Deaf Middle School -

Our April Character Education focus is Mentorship. Throughout the month, our girls are learning what it means to be a good mentor and the many benefits of having one. They are exploring the importance of seeking guidance from individuals with greater experience when facing challenges. Students are also gaining an understanding that mentors can come in many forms—including staff members, older students, and even peers.

Our 6th and 7th-grade girls have recently been concentrating on nutrition as part of their Independent Living Skills instruction. They learned about the food pyramid and participated in a hands-on activity where they categorized foods using pictures from grocery store flyers. Emphasis was placed on the importance of healthy eating habits, while also recognizing that enjoying an occasional treat is perfectly okay.

Congratulations to Hufflepuff House for winning the third quarter! The group celebrated with a dinner outing at Sonny’s BBQ and was joined by several members of Slytherin who were unable to attend their second-quarter trip due to a scheduling conflict.

Our 7th-grade students participated in a meaningful community service project by creating Easter baskets for our blind and deaf elementary students. They filled plastic strawberry baskets with Easter grass and eggs, putting great care into each one. The experience was both fun and rewarding, and their efforts brought big smiles to our younger students’ faces.

Additionally, a group of students had an exciting opportunity to watch the historic Artemis II launch from our campus waterfront. They began by viewing ignition and liftoff online, then watched as the rocket soared through the evening sky on its journey to the moon.

As the school year winds down, we are starting to clean out the dorms in preparation for summer break. Please encourage your child to bring only what she will need for the week to help minimize excess items. If your child has room décor, nightlights, or other fragile belongings, we kindly ask that you send a collapsible cardboard box to help ensure safe, organized packing.

McLane Hall News

The last week of March and the first few weeks of April have been active and productive here in McLane Hall. The boys settled back into their routines after Spring Break and brought a lot of positive energy into the dorm. With the warmer weather, they’ve been going outside every day, which has been great for their social interactions, teamwork, and overall well‑being.

Over these past couple of weeks, the boys have done a solid job staying on top of homework, chores, and their evening routines. Staff have seen strong engagement during recreation time, both indoors and outdoors. Basketball, football, and outdoor group games are now part of our daily rhythm, and the boys have really enjoyed being active together.

Inside the dorm, students continued working through our life‑skills curriculum. Recent lessons included cooking and baking, laundry routines, budgeting and money awareness, and practicing maturity in public settings. Many boys have shown increased initiative and independence, and staff have been proud of the progress they’re making.

For the month of April, our character focus is mentorship, and the boys have had plenty of opportunities to practice it. Every other week, our high school mentors visit McLane Hall to spend time with our middle school boys. They catch up, talk about general life topics, and discuss making smart choices. These conversations are relaxed, meaningful, and give our students a chance to hear from older peers who have been through similar experiences.

We’ve also seen great leadership within the dorm. Our 8th graders have been stepping up and modeling positive behavior for our 6th and 7th graders—showing them what it looks like to carry themselves responsibly, communicate respectfully, and be a good person overall. This peer‑to‑peer mentorship has been a strong part of our community these past few weeks.

We recently celebrated our Top Student for the 3rd Month, Evan O. Evan has worked extremely hard and continues to go above and beyond in everything he does. He has shown strong academic performance, cooperation, respectfulness, and responsibility. We are proud of his efforts and the positive example he sets for others in the dorm.

We are excited to announce our House Points winners for the 3rd quarter. These students consistently demonstrated outstanding behavior, cooperation, and responsibility:

1E Pod:

2E Pod:

2W Pod:

To celebrate, these students will enjoy a special meal at Mellow Mushroom Pizza in St. Augustine. The rest of the dorm will celebrate with pizza, popcorn, movies, and video games. We’re proud of all the boys for their hard work and positive contributions to our community.

The transition from March into April has been smooth and encouraging. The boys continue to grow in responsibility, independence, and social development, and our staff remain committed to supporting them every step of the way.

As we approach the end of the school year, we encourage students to begin taking their personal belongings home. Please also ensure that your child does not bring any additional items to the dorm at this time, including décor or other personal belongings. This helps us keep the dorm organized and makes the end‑of‑year checkout process much smoother for everyone.

As always, we truly appreciate your collaboration and partnership with the boarding program. Your support makes a meaningful difference in your child’s experience here, and we are grateful to work together to help them grow, learn, and thrive.