Treasure Coast Educational Events Calendar

Take a paddle on the wild side! Tour the Savannas Preserve State Park by water with experienced kayak guides at your side. Cost is $10 per person donation to the Friends of Savannas, plus the state park admission fee ($2 a person, or $3 for a vehicle with up to 8 people). All equipment is included with your donation. Tours start at 8 am. Minimum age for participation is 6 years old. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED by calling the Savannas Preserve State Park Education Center at 772-398-2779. The Savannas is located at 2541 SE Walton Road, Port St Lucie.

The Friends of Savannas Preserve State Park will host a free event for local veterans on Sunday, March 24, 2019 from 8:00 am to 12 pm. Warriors on the Water is a special event designed to connect veterans with the serenity and wonder of Florida's natural systems. Participants will have the opportunity to enjoy guided interpretive walks through the pine flatwoods, take a guided kayak trip through the pristine Savannas basin marsh, tour the park by hayride, and visit the Savannas Education Center. Participants may also peruse display tables hosted by local businesses, and enjoy a free lunch sponsored by the Friends of Savannas Preserve State Park and park volunteers.
Veterans interested in participating in Warriors on the Water should call the Savannas Education Center at 772-398-2779. Space is limited and reservations are required. Each veteran is permitted to bring one guest. Reservists, National Guardsmen and Active Duty Military Personnel are also invited to participate. Check-in and Welcoming Ceremony will take place promptly at 8:00 a.m. at the Savannas Education Center located at 2541 SE Walton Road in Port St. Lucie.

Join us, beachside, at Waldo's! Stop by our booth to learn about Save the Chimps. Original art by our chimpanzee residents will be available for sale.

St. Lucie County’s Environmental Resources Department (ERD) is proud to announce our newest citizen engagement opportunity. Do you have a favorite county preserve? Or happen to live close to one? Then, this your chance to show these sites some love and become a Preserve Pal by “adopting” one or more of the preserves. By pairing St. Lucie County preserves with people, ERD’s goal is to foster environmentally confident residents and help protect, restore and, in return, receive much-needed help managing our preserves.

To learn more about this exciting and meaningful volunteer program, join St. Lucie County’s ERD staff on Sunday, March 24 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Donald B. Moore Heritage Preserve (formerly known as the St. Lucie Village Heritage Park) located at 305 Torpey Road in Fort Pierce, nestled beside the beautiful Indian River Lagoon. During this interactive hike, participants will learn about ERD’s “Preserve Pal Program” and how it invites local residents, neighborhoods, schools and homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to take stewardship of the natural areas that surround them.

This free program is appropriate for ages 8 and older. For more information and to find the link for registration, please visit www.slchikes.org, call 772-462-2536 or email slchikes@stlucieco.org.

Purchased through a voter-approved bond referendum, St. Lucie County manages Donald B. Moore Heritage Preserve and more than two dozen other preserves that are open to the public for passive recreation. For more information about St. Lucie County’s Environmentally Significant Lands visit www.stlucieco.gov/erd. For a list of all St. Lucie County parks and preserves visit the interactive map at http://gis.stlucieco.gov/parkspreserves.

Google has become both a noun and a verb and the Port St. Lucie Branch Library’s Technology Training sessions will cover the basics in a four-part series starting March 26.
Held on Tuesdays at 3 p.m., reservations are not required, but arrive early as these free classes are limited to the nine laptops available.

March 26 - Web Browser/Google Search Basics. This class will cover how to use a web browser and to navigate the internet. We will go over how to complete basic Google searches including address searches, website searches and image searches.

April 2 - Gmail Basics: We will help you sign up for a free Gmail email account and then learn how to read, compose and reply to emails. All the basic email functions will be covered.

April 16 - Google Drive Basics: Join us for an introduction to the “Cloud” - where we will go over how to save and retrieve files using Google Drive.
April 23 - Google Docs Basics: In this class, you will learn all of the basic functions of Google Docs, Google’s word processing program.

Part of the St. Lucie County Library System, the Port St. Lucie Branch Library is located 180 Prima Vista Blvd. For additional information contact the Port St. Lucie library staff at 772-871-5450; email russellj@stlucieco.org or visit: www.stlucieco.gov/library.

