2014 April_May_Parent _Newsletter

EDNA KARR HIGH SCHOOOL
April –May, 2014
Edna Karr Parent Newsletter
50 Years of Academic Success
Inside this issue:
Counseling Department
2
College Advisor
2
Youth & Government
3
New Student Admissions
3
The Parent Center
3
Art Department News
4
Lessons in Life
4
Important Dates
3/17– Beginning of Quarter 4
3/18– ACT Test-11th Grade
3/18– InspireNOLA Committee meetings @ Karr
3/19– Karr PTO Meeting
3/20-Muffins 4 Moms-Room 131
3/20– Parent Progress Conferences
3/24-Junior College Trips
3/31-InspireNOLA Board meeting @
Karr
4/10-InspireNOLA Committee metings
@ Karr
4/14-18– Spring Break– No School
4/23– Cougar Prep Night
4/24– Spring Play and Concert
4/25-Senior Prom @ the Riverview Rm
4/28– InspireNOLA Board meeting @
Karr
4/28-5/2-Senior Exams
5/6-Senior Salute
5/13-16– Underclass Exams
5/14-Mandatory Graduation Practice @
Xavier
5/14– InspireNOLA committee meetings
@ Karr
5/19-Last day of school
5/19– 6:00 pm Parent Night @ 4 Columns
5/20-3:00 pm -Graduation @ Xavier
5/27-InspireNOLA Board Meeting @
Karr
PARENT NEWSLETTER
End of the Year
As we begin our
last quarter of the
school year, it is important that everyone
understand that the
last quarter is just as
important as the other
three. We tend to want
to start vacations early,
for some reason, but
the state demands as
much time in the classroom this semester as
the first. Thus, making
sure that students miss
no more than five (5)
classes between January and May is critical
to students passing
courses. Any student in
jeopardy needs to converse with Ms Katie
Brown, social worker.
Secondly,
parents who are not utilizing
PowerSchool
to
check
their
child’s
grades and attendance
are missing out on
their connection to
what is really going
on with their child.
Each grade and each
course absence is
“hot.” That means
that when you click
it,
the
computer
takes you to another
screen that lets you
look at what grades
the child has in the
particular course or
the days absent in
the particular course.
This is an invaluable
tool that most of our
parents use on a regular basis. If you are
not using it, you are
choosing to fly blind
in the journey of raising your child.
March
and
May represent state
testing time for high
schools. In March
our 9th and 10th graders take the PLAN and
Explore tests, while
the 11th graders take
the ACT test. In May
all 9-11th graders will
take an EOC (End of
Course) test: 9th grade
takes the Algebra I;
10th grade takes Geometry and English II;
and 11th grade takes
English III, US History
and Biology. Most of
this testing will take
place during the first
two weeks of May,
while seniors finish
their final exams. Then
the underclass students take their finals
during the third week
of May. After that we
are on vacation! Edna
Karr’s Graduation is
on May 20 at 3:00 at
Xavier University.
Students of the Month
E
ach month Edna Karr sponsors the Student of the Month Program.
We do this to honor exemplary student behavior that is worthy of being
modeled by other students. Special journal books and gift certificates
are provided each month to the selected students. At the end of the year, we
reward four Students of the Year with a $100.00 check. The following students
have been selected as Students of the Month for the months of October, November and December: 12th grade–Andrea Small & Frank Hoang; 11th grade–
Brianna Thurman & Rayon Robinson; 10th grade-Kennedy Clay & Malachi
Crochet; and in the 9th grade-Drake Cifuentes & Kayla Jourdan. Please congratulate them as you see them.
In addition, Sarah Wagner & Marie Hoeven were selected as Teachers
of the Month, and Catherine Bond & Katie Brown were selected as Staff
Members of the Month. Please congratulate these students, staff and parent
members of the Edna Karr family when you see them.
Edna Karr Parent Newsletter
Page 2
The Counseling Department
Did you know…
Karr classes
riday, February 7,
begin at 8:25. Please
2014 was National
have students here no
Black HIV/AIDS’
later than 8:15.
Awareness Day. To raise
F
student awareness about the
HIV Epidemic in New Orleans and to provide them with
information on the risks of
HIV/AIDS, the Edna Karr
High School Counseling Department organized and presented an HIV/AIDS Awareness Program to 9th and 10th
grades on February 6, 2014 in
the Edna Karr Auditorium.
This interactive
presentation was conducted
through a partnership between
the NO/AIDS Task Force and
the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated.
Pertinent facts on HIV/
AIDS were presented to the
students. In addition, preventive measures to protect themselves and others from contracting and spreading HIV/AIDS
were provided. The students
addressed questions to the presenters and through this process
various myths about HIV/AIDS
were dispelled.
This was the second
awareness program presented by
the Counseling Department to
Karr students. The first, which
occurred on 11-11-13, was on
Teens, Sex and the Law. It was
conducted by a representative
from the Audrey Hepburn Care
Center at Children’s Hospital in
New Orleans.
