We'd like to give a big, BIG thanks to Papa John's and Michael Griffin of the Tennessee Titans for a sizable donation given to Hunters Lane High School this week.



Michael came by Hunters Lane with a check for more than $8,500 to be used for healthy snacks and fresh food for students.



The money was raised through a pizza promotion done at Papa John's restaurants. Both Michael Griffin and executives from Papa John's were proud to particiapte, saying how important it is to be involved in the community and to give help young people who need it.



Thank you for the donation!

Tennessee Titan Michael Griffin with Hunters Lane principal Susan Kessler & assistant principal Andrew Davis.

Is it still volunteering if you can win cash? You bet it is!



OneNashville.org is enticing you to volunteer in our schools by putting cash and prizes on the line. You can enter as yourself, enter your whole school or enter your business.



It's easy.



Log on to OneNashville.org and choose volunteer opportunities in our schools. Be sure to log your hours on the website. And that's it. Really, that's it!



When you hit the minimum number of hours you will be entered into a drawing. There are three separate prizes for individual, school and business:

• $1,000 for you


• $1,000 for your school


• a full page ad in The Tennessean for your business

Here's the fine print:

Criteria to win: Individual: Anyone who logs 12 hours or more will be entered into the drawing. Business: Employee volunteers must log an average of 2.5 hours each. For example, if a company has 10 employees who volunteer in Metro Nashville Public Schools, they would need to log at least 25 combined hours for the business to be entered into the drawing. School: In order to keep the playing field equal for large and small schools, each school will need an average of one volunteer hour logged per student per year to be eligible for the prize. Since the time frame leading up to the drawing is three months, schools must divide the number of students by four to find out how many volunteer hours are needed to be entered into the drawing. For example, if a school has 200 students, they would need to log 50 hours to be eligible.

Get started!

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

Back to the Future…The FANS Retro Classic Rocks

The North Sports Report attended the most exciting, innovative, heartwarming basketball extravaganza last weekend at the old Historic Isaac Litton Gymnasium. I hope you saw the media coverage. Four local television stations, The Tennessean, and even ESPN.com covered The FANS Retro Classic. The teams wore throwback uniforms of bygone high schools, fans wore memorabilia and legendary MNPS coaches were recognized at mid-court. Decked out in retro uniforms of old DuPont High, Litton High, Cameron High and the eye popping iconic Madison High polka dots, the teams took to the court in what I believe is the first varsity high school basketball games at the old Litton gym in over forty years. Nashville Sporting Goods helped with the throwback uniforms, and Maplewood, Hume-Fogg, Hunters Lane, Stratford, Glencliff, and McGavock hooped it old school.



Talk about history, recognizing great old-school coaches was a highlight of the event: McGavock’s first basketball coach Joe Allen; Stratford’s first football coach Ronald Webb; Stratford’s first basketball coach Charlie Anderson; Hunters Lane’s first basketball coach Carlton Collier; and Madison High’s first football coach Bill Brimm. What’s that, Coach? No sir, I didn’t say “old school.” I said “wise and experienced.”

Coaching legends: McGavock's Joe Allen; Madison's Bill Brimm; Stratford and Litton's Ronald Webb (also a long time Principal at McMurray); Stratford's Charlie Anderson; and Madison and Hunters Lane's Carlton Collier.	Hunters Lane in old school Madison High uniforms and Glencliff in old school Cameron High uniforms.
Game action: Hume-Fogg, dressed as old Madison, vs. Maplewood, dressed as old Litton.	Stratford Coach Barry Mangrum introduces legends, principal Ronald Webb and coach Charlie Anderson, for pre-game words of wisdom to the attentive Spartans.

The North Sports Report can’t wait until next year’s FANS Retro Classic!

News from the Alley… Best in Tennessee History

Check out this morning’s Tennessean and sportswriter Chip Cirillo’s piece on Cane Ridge superstar bowler Aaron Ruiz who won the state championship his freshman year, led the state with the highest per game average last year as a sophomore, and broke the state record this year with an average of 244. By the time Aaron concludes his high school career, he will be recognized as the best bowler in the history of Tennessee interscholastic bowling. The state tournament is January 24-26 in Smyrna. Good luck to all our bowlers!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Historic Performances

The chorus program at Oliver Middle School is in the running for a $15,000 music grant courtesy of Rack Room Shoes! From Dec. 28 - Jan. 13, 2013, vote for Oliver’s video here at Rack Room Shoes website and click on the Gift of Music icon. The top four vote recipients will win $15,000 to support the music program. So log on and vote for Oliver!

UPDATE! Marcus and Joey will finally make their national debut! Thursday, Dec. 20, a special segment highlighting their time working with Brad Paisley will air during the CMA Country Christmas Special on ABC.



Live television, folks! CMA Week (a.k.a “Country Music’s Biggest Night™”) cast a national spotlight on two Metro high school students – even if they didn’t end up playing with Brad Paisley during the broadcast.



Marcus Wanner, a student at Nashville School of the Arts, and Joey Santoro, a student at Hume-Fogg Magnet High School, were hand-selected to perform with Brad during the The 46th Annual CMA Awards on Thursday. The performance was meant to draw attention to Keep the Music Playing, a program that has donated more than $6.1 million to support music education on behalf of the hundreds of Country Music artists that perform at CMA Music Festival for free.



But the hectic world of live television forced the performance to be cut from the show, though they still had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rehearse with Brad and appear with him on Good Morning America.



Isaac Litton Middle School, home of the Marching 100, was also to be featured, though that video segment was cut from the broadcast, as well. Teachers Allison Winstein and William McMillan - along with more than twenty students - participated in a video shoot promoting the Keep the Music Playing partnership with MNPS.

Litton was selected to participate for its long and rich history of excellence in music. Litton is now redeveloping its music program as part of its overall school improvement program and in partnership with Music Makes Us, a city-school partnership that aims to reinvigorate music education in Nashville.



“The support and generosity of our Nashville community is remarkable,” said Laurie Schell, director of Music Makes Us. “We are so grateful to the Country Music Association's Keep the Music Playing program for ensuring our students have access to quality musical instruments. Having a good instrument is the first step toward becoming a music-lover for life."



About Keep the Music Playing

Keep the Music Playing is an initiative of the CMA Foundation, which exists to provide financial support to worthwhile causes that are important to the Country Music Association and the Country Music community. The CMA Foundation places special emphasis on serving the needs of CMA's core constituents and nonprofit organizations with initiatives that preserve the legacy of the format, music education, and respond to such other needs that may be identified in the future by the CMA.



Since 2006, KTMP has contributed more than $6.1 million to Metro Nashville Public Schools. The funds have been used to build music labs, provide sound and lighting equipment for school auditoriums, and purchase more than 4,000 instruments for the schools.



About Music Makes Us

Music Makes Us promotes, supports and advances student engagement and achievement through robust, high quality music education with both a traditional music curriculum as well as a contemporary curriculum track that uses new technologies and reflects a diverse musical landscape. A public/private partnership among Metro Nashville Public Schools, Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, and music industry and community leaders in Nashville, Music Makes Us is committed to becoming a worldwide leader in music education, bringing the resources of the Nashville music community together to enable participation and foster student success for all of its 81,000 students.



Building on a model partnership and the generosity of the Country Music Association’s Keep The Music Playing program, Music Makes Us seeks to establish groundbreaking new contemporary curriculum pathways as well as create a strong alignment with the instructional goals of MNPS, enhance existing chorus, band and orchestra programs, facilitate strong partnerships among the business and nonprofit music communities, develop a facilities master plan, and improve the support infrastructure for teachers, students and community partners.

iLeaders are charged with dramatically improving the performance of and changing the culture at the district's iZone schools.

They met as a group last Friday (December 14) with Executive Director of Innovation Alan Coverstone to share ideas, best practices, and lessons learned at their schools.

They focused on the three big goals:

• Moving students (figuratively, not physically)


• Moving teachers (again, figuratively)


• Sustainable school redesign

Discussions included smarter time management and allocation; clear team priorities and roles; expanding capacity to meet the big three goals; and prioritizing highly effective actions and abandoning ineffective ones.

