Chronicle - Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School

the
November 2009
CAVALIER
Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School
Chronicle
MISSION
Through a dedication to academic
excellence, Thomas Jefferson
Independent Day School stands
accountable for educating students
to make the most of their abilities.
The School educates students
to acquire and refine essential
academic knowledge and skills;
cultivate an appreciation of the
arts; develop lifelong fitness skills;
assume responsibility for their
behavior; seek out challenge,
welcome criticism, test new
capacities; practice self-discipline;
and find joy in learning. The school
brings students together with
teachers who exemplify intellectual
curiosity, a dedication to truth,
and the advantages of living the
examined life.
For more photos of students
performing at TJ’s Fall Arts
Night, see Page 6.
TJ Student artworks and fashion
designs to be featured at Spiva
After a spectacular performance at TJ’s
Project Runway 4 during Fall Arts Night
Oct. 23, TJ students now have their work
on display at Spiva Center for the Arts.
The students’ work is in the upstairs
gallery exhibit this month, and video
from the Project Runway presentation is
also playing in the gallery.
From now through Nov. 30, visitors can
stop by Spiva’s upstairs gallery to see the
Upper School Art students’ presentation
of “A World of Art in Fashion” — fashion
designs inspired by a variety of artists from
around the world.
Spiva has scheduled a special reception
on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m., and all TJ
families are invited to bring their friends.
In addition to the video from the
performance at TJ, each article of clothing
designed and produced by the students
is on display, as well as photos of the
students wearing the clothing.
The George A. Spiva Center for the
Arts is at 222 W. 3rd Street in Joplin and
is open Tuesday through Saturday from
10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1
to 5 p.m. (Closed Mondays and major
holidays).
Lower School students share a taste of culture with classmates
S
tudents in TJ’s 1st and 2nd grade classes recently had
classroom visitors.
Mrs. Hina Anis and Dr. Sahar Abouelela shared
their culture at the end of Ramadan.
During Ramadan, Muslims observe times of daily fasting,
which they consider to be spiritual purification.
This reminds them to act better in their daily lives by,
among other things, showing no anger, no yelling, and no
lying.
They strive to learn patience and more discipline. Fasting
also helps them to feel empathy for those who are hungry all
the time and to practice generosity.
TJ Students Simran and Layla, and their mothers, modeled
beautiful, traditional clothing from Pakistan and Egypt.
They also place delicate designs on their hands created
with henna.
Henna is a natural dye made from a flowering plant and
has been used for centuries to decorate the hands and lower
arms with intricate patterns.
Brides, especially, use henna adornments.
The girls also shared many of the traditional foods eaten
at Eid ul-Fitr. Eid is a three-day festival held at the end of
Ramadan. Eid ul-Fitr means “the feast of the breaking/to
break the fast.”
The Magic of Edu-tainment
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
TJ’s Summer
Discovery
Academy
Classes for all ages
July 19 to Aug. 13
Students in 1st and 2nd grade were recently treated to a magic show
presented by “Alaska’s Wildest Magician,” Don Russell. The show
was given from an educational perspective with a special emphasis
on reading. Kenzi Badr, a TJ 2nd grader, is shown “levitating.” Mr.
Russell’s visit and performance was sponsored by Southwest Missouri
Bank, and he was accompanied to the school by Mr. Andy Falls.
Check for complete schedule at
www.summerdiscoveryacademy.com
beginning in February
Missouri Day at TJ
Parents: Don’t miss the TJ news
Are you receiving the daily TJ News for Parents e-mail
message? The daily message includes news about the school,
upcoming events, and other important messages for parents. The
message goes out to all parents who have an e-mail address in the
school database.
If you are not receiving the message, please send an e-mail
message to portal@tjeffschool.org with “Sign me up” in the subject
line. Please include your name in the message. You can also call
Robert Carlson at (417) 781-5124 to sign up.
The e-mail address we have on record for you will also be used
to notify you of any urgent news about the school or your child. In
caseabout
of an Missouri.
emergency,
this
e-mail
notification
is ininformation
addition to calls
A small group of 4th graders shows brochures they made
See
pages
8 and
9 for more
about
the 4th grade Missouri Day project and other Lower School
happenings.
to your
home, office, and cell phone numbers.
