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School News - Tip Sheet - 1/14/2009

Edison’s Student Magazine Wins Nat’l Award 

1/9/2009

The National Council of Teachers of English has given its highest award to Edison Preparatory School. The school received the distinction for “Eyrie,” their journal of creative expression.

The honor is designated to magazines that achieve extraordinary standards of excellence. According to Creative Writing teacher Paul Stevenson, the judges called Eyrie’s 2008 edition one of the four best student literary magazines in the United States and Canada.

“We’re really trying to take the idea of a literary magazine into the 21st century,” Stevenson said. “The judges were really impressed with the design and quality of the journal itself and what we had been able to do with a modest budget. They especially praised the excellence and sophistication of the writing.”

“Edison has a long tradition of strong Fine Arts programs. Our students and teachers are incredibly creative. This is a great tribute to our school,” said Edison Principal Stacey Vernon.

Eyrie has also motivated its student staffers. Kaitlan Malone, senior editor at the magazine, wants to pursue a career in letters.

“Editing Eyrie has allowed me to further my dream of becoming a writer. I learned that not everything I produce is going to be perfect—time and patience are the key,” she said.

Stevenson, who has overseen the magazine for the past decade, has been invited to judge future contests and mentor other teachers involved with student publications.

You can find a copy of Eyrie at Barnes and Nobles in the Southroads Shopping Center, located at 5231 East 41st Street

 

Hale, OSU Mark Partnership  

1/14/2009, 10:40 a.m.

Students and teachers at Nathan Hale School will mark one year since they inked a valuable agreement with officials at the OSU Center for Health Sciences. The partnership helped create a mini medical program at Hale in cooperation with the school’s Restaurant, Lodging, and Health Management magnet strand.

Hale administrators say the collaboration was made possible by Dr. Jenny Alexopolos, an associate dean at the center. Some of the services OSU provides to the school include mentoring students interested in medical professions, access to equipment, technology and supplies to assist teachers—thus providing quality lab experiences, guest teachers, shadowing opportunities and assistance in developing an athletic and personal training program as a component of the dietetics and nutrition curriculum.

The anniversary will be marked with a ceremony and reception. The public and media are invited to attend.

 

Award-Wining TPS Students to Perform MLK Speeches 

1/15/2009, 6:30 p.m.

Three students in the Tulsa Public Schools system that received accolades during a speech contest honoring legendary civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., will reprise their performances this week.

The contest’s theme was: “I Have a Dream, Too.” Students were not allowed to paraphrase or directly quote from Dr. King’s original “I Have a Dream” speech. The competition, a mainstay for over a decade and judged by members of the local media, was held at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church.

Eighteen students entered. The third place winner was Kerr Elementary’s Robert Oterra, second place went to Mitchell Elementary’s Angelo Ramirez and Kennedy Brooks, a student at Carnegie Elementary, took first.

“All of the students did outstanding,” said Bill Crowell, an associate minister at the church. “Kennedy—she’s a ball of fire. The first line in her speech was, ‘I may be small but I have big dreams.’ The crowd was hanging on her every word.”

You can hear it for yourself. Angelo, Kennedy and Robert will deliver their speeches again when the church holds their annual awards dinner on January 15 at 6:30 p.m. Contact Crowell at 699-0127 for more information.

 

Kendall Whittier Fifth-Graders Gear up for Colonial Day 

1/16/2009, 9:30 a.m.

It’s not really a time machine, but it’s pretty darn close as Kendall Whittier Elementary is one of eight schools in Oklahoma to participate in the annual Colonial Days at the Capitol event in Oklahoma City. Attending is teacher Dessa K. Weber and her fifth-grade class.

According to the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, Colonial Days features state students dressed in period costume reciting the Bill of Rights and participating in a debate between patriots fighting for independence and loyalists to the British king. During teacher-led sessions, students play colonial-era games, learn early-American dances, practice writing with quill and ink and test their skills as junior archaeologists.

Kendall Whittier students will perform the “Bill of Rights Rap” using the djembe, an African drum, in the chambers of the State Senate.

Colonial Day is coordinated by teachers like Weber who participated in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute last summer through a fellowship program administered by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence.

 

Retro Show Benefits Memorial’s Music Program 

1/17/2009, 3 p.m., 7 p.m.

