Five MNPS educators were selected to attend the Sally Ride Science Academy this past summer! This group is now training others in the district. Check out the news release issued by the Academy:

The Sally Ride Science Academy brought to you by ExxonMobil announced that five educators from Nashville were selected to learn new, innovative strategies to raise students’ awareness of and interest in science and science careers. Teachers from Metro Nashville Public Schools attending the Academy include: Sarah Baker, Science Coordinator for MNPS Theresa DuLaney, teacher at Bellevue Middle School ReGina Etter, STEM Instructional Designer Marti Moore, teacher at Ross Elementary School Robby Yates, teacher at Lakeview Elementary School The Academy is a partnership between Sally Ride Science, founded by the first American woman in space, Dr. Sally Ride, and ExxonMobil.  The program educates teachers and counselors about the importance of introducing young students to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers, showcases diverse role models in those careers, and provides pathways to incorporate STEM career awareness in the classroom. The Academy was held in San Diego. Educators were selected by district administrators based on their qualifications, dedication to inspiring students at an early age, and overall commitment to enhancing the teaching profession. The participants are among 275 educators from around the country attending additional Academy sessions this summer. “I’m thrilled to announce the selection of these fine educators,” Ride said. “Research shows that introducing young students to the wide variety of science careers available, the many paths to becoming a scientist, and the vibrant women and men working in science today makes girls and boys more likely to stay interested in science and to consider a science career. By partnering with ExxonMobil, we’re equipping educators with the necessary tools to encourage students to pursue math and science in higher education and beyond.” The Sally Ride Science Academy utilizes a train-the-trainer model that prepares Academy graduates to train other teachers in their district during the 2011-2012 school year.  Graduates and their trainees will receive sets of the Sally Ride Science Cool Career book series for use in their classrooms.  Since the inaugural Academy in 2009, the Academy has trained more than 395 educators in 41 districts spanning 14 states and the District of Columbia. Those educators have since returned to their districts and trained more than 2,700 additional educators using Academy materials. “Programs like the Sally Ride Science Academy brought to you by ExxonMobil will help transform the perception of scientists and science-based careers and inspire young people to take up careers in these areas,” said Truman Bell, senior program officer for education and diversity, ExxonMobil. “It’s our responsibility to ensure that every child feels inspired and competent in these subject areas to face the challenges of the future.” The Sally Ride Science Academy is part of ExxonMobil’s investment in math and science education in the United States. The company supports numerous other initiatives that encourage students to take an active interest in careers in the math and science fields; support the professional development of highly qualified teachers and promote involvement of women and minorities students.

Congratulations to Amy Leslie of McMurray Middle and Tripp Nicholson of Hillwood High for being named this year's Junior Achievement Teachers of the Year! The full release is below:

Two MNPS teachers honored by Junior Achievement  Two Metro Nashville Public School educators have been named Teachers of the Year by Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee, a nonprofit that provides volunteer-led, classroom-based learning programs to students in Kindergarten through high school. Amy Leslie of McMurray Middle School and Trip Nicholson of Hillwood High School have been named the middle school and high school teachers of the year. Both received recognition at their schools recently for their support of JA during the 2010-2011 school year. “Amy and Trip were selected for their length of service to JA, the number of students impacted through the JA program, and their overall commitment to the organization’s mission to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in the global economy,” said JA Director of Programs Andy Schenck. Junior Achievement teachers like Leslie and Nicholson host volunteers in their classrooms who deliver JA’s age-appropriate curriculum on financial literacy, workforce readiness, and entrepreneurship. These lessons enhance those that teachers are already using in the classroom and connect textbook concepts to real-world applications. Teachers interested in hosting JA volunteers and curriculum in their classrooms can visit www.janash.com or call 615-627-1195 for more information.

The LP Pencil Box is a free school supply store that provides learning materials for students in Metro Schools. Teachers are allowed to "shop" at the Pencil Box one a semester. More more information on the LP Pencil Box is available on the Pencil Foundation website.

