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School News - Tip Sheet - 4/1/2009

Eisenhower Students Win Merit Awards 

3/30/2009

Now, these kids have talent! Two students at Eisenhower International School earned Merit Awards from the Oklahoma PTA.

Third-grader Jack Drummond and first-grader Quinlann Murray entered the PTA’s Reflections contest, an arts program established in 1969 that “provides opportunities for students to express themselves creatively and to receive positive recognition for original works of art inspired by a pre-selected theme, while increasing community awareness on the importance of the arts in education,” according to the PTA’s website.

Jack is a composer and Quinlann is an artist. Jack received his Merit award for a musical composition he created (don’t forget—this child is only in the third-grade!) and Quinlann created a painting called “Dinosaur Fun.”

 

Testing 

4/1/2009

For the next few weeks district schools will be a flurry of activity as administrators use tried-and-true methods and get seriously creative in a bid to motivate their students to perform well on mandated testing - from special speakers to skits, youth pastors to T-shirts, rallies to riffs on pop culture.

While the ideas vary, the goal is the same: reduce stress and help students to focus. At Mayo Demonstration Academy, for example, students and parents write letters of encouragement to testing students.

“The students love it,” said Mayo teacher LeeAnne Power, “and we think it helps them reduce anxiety. It gets their blood pumping and is good for them because they’ve had a fun activity before testing.”

Other ideas: Anderson Elementary has guest speakers, skits, and a performance by Booker T. Washington’s drum line and teachers handing out "Expect Success" stickers; Salk is inviting a youth pastor; Roosevelt has rallies divided by grade and testing T-shirts; Whitman is working on booking NBA star Wayman Tisdale to speak to their students, and riffing on David Letterman's Top Ten list to offer testing tips; students at Kipp wear camouflage and play staff members in basketball.

Testing rallies begin 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, as Emerson Elementary invites Central High School’s drum corps to help pump their kids up. Motivational speaker Richard Hight will deliver an address.

Burroughs Elementary has an entire “Take Back our Kids Week” including a friendly, game show-style event at 6 p.m. on April 7 involving parents competing against their kids.

“The purpose of this activity is to increase student problem solving and critical thinking skills,” said Tammy Britton, the school’s principal.

Other schools preparing for testing with rallies include Cooper, April 9, 1 p.m.; Skelly, April 9, 1:15 p.m.; Lindbergh, April 13, 2 p.m.; Jones, April 9, 9 a.m.; Phillips, April 9, 8 a.m.; Barnard, April 13, 2 p.m.; Penn, April 9, 1 p.m.; Park, April 8, 12:30 p.m. and Newcomer, April 9, 8 a.m.

Test Tips for Parents

Test Tips for Students

 

Edison's Wall Street Day 

4/6/2009, 2 p.m.

Stories out of Wall Street dominate today’s headlines and students at Edison Preparatory Middle School are about to receive a lesson in the way the stock market works.

Wall Street Day is sponsored by the AXA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AXA, the fifteenth largest company in the world. Prior to the event, high school finance students tutor younger students with some fundamental facts about finance. On Wall Street Day—set for April 6—an AXA representative gives a presentation on such topics as inflation, investing, stocks, etc. Armed with knowledge the middle school students are broken into teams, given $1,000 in what’s called “AXA dollars" and a list of select stocks with the goal of choosing investments they believe will give them the greatest return.

The winning team gets bragging rights (serious currency in the middle school environment).

As part of the program AXA is donating to Edison a $1,500 check.

 

Brrrrrrr! Igloo Marks School’s Century Mark 

4/6/2009

Spring is coming, but an igloo will festoon one district school during the next few weeks.

Peary Elementary School is gearing up to celebrate 100 years of operation and to mark the event students at the school have constructed what Peary secretary Jeanie Cox calls a “pretty life-sized” igloo. The igloo is made out of nearly 500 milk cans, all collected by Peary students.

The significance of the igloo is the school’s namesake: Robert Edwin Peary, the explorer believed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole.

Peary’s official anniversary date is April 6, but the igloo is already up and running.