What do “Wonderland” by Night Bert Kaempfert, “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel and Manfred Mann’s “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” have in common? They all reached number one during the 1960s. Now flower children turned boomers and flower children wanabees can step back in time as the “#1 Hits of the 60s” show comes to Memorial High School.

The show, billed on its website (www.1hitsofthe60s.com/) as “two hours of high energy, non-stop singing and dancing featuring 10 of the finest singers/actors/dancers and musicians to be found anywhere,” benefits Memorial’s instrumental music program.

Show times are 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on January 17. Tickets are $20, with half of the price filtered directly to the music program. Call 706-2836 for more information. Memorial is located at 5840 S. Hudson Ave.

 

Tulsa Students Participate in MLK Events 

1/19/2009

The next severl days are filled with events designed for youth and marking the legacy of civil right leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Representatives from the MLK Commemoration Society say the celebrations highlight and memorialize the “work, accomplishments and legacy of one of the greatest civil rights leaders in modern history.”

A student leadership forum is Friday, January 16, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. It’s at the north campus of OSU Tulsa, located at 700 N. Greenwood, and features educator Ahmad Daniels leading a discussion on diversity, race relations and black history.

The MLK Youth Expo is Saturday, January 17, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at United Methodist Church, located at 13th and Boston. The expo focuses on the creativity of youth through music, poetry and dance. Call 492-9495 to register.

"A Celebration of Youth” is the theme at an MLK interfaith commemorative service on Sunday, January 18, at 6 p.m. Speakers include Rabbi Marc Fitzerman and the Reverends Julian Rodriguez and Willard Jones.

The annual MLK Commemorative Parade is Monday, January 19, beginning at 10 a.m. Marchers start on Greenwood and wind through the area’s historic business district prior to taking part in a rally at OSU Tulsa.

 

School Marks Obama's Inauguration 

1/20/2009, 6 p.m.

Anderson Elementary School is commemorating the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

The event, dovetailing with a school literacy night, will feature student performances, story time, and door prizes before and after Obama’s address.

“We are excited to commemorate this momentous occasion,” said Brenda Anderson, the school's principal.

 

Hale Hosts Open House for Incoming Students 

1/20/2009, 6:30 p.m.

Entering high school can be scary—making new friends, meeting the teachers and principals, even navigating hallways can be an adventure. Administrators at Nathan Hale High School aim to make the transition easier as they host an open house for prospective students on January 20 from 6:30-7:30p.m.

Students will be able to scope out Hale’s magnet strands: Culinary Arts, Tourism and Hospitality and Health and Human Performance. Student organizations will have tables set up chock-full of information showing the newbies how they can get the most out of their time at Hale. Everyone attending the open house has a chance to win door prizes and the evening tops off with students in the culinary arts program serving dessert. Bon appetit!

 

Teacher Job Fair 

1/21/2009, assigned interview times

Are you an experienced teacher considering a new teaching environment? Or maybe you are a certified teacher looking to return to the classroom. Or perhaps you are a recent college graduate looking for that first teaching job. Tulsa Public Schools’ Teacher Job Fair could provide you with the opportunity you are seeking.

We are looking to employ the following Oklahoma certified teachers for the Fall, 2009 semester:

• 15 Secondary Math Teachers
• 15 Secondary Science Teachers
• 12 Bilingual (Spanish) Early Childhood and Elementary Ed. Teachers
• 10 Mild/Moderate Special Education Teachers

Tulsa Public Schools will provide a $2,000 recruitment stipend for qualifying Math or Science certifications, proven Spanish fluency for Early Childhood or Elementary Education teachers, and a 5% of base salary stipend for selected Special Education teachers. Decisions will be made and employment contracts will be provided to successful applicants at the conclusion of interviews at the fair.

The job fair will be held Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at the Education Service Center, located at 3027 S. New Haven Ave. Tulsa, OK 74114

To sign up to attend the job fair, please go online to www.tulsaschools.org/jobfair and pre-register for an assigned interview time slot.

If your interest focuses on a child-centered, results-oriented teaching environment where performance is recognized, please check out the opportunities available with Tulsa Public Schools by attending the job fair.

 

Superstar!—Tour Webster High School’s Brand-New Broadcasting Studio 

1/22/2009, 6:30 p.m.

A full-slate of open houses this week allows the community to check out the innovative magnet programs offered by Tulsa Public Schools. On January 22 the public is invited to head out to Webster High School and tour the school’s new broadcasting studio.