After the iLeaders discussed in small groups, they shared their discoveries with each other.

With a relentless focus on moving students and teachers forward, these teams shared honestly about how to help everyone participate more effectively in the big goal of dramatically improving student achievement and the opportunities for college and career readiness built on that foundation. Autonomy and innovation are allowing a sharp leadership focused on proving what is possible when all the people, programs, money, and time are focused on success for all students, and this session offered a great opportunity to adapt and improve at this crucial mid-year break.

But despite spending half a work day away from their schools, Alan and his team promised: "We want you to leave with the ways to recover the time you spend here today. You will stop doing things that take time away from high productivity outcomes and start including more people in activities that will enable them to contribute more to the bottom line with less time commitment by the people in this room."

Mark North, Sports Fan & President of The Fans, Inc.

I Saw the Light

Friday was one of those days…the horrific tragedy in Connecticut …unspeakable terror…dominated the news, monopolized our thought, exponentially multiplied our fears, and left each of us searching for elusive answers. Social media constantly reiterated the questions – Where did we go so wrong? Why would someone inflict such horror? What in his background would make him act in such a way? How can such evil exist? Why?



Darkness



With that backdrop, I planned to attend a high school basketball game as I do every Friday evening. This week, I was heading to Green Hills for the Hillsboro Burros’ showdown with the Hunters Lane Warriors. It would be my first chance to see Burros star Jamonte Davis, a 6-7 (or 6-8 depending on which recruiting service you subscribe to) forward whose complete game, including mastery of the lost art of the mid-range jump shot, has catapulted him to national recognition as a college prospect. I knew he would be tested by Hunters Lane’s scrappy, tenacious zone defense.



My daughter, home from college, accompanied me to the game, an unexpected and particularly heartwarming treat considering the events of the day. She warned that she might not pay too much attention to the game because she concentrates on and enjoys the spectacle that surrounds the actual game. True enough…and I responded that I try to notice things other people overlook and provide a different perspective through the North Sports Report. Sitting together, we watched the game in our own ways, occasionally sharing our unique commentary.



During a break in the action, late in the game, the Hillsboro cheerleaders tossed souvenirs into the crowd. You know the routine…cheerleaders throwing little basketballs and rubber bracelets all along the sideline, and every fan standing, hoping to catch a keepsake. Just like every fan at a baseball game wants to catch a foul ball, everyone in the gym wants to catch some cheerleader-thrown gift. Did I stand and wave, encouraging a toss toward me? Of course I did. Did any souvenirs land within my reach? Of course not. So, we sat back down as action resumed on the court.



Then it happened.



A Hillsboro student, sitting three people down from me, leaned over and tapped my arm. As I turned, she handed me a rubber Hillsboro souvenir bracelet the cheerleaders had thrown into the crowd. What? I had never met the young lady, and she didn’t know me from the man in the moon. What makes a high school student give a gift to a stranger? Why so nice to me? How can such grace and beauty exist? Who gets the credit…her parents? …a teacher? Where did we go so right?



I have no answers, but the cynical veil of despair was lifted. A bright light… I swear I saw a bright light…shone down on that child like a spotlight. Or, was it shining up, emanating from her kind heart? Looking around the gym, I saw light shining on everyone. I could actually see the beauty and grace in every spectator, shining through like a beacon of hope to the world. Was her light of kindness contagious, or were my eyes simply opened to the light of kindness that shines from all those around me?



I still have no answers, and that light doesn’t change the past or hide the horrors of tragedy. It does, however, expose the hope for healing and for the future.



As the New Year approaches, may we open our eyes to the beauty that surrounds us; and more importantly, shine our own light of grace, beauty and kindness in whatever small way we can.



Oh, and Go to a Game!





-- Mark North

MNPS: The First Choice for Hope for the Future

With his first semester in Nashville almost under his belt, Wright Middle and Glencliff High Mariachi instructor Alan Lambert is leading the students in their inaugural holiday concert and fundraiser. From 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 13, the Nashville community is invited to join the young Mariachi performers and special guests Sheyla Paz Hicks and Los Delgados! Check out the flyer for more details.  

Haywood Elementary is focused on families! Check out the article and photos sent in by Carolyn Price, 1st grade teacher at Haywood:



Haywood Elementary students and their families enjoyed a school wide potluck dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 27. The initiative was to bring families together with school faculty to embrace diversity, and fellowship together. Students and parents were encouraged to wear ethnic clothing and bring a dish from their country. Nearly 250 students and families attended the event which was divided into two separate dinners for different grade levels.

Principal Melanie Schiff thanked students and their families for attending over the morning announcements Wednesday morning. Haywood is planning to have another potluck after the first of the year to encourage fellowship within the school community.

    

They call themselves the P.U.R.P.L.E. Girl’s, but their community may be more inclined to call them good citizens and servants. 



Fifteen Goodlettsville Middle ladies, grades six through eight, are part of a special mentoring group (P.U.R.P.L.E.: Pursuing Uniqueness, Responsibility, Purpose, Leadership, & Education) that aims to serve the community. Thanksgiving weekend, the girls volunteered at The Women’s and Children’s Shelter and served dinner to more than 200 homeless women and children. The project proved to be a powerful, and fun, experience!

Metro Nashville Public Schools is making progress, but it’s not enough. Our student performance outcomes are still too low. That was the underlying theme of a press conference held Dec. 4 to showcase the first year’s work of U.K.-based Tribal Group, an educational review and consulting company. To push the district’s transformation to the next level, MNPS will implement significant changes in 2013, all with student achievement as the focal point.

What we’ve learned during year one of our partnership with Tribal:

• Our students are not performing as they should be; one out of three elementary and middle school students perform math at grade level while two out of five read at grade level.


• Lessons are not engaging; only 22% of lessons observed were deemed effective.


• School leaders want more autonomy; four of five principals desire greater autonomy.

With that knowledge, Dr. Register says we must work aggressively to instigate change and to inspire greater success in our students.  Under his direction and in partnership with Tribal Group, the district will expand its use of network lead principals, create a strong network of sharing of best practices among 39 schools, and develop personalized learning plans for 27,000 students in under-performing schools. The district will also see a restructuring at the Central Office with decentralization of personnel, elimination of jobs, and the reconfiguration of reporting relationships.

To learn more about Tribal’s findings and what’s in store for 2013, check out the video below.

You’re invited!

 

Winter Festival of the Creative Arts

Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School

904 26th Avenue, North, Nashville 37208

December 4, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

The Winter Festival of the Creative Arts will feature performances from students in band, chorus, and dance classes, as well as a gallery of artwork from the school’s Digital Design classes. Students are working every aspect of this event, including the marketing and promotion. Read the student-written press release for the Festival.



This is the culminating event of an interdisciplinary project-based learning unit focused on examining how the Pearl-Cohn community demonstrates individualism and aesthetic appreciation through the creative arts. Pearl-Cohn is currently serving as a district project-based learning demonstration school for its excellence in creating and implementing interdisciplinary units of study that revolve around a specific, hands-on learning project.

It’s great for learning and even relaxing! Students in the Academy of Energy and Power at Maplewood High School just finished installing a waterfall with the help of the Nashville Zoo and MNPS Maintenance. Their plans are to use the waterfall for reference and research as they work through related topics in their chemistry, physics, math and engineering classes, in addition to the beautification is gives the campus!

The project began in September when the class sat down with Terry Wakefield, designer of the water features at the Nashville Zoo, and started drawing plans for the water feature. Once the design was complete, the MNPS Maintenance Department trained the students in the installation of the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter System to insure the electrical safety of the waterfall.



The water starts flowing Friday, Dec. 7, at 9 a.m., in a special ribbon cutting ceremony.

Thinking about a career change? Nashville Teaching Fellows may be just what you need. The program recruits professionals of various backgrounds and industries who are looking for a second career, as well as recent college graduates. Nashville Teaching Fellows trains accepted individuals and places them in classrooms throughout Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Visit www.nashvilleteachingfellows.org for more to details.

