Want to know what’s going on around our neighborhood? Find out here on the Community News page! Visit throughout the day to get your updated local news headlines. In addition, you can also find out about local happenings.If you know of an event, such as a city picnic, local high school graduation or a wedding, post it here to let all of us know! Be sure to keep yourself informed by checking this page frequently! |
-
Cave Art Rocks at the IDEAL SchoolPosted on: 2011-10-07How do you bring the dinosaur era into art? By turning the school's art studio into a cave.
That's just what Art teacher, Eileen Kozyra did at the IDEAL Elementary School. Draping the drawing tables with cloths that looked like cave walls, dimming the lights, giving students flashlights and crumpled brown paper that resembled rocks students stepped back in time and created their own cave art.
'The children were so excited to work on their art projects in this environment and their creativity was amazing,' said Mrs. Kozyra.
All of the cave art is on display in the art studio of the Dream Middle School, the sister school of IDEAL Elementary.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
IDEAL School students collect pennies for peacePosted on: 2011-02-03Students in Sophie De La Paz’s fourth grade class are raising money for the Central Asia Institute’s Pennies for Peace program after reading the book Listen to the Wind. The book, which is a children’s version of the New York Times best seller Three Cups of Tea, details Greg Mortenson’s mission to build a school in Pakistan and provide children access to education where it never existed before.
“After reading the book the fourth graders asked me what they could do to help children in other countries get an education and as a group they decided to start a Pennies for Peace campaign here at the IDEAL School,” said De La Paz. “Their goal is to collect five million pennies school wide and students from every grade are participating. We’re all very excited about it!”
Students have been an integral part of the process from requesting permission from the school administration to start the Pennies for Peace campaign to spreading the word about it to their school mates. Students will be visiting local businesses to get them involved as well.
Mrs. De La Paz says the Pennies for Peace campaign is increasing students’ awareness of the conflict in the Middle East. They have also discovered that an education is a peaceful way to reduce the number of young terrorists in that part of the world since children are often targets for recruitment.
If you would like to get involved contact Sophie De La Paz at 561-791-2881. The Pennies for Peace campaign runs through March 18, 2011.
The IDEAL School is a pioneer in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.IdealSchoolFlorida.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.idealschoolflorida.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
New soccer team takes flight at IDEAL SchoolPosted on: 2011-12-01When P.E. coach Max Krieger joined the IDEAL School last year he had a mission: to create a great physical education program for the students. Part of that mission was to develop an after school sports program for both the elementary and middle school. No small feat for a small school with only one athletic staff member.
“Over the summer I spent time putting together a soccer program for 1st through 5th grade and a basketball program for the middle school students. Thanks to the parents’ involvement and the children’s enthusiastic participation it’s all come together really well,” said Krieger.
The school has two elementary soccer teams in addition to the Dream Middle School’s basketball team. Over 80 children are playing sports between the three teams this year which is more than half of the school’s student population.
“Recently our soccer team played against Wellington Christian and we had a basketball game against them too. The players have really shown a lot of teamwork and they’re all excited to represent the school. It’s going to be a great season for everyone,” said Krieger.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Dream Middle School holds mock trialPosted on: 2011-04-26On April 6 the Dream Middle School hosted the 5th Annual Mock Trial event. Students in the 7th grade class were assigned to either the defense or prosecution team in the mock reckless driving case against fellow classmate, Phillipe Urreiztieta.
Amanda Cooperman, social studies teacher at Dream Middle School, said, “Both sides offered several witnesses to help prove their case. Grant Ganzi and Meehan Shirey tried to help explain the different ways that Philippe was at fault. At the same time, Brenton Hilyer and Katie Fischer tried to describe problems created by the fictitious intersection to make the case that the accident was not Philippe’s fault.”
Dream Middle School parent and trial attorney, Alex Borrell, assisted the prosecution team in preparing their case against the defendant. Throughout the trial, he helped guide the nervous lawyers on both sides on when to object and how to proceed with questioning.
“One of the hardest parts of the mock trial is that the students do not have an opportunity to practice prior to the performance,” said Cooperman. “Although they were allowed to read through all of the statements and questions, they couldn’t question the opposing side.”