1. Encouraging your Child For Success
   September 26 - Cane Ridge High School
   September 29 - Glencliff High School
   Time: 6:00 P.M.
   
   Do you want to motivate your children to get good grades but don’t know how? Do you want to improve your relationship with your teens? Come and learn about self-esteem and how to motivate your teens to be successful! All Latino parents with children in middle and high school are welcome to this workshop. Childcare for children 3 years old and up will be offered, as well as refreshments and a raffle.
   
   


2. Communicating with your Child´s School
   October 3 - Cane Ridge High School
   October 6 - Glencliff High School
   Time: 6:00 P.M.
   
   Did your child’s teacher request a parent-teacher conference and you don’t know what to do? Is your child having problems at school and you’re not sure whom to speak with? Come and learn with us! All Latino parents with children in middle and high school are welcome to this workshop in Spanish. Childcare for children 3 years old and up will be offered, as well as refreshments and a raffle.
   
   


3. Drug and Gang Involvement Prevention
   October 10 - Cane Ridge High School
   October 13 - Glencliff High School
   Time: 6:00 P.M.
   
   Do you argue with your teen a lot? Do you want to prevent your teen from getting involved in drugs and gangs? Come and learn with us! All Latino parents with children in middle and high school are welcome to this workshop in Spanish. Childcare for children 3 years old and up will be offered, as well as refreshments and a raffle.
   
   


4. Parental Rights and Responsibilities at School
   October 24 - Cane Ridge High School
   October 27 - Glencliff High School
   Time: 6:00 P.M.
   
   Do you want to learn about your rights as a MNPS parent? Have you heard about new charter schools opening in your neighborhood and want to learn more? Come and learn with us! All Latino parents with children in middle and high school are welcome to this workshop in Spanish. Childcare for children 3 years old and up will be offered, as well as refreshments and a raffle.
   
   


5. College Preparation/Financial Aid
   October 31 - Cane Ridge High School
   November 3 - Glencliff High School
   Time: 6:00 P.M.
   
   Do you want your child to go to college? Do you want to learn about financial aid for college, for documented & undocumented students? Come and learn with us! All Latino parents with children in middle and high school are welcome to this workshop in Spanish. Childcare for children 3 years old and up will be offered, as well as refreshments and a raffle.

If you're not hard at work with Hands on Nashville Day, take the kids down to the Parthenon for Celebrity Storytelling!

Each Saturday morning a different local celeb will read a 20 minute story of Greek Mythology at the feet of the golden statue of Athena in the main room of the Parthenon. Following the reading, a Parthenon intern will offer an activity to enhance the reading, as recommended by the National Reading Panel.

Here's the best part: It's 100% free and families who attend can stay and enjoy the Parthenon afterward!

This week's celebs are Woody & Jim from 107.5 The River. Upcoming stars include news anchor Demetria Kalodimos, the Nashville Symphony's Giancarlo Guerrero and country singer Ketch Secor.

The program will continue every Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. from now until November 12. Full details in the flier below.

Slaps on the back and hearty handshakes are due to three Metro high school students who won the "Young Latino Essay Contest" from Conexión Américas!

• Monserrat Lagunes, Hunters Lane High School


• Dayana García, McGavock High School


• Karen Ramírez, McGavock High School

Don't miss a single classroom grade! GradeSpeed (aka Parent Connection) keeps you informed of what your child does in school, from attendance to assignments to individual grades.

If you're unfamiliar with GradeSpeed, the good folks at the Community Career Center are holding a special class to help parents sign up, sign in, and keep track of their children's progress.

Class will be held on Monday, September 26, 6:00 p.m., at Glencliff High School. More details in the flier below.

Open publication - Free publishing

Liberty Learning Foundation kicked off its “Super Citizen” tour at Jones Paideia Elementary earlier this week. During the visit, the foundation donated teaching tools and taught students about the nation’s history with an in-school performance. Closing the show, Lady Liberty gave a special performance about the life of the Statue of Liberty. 