 

From Here to Eternity at Clinton Middle 

4/7/2009, 8:30 a.m.

Students at Clinton Middle School are about to have their names preserved for all time (well, maybe not for all time, but for a really, really, long time). Considering the age of some of the district’s schools, it could be at least a century.

Workers have been scheduled to lay carpet in the commons area of the school’s new digs. Prior to that, Clinton students will sign their names to the floor.

“The purpose is to build ownership in the new building,” said John Autry, Clinton’s principal. “Even though their names will be covered with carpet it will be there for as long as the building stands.”

Each class puts their name on the next-highest area so sixth-graders will sign the seventh-grade floor, seventh-graders the eighth-grade and so on.

The signing is Tuesday, April 7 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

 

East Central Teacher Wins Ambassadors In Education Award 

4/7/2009

Tulsa Public Schools teacher Carol Axley has been selected by the National Civic League as a winner of the 2009 MetLife Foundation Ambassadors In Education award. Axley was one of only 25 winners selected for her leadership in building bridges between local schools and communities and will receive a $5,000 grant for her school at a local award ceremony.

“I’m thrilled and honored,” Axley said. “The best part is that we’ll have money to take our students on more overnight trips. We had grant money for that but it has run out so now we can continue with the trips and that’s important.”

Axley is a counselor and student advocate at East Central High School, one of the most diverse schools in Oklahoma. She recruits teens across the state to participate in “Camp Anytown,” a multicultural leadership program sponsored by the Oklahoma Conference of Community and Justice. She is on the advisory board of Upward Bound, an organization that prepares at risk students for college. She facilitates Youth Leadership Tulsa, a select group of teens from the metro area who meet once a month to learn more about their community and ways to give back. She coordinates services for students at-risk and works to find resources for families in need.

“This year’s winners are some of the most gifted and dedicated teachers in the country,” noted Gloria Rubio-Cortes, the league’s president. “Each and every one of them has an important story to tell of how professional educators, parents, students, business leaders and community organizations can work together to improve schools and communities.”

The award is designed to recognize educators whose influence can be felt beyond the classrooms and hallways, by recognizing educators that: build partnerships with community organizations, parents, and guardians; resolve conflicts and promote safety; and participate in civic engagement and community service efforts. Middle and high school educators in participating public school districts are eligible, and are nominated by peers, parents, students or community members and selected by a national panel of education and civic experts.

For more information about the Ambassadors In Education Award visit www.ncl.org/metlife.

 

FREE Parent/Guardian Classes
Parenting to Counterbalance Outside Influences 

4/8/2009, 6:30 p.m.

The CREOKS Family Life Training Program provides families, grandparents, etc. with outstanding parenting classes, resources, and referral services to strengthen our parenting skills and parental involvement. Every parent faces challenges while raising children. Unfortunately, our children were not born with an instruction manual. This program will also provide parents with new ideas, tips, advice, and even a support group for the roller coaster journey of raising children. Reservations are required.

For more information, or to enroll please contact Stacey Berry, the Family Life Coordinator, at stacey.berry@creoks.org or by phone 227-2016 ext. 137.

According to the Family Life policy, a class minimum of 3 is required. All classes are subject to cancellation.

“Are Our Kids Growing Up Too Fast?”: Parenting to Counterbalance Outside Influences; Pop Culture Collides with Family Values

Wednesday, 4/8/08, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., Memorial High School Library – 5840 S. Hudson Avenue, Tulsa

Who is teaching our children? The average child spends seven hours a day watching television, five minutes a day with their father, and twenty minutes a day with their mother. The question is a valid one. Will it be today’s pop culture or will it be the parents? “If we do not teach our children, society will. And they, and we, will live with the results.” Please join other interested and concerned parents to identify cultural changes in the past fifty years that affect families, both positive and negative, identify family values and how pop culture impacts them, and learn strategies that balance family values and pop culture.

 

Hoover Students to Perform Classic Opera 

4/8/2009, 10 a.m.

In a unique collaboration, students at Hoover Elementary are joining with members of the Tulsa Opera to collaborate on a performance of “Hansel and Gretel.”

