LS Town Crier - December 15, 2025

LOWER SCHOOL

2025-2026

Lower School Town Crier - December 15, 2025

Letter from Dr. Bianco

Dear Lower School Families,

As we approach winter break I want to wish all of you a restful and relaxing couple of weeks away from the routine of school. We all know how hard the children have worked this school year and how much they have grown; a few weeks of fun and quality time with family are in order. For those of you traveling to other states or countries, I wish you safe travels. May the New Year bring all of you the best of health, happiness, and prosperity.

Fun Dress Days:

This week, December 15-19, the students may participate in some fun dress up/down days, but they can also choose to wear their uniforms.

Monday, Dec. 15 - Wear something plaid or a festive hat or headband
Tuesday, Dec. 16 - Wear something white and blue
Wed., Dec. 17 - Light up the day with lights or a shirt that makes people smile
Thursday, Dec. 18 - Wear your favorite holiday shirt/sweater or Hawaiian shirt and sun glasses
Friday, Dec. 19 - Wear your pajamas or spirit wear

There is no Town Meeting on 12/19.

Lost and Found

It is that time of year to come on campus and collect your child's sweaters and sweatshirts. Our Lost and Found box is piling up, and we are eager to see these items returned to their owners. Please have your child look for any missing apparel and water bottles, or feel free to come in yourself and look through the box. We want to remind everyone that when a name is on the apparel, Emily happily returns the item to the student. This means the clothing currently filling the box is unfortunately without names – a great reminder to label all items! Anything not claimed by the end of this week will be donated.

A Winter Jubilee

What a spectacular Winter Concert performance! Congratulations to our chorus and our 40-plus third and fourth-grade band members. You all were incredible and the Winter Concert was delightful. Way to go, Ms. Rose and Mrs. Brier! Both of you are remarkable and we are so fortunate to have you at Shorecrest. I couldn’t be prouder.

Picking up Trash

The Student Council bought some items to help Lower School students take care of the environment. Students can choose to help pick up items that don’t belong on the playground during recess. A few third graders were cleaning up this week. What good citizens!

Patrol Breakfast

On December 16, our wonderful LS traffic patrols will be honored with a breakfast and awards. We appreciate their responsibility and leadership as they help keep our younger Chargers safe during arrival and dismissal. Patrols will come to duty as usual next Tuesday morning, they do not need to eat breakfast at home that morning.

The Human Body Project Shares

First grade did an outstanding job sharing their in-depth projects of the human body. Congratulations to all of our young researchers.

Fourth Grade Campout

Thank you fourth grade families for sending in permission slips, filling out the Pathfinder waiver, and completing payment by the December 12 deadline. We are so excited to take the children on this very special outdoor education field experience.

Note, the learning continues after the campout. The teachers plan to implement a series of classroom activities designed to reflect on students' experiences, consolidate academic learning, and share their growth with the school community, serving as a meaningful culmination of the year’s social, emotional, academic, and environmental development. This plan includes a dedicated poetry unit where students will write on themes like nature, personal growth, community, and sustainability, drawing inspiration directly from their time outdoors. Additionally, students will revisit their guided journals and sketches, applying the "What? So What? Now What?" framework to connect their campout observations, such as feelings and problem-solving, to year-long interdisciplinary concepts. In Art class, students will create visual artwork using natural elements and mixed media to represent their experience and reinforce design thinking and sustainability themes. Finally, students will share their learning and practice public speaking through gallery walks with 2nd and 3rd graders, and their final work will be displayed campus-wide to celebrate their accomplishments, ensuring the campout experience fosters a lasting, deeper understanding of self, community, and environmental stewardship.

Saying Goodbye

After a lifetime in Pinellas County, Mrs. Husenitza and her family are making a major change, relocating to Indiana to support her husband's new career opportunity. Mrs. Husenitza is a truly exceptional teacher and a cherished member of our community. Her dedication, passion, and deep commitment to her students have had a profound impact on countless Shorecrest learners. She is a hard-working, caring educator whose contributions will be greatly missed. We are incredibly grateful for the nine and a half years she devoted to Shorecrest. Please join me in wishing all the best in her new endeavors.