THE
CAVALIER
CHRONICLE
SPORTS
COACH’S CORNER
Fall Sports teams finish exciting seasons
The Middle School girls
volleyball team ended the
season with a 9-2 record.
After avenging early season
loses to Springfield Lutheran
and St. Mary’s, the girls were
able finish the season with an
8-game winning streak.
Season highlights included a
first place finish in the Trinity
Lutheran Tournament and
three exciting wins over crosstown rival St. Peters Lady
Warriors. The girls had a
tremendous season under the
direction of new Head Coach
Erin Fledderman.
The Middle School boys
soccer team had a record of
2-5-1 as of Oct. 13. The boys
have battled well, as they have faced some tough competition.
Competition that includes a couple of games against a traveling
team that plays together year round. The boys have shown
great improvement over the course of the year. Coaches Jay
Miller and Paul Carter have been very pleased with the effort
the boys have given this season.
The Upper School girls volleyball team got a big win
recently as they defeated Coffeyville, Kansas, in two games.
The girls got off to a rather slow start in the match, falling
behind 13-20. The Lady Cavs were able to dig their way out
of this deficit to win the first game 26-24 as they ended the
first game on a 13-4 run.
After their incredible effort to come from behind to win game
one, the girls went on to win game two 25-21. The girls ended
their regular season with senior night on Oct. 22 vs. Jasper.
At the match, seniors Camille Cragin, Jenny Simpson,
Elise Watson, Ali Weil, and Adison Winn were recognized.
The girls, who were seeded fourth, faced the fifth seeded
Lockwood Tigers and were defeated in the first round of
district play on Oct. 26.
Winning with eleven players in soccer can prove to be a
difficult task. Winning with only nine or ten players seems
unthinkable.
That’s just what this year’s Thomas Jefferson soccer team
did recently. The team started the game with ten players,
one short of a full squad. Due to injury, the Cavaliers were
forced to finish the game with only nine players. The soccer
team showed tremendous character and heart as they were
able to score a late goal to defeat the visiting Aurora Houn
Dawgs by a score of 3-2.
The victory avenged an early season loss the Houn Dawgs
handed the Cavaliers in this year’s Cavalier soccer classic.
This game will prove to be one the team never forgets.
This year’s soccer seniors were recently honored as the
Cavaliers played host to the College Heights Cougars. At
half-time of the match, seniors David Evans and Michael
Reinsvold were honored for their dedication to the program
over the past four years.
The girls tennis team ended the season with a very
impressive 8-4 dual record. The girls were able to defeat
Aurora, Carl Junction, College Heights, Lamar, Mt. Vernon,
Neosho, and Nevada this season.
The girls also recently played very well in the Lady Cavalier
Tennis Invitational. Strong showings by Sophomore
Shannon Clark, 3rd place in # 2 singles, and the doubles
team of Senior Rachel McNally and Junior Cayla Burnett,
2nd place in # 2 doubles, helped lead the Lady Cavaliers to
a 4th place team finish.
The girls season ended with district play in LoganRogersville on Oct. 9 and 10.
The girls braved the unseasonably cold temperatures and
played well in the weather-delayed tournament.
Shannon Clark was able to advance into the third round of
the singles portion of the tournament. This year’s seniors,
Samantha Kemp and Rachel McNally, were recognized at
the Oct. 22 volleyball game for their dedication to TJ’s tennis
program.
The TJ Booster Club recognized all senior athletes participating
in fall sports during Senior Night on Oct. 22. The evening
began with the TJ soccer team taking on College Heights,
followed by volleyball with Jasper. The Senior Night activities
took place between the Junior Varsity and Varsity volleyball
games. In addition to the volleyball players, senior soccer
players David Evans and Michael Reinsvold and senior tennis
players Samantha Kemp and Rachel McNally were recognized.
Senior members of the TJ Vocal Ensemble presented the
National Anthem. Volleyball spectators have recently been
treated to special renditions of the National Anthem by Early
Childhood and Lower School French and Spanish teacher Kim
Tate, and Upper School Spanish teacher Rick Tate. Mrs. Tate,
an accomplished vocalist, sang the anthem, and Mr. Tate, who
plays with the TJ orchestra for the school play, played the
anthem on his trumpet. Pictured above (left to right): Senior
volleyball players Elise Watson, Camille Cragin, Adison Winn,
Jenny Simpson, and Ali Weil.