In the end the mock jury returned a verdict of ‘guilty.’ Said Cooperman, “Both sides did an amazing job presenting their case however the prosecution’s evidence was just a little stronger.”
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School employ unique, project based curriculums encouraging both understanding and application of knowledge. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.DreamIdeal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
IDEAL School teacher shows locks of lovePosted on: 2011-02-07Local teacher Candice Cavaleri made a generous donation this week. With over 100 students at the IDEAL Elementary School looking on 3rd grader Connor Perry and kindergartener Alex Scarsella each had the privilege of cutting off a one foot braid of Mrs. Cavaleri’s hair for Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to children suffering from medical-related hair loss.
Each week the elementary students at the IDEAL School get together to learn about and discuss a particular virtue to help them become even better global citizens. This week’s Heart to Heart virtue was kindness and Cavaleri felt that making the donation was a good way to demonstrate how to be kind to others.
“This is my fourth time donating hair to Locks of Love. It’s a great organization and the hair will be used for a good cause,” said Cavaleri.
Cavaleri said that students Perry and Scarsella were chosen because they exemplified the characteristics of kindness and caring that Locks of Love brings to children throughout the United States.
“It takes me about three to five years to grow my hair long enough to make a donation,” said Cavaleri. “I’m looking forward to the next time we do this.”
The IDEAL School is a pioneer in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.IdealSchoolFlorida.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.idealschoolflorida.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Students and firefighters help feed the hungryPosted on: 2011-02-04Four years ago Wendy and Kris Soderman, founders of the IDEAL School and Dream Middle School,turned a bad situation into a learning experience. After noticing that the school’s water bill was unusually high for a couple of months in a row Wendy and Kris discovered that a local family was taking buckets of water from a spigot at the middle school, loading them onto their truck and driving away with them. The Sodermans reported the theft to the police and upon investigation an officer discovered not only the buckets of water but also the squalid conditions the family was living in.
The police officer informed the Sodermans that they were well within their rights to press charges and suggested they see the family’s living conditions for themselves before deciding to do so. When Kris and Wendy drove by the house one evening they were shocked to discover that the family of five not only had no water but no electricity either. The Sodermans assumed that given their living conditions the family was probably having a hard time bringing enough food home to eat too.
Rather than press charges they decided to find a way to make a difference not only for this family but for other families in Royal Palm Beach who were hungry. Wendy Soderman presented her idea to the Dream Middle School students and together they came up with the idea of the I-CAN run.
Every Friday from January through April elementary and middle school students, parents, teachers and school staff run or walk from the IDEAL School parking lot to the Royal Palm Beach fire station with cans of food. The cans are dropped off and the fire fighters then take them to soup kitchens and shelters in Royal Palm Beach to help feed the hungry in our city.
The 4th annual I-CAN kicked off this month and runs through April.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.IdealSchoolFlorida.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.idealschoolflorida.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Dream Middle School raises money for community service tripPosted on: 2011-09-27The Dream Middle School parking lot was turned into a car wash last week when sixth, seventh and eighth graders filled their buckets with soap and water and cleaned up dirty cars for parents and local business owners. The students put on the event to raise money for a community service trip they’ll be taking to Costa Rica next spring.
“This year we’re encouraging the students to learn about the world around them,” said Principal Wendy Soderman. “We’ve created a global education initiative which includes each grade Skyping students in other schools around the world, providing education, clothing and medical care to children whose families are living in poverty through our Children International sponsorships and travelling to Costa Rica to gain first hand experience learning about ecosystems by volunteering at a sea turtle hatchery.”
In addition to the car wash, students collected pledges from their families and neighbors for an all day trampoline-a-thon. The goal was to jump for eight hours in rotating shifts in exchange for donations.
The highlight of the day was when firemen from the Royal Palm Beach Fire Department drove up in their fire truck to get a wash. Every year Dream Middle School students donate cans of food to the local fire department to feed hungry families in our area from January to April and the fire department wanted to show its support for the students in return.
“It was a great success,” said Robin Summas, the school’s Curriculum Coordinator. “The students raised over $2,500 and provided a needed service at the same time.”
