School Snippets – October 10, 2014
Published October 10, 2014
The information below is provided by each school. Schools are listed in alphabetical order according to grade level.
Elementary Schools
Allendale Elementary
On Friday, October 3 all classes participated in the annual Allendale Fun Run. The weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the students as they ran in the gym. All students and staff had a great time. They got some exercise and raised money for some new technology.
College Grove Elementary
College Grove Elementary will be hosting their annual fall festival on October 25 from 4–7 p.m. This is such a fun night for families to get together in support of our school! Our school goal is to purchase more laptops for students to use during the school day and the proceeds from Fall Festival will help us reach that goal.
Crockett Elementary
Jennifer Randolph, Crockett Elementary’s guidance counselor, invited D.A.R.E. Officer Bady of the Brentwood Police Department to talk with Joyce Kirksey’s kindergarten class about stranger danger and the importance of following directions. The D.A.R.E car is equipped with a video player, TV screen, and speakers. The children enjoyed watching and discussing two video segments from the trunk of the car, but their favorite part might have been getting a first-hand preview of the lights and sirens.
Edmondson Elementary
Edmondson Elementary School third graders have been learning all about the rocks and minerals that make up our earth. They dug through the layers of the earth, traveled through the rock cycle, and investigated the physical properties of our land’s rocks and minerals in the science lab. What geologists they have become!
Fairview Elementary
This week at Fairview Elementary, kindergartners went to Gentry Farm for a field trip. They got to experience a real working farm while having a blast. The students learned about how plants grow and how the seasons affect them. They also were able to visit the pumpkin patch and pick their own pumpkins. They even went on a hayride! All the students, teachers, and parents had a great time while learning too!
Grassland Elementary
Parent Teacher conferences are scheduled on Thursday, October 16 from 4-7 p.m. Communication is a key to our children’s success at GES. Thanks for attending and sharing your precious children every day! Fall Break is Friday, October 10 through Monday, October 13. Students return on Tuesday, October 14. On behalf of the GES staff, have a safe and wonderful break!
Hunters Bend Elementary
Hunters Bend celebrated a successful Invest Campaign with an assembly where students got to decide whether or not the teachers got a pie in the face! Our teachers are such good sports. Kelley Wheeler, Kelly Gunther, Nancy Hudson, Jenny Gilliland, Megan Boggs and Stephanie Gorman were our pie recipients! Third grade had a visit from the Rotary Club of Franklin. They came to deliver dictionaries to each of our third grade students. Meanwhile, fourth grade is doing research based writing projects next week. Students will be going more in depth on essential question topics from reading, such as “How do businesses give back to the community.” Fifth Grade has an exciting week. They will be attending Biz Town this week. The students elected Jaren Goodson as the Mayor.
Lipscomb Elementary
After learning about the life cycle of butterflies, second graders at Lipscomb Elementary School had fun releasing their own butterflies to the wild.
Longview Elementary
To kick off the wonderful season of fall, Mrs. Rosemary Casey’s first grade class at Longview Elementary School enjoyed homemade applesauce made in the classroom. From right to left, Kaleigh Hayes, Mrs. Rosemary Casey and Alanna Moritz.
Nolensville Elementary
On Friday, October 17, students will be participating in the Nolensville Fun Run. Information was sent home last week. Included in the packet was a tennis shoe to be decorated and returned to school. Volunteers have already begun lining the halls with some wild and wacky shoes. Participants ask parents, extended family, friends and neighbors to sponsor them. Donors can either pledge a dollar amount per lap or give a flat donation. This is one of Nolensville’s biggest fundraisers.
Oak View Elementary
Oak View fifth graders enjoyed two days of realistic learning at JA BizTown after weeks of classroom preparation. Students role-played as executives, managers, healthcare workers, bankers and shop keepers. Their study of economics helped students make business decisions regarding supply and demand and pricing. All of the students gained a great appreciation of hard work and had a chance to practice managing money. It was a meaningful learning experience and a lot of fun.
Pearre Creek Elementary
Elizabeth Hall’s Kindergarten class set up a hospital to perform surgery on their words. Many words were missing vowels so the students needed to fix these words by finding the missing vowels. In addition, the Franklin Fire Department made a recent visit to the kindergarten classes to demonstrate what equipment they use during a fire. The students were able to go into the fire truck to see what it felt like to be a fireman.