National Honor Society
provides project updates
T
he Thomas Jefferson National Honor Society held its
October meeting recently to discuss service projects.
Jenny Simpson, president, conducted the meeting, and
Michael Reinsvold gave the treasurer’s report. Several new
projects are in the planning stages and will be initiated in the
next few weeks.
Adam Ondo will head the One-for-Books project in
conjunction with the TJ Fall Book Fair, Nov. 2-6. Patrons of the
book fair will have the opportunity to donate money to the book
drive, which Adam and his coworkers will then use to purchase
books from the fair. These books will then be donated to a local
children’s charity.
Devin Gilliam and Amanda Saladin are chairing a project
to provide tutoring services to younger students at TJ. Initially,
NHS members will tutor individual students in various subjects
twice a week for 45 to 60 minutes a session.
The tutoring services will be provided at no charge. Please
contact Liz Simpson at lsimpson@tjeffschool.org. If you are
interested in arranging tutoring sessions for your child.
With most of the area food banks operating with near empty
shelves, NHS students are eager to get started on one of their
biggest undertakings of the year, the TJ Food Drive.
This project not only collects a great deal of food for worthy
charities, it also brings together the TJ community in a common
goal. Since the school collected a record number of food items
during last year’s drive, the students hope to motivate the student
body and all TJ families to go above and beyond this year. This
project is one of the largest and most important of the year, and
all NHS members agreed to work on it.
THE
CAVALIER
CHRONICLE
Music and Art
Project Runway 4
Student art and fashion designs on display at Spiva
Spotlight on...
Middle School
As first quarter drew to a close, the Middle School
students completed their first electives of the school year.
This is the second year that we have added an elective
component into the Middle School schedule. This class is
an opportunity for students to explore new topics, attend
classes with students in other Middle School grades, and
learn from teachers who may be new to them.
Students choose two electives each quarter, for a total of
eight different course offerings.
Through the Tuesday and Thursday selections, students
have been learning about the history of baseball, developing
and practicing strategies for chess and scrabble, exploring
foreign language through culture, conversation, reading,
and film, and solving crimes in a CSI-based science class.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, students have
been learning about American history through film, singing
in the Middle School Vocal Ensemble, creating art projects
in knitting, and playing a variety of team sports.
Each quarter, the courses cover a variety of disciplines so
that all students can explore topics that interest them.
THE
CAVALIER
CHRONICLE
Early Childhood & Lower School
Pre-K
The Pre-K class has been
studying about the importance
of fire safety. The students
have been practicing how to
stop, drop and roll, what to do
during a fire drill, and how to
crawl to the door when there
is smoke in the house. The
highlights of our unit included
the puppet show put on by
the Joplin Fire Department,
our class trip to Joplin’s Fire
Station #1, and a visit from
former Columbus fire chief
Don Kirk (Mack’s dad)!
Kindergarten
In kindergarten we read the book Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak. We learned the job of an author and
illustrator; found the beginning, middle and end of a story,
and learned the difference between fantasy and things that
are real. We also used our imagination to create stories and
“wild things.” As a grand finale to our study, we went to see
the movie that recently began showing at the theater. We
had a WILD time!
1st Grade
Students in 1st and 2nd grades were recently treated to a
magic show presented by “Alaska’s Wildest Magician,” Don
Russell. The show was given from an educational perspective
with a special emphasis on reading. Mr. Russell’s visit and
performance was sponsored by Southwest Missouri Bank,
and he was accompanied to the school by Mr. Andy Falls.
2nd Grade
TJ Pre-K, 2nd, and 3rd grade students participated in a
number of special activities during Fire Prevention Week,
Oct. 4-10. Included was a visit by a local fire chief, Don Kirk,
and volunteer firefighter, Tony DePratt. They spoke to the
classes about the importance of having a home escape plan
and meeting place, gave fire safety tips, and told the children
how to check their homes for safety hazards. Kirk is the father
of TJ students Mack and Luke Kirk, and served the Columbus
Fire Department for 30 years, 20 as Fire Chief.