Music permeates Nashville at all levels, and soon it will permeate Nashville public education at all levels, too.

From the stage at the Ryman Auditorium, Mayor Karl Dean, Director of Schools Jesse Register and many community and business leaders in Nashville announced 'Music Makes Us,' a new approach to music education that will reach students in all grades.

Young students will be exposed to all kinds of music from an early age, including jazz, bluegrass, folk, world music. Middle and high school students will be able to take courses in songwriting, DJ & remixing, hip-hop performance and more.

Numerous studies show that music education can boost student performance in many academic areas, as well as increasing motivation for classroom performance and attendance. It encourages students to form close peer groups and foster close adult relationships with teachers. The city will conduct its own study to see the effectiveness of Music Makes Us once its in place.

This program is the product of years of work by a number of partners, including Mayor Dean, Metro Schools, the Music City Music Council and the Nashville Public Education Foundation. Support will continue to come from all sides, including financial support from Nashville's business and musical communities.

There is so much more to share about this project. Check out the page we've created for Music Makes Us to learn all about it.

The 2012-13 Scarlett Family Foundation Scholarship application window is now open for Metro students! To be eligible, students must:

The deadline to apply is Dec. 15, 2011. Click here for more.

Students at Hillsboro HIgh School are getting a first-hand experience of the Chinese language and culture. While only a handful of lucky students were selected to visit the country this past summer, dozens are now getting the same lessons through the school's new Confucius Classroom. Taught by a teacher recruited from China, the students are learning basic language pronunciations and beginning to learn about the Chinese culture. The Confucius Classroom is a partner of the Confucius Institute at the University of Memphis.

Bailey STEM Magnet Middle, West End IB World School, and Whites Creek High School will be vying for the title of Music City's "BEST" this weekend. The schools have teams selected to participate in an annual robotics competition that kicks off this Saturday, Sept. 17, at David Lipscomb University.

The six-week competition is designed to encourage students to think about careers in science, technology and engineering. Teams will spend the next month and half working on their robots. They will reconvene later this fall for a final showdown. The program is sponsored by the local non-profit BEST and David Lipscomb University. Good luck!

The Cambridge University American Studio Tour (CAST) is preparing to make its third visit to Nashville School of the Arts. The troupe will visit Friday, Sept. 23, with a special performance that evening at 7:30 p.m. While visiting, CAST will conduct workshops for students in Acting and Advanced Acting classes.

CAST’s version of the bard's tragedy about the Scottish king is inspired by modern dystopian fiction and is set in a barren futuristic landscape, complete with broken dreams and bloody ambitions.  

Tickets for the evening performance are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

Hume-Fogg Academic Magnet High School has been named a 2011 Blue Ribbon School. The school currently ranks among Tennessee’s Top 10% in academic achievement and was awarded in the category of High Performing School.

In a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Education, Secretary Arne Duncan says, “America's long-term economic prosperity and civic engagement depends on our children receiving a world-class education," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "National Blue Ribbon Schools are committed to accelerating student achievement and preparing students for success in college and careers. Their success is an example for others to follow."

The release also states that a total of 305 schools across the U.S. were named 2011 National Blue Ribbon Schools. Schools can be awarded for academic excellence or for success in closing the achievement gap. All schools, 256 public and 49 private, will be honored at an awards ceremony Nov. 14-15 in Washington, D.C.

1. Shop at Whole Foods Market in Green Hills on Thursday, September 15




• A portion of all sales will do to the LP Pencil Box


2. Bring a bag of school supplies the Titans game at LP Field on Sunday, September 18




• This effort brings in more school supplies every year than any other donation event

In case you've forgotten, the LP Pencil Box is a free school supply store that provides learning materials for students in Metro Schools. Teachers are allowed to "shop" at the Pencil Box one a semester. More more information on the LP Pencil Box is available on the Pencil Foundation website.

