district home page     contact us

School News - Tip Sheet - 3/12/2008

Strong Showing for Lady Chargers 

3/1/2008

A couple of states away from their home turf and stacked up against some of the best in the region, Memorial’s Lady Chargers soccer team still placed a strong and respectable third in the 2008 Island Cup Soccer Tournament.

Held in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the weekend tournament featured soccer players hailing from the host state as well as Arkansas and Oklahoma. Memorial opened the tourney with two shutout victories before faltering in a 2-0 loss to defending state champs Bentonville. The Lady Chargers were able to rebound the following game and clinched third.

Sabrina Hale was the winning goalie. Christina Horkey, Maddie Hawes, Alyssa Osberhaus and Amanda Hale all scored goals.

 

Byrd Grabs Division One Ratings 

3/6/2008

The eighth-grade Concert Choir at Byrd Middle School scored quadruple honors at the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s contest, receiving the lofty title of Outstanding Music Achievement Award.

Directed by John Beavers and accompanied by Sara Lyndgaard, the choir brought down the house with renditions of “River, Sing Your Song" by Eugene Butler and "O, Clap Your Hands" by Julie Knowles.

The association is a private, non-profit organization established to provide coordination, leadership, supervision and regulation for secondary school activities and contests in which its member schools participate.

 

Celia Clinton Recognized for Reading Program 

3/12/2008

Celia Clinton Elementary has just received notice that they are Oklahoma’s recipient of the 2007-2008 International Reading Association Exemplary Reading Program Award.

Founded in 1965, the association is a nonprofit professional organization for those involved in teaching reading to learners of all ages. According to their website, its goals are improving the quality of reading instruction, disseminating research and information about reading and encouraging a lifetime reading habit.

“We are very proud of our reading program and the progress we made,” said Celia Clinton Principal Cindy Taylor.

Celia Clinton administrators will be presented with their award at the association’s convention on May 4–8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

 

Lee Happenings  

3/12/2008

Lee Elementary School has a host of activities going on this week. On Tuesday the school encouraged students to stop by the library and pick up a free book. The giveaway was held under the apt theme, “Don’t Make a Peep, I’m Reading.”

This morning the best and brightest squared off for an Academic Team competition. The school — a Maple Ridge fixture for close to a century — boasts a pretty serious Academic Team program. To give an example, in 2006 Lee’s team placed first in the state of Oklahoma and in the top tenth percentile nationwide.

On Thursday, March 13, fourth and fifth grade parent volunteers take part in science enrichment, which includes experiments in electricity, weather, heat, energy and biology. The program allows one-on-one interaction and attention for each student. About thirty parents assist groups of five to seven students in a science experiment on a monthly basis.

The evening of Friday, March 14, Lee holds a Healthy Lifestyles Fair with speakers discussing topics such as injury prevention, nutrition, physical activity and tobacco use prevention.

 

Hale Hosts Impulse Control Seminar 

3/13/2008, 7 p.m.

Poor impulse control has been associated with everything from social problems to school failure, from addiction to crime. An upcoming seminar at Hale High School examines the problem.

“STOP and THINK: Teaching Children Impulse Control,” is for parents, teachers, school counselors, social workers and mental health professionals who are interested in learning more about gender and developmental aspects of impulse control along the most recent research on effective interventions. A description of some specific cognitive-behavioral techniques will be presented. Games, role-plays, videos and worksheets will be presented. Hand-outs will also be available. The seminar is Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. The featured speaker is Tonia Caselman, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Social Work.

The cost is $20 per person, $10 for students. Contact Rachel Long at sswaok@yahoo.com for more information. The seminar is sponsored by the School Social Work Association of Oklahoma.

 

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.

 

Principal for a Day  

3/13/2008, 11:30 a.m

A spectrum of community members from all walks of life — everyone from media personalities to high-powered attorneys, journalists to city officials — gets a taste of what it’s really like to be the bigwig behind the desk as Tulsa Public Schools holds its second annual Principal for a Day.