The production involves students in Hoover’s third through fifth grades rehearsing with music teacher Laura Collins and opera members in what’s called an “informance.”

The show goes on April 8 at 10 a.m. in the Hoover gym. “Hansel and Gretel” was authored by nineteenth-century composer Engelbert Humperdinck. It was first performed in 1893.

 

The Best Helicopter Ride Ever! 

4/9/2009, 11 a.m.

Look, kids! In the sky. It’s a bird…it’s a plane…no…it’s even better! A helicopter dropping Easter candy!

Once again a Tulsa County Sheriff's Office helicopter piloted by Deputy Greg Merrill is flying over the Ralph J. Bunche Early Childhood Development Center, with Merrill hurling candy to the students below. Later Deputy Stacie Giles—dressed as the Easter Bunny—is visiting individual classrooms bearing…you guessed it: more candy!

Bunche administrators have done this in the past and they stress safety. The candy is being donated by businesses participating in the Partner in Education program, and parents. Sweet!

 

Robertson's Landfill Project 

4/9/2009, 9 a.m.

Dig this: An exercise in environmental awareness led students at Robertson Elementary to literally create their own landfill!

The school’s fourth-grade class collected over fifty objects that they measured, weighed, photographed and tested for biodegradability. Next up is digging up the objects and testing them for any change. That happens on Thursday, April 9 at 9 a.m.

Community members are invited to attend. Contact Judy Dieckman at 746-8900 for more information.

 

Whoa, Dude—Students Compete in Skateboard Design Contest 

4/9/2009, 5 p.m.

A art teacher at Will Rogers High School is again sponsoring a skateboard design contest for her students.

Leslie Alden says the designs are being created on poster boards in the shape of skateboards. You can check them out on April 9, 5-7 p.m., at The Board Shop, located at 1142 S. Harvard. That’s also when the winning design and runners up will be selected. The first-place winner will receive a new complete skateboard donated by the Board Shop; other winners will be getting boards provided by Deluxe, a skateboard distributor in California.

 

Humpty Dumpty Day 

4/9/2009, 1 p.m.

The oval-shaped guy that sat on a wall and subsequently suffered a great fall is the focus of an especially egg-citing event at Lee Elementary.

The school’s Humpy Dumpty Day is open to pre-K and kindergartners and involves such events as an egg drop, egg nose roll, spoon races and egg coloring.

For those of you that don’t remember, Humpty Dumpty is a nursery rhyme that first appeared in printed form in 1810.

 

Metro Honor Jazz Band Concert 

4/14/2009, 7 p.m.

The district’s music department presents its annual Metro Honor Jazz Band concert on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. at East Central High School’s auditorium.

Paige Godfrey, TPS music curriculum specialist, says the concert features students from Booker T. Washington, East Central, Edison and Whitney. Special guests are the past president of Oklahoma Jazz Educators Association Dr. Heath Jones and Rod Mackey of Union Public Schools.

This concert is free to the public.

 

Partners in Education Recognition Reception 

4/16/2009, 4 p.m.

Area businesses that donate time and money to area youth will be honored during the upcoming Partners In Education recognition reception.

The annual event is an awards ceremony where outstanding partnerships for the current school year are recognized.

Partners in Education is a collaborative effort between TPS and the Tulsa Metro Chamber. The program's focus is to link Tulsa students with community resources to provide the knowledge and skills needed for future success. Partners and schools choose their level of involvement, which may include—but are not necessarily 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 reception is Thursday, April 16, from 4–5:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills, located at 71st and Lewis.

 

One Hale of a Sale 

4/18/2009, 8 a.m.

Bargain shoppers, this one is for you. Nathan Hale High School is holding a garage/yard/rummage sale on Saturday, April 18, running from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Dubbed “One Hale of a Sale,” the bargain bonanza features students from Hale’s classes, clubs and teams setting up booths chock-full of collectibles and other neat stuff.

 

Neighborhood in Rogers' Feeder Pattern Hosts Block Party 

4/18/2009, 11 a.m.

