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School News - Tip Sheet - 10/28/2009

Remington Food Drive 

10/28/2009

Students at Remington Elementary are conducting a canned food drive to benefit needy families in the community.

“It’s always good to help anyone in need at anytime but it feels even better to do so during the holiday season,” said Lela Clayton, Remington’s parent facilitator.

All the food collected during the drive will be distributed to families of West Tulsa students.

 

Booker T Washington Performs ‘The Little Shop of Horrors’ 

10/29/2009

It’s been a B-movie featuring Jack Nicholson, a major Hollywood production, an off-Broadway musical performed internationally and even an animated TV series but The Little Shop of Horrors hasn’t yet received the Booker T. Washington High School treatment. That changes when the BTW Jazz Band & Hornet Musical Theatre launch five productions of the classic black comedy.

The dates are Wednesday, October 28 (10 a.m. and 7 p.m.), Thursday, October 29 (10 a.m. and 7 p.m.) and Friday, October 30 (7 p.m.). The early performances on school days are for invited guests and students with $5 tickets benefiting the school’s drama department.

First filmed in 1960, The Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of a carnivorous plant and its befuddled owner. A 1982 stage production proved to be a massive success, generating interest in the film and leading to a short-lived series on broadcast television.

 

Anderson’s Balloon Release 

10/30/2009, 2 p.m.

In honor of Red Ribbon Week students and staffers at Marian Anderson Elementary School are releasing hundreds of balloons into the air. The balloons are affixed with an anti-drug message and school contact information.

“Hopefully we will receive a response from someone who finds the balloon,” said Brenda Anderson, the school’s principal.

Red Ribbon Week began in 1985. For more information go to www.redribboncoalition.com/.

 

Continuation School Holds Ribbon Cutting 

11/2/2009, 1 p.m.

The Tulsa Public Schools mission of providing every student with the means to graduate receives another boost with Continuation School, a user-friendly educational institution more closely resembling a call center or office pool than a school house.

With 30 slots each for morning and afternoon classes, the school is operated in collaboration with some of the region’s social service agencies including the Tulsa County Juvenile Board and the Oklahoma Juvenile Authority. “Continuation School is designed to make graduation possible for even the most challenged and struggling students,” said Phil Garland, the district’s lead principal for Schools of Innovation. “We use individualized lesson plans and attend to a child’s reading level and math skills. These are used to create an instruction plan tailored to fit state standards.”

Since it’s computerized, the instruction plan can be accelerated to speed up the graduation process. The school is located in the Fontana Shopping Center, 4968 South Memorial. There is a ribbon cutting for the school on November 2, at 1 p.m. The media and public are invited to attend.

 

Flu Fact Forum 

11/5/2009, 6 p.m.

Get the lowdown on HINI and seasonal flu with a free flu fact forum on Thursday, November 5, at Cooper Elementary. Presenters include:

• Pam Butler, Tulsa Public Schools Director of Health Services
• Brenda Dale, Mass Care Coordinator, Emergency Preparedness and Reponses Division at the Tulsa Health Department
• Dr. Kelly Humphreys, Morton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.
• Sue Ann Bell, Tulsa Public Schools Director of Maintenance, Grounds and Plant Operations

The forum runs 6-7 p.m. All TPS families and students are invited to attend.

View the event announcement flyer. (English | Español)

 

Wind Turbine Testament to Green Energy  

11/6/2009, 1:15 p.m.

A 30-foot wind turbine—a monument to sustainable energy, state-of-the-art technology and the smarts of Tulsa Public Schools students—is coming to the district’s Helmzar Challenge Course thanks to a collaboration between Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor and Global New Energy Solutions, a company specializing in renewable energy sources.

TPS students and employees use Helmzar various training sessions and the turbine will power one of its classrooms. The dedication is 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, November 5. It coincides with an energy fair featuring exhibits and hands-on activities.

In September Adriana Rodriguez, a student at Hamilton Middle School, took first place in an essay contest sponsored by TPS, Global New Energy Solutions and Taylor’s office. Adriana’s essay, "Sustainable Energy: It’s Important to Our Community," explained why it’s imperative to explore and tap into sources of alternative energy. Ryan Bunch took second place and Brienna Milleson third in the contest. Both students attend Thoreau Demonstration Academy. Students from Hamilton and Thoreau will be attending the dedication.

While the contest and turbine have generated a real-world example of sustainable energy, it also serves to educate district students about an issue that will likely increase in importance as they grow older.

“I believe this contest exposed their minds to that possibility and channeled students to start thinking about how their generation might impact the future of energy in the world,” said Dr. Keith Ballard, superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools.

 

Walt Whitman Carnival 

11/7/2009, 10 a.m.

Everybody loves a carnival and Walt Whitman Elementary School is holding one for the ages. The school’s Harvest Picnic and Carnival is guaranteed fun for the entire family and includes yummy carnival-type food (hot dogs, snow cones, etc.) cool games and neat prizes. The event is designed as a get together for the North Tulsa community and is free of charge. Children must be accompanied by a parent. Come on out and have a blast!

 

Teacher Workshop Start of Exciting Creative Growth 

11/7/2009

A series of grants received by the Tulsa Public Schools Fine Arts Department will lead to an explosion of creativity in district schools.

A daylong workshop on November 7 at the Philbrook Museum is the start of this creative cycle as teachers from fine arts departments across TPS (including drama, music and the visual arts) gather to receive funding for supplies and craft lesson plans aimed at developing problem-solving skills and innovation in the classroom. The goal is to get a student’s creative juices flowing. “These grants will help develop teacher capacity to generate creative thinking in our students,” said Ann Tomlins, chair of the TPS fine arts department.

The two-year grants are from the Kennedy Center for the Fine and Performing Arts and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. In the second year of the grant TPS teachers will take what they have learned and script essays for compilation in a book on best practices in the classroom.

 

Honoring the ‘Big-Hearted’ BTW Student 

11/10/2009

A Booker T. Washington High School senior has a big heart and he’ll receive some official recognition for it in a few days.

The Eastern Oklahoma Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is giving the Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award to Ben Perrault. According to the association, Perrault is a serious musician that believes in sharing his gift with others: “A wonderful quality about him is that he shares his love of music with others. He works with younger children, teaching them how to build a drum, how to play a drum and then giving them enough confidence for them to perform and has done mini-workshops for children introducing them to music.”

Perrault has also tutored students at Jackson Elementary and Hamilton Middle, assisting them in music, dance, drama, physical fitness and writing.

Perrault will be honored on Tuesday, November 10, at the Doubletree Downtown.

AFP Eastern Oklahoma Chapter

 

Clinton Middle Grand Opening 

11/14/2009, 10 a.m.

The new Clinton Middle School has been the talk of the district since it began educating students this fall and now the public is invited to check out the new digs. Clinton students and staffers are holding an official grand opening /open house on Saturday, November 14 and everyone is invited to attend. Clinton’s Partners in Education are contributing to the festivities and supplying hot dogs and cookies. The old Clinton Middle School served Tulsa students since 1938.

The new location features wireless networks, tech classrooms, a state-of-the-art auditorium and an eco-friendly building thermal system.

 

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