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com - Dream Middle School begins production of television showPosted on: 2011-04-08Dream Middle School is proud to
announce production has begun on their television show, “DayDREAMers”. Fully
produced in-house as part of Dream Middle School’s curriculum, “DayDREAMers is set
to debut on local television on Sunday, June 12 on FOX29 (West Palm Beach) at
8:00AM.
“DayDREAMers”, a half hour family comedy show, is the brainchild of Dr. and Mrs.
Soderman, owners and principals of Dream Middle School, a private institution in Royal
Palm Beach, and Marc C. Zatorsky, the school’s film and television production
instructor. “We were looking to expand on our current film and television production
classes, which have been extremely popular with the student body when Mr. Zatorsky
came up with the idea for the show’, said Dr. Soderman. Mr. Zatorsky added, “I can not
tell you how thrilled I am to not only teach at Dream Middle School but to also be a part
of “DayDREAMers. Dr. and Mrs. Soderman are very special educators who truly believe
the benefits of having a film and television production class and now, our very own
television show. They understand and have seen first-hand the positive effects it has on
their students.”
“Our goal is hopefully to make the audience laugh all the while teaching the students
television production”, said Zatorsky, a former student himself of local movie and TV
icon, Burt Reynolds. “The students realize what kind of work it takes to put a production
like this together having each worked on a student film during the school year. Some
students were involved with outside productions that include two feature films and four commercials for a commercial contest that my friends and I have produced.” When
asked to describe the show in once sentence Zatorsky quipped, “Think of “DayDREAMers” as a “Saturday Night Live” for middle school students and younger.”
The first show will have a cast of nineteen; eleven students from Dream Middle School
and six children and two adult guest stars from Mr. Zatorsky’s current feature film in
post-production,“Gina and the G.I.T. (Genie-In-Training)”. Auditions were held for the
students in February. The cast has been rehearsing since then. In addition, student
intern crew members will learn about behind the scenes hands-on by shadowing the
professional crew used during the filming process.
“Our goal at IDEAL (the pre-school and elementary school located in the same complex) and Dream School is to provide young people with skills to become successful,
independent and assertive learners for the 21st century. Our television and film production classes are just one of the many programs we have for our students to encourage them to become optimistic, goal-orientated risk takers, innovative problem solvers and compassionate thinkers”, said Mrs. Soderman.
For more information about IDEAL and Dream Middle School go to their website at http://www.dreamideal.comWebsite:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
IDEAL School message takes flightPosted on: 2011-05-04Local elementary school owner and principal, Wendy Soderman, believes the sky is the limit when it comes to educating children. Recently Soderman met with teachers, students and parents at the IDEAL School to come up with a message to spread that belief throughout the Royal Palm Beach community.
Said Soderman, “Each year our teachers travel to attend conferences in Washington and at Harvard University to learn what our nation’s schools should be doing to prepare our children to be leaders and entrepreneurs of the future. The message is that we need more students who can think for themselves.”
“We have plenty of people who can memorize information and who test well. What our business community is telling us is that they don’t have enough employees who are creative problem solvers and they have too many people who look to their co-workers or management for solutions. This is a recipe for failure in an entrepreneurial economy.”
Principal Soderman decided to take what the IDEAL Elementary and Dream Middle Schools do in the classroom and state from high above what they believe education should be for the 21st century learner.
“Beginning the week of May 2 you’ll be seeing a plane to flying high above the western communities from 7 to 9 a.m. sending out our message so keep looking up!,” said Soderman
There are 6 flights scheduled to fly in the mornings from7-9am. The banner states: CREATIVE THINKERS ARE THE FUTURE.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School employ unique, project based curriculums encouraging both understanding and application of knowledge. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Spirit Week at Dream Middle SchoolPosted on: 2011-05-09April 26 kicked off Spirit Week at the Dream Middle School as students get ready for the countdown to summer vacation. The lively middle schoolers showed off their enthusiasm by participating in a variety of fun activities each day.
The first day of Spirit Week kicked off with Oddball Outfits Day which included funny socks, shirts worn inside out and backwards, and wacky ties. Daily pep rallies included brain teaser contests among 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes, and a hoop shot challenge at the basketball courts.
“The students get a kick out showing off their creativity and competing against each other. This is a great way for them to do that and have fun at the same time,” said math teacher Dave Van Popering.