The popular event drew scores last year and provided them with a glimpse into the lives of the men and women responsible for caring for Tulsa’s most precious resource.

"Principal for a Day is a powerful way for advocates of Tulsa Public Schools to observe our highly dedicated principals, staff and students in their everyday routines,” said TPS School and Community Marketing Specialist Paula Wood.

The Principal for a Day participants will be recognized during an 11:30 a.m. luncheon in the Selman Room at the Education Service Center, located at 3027 S New Haven Ave.

 

Robertson Bingo Night 

3/13/2008, 6 p.m.

Robertson Elementary School’s second bingo night of the current school year is Thursday evening at 6 p.m. Robertson administrators say they have arranged for a tantalizing array of prizes, including baskets hand-crafted by the faculty.

Members of the Robertson family and the community at large are invited. Dinner in the form of barbecue is available.

 

Grandparents Day at Robertson 

3/13/2008, 10:50am

Grandma and grandpa are more than welcome to come to Robertson Elementary next week as the school marks its own version of Grandparents Day. Grandparents are encouraged to reserve a space ahead of time and come to Robertson to enjoy a yummy meal of chowder and cinnamon rolls with the little ones.

The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. In 1978 it was decided that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. Robertson and some other schools observe Grandparents Day during a different month because September is a hectic time for teachers and students (and grandparents get to have two days!).

 

Wild about Reading! 

3/13/2008

Bell Elementary School’s second Reading Is Fundamental book giveaway is set for March 13-14. Every single student — bar none — receives a free book.

The theme of the giveaway is “Wild about Reading" and builds on Bell Principal Mary Ann Patrick’s reading challenge. The books were funded in part by Bell’s Reading is Fundamental organization, which pays two-thirds of the cost of the books. The bill for the rest is footed by two charities, the George Kaiser Family Foundation and the Hille Foundation.

 

Kids Cooking Contest 

3/14/2008, 2:30

Mini Julia Childs and Rachel Rays square off March 14 at Webster High School in a cooking contest sponsored by Tulsa Public Schools’ Child Nutrition Office. The contest began in January when third, fourth and fifth graders submitted recipes to be judged on the following criteria: health, simplicity and fun.

Over 300 recipes were submitted and out of those ten have been selected to participate in the cooking contest. The students will actually be preparing and serving their culinary specialties. Judges will determine a winner after considering ease of preparation, healthy ingredients and presentation. All ten finalists will receive a medal, apron, polo shirt and backpack full of neat stuff to take home.

The ten recipes will later be compiled into a cookbook for parents, students and staff.

The cook-off takes place at 2:30 p.m. on March 14 at Webster High School.

 

A Slice of Pi — Thoreau Educates and Entertains Young Scholars 

3/14/2008, 9:15 a.m.

The fabled mathematical constant known as Pi receives the spotlight this week. Pi Day is observed on March 14 due to π being equal to roughly 3.14 and Thoreau Demonstration Academy has a series of events on tap, including:

-Showing Pi to the 500th decimal place for students to actually grasp the size of the number and gain an understanding of what it means for a number to be irrational.

-Numerous classroom activities measuring the circumference and diameters of various circles to derive the value of Pi.

-Small group skits describing Pi and its meaning. Pies — the type you can eat — are awarded to the skits that best represent Pi in a creative and educational way.

-A Pi bee. Students memorize Pi to the longest digit they can with the champion getting to throw a pie at a teacher.

-An art exhibit of Pi postage stamps created and designed by students.

“It’s a neat idea which teaches kids in a fun way the difference between irrational and rational numbers,” said Thoreau Principal Tom Padalino. Irrational numbers, for those of us not lucky enough to attend a school like Thoreau, are non-terminating, non-repeating numbers.

The first Pi Day celebration was held in San Francisco in 1988. Pi represents the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean geometry, which is the same as the ratio of a circle's area to the square of its radius. The concept is used in math, science and engineering.

