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School News - Tip Sheet - 10/29/2008

District Schools Participate in the Largest Student Mock Election in State History 

10/30/2008, 11:30 a.m.

Hamilton Middle School, Carver Middle School and Disney Elementary are joining 173 other northeastern Oklahoma schools in the 2008 Mock Election program of the Newspapers in Education department of the Tulsa World and its partner, the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Tulsa.

It is the largest student mock election in Oklahoma’s history. Over 72,000 students in northeastern Oklahoma could register to vote, just as their adult family members could register, up until October 10th when voter registration closed. Currently registration for the students is at 48% or 34,401 students are eligible to vote.

Each school has set its election day between October 30th and November 4th, with the polls closing at 4 pm that day, although some schools, particularly the year-round schools, will be voting early. Results will be published in the Tulsa World’s paper on November 5, 2008 and on their website: www.tulsaworld.com/mockelection.

Disney’s election is Thursday, October 30, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Hamilton’s and Carver’s are Monday, November 3, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

 

Kerr Instructor is Teacher of the Year 

10/30/2008

The person’s name is a mystery, but whomever they are they have been designated the local Walmart’s Teacher of the Year.

We do have a few tantalizing clues: The instructor is female and works at Kerr Elementary School.

“I’m very proud of this teacher,” said Kerr Principal Scott Griffith. “She’s a veteran teacher that has a reputation for loving children.”

The teacher will be named and honored during an assembly and presentation coinciding with Kerr’s celebrations of Red Ribbon Week. It begins at 9 a.m. on October 30. The public and media are invited to attend.

 

Eugene Field Early Childhood Education Center to Open 

10/30/2008, 1:30 p.m.

Just a few months after opening an early childhood education center in east Tulsa, the Community Action Project and Tulsa Public Schools are ready to go again. This time it’s the Eugene Field Early Childhood Education Center, located at 1116 West 22nd Street.

Funded through a combination of state and private donations—including a multi-million dollar contribution from the George Kaiser Family Foundation—the center reflects a commitment to enhance and expand learning through Oklahoma’s Pilot Early Childhood Program, which State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett calls “one of Oklahoma's greatest hopes for a successful future.”

The program caters to low-income families. Almost nine out of ten recipients are minorities and six out of ten live in a single-parent home.

The grand opening, including a tour of the facility, is Thursday, October 30, at 1:30 p.m. TPS Superintendent Dr. Keith Ballard is one the officials slated to speak.

The public and media are invited to attend.

Parents interested in enrolling their children in the center should call 585-3227.

 

2009 Mock Election 

10/30/2008, 9 a.m.

While they cannot yet vote, students at Eisenhower International School have been studying the presidential election and on Thursday, October 30, they’ll participate in a mock presidential election.

Eisenhower administrators say the children are going through the entire process: Registering to vote and entering a booth to cast a ballot in private. The event is sponsored by the Tulsa World.

 

Engineering Academy Students Participate in Pumpkin Drop 

10/31/2008, 12:30 p.m.

Here’s a Halloween-themed story with a twist. Students at Memorial High School’s Engineering Academy are on October 31 dropping a pumpkin off of the west side of LaFortune Stadium—and it’s not going to splat.

Seriously. And the drop measures 30-feet.

“The students' goal is to design a device to drop pumpkins from a helicopter to good little boys and girls on Halloween,” said Lane Matheson, director of Memorial’s Engineering Academy. “The students are encouraged to create devices which both protect and look good while being cost efficient.”

As an added bonus, the academy’s robotics team will be on hand to demonstrate their latest award winning robot.

The pumpkin drop is at 1:30 p.m.

 

Retirement Reception 

11/1/2008, 1 p.m.

After 12 years at Sequoyah Elementary School Mary Robb is retiring. Her former colleagues and current coworkers are invited to join in a retirement reception on November 1 from 1-3 p.m. The reception is at the home of Linda Weible, located at 7819 E. 77th St. Call Linda at 629-1827 for more information.

 

Dr. Ballard to Appear at PIE Forum  

11/11/2008, 8 a.m.

The stunningly successful Partners in Education program is the focus of a November forum featuring the new superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, Dr. Keith Ballard.

Partners in Education program is a collaborative effort between TPS and the Tulsa Metro Chamber. The program's focus is to link Tulsa students with community resources in order to provide the knowledge and skills needed for future success. Partners and schools choose their level of involvement, which may include—but is not limited to—volunteering within the school, in-kind contributions or financial assistance. To view current Partners in Education success stories or for more information go to www.tulsachamber.com

The forum is Tuesday, November 11, 2008 8- 9:30 a.m., at the TPS HelmZar Challenge Course, located at 1006 N. Quaker Ave. Dr. Ballard will share his vision for continuing the Partners in Education program. With 35 years of education and administrative experience, Dr. Ballard comes to TPS after serving as executive director for the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

“Community support is just critical,” Dr. Ballard said. “You just can’t accomplish anything anymore without philanthropic support. When community leaders—people that love children—step up to make things happen it’s very exciting.”

Reservations are required. Email melissatorkleson@tulsachamber.com or call 560-0218 to reserve your seat. Breakfast will be provided. There is no charge to attend.

 

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