The Susan Broom Kilmer Branch will host another 10-week English Conversation Class program on Tuesdays from 5-6:30 p.m., starting March 26.
Facilitated by volunteers from Learn to Read of St. Lucie County, these classes will allow participants to practice speaking English in an informal and supportive group and learn a new vocabulary. A basic knowledge of the English language is recommended for these free classes.
Space is limited to 10 participants. For details call Learn to Read at 772-464-2747.
The Kilmer Branch of the St. Lucie County Library System is located at 101 Melody Lane. For additional information about library events visit: www.stlucieco.gov/library.

The Zora Neale Hurston Branch Library will host a 12-week English Conversation Class program on Tuesdays from 5-6:30 p.m., starting Jan. 8.
Facilitated by volunteers from Learn to Read of St. Lucie County, these classes will allow participants to practice speaking English in an informal and supportive group and learn a new vocabulary. A basic knowledge of the English language is recommended for these free classes.
Space is limited to 10 participants. For details call Learn to Read at 772-464-2747.

For details on all St. Lucie County Library events, please visit: www.stlucieco.gov/library.

Get focused on photography with a free six-week Digital Photography Workshop taking place at the Paula Lewis Branch Library on Wednesdays, from 9 – 11 a.m. March 13 through April 17.
This six-week informative course will cover topics such as getting to know your digital camera, photo composition, photo settings, your user guide and photo software. Bring your digital cameras. Reservations are not required, but arrive early as space is limited.
These workshops will be led by Peter Freeman, who has years of instructional experience and served as the Volunteer Manager of the Computer Learning Center at Calendar House - a community resource for seniors in Southington, CT.
The Paula A. Lewis Library is located at 2950 SW Rosser Blvd. in Port St. Lucie. For additional information about library events visit: www.stlucieco.gov/library or call 772-871-5470.

The Harbor Branch Immersion Tour
Wednesdays from 10:30am to 12:00pm
FAU Harbor Branch welcomes you to go behind the scenes with one of our outreach scientists to gain a greater understanding of the significant research conducted by the institute. The 1.5 hour tour starts at our Ocean Discovery Visitors Center, located west and upland from our main gate on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, an ancient beach sand dune. The group will work their way down by tram towards the campus past several marine research labs located along the Indian River Lagoon. During this tour, visitors will hear highlights of the cutting-edge research being conducted by FAU Harbor Branch marine scientists and engineers and learn about the positive impact their work has on the community, the environment and everyday life. The experience will also include a photo-op in front of the iconic JSL II deep-sea submersible and views of Floridas wildlife and natural habitats.
Campus Immersion Tours are recommended for adults and children ages 10 and up.
Tours are limited to 12 people. Reservations and payment are required in advance (must be made by 4 pm the Tuesday before).
Price: $15 per adult; $10 per child (12 and under)

Event Summary - its tempting to think that anyone with a bank account is a potential donor but what makes someone give to one organization over another? With the basic understanding that our current donors are the best indicators of who our potential donors will be, we need to know as much about the lives, interests and motivations of those current donors to find new ones. This session moves us from the traditional approach to creating donor personas to a more systematic process. The result is a strong, segmented and donor first approach to your fundraising outreach and communications. Participants will learn: how to create donor personas and how to use those personas when planning outreach and communications. Presented by Gail Straus communication, marketing research and planning consultant with over 40 years experience.

Judicial Assignments have recently changed and we would like to welcome the new rotation of Civil Judges for 19th Judicial Circuit. Join us as we discuss courtroom policies and procedures with Judge Roby, his judicial assistant, Beth Hamilton and Judge Bronis' judicial assistant, Ellen Raynak.

The event will be held at the new Cafe Martier in downtown Stuart! Members are free to attend. Guests are $25. Please RSVP as it is sure to be a great event!

In this 8-week bootcamp offfered by LASER-TEC, students use the Arduino microcontroller and write code to create functioning models of retro video games like Pong and Arkanoid.

During Arduino 3, students will:
-Explore C++ & Java: two powerful, object-oriented programming languages.
-Learn about polarity, voltage, current, & resistance: fundamental electronics concepts.
-Build projects with the help of an Arduino like a virtual Etch-A-Sketch, LED calendar, and video game music.

No prior knowledge is required to attend! All of the bootcamps offered by LASER-TEC begin with an overview of the Arduino platform. This is a great opportunity to be introduced to an array of high-paying, high-demand STEM career paths.

This bootcamp is for students ages 12-17. It runs every Wednesday evening beginning March 27 and ends May 15, 2019. Visit www.laser-tec.org/bootcamps for more information.