Walnut Grove Elementary
The Growing Grizzlies donation drive finished up with our fall thank you concert, Groovin’ at the Grove. This free outdoor concert provided families with a chance to re-unite and get acquainted. This took place in a relaxed and family-fun atmosphere. Our Walnut Grove families ate picnic dinners together, students played games and parents listened to music. Everyone enjoyed the celebration.
Westwood Elementary
In first grade, students at Westwood Elementary are learning about the Cherokee tribe Native to Tennessee. The students learned the name Tennessee came from the Cherokee village called Tanasi. Second graders are learning how to represent information on bar graphs and pictographs. In kindergarten, students are learning about fact fluency through subitizing.
Winstead Elementary
Winstead is excited to have two amazing authors coming on Thursday, October 23. Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery are award winning authors of picture books for children. They collaborated together to write Two Bobbies: a true story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship and Survival, and Nubs: The true story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle. In other news, second graders had fun at their recent Butterfly Release Day!
Middle Schools
Brentwood Middle
Each year students in Alexandra Dalton’s eighth grade American History classes conduct an in-depth study of Colonial British tensions leading to the American Revolution. As students examine the events leading to the outbreak of war, they take on the role of delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress. Members of the class are either designated as Loyalist or Patriot. Their task is to research and organize arguments either for or against independence from Great Britain. Students, dressed in colonial period clothing, presented their positions in a debate.
Fairview Middle
Students simulated what it was like to silent barter in Africa in the 300s. Some students were salt traders coming from Taghaza in Northern Africa, traveling through the Sahara desert, passing through Ghana & paying their taxes to the Ghana official, and heading towards Taghaza where they hoped to be paid in gold coins for their salt. Other students were the Taghaza traders, hoping to get salt for their gold. Students had to silent barter, only by clapping when the trade was complete (since languages where different), and then determining whether the trade was good or not (the right amount of gold vs. the right amount of salt). Once the trade was complete, the goal was to have the highest amount of salt as a Wangaran, and the highest amount of coins as a Taghazan.
Heritage Middle
Congratulations to the Heritage Middle School varsity football team for going undefeated this season! The HMS Varsity team recently beat Hillsboro 41-0 and brought their winning season of 9-0 to a close. Head Coach Rich Pickle said that this maybe the first time that HMS has been the undefeated county champs. The coaching staff consisting of Rich Pickle, Brandon Hitt, Jeff Hines, Orlando Pillow, Dustin Stone, Mike Carpenter, Scott Bowden and Cary Powell say they are proud of their defense, which garnered five shut-outs this season and gave up an average of 4.5 points per game. They are also proud of the offense who scored on average 31.3 points per game for a total of 282 points this season! Way to go Hornets!
Hillsboro K-8
Need to get some holiday shopping done without the kiddos? The Hillsboro Book Fair will be open to parents only during parent teacher conferences on Thursday, October 16 and Monday, October 20 from 4-7 p.m. We will have refreshments there too, so come on by!
Spring Station Middle
Every person has a story to tell. Learning the stories of others gives one an opportunity to see others an individuals with an important past to share. Early in the 8th grade year at Spring Station Middle School, it is a tradition to explore these narratives through writing and verbally sharing them. Things that may not seem important to others are identified, and value is defined through the anecdotes attached to seemingly insignificant items. From items such as specially designed t-shirts, mineral rocks, moss balls, and play bills to sharing a horse or motorized roller coaster, these memoirs teach respect and help students grow together as a community. Through the unique perspectives, students celebrate their stories and their impact upon the person they are today.
Sunset Middle
Students in Ms. Grunwald’s seventh grade science classes are learning about osmosis as they completed a gummy bear lab. Our hypothesis was to determine if a gummy bear would increase in mass and length if soaked in water. Many students saw their gummy bears increase from 2.5g, and 11mm to 11g to 30mm.