A special thanks to Caroline Price for writing and submitting the following:

Math is easy, math is fun! This was the central focus at Haywood Elementary’s Annual Family Math Night. The school-wide initiative was held on Thursday, Nov. 15. Teachers and administrators worked together to develop family friendly math activities for the school’s pre-kindergarten through 4th grade students.

“We have math night to get parents into our buildings to show them different strategies and games that they can use at home to help their children build math skills that they are using in their grade level this year,” said Assistant Principal Carl Febles.

Haywood teachers have been working hard to raise math test scores and help promote high student achievement. This was a central focus for Family Math Night. “Math night can help parents learn what we are doing at school so they can help their children at home. A lot of times parents don’t know what to do to help their children, this (math night) gives them the resources and knowledge they can use at home,” said Febles. Nearly 175 students attended the Haywood event.

This morning, more than 80 area business professionals, guests from nonprofits and the faith community, government officials, and higher education professionals took the reigns at a Metro Public School. The guests were part of the annual Principal for a Day program sponsored by PENCIL Foundation. 

“Being a school principal is one of the toughest jobs,” said Director of Schools Dr. Jesse Register. “After a morning at school, I hope our community members have a new appreciation for the complexities of the job--and also for the joy that comes from helping bright young people achieve.”

Metro Schools and the Tennessee Parent Teacher Association (PTA) want parents to get involved with their child’s school. Parents, teachers, administrators and others in the community are invited to attend a Parent Leadership Conference, which will be held Friday, Nov. 30. Guests speakers from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Metro Schools, and PTA will host workshops and panel discussions that focus on teacher training, family engagement, community involvement and more!

The conference will be held Friday, Nov. 30, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., at Martin Professional Development Center, 2400 Fairfax Ave. To register, contact Robin Trollinger at 615.259.8569.

He’s arguably one of Tennessee’s most famous artists, and now the students at Old Center Elementary are paying homage to the legendary Red Grooms. A new exhibit features the young artists’ interpretations of Grooms’ work and life. The students also created a life-size installation where visitors can have their photograph taken with Elvis and Grooms. The display is a tribute to pictoramas, which catapulted Grooms to international status. Other displays showcase Grooms’ techniques of printmaking, relief and paper sculptures of Nashville and historical landmarks, such as Groom’s Alma Mater, Hillsboro High School! To wrap up the project, students took a field trip to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens to see an exhibit of Grooms’ work.

Thursday, Nov. 15 is National Parent Involvement Day. Consider this our invite to get involved in your child’s school day! Here are a few ideas:

• Make special arrangements to drop off and pick your child up from school;


• Have lunch with your child;


• Volunteer to help in your child’s class for an hour during the day; or


• Email your child’s teacher and ask how your child is doing.

Whether or not you are able to visit your child’s school this Thursday, you can commit to taking an active role in his or her education -- help with homework, ask what he or she did each day, communicate with the teacher. One thing is for sure:  Being an actively involved parent will have a huge impact on your child’s education.

Educators and city leaders from cities across the U.S., England, China, Guam and American Samoa are in Music City to learn about career academies and explore the Academies of Nashville during the 2012 National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC) Conference. During the three-day conference, guests will learn everything from what academies are to effective strategies to build and maintain strong academy business partners. The morning of Nov. 9, guests were able to tour one of nine Metro high schools that have fully implemented the academy model:  Antioch, Cane Ridge, Glencliff, Hillsboro, Hillwood, McGavock, Overton, Pearl-Cohn, and Stratford (pictured right). Students and staff showcased the Academies, offered interactive presentations that illustrated the academy model of teaching and learning, and answered questions of the programs.

Also during the conference:

McGavock and Hillwood high schools will be recognized with National Standards of Practice Career Academy Award of Distinction for receiving model status during their respective reviews.

Paula Barkley, academy coach at McGavock High School, will receive the Exemplary Academy Educator Award.    

CMT will be recognized for its outstanding contribution to The CMT Academy of Digital Design and Communications at McGavock. CMT will receive the Henk Koning Exemplary Partnership Award.

Two Gra-Mar Middle School students recently saw their first bylines. The students wrote editorials that were printed in a special election issue of the Tennessean Sunday, Nov. 4. The students had been studying the Electoral College vs. Popular Vote. They participated in mock elections with real voting machines and heard from several locally elected officials.

Meahwhile, Murrell School held a Mock Election Monday, Nov. 5. The students had been discussing the democratic process, what it means to vote, why voting is important, looking at a voting machine, and encouraging their parents to vote. Each student had the opportunity to vote by paper ballot.

The Academy of Public Service students at Whites Creek High and the Law Academy students at Cane Ridge High got a lesson from the top this week! The students had the privilege of hearing from Judge Alberto Gonzales, the former highest ranking law enforcement official in the U.S.

Judge Gonzales, the 80th Attorney General of the United States and the first Hispanic U.S. Attorney General, now practices law at Waller in Nashville. He also teaches and holds the position of Doyle Rogers Distinguished Chair of Law at the Belmont University College of Law. He spoke to the students about law and public service and possible careers in those fields.

Dr. Jesse Register, Judge Alberto Gonzales, former Attorney General of the U.S., Dr. James Bailey III, Executive Principal of Whites Creek High School, Dr. Michelle Wilcox, Lead Principal, and Bill Warren, education consultant

 

Photo courtesy of Rick Malkin

 

Mayor Karl Dean made a pit stop at Old Center Elementary Nov. 1 to read to kindergarten students in recognition of National Family Literacy Day. The Mayor read the book “What To Do If An Elephant Stands On Your Foot.” All kindergarten students also received a copy of the book.

While there, the Mayor also shared some exciting news about Limitless Libraries. So far this year, the online program has circulated nearly 25,000 items! According to the Mayor’s Office, this is a nearly 4,000 percent increase since 2010-11, when Limitless Libraries first launched. The program has grown from offering services to 54 schools during the 2011-12 school year to 128 schools this year.

Gateway Elementary School students and staff are feeling the love from Schneider Electric Company. Chad Lloyd, a representative of the company, made a special trip to the school Oct. 30 to hand deliver a check for $2,750! Students gave Lloyd a set of personally drawn "thank you" owls. Check out the photos.

The Tennessee Department of Education wants to know what you think about the climate of schools in Tennessee. Parents and students are invited to participate here; the survey will close Dec. 21.

The 32nd Annual Christmas Craft Fair at McGavock High School will be on Saturday, Nov. 3, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sponsored by the McGavock Orchestra Parents Association, the fair features hand-made and quality goods from more than 80 crafters, musical performances by McGavock Area Strings students, a Silent Auction, and free admission. The fair is all indoors and handicapped-accessible. There will be a food booth sponsored by the McGavock HS Cheerleaders!  For more information, see www.mcgavockorchestra.com  or  www.mcgavockcraftfair.org .

There’s no better time than now to start planning for the future, and Hillsboro High leaders want their students to do just that! The school is hosting a college fair Thursday, Nov. 1. Representatives from the United States Army, Art Institute of Nashville, Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, Cumberland University, International Academy of Design & Technology, ITT Tech, Lipscomb University, Marine Corps, Middle Tennessee State University, Nashville State Community College, United States Navy, Nossi College of Art, Oasis College Connection, Tennessee State University, Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation, Tennessee Tech University, TN Technology Center at Nashville, Trevecca Nazarene, Tusculum College, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Volunteer State Community College, Watkins College of Art & Design, and Western Kentucky University will help students explore their post-secondary options and plan their next steps.

McKissack Middle School and Paragon Mills Elementary are this year’s big winners in the Healthy Classroom Challenge sponsored by the Office of Coordinated School Health and United Way during Child Health Week. The goal of the challenge was to demonstrate in a two-minute video how teachers and students incorporate physical activity into their daily classroom routine. Angela Lyles and Barbara Laifer and their classes got creative with a Family Fued-style competition at McKissack and a Feelin’ Good Dance Party at Paragon Mills. 

For their winning projects, each teacher was awarded an iPod Nano and $100 gift certificate.  The students were awarded a healthy snack celebration along with a United Way t-shirt, lunch bag, water bottle and football. Congratulations to all of the participants!

