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School News - Tip Sheet - 11/19/2008

PIE Pays off Again as Addams Students to get Laptops 

11/19/2008, 1:30 p.m.

Students at Addams Elementary are getting 20 new laptop computers courtesy of the school’s Partner in Education.

Atlas Pipeline, a full-service midstream company providing gas gathering, compression and processing, is footing the bill for the computers. The laptops will be formally handed over to Addams administrators during an assembly on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 1:30 p.m.

According to the Partners in Education handbook (available online at www.tulsachamber.com): “Being a partner can be as simple as having lunch with a child, sharing a professional expertise, donating supplies and much more. Every resource, big or small, helps. Companies can also identify what resources they can easily implement at a school.”

 

Partner in Education to Donate to Sam Houston 

11/19/2008, 8:30 a.m.

The Partners in Education program continues to pay dividends. On Wednesday, November 19, Sam Houston Elementary School’s partner, the Tulsa Dream Center, is donating $1,600 to the school.

Described on their website as a church that “offer(s) help and hope to many who are desperate to see a change in their life,” the Dream Center provides a host of services including food and clothing distribution, recreation opportunities, volunteers and mentors and a car clinic designed to help financially-strapped members with vehicle repairs.

Tulsa's Partners in Education program is a joint effort between the Tulsa Metro Chamber and Tulsa Public Schools. The program seeks to link community resources with Tulsa’s children in order to provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary for future success.

Established in 1983, the PIE program has brought thousands of volunteers into Tulsa's schools.

 

TPS to Receive $100,000 Grant 

11/20/2008, 10 a.m.

The media and public are invited to attend as the AT&T Foundation awards Tulsa Public Schools $100,000 to support a program aimed at increasing graduation rates for at-risk students at five Tulsa high schools.

“With this generous grant, we can build upon our current program to help struggling students stay in school and receive their high school diplomas,” said TPS Superintendent Dr. Keith Ballard . “By finding new ways to help these students learn and encouraging them to be in the classroom, we’re opening new doors for further education and careers they might never have thought possible.”

The grant will go to help fund Project REACH (Raising Expectations & Achievement to Challenging Heights), a program that will target an estimated 500 ninth-grade students at Hale, Rogers, McClain, Webster and Central high schools. The project will offer a specialized curriculum in math and reading to students who are performing at least two grade levels below normal. Other activities will include career development, job shadowing and a special summer camping experience for some students.

Dr. Nilda Reyes, director of diversity and equity for Tulsa Public Schools and one of the grant’s authors, will oversee the day-to-day operation of Project REACH. A former teacher and principal, Reyes said her goal is to provide resources and raise the level of learning for every student.

The grant presentation is November 20 at 10 a.m. at the Nathan Hale High School auditorium.

 

Paint Your Wagon! 

11/21/2008, 8 a.m.

You don’t have to go to a retro theatre for a “Paint Your Wagon” (the 1969 classic starring Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin) lesson, because Owen Elementary School has it covered.

The school’s Partner in Education is Sodexho, the food services company TPS currently contracts with. A recent conversation between Owen and Sodexho officials led to the district’s Child Nutrition Office painting nine Lawn & Garden wagons in a myriad of styles including a garden motif, a covered wagon (channeling 1969 again), and a sailboat theme. Two additional wagons have been left untouched so that the students can add their own designs.

The wagons will be presented during Owen’s Rise and Shine assembly, set for 8 a.m.

 

Roosevelt Food Drive Dance 

11/21/2008, 10:45 a.m.

Roosevelt Elementary School administrators say they expect hundreds of guests to attend their annual Food Drive Dance. Slated for November 21, a child’s entry into the dance is assured as long as he or she brings along a holiday-related can food item such as stuffing or pumpkin pie filling.

Roosevelt’s student council sponsors the dance. If previous years serve as any example, the students will bring enough food to fill 25 holiday baskets.

The turkeys are provided by Warehouse Market, Roosevelt’s Partner in Education.

 

Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog to Visit Celia Clinton 

11/24/2008, 9:30 a.m.

Students at Celia Clinton Elementary are set to seriously bone up on their knowledge of fire safety when Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog makes a presentation at their school.

If you’re not familiar with Sparkles—she’s quite the canine. (How many dogs do you know that have their own website?) Here’s a bit of a bio from that site (www.sparklesthefiresafetydog.com): “One of my favorite things is to help firefighters teach fire safety. I love helping show children, just like you, how to crawl low under smoke. I also love to ride on fire trucks. It is so much fun!”

Sparkles and her handler, firefighter Dayna Hilton, are delivering a series of presentations at Celia Clinton, the first at a 9:30 a.m. assembly on Monday, November 24.

The Rotary Club of Tulsa is helping to facilitate Sparkles’ visit. The Tulsa Fire Department will have a fire truck on hand.

 

Storytellers Visit Addams 

11/25/2008, 5:30 p.m

Will Hill and Jehnean Washington, two nationally known performers that have been featured at national storytelling conferences, are coming to Jane Addams Elementary on Tuesday, November 25, for a holiday performance.

Folks are invited to check out the show while munching down on a bean chowder dinner. Staffers with the Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa will share traditional Native American games following the duo’s performance.

“Jane Addams is proud to provide community members with family oriented programs and opportunities,” said Susan Mean, the school’s library media specialist. “This is our second major family event. We look forward to sharing an evening of food, entertainment and fun with our families before the Thanksgiving break.”

Reservations are required. Call 746-8780 for more information.

 

Lewis and Clark Holds Parent Information Lunch 

11/25/2008, 10:45 a.m.

How many people are really aware of what social services are available to them? On Tuesday, November 25, administrators at Lewis and Clark Middle School are letting representatives from numerous agencies and organizations—everyone from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to the American Red Cross’s Tulsa chapter, from Tulsa Community College to the Tulsa Urban League—set up booths, hand out brochures and pamphlets and explain their services to community members.

The parent information lunch runs from 10:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Parents of Lewis and Clark students are invited to eat lunch with their children. Contact parent facilitator Pat Keys at 746-9540 for more information.

 

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.

 

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