Providence Public Schools Activities ; Notices

- Classical High School announced admissions testing for the 2009- 10 school year will be offered on Oct. 18 for students currently attending private and parochial schools and those attending Greene Middle School. Eighth graders attending Bridgham, Hopkins, Perry, Springfield, Stuart and Roger Williams Middle Schools, as well as the Paul Cuffee and Times{+2} charter schools, are eligible to sit for testing on Oct. 25.

On both dates, tests are held at 8:15 a.m. at Classical High School, 770 Westminster St. Prior registration for the test must be completed at the student’s current school. For information, call assistant principal Beth Battey at (401) 456-9145.

– The deadline for Letters About Literature, a writing contest sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, is Dec. 6. Teachers, parents and librarians statewide are asked to encourage their students in this effort to possibly gain state and national recognition for their writing.

To enter Letters About Literature (LAL), young readers write a personal letter to a favorite author, explaining how his or her work helped them see an aspect of the world — large or small — through new eyes. The books can be from any genre, fiction or nonfiction, contemporary or classic. By encouraging personal reader response and reflective writing, LAL encourages meaningful reading and helps to create and celebrate successful writers.

Each year, LAL awards more than 150 state-level prizes. Top Rhode Island entries will receive a gift certificate to a local book store and a $50 Target gift card. Additionally, the program selects six national winners, each of whom will earn for their community or school library a $10,000 Reading Promotion Grant.

Twelve national honorable mention winners will each earn for the community or school library of their choice a $1,000 grant. More information can be found at the LAL Web site, www.lettersaboutliterature.org.

Elementary schools

– Robert L. Bailey Elementary School recently hosted an event for parents to learn more about the Bailey Schoolwide Behavior Support Program, a program aimed at maintaining a safe and orderly environment while promoting academic achievement.

At the event, students reviewed school expectations through the Bailey Buddies School Expectations video, while their parents learned more about specific initiatives, such as the Bailey Buddies Program for Leadership, the Student of the Week Program, Classroom Behavior Management, “Bailey Bucks” and how to use them at the Bailey Store and the Bailey Handbook.

Students then attended an in-school assembly later in the month to review their student handbooks and to learn about the Bailey Buddy programs.

– On Monday, Harry Kizirian Elementary School welcomed the Kaleidoscope Children’s Theatre to present “B.U.L.L.Y. (Better Understanding by Listening and Learning about You),” a show dealing with the problem of bullying in schools.

Organized by teacher Theresa Kelly and sponsored by the school’s PTO, the show was among a series of initiatives to teach children that bullying is never tolerated at Kizirian. Principal Deborah Ruggieri plans to continue such initiatives throughout the year to encourage positive social interactions.

– Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School music teacher Christopher Del Nigro and the MLK PTO will be working together to bring musical instrument instruction opportunities to students in grades four, five and six. This program is sponsored in part by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, music education students of the University of Rhode Island and area musicians.

Middle schools

– Last week, more than 100 families attended the Perry Middle School open house. In addition to a welcome message from Principal Fran Rotella, families had the opportunity to meet with Providence After School Alliance (PASA) and several supplemental service providers. Families were then given tours of the building and had the opportunity to see classrooms and meet with teachers.

– Students from Nathanael Greene Middle School were present in nearby Davis Park last week for the cutting of a sycamore tree. Seventh-grade science teachers Joseph Gannon and Mary Whittaker will welcome city forester Doug Still into their classrooms to talk about the information gleaned from tree rings, such as age and weather.

Likewise, sixth-grade science teachers Kelly Farrell and Catherine DiPietro will use the tree-cutting as an opportunity for their classes to learn about the relationship between tree growth and weather patterns.

High schools

Students at Hope Arts High School are participating in RISD @ HOPE, an after-school program for students interested in the visual arts and sculpture. Students will be given the opportunity to work closely with accomplished local guest artists. The student-artists will also be working with Hope visual arts teacher Amy Weigand, who is overseeing the program.

Students in teacher Christina Auxier’s after-school theater program at Hope Arts High School have begun writing and set design for a modern adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. The performance is slated for December at the school. For information, call Christina Auxier at (401) 456-9161.

Hope Arts Advanced Theater students Yariel Pearson, Cynthia Jackson and Emmanual Silvia worked this summer for the Providence Department of Recreation and the University of Rhode Island. The aspiring actors plied their acting skills as superhero characters (Batman, Spiderman and Superwoman) on the “Fun Bus,” and organized games for children throughout the city’s playgrounds. They also taught youngsters the importance of good nutrition and the benefits of daily exercise.

– Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School will host Young Jinsu, a Providence-native performer, on Friday. Jinsu is a 15-year old artist who overcame obstacles in his life similar to those faced by many Providence children and has gone on to appear on several tracks with well-known hip-hop artists Jay-Z and Chris Brown. He credits his success to his focus and determination, and will speak to the students about overcoming adversities and using inner strength to build character and perseverance.

– Providence Academy of International Studies students recently took part in Pinwheels for Peace, an international art and literacy project. The event included the first annual PAIS Peace Walk and the “planting” of student-designed pinwheels with messages of peace in front of the school.

All students who participated in the walk also raised money in pledges that will go to Free the Children, a non-governmental organization that serves children living in areas of conflict and poverty around the globe. At the conclusion of the walk, students stood in a circle on the school lawn, with the pinwheels planted strategically in the ground inside the circle to form a peace sign. The Peace Walk was sponsored by the PAIS O Ambassadors’ Club.

The Providence Public Schools Activities column is compiled by the Communications Department. For information, contact Kim Rose, chief communications officer, at (401) 453-9350 or kim.rose@ppsd.org.

(c) 2008 Providence Journal. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.