The Exceptional Education Family Advisory Council in conjunction with the MNPS Department of Exceptional Education will be holding meetings to inform the community of the move towards inclusive education in MNPS. Families are invited to attend any of the following meetings:

• October 29 – Antioch Community Center, 6:30 - 8 p.m.


• November 1 – West Precinct Police Station, 6:30 - 8 p.m.


• November 5 – MNEA building, 12:30 - 2 p.m.


• November 13 – Carter Lawrence Elementary School, 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Roughly 5,000 MNPS freshmen took a break from the books to attend the fourth annual Career Exploration Fair. The event, sponsored by Shoneys, showcased hundreds of careers in the business and non-profit sectors as well as higher education opportunities. Students were responsible for visiting multiple booth and interviewing representatives. They also had a chance to get their hands on actual projects and interactive learning displays

The inaugural 1st Choice Festival was a big hit, and the proof is in the pictures! Metro Police Officers onsite estimated between 5,000 and 6,000 guests were in attendance!

Learn more about your school options and how to apply.

A big thank you to all of the schools, district leaders, and community members who made the night possible. We also appreciate the support of our event sponsors who made the night possible: Anchor Trailways & Tours, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Comcast, Coca-Cola Consolidated Bottling Company, Gaylord Entertainment, Ingram Industries, Kroger, Metro Water Services, Nashville Electric Service, RG Anderson, The Memorial Foundation, The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Tractor Supply Company, Vanderbilt University and WSMV-TV.

West End Middle School’s Giant Yard Sale Is October 27th! 

Proceeds from this huge sale will support West End International Baccalaureate World School and its wonderful arts, science, music and athletics programs.

Anyone can donate items to the sale - new or gently used furniture, household items, clothing, Halloween costumes, shoes, books, toys, bikes, athletic equipment, electronics.  All items must be clean and in good working order.  Drop off dates will be Sat. and Sun. October 20 and 21 from 9:00 to noon each day; Thurs., Oct. 24 from 8-10 am; 4-6 pm and Friday, Oct. 25 from 8 am to 7 pm.

Sale hours on Saturday, October 27 will be 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Cash, checks or credit cards will be accepted.

Glencliff High School is hosting a Fall Festival for the entire community. The festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Families will be able to participate in a Ford driving challenge, as well as enjoy food trucks, an art sale, basketball, free books, and more. The event is free!

 

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and the Maplewood High School football team are leading the Maplewood community in a neighborhood walk, Monday, Oct. 22, at 2:30 p.m., immediately after school dismisses. The walk will begin at the flagpole in front of the school. This event is in celebration of the Mayor's WALK 100 miles challenge. Nashvillians who walk 100 miles by the end of 2012 will receive a free congratulatory t-shirt.

Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option Elementary School is ending fall break on a very high note - the school won the NFL Play 60 DonorsChoose.org Showdown! Pre-K teacher Katie Elam applied for the showdown. She will now receive $1,000 with which she will purchase books, puzzles, posters and stickers that can be used to teach lessons about citizenship and character. Check out the release issued by the Tennessee Titans.

Families at Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet joined together for a fun night of reading. Literacy Night at Robert Churchwell gives parents an opportunity to share their love of reading with their children, as well as explore new ways to include daily reading activities with children.



Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet caters to the budding storyteller. The museum theme allows students to uncover interesting and unique stories and find creative, meaningful ways to share them. The school benefits from strong community partnerships with Adventure Science Center, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens & Museum of Art, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Tennessee State Museum.

Maplewood High School is hosting a Latino Festival, Saturday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The event will be held on Maplewood’s football field. Guests will enjoy multi-cultural dancing, cuisine, arts, crafts, music, bouncy houses, face painting, informational booths, door prizes, and more. The festival will support the Maplewood Young Latino Leaders Program as well as offer the community a chance to learn about the Latino culture. Admission is $3.00 for adults; children are free. 

Rosebank Elementary School teacher Melanie Childs received a big surprise this week, all in effort to "make her day better". Reps from AdoptAClassroom.org and OfficeMax surprised the second grade teacher with $1,000 as a part of the “A Day Made Better” initiative.

This is a one-day event that awards more than 1,000 teachers across the country with more than $1,000 in school supplies, and brings attention to the issue of teacher-funded classrooms.

Rose Park Magnet Middle School is up for quite an honor; the school is one of three middle schools in Tennessee in the running for the second annual SCORE Prize. Winners will be announced Monday, Oct. 8, at the Ryman Auditorium. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m.



The award recognizes one school at each tier, as well as one school district that have shown dramatic improvements in student achievement. If selected, Rose Park will receive $10,000.

Young ladies at Haynes Middle Health/Medical Design Center have a little added incentive to investigate media-related jobs! At an assembly featuring News Channel 5 Anchor Vicki Yates, the school was presented with a special monetary donation from the Alliance for Women and Media and the Ford Motor Company. The Alliance and Ford have partnered to encourage young women to explore careers in media.

Students at Croft Middle School stepped back in time to celebrate Harvest Days at the Nashville Zoo. This marked the 10th year the school has participated in the celebration that takes visitors back in time.

The actors and singers who entertained the large crowd of visitors at the Croft House included Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, Tea Party Girls, The Boys from Bull Run, The Croft Sisters, and many more. Student Anne D. celebrated women’s right to vote with a special song about the passing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Wednesday, Oct. 3, thousands of students, their parents, teachers and school staffs will hit the pavement and walk to school! It's Walk to School Day, an event designed to raise awareness of healthy living, particularly the importance of physical activity for kids, improved air quality, and safer routes for walking and biking. Fifty six Metro Schools will join thousands of educators, students and community members from across the country in this national movement. Cole Elementary will serve as the lead Metro school and will host a special event including MNPS administrators and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean.

In a countdown to the 2012 Presidential Race, Gra-Mar Middle School students are learning by doing! The students will participate in a special voting assembly Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 3 p.m. State Representative Brenda Gilmore and State Senator Joe Haynes will serve as guest speakers. Students will participate in debates and mock electoral voting and winners will be selected for President and Mock Electoral Vote.

Tuesday, Sept. 25, the chorus departments of W.H. Oliver Middle School, I.T. Creswell Magnet Middle School, and K.I.P.P. Academy took learning outside of the classroom! The student vocal groups participated in Middle School Mass Choir Festival, held at Christ Church. The young vocalists spent the day working with guest conductors and put on a public performance that evening. More than 900 students from public and private schools across middle Tennessee attended.

There are so many opportunities for students and families during the fall intersession - both in schools and out in the community. But not all of them offer a FREE glimpse at country music's greatest treasures! 



The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is offering free tickets to all MNPS students from October 8 until October 13, with discounted chaperone admission of $12 for the adults (up to two) bringing them in!



More from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum:

See all that the museum has to offer, including the limited-run exhibitions: The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and California Country and Patsy Cline: Crazy for Loving You. Take this opportunity to see the summer blockbuster exhibit Taylor Swift: Speak Now, Treasures from the World Tour, before it comes down November 4! Special Intersession admission for a self-guided tour! MNPS students FREE with accompanying adults $12 (up to 2 per student) INTERSESSION ADVENTURE Activity Pack! Pick up a free INTERSESSION ADVENTURE Activity Pack created especially for MNPS students! Activities include: Museum “Artifact Safari” scavenger hunt Taylor Swift: Speak Now, Treasures from the World Tour interactive guide Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum souvenirs Take-home puzzles, games, wall poster, and more! Tickets and Activity Pack are available at the museum box office throughout the week.

 

More than 2,000 volunteers got their hands dirty this past Saturday as part of the city's single largest day of service. For the 21st annual Hands On Nashville Day, 58 schools benefited from more than 8,000 hours of free labor in the form of landscaping, painting, and cleaning projects. New this year, HON added rain gardens to the list of services. By the end of the day, in partnership with Cumberland River Compact, rain gardens were built at 20 schools to help manage storm water and create a learning opportunity for the students.  