The open house begins with an address from Webster Principal Phil Garland and includes a question and answer session with the school’s three magnet coordinators. A tour of the school follows.

Webster boasts a Broadcasting and Digital Media Magnet strand that provides teens with knowledge and skills to build a career in the visual and print media.

 

Contest Tests the Tech IQ of State Students 

1/22/2009, 8 a.m.

Hundreds of students from all over the state are convening on the Riverside campus of Tulsa Technology Center to compete in a massive series of leadership/technology contests.

The event, sponsored by Tulsa Public Schools, aims to test the brainpower of students enrolled in technology courses. Events include: Flying gliders, racing CO2 cars, testing bridges, computer aided drafting, electronics, medical technology research, agriculture and bio-technology, manufacturing, graphic and marine design, digital photography, inventions, multi-media creations, technical writing, technology bowl, speaking and leadership.

“It gives the secondary students a chance to demonstrate their leadership skills as well as their technological skills,” said TPS Special Programs Facilitator Ron Givens.

This is the twelfth straight year TPS has sponsored the contest. Around 120 area business leaders will serve as judges. The contests run from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on January 22, but Givens says members of the media interested in covering the event should be aware that the hours between 9:30 and noon will likely offer the best photographic opportunities.

 

Remington Round-Up 

1/27/2009, 6:30 p.m.

A slew of events at Remington Elementary complete the month of January. On Friday, January 23, parents are invited to attend a second-quarter honor assembly. Kindergarten through second-graders receive their kudos at 8:30 a.m., with the third through fifth-grade assembly taking place a half-hour later.

Meanwhile the school’s PTA is kicking of its spring fundraising campaign. The fundraising effort begins Monday, January 26. There’s a sweet and frugal twist to the drive as the PTA and their supporters are selling candy bars for $1.

The following evening, at 6:30 p.m., Remington displays the results of its student science project. The fair dovetails with a reading literacy night and each student attending receives a free book. Cool!

 

District Students Selected by Music Educators Association 

1/28/2009

Tulsa Public Schools is extremely well-represented as the Oklahoma Music Educators Association selects its All-State Choir and Jazz Ensemble.

Paige Godfrey, the district’s music curriculum specialist, reports the choir and ensemble are “very prestigious groups chosen from the top musicians across the state.”

Here is the TPS line-up: Betsy Hays, Edison High School and Madelyn Edwards, East Central High School, were selected for the choir.

Ben Cowen and Taylor Johnson, Edison, have been tapped for the jazz ensemble. Booker T. Washington’s Terri Fleming and Madeline Lackey and Memorial High School’s Sara Weisman are part of the All-State Women’s Choir. The association’s annual conference is January 28-31, 2009, at the Tulsa Convention Center. Go to www.OKMEA.org for more information.

 

Tulsa Gangs 101 Features TPS Police Chief 

2/5/2009, 8:30 a.m

Tulsa Public Schools Police Chief Gary Rudick will be one of the experts featured during an upcoming course examining Tulsa’s street gangs.

Tulsa Gangs 101 includes a look at local gangs and their identifiers such as graffiti, hand signals and clothing, a history of the gang phenomenon in northeastern Oklahoma, and specific training on dealing with gang activity.

Chief Rudick is slated to speak on the response local law enforcement musters to gang presence in area schools. Members of the Tulsa Police Gang Unit and community leaders will also appear.

The class is Thursday, February 5, 8:30 a.m-5 p.m., at the Mabee Center. It’s free to members of the Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association, $25 to non-members. Download registration forms at www.ogia.us.

 

Kids, Kows, and More  

3/12/2009

TPS third and fourth graders are invited to participate in a program providing an up-close look at agriculture.

“Kids, Kows and More” is sponsored by the Tulsa County OSU Extension Service, Southwest Dairy Association and the Texas Extension Service. The program takes place March 12 and 13 at the Tulsa State Fair Grounds.

The exhibits and demonstrations include dairy, cotton, beef, swine, wheat, sheep and wool. Students attending the expo are encouraged to write an essay called, “What I learned about agriculture on my field trip to Kids, Kows, and More.” Essays are evaluated on agriculture knowledge, originality, creativity and mechanics —including grammar, organization, and punctuation. The winning student will receive a $100 savings bond and the class will receive an ice cream party. For more information, contact the Tulsa County OSU Extension Center at 746-3709.

 

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