The Davidson County Clerk's Office, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State, will be celebrating "Passport Day in the USA", this Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., at the County Clerk's Main Office, 700 Second Avenue South in the Howard Office Building. The office will be open to issue passports and answer any questions that residents may have (regardless of what state they live in). Most U.S. Passports are processed as routine for $143.00, but may be more or less depending on age and turnaround time.

The office will also be renewing Tennessee Driver Licenses for class D and M, name changes for first marriages, and address changes.

Friday, Sept. 9, Head Middle Magnet School held its second annual Science Carnival for the students. The Science Carnival was sponsored by Vanderbilt Students Who Volunteer for Science (VSVS). There were 11 science stations that housed different experiments for students to see. For instance:

The Science Carnival served as a remembrance of the 9/11 tragedy.

The Hillwood HOSA Club and Band had the opportunity to participate in HCA’s Annual Agency Fair at Centennial Park on September 1, 2011. This event gives agencies the opportunity to meet the HCA employees and share their mission. This was a great opportunity for the Hillwood HOSA club to share their mission and become aware of agencies in their community. The Hillwood Band entertained the HCA employees as they visited the numerous booths.

Friday, September 2, 2011, more than 400 students at Pearl-Cohn Entertainment Magnet High School were treated to a pre-Labor Day concert by Oyama & Nitta. Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta are Japanese shamisen players who were in Nashville as one of the featured acts for the National Folk Festival. The students enjoyed this musical performance comprised of numbers which showcased the versatility of the musicians in playing classical and original scores that showcased syncopated and poly rhythms. From native folk songs to melodies that were familiar to some, all were entertained, awed, and delighted with the performance. Oyama & Nitta have performed throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States, sharing their talent with not only the music world, but with schools and community music programs.

But this was more than just a fun event. It was a learning opportunity for students in the Academy of Entertainment Communication as they worked with their teachers and other professionals in setting up the sound, technology, and video for the performance.  Students in the audio-engineering classes assisted in preparing the auditorium for optimal sound. The TV Broadcasting students video-taped the performance and interviewed Oyama & Nitta. 

To honor and remember 9/11, Mayor Karl Dean's Impact Nashville is organizing volunteer projects and special events for Nashville's Fire Fighters Appreciation Day, celebrated on Saturday, September 10.

One of these is the "Cards of Bravery" project, which encourages youth to write cards for police officers and fire fighters in Nashville. In these cards, young people can outline what bravery means to them and thank the brave men and women who serve our community.

Teachers & Parents: We ask you to encourage your children and your students to write their own "Cards of Bravery." This is a terrific opportunity for them to be involved in the Nashville's and the nation's efforts to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Our police officers and fire fighters will surely appreciate their kind words and support.

If you would like to participate, please bring your "Cards of Bravery" to any of the following locations by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 9.

Mayor's Office
100 Metro Courthouse, 37201

Parks Department
511 Oman Street, 37203

Metro Schools Central Office
2601 Bransford Avenue, 37204

Firefighters Appreciation Day

9/11 National Day of Service

Impact Nashville

You joined him in walking 100 miles over the spring and summer. Now Mayor Karl Dean has a new Challenge for Nashvillians: join him in running or walking a 5K in November!

And because every distance run requires training, the Challenge will host a nine-week series of training sessions at Metro parks all over town - starting this Saturday (September 10) at McCabe Park Commnity Center.

Full details on the Challenge are in the flier and links below.
 

A Glencliff High School student recently helped save a neighbor's life thanks to the CPR training she received in the school's Health Science Academy. See her story here.

Parents, don't forget all Metro Schools and offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 5, in observance of Labor Day. Classes will resume Tuesday, Sept. 6. Have a great, and safe, holiday weekend!

Three McGavock students recently spent a week in Washington D.C., at the Constitutional Academy. During their trip, the students viewed the original Constitution and visited a number of national landmarks. Even more exciting, the students also earned three college credits from Ashland University.