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School News - Tip Sheet - 2/6/2008

Hoover Marks Chinese New Year 

2/7/2007, 1:45

Hoover Elementary is celebrating the advent of the Chinese New Year today.

Hoover boasts a Chinese language /cultural program that features an Asian Enrichment Club and teacher exchange program. Students in all grades receive instruction in the Chinese culture and third fourth and fifth graders get actual language classes from teacher Zhang Qunfang.

Hoover principal Chris Clark said reaction to the novel program has been “overwhelmingly positive. The students love the Chinese classes.”

Hoover students and staffers are marking the new year with a traditional parade replete with dragons and lanterns. The event is free and open to the public.

The Chinese New Year is determined by the Lunar Calendar. The Chinese adopted the western calendar around the turn of the twentieth century but still hold festivals and celebrations in honor of the lunar new year. The Year of the Rat marks the beginning of the 12-year zodiac cycle.

 

Cat-a-Van Coming to T-Town  

2/4/2008, 10 a.m.

Hold onto your hats! The next stop on the Cat-a-Van tour is Springdale Elementary here in Tulsa. It's all part of a multi-state reading tour sponsored by the National Education Association’s Read Across America program. Students at Springdale will don signature red and white striped stovepipe hats when they are visited by some special guests as part of the 11th anniversary of NEA’s Read Across America, the nation’s largest reading celebration.

Sponsored by the NEA, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.D. and more than 50 national partners, NEA’s Read Across America is designed to get kids excited about reading. Nationwide, more than 45 million children and adults are expected to participate this year.

The date and time for the van’s visit is Tuesday, March 4, 10 a.m. Visit www.nea.org/readacross for additional more information.

 

Whitney Scores at Technology Competition 

2/6/2008

There are some hard-working brainiacs enrolled at Whitney Middle School. Whitney’s Technology Students Association recently completed in a statewide series of leadership/technology contests and scored some impressive wins.

The event, sponsored by Tulsa Public Schools, took place on the Riverside campus of the Tulsa Technology Center in late January and sought to test the brainpower of students enrolled in technology courses. Events included: flying gliders, racing CO2 cars, testing bridges, creating videos, electronics, medical technology research, agriculture and bio-technology, manufacturing.

Whitney placed in numerous categories pertaining to digital photography, manufacturing, electronic games and leadership.

Whitney career and technology education teacher JoLynn Pemberton said the students in her class are diligent, spending up to “two hours a day after class working on their projects. Quality time.”

This is the eleventh straight year that TPS sponsored the contest. Students came from as far away as Roland, Hugo and Miami. Area business leaders served as judges.

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

 

Junior Journalism Junkies 

2/6/2008

Each and every morning seventh-grade students in Lewis and Clark Middle School teacher Maurice Parker’s geography class pore over the Tulsa World, even reading the dry stuff in the first couple sections.

“It’s an interactive daily activity,” said Principal Ginger Bunnell.

Dubbed “News U Can Use,” the fifteen minute assignment involves the kids using their skills in summarizing and paraphrasing to write a report on the article of their choice. But that’s not all: a student’s report must also include comments on how they connect to the events and people detailed in the story.

 

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.

 

Little (School)House on the Prairie 

2/7/2008, 8:15 a.m.

Lee 2nd graders will celebrate Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday on Thursday, February 7th by dressing up in pioneer-style clothes, making wagon train dolls, making bread, churning butter, and having a picnic. This is a day of reflection on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder and a study of how things were done in pioneer times.

 

Houston Partnership Ceremonies 

2/7/2008, 1 p.m.

Houston Elementary has two partnership ceremonies slated to occur during the month of February. The ceremonies entail an assembly running about a half-hour followed by refreshments.

The first involves the school’s ongoing collaboration with Victory Christian Center and takes place Thursday, February 7, at 1 p.m. The second is exactly a week later —February 14 — same time but involving the Antioch Baptist Church and Tulsa Youth Coalition.

Sam Houston administrators are encouraging students and their parents to spread the word about the partnership ceremonies. The event is free and open to the public.

The school board recently set a goal of tripling the district's Partners in Education agreements to 1,300. To date more than 800 partnership agreements have been signed.

 

Why Central Academy of Fine Arts? 

2/7/2008, 6:30 pm

An informational dinner is open to parents of eighth-graders looking to learn more about Central’s Fine Arts magnet program.

The strands offer students a high intensity, comprehensive program that infuses the fine arts with a rigorous academic curriculum. Administrators say students who exhibit talent and commitment in dance, drama, painting, graphic design, piano performance, jazz ensemble and vocal performance are likely to find the magnet an exhilarating choice.

 

Bell Says “I Love You” 

2/8/2008, 12:30 p.m.

Sure, it’s something every parent and grandparent loves to hear from their offspring. Those three magic little words: “I love you.”

Staffers and the teeniest students at Bell Elementary take it a bit further. Pre-K and kindergarten pupils are preparing to present their annual “I Love You” program, a neat presentation featuring tykes lauding mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and all the other cool relatives that contribute to a well-rounded childhood. “I Love You” consists of youngsters regaling their caregivers with songs and poems. Don’t forget to bring the hankies!

 

TPS Celebrates Outstanding Teachers 

2/11/2008, 4:00 p.m.

They have been dubbed "the best of the best."

On Monday, Dr. Michael Zolkoski, Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools, will address the 88 teachers selected by their peers as their schools' Teacher of the Year. Each teacher will receive a congratulatory certificate at a special reception in their honor.

Dr. Zolkoski also has a message for the pool of candidates that will produce the district's next Teacher of the Year: It's time to bring the state title home to Tulsa!

"It's time to get our great teachers some well-deserved recognition," said Dr. Zolkoski at a recent meeting to organize a district selection committee. "I know our teachers can compete with anyone in the state. We're going to figure out how to make sure the state judges see it too."

Oklahoma's largest school district has not had a state Teacher of the Year since before many of TPS' 3,115 teachers were born. Bona Gordey was the last Tulsa Public Schools teacher to represent the state in 1963. By comparison, Oklahoma City Public School District has had two winners in the last decade.

The reception Monday will feature current Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Stephanie Canada of Shawnee Public Schools, who will talk with them about what it takes to be the state representative. Dr. Zolkoski will also talk with the group about the perks of being named Tulsa Public Schools' Teacher of the Year at the upcoming Employee Appreciation Banquet on April 25th.

The district's area superintendents, cabinet members and principals are also invited to the reception.

 

Memorial Golf Fundraiser 

3/8/2008, 11:30

A fundraiser for Memorial High School’s golf program is set for Saturday, March 8.

The price tag for the four-person scramble runs $160 a team and $40 a head. Sponsoring a hole is $100. Sponsoring a hole and a team runs you $250.

Officials say proceeds from the event will help defray the cost of equipment, camps and travel for the school’s boys and girls gold teams. The scramble is at the White Hawk Golf Course in Bixby.

 

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.

 

Booker T Students Make Team Oklahoma 

6/6/2008

Dylan Hames and Onkur Sen have their summer plans already set.

At least for a couple of days in June that is.

The two Booker T. Washington students have earned positions on the six-member academic quiz team that will represent the state of Oklahoma at the Panasonic Academic Challenge to be held at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Hames is a senior and Sen is a sophomore. Their trip to the Sunshine State comes after the duo took part in a three- hour competition against students from Oklahoma in the areas of mathematics, science, social studies, and humanities to earn the right to be a part of Team Oklahoma this year. The Panasonic Academic Challenge runs from June 6 through June 11.

 

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