The Head of School Search is moving along incredibly well, and we are excited by the diversity, caliber and enthusiasm of our candidates. We hope to invite the finalists for the Head of School onto campus for the community to meet in early to mid May. Thank you for your support and patience through this process. We are eager to have community input when our finalists visit.

On behalf of all Shorecrest personnel, Mike Murphy and the Shorecrest Community Association invite all Shorecrest Volunteers to a complimentary Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast and Janet Root Volunteer of the Year Award Presentation. Every parent/guardian who has volunteered this school year is invited to join us on May 8. Digital invitation to come... please save the date!

The 2019 Spring Music Concert will feature dedicated student musicians from the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. Please join us on Wednesday, April 17, 7 - 9 pm.

Important announcements, updates and reminders for Middle School Families

Where to find student artwork on campus.

Driving while distracted can make it difficult to react during a potential crash, especially for teen drivers. More than 1200 videos created by teens to inspire their peers to drive more safely and avoid risky behavior were submitted in the TeenDrive365 Video Challenge by Toyota and Discovery Education. Among the 10 finalists is Caleb Kravitz '20! Caleb’s video "Don't Recline Behind the Wheel" and the other ten finalist videos can be viewed at teendrive365inschool.com/vote. The public can vote for their favorite video once per day through April 23. The People’s Choice winner will receive $5,000 - so please vote for Caleb every day!

Art instruction is interwoven throughout the Shorecrest curriculum. To celebrate the lessons and skills taught all year, we open the campus to the community each spring during Celebrate the Arts Week, April 8-13, 2019. Following the ES/LS Teach-in on Friday, April 12, LS and ES students will have a performance around 11am. The Week will finish out with Shorecrest Performing Arts' production of the new Broadway adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Cinderella,” to run April 11-13, in the Janet Root Theatre.

It's time for some spring cleaning! Help SCA give loved and gently-used children’s books new homes. SCA will start collecting used books on Monday for the annual Oldie Goldie book sale. Collection boxes will be in the hallways of Lower School and in the Middle School breezeway. Used books will be sold to ES and LS students for rock-bottom prices so they can find new literary favorites on the cheap. Proceeds benefit the Shorecrest library.

You want your children to have the best nutrition possible—but let’s be real, when it comes to eating new or healthy foods, kids can be stubborn. Don’t despair! These tips from our Dietitians, coupled with some patience and perseverance, will help expand the palettes of even your most finicky eaters.

If you have an interest in serving on the SCA Board for the 2019-20 academic year, or know someone who would be a great fit, nominations and self-nominations are underway! Contact Stacy Conroy at stacyes@gmail.com or 813-944-7951.

Shorecrest dads are invited to meet other dads at fun, monthly nights out.  All events will be at 7:30pm unless otherwise stated.

Shorecrest has partnered with New Oasis International Education to help recruit and house international students at Shorecrest. New Oasis homestay is not about renting a room in an American house, it's about joining an American family. By saying "yes" to the experience, we can foster a global understanding.

Over the past year the Shorecrest campus has undergone a transformation. The completion and opening of the first floor of Charger Commons, the new 60,000 square foot facility made possible by the Transform Campaign, marks a major milestone in that transformation. To connect this new chapter of Shorecrest history to the time-honored tradition of "Celebrate the Arts" week, Shorecrest Performing Arts is proud to present the spring musical "Cinderella," April 11, 12, and 13 in the Janet Root Theatre at Shorecrest. Showtimes will be Thursday at 7pm, Friday at 7pm, and Saturday at 2pm and 7pm.

Shorecrest's first International Day is on Wednesday, May 1! Thank you to all who have signed up to represent countries. Please learn more and sign up here: http://signup.com/go/gpCrOTK.

Shorecrest seventh grader Nicolas H. recently competed in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee Florida State Competition and finished as third in the state!

As Monday was April Fool's Day, MS Music Teacher Mrs. McCarthy gave the seventh grade Music students a written assessment that was actually a fun prank! Join them in the Janet Root Theatre on May 9 at 2:25pm for the seventh grade Music Performance.