Business Accelerator Program- The Village of Indiantown.
BAP is a two phase program, beginning with a 10-week classroom curriculum to enhance the participants skill set in key business fundamentals including finance, marketing, social media, sales and customer service. Upon completion of the program, the business may apply for a maximum grant up to $5,000. This grant is offered to businesses who successfully complete the program and are seeking funding for equipment, machinery or additional needs to enhance business operations.

The Paula A. Lewis Library wants iPad users to fully utilize all that the small device can accomplish with six different workshops running March 7 – April 11.
Held on Thursdays at 2 p.m., these two-hour workshops will cover the basics of using your iPad, keeping the system up to date, purchasing 'Apps', using the camera, emailing friends, using calendar functions, surfing the internet and fiddling with all the features that this truly magical machine brings to your computing world.
Class size is limited to 20 students, who must own or borrow an iPad and bring it to class. Please remember to charge your device and bring any passwords you may need to gain access to existing accounts.
Dates and topics include:
· March 7 - Get to Know Your iPad
· March 14 – Emails
· March 21 - Surfing with Your iPad
· March 28 - Standard Apps on Your iPad
· April 4 - Downloading Apps
· April 11- Photos, Videos, Entertainment and Communications
The workshops are facilitated by local resident Peter Freeman who has years of instructional experience and served as the Volunteer Manager of the Computer Learning Center at Calendar House, a Community Resource for seniors in Southington, CT.
The Paula A. Lewis Library is located at 2950 SW Rosser Blvd. in Port St. Lucie. For additional information about library events visit: www.stlucieco.gov/library or call 772-871-5470.

In this 8-week bootcamp offfered by LASER-TEC, students use the Arduino microcontroller and write code to create functioning models of retro video games like Pong and Arkanoid.

During Arduino 3, students will:
-Explore C++ & Java: two powerful, object-oriented programming languages.
-Learn about polarity, voltage, current, & resistance: fundamental electronics concepts.
-Build projects with the help of an Arduino like a virtual Etch-A-Sketch, LED calendar, and video game music.

No prior knowledge is required to attend! All of the bootcamps offered by LASER-TEC begin with an overview of the Arduino platform. This is a great opportunity to be introduced to an array of high-paying, high-demand STEM career paths.

This bootcamp is for students ages 12-17. It runs every Wednesday evening beginning March 27 and ends May 15, 2019. Visit www.laser-tec.org/bootcamps for more information.

Creating vs. Capturing... Developing your Photographic Style.

Your “Style" a few things to ponder...
Where you are now in your artistic journey?
What excites your eye and your heart?
Where you would like to be ~ Artistically?
How do you get there?

This program is to help you recognize your inherent talent and also help you allow yourself to garner information from other artists as you discover, refine and transform your artistic self.

As a photographer, one might ask you what your style is and many times we don’t know what to say. Some are not sure what “Your Photographic Style” is while others are not sure how to go about developing it.

J Scott Kelly

Since 1985, full-time professional photographer J. Scott Kelly and Island Images professional Photography Studio, Inc. has had the privilege of traveling the world, capturing inspired images and priceless memories for his clients. A native Floridian, Scott grew up on the beaches of South Florida, where he was able to master his photography skills taking advantage of the abundant tropical scenery and warm climate.
Since 2008, Scott has also organized and led the most active photographic group on the Treasure Coast; “Adventure Photography and Photo Walks” and for the past 8 years he has been the north area representative for the Florida Camera Club Council. Scott is passionate about sharing his knowledge of photography with photo enthusiasts through various levels of photographic workshops and photo walks. "Helping people discover their own talent, style and potential is very rewarding." Scott is the owner/director of the Gallery of Hope, a contemporary photographic art gallery dedicated to utilizing the art of photography to Entertain, Educate & Inspire! Our gallery provides photographic education, as well as the exposure of emerging and established local, national and international photographic artists and their works.

Tinker with 3D printing at the Paula Lewis Branch Library’s Technology Training sessions this March.
Join the library staff in the library workroom for a hands-on 3D printing workshop. Learn Tinkercad – a free, easy-to-use, web-based program for 3D design.
These workshops take place on Thursday, March 7 for adults (16 and older) and Thursday, March 28 for children (ages 8-15) at 6 p.m. Class size is limited so pre-registration is required by contacting 772-871-7258 or lbtech@stlucieco.org.
The Paula A. Lewis Library is located at 2950 SW Rosser Blvd. in Port St. Lucie. For additional information about library events visit: www.stlucieco.gov/library.