MORE PHOTOS FROM HANDS ON NASHVILLE DAY 2012

At Haywood Elementary (pictured to the right, photograph by Caroline Price), nearly 100 volunteers spent the day pulling weeds, planting vegetables in the school's garden, painting walls, and more. According to Principal Melanie Schiff, "We are fortunate to have so many staff members who were willing give their time and guide the volunteers as they accomplished so many tasks in such a short period of time."

In a press release issued by HON, CEO Brian Williams said, "Whether volunteers spent their morning building rain gardens, painting cafeterias or beautifying school grounds, their efforts help build a strong community. We continue to be inspired by our neighbors’ willingness to lend time, talents and treasure to serve with Hands On Nashville during this annual event and throughout the year.”

EVEN MORE PHOTOS FROM HANDS ON NASHVILLE DAY 2012  

According to Independent Sector research, the time volunteers donated made an estimated $174,320 economic impact, saving Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools significant resources. This is the 11th year Hands On Nashville has partnered with Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools.

You may have heard about and executive order from President Obama that will stop deportations of young people under certain conditions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DEFERRED ACTION PROGRAM

This executive order means many people will need to access school documents demonstrating they have graduated from high school or are currently enrolled.

• If you plan to apply for President Obama’s immigration Deferred Action program, please remember that as of now there is no established deadline to apply.


• We are working hard and have brought in additional staff (3 full-time employees, plus 5 temps and others cycling in from other departments) to handle student record requests.


• We have also brought in additional equipment to help review the micro film and print transcripts.


• Even with these additional resources, please understand each request takes 30 to 90 minutes to process. Therefore, please allow 10 business days before each request is completed. With the unprecedented volume we are not able to respond to requests any faster.


• Records from students who were in school within 3 years should go to their most recent school of record.


• Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we are working very hard to fill all record requests within 10 business days.

SCORE is looking for inspirational school stories and wants to hear from Tennessee students! Students in grades 4 - 12 are invited to participate in a one-to-two page essay contest and share their inspirational experience from the classroom. Check out the details below.

If you have a child in the McGavock Cluster, mark you calendars for Tuesday, Sept. 18! You are invited to a special community day. Details below! 

From middle school expectations to youth safety, parents can learn ways to help their children succeed in school this Saturday at the first Parent University of 2012-13! While parents are is sessions, students will be offered tutoring services. Doors open at 9 a.m., with the first session starting at 9:30. A continental breakfast will be served. Click here for more.

They are the first to grace the halls of Cane Ridge Elementary School, and today students were on hand to help dedicate the beautiful new facility. The school, which currently serves about 750 students, is the district's 3rd LEED certified elementary school. In addition to it's environmentally friendly construction, the atmosphere will encourage creative thinking and help the school live up to its theme of outstanding, wonderful learners and staff!

Congratulations to Cheryl D. Mayes, the Metro Nashville Board of Education representative for District 6, on her election as 2012-13 Board Chair. Anna Shepherd, District 4 representative, was elected Vice Chair.  Both were unanimous.

Cheryl D. Mayes, Chair, District 6	Anna Shepherd, Vice Chair, District 4

 

Need to wiggle? Kirkpatrick Enhanced Option Elementary is opening its doors to faculty, families and East Nashville community members who love to move! To help build healthy bodies and minds, the school recently started the Cougar Fitness Crew. Every Thursday, now through Nov. 1, the Cougar Fitness Club will host a variety of classes - everything from Zumba to West African Dance, Line Dancing and Yoga.

Hats off to MNPS Director of Maintenance and Facilities Thomas Hatfield and his team of dedicated employees. The team has earned a bit of love from Hands on Nashville for their endless efforts to maintain the 180 buildings and 14 million square feet found within Metro Schools!

Click here to read why Hands on Nashville selected the MNPS Maintenance & Facilities team for partner spotlight.



And if you haven't done so yet, mark your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 22. It's the annual Hands on Nashville Day and dozens of Metro schools are in need of volunteers. Click here to learn how you can help.

Want to join your child in the classroom? No, we don't mean sitting next to him in math class, we mean sitting in a classroom of your own, working for your GED! 



The YWCA offers free GED prep classes at five campuses all around Nashville, six days a week, at times that can meet anyone's schedule.



The YWCA's teachers offer specialized assistance in math, writing, and test taking skills. They meet in the mornings, afternoons, evenings, and Saturdays.



Start your brighter future today! Call 269-9922 to register for free classes.

His name made it’s way from Goodlettsville clear through Davidson County and even became a trending topic in the Twittersphere. If you haven’t guessed yet, it’s McKissack Middle School student Lorenzo Butler who played in the Little League World Series this past weekend. The 12-year-old standout had a great weekend hitting a total of four homeruns with 10 RBIs.

"It feels really good and it was really great," Butler said simply about his hitting exploits. He said his three homers Saturday were the longest he had hit all season.



Mark North, former Board member and writer of the North Sports Report, with the full story:

Lorenzo Butler, defensive standout in Wednesday's game against Texas when he ended the game with a thrilling double play, turned slugger Saturday in a record breaking performance. His three 3-run home runs and 9 RBI's are Little League World Series records and helped lead his team to the U.S. World Series Championship. They play Japan on Sunday afternoon.



Young Mr. Butler is a seventh grader at McKissack Middle School, and his mother attended Stratford. He is trending on twitter and is named in a headline in the Sports Illustrated online article.



It is probably the greatest hitting performance in the history of the Little League World Series.

Lorenzo will be at Hartman Park on Wednesday, August 29, at 6 p.m., to sign autographs.

 

Love exploring new cuisines? You have two chances to do just that and show your support for two beloved Nashville middle schools!

Open publication - Free publishing - More dupont hadley

Open publication - Free publishing - More fundraiser

The 2012-13 Nashville Prevention Partnership series is looking for on-air talent, and MNPS high school students are invited to audition. Production is set to begin in late August.

According to Nashville Prevention Partnership, those interested should be able to spend at least four hours in production every week, including some weekends. Experience with video concepts and editing is preferred but not required.

Nashville Prevention Partnership is a coalition that brings individuals and organizations together to reduce substance abuse in Nashville. The organization hopes to create awareness of the issues related to youth addiction and use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. They have created several public service announcements, video projects and developed the Rep Your Voice website (www.repyourvoice.com).

In this audition, Nashville Prevention Partnership is looking to find:


1) Teens who are not afraid to be in front of the camera and conduct interviews (with peers and adults)


2) Teens who would like to learn how to work on a production set


3) Teens who can read from a script or teleprompter


4) Teens who are not using alcohol or drugs

***You will be responsible for transportation to and from the Youth Opportunity Center located on 1704 Charlotte Ave.

If you are interested, auditions are by appointment only. To schedule an audition or receive more information, contact Angela Gonzales, at aallen@npponline.org or 615-983-6823.
The deadline for auditions is August 31st

To find out exactly what you need to do to request deferred action, visit the Conexión Américas website.



You may have heard about and executive order from President Obama that will stop deportations of young people under certain conditions.



This executive order means many people will need to access school documents demonstrating they have graduated from high school or are currently enrolled.



How to Request Student & Graduate Records

If the student is currently enrolled or graduated within the last three years (in 2010, 2011 and 2012), the records are at the Metro Nashville high school from which the student graduated.



If the student graduated prior to 2010, the records must be retrieved. The student must complete a Records Request Form found at this link: http://www.mnps.org/Page58540.aspx. The fee for this request is $3.



Who is eligible for deferred action under this new directive?

Pursuant to the Secretary’s June 15, 2012, memorandum, in order to be eligible for deferred action, individuals must:

1. Have come to the United States under the age of sixteen;


2. Have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and are present in the United States on the date of this memorandum;


3. Currently be in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;


4. Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;


5. Not be above the age of 30.

Individuals must also complete a background check and, for those individuals who make a request to USCIS and are not subject to a final order of removal, must be 15 years old or older.

More information from the Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition

It almost looks like a college student center or an employee lounge at Google.



Thanks to a generous donation from John Ingram, Hillwood High School cut the ribbon on its brand new library yesterday! Look at all the city officials who came out to see it. It's easy to see why they're so excited. Just look at it!