Financial Literacy in the Lower and Experiential Schools, by Ilaria Belloni

A special tradition: the Experiential School Winter Market

Over the last few weeks, the ES students worked diligently to create one-of-a-kind crafts to stock a market that was held last week.

Using Monopoly dollars, students deposited savings into a "bank", donated to a charity and shopped. The goal of this activity was to expose the kids to the concepts of value, responsible spending, and making choices with money, while reinforcing the hard work and effort required to create something of value.

It was a special day of creativity, decision making and commerce!

Final Thoughts…

A huge thank you to Ms. Deegan and Dr. Baralt for setting up such a fun Code with your Kid experience for our families and students.

Finally, heartfelt thank you to Stacy Conroy '00 (pictured) for organizing the Holiday Gift Drive, the many volunteers for making the magic happen, and all of you for your gift contributions. The Athletic Center was overflowing with gifts by the end of the day. I can only imagine the moment the children receive their gifts. As a school community, we made a real difference!

Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Lisa

Dr. Lisa Bianco

Head of Lower School

lbianco@shorecrest.org

727-456-7518

As a reminder as we head into Winter Break, if your family is experiencing food insecurity, please reach out to the School so that we may assist you. We have received a generous gift from a donor to provide Publix gift cards for Shorecrest families in need.

Contact Julie Meyer at jmeyer@shorecrest.org, who can provide more information. All requests will be kept confidential.

Mark Your Calendars -

Friday, December 19
Holiday Sing-along, Early Dismissal

Monday, December 22
Winter Break (through January 4)

Monday, January 5
Return to School

Friday, January 9
Raising Financially Fit Kids: A Parent Education Morning with Joline Godfrey
Shorecrest Spirit Night

Monday, January 19
MLK Day of Service (NO SCHOOL)

Thursday, February 5
Third Grade Show for LS
Fourth Grade Campout Overnight
International Festival

Friday, February 6
Third Grade Show for Families
Shorecrest Movie Night

Friday, February 13
School Closed / Professional Development for Faculty

Monday, February 16
Presidents Day (NO SCHOOL)

ALL SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS

2026-2027 General Calendar Published

The general calendar for the 2026-2027 school year is now published:

2026-2027 General Calendar

RSVP Your Attendance

Raising Financially Fit Kids: A Parent Education Morning with Joline Godfrey

Presented by Hancock Whitney Bank

Friday, January 9, 2026

9am | Ohana Room

Shorecrest is pleased to welcome Joline Godfrey, a nationally recognized leader in family financial education, for a special parent education session on Friday, January 9, 2026 at 9am, immediately following Lower School Town Meeting. A part of RRI programming, the January session is tailored specifically for parents of Experiential and Lower School students.

For more than 30 years, Joline Godfrey has helped families raise financially confident children through a developmental, age-appropriate approach to teaching money skills. She is the creator of the “financial apprenticeship” framework, which gives parents practical tools to guide children in building responsibility, independence, and healthy decision-making from an early age.

Godfrey is the founder of An Income of Her Own, the nation’s first nonprofit dedicated to financial education for girls and women, and Independent Means, which brought financial education to families across the country. She is also the author of "Raising Financially Fit Kids," a widely respected resource for parents.

A trained clinical social worker, Godfrey brings a thoughtful, family-centered lens to her work. She has spoken to educators, families, and leaders around the world, and her insights have been featured by The New York Times, “Oprah,” and “The Today Show.”

This session will explore how everyday moments—allowances, choices, and conversations—can become powerful opportunities to build confidence and positive financial habits early. Additional details are forthcoming.

Come in with questions, leave with actions and activities to prepare your kids for their financial future.

Inspire the Next Generation at Shorecrest Career Day!