Beloved Upper School art teacher and Co-Chair of the Arts & Humanities Department, Charla Gaglio, is opening up her summer programs to Charger parents! Learn more about the two programs: Observational Drawing and Painting

Chargers 3, Indian Rocks Christian 9
Chargers 0, St. Stephens 12

AgileThought—a national provider of enterprise custom software solutions and development consulting to Fortune 1000 clients—will be sponsoring Shorecrest Preparatory School’s robotics club as they compete in the FIRST® Lego League Florida state competition on Saturday, April 6, 2019, in Delray Beach, Florida.

The Big Event Chairs, as well as the SCA Board, would like to thank the following people for their assistance in making Charger Winnings so successful: all Shorecrest teachers / staff who donated their time and items, Sam Soth, Charlene Hosseini, BA Beatty, Annette Eichenbaum and Eve Cline. A special thanks to Catherine Nelke and Heather Delrahim for their time on the class books project.

In order to better understand Shorecrest’s international profile and the Shorecrest community’s interest in becoming more engaged in future activities, we would be most grateful if you would complete this brief questionnaire.

Registration for summer programs is now open! Summer at Shorecrest offers camps, programs, and classes for students age 4-years-old through high school; there are even offerings for parents this summer! Visit www.shorecrest.org/summer for full descriptions, schedules and registration.

Over the last week, Lower School students gathered together during their art classes to help the Shorecrest Annual Fund team with a special project: coloring in the progress of our community’s fundraising efforts so far for Shorecrest! Each student carefully selected a colored marker then approached the massive 5’ x 3’ Color Their World board to make their mark.

Dodging for Dollar$ has been postponed.

Did you know that more than 200 of the school communities SAGE serves have a type of garden — from simple herb boxes to full-fledged farms? Campus gardens provide endless opportunities for learning, and they have a positive impact on the food and vegetable consumption of the students. Spring means it's time to start planting your garden. If you’re eager to start but new to the gardening game, check out these basic tips and helpful hints. You're just a few steps away from enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables grown right at your own home!

The 5th Grade Music Performance celebrated 50 years since the release of the beloved musical film "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Students sang featured songs from the film including "You Two," "Hushabye Mountain," "Doll on a Music Box / Truly Scrumptious," and of course the title song, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."  For their finale, the fifth graders sang a song from "The Prince of Egypt."

Shorecrest seventh grader Zach Z. won Honors for his essay among thousands of national entries in the Karina Eide Young Writers Awards. He was featured on the cover of the March 2019 “Dyslexic Advantage Newsletter” for his accomplishment, and his poem was published on page 44.

Thank you to Book Fair Co-Chairs Tonya Farkas and Bernice Murphy and all of their helping hands for their extended Book Fair hours this year and helping everyone find just what they need to read!

Registration for session 4 After School Clubs is currently open online at: https://shorecrest.campbrainregistration.com. Clubs are available for ES, LS and MS students, and run April 1 - May 10; with a make-up week May 17.

The attached map highlights the new construction zone, which has taken effect. The entrance of Pratt Blvd. is two-way to allow cars to exit the First Street parking lot, but otherwise campus traffic will be one-way at all times. Please see the Traffic Map shared here.

When the Shorecrest community returns from Spring Break, Extended Day for Alpha - 4th grade will be relocated. A new student check-out system will also be implemented. Anyone picking up a student should enter through the main door of the Mike Murphy Experiential School, located towards the right when facing Charger Commons, the new building (view map for location). At the desk the parent/guardian will show ID and sign out the student. They will receive a pass to give to the teacher and retrieve the child.

On the morning of Thursday, February 28, 2019, the full Shorecrest community gathered to celebrate a major milestone in the Transform Campaign. Almost one year to the day of the campaign's public launch, the school community celebrated the opening of the first floor of the new 60,000 square foot facility and the building's new name - Charger Commons. 

“The families of Raymond James were proud to join together to make a substantial collective gift to Shorecrest’s Transform Campaign. Collective giving has the potential to substantially grow philanthropy and build stronger communities. Giving as a group has allowed us to achieve greater impact to something that we all value, the experience that Shorecrest provides our children,” said Jim Bunn, President of Global Equities & Investment Banking for Raymond James and Shorecrest parent.

The Chargers Athletics Department presented to parents of students in grades 5-8 about how to become involved in Chargers Athletics. A full video of the seminar may be found here.