3rd Grade
Flat Stanley, a
character from the
book Flat Stanley,
written by Jeff
Brown,
surfaces
again in 3rd Grade.
After having lunch
with his creators
and saying goodbye
to his TJ friends,
he then embarked
on his first journey
to South Carolina,
to visit pen pals. A
videoconference
will allow them to
check on his status. He will then visit friends and relatives.
Students hope to learn many aspects about other parts of the
world from Stanley’s adventures.
4th Grade
The 4th graders have been busy working on their projects
for Missouri Day, which they presented to their parents on
Oct. 21. They have also begun working on the 4th Grade
Academic Decathlon.
5th Grade
The 5th grade students have been
corresponding with pen pals in Rock
Hill, South Carolina as part of a video
conferencing project. TJ students and the
20 students of Sunset Park Elementary
have been corresponding since September.
The students have received letters and
pictures from their pen pals and met faceto-face during one video conference. TJ
students are in the process of writing a
second letter and plan to send pictures
in their next correspondence. We will
continue writing back and forth with
the hopes of meeting for another video
conference later in the school year.
Science
Most of the Lower School classes have completed their
first unit of the year in science and have moved on to a new
topic of study. First grade students are learning how to
read a thermometer and measure wind speed as part of
a unit on weather. Second grade students are exploring
various types of soil and the organisms found within
each. Third grade students are measuring and observing
the properties of 12 different rock samples. Fourth grade
students are completing their animal behavior research on
fiddler crabs, and fifth grade students just started a unit
on ecosystems in which they will build ecocolumns that
contain various terrestrial and aquatic organisms.
Foreign Language
Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st grade are learning lots of
vocabulary in French. They are still in the phase where their
vocabulary is passive, so they can recognize the words used
in context, but they won’t produce French just out of the
blue. It will take 25 repetitions of words in context to move
them to their active vocabulary. So ask your child about
their French papers or listen with them to their French tapes
and you will be pleased to discover how much they know.
We sing lots of songs. Ask your child why they insist that
you “leve-toi, leve-toi” in the morning instead of staying in
bed. 2nd grade can read and write in French and Spanish!
Wow! 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, are finishing up their review
and moving on to new material in both French and Spanish.
They are earning pieces of the Eiffel Tower with every
French Spelling test and are getting closer to their crêpe
party. Ask them “How do you say snail in Spanish?” They
have a groovin’ answer.
Music
Second through Eighth grade music students have had an
exciting first quarter in class. To help reinforce rhythms,
the children have enjoyed their time singing and playing
the percussion and Orff instruments. They showcased
their talents at Fall Arts Night and will also do so at the
Thanksgiving assembly.
Technology
Keyboarding Skills are a must in today’s high tech world.
We are working on our keyboarding skills daily in grades 25. Check out our keyboard bandanas! NO PEEKING!
Many fun projects are planned for the days ahead! Be sure
to bookmark www.ikeepbookmarks.com/tjeff.
Spotlight on...
Upper School
As promised this month’s letter focuses on this year’s
Upper School Trip, which was taken to Kansas City. As I
began to set up this year’s trip, my first to organize, I thought
it might be beneficial to look back on the trips we had taken
the past two years for ideas. I thought about my first Upper
School trip two years ago, which was taken to Dallas.
One thing really stuck out about that trip. Due to running
behind on our travel schedule we were forced to cancel our
first itinerary item, shopping at the mall. I remembered how
disappointed the girls on my bus were when they received the
news. As I remembered this “tragic” occurrence from that
first year I knew right away a trip to a mall was a must.
We were able to visit a very
nice mall in Kansas City, Kansas
called the Legends Mall. It is a
modern outdoor mall that had a
nice mix of stores and plenty of
dining options for our students.
My mall experience was
highlighted by a nice lunch with
my fellow chaperones and long
hike to visit the Cabela’s hunting
store that is “close” to the Legends
Mall.
