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Sand Pine Elementary in the News

June 14, 2010 Tampa Tribune

Sand Pine principal bids adieu to education career
WESLEY CHAPEL - The only principal Sand Pine Elementary has ever had spent her last day with students Wednesday, giving out awards, eating going-away cake and reminiscing about her 40 years in education as she heads into retirement. more>>

May 21, 2010 Tampa Tribune

Lopez classBeatrice's Goat and Sand Pine Elementary School
Students in teacher Susan Lopez's class at Sand Pine Elementary were inspired to raise money to buy a goat for a family in Haiti after they read a story called "Beatrice's Goat." It's a true story about a girl in Uganda who's family received a goat from Heifer International. Because of selling the milk from the goat, Beatrice finally was able to afford to go to school. The family sold one of the baby goats and built a new house. more>>

May 2, 2010 Tampa Tribune

Sand Pine juicing up tech fund
WESLEY CHAPEL - The all-out effort to recycle juice pouches at Sand Pine Elementary started a year ago after second-grade teacher Holly Carter noticed an advertisement on a Capri Sun box. A company called TerraCycle pays 2 cents for every pouch sent in. Carter wasn't sure how much juice Sand Pine students drank, but she was about to find out. more>>

October 11, 2009 Tampa Tribune

School brings dads to table
Lunchtime had arrived at Sand Pine Elementary and James Rebel was right there in the cafeteria line, grabbing a tray just like his three children. The school, which serves 710 students, was holding its annual Dads' Day Lunch and Rebel, the father of 9-year-old triplets Jimmy, Justine and Julia, didn't want to miss it. "It's just quality time with the kids," Rebel said. "If you don't get involved, they don't think you care." more>>

August 24, 2009 St. Pete Times

Sand Pine Elementary media center shows library has gone far beyond books
The Florida Association for Media in Education has recognized the media center at Sand Pine Elementary in Wesley Chapel as one of 26 to meet its highest standards. Media specialist Belinda Pope spoke with the Times about the award and the changing role of what the school system used to call libraries. more>>

August 18, 2009 St. Pete Times

Pasco County teachers head back to school to prepare their classrooms
The teachers get a week in their classrooms before the kids arrive. They planned to use the time to decorate, confer with their teams of teachers about each student and review the latest set of rules, policies and laws that govern their business. "This is an opportunity to get ready, so that you feel when they walk in on that first day, 'I'm ready to go,' " said Gail Ruddy, a fourth-grade teacher at Sand Pine Elementary. "If they (students) were here, you couldn't do that." more>>