More than 150 people, including Shorecrest parents, board members, faculty and staff gathered on February 28 under a bubble-filled sky to celebrate the opening of the first floor of the new 60,000 square foot facility and the building's new name — Charger Commons. The Toast & Tour event provided an opportunity to toast to the tremendous progress of the reimagined lower campus and acknowledge the Shorecrest community for all of its efforts in making the first phase of the Transform Campaign a success.

On March 5, Shorecrest hosted the Middle School Track and Field Championships. Despite competing against 22 teams in windy and cold weather, the day was a big success for the Chargers! The girls worked for every point they earned, placing 4th overall. It came down to the wire for the boys championship, with Shorecrest taking the title by 2 points in the end.

Shorecrest seventh grader Nicolas H. has been notified by the National Geographic Society that he is one of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee Florida State Competition. The contest will be held on March 29. School GeoBees were held with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion. Nicolas won the Shorecrest Bee for the fourth year in a row! School champions then took an online qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students to compete in the State GeoBees.

Parents/guardians, older students, faculty and staff, please consider donating blood on Wednesday, March 20. The OneBlood bus will be parked behind the Athletic Center from 11am-4:30pm.

Bleary-eyed but excited, eighth grade students and Shorecrest faculty and staff gathered at the airport at 4:30am last Tuesday morning before heading off to Washington, D. C. Their first day in the city was spent in the Smithsonian museums along the National Mall, where they marveled at the Hope Diamond, measured themselves against a full tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, paid their respects to Emmett Till, sat at the Greensboro lunch counter, took selfies with the Batmobile, and viewed the original Star Spangled Banner. Whew!

Mathletes from Shorecrest fourth, fifth and sixth grades competed in the 1st annual Packer Invitational Math Competition at Largo High school on Saturday, February 23. The Chargers came home with some impressive hardware, including third place overall elementary school!

Congratulations to the seventh and eighth grade students moving on to the Pinellas County National History Day competition!

Shorecrest alumni and their children who are current Chargers gathered in the Rec Gym on Friday, February 22, for the Alumni Association's annual Legacy Breakfast. It is always a special treat to have this group gather together. Legacies are an important component of community-building here at Shorecrest. Our Alumni and legacy children heard from Bob Willis ‘77.

Te esperamos a la reunión de LATINOS en SHORECREST:
Queremos oir tus ideas para las actividades de nuestro próximo año escolar.

The entire eighth grade class broke into teams of 8-10 students. Each team built a complete underwater ROV - the frame, the motors, everything! Once the ROVs were built and the remote controls were tested, each team had a series of underwater challenges for their vehicle to complete. The challenges included picking up diving rings from the bottom of a pool, dropping off artificial coral polyps on an artificial reef, and completing a mock trash clean-up.

The Pre-Relay for Life Fundraising Lunch was a great success. Team Gold Together Admin and Friends thanks all ES/LS students and parents for supporting the team and the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. Grillmaster/Headmaster Mike Murphy with the help of administrative staff grilled and prepared over 450 hot dog lunches in the rainy weather! Many Middle School teams sold out of sandwiches, pizza, drinks and more!

Do you remember your first day at Shorecrest? Help a new family by providing a friendly face - become a Parent Ambassador!

Ten sixth graders represented Shorecrest in the Regional Science Fair. All ten students earned an award at the competition. Congratulations to the students for their hard work and success at the competition!

A total of 16 qualifying students from Shorecrest Middle School attended the Florida State Junior Thespian Festival. Final results found Troupe 88197 with 1 State level Critics Choice, 5 Superior medals, and 15 Excellent medals!

The Bay Area Forensics League Meet took place on Wednesday, February 6. Twenty-five Shorecrest Middle School students, under the direction and coaching of Ms. Nelson, attended to compete in their speech and dramatic skills against other schools in the Bay area. Shorecrest students earned eleven trophies, including two first place trophies to fifth graders Simone H and Lauren K.

Mrs. Caitlin McLemore is the new Middle School / Upper School Librarian and Technology Specialist at Shorecrest. She is the co-author of the book "Stretch Yourself: A Personalized Journey to Deepen Your Teaching Practice," geared toward educators interested in engaging with technology in meaningful ways within the classroom learning environment.

