of the classes learned all about our 5 senses.

The month of February was all about animal

fun and March we have all been studying

transportation (the way we get from one

place to another). While we are learning

these topics, we are also continually learning

alphabetic knowledge and phonological skills

as well as math skills.

All 4 classes had a blast with snow day. We

loved making snow balls, snowmen and

sledding down the hills.

The Community Arts Transition Class has been busy the past nine weeks. On February 7, 2020 we hosted an Elementary Valentine’s Day Party with singing, dancing and making fun art creations. We were joined by a group of lovely women from the Capital City Woman’s Club. They assisted the students with an art project, and even brought them special Valentine’s Day treats. We thank them for their time and sharing their special talents with our students. The next week, February 13th, we attended the musical Three Little Birds at FAMU which featured the music of Bob Marley. It was so hard not to sing and dance in our seats. We can’t wait for the next musical. The following day, February 14th, Valentine’s day, we had the privilege to attend the Rise Up a Tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen Exhibit. This was a very moving experience for students and staff alike. We were told many touching stories about these brave men and we were even shown a Redtail Plane. We were all given dog tags with these words to always remember written on the tag: Aim High, Believe in Yourself, Use your Brain, Never Quit, Be ready to Go, Expect to Win. We can all learn from these strong and wise Tuskegee Airmen who gave all so that we may be free!

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Snow Day

Our annual Snow Day was held on January 23, 2020. It was a very cold morning, just right for making snowmen, sliding down snow covered hills and having friendly snowball challenges. A few PreK students even tried to make snow angles. Someone even put a snowball in my pocket, just like the little boy did in the story that we read in music The Snowy Day. It was such a fun time for students and staff. Thank you to the Everhart Foundation for sponsoring this event and for Jeannie Barrett, who supplied us with snow and many snow tubes. Special Thanks also to the Ice House LLC from Thomasville Ga. We were told that next year the company may purchase a machine where they can blow the snow onto the field instead of shipping the snow in boxes. So much to look forward in 2021!

Music Notes By

Brenda Rice

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES Awards Ceremony

FSU Opera

The FSU Opera Outreach Program arrived on January 30, 2020 and presented the Childhood Classic Favorite Opera Hansel and Gretel. The performance was fabulous. The remarkable acting and beautiful singing captured every member in the audience. The students were so engaged in the telling of the familiar story Hansel and Gretel. The Pianist was high-ly skilled and aided in making this a wonderful production. Thank you FSU School of music and the Opera Outreach Pro-gram for another fantastic performance. Gretchen Everhart Awards Ceremony on January 15, 2020 Sixteen Awards were presented to outstanding academic Super Stars and 5 additional Owlriffic Awards were given to stu-dents for their notable skills in following our school rules. Special coupons were provided by Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s A delicious ice cream treat was given to all award recipients and their parents. Thank you Bruster’s Ice Cream located on Tharpe Street! The ice cream sundaes were delicious! Special thanks and appreciation to Mrs. Hutchins class for putting together the award treat bags! Congratulation Everhart Owls! Super Star Awards PreK: Kevin, Elementary: K.J., Arianna, Isaiah, Ellie Middle School: Carson, Andrew, Zoey High School: Ope, Richard, Austin, Andrew, Alan Post-Secondary: Sariah, Ricky, Jordan Owlriffic Awards: Dario T.- Elementary School Ella H.- Middle School Edward S.-High School Isreal C.- Post Secondary Charlie M.- Special Area

Upcoming Events Leon High School Steel Drum Band- March 25, 2020 Awards Ceremony- April 1, 2020 Hot Air Balloon- April 7, 2020 Marching Chiefs- April 15, 2020 Electric People Rock Band- May 12, 2020

Black History Month

Black History Door Decorating Contest Results At the end of February, students in the following classes decorated their classroom doors and classroom with various displays of people throughout Black History: Maria Botero, Laurie Brennan, Zellayne Hutchins, Betsy Pittinger and Courtney Collins. Students and staff then toured around the school and looked at the informative exhibits. We learned about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, George Washington Carver, Harriett Tubman, Barack Obama, Jackie Robinson, Misty Copland and Althea Gibson. We learned about Freedom quilts and saw some great quilts made by students in Ms. Brennan’s class. The Powerful Roots and Phenomenal African American Woman Displays made all spectators stop and marvel at the true meaning behind the artwork. Thank you so much to all of the students who participated. By sharing what you have studied, we too have learned from your wonderful displays. Bravo! On Thursday February 27th and Friday February 28th, the Gretchen Everhart staff dressed in African Attire. So many beautiful outfits brighten up our school on those days. We ended Black History Month with a very moving performance of the Godby Gospel Choir and Honors Choir under the direction of Krystena Hutchins. All students, Elementary through Post Secondary, experienced a memorable performance and we learned how music can tell so much about the history and lives of Black Americans. Thank you Ms. Hutchins and your talented musicians. We love you and can’t wait for the next performance.

The Drake Irish Dance Tallahassee performed for the very first time on March 10, 2020. We were excited to see this awesome group of local young dancers share their talents for our students. Our Everhart Owls loved the spirited dancing. Unfortunately, we were not able to get the Dancers and musicians form Ireland because of the international travel ban due to the current coronavirus. Special Thanks to the Drake School of Dance for locating local dancers so our students would not be disappointed. We look forward to many more Irish Dance performances hopefully in the future.

ART NEWS

Judy Jecko

Everhart Artists have been really busy! In February, we participated in the First “Art From A Different Perspective”, a downtown event spearheaded by the Everhart Excellence Foundation, and the Tallahassee Downtown Development Association. The focus was on how people from different backgrounds and abilities create and experience art. Link to Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/events/kleman-plaza-tallahassee/art-from-a-different-perspective/752537715241169/ February also involved Gretchen Everhart getting mentioned at the monthly school board meeting. Our Healthy Lives Calendar winner, Taryn W. from Mrs. Watt’s class was honored for her winning art! Way to go, Taryn! Gretchen Everhart was among the 21 participating schools in the calendar contest sponsored by Radiology Associates. Each participat-ing school is given a share of the proceeds from selling the calendars to use for future art projects and materials. March is YOUTH ART MONTH! The following classes have artwork displayed at the Leon County Public library, main branch: Mrs. Reece, Mrs. Botero, Mrs. Watt, Mrs. Perez, Mr. Seganish, and Mrs. Brennen. The art will be up the entire month…so check it out if you are out and about!

IMPORTANT NUMBERS FOR

EVERHART PARENTS Everhart School Office

488-5785

Jane Bullen, Principal, Ext. 207

Latoya Montgomery Enzor

Asst. Principal, Ext 205

Robbie Cole Secretary, Ext. 201

April Hart

Registrar, Ext..296

Lori Thompson, Guidance Counselor, Ext. 220

Clinic Ext. 221

Media Center Ext. 223

Transportation Dept.

488-2692

EVERHART EXPRESS PUBLISHED QUARTERLY TO INFORM

STUDENTS,PARENTS, STAFF AND INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY

ABOUT EVENTS AT GRETCHEN EVERHART SCHOOL

JANE FLOYD-BULLEN, PRINCIPAL Latoya Montgomery Assistant Principal

Edited By: Chris Morris

“Leon County Schools does not discriminate against any person on the basis of gender,

marital status, sexual orientation, race, religion, national origin, age, or disability.”

SPRING BREAK

March 14-22

BE SAFE AND HAVE FUN!

Teacher Planning Day

March 23

FUTURE DATES

Spring Holiday

April 10

Memorial Day

May 25