From the Mall we drove
straight to our hotel. I knew from
my previous trips the TJ students
really enjoyed down time at the
hotel. Our Drury Hotel featured
eating facilities nearby, a workout
room, indoor/outdoor pool, and
a sauna. The kids had plenty to
occupy their “down time.” The
boys tossed their bags into their
rooms, changed quickly and
headed for the pool. My room
was located directly over the pool
where I was able to take in a very
entertaining game of what appeared to be “tackle pool ball,”
played with a flip flop as the ball. If you’re wondering the
rules of this game, I’d say ask the boys, but let’s just say there
seemed to be some discrepancies. Nonetheless, the boys
seemed to have a great time!
That evening we were able to take in play put on by the
Kansas City Repertoire Theater. The play was a one that
Thomas Jefferson had put on years ago, called “Into the
Woods.” Our kids represented TJ very well as they all looked
great, girls in their dresses and boys in their ties. The play
had many memorable moments, which became more evident
to me two weeks later when kids were walking the TJ halls
singing songs from various scenes. At the conclusion of the
10
play, chaperone John Peruggia, was able to work out deal that
allowed all of our TJ students on stage for a group picture.
One thing TJ kids always ask me at the beginning of every
school year is where the Upper School trip will be taken and
what theme park the trip will allow us to visit. Well I knew
we couldn’t leave the student body disappointed, so Saturday
began with an all day trip to Worlds of Fun.
When we entered the park the first ride was a roller coaster
called the Patriot. There were probably 125 people in line for
that ride that morning and I think 65 of them were TJ students
and chaperones. The ride did not disappoint. While it had
the distinction of being the first ride, I also think it was the
best ride.
As you came off the ride they
had a booth set up that showed
pictures of people from the camera’s
“strategically” placed at various
points on the ride. These photos
were priceless. I enjoyed looking
at the numerous facial expressions
from TJ students and chaperones.
The day continued to be an exciting
one as our students made sure to test
every ride.
From Worlds of Fun we went
to a Kansas City Royals game. The
Royals played the Minnesota Twins
that evening. While the Royals were
“mathematically eliminated”, the
Twins were still playing for a playoff
spot.
The game had some early
excitement with the Royals jumping
on top with a pair of solo home runs.
The twins dominated the game
from that point, winning the game
11-6. The evening brought other
excitement as the students were
able to explore the newly renovated stadium. The game also
happened to be George Brett mini statue night.
One student was even lucky enough to find the hall of
famer’s autograph on his mini statue. That night 20,000 mini
statues were given away at the door and eight of them were
signed. TJ student Harley Hill was lucky enough to be one
of those eight.
The next morning we headed back to Joplin. It was very
nice only having a two and half hour drive to get home.
Looking back on this year’s trip, there was one thing that
was consistent with the previous two trips I had attended - TJ
students were very well-behaved and represented our school
very well.
F
a
c
u
l
t
y
P
R
O
F
I
L
E
Sheena Tart-Zelvin | Math Teacher and Coach
S
heena Tart-Zelvin
enjoys teaching at
Thomas Jefferson
because of the students.
When you ask her about
the differences between
Joplin and Dallas, where
she taught high school
students at a Jewish Day
School, she will say the
students here have a lot of
energy and that she loves
to watch them grow.
When you ask her about
the difference between
Joplin and Santa Fe, N.M.,
where she also taught, she
will tell you the students
here are bright and that
she enjoys watching them develop an understanding for
abstract concepts. When you ask her about sports, she’ll
tell you about the TJ volleyball and basketball teams she
coaches.
Sheena considers children a large part of her life, and
takes her role in their education and development seriously.
Sheena teaches 6th graders about mathematics, 7th
graders about pre-algebra, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
about pre-calculus and 12th graders about economics.
She also is a coach outside the classroom, and after
finishing the fall Upper School volleyball season as the
team’s assistant coach, she is now the head Middle School
basketball coach and the assistant Upper School basketball
coach.
“I enjoy watching children improve their skills and learn
to work together as a team,” she said about her coaching
experience during the volleyball
season. “The team learned to
take advantage of momentum and
to never give up, and those are
valuable lessons.”
When she is not coaching
or teaching, she spends her time
grading papers.