With Grandparents & Special Friends Day and St. Pete STEAMfest in our rearview mirrors, we can reflect on the success both of these programs have in bringing our ever-growing community together. Our Grandparents and Special Friends, along with families outside of the Shorecrest community had the unique opportunity to experience the inclusive, innovative and transformational education available to our students firsthand. Project- and inquiry-based learning, hands-on activities centered on technology, and a commitment to social responsibility are all hallmarks of a Shorecrest education. These each share something vital in common: they are all supported by The Shorecrest Annual Fund.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day is a beloved Shorecrest tradition, 35-years strong and counting. This year's event, held on January 25, brought together nearly 600 guests for food, music, drama, classroom tours and more. The next Grandparent Council event is a meeting of the Grandparent Book Club on Tuesday, April 16, at 10am in the Middle School Conference Room. The group will be discussing "The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story."

The Middle School Robotics teams, The R2D2's and The Force, returned victorious from their First LEGO League Tournament with the prizes for Robot Mechanical Design and Project Presentation. More importantly, both teams earned a ticket to the Regional competition that will be held at Hillsborough Community College in Plant City on February 26.

Congratulations to the seventh and eighth grade students moving on to the Pinellas County National History Day competition on March 1-2 at Largo High School.

In seventh grade Life Science, it is essential that students spend time physically interacting with life and nature around them. Since Florida is a treasure trove of living things, the class heads to the Native Classroom behind Shorecrest every few weeks.

Kate Fierce, LS/MS School Counselor, gave a talk focusing on stages of child development geared towards K-5 Families. Find a video of the full presentation here.

When we return to school after Spring Break 2019, our community will enjoy the benefits of our new Community-Inclusive Dining Program in the Dining Rooms in our new facility. Starting on March 18, 2019, SAGE Dining Services will offer our community their full-service, community-inclusive program, a major shift from the retail cafe-style program we use currently.

SEED, The Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity Project on Inclusive Curriculum, will meet on April 18, 2019, 7-8:30pm in the Media Center/Library Classroom. A light dinner will be served. If you are interested in participating in any of this year’s Parent/Guardian SEED group introductory sessions, please complete this form to indicate your interest. *The meeting scheduled for February 7 has been canceled. 

The National Geographic GeoBee was held in the Janet Root Theatre on January 17. The top two geographers from grades 4-8 competed on stage, plus last year's winner. The Shorecrest Champion was seventh grader Nicolas H. For the last three years he won at Shorecrest and also qualified to compete at the state level.

The Upper School Spanish Club is collecting used textbooks to sell online. Profits will be donated to a children’s village in Los Mina, Dominican Republic, through SOS Children’s Villages.

The Middle School girls soccer team ended their season this week with a 4-0 win over Out of Door Academy. 

On Friday, January 11, a historic philanthropic evening for Shorecrest Preparatory School took place at Sea Salt in downtown St. Petersburg, FL. In one night, an event hosted by several Shorecrest families called “30 for 30” raised $1.2 million for the school’s Transform Campaign. Transform is the final puzzle piece to the Shorecrest campus: creating more than 60,000 square feet of new facilities and reimagining the lower campus to align with Shorecrest’s 2020 Vision & Strategic Plan.

Since the tragic loss of the Weiss family - Mitchell, Leslie, Hannah '16 and Ari '20 - last year, several families, with the support of Headmaster Mike Murphy, have worked to determine how best to honor the Weiss Family on the Shorecrest campus. After a year of careful thought and reflection, the group is proud to share with the community plans for the Weiss Family Stage.

Northeast Little League invites you to PLAY BALL! Registration is open at: www.NortheastLL.com.
Standard Registration ends: January 28. Late Registration ends: February 17.
All players who register will be placed on a team. Tryouts are held so players are assigned to the correct division.

La galette des rois (King Cake) is a French tradition that is centered around a special pastry that is eaten in France on and around January 6. A prize (such as a bean, coin, trinket or figurine) is hidden inside it. Whoever finds it becomes the king for the day! Middle School Chargers shared King Cakes in French class with two prizes per class for two bossy kings! They also made some fun paper crowns to wear. The prizes were travel-related charms to motivate students to explore and use French abroad.