Narcoossee, FL News » Education

Special Needs Conference January 28-30, 2011 in Harmony

harmonyinst — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:04:28 +0000

On Friday, January 28^th the Afterburners, a group of former fighter pilots well known for their engaging corporate trainings, will kick-off the Harmony Institute’s 2^nd Annual Children on a Seesaw Conference and Competition. The Institute, in partnership with the Osceola County School District and the Florida Institute of Technology is presenting this weekend conference to promote scientific interest in young people and provide educators and other professionals with critical information on today’s educational and behavioral topics as related to children with special needs.

The keynote presentation will take place at the Harmony High School auditorium immediately following the Osceola County School District’s SMACK-down competition. The Florida Institute of Technology will present the top four high school competition winners with four-year scholarships. At 8:30p.m., Derek Demeter, director of the Seminole State College of Florida Planetarium, will conduct a one-hour workshop in the Harmony Town Square introducing children to astronomy.

Saturday is filled with valuable workshops and a forum led by industry experts. Workshops include Autism Spectrum Disorders: Knowing How to Help led by experts from the Scott Center for Autism Treatment at FIT and The Humane Brain: Tapping the Sources of Empathy led by Dr. Randall Lockwood of the ASPCA. The forum “Balancing High Pressure with Special Needs in Young Lives” will be led by workshop leaders, the executive director of Nemours BrightStart! Dyslexia Initiative and luncheon keynote speaker Dr. Daniel Kindlon a clinical and research psychologist at Harvard University. Panelists will focus on the particular pressure of children with special needs-including autism and related disorders, attention deficit disorder and dyslexia

Teachers from Osceola and Brevard Counties are eligible for continuing education units (CEU’s). CEU’s may be available through other counties. Teachers should check with their staff development office for details. The Osceola County School District’s ESE department will pay the registration fee for the first 100 ESE teachers that register. Please contact the ESE Department at (407)343-8725.

On Saturday from 4-7 p.m. conference attendees can participate in a BBQ & Dance Marathon at the Institute’s Spirit Farm. On Sunday, a number of nature-oriented activities such as canoeing, nature photography tours and discounted golf are available for additional fees. Please see the Harmony Institute website www.harmonyinstitute.org for complete details.

Registration fee of $40 ($30 if registration and payment are received by December 24) includes the Afterburners presentation, all workshops and Saturday luncheon, two $250 raffle drawings, and the BBQ and Dance Marathon. For those wishing to attend only the Afterburners presentation, tickets are $10. Discount accommodations at local area hotels and discount tickets at local area attractions have been secured for those staying overnight in Osceola County. For detailed information and to register for the conference, please contact Stephanie Carey at (407)957-0207 and/or visit the website at www.harmonyinstitute.org.

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Children of Deployed Military Dad Receive Summer Camp Scholarship

harmonyinst — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:47:29 +0000

Patrick and Ryan at Spirit Farm Summer Camp in Harmony

Harmony, Fla. (August 11, 2010) – Two brothers, whose dad was deployed in late July to Afghanistan, are enjoying a fun summer because of the generosity of a local investment firm. Winter Park based Gardnyr Michael Capital, Inc. funded scholarships so the boys could attend the Spirit Farm Summer Day Camp run by the Harmony Institute in Osceola County.

“Gardnyr Michael Capital is pleased to have had the ability to fund scholarships for these kids,” said Jim Pietkiewicz, EVP of Gardnyr Michael Capital, Inc. “The Harmony Institute programs have always been something our firm has supported and this is a terrific opportunity to support both the Institute and our military families. It’s an honor and privilege to be a part of this.”

The scholarship recipients, Ryan and Patrick are enjoying their camp experience at Spirit Farm where they are participating in daily activities such as horseback riding, painting and crafts, archery and lassoing, bull riding, animal tracking and hiking and much more. “We are extremely thankful to the Harmony Institute and Gardnyr Michael Capital for making this opportunity available to our boys,” said mom Margaret. “It really helped take their mind off their Dad’s departure and came at the perfect time.” Shannon, who is in the US Army was deployed for 400 days and left for Afghanistan the same week the boys started camp.

The Harmony Institute two-week Summer Day camp was designed to provide children with a unique outdoor experience that focuses on Florida’s rich heritage. In addition to horseback riding, archery, roping and bull riding, campers garden, learn to care for farm animals, practice sports, and relax in “Red’s Saloon” and the authentic Indian tipis. Computers and video games are not available, as the goal is to expose children to the natural world, helping them to develop an appreciation for Osceola County history and heritage while developing environmental awareness, cultivating a respect for diversity; enhancing teamwork skills; increasing physical activity; learning healthy habits; deepening an interest in science, the arts, and language; and, of course, doing all this while having fun!

For information regarding camp and other program opportunities at Spirit Farm, including a tour, please contact Penny Young-Carrasquillo, program manager at 407-957-0207 or pyoung@harmonyinstitute.org. Visit the Harmony Institute website at www.harmonyinstitute.org for more information.

About The Harmony Institute
The Harmony Institute is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the health and education benefits of living within natural environments. For more information, visit www.harmonyinstitute.org.