Science teacher Amanda Cooperman said, “Hat day was really entertaining because of all the clever ideas students had. One of our sixth graders turned a flamingo pool floatie into an entire tropical theme sitting on her head. I was amazed at how imaginative they all were.”
The students wrapped up Spirit Week with a Coin War. Each class raced to see who could raise the most money for charity bringing in quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies only throughout the week. The sixth grade class won raising over $100. All of the money raised by the middle schoolers is being donated to the Wade’s World Foundation, a charity started by NBA basketball star Dwayne Wade that promotes education, healthy habits and social skills for children in at-risk situations.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School employ unique, project based curriculums encouraging both understanding and application of knowledge. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.DreamIdeal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
IDEAL School students celebrate Read Across America DayPosted on: 2011-03-03Stacy Martin’s kindergarten class at the IDEAL School celebrated Read Across America Day on March 2nd in high tech style. Mrs. Martin’s students connected with kindergarten students at the Paine Primary School in Trussville, Alabama via Skype. Skype is a service that allows people to see each other and talk over the internet.
“We decided to celebrate this year’s Read Across America Day by sharing our favorite Dr. Seuss book with students in Alabama as a way to show the children what other students are reading about around the country,” said Martin. In 1997 the National Education Association chose March 2nd as Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday. Students from Paine Primary also read their favorite book, Horton Hears a Who, to the IDEAL School kindergartners.
“Students from both schools were very excited to show their own favorite books to each other as well. They had fun seeing the other students over the internet and were surprised to find that they liked many of the same books,” said Martin.
Older students also participated in the day’s event through the IDEAL School’s Reading Buddies program. Reading Buddies gives fifth graders the opportunity to spend one class period each week reading age appropriate books to the IDEAL Preschool students. According to the National Education Association Said research has shown that children who are motivated to spend more time reading do better in school.
“The students had a great time and we’re looking forward to doing this again next year,” said Martin.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School employ unique, project based curriculums encouraging both understanding and application of knowledge. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.idealschoolflorida.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Students visit local news stationPosted on: 2011-11-08It was an exciting day for the IDEAL School’s 4th grade students today when they took a field trip to News Channel 5 in downtown West Palm Beach. The 4th graders host their own live morning broadcast called the Early Bird News (EBN) which airs throughout the school each day. Their teacher, Danielle Derion, arranged the tour so the children could meet local news anchors and get a behind the scenes look at a real news desk.
Weatherman Glen Glazer talked to the students about Hurricane Rina and how it fell apart just as it reached the Yucatan Peninsula. Traffic anchor Keli Fulton and news anchor Kelley Dunn were also there to meet students and answer their questions. Dunn shared with them that she, too, took a field trip to a news station when she was their age and it was then that she decided to become a reporter.
“It was a great opportunity for the children to meet people they see on t.v. each night,” said Derion. “They were quite excited to be in the studio to watch a live news cast. I think they were surprised at how much work goes into creating a news show each day.”
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Dream Middle School students eat piPosted on: 2011-04-04Dave Van Popering, math teacher at the Dream Middle School, has one thing on his mind every March and that’s pi. Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 in honor of the irrational number (3.14159…) that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter.
“Math is part of everything we do in life and every March we look forward to showing that in ways that excite and interest the students here at the Dream School,” said Van Popering
The day of mathematics and fun started with students designing and painting their own Pi Day t-shirts and finding places where pi existed in the Dream Middle School building.
Students even participated in a contest reciting pi from memory out to at least 25 decimal places. Two students memorized the number out to 75 decimal places but the winner was Kali Ashurst who knew pi out to 96 decimal places and won a gift certificate for lunch at a local restaurant.
“The student’s favorite event was the Pi Raffle,” said Van Popering. “The 6th, 7th and 8th graders voted for the pi t-shirts they thought were the best. The top ten winners’ names were put into a raffle and one of our 8th grade students won the chance to “pi” the teacher of his choosing.” Language Arts teacher, Tom Dyde, received the honor of being pied for the second year in a row.
“We had a great time and students ended the day by eating a piece of their favorite pie. We’re looking forward to it again next year,” said Van Popering.