All photos by Gary Layda, Metro Government Photographer - http://www.metrophotos.nashville.gov/ 

Join Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, Simon Youth Foundation and Opry Mills at a reception for the Simon Youth Academy at Opry Mills.



The Academy is a non-traditional high school that serves at-risk students, and its return after the floods in 2010 will once again provide hope to students in need.

School starts Wednesday, August 1, and several of our schools are helping families prepare by holding open houses, orientations, meet & greets, and other events.



Below is a listing of some of these events in no particular order. If we're missing some, send us an email to let us know. We'll add it!

• JFK Middle Ice Cream Social - Sunday, July 29, 4:00-5:30 p.m.


• Hume-Fogg Freshman Orientation - Monday July 23 through Wednesday, July 25, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. with a half-day on Thursday, July 26


• Hillsboro "Burro Beginnings" Freshman Orientation - Thursday, July 26 at 8:00 a.m.


• Overton Freshman Orientation - Monday, July 30 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.


• Meet & Greet for Cane Ridge Elementary Principal Donna Wilburn - Monday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m., Cane Ridge High School


• Meet & Greet for Antioch High School Principal Adrienne Battle-Koger - Tuesday, July 24 at 5:00 p.m.


• Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet Freshman Firebird Orientation - Monday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  
  • Pearl-Cohn Academies of Entertainment Management and Communication orientation - Tuesday, July 31 at 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  
  


• West End IB World Middle School Parent & Student Orientation Nights
  
  
  
  • 5th & 6th Grades - Wednesday, July 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  
  
  • 7th & 8th Grades - Thursday, July 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
  
  
  • School-wide Open House - Wednesday, August 1, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
  
  
  
  


• Bellevue Middle School Orientation - Tuesday, July 24, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Church of Christ on Jackson Street
  
  
  
  • 5th Grade Orientation - Sunday, July 29, 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Bellevue Middle School
  
  
  • Schedule Pick-up - Wednesday, July 25 & Thursday, July 26 from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00p.m. at Bellevue Middle School
    
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  


• Mt. View Elementary Preview Night - July 31, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Teacher assignments may be announced this night.)


• Eakin Elementary School Kindergarten Popsicle Party - Monday, July 30, 4:30-6:00 p.m.


• John Early Museum Magnet Middle New Student Orientation - Tuesday, July 31, 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
  
  
  
  • Buses to run 2012-13 times and stops for transportation to John Early orientation
  
  
  
  


• Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary Family Orientation
  
  
  
  • K-2 - Monday, July 30, 9:00 a.m. OR 5:30 p.m.
  
  
  • 3-4 - Tuesday, July 31, 9:00 a.m. OR 5:30 p.m.
  
  
  • Call 419-0509 by July 27 if you need transportation
  
  
  
  


• Bailey STEM Magnet Middle Parent & Scholar Welcome Night - Thursday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m.


• Granbery Elementary
  
  
  
  • Kindergarten Parent Meeting - Monday, July 30 at 6:00 p.m.
  
  
  • Open House for Grades 1 & 2 - Thursday, August 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Parents Only
  
  
  • Open House for Grades 3 & 4 - Thursday, August 2, 6:45-7:45 p.m. - Parents Only
  
  
  
  


• Hillwood High School Freshman Orientation - July 30, 6:00-7:30 p.m.


• Jere Baxter Middle School Open House - Tuesday, July 31, 5:00-7:00 p.m.


• Buena Vista Enhanced Option Elementary School Parent Orientation - Thursday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m.


• Croft Middle Design Center Orientation and Open House - Tuesday, July 31 at 5:00 p.m.


• Gra-Mar Middle School Student Orientation & Relationship Building - Thursday, August 2, 8:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.


• Sylvan Park Elementary Welcome to Kindergarten Party - Tuesday, July 31 at 5:30 p.m.


• The Cohn School Open House - Thursday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m.

From 1933 until 1986, Nashville area high schools went head-to-head in major sports as part of the Nashville Interscholastic Sports League. To remember those glory days, alumni of Nashville high school sports will gather for a reunion this Wednesday.



Come take part - bring sports memorabilia from your school, reconnect with old team mates, and relive the past glories of Nashville scholastic sports.



Sports radio superstar George Plaster will even broadcast his show live from the reunion!

Wednesday, July 25

2:00 p.m. until "as long as folks keep coming"

Freeland Work Truck Superstore

504 Collins Park Drive in the Antioch/Hickory Hollow area

The PENCIL Foundation is gearing up for the August 1 start of school! LP PENCIL Box will open for teacher shopping starting July 31st, and everyone is busy collecting supplies to make sure every Metro teacher can stock their classrooms for FREE this school year!



Want to help out?



There are several ways to it. Hold a supply drive at your business. Donate gently used office supplies. Or you can even donate at several supply drives taking place this month!



Here are some BIG supply drives taking place now:

• Metro Government Supply Drive: Mayor Karl Dean launched a Metro-wide supply drive, which started July 9 and ends July 20. Metro departments that raise the most supplies will be recognized by Mayor Dean at a ceremony on July 30. Members of the public are encouraged to participate by donating school supplies at drop-off sites at any Nashville library, fire hall, police station and community center or at the MTA Music City Central transit station and the Nashville Farmers’ Market. We are looking forward to seeing all the Metro departments on Friday as they bring their donations! Read the press release.


• Kroger: Visit any Davidson County Kroger through August 5th and drop off supplies in their donation bins. You can visit their school supply section OR purchase a $6.00 supply kit to make it easy! Our friends at Kroger are even sending 30 volunteers to help sort and count supplies. Thanks again to Kroger for many years of support!


• McDonald's: Throughout the month of July, Davidson County McDonald's locations will also have supply drive bins. Your donation will also get you a free small McCafe drink! Many thanks to McDonald's for helping out again this year!


• Make a Cash Donation Online: The LP Pencil Box website has a simple donation form for you to use.

All supplies will be given to the LP Pencil Box, a non-profit "store" where Metro teachers can shop for free supplies for their students.



Thank you for supporting our students!

Students, parents, faculty, alumni, neighbors, and more – everyone will be welcome at the Whites Creek High School community cookout!



“We are charting a new course – one leading to excellence – and we are excited about it,” said Dr. James Bailey, the school’s new Executive Principal.



Dr. Bailey particularly wants to see faces from the past: former teachers, administrators, coaches, and band members.



The celebration that will introduce his new administrative team and show parents and students the “new” Whites Creek High School. There will food, drinks, door prizes, and music at the celebration, as well as plenty of back to school information, elected officials, local dignitaries, and members of the Board of Education.



Dr. Bailey explains, “The theme for the afternoon is transforming teaching and learning while bringing back the glory days. When I was a Whites Creek High School student, we had fun! We learned! We worked hard! We excelled! Those were the glory days! The alumni have committed to work with us this year to bring back that spirit of distinction, and that is what this event is about.”



Come out and see for yourself!

WHEN:

Saturday, July 21

2:15 – 5:00 p.m.



WHERE:

Whites Creek High School

It's important for students to have a physical before coming back to school. It can help prevent the health problems that may impact learning. That's why United Neighborhood Health Services is offering Back to School check-ups to get ready for that first day!



Students will also be given all of the shots they need to come back to school. Incoming kindergarteners, pre-kindergarteners and 7th graders are required to have updated immunizations certificates and will not be allowed to attend without them.



UNHC is offering immunizations and physicals at its three clinics now through the first day. TennCare and private insurance plans are accepted. Uninsured patients are also welcome, with fees based on a sliding scale. Call ahead to make appointments for physicals.

