December
2, 2004
Memphis
Grizzlies Partners With Memphis City
Schools To Take on Attendance & Truancy
Memphis,
Tenn. – Seventh and eighth grade
students at Vance Middle and Westside High
School will get the opportunity to earn
incentives for improving school attendance
in the third annual
“Stay In School Challenge,” a
program developed in partnership with Memphis
City Schools, the Memphis Grizzlies, the
District Attorney General of Shelby County
and the Hyde Family Foundations.
This year represents the first year that
the schools will compete head on to battle
for a “Stay In School Challenge” trophy,
recognition on the Memphis Grizzlies Web
site and in-game recognition during one of
the Memphis Grizzlies home Basketball games.
“All
of the partners involved in this project
share the district’s passion about
academic achievement in our schools and
jointly recognize that attendance in school
is key to learning,”
said Dr. Carol Johnson, superintendent, Memphis
City Schools. “We believe that the
Stay in School Challenge is a motivating
initiative to encourage students to also
realize the importance of attending school
and obtaining a good education.”
To
“tipoff” the friendly spirit
of competition the boys basketball teams
of Vance Middle and Westside High school
will compete at FedExForum on Monday, December
6, 2004, at 11:30 a.m. The competition will
resemble an actual Grizzlies game and will
take place on the new NBA basketball court
with the use of the official NBA score clock.
The game will also feature half-time festivities,
cheerleaders and students from both schools
who will fill the stands to cheer their team
to victory.
The
challenge will officially begin January
4, 2005 and will run through February 15.
Students will receive awards based on:
100% attendance each week, 95% or better
attendance rate during each of two rounds
(Round 1: January 4- February 11 and Round
2: February 15-April 1). Awards will range
from Grizzlies memorabilia, tickets to
home games, special appearances to t-shirts
and a grand prize of lunch with a Grizzlies
player. Teachers can also qualify to win
awards based on the attendance rates of
their students.
Both
Vance and Westside hope that this year’s
challenge will result in both better attendance
and academic achievement in their schools.
“I hope that the program will increase
attendance by our students, especially our
eighth grade students who are currently at
91% attendance (2% behind NCLB requirement),”
said Bettye Sims, principal of Vance Middle.
The partners hope to eventually expand the
program to all Memphis City middle schools.
December
9, 2004
Brookmeade
Elem. named ‘MCS Reads’ School
of the Month, students, faculty celebrate
literacy with Ronald McDonald
By
Stephanie Myers, MyersS1@mcsk12.net
Memphis,
Tenn. — Students and faculty members
of Brookemeade Elementary School gathered
today to celebrate the school’s great
efforts in literacy with the Memphis City
Schools Reads campaign.
|
Students from
Nancy Binkley’s third grade
class are congratulated by Ronald
McDonald for reading the most
books in the school.
|
Brookmeade
Elementary was named the MCS Reads School
of the Month for November in honor of the
school’s efforts to promote MCS Reads.
Ronald McDonald and representatives from
area McDonald’s, one of the literacy
campaign’s supporters, joined the
school in celebrating its great accomplishment.
“I
am proud of our students for reading so
many books and of our faculty members for
emphasizing the importance of literacy,” said
Brookmeade Principal Ella Watson. “We
are thrilled to be named the MCS Reads
School of the Month.”
|
|
|
| Caylan
Parks, a third grader in Nancy Binkley’s
class, accepts her class’s McDonald’s
coupons from Ronald McDonald. Binkley’s
class members read the most books of
any class, with 1,237. |
|
|
As
a special reward for being named School
of the Month, each Brookmeade student and
teacher received two coupons for a free
cheeseburger from McDonald’s. The
students from each class who read the most
books also received a pencil, a special
gift from Principal Watson.
“McDonald’s
has been a wonderful supporter of the MCS
Reads literacy campaign, donating almost
$9,000 worth of food coupons for the Two
for 2 program, which gives incentives for
our readers,”
said Marketing Manager Nikita Flynn, one
of the organizers of the MCS Reads campaign.
Nancy
Binkley’s third grade class read
the most books of any class in the school,
with 1,237. Atondrious Peete, a student
in Binkley’s class, led the school
with the most books read at 190. Other
students in Binkley’s class followed
close behind her: Jasmine Coleman read
146, Demetrious Mabins read 136, and Kayla
Morris read 103.
December
8, 2004
A.
Maceo Walker to hold December PTO Family
Night Thursday
By
Stephanie Myers, MyersS1@mcsk12.net
Memphis,
Tenn. — Students and their parents
will gather at A. Maceo Walker Middle School
Thursday night to promote family involvement
in school and learn about financial stability.
The
A. Maceo Walker PTO is sponsoring Family
Night Thursday, Dec. 9, from 5:40 to 7
p.m. in the school’s media center,
1900 E. Raines Road. The Toy Store Auto
Sales, Financial Services Unlimited and
Diamond Estates representatives will speak
on December’s theme, Financial Awareness,
during the meeting.
Uncle
Lou’s Fried Chicken will be served
from 5:40 to 6 p.m., and students will
have the opportunity to join the Student
Exchange Club and Lawrence Johnson’s
Entrepreneur Club.
December
8, 2004
Crump
Elem. activities encourage literacy with ‘MCS
Reads’
By
Stephanie Myers, MyersS1@mcsk12.net
Memphis,
Tenn. — Crump Elementary School students
and faculty members have been busy with
Memphis City Schools Reads events over
the past couple of months — and there’s
more coming.
The
faculty of Crump Elementary has taken the
goal of promoting literacy with the Memphis
City Schools Reads literacy campaign to
heart, creating programs to encourage reading
and community involvement in the school.
The
school hosted "We are Family Month"
in November, with activities reinforcing
literacy, including an Accelerated Reader
Pajama Reading Party on Nov. 18, a performance
of the play
“Jack and the Beanstalk” on Nov.
