Spring into STEAM at The Soar Lab!

Looking for something fun and educational to do during Spring Break? The Soar Lab will be OPEN the week of March 16th through 20th while schools are closed, offering hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity and creativity.

Young learners can explore a variety of exciting themes throughout the week, including science, art, space, math, drama, and technology—all through interactive play and discovery.

Best of all, The Soar Lab is free for most families with children from infants through third grade.

Tuesday, March 17 - 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. (Mad Scientist)
Wednesday, March 18 - 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (Art-a-Palooza)
Thursday, March 19 - 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. (Space)
Friday, March 20 - 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (Math Mania)
Saturday, March 21 - 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. (Drama & Technology-Coding)

📍 6423 9th Street East, Bradenton

Visit www.soarin4.org for more information.

Bring your little explorers and let them learn, create, and imagine at The Soar Lab this Spring Break!
22 days ago, School District of Manatee County
Schedule for The Soar Lab during the Week of March 17th
Throughout our kindergarten program, we aim to build six key skills in our students, setting them up for success on the rest of their educational journey:

⭐ Resilience
⭐ Integrity
⭐ Critical Thinking
⭐ Communication
⭐ Awareness
⭐ Adaptability

Enroll your child in Manatee County kindergarten and give them the strong start they deserve!

Get started at https://www.manateeschools.net/o/sdmc/page/registration.
25 days ago, School District of Manatee County
A graphic that says "Enroll in Kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year!"

Young performers, music educators, and families from approximately 30 schools came together on February 26, 2026, at Braden River High School for the All County Elementary Music Festival.

Manatee Schools Television was there for the rehearsals held at Johnson K-8: https://vimeo.com/1168251040/b4292df969

Watch the entire 2026 All County Elementary Music Festival at this link: https://vimeo.com/1168251040

26 days ago, School District of Manatee County
School District of Manatee County logo with "All County Elementary Music Festival 2026" in white letters.

Looking for something meaningful and fun to do with your children, ages infant through third grade, this week?

The Soar in 4 Soar Lab is more than a place to visit. It’s a place where families learn how to play together.

Through hands-on activities, interactive learning stations, and guided exploration, parents and caregivers discover simple ways to spark curiosity, build confidence, and turn everyday moments into powerful learning experiences.

Come explore! Create. Laugh. Learn.
Visit www.soarin4.org to plan your experience.

6423 9th Street East, Bradenton 34203

Free for most families.

This week's schedule:

Tuesday, March 3rd - Open 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Musical Motion, Artist Spotlight, Ms. Luanne's Front Porch)

Wednesday, March 4th - Open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Nursery Rhyme Scavenger Hunt, Artist Spotlight)

Thursday, March 5th - Open 3 p.m.-7 p.m. (Nature Detectives, 3D Printing)

Friday, March 6th - Open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Storytime, Bubbles & Trikes, Little Explorers)

Saturday, March 7th - Open 9 a.m.-1 p.m. (Mighty Machines & Special Guest: Teacher Author Kelly Kolomiychenko with Slime @ 11 a.m.)

about 1 month ago, School District of Manatee County
Two young kids wearing masks play in a puppet theater.

The Florida Department of Education released the Florida Value Added Model (VAM) Fiscal Transparency Tool, a web-based fiscal transparency tool that identifies public schools and districts with high academic achievement based on the ratio of classroom expenditures to total expenditures. VAM is intended to help taxpayers evaluate the financial efficiency of a school district with other similarly situated school districts. View the VAM for the School District of Manatee County at https://floridavam.org/e/vamPublic.html?w4=54#/entity/262385.

2 months ago, School District of Manatee County
Drumroll, please! 🥁 The results are in for the 2025 Manatee County School Bus Rodeo, and the winning team is The Roadrunnerz (Beep Beep)! Led by longtime route supervisor Gina Miller, who has dedicated 26 years of service to transportation, this team proved that even our newest drivers can rise to the challenge. The four drivers who skillfully navigated the challenging obstacle course on Wednesday are all fairly new to our district: 🚌 Edinson and Nicholas – both joined in August 🚌 Don – celebrating one year of service 🚌 Zeke – proudly driving for five years on and off All the participating teams were celebrated by Director Jamie Warrington and Asst. Director Melanie Johnson. We’ve tagged the schools whose routes they drive — please join us in congratulating them and sharing this #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews! 🎉👏
5 months ago, School District of Manatee County
school bus drivers smile in the bus yard wearing purple shirts

“How Tall Are You... in Spoons?” 📏🖐️🥄

The Soar Lab is growing, and so are our students!

It's the perfect place for families with infants and kids through third grade. Admission is free for qualifying families.