United Neighborhood Health Services Clinics

615-620-UNHS (8647)

www.unitedneighborhood.org



Dickerson Road Clinic, 1223 Dickerson Road, Nashville 37207

Main Street Clinic, 905 Main Street, Nashville 37206

Southside Family Clinic, 1101 Charles Davis Boulevard, Nashville 37210

Full press release:

Back-to-School Immunizations and Physicals Are Available at Three Clinics of United Neighborhood Health Services Free immunizations offered to students; shots are required for 7th graders and kindergarten & pre-K students by start of school on August 1 Nashville, TN -- United Neighborhood Health Services is offering back-to-school immunizations and physicals for children at three of its Nashville clinics so that children will be prepared for the first day of school on August 1. Metro Nashville students entering 7th grade, kindergarten and pre-K are not allowed to attend school unless they have proof of immunizations. Free immunizations are available to students age 18 and under, who do not have insurance coverage or who have TennCare, at these United Neighborhood Health Services Clinics: Dickerson Road Clinic, 1223 Dickerson Road, Nashville 37207; Main Street Clinic, 905 Main Street, Nashville 37206; and Southside Family Clinic, 1101 Charles Davis Boulevard, Nashville 37210. Physicals are available on a sliding fee scale at the clinics. Appointments for immunizations and physicals at the three clinics can be made by calling 615.620-UNHS (8647). Appointments are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. “Parents should schedule appointments now so that their children can get the required shots and be allowed to attend school this year,” said Mary Bufwack, CEO of United Neighborhood Health Services. “Metro schools require proof of immunizations on the first day of school for 7th grade, kindergarten and pre-K students.” She added, “Also, it is important that all students have a physical exam before going to school. Health problems can have a big impact on a student’s ability to learn.” United Neighborhood Health Services (UNHS) welcomes uninsured patients. Back-to-school immunizations are free. Patients are charged for other services on a sliding fee scale based on their ability to pay. UNHS also accepts TennCare and private insurance. United Neighborhood Health Services, Inc. (UNHS) is a private non-profit network of neighborhood health centers that have served Nashville for more than 30 years. Through its nine Nashville neighborhood clinics, five school-based clinics, the Downtown Homeless Clinic, two mobile health units, and a clinic in Hartsville, Tennessee, United Neighborhood Health Services annually serves approximately 32,000 medically underserved people of all ages; 17,000 have no health insurance. Visit www.unitedneighborhood.org or call 615-620-UNHS (8647) for information about UNHS’ other clinics and programs.

Working together, parents can do anything!



That's why we're bringing parents and experts together for another big Parent University Conference. We're offering free workshops and seminars meant to help all of our parents raise self-confident, disciplined, and motivated children. Parents will learn tips for helping their children learn in modern classrooms. There will also be plenty of information on healthy lifestyles and families.



It's happening Saturday, July 21, at McGavock High School. It's free and open to everyone, but you do have to register.



So don't delay. Sign up today!

After more than 15 weeks of rehearsals and performances at their own schools, Metro students took the stage at TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall to showcase their adaptations of three classic Disney musicals.



Before an audience of parents, teachers, administrators, and folks from the community, students performed excerpts from The Jungle Book, Aladdin, and 101 Dalmations.

Glengarry, Hattie Cotton, Hull-Jackson, Kirkpatrick, and Percy Priest Elementary Schools took part in the Disney Musicals in Schools program carried out with strong cooperation from the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. This is the first time this program has been available outside of New York City. The expansion to MNPS is a pilot program leading up to a rollout in school systems nationwide.



And you can expect to see more of this in Nashville next year. Disney has awarded the city of $75,000 after-school "creativity grant" which will allow more students to perform more Disney musicals next year.



Great job, students! And thank you, Disney!

Mayor Karl Dean joined Harris Hillman families, friends and staff for the dedication of the new Wiggle Room Therapy Facility at Harris Hillman School.



The Wiggle Room is an environmental support that supplies an opportunity for students with performance exceptionalities to address academic goals. It uses movement and body input to help prepare students for learning readiness while also challenging the student in appropriate IEP goals. It is implemented using a integrated team approach and plans are individualized for each student to help promote successful engagement.



Funded by the Shelby Foundation, an organization that has been extremely dedicated to the students and growth of Harris-Hillman School since 2006. Since its inception, the Shelby foundation has raised more than $318,000 for much needed projects at the school!

Made weekend plans yet? Don't bother! We know what you'll be doing.



Grammy nominated mariachi star José Hernàndez is giving a FREE performance at Glencliff High School this Friday night! He'll be joined by the Veterans Juvenil de America Mariachi Band from Rio Grande City, Texas.



It's all a fundraiser for the Music Makes Us Mariachi program kicking off next year. This new program will bring middle and high school students into the world of mariachi, practicing and performing in school ensembles. Donations will be accepted at this free concert event.



This is a wonderful opportunity to not only enjoy a free concert, but to support a budding music program that could change the lives of young students. Don't miss it!!

 

 

 

 

On May 11, 2012, McGavock High biology teacher Nae'Shara Neal is hosting the Second Annual Science Symposium.



This is a competition between high school students and includes a variety of science projects from Overton, Hume Fogg, and McGavock High Schools. The students invited to the symposium are all part of a National Science Foundation Grant called GK12.



These are original science research projects completed by Nashville high school students with the help of “real” scientist mentors. There will be no vinegar/baking soda volcanos. The mentors participating in this program practice in a number of different scientific fields. The students have used the scientific method to investigate their projects and have worked with their science mentors for the last 7 months.



The Middle Tennessee area is one of only two such National Science Foundation programs currently in place in Tennessee schools. This symposium will showcase the hard work of the students, teachers, and their science mentors.



Students will be at the competition from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at McGavock High School. Feel free to stop by at your convenience!

Glendale Elementary is like a brand new school on the outside. Its community is anxious to show off its newest outdoor features and say a hearty 'Thanks!' to the folks who made it possible at an open house next week.



Glendale has recently finished renovations on a large playground, planted 30 shade trees, built new birdhouses and planters, and even installed a raised garden and outdoor learning structure! And none of it would have been possible without the private donations given to the school.



The school is hosting an outdoor 'open house' on Friday, May 4, at 8:30 a.m. at the raised bed garden. Please join them in celebrating their newest additions!

 

 

Last Sunday Maplewood High School students Brien H. and Sengphachane P., parent volunteer Ms. Kizer, and Maplewood High teacher Chiquithia Fells, volunteered for the March of Dimes March for Babies representing Future Business Leaders of America. The volunteers committed more than three hours of their time to the information booth during the charity event.



Thanks for getting involved, Maplewood!

The students and faculty at Murrell School are celebrating Earth Day with Walden’s Puddle today. Walden’s Puddle is the only wildlife refuge in Middle Tennessee devoted to caring for hurt and injured wildlife. During their visit the Walden’s Puddle staff will demonstrate to students how they care for the wildlife that it rescues. To show their gratitude Murrell has collected 100 rolls of paper towels to donate to the wildlife refuge.



Have fun!

Hands on Nashville is celebrating this year's Global Youth Service Day (Saturday, April 21) at its brand new Urban Farm - and invites you to be a volunteer farmer for a day!



The Urban Farm is run by Hands on Nashville staff and donates fresh produce to local non-profits serving low-income areas of Nashville. But it promises to be a lot of fun, too. Volunteers this Saturday can expect to:

• make rain gardens


• paint signs for vegetable beds


• create garden paths


• prepare beds for planting

ALL volunteers are welcome, ages 11 and up. Come on down and enjoy a day on the farm!



Who: Families, individuals, and groups are welcome. (All volunteers must be 11+.)

When: Saturday, April 21 – Two shifts available:

Morning: 8 a.m. to noon – REGISTER HERE

Afternoon: Noon to 4 p.m. – REGISTER HERE

How: Individuals – Sign up via the links above.

Groups – Contact caroline@hon.org; (615) 298-1108 Ext. 404

Questions? (615) 298-1108 Ext. 404; caroline@hon.org  

Nashville has been selected as one of just 10 cities nationwide to join The National League of Cities (NLC) and the Food Research Action Center (FRAC) this May in Washington, D.C., for the Cities Combating Hunger Through Afterschool Meals Programs (CHAMP) Leadership Academy. The focus of the event will be how to implement or expand the Afterschool Meals Program; i.e., practical strategies to help children receive federally funded meals after school and on weekends. Braina Corke, assistant director of school nutrition at MNPS, will represent the district alongside representatives from the Mayor’s Office and Second Harvest Food Bank. A second event, with 11 different cities, will be held later in May in Chicago.