We invite current Shorecrest families, alumni, and valued community friends to share their professional journey as a presenter at Shorecrest Career Day. This is a wonderful opportunity to provide in-person (and virtual) mentorship to our Upper School students by hosting a 45- minute breakout session on your career path, industry insights and universal skills (like work ethic and tenacity) that lead to success.

Career Day is on Monday, April 13, from 8:30 - 3:30pm at Shorecrest

If you are interested in inspiring students and sharing your experience, please express your interest by completing a Speaker Interest Form.

Financial Aid for the 2026-2027 School Year - APPLY NOW

The Financial Aid portal for the 2026-2027 school year is now open. Past recipients who wish to continue receiving financial aid must reapply annually. All families interested in receiving financial aid must submit an application through FACTS, the external tool used by Shorecrest and many independent schools to determine need.

The application fee is $45 and supporting documentation is required including past year's W2s and tax returns. The application also includes a place to share your family's extenuating circumstances confidentially with the Financial Aid Committee. The deadline to apply for aid for the 2026-2027 school year is January 31, 2026.

Apply Now for 2026-2027 Financial Aid

New Student Applications to Shorecrest

Families who have students they wish to send to Shorecrest for the 2026-2027 school year who are not currently enrolled (e.g. younger siblings) now is the time to apply. The application deadline is February 1, in order to be considered for the first round of admissions decisions.

The re-enrollment process for students who are currently enrolled to commit to returning for the 2026-2027 school year is in February.

Apply Now

Re-enrollment for Current Students

Re-enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year at Shorecrest will take place February 2-16, 2026. This is the time during which currently enrolled families with students who are eligible to return for the 2026-2027 school year are asked to complete their re-enrollment contracts and pay a non-refundable tuition deposit. This deposit and contract hold your child’s seat for the 2026-2027 school year.

Re-enrollment is completed through the FACTS Family Portal. New this year, re-enrollment packets will be assigned by family (not by student), meaning that families with multiple children re-enrolling at Shorecrest will have fewer steps to complete the re-enrollment process.

Volunteers Needed

Shorecrest volunteer needs can also be found by clicking Volunteer Info on the menu here, or on the Shorecrest Parent App.

Volunteer Needs

COMMUNITY EVENTS

I.C. Coffee Meetup

Parents / Guardians are invited to a casual coffee meetup after drop off on Wednesday, December 17 at Bandit Coffee, 2662 Central Ave, St. Pete

Grandparents & Special Friends Holiday Craft Time

Thursday, December 18, 3-4:30pm

Enjoy an afternoon with your grandchild(ren) filled with holiday cheer -- and a craft that you can create together! All supplies will be provided by SCA. Limited to 20 students and their Grandparent or Special Friend.

RSVP Required

Spirit Night 2026

Mark your calendar for Shorecrest Spirit Night at Chargers Basketball - Friday, January 9, 2026.

A night of community building and cheering on the Chargers with giveaways, food trucks and photos with Sparky the Lightning Bolt as we kick off the new year.

Festivities begin at 4:30pm
Girls Varsity Soccer starts at 5pm
Girls Varsity Basketball starts at 6pm
Halftime Competition during the basketball game sponsored by SPOCS Orthodontics starts around 6:45pm.

Charger Chat

Friday, January 16

A monthly series of casual chats with Head of School Nancy Spencer. After Lower School Town Meeting (roughly 8:30am) in the Raymund Center.

All-School Calendar

View All Events on the Shorecrest Website

2025-2026 General Calendar

2026-2027 General Calendar

The School Store

Celebrate the holiday season with merch from The School Store. We have ornaments, stuffies, footballs, ties — and of course our usual selection of tees, hoodies and more!

Extended Holiday Store Hours:

December 15-18: 8:30am-4:30pm

December 19: 8:30am-1pm

Holiday Raffle:

December: 8-18, one entry per shopper per day. Prizes include 10 Shorecrest Store $10 gift cards! Winners will be announced December 18 at 11:30am and shared via Shorecrest social media.