23, and Family Scrapbook Night on Nov. 30.
The
Family Scrapbook Night will repeat in January
for MCS Reads Community in the Classroom
Month, at parents' requests. The goal of
the project is to improve students’ reading
and writing skills while creating a community/school
scrapbook of the families of Crump students.
Participants create a page to include in
the scrapbook that journals their lives
before and during their involvement at
Crump to reinforce literacy.
The
school has more planned, as well, including
the Read to Achieve Program on Dec. 9 and
"Lift Your Voice and Read" on Dec.
13 at 12:30 p.m. at the school, 4405 Crump.
During "Lift Your Voice and Read,"
every Crump kindergartner will receive a
book as a gift.
Community
members are encouraged to participate in
this event by reading to a kindergartner
or donating a book. For more information,
contact the school at 416-1970.
December
6, 2004
4,000
MCS students to receive gifts, surprise
visit from St. Nicholas
Memphis,
Tenn. — About 4,000 students at 11
Memphis City Schools will receive a surprise
visit from St. Nicholas and community leaders
Friday, Dec. 3.
Mayor
A C Wharton, School Board President Patrice
Jordan-Robinson and a host of local volunteers
will join St. Nicholas in visiting elementary
schools across the city tomorrow morning,
bringing presents for less-fortunate kindergarten
through third grade students.
Students
will enter their schools Friday to find
the halls and classrooms sprinkled with
gold tinsel and gifts on their desks. Students
in kindergarten and first grade will receive
colorful backpacks containing books, toys
and school supplies. Second and third graders
will receive two books, one to keep and
one to give to someone as a gift. Gifts
were donated by local businesses for the
event, which Volunteer Memphis sponsors
locally.
After
gifts are discovered, children will listen
to the legend of St. Nicholas, read to
them by volunteers. Wharton and Jordan-Robinson
will visit children at 7:30 a.m. at Winchester
Elementary, 3587 Boeingshire, one of the
city’s Fresh Start schools.
“Many
of our city’s children do not have
books of their own at home,” said
Board Commissioner Deni Hirsh of Volunteer
Memphis. “This event supports programs
that are helping children improve their
reading by providing books they can keep.
This is a fun-filled event with an educational
focus.”
This
year’s celebration will mark the
fourth year the program has been held in
Memphis. Other cities participating in
A Visit from Saint Nicholas include Houston,
Tucson, Ariz., Fairfax, Va., Phoenix, Ariz.,
Denver, Colo., Columbus, Ohio, Baton Rouge,
La., Santa Ana, Calif., and Jacksonville,
Fla.
The
event coincides with the Dec. 6 Feast of
Saint Nicholas Day, celebrated as a children’s
holiday in many countries. Remembered for
his special love of children, St. Nicholas
is the subject of many legends of philanthropy.
Gifts
are made possible with corporate and individual
contributions. Major local sponsors include
AutoZone, BellSouth, FedEx Corporation,
First Tennessee Foundation, Pickering,
Inc., Time Warner Cable and Weyerhaeuser
Co.
Foundation.
FedEx Express donated the use of its aircraft
to ship approximately 36 pallets of backpacks
and toys from a Houston warehouse to the
locations around the country.
A
donation of $10 provides two books for
a child, $25 provides one backpack filled
with toys and books, and $250 provides
books for an entire class. For more information
on sponsoring a gift, contact Deni Hirsh
at 523-2425 or Janas Jackson at 434-7759
or 485-6107.
December
2, 2004
Memphis
Grizzlies Partners With Memphis City
Schools To Take on Attendance & Truancy
Memphis,
Tenn. – Seventh and eighth grade
students at Vance Middle and Westside High
School will get the opportunity to earn
incentives for improving school attendance
in the third annual
“Stay In School Challenge,” a
program developed in partnership with Memphis
City Schools, the Memphis Grizzlies, the
District Attorney General of Shelby County
and the Hyde Family Foundations.
This year represents the first year that
the schools will compete head on to battle
for a “Stay In School Challenge” trophy,
recognition on the Memphis Grizzlies Web
site and in-game recognition during one of
the Memphis Grizzlies home Basketball games.
“All
of the partners involved in this project
share the district’s passion about
academic achievement in our schools and
jointly recognize that attendance in school
is key to learning,”
said Dr. Carol Johnson, superintendent, Memphis
City Schools. “We believe that the
Stay in School Challenge is a motivating
initiative to encourage students to also
realize the importance of attending school
and obtaining a good education.”
To
“tipoff” the friendly spirit
of competition the boys basketball teams
of Vance Middle and Westside High school
will compete at FedExForum on Monday, December
6, 2004, at 11:30 a.m. The competition will
resemble an actual Grizzlies game and will
take place on the new NBA basketball court
with the use of the official NBA score clock.
The game will also feature half-time festivities,
cheerleaders and students from both schools
who will fill the stands to cheer their team
to victory.
The
challenge will officially begin January
4, 2005 and will run through February 15.
Students will receive awards based on:
100% attendance each week, 95% or better
attendance rate during each of two rounds
(Round 1: January 4- February 11 and Round
2: February 15-April 1). Awards will range
from Grizzlies memorabilia, tickets to
home games, special appearances to t-shirts
and a grand prize of lunch with a Grizzlies
player. Teachers can also qualify to win
awards based on the attendance rates of
their students.
Both
Vance and Westside hope that this year’s
challenge will result in both better attendance
and academic achievement in their schools.
“I hope that the program will increase
attendance by our students, especially our
eighth grade students who are currently at
91% attendance (2% behind NCLB requirement),”
said Bettye Sims, principal of Vance Middle.
The partners hope to eventually expand the
program to all Memphis City middle schools.