The College Advisor’s Corner
Edna Karr
Mission
Statement
The mission
of Edna Karr
High School is
to teach all
students to be
independent
life-long
learners and
achievers
through the
involvement
of all
stakeholders
in a college
preparatory
environment.
A
s the year is wrapping
up I thought I would
just touch on some final
things that are important for
seniors to take note of: 1) Document all awards, scholarships,
and acceptances and give a
copy of that documentation to
Ms. Lu. We want to make
sure that your child is properly
recognized!
2) May 1 is National Declaration Day. Most colleges have
the policy that in order to ensure
a spot in dorms and classes,
seniors must formally declare to
a college that they will be attending in the fall by signing
some type of form and paying a
deposit. Most schools in Louisiana will still be able to admit
students, but if a child is sure
they want to attend a certain
college, they should confirm
that ASAP.
3) The FAFSA deadline for
Louisiana is June 30th! However, the sooner you apply the
better!! fafsa.ed.gov;
4) Speaking of TOPS, the last
ACT date to try to make that 20
composite score you need to
earn that precious money, is the
June ACT. The deadline to register for that test date is May 9,
2014.
5) Discuss the option of taking
remedial courses over the summer at Delgado, SUNO, or
UNO. If your child still doesn’t
have the English or Math sub
scores they need, this could be a
viable option to make sure that
they can enroll in a four-year college in the fall.
I also want to address
parents of some of our younger
students. What should parents be
doing to ensure that their children
are getting the best offers to fouryear colleges and scholarship opportunities? Here are some ideas
that perhaps we undervalue, but
can be extremely valuable to colleges/scholarship programs:
1) Rigor of coursework-Every
College admission counselor has
stressed to me the importance of
students taking the classes they are
most capable of. Encourage your
child to take AP/Honors classes
and to work hard in them. Many
colleges would rather see a "B" in
an honors class than an "A" in a
regular class. This shows that the
student has taken academic risks
and is more likely to have the academic skills they need to be prepared for college courses.
2) Showing Initiative outside of
the classroom-Many of our brightest students do not engage in extracurricular activities that allow
them to grow their talents. Additionally, many of our students who
do not excel in the classroom do
not take advantage of the numerous enrichment and remediation
opportunities at Karr. Engaging in
after school activities is a great
way to boost a resume for college,
but it also ensures that your child
becomes more invested in school as
a whole. It's important that they are
filling their time with productive
activities like sports, clubs, music,
or a job that teaches them responsibility and privides leadership opportunities.
3) Personal Character and Risktaking-I'm often asked to talk about
a student's character and their reaction to setbacks. Our natural instinct
as educators and parents is to shield
our young people from harm and
conflict. However, we need to make
sure that we're pushing our students
to become the best people possible
and to have personal accountability.
We also need to push them out of
their social and academic comfort
zones. On the common app, students
are rated on their ability to relate to
their peers, their compassion, and
their reactions to setbacks. Many
schools and scholarships look at a
student's character and grades equally. Let’s not lose sight of the importance of challenging our student's
moral fiber.
This summer parents who
are interested in talking about how
to plan for creating "well-rounded"
students that many colleges and
scholarships looking for should
speak with me. For right now, ensure that this summer is a time that
your child is engaged in something
meaningful: jobs, summer programs, volunteering, sports, etc.
Edna Karr Parent Newsletter
Page 3
Youth & Government
E
dna Karr’s Youth & Government Club (Y&G)
once again succeeded at
the Louisiana Youth LegislativeConference, February 13-15, in
debating various policy issues,
passing bills, serving in leadership roles and representing the
best of Edna Karr. This year,
more than 200 high school students from across Louisiana participated in the mock legislative
session held at the state capitol,
including 10 Karr Y&G participants: Soriah Cleveland, Jerel
Forrest, Angelle Gray, Kalin
Norman, Jared Ross, Steve
Session, Safria Sylve (Club
President), Hiry Thompson,
Brianna Thurman and Ty-Ron
Wright.
These students began in August researching
and writing legislation, practicing parliamentary procedure and polishing their professional debate skills. Jerel
Forrest served on the state
board as Video Press Editor
and Ty-Ron Wright was
elected to serve as one of nine
Supreme Court Justices. Additionally, Soriah Cleveland
and Safria Sylve were selected to chair committee hearings, with Ms. Cleveland selected for an interview with a
local Baton Rouge television
station. Always out to make a
good impression, Karr even
won the conference t-shirt
contest!
The Karr Y&G delegates participated at the conference actively in session
debates, leading parts of the
conference and interacting
with peers from Louisiana’s
diverse four corners positively. Y&G is an invaluable experience for students to learn
about government and encounter situations and people
that will help them throughout
their lives.
attend Cougar Prep Night on
April 23, at 6 pm to sign up
for tryouts and teams, submit
registration documents, and
to celebrate becoming a part
of the Cougar family!
