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School News - Tip Sheet - 1/30/2008

Cleveland Scavenger Hunt 

1/7/2008, 10/01/07

A scavenger hunt designed to increase library dexterity took place recently and Cleveland Middle School students proved their mettle.

Cleveland seventh-graders participated. Sponsored by the George Kaiser Family Foundation and held at the Kendall-Whittier branch of the Tulsa Public Library, the goal of the hunt was to encourage students to use the public library system and its online resources, thereby increasing research and reading.

Using the library pays off and students completing the hunt received a cool black nylon drawstring backpack. Cleveland language arts teacher Iva Kincy scored the highest completion percentage and ended up with a $150 gift certificate to an area bookstore.

 

Mini-Editors at Remington 

1/18/2008, Varies

Clara Southerland’s class at Remington Elementary has been named the Tulsa World’s Classroom of the Month for January. Southerland teaches a gifted class with third through fifth graders. World staffers were obviously impressed that Southerland’s students have been analyzing a page from the paper to determine what percentage contains actual news, advertisements, pictures and entertainment. The students work wasn’t for naught: they received a snack from Krispy Kreme as a reward. Southerland’s class is one of two at Remington serving gifted students fulltime.

 

Spell It. Draw It. 

1/30/2008

Hieroglyphics. Scuttle. Arachnid. Expedition. Some of the words students at Grimes Elementary handled during a school wide vocabulary lesson.

The idea behind the brainteaser is for each student and adult to learn a new word and then prove an understanding of the meaning by drawing it.

Grimes has the honor of being certified as an Oklahoma A+ school and administrators say they are committed to integrating the arts throughout their curriculum.

 

Memorial’s Drum Line Performs at Hospital’s Opening 

1/31/2008, 11 a.m.

Thump, thump, thump. Snare, crash, cymbal. Fans of percussion will get their fill as Memorial High School’s drum line participates in opening ceremonies for the St. Francis Children’s Hospital on January 31 at 11 a.m. When construction is completed the new hospital will be feature104 beds — with the ability to expand by as many as 60 additional beds — and tower eight stories in height.

The members of Memorial’s drum line are: Ben Epperley, Dallin Burns, Christopher Cagle, Joshua Baker, Roy Dayan, Ashley Rybski, David Easterly-Cutshaw, Ricky Washington, Quinton Kelley, Anthony Adams, Julie Keeton, Nick Allen, and Alex Forrest.

 

Ribbon Cutting for Memorial's Engineering Wing 

1/31/2008, 8:00 a.m

It's been a long time coming. District and school officials are finally ready to cut the ceremonial ribbon that marks the opening of Memorial High School's new engineering wing. The addition houses a classroom and state-of-the-art lab where Memorial's award-winning robotics team will continue to work its magic.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will be attended by a slew of dignitaries, including TPS Superintendent Dr. Michael Zolkoski and Oklahoma Rep. Tad Jones, chairman of the House Education Committee. Refreshments and a tour will follow.

The ribbon-cutting takes place Thursday, January 31, at 8 a.m. Memorial administrators credit the following business partners with helping them achieve their goal of building the wing: AEP-PSO, Allied Fence, APSCO, Inc., Bank of Oklahoma, The Bezalel Foundation, HEM, Inc., The Nordam Group, and Petro-Chem.

 

Book Buddy Bags 

1/31/2008, Varies

Book Buddy Bags are coming.

The buddy bags are an early childhood reading program that has had great success in many schools. On January 31st, Remington pre-K and kindergarten students will take a daily stroll to the Remington library and borrow a book that they take home in their own, self-decorated Book Buddy Bag. Parents then read the book to the child each night, recording the title in a logbook. The book, reading log and book bag are returned to the school every day. Every book that is recorded in their reading log earns points.

 

Penn Has a Plateful 

1/31/2008, 1 p.m.

A full slate of activities at William Penn Elementary are on tap for the next few weeks.

The school’s annual spelling bee is on Friday, January 25. Participants are two students each from the third, fourth and fifth grade classes. The bee begins at 1 p.m.

Parents are invited to attend a chili supper/testing meeting on January 31 at 6 p.m. Students are putting on the performance for the supper, which is also designed as a chance for parents and staffers to discuss upcoming state tests.

The supper date is also the scheduled time for Penn’s second quarter celebrations. Pre-K through fifth grade teachers are recognizing those students who have received high academic scores, and those with the most improved test scores. Also being recognized are students that made the honor roll and had perfect attendance.

 

Prepping & Pepping for Tests! 

2/1/2008, 1:00

How do you get an elementary-aged kid excited about taking a test? That's the challenge for teachers and administrators throughout TPS as they prepare for state tests.

On February 1 Penn Elementary teachers and administrators show how they pump students up to achieve some of the highest standardized test scores in the district.

Penn's first Testing Pep Rally of the school year begins at 1 p.m. in the gymnasium. The countdown to spring testing kicks off with Lovett's Dancers high-stepping and Penn teachers cheering on all first through fifth grade students.

 

Your Roll! McKinley Prepares for Game Night 

2/4/2008, 6 p.m.

A game of Monopoly anyone? How about Candyland? Maybe Clue? Or even Risk? A successful grant application written by Cassandra Funderburk, Principal at McKinley Elementary School, led to the Junior League of Tulsa providing funding to the school for a game board night. The league is also donating food, board games, decorations, volunteers and prizes for the evening.

 

IDU Kids On9: Read on for Translation 

2/7/2008, 6:30 p.m.

If you had trouble reading the above title, you may need help from Memorial High School and the Tulsa Police Cyber Crimes Unit.

The explosion of social networking sites like MySpace has opened a whole new world of communication, much of it wildly popular with teenagers. But this exciting technology also carries risks. Memorial High School’s PTA is teaming up with the Tulsa Police Department to address these and more cyber-crimes issues.

The meeting, set for February 7 at 6:30 p.m. in Memorial’s Call Hall, features a question and answer session with Scott Wanzer, a detective in TPD’s Cyber Crimes Unit. The meeting will also give parents tips on other modes of communication, like text messaging. The event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend.

Title Translation: I don't understand kids online.

 

Kids, Kows, and More  

3/13/2008, 9:15 a.m.

TPS third and fourth graders are invited to participate in a program that gives a hands on agricultural experience.

“Kids, Kows and More” is sponsored by the Tulsa County OSU Extension Service, Southwest Dairy Association and the Texas Extension Service. An expo on March 13 in Tulsa provides up-close and personal experiences for students, parents and teachers from the area.

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.

 

Art Ambassadors on the Move 

4/9/2008

Beth Howard, art teacher at Mark Twain Elementary and mentor of the Art Ambassadors, continues to blaze a trail of creativity. Her workshop proposal has been picked for next year’s 19th Annual National Service-Learning Conference, Youth for a Change.

The conference is billed as the largest gathering of youths and practitioners involved in the service-learning movement. The 2007 conference drew attendees from across the United States and 19 other countries. The event provides access to new ideas and networking opportunities, with more than 200 workshops and countless opportunities for informal meetings.

The conference runs from April 9-12 in Minneapolis. Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and urban educator Pedro Noguera are delivering the keynote addresses.

Howard is used to awards. In 2006 she was named the Oklahoma Elementary Art Teacher of the Year. She mentors the Art Ambassadors, an organization of students attempting to bridge the gap between school and community with art that beautifies and teaches us all to give back.

 

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