Outdoor Learning Center at Spirit Farm in Harmony to Open this Fall

harmonyinst — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 19:08:13 +0000

Nearly 100 business owners and friends of the Harmony Institute and their families got together at the Institute’s Spirit Farm on June 26 for an old-fashioned Osceola County barbeque to support the development of an Outdoor Learning Center at the farm. Guests enjoyed great food prepared by Kissimmee caterer BarberQ, along with farm tours, children’s activities, and even a hayride.
The Outdoor Learning Center is slated to open at the farm this fall, and will serve over 2000 second and sixth grade county students during each academic year. The Center will also provide special half-day programming (general farm experience, naturalist experience, or cowpoke experience) for groups of children of all ages by appointment. The purpose of the Center is to fulfill the Harmony Institute’s mission of promoting human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals and the environment. All informal outdoor education experiences will have a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) focus using nature as a classroom and animals as teachers’ aides.
Event host committee co-chairs Pete Pace of Clancy and Theys Construction Company and John McKay, Osceola County Board Chairman (District 5) played instrumental roles in bringing so many people out to Spirit Farm. The co-chairs, along with host committee members Kip Bonar, President & CEO of Ranger Companies; Dr. Michael Grego, Superintendent of the Osceola County School District; Rick Wesley, President/CEO of REW Landscape Corp.; and Don Wetherington, Owner/Founder of Wetherington Builders, called on their friends and colleagues to help the Harmony Institute by offering vision, ideas and assistance in terms of materials and labor to create a fully functioning Outdoor Learning Center.
The Center’s foundation has already taken hold with generous donations from front-runners who contributed time, effort and materials: Clancy and Theys provided critical ground preparation for the two 40’ x 24’ portable classrooms at the farm, while REW Landscape Corporation provided an aesthetically pleasing entrance to the classrooms with a donation of lush sod. The Bass Road Resource Recovery Site (Osceola Co. Solid Waste) donated several truckloads of composted garden soil, and Misty Blue Acres Carriage Company donated “organic fertilizer.” Plan-It Earth Solutions, which collects and recycles used cooking oil for fuel, donated two water tanks in addition to a barrel that is being used during the Institute’s summer camp to teach children bull riding. Utility poles given to the Institute by KUA provided the structure for the bull riding equipment. A big hit at the barbeque and during the Institute’s summer camp has been “Red’s Saloon,” an “old west” saloon designed and constructed by Distinctive Homes, Inc. where the kids hitched up the mini horses and went inside to refresh themselves with a root beer float. Pro-Build assisted with a donation of $500 of construction materials.
Although the Outdoor Learning Center is off to a good start thanks to the dedicated work of co-chairs Pete Pace and John McKay and our host committee, there is quite a bit of work to do to be ready for students this fall. Barbeque guests signed up to assist with projects such as plumbing and fencing. Still, there is a need for a covered wooden walkway and ramp between the classrooms, electricity to the classrooms, a septic tank, outdoor furniture, other walkways, and several other items and projects.

To learn how you can assist with the development of the Outdoor Learning Center and the work of the Harmony Institute, please call 407-957-0207. All donors will be permanently acknowledged on a sign at The Outdoor Learning Center for helping to launch an innovative and vital learning atmosphere for our children.
Further information about the Harmony Institute and its programs can be found at the Institute website at www.harmonyinstitute.org and the organization’s Facebook page at www.facebook/TheHarmonyInstitute.com.
The Harmony Institute’s Spirit Farm is located behind Harmony High School, and boasts large vegetable gardens, miniature horses and donkeys, goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Spirit Farm is also home to Touchdown, the longhorn mascot of Harmony High School, and Victory, the shorthorn mascot of the Harmony Community School.
The Harmony institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote human health and well-being through the interaction of people, animals and the environment.

Narcoossee Community School enhances music education with strings programs

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:47:11 +0000

The Osceola County School District is in the beginning stages of developing a sequential and comprehensive strings program as part of the quality music education offered to students.
Source: Around Osceola

In the past, strings programs were offered in isolated situations at certain schools. The district is taking steps to begin to develop programs in feeder patterns so that students interested in strings can begin instruction in the fourth grade and continue to play in orchestra through 12th grade. The Osceola County School Board has invested in stringed instruments to grow this program from the bottom up.
During the 2009-10 school year, the following elementary schools will be equipped with strings instruments: Boggy Creek, Cypress, Sunrise, Thacker Avenue and Ventura elementary schools. Expansion of existing programs have already begun at Neptune and Parkway middle schools and the Osceola County School for the Arts by providing significant repair money to get all existing instruments in working condition, as well as to provide basic instruments to the schools.

Lake Nona High School – Message from Principal, Rob Anderson

admin — Wed, 20 May 2009 03:47:26 +0000

Our student population is beginning to take shape as we move closer to the opening of Lake Nona High School and Odyssey Relief Middle School. We have registered close to 1,300 students so far for next year and have been busy this past month visiting our feeder schools and meeting with our future students. They are an impressive group and I cannot wait to have them on campus. If you have a student that will be attending either Lake Nona High School or Odyssey Relief Middle School and have not yet registered them for next year, please contact our lead guidance counselor, Ms. Shirley Kennedy, at (407) 317-3700 x5299. It is important that all students are registered as soon as possible so we are able to enroll them in the proper courses. For a complete list of our courses and academic programs, please visit the Academics & Curriculum section of the website.

Construction is almost complete and our school looks amazing! We anticipate the building will be ready on June 15th. That will give us plenty of time to move in the furniture and equipment during the summer months so we will be ready for students on August 24th. Once the building is turned over to us, we will be planning several events so that parents, students and community members can get an opportunity to meet us and view the facilities. These events will be advertised via our website. I encourage all community members to check our website often to stay informed on what is happening at both Lake Nona High School and Odyssey Relief Middle School.

We are very excited to be a part of the Lake Nona community and look forward to providing a world class education for all of our students. Go LIONS!!!