Following the leadership academies, cities and anti-hunger groups will be eligible to receive regranted funding (up to $60,000 per selected city) from the Walmart Foundation to help implement the ideas generated at the academy. To learn more about the program, click here.

Mckissack Middle School’s Oasis Program has been awarded the Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Award in the category of "Civic Volunteer Group Award". The school has approximately 65 students who participate in the program that aims to teach life skills, increase healthy behaviors, and create a sense of purpose in each teen through its issue-based, skill-building curriculum. The program, which also includes a significant volunteer component, is now in its 15th year.

This year, Mckissack students have contributed more than 1,000 hours of service to a variety of Nashville nonprofits, civic organizations, and schools. The students addressed many issues in the community through service such as feeding the homeless, boxing food and care packages for the needy, making cards for law enforcement officers, and much more. Congratulations Mckissack Oasis Program Students!

Families at Robert Churchwell Museum Magnet Elementary School and the Nashville community came together to see just how fun math can be!  Nashville Public Television, TSU Women’s Basketball Players, WSMV's Snowbird, Vanderbilt University's Mr. Commodore, and representatives from 92Q celebrated the evening and focused on fine-tuning math skills with the students and families of Robert Churchwell.

Roughly 180 students and their parents attended the special family night. They enjoyed a dance-off with area mascots and tested their math skills with a variety of hands-on problems that needed solving.

Antioch High School senior Jasmine M. was one of a handful of MNPS students with artwork selected to appear in the 2012 Mayor's Art Show at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. In a blog Jasmine recently published, she explains, "Who would have known if I set a clear glass cup with two silver spoons and a black plain background that I would have a cup with vibrant pinks, blues, and browns? There is always inner beauty in the simplest of objects that life offers us."



The Mayor's Art Show recognizes the artistic talents of MNPS students. There are two showings, the first runs through April 12 and features artwork by students from Antioch, Cane Ridge, Glencliff, Hillsboro, Hunters Lane, Pearl-Cohn, and Stratford. The second showing opens April 19 and runs through May 3 featuring students from Hillwood, Maplewood, McGavock, Overton, and Whites Creek.



Congratulations, Jasmine and all of the other MNPS students whose artwork is on display.

The band program at McKissack Middle School will host its inaugural Jazz Festival this Thursday, April 12, at 6 p.m., in the school auditorium.

Thursday, April 12, from 5 - 7 p.m., The Academy located at Hickory Hollow will host its first International Night. The event is open to the public. Guests will enjoy great food and music, as well as have the opportunity to talk to a variety of community groups and organizations.

As an International Baccalaureate Candidate school for the Primary Years Program (PYP), Eakin Elementary presented its first IB Exhibition this spring. Leading up to the event, Eakin fourth graders conducted extensive small group research that encompassed the theme: “Opportunities Depend on Available Resources”. For an IB school, the Exhibition is a culminating experience that gives students the opportunity to share with teachers, parents and fellow students what they learned. The most important and distinguishing features of the Exhibition are the processes of inquiry and the action the students then take because of their learning.

Some examples of this inquiry and action in practice are:

• Students researched the role of St. Jude’s Hospital in the battle of cancer in children. They held a lemonade stand one Sunday and raised more than $500 to donate to the hospital.


• Another group of students visited the local non-profit group, Room in the Inn and interviewed a homeless person as a result of their inquiry into the issue of Homelessness.


• Their research on oil spills, led another group of fourth graders to locate businesses in Nashville who recycle oil. They created a brochure to distribute to visitors at the Exhibition.


• Students researching the lack of education realized that the problem is global. Investigating charities, they selected a charity with a high rating of integrity. The students’ goal is to raise enough money to sponsor a year of education for a student in South Africa.

    

The Nashville Tree Foundation is looking for “big, old” trees and needs your help!

The Nashville Tree Foundation needs you to enter Davidson County's big trees in their annual Big Old Tree contest. The organization has extended the deadline to enter to April 3.  Grab your friends, service club, neighbors, classmates or family and help NTF make sure Nashville's largest and oldest trees are recognized and protected. Trees of any species in Davidson County can be nominated by any person. The trees can be on the property of the nominator, a neighbor, friend, or stranger, or on public property. The owner's permission is suggested but not required.

How to enter

Click here to download an entry form or register online. You can also see all past winners by species and year to make sure the tree you are entering hasn't already won. The High Tree Party, where winners will be announced, will be held at 4 p.m., April 27, at Sevier Park. The High Tree Party is free and open to the public.  

Being outdoors in Tennessee in the spring is unbeatable, but current and future middle school students and their families stepped inside Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School on Saturday, March 24, for the second annual Youth Safety Summit.

Rodger Dinwiddie, Nashville’s nationally known expert on preventing bullying, set the tone for the day with an informative, interactive keynote address that earned high marks from families in attendance.

Breakout sessions built on this year’s theme, “Setting the Foundation for Success: Middle School Transition, Myths and Realities.”  Data Coach Marla Smith led a discussion to help parents understand their children’s performance data; Sam Davidson with Cool People Care and Jo An Scalf of Nashville Public Television advised students on smart use of the Internet;  Principal Ron Woodard of Maplewood High School and Drs. Jahangir and Sethi with Vanderbilt University Medical Center discussed preventing youth violence through positive relationships; and Gini Pupo-Walker with Metro Schools moderated a discussion on family and community involvement in schools.

The district’s 12 zoned high schools sent student Ambassadors to the event to share information about their schools and the district’s Academies of Nashville program that prepares students for college and career.

In the final session, a panel of high school juniors and seniors advised middle school students to get involved in school activities and to work hard because “high school begins in middle school and college begins in high school.” The Board of Education event ended with remarks from Board Vice Chair Mark North.

Don't worry if you haven't filed your taxes yet. The United Way is offering Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) until April 14!



So far this year VITA teams at Family Resource Centers have processed nearly 1,400 federal returns and $3,000,000 of refunds!



Don't miss your chance to get free tax help. Check out the flier below for sites and times.

Several Metro high school students have been selected to attend an all expenses paid trip to the 2nd annual USA Science and Engineering Festival, which will feature more than 3,000 fun, interactive exhibits, stage shows and author presentations.  Alex C. and Emma R., sophomores at Hillsboro High, Andrew C. and Dorwin W., students at Stratford STEM Magnet High, Susanna P., a student at MLK and the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt, and Nhung H., a student at Overton High and the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt, were selected to present during the Final Expo.

The festival will be held in Washington D.C., April 28-29. Students were selected based on essays exploring the topic of banning water bottles on college campuses. The students were selected to attend the science festival based on essays, grades and behavior.

At the festival, the team of students will work together to provide hands-on activities at one of the Vanderbilt University booths. Students will assist participants in dissecting a sea bird bolus and identifying the plastics found inside. Students will also be able to visit the other booths and the college fair. 

And what would a trip to the Capitol be without a lesson on history! The students will have some free time to visit area attractions. Congratulations!

Metro Schools Nutrition Services Department recently teamed up with the Tennessean and MTSU in a tweetup regarding childhood obesity. The goal was to raise awareness of the growing problem and find ways to help our young people live healthier. Check out these fun facts we shared.



Nutrition by Numbers:

• 19 of our schools participate in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program that brings fruit and vegetable snacks directly to the classroom.


• Students exposed to many different types of fruits and vegetables. This year, we added 14 new salad bars in our schools. 
  


• FACT: Our school lunches average 541 calories


• 19 of our schools have won the Healthier US Challenge Award which recognizes schools who promote healthy eating and physical activity. How do you stay fit?


• 48 of our school have school gardens. MNPS and the Metro Health Dept are teaming up to increase this number http://www.mnps.org/Page85165.aspx


• Pizza can be healthy. Pizza served in our schools are made of 51% whole wheat flour and low-sodium cheese. We also serve turkey hotdog.


• Here’s a fun fact. 10 of our schools started a pilot program to do more cooking from scratch and use less processed foods.

And don't miss these great links:

School Gardens

Menu and Meal Prices

Nutrition Information