 

Championship Teams to Be Honored At Board Meeting 

3/24/2008, 7 p.m.

Congratulations to Booker T Washington’s girls basketball team and Memorial High School’s boys team for bringing championships to Tulsa Public Schools. The teams and their coaches will be honored at the next school board meeting, taking place on March 24 at 7 p.m.

Chargers proved to be an apt name as Memorial took an eleven game winning streak into the tournament, scoring an upset over Putnam City in the first round and never losing momentum. Local sports wags credit Memorial’s 6-foot-7 center Cameron Downing, 6-6 flamethrower Blaise Staab and point guard L.J. Myers with key contributions in the championship run. Dominick Cornelius crashed the boards and a strong bench helped the Chargers secure their first 6a boys basketball championship since 2003.

The Lady Hornets won their first ever 5a girls state basketball championship with a 48-43 victory over Coweta before a frenzied crowd at the Ford Center. Taleya Mayberry placed the team on her young shoulders during the final minutes, scoring Booker T’s last 11 points. Hoops run in Mayberry’s genes: she’s the daughter of former NBA player Lee Mayberry. This is the third consecutive year that a TPS girls team has won the 5a championship. East Central took home titles in 2007 and 2006.

 

Pirates of Penzance Comes to McKinley 

3/28/2008, 1:30 p.m.

Members of the Tulsa Opera are paying a visit to McKinley Elementary School this month, bringing sets and costumes so that fifth-grade students can perform “The Pirates of Penzance.”

The Tulsa Opera is one of McKinley’s Partners in Education and have provided the McKinley family with free tickets to attend an opera performance, the “Magic Flute,” in April.

“The Pirates of Penzance” is a classic from the legendary duo of Arthur Sullivan and W. S. Gilbert. It debuted in 1879 and is one of the most frequently played Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Its 1981 Broadway revival by Joseph Papp ran for 787 performances and spawned a slew of imitations.

 

Booker T. Grads Return For Concert 

3/28/2008, 1:30 p.m.

See—you can go home again, at least if your one of the six Booker T. Washington graduates coming back to Tulsa to perform a series of concerts this month.

The students are members of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Vesper Choir and they’ve already had some prestigious gigs, including a concert at the Vatican. On March 28 at 1:30 p.m. they’ll be performing at BTW. Other venues during their Tulsa visit include the Metropolitan Baptist Church and St. Andrew Baptist Church.

The choir performs a varied program of classical choral repertoire, spirituals, choral jazz, commercial music, music of popular appeal and gospel selections.

The former BTW students are: Jamaal Dyer, Brandy Gildon, Akela Leach, Skylar Scott and Robert Washington from the Class of 2004 and Janitha Lawson from the Class of 2007.

 

Central Golfer Scores Again 

3/29/2008, 1 p.m.

What a year it’s been for Lee Prince. The Central High School senior has already been selected to play at a tournament in California’s Pebble Beach, and now he’s also netted a $40,000 scholarship.

We first told you about Prince a few months back when DeMarco Morgan, a Tulsa native currently working as a news anchor in Florida, became so impressed by the teen that he awarded him a scholarship. Now Prince has also netted a scholarship from The First Tee, a organization with the goal of improving the lives of youth through the game of golf and the values that are required to play it.

Prince has also been picked to play at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach.

“These young people displayed excellent golf skills and knowledge of the life skills curriculum,” said The First Tee Executive Director Joe Louis Barrow, Jr.

Prince will be formally awarded The First Tee scholarship during a 1 p.m. ceremony at Mohawk Park in North Tulsa on March 29.

 

Dolphin Golf Scramble 

3/31/2008, 11 a.m.

Grab your clubs and prepare to engage in one of Scotland’s greatest inventions as Eisenhower International Elementary School hosts a golf scramble this month.

Set for March 31 at 11 a.m. the scramble is designed to raise money for the school’s Spanish and French immersion programs. Eisenhower administrators say everyone — from students to parents to teachers to the general public — is invited to attend.

 

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.

 

Choose your style.