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School employ unique, project based curriculums encouraging both understanding and application of knowledge. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
IDEAL School students jump for charityPosted on: 2011-03-22Students from the IDEAL Elementary and Dream Middle Schools have a heart and they showed it in a big way this week by raising over $4,000 for the American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart event.
The goal of Jump Rope for Heart is to encourage children to live healthier lives and eliminate cardiovascular diseases as well as stroke. All of the funds raised for the event go toward helping children with heart problems.
All of the students at the school jumped rope for 30 minutes to show their support for heart health in addition to raising money for the charity. Blakely Willson, a third grader, raised over $700 on her own.
The third grade grade class collected the most money for the event and won passes to Calypso Bay for their efforts.
This is the fifth year the IDEAL and Dream Schools have participated in the Jump Rope for Heart event. Fourth grade teacher Sophie De La Paz who has launched and lead the event each year said, “It’s a great way to bring heart health awareness to the students while having fun.”
De La Paz gave students even more incentive to participate in the month-long fundraiser by giving them weekly prizes to compete for. The first week the class raising the most money forced De La Paz to eat broccoli. The second and third weeks the winning class pied De La Paz with a whipped cream pie. The water park passes were awarded the final week.
“Last year we raised about $3,700 so our goal was to beat that amount this year and happily we did that,” said De La Paz. “It made the students feel good to know that they were helping other children get well with the funds they’ve raised.”
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School employ unique, project based curriculums encouraging both understanding and application of knowledge. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.IdealSchoolFlorida.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.idealschoolflorida.com -
IDEAL students go trunk or treatingPosted on: 2011-11-01A new Halloween tradition was started this year at the IDEAL Elementary and Dream Middle Schools as parents decorated their cars for the schools’ first annual Trunk or Treat celebration. Over two dozen cars ranging from creepy to semi-spooky lined the schools’ parking lot. Students from each grade ‘oohed and ahhed’ as they trunk or treated from car to car.
“We’ve never done this before,” said Principal and Founder Wendy Soderman. “I’m amazed and delighted at how much effort the parents put into decorating their cars for this event.” Displays included a Disney theme, lots of ghosts and ghouls, and even a poison apple café.
After trick or treating from car to car students and teachers voted on their favorite Halloween theme. Susan Hughes, parent of kindergartener Adeline Hughes and first grader Allie Hughes, took first prize of four tickets to Lion Country Safari for turning her trunk into a mini haunted house. Second prize went to Mary Kay and Howard Wilson for their ghoulish trunk of skeletons, coffin and spider webs.
“I’m not sure who had more fun, the parents or the children,” said Soderman. “The parents are already talking about what they can do to make their cars look even better next year.”
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com -
Second graders get hands-on Social Studies lessonPosted on: 2011-10-05When Gerrianne Disney plans a Social Studies lesson she knows that talking about the concepts with her students is only partially effective. What she really wants them to do is experience the lesson in order to fully understand what they’re learning.
“For the past two weeks we’ve been studying about communities in class. It’s one thing to tell my students that a community is made up of a school, post office, grocery store, gas station and other businesses but it’s another thing for them to build a town based on the needs of people living there,” said Disney. “They really took the time to think about how to connect roads, intersections and even consider what businesses and services were important to include in their community.”
Second graders Adrien Araneo, Christopher Callaway and Ryan Stevens took on the important roles as city planners and helped their classmate ‘citizens’ lay out the streets, intersections and erect buildings using blocks and giant Legos®. Other students took on the roles of police officer to make sure classmates were following the rules, mailmen to deliver information to and from the IDEAL School office, and construction workers to do the necessary building.
Disney said, “The students aren’t going to remember the vocabulary from the lesson if all they do is memorize it. By creating a community of their own and fulfilling the roles of the people in that community they’re able to experience and understand the lessons and ideas in a meaninful way that will stay with them for a long time to come.”
The IDEAL School and Dream Middle School are pioneers in the use of Multiple Intelligence Theory in the classroom. Their expertise in innovative education draws students from preschool through 8th grade throughout Palm Beach County, Florida. To find out more about the school please visit www.DreamIdeal.com or call (561) 791-2881.
Website:www.dreamideal.comEmail:office@dreamideal.com