Any students who
are still interested in applying
to Karr can enter the second
round of enrollment at www.
T
• Loss of valuable learning
time for all. A student’s late
arrival affects everyone in the
classroom as the teacher takes
time to get the tardy student
caught up.
If your child is frequently tardy:
• Monitor your child’s sleep. If
she frequently oversleeps, you
may need to establish an earlier bedtime.
• Make mornings go smoothly.
Give your child an alarm
clock. Put it across the room
so she will have to get up to
turn it off. Allow plenty of
PTO Officers
2013-2014
President
Sandradee Gray
Vice President
Secretary/
Treasurer
Arien Barnes
enrollnola.com, beginning
April 14. Enrollment will be
based on any available spaces
at grade levels. Please contact
Ms. Emily Ferris at emily.ferris@ inspirenola
schools.org with any questions regarding enrollment
for next year.
Recording
Secretary
Rochelle Pierre
Principal
John Hiser
Assistant Principals
Harold Clay
Margaret Leaf
The Parent Center
ardiness takes a toll on
achievement. Missing
school every now and
then doesn’t seem like such a big
deal. But being absent even part
of a day can affect a student’s
academic achievement in many
ways, resulting in:
• Lower grades. Students who
arrive after class begins miss
important elements of a lesson.
• Missed information. Tardy students often miss hearing announcements and updates from
the teacher. They may miss hearing about homework assignments
and important test dates.
HIGH SCHOOL
Cheryl Flotte
New Student Admissions
The first round of the
OneApp admissions process for
the 2014-15 school year has now
closed, and admissions decisions
will be made in the next few
weeks. Parents will be notified
of admissions decisions in early
April.
All accepted new students and parents are invited to
EDNA KARR
time for using the bathroom,
getting dressed and eating a
healthy breakfast.
• Ask for help. If family circumstances interfere with
getting your child to class on
time, make an appointment to
talk with her teacher.
Remember the parent center is here to support
your needs. Empower yourself now with power school!
Power School is a great way
to monitor your child’s
grades and attendance right
from your phone. Ask Ms.
Joseph how, in room 131.
Teacher
Representatives
Karl Asher
Amanda Hestdalen
Parent Liaison
Jaqulin Joseph
Next Meeting:
April 23
@ 6:00 PM
Karr Library
Edna Karr Parent Newsletter
Page 4
ART Department NEWS at KARR!
C
ongratulations to KARR
artist, Seletra Sylve, for
winning first place in the
New Orleans Public Library
Black History Month Poster Contest! Her poster will be displayed
in libraries all around New Orleans. Keep your eyes open for
KARR art on and off campus.
KARR artists have been
researching African American
history from the civil rights
movements of the 1920s-60s.
They have created replicas of a
1968 civil rights protest poster, “I
AM A MAN”. Look for our “I
AM” posters around campus and
be inspired with us to treat all
individuals with equality and
respect.
The KARR artists
are actively meeting on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
after school till 6 p.m. Come
be creative after hours and
enjoy making great art!
Transportation is provided!
Coastal Roots artists
and scientists are excited
about the spring as they continue to grow a grass to help
Louisiana’s coastal erosion
dilemma and create community awareness about Louisiana’s threatened coast.
KARR artists have
been invited to a science and
art camp at a Louisiana Ma-
rine Facility during June 811th. All student artists with
an interest in Louisiana’s coast
and an interest in learning at a
highly-acclaimed research
center, please come see Ms.
Clanton in Room 206 for an
application.
The KARR artists
have an art show scheduled for
May 8th from 4:30-6:30 at the
Algiers Public Library to present the KARR project, “We
Speak for the Swamp: A
Coastal Roots Art and Planting
Initiative.” Mark your calendars! The spring and summer
is going be fun at KARR!
Lessons in Life
Reminders:
Outside food is
not allowed at Karr.
We have an exclusive contract with
Sodexo which does
not allow outside
food to be brought
on to the campus for
students. So, parents
and guardians are
reminded to not allow food to be purchased off campus
and brought to your
child. However,
bagged lunches from
The following thoughts are printed in the hopes that families will engage in
conversations that revolve around values. By discussing your values with your chil- home are still
dren, they will gain insight about the adult world, which is made up of an array of allowed!
choices to do right or wrong. Unless our children know which values we claim and see
the actions we take to support our words, it is questionable what they will come to
Edna Karr mainvalue, either as teenagers or as adults.
tains two websites:
As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supednakarr.org and
posed to ever let you down probably will.
You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's
harder every time.
You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was
broken. You'll fight with your best friend.
You'll blame a new love for things an old one did.
You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually
lose someone you love.
So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've
never been hurt ~
~ because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.
Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.
ekhs.org.
School information
can be found on
ednakarr.org, while
course information
and the school calendar can be found on
ekhs.org.
Cell Phones:
Please remember: If
we see it or hear it,
we take it.