Stop by during our NEW extended hours to see just how tall you are (measured in spoons, hands, or blocks).

Soar Lab Hours:

Tuesday: 3 – 7 PM
Wednesday: 9 AM – 1 PM
Thursday: 3 – 7 PM
Friday: 9 AM – 1 PM
Saturday: 9 AM – 1 PM

📍 6413 9th Street East, Bradenton
🔗 https://www.soarin4.org/soar-lab

Come for the measurements. Stay for the momentum. #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews

6 months ago, School District of Manatee County
An interactive wall for children to measure their height
HELLO 👋 Start with Hello Week kicked off today with the SAVE Club at Gene Witt Elementary School with students spreading kindness across campus. SAVE stands for Students Against Violence Everywhere. It’s a youth‑leadership initiative of Sandy Hook Promise, a national organization working to prevent violence in schools and communities. A simple hello can change someone’s day — you can change people’s lives with one small act of kindness. #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews
7 months ago, School District of Manatee County
students holding posters are celebrating start with hello week at Witt Elementary
A group of student leaders holding signs with words of encouragement during start with hello week
A student holding a sign that says hello to greet fellow students
A young girl with black Converse sneakers holds a sign with a rainbow on it that says the word friendship
Students with signs stand on the sidewalk at school, waiting for peers to arrive and to say hello
Students gathered while holding posters with encouraging words, such as hello and friendship
We have EXCITING news to share! Out of more than 37,000 nominations, a handful of teachers nationwide were awarded $5,000 for classroom supplies by iHeartRadio (powered by DonorsChoose) - including one of ours.
Congratulations to the amazing Catherine Burke, fifth grade math and science teacher, from Gene Witt Elementary School 🎉

A parent nominated Mrs. Burke saying: "Catherine is amazing. She is always willing to help anyone and teaches students at their pace to ensure they understand the lesson. She volunteers to tutor students after school who need additional help - free of charge. She also attends the monthly School Advisory Council and PTO meetings to stay involved and provide her opinion from the teacher point of view." #ManateeSchoolsGoodNews
7 months ago, School District of Manatee County
A selfie of a teacher in a frame which reads, "Thank A Teacher 2025"
Teachers and staff at Gene Witt Elementary School are kicking off the new school year with team spirit and a champion mindset! Inspired by The Infinite Game, this year’s goal is all about playing with purpose, lifting each other up, and building a future that lasts — both in the classroom and beyond. As you can see by their creative photo decor, staff is already bringing the energy, the laughs, and the message loud and clear: 👉 We’re here to BUILD CHAMPIONS — together. Let’s go, Witt Family! #GoodNewsBackToSchool #DiscoverExcellenceSDMC
8 months ago, School District of Manatee County
Teachers superimposed their faces on students holding hands
Teacher standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a brick wall
teachers wearing hockey jerseys pretending to be players
Teachers superimpose their faces professional athletes
Teachers pretending to be football players
teachers dresses, hockey players in the pile of hockey sticks in front of them
Teachers super imposed their faces on professional athletes
A Photoshop image of teachers playing football
Security Screening at Secondary Schools – Beginning Monday, August 11, 2025, all students and visitors at district middle and high schools will be screened each school day using a high-tech security scanner system. For more information on this enhanced security screening procedure, visit https://www.manateeschools.net/securityscreening.
10 months ago, School District of Manatee County
School Board Seeks Civic-Minded Citizens to Join Audit Committee – The School Board of Manatee County is seeking civic-minded citizens to serve as members of the Audit Committee. The Committee, which meets six times a year, recommends the appointment of the internal and external auditors; reviews the scope, plan and reports of the internal and external auditors; and assists in maintaining open communications between the selected auditors, the School Board and the District’s financial management. The Committee also reviews the collection and proper use of the funds raised through the one-half cent sales surtax for school capital outlay expenditures. Membership on the Committee requires an average of five-to-eight hours per month, with meetings scheduled every other month for three hours. The term is approximately three years. Those interested in serving must: • Live in Manatee County. • Be a CPA (active or retired) or had employment experience in school district financial operations. • Submit a letter expressing interest, provide contact information and provide a brief summary of their work experience. Responses must be sent to the Manatee County School District, Attention: School Board Agency Clerk, P.O. Box 9069, Bradenton, Florida 34206-9069. Interested individuals may obtain additional information about the Committee by emailing the School Board Agency Administrative Associate at cox3l@manateeschools.net.
10 months ago, School District of Manatee County
Family Empowerment Scholarship – Parents interested in applying for either FES-EO or FES-UA may review the eligibility requirements and application instructions at https://www.manateeschools.net/FES.
10 months ago, School District of Manatee County