May 14, 2008

Best Photos from Putnam City High School   Putnam City High photographers supply a few of the year's best photos. Best Photos from Putnam City North High School Putnam City North photographers show off a few of the year's best photos. Best Photos from Putnam City West High School   Here are a few of the best photos of the year from Putnam City West photographers. Main News New Superintendent   The Putnam City Board of Education voted unanimously to hire Paul Hurst as the next superintendent for the district. Hurst will take the helm of the district on July 1 following the retirement of Dr. Jim Capps. Help Us Improve Putnam City Now    Please take this short short reader survey to help us make Putnam City Now more informative and enjoyable. Online Art Museum   Kindergarten students at Central Elementary School drew self-portraits, wrote a sentence about things friends can do together and put both elements together on a poster. See their work in our online art museum! National Awards Go to Student Councils   Putnam City North High School and Putnam City High School are two of only 98 schools in the nation to receive 2008 Gold Council of Excellence Awards. Student Achievements   Putnam City students at all levels are winning honors and recognition. Golden Apples Awarded   The Putnam City Public Schools Foundation last week presented Golden Apple Awards to four people in recognition of their service to district students. Learn more about these dedicated individuals. Staff Accomplishments   Putnam City teachers are earning awards and classroom grants. Podcast Pick Up Your Musket   An original oration delivered by Putnam City High School senior Megan McConnell calls on Americans to reclaim the values of the country’s founding fathers and lead lives with drive, integrity and courage. Teacher Features Derence Carpenter, Coronado Heights Elementary School   Derence Carpenter says there are a million things 5th-graders need to learn, and he enjoys teaching every single one. Nancy Nelson, Western Oaks Middle School   Nancy Nelson says home ec isn't just sewing and cooking anymore. It's about teaching young students practical skills to be self-supporting and productive members of society. Cathy O'Connor, Putnam City Academy   Cathy O'Connor tries to create a safe, encouraging and mutually respectful environment that helps students  let their guards down and open their minds to learn.      Especially for Parents The Importance of Summer Reading and Writing   Research says that children and teens who don’t read and write during the summer face a big loss in their literacy growth when they begin the new school year. Learn about summer literacy activities for every age group. Be Putnam City Proud   This school year provided many reasons for district parents, students and staff to be proud. Safe and Sound for Summer   With the end of school just a few weeks away, elementary students are getting reminders about bicycle safety. At Ralph Downs Elementary, each student received a new helmet and took part in a bike rodeo to remind them about bicycle safety rules. The helmets and rodeo were sponsored by Kohl's Cares for Kids and the Children's Hospital at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. At Central Elementary School, members of the Downtown Optimist Club presented helmets to 60 2nd-grade students and took them through a bicycle safety workshop.

Space Age Education   Students from Windsor Hills Elementary and Apollo Elementary took part in Ticket to Tomorrow in the Windsor Hills gym. Set in a futuristic space environment using inflatable space stations and space shuttles, students in grades 3 through 5 engaged in teamwork-oriented, hands-on problem-solving activities. The program is designed to strengthen math and science skills in school-aged children. Steps to Success   Tryouts for Putnam City West’s Step Team were held in early May to fill 10 spots open for next year. The step team performs each year at school assemblies, school football and basketball games, community events, district middle schools and elementary schools and other events. Farm Living is the Life for Me   A class of Harvest Hills Elementary pre-kindergarten students closed out their study of farms with a day of farm activities. Students (above) made butter, milked a cow (no, not a real cow), raced stick horses and took part in other activities to cement their newfound knowledge of life on a farm. Earth Day   As part of Earth Day activities, students in two classrooms at Putnam City’s Central Intermediate School worked to raise awareness of energy conservation and environmental needs by creating and hanging posters and developing a flyer full of earth-saving and energy-saving tips. Community Turns Out for Mayfield   More than 80 volunteers from Mayfield Middle School, First Lutheran Church, Messiah Lutheran Church, the University of Central Oklahoma and the neighborhood around the school converged on Mayfield on a Saturday, April 19, for a community service project. Volunteers built dugouts and erected fencing at the softball field, landscaped in the front of and to the north of the school and put up fencing in the front of the school. Do Your Best   Windsor Hills Elementary School students were recently treated to a visit from Courtney Tsotigh, Miss Indian Oklahoma City. Tsotigh began her presentation by doing the national anthem in sign language, then spoke to students about working hard and doing their best. Talk to Us Are You a Putnam City Teacher Who Used to be a Putnam City Student?   We’d like to hear from you. Tell what you liked about Putnam City in the past and what you like about it now. Tell us why it’s meaningful to be teaching in the school or school system in which you grew up. With your approval, your comments may be used in a feature on the district website. E-mail a paragraph or two to slindley@putnamcityschools.org Are You a Former Junior Scientist?   Putnam City Schools is looking for people who in the last 25 years have taken part in a Junior Scientist Day at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. We’d like to hear from you how that day affected you. Did it further your interest in science? Did it impact your life in an important way? Tell us by e-mailing us at slindley@putnamcityschools.org Send Us Your News   When you have news to share in Putnam City Now, please send information to slindley@putnamcityschools.org

Putnam City Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, or disability.