Woodland Middle
The Cherokee team began the year learning about the role of historians. Later they moved to learning about the first humans on earth and their search for food. Students have spent time trying to imagine their culture (values, beliefs, knowledge, customs and daily habits) and to compare it to our cultures today. One day, students went outside and tried to imagine the natural world from the perspective of these hunter-gatherers. Finally students made their own “cave paintings.” Some of the themes that were illustrated included animals, plants, fire, hunting, landforms and the sky. A great first step this year in “historical imagination” for the Cherokees.
High Schools
Brentwood High
Brentwood High School is proud to announce the following 11 students as National Merit Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program: Avery Arons, Anna Cowan, Julia Dickenson, Dylan Douglas, Waqqas Fazili, Jacob Henry, Alexander Mayhugh, Katelyn McCroskey, Lisa Qu, Abigayle Rickman and Abraham Westbrook. In addition to the 16,000 semi-finalists, 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million entrants in the National Merit Program. Students entered the competition by taking the 2013 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
The Lady Bruins JV Girls Soccer Team won the JV District Tournament on Thursday, October 9. They defeated the Franklin Lady Rebels with a score of 2-0. The Lady Bruins JV team finishes out the season with a 10-2-2 record in the regular season.
Centennial High
Congratulations to Austin Smith on being recognized as one of the National Achievement Scholarship Program’s Outstanding Participants. Austin plans on attending college to pursuit a degree in the medical field. On October 15, CHS senior students will have the option of community service with a local organization, college visit, or career/job shadowing. We have designated this day as the “Great Day of Service,” and our hope is that as many Seniors as possible choose to serve with an organization in our local community.
Franklin High
Franklin High School’s Tracy Harmon was formally recognized as the Middle Tennessee High School Teacher of the Year! In other news, FHS Theatre is proud to present Exit the Body. It will run October 16, 18 and 20 at 7 p.m. and on October 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the door – $8 students/seniors and general admission $10. Meanwhile, the Boys and Girls Cross Country teams ran in the Jesse Owens Classic in Alabama on Saturday. With 3,500 runners competing in the race, the boys finished 29th overall and the girls finished 23rd. Individually, Mikayla Prince finished 25th for the girls and Davis Holliday took 4th for the boys breaking the FHS school record for the third time this season with a time of 15:34.
Independence High
Show off your Indy Pride with an Indy Nation Ruff Neck Scarf! The IHS Marching Band is taking pre-orders until October 20. If you order now (please see attached order form), you will receive your scarf on October 31. All you have to do is print out the form, fill it out and place it in the fundraising box inside the band room, along with $20 for each scarf. Please make checks payable to IHSBBO. If you cannot make it to the band room, please contact us at indynationscarves@gmail.com and we will send you a mailing address. Scarves cannot be shipped directly to you, but will be available for pick up in the band room prior to the football game on October 31.
Page High
Monday, October 13 through Friday, October17 will be Spirit Week at Page High School. Monday is Fall Break and no school; Tuesday will be Tiki Tuesday or Hawaiian day.;Wednesday will be Lazy Day; Thursday will be Throw Back Day or Wacky Tacky day; and Friday is Patriot Day. Students will be wearing their red, white and blue on Patriot Day although they’ll be asked to wear blue for the game. The Homecoming Dance will be Saturday, October 18 at Page High in the wellness gym and commons area from 8-11 p.m. In other news, freshmen will be job shadowing October 15. Freshmen will return the shadowing agreement form with the parents signature to their English teachers before October 15 and return the sheet with the shadowing adults signature to attendance October 16. If sophomores are taking the PLAN test and the PSAT test, then they will take the PSAT on Wednesday, October 15 and the PLAN on Thursday, October 16. Juniors will take the PSAT here at Page High and seniors will be on a job shadow day or college visit.
Ravenwood High
Students in the Ravenwood High nursing class completed their Basic Life Support for the Health Care Provider CPR certification and are now attending clinicals on Tuesdays and Thursdays at NHC Place Cool Springs. From 6:45 a.m. until 8:45 a.m., they take care of the residents there and helping with vital signs and basic patient care needs.
Summit High
The senior students in Mr. White and Ms. Schneider’s engineering design and development class have been researching various “problems” in the real world for which they would like to find a solution. Students were encouraged to get as much knowledge base as possible and students and faculty questioned them about their ideas and were able to give students feedback. Some ideas included creating a peanut butter jar that would push from the bottom to create less mess getting peanut butter out of a jar.