An upcoming block party is being coordinated by a district school.

McKinley Elementary Principal Cassandra Funderburk says the shindig, set for Saturday, April 18, is one aspect of how the school and community are teaming up to beautify their area.

Funderburk and other McKinley staffers have been working with Cathey Hill, a neighborhood liaison for the city, on a Neighborhood Enhancement Project involving all of Will Rogers’ feeder schools.

One example: “We have gone into the neighborhood with Rogers High School students and painted over vandalism,” Funderburk said.

The upcoming block party has been dubbed "Family Fest.” It’s taking place at Maxwell Park, located at 5251 E. Newton. The public is invited to come on out and have some good, clean fun.

 

FREE Parent/Guardian Classes
Helping Children Learn To Make Healthy Choices 

4/22/2009, 6:30 p.m.

The CREOKS Family Life Training Program provides families, grandparents, etc. with outstanding parenting classes, resources, and referral services to strengthen our parenting skills and parental involvement. Every parent faces challenges while raising children. Unfortunately, our children were not born with an instruction manual. This program will also provide parents with new ideas, tips, advice, and even a support group for the roller coaster journey of raising children. Reservations are required.

For more information, or to enroll please contact Stacey Berry, the Family Life Coordinator, at stacey.berry@creoks.org or by phone 227-2016 ext. 137.

According to the Family Life policy, a class minimum of 3 is required. All classes are subject to cancellation.

“Right/Wrong vs. Good/Bad”: Helping Children Learn To Make Healthy Choices

Wednesday, 4/22/08, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Memorial High School Library – 5840 S. Hudson Avenue, Tulsa

“What’s popular isn’t always right, and what’s right isn’t always popular.” There are obviously many considerations to take into account when making important decisions. Our chances of getting to make decisions about how to spend the lottery are pretty slim, but as parents and adults, we are frequently faced with some very difficult choices. In this class we will become aware of the influences on children’s decision making processes, understand the stages of moral development, identify steps of decision making, and develop skills for encouraging responsible decision making in children.

 

The Wizard of Oz 

4/23/2009, 7:30 p.m.

Memorial High School holds its forty-fourth annual all-school musical this month with a rendition of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Show times are 7:30 p.m. on April 23-25 at the school’s Call Hall. To reserve tickets call 481-8461.

 

TPS Elementary Nabs Reading Honor 

5/3/2009

A February visit by the Oklahoma Reading Council to Kendall-Whittier Elementary has led to the school receiving a prestigious reading award.

The Exemplary Reading Program Award’s “purpose is to call the public’s attention to outstanding programs in schools throughout Canada and the United States,” according to the website of the International Reading Association. “Each participating state and province can choose one winning school a year.”

This year that winning school is Kendall-Whittier.

Judy Feary, the school’s principal, says the award validates her staff’s efforts.

“I am so proud of them,” Feary said. “Our teachers work diligently and over the years we have taken a lot of professional development in language arts, reading and writing.”

The award will be given during the reading association’s annual convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center, held May 3–7.

 

Billboards Praise TPS Teachers 

5/5/2009

When cruising around Tulsa next month a billboard touting the wonderful teachers at TPS may catch your eye. For the third year in a row Lamar Advertising is placing billboards at strategic locations. The signs are adorned with a message of gratitude and encouragement to those tireless workers that help little minds reach their full potential.

The billboards coincide with the month of May because the first week of the month is Teacher Appreciation Week as established by the National Parent Teachers Association in 1985. The first Tuesday of the month is National Teacher Day. The date this year is May 5.

The billboards will be up all month.

 

Disney and Friends 

5/12/2009, 10 a.m.

It’s become an annual tradition and this year is no different as vocal music students from Nathan Hale High School light up little faces by presenting Disney and Friends for TPS elementary students. This hour-long program is free. The performances are May 12, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., in Hale's auditorium.

Disney and Friends is a live stage performance complete with choreography and costumes. Make reservations by calling Patti Duncan, Hale vocal music instructor, at 925-1231 or by e-mailing your preference of dates and the number of people attending to duncapa@tulsaschools.org.

 

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