She also enjoys walking
Izzie, her soft-coated Wheaton
Terrier, and finding great places
to eat. She said she misses good
Mexican food, but that everyone
she has met has been warm and
welcoming.
Sheena said she enjoys the
energy and excitement the Upper
School students bring to the
classroom too. This is the first
school year in which students received a full semester of
economics. Sheena said she is impressed by the ability of
the students to quickly grasp concepts, and said that their
ability has allowed her to cover a lot of ground in the class.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PARENTS WHO USE YAHOO!, HOTMAIL, GMAIL, AND OTHER FREE E-MAIL ACCOUNTS:
Many TJ parents find free e-mail accounts from MSN, Yahoo!,
Google, and Hotmail to be a convenient e-mail option. Most of these
free e-mail services offer unique ways of managing spam messages
and junk mail.
Some parents experience problems receiving e-mail messages
from TJ because their spam filters are set to reject any “Bulk” mail
messages. E-mail messages are classified as “Bulk” if there are more
than a few recipients. TJ sends the daily parent news e-mail to all TJ
parents with e-mail addresses on file, so these messages are often
classified as “Bulk” mail by free e-mail services. Another problem is
that most free e-mail accounts feature advertisements at the bottom
of every message, and sometimes these random messages will trigger
the school’s anti-spam system. If you use a free e-mail account as your
primary e-mail contact at TJ, please ensure that you add tjeffschool.
org to your “Allowed” list or to your “Trusted Senders” list so that
messages from the school do not end up in your junk or spam folder,
or end up blocked completely. The safest option is to use a work e-mail
address, or one provided by your Internet Service Provider. Parents
with questions about receiving TJ e-mail messages should call Robert
Carlson at (417) 781-5124 x240.
11
Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School
3401 East Newman Road
Joplin, MO 64801
Non-Profit
US Postage Paid
Permit No. 413
Joplin, MO 64801
Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School admits students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national
and ethnic origin in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
November 2009
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
8
15
Project Runway Opening
at Spiva (2 p.m.)
22
29
12
2
MS Boys/Girls BB at
Avilla (6 p.m.)
9
16
US Academic Team
at Mindgames
Tournament (5 p.m.)
MS Academic Bowl at
TJ (4:30 p.m.)
MS Girls/Boys BB vs.
Avilla (6 p.m.)
23
30
MS Basketball
Westview Tournament
(TBA)
Lady Cavalier Classic
US Boys Basketball
Pierce City Tournament
3
Wednesday
4
Fall Book Fair (8 - 4)
College Visits for Seniors
MS Basketball vs. Trinity
Lutheran (6 p.m.)
District Band Auditions
(5 p.m.)
Fall Book Fair (8 - 4)
College Visits for Seniors
US Academic Team vs.
Purdy (4 p.m.)
Booster Club Meeting
(6 p.m.)
10
11
MS Girls Basketball vs.
St. Marys (6 p.m.)
17
3rd & 4th Grade Field
Trip to MSSU Theater +
Lunch (8:05 - 3:30)
US Academic Team
at Mindgames
Tournament (5 p.m.)
MS Basketball at Trinity
Lutheran (6 p.m.)
24
Thanksgiving Assembly
(2 p.m.)
18
US Academic Team vs.
Southwest (4 p.m.)
Fall Sports Awards
Assembly (2:30 p.m.)
25
Thanksgiving Holiday
Thursday
Friday
5
Fall Book Fair (8 - 4)
US Academic Team at
NEO Tournament (8 a.m.)
MS Basketball vs.
Westview (6 p.m.)
12
MS Boys Basketball vs.
Lifeway (6 p.m.)
19
US Academic Team
at Mindgames
Tournament (5 p.m.)
MS Basketball vs.
Springfield Lutheran
(6 p.m.)
26
Thanksgiving Holiday
Saturday
Fall Book Fair (8 - 4)
Last day of regular
registration for Dec. 12
ACT
Chili Cook-off (5:30
p.m.)
6
13
Pre-K Field Trip Webb City Pizza Hut
(9:45 a.m.)
SAT
District Band at MSSU
7
14
TJ Turkey Trot 5K Race
and 1-mile Fun Run
(9 a.m.)
20
21
27
28
Thanksgiving Holiday