We extend best wishes to Mr. William Berry, building engineer, on his
retirement and appreciate his years of dedication to our school.
Welcome to Mr. Lamar Howard who will replace Mr. Berry.
February is African American History Month. We take this time to
recognize the contributions made to our country by many distinguished
African Americans.
Happy New Year to the members of our Asian community who celebrated the
year 4701, the year of the monkey, on Thursday, January
22nd.
Please note this important change in the school calendar. All
students will be in attendance on February 9th and 10th.
Originally, students were not scheduled to attend on these two days due
to professional development for staff.
The PSSA Writing, Reading and Math Exams will be administered in
February and March. It is imperative that all students scheduled
to take the exams be in attendance each day to complete them. We
encourage parents to be sure that students are well-rested, arrive on
time, and do their best on each exam.
February 2-6 is National School Counseling Week which focuses on the
tremendous impact counselors have in helping students achieve school
success and plan for a career. We salute our counselors, Mrs.
Judith Dickerson, Ms. Ruth Garcia, Ms. Edith Irizarry, Mrs. Norma
Kent, and Mr. Richard Powell-Gonzalez, and thank them for their hard
work and service to the school.
Tune to KYW radio 1060 AM for weather-related school closing
information. Listen for the phrase in reference to all
Philadelphia public schools. A school number will not be
announced. Please do not call the school for this information.
Congratulations to Electrical Technology Academy students, Meesha
Ackridge, Christine Morales, and Eric Rojas, who have been
accepted to the National Youth Leadership Forum which prepares students
for careers in the field of health care. Eric will also participate in
the Mast Program from Haverford sponsored by the Howard Hughes
Foundation. The program is geared towards math, science, and
English.
The Electrical Technology Academy has organized several activities for
the benefit of its students. Its awards assembly was held on
Tuesday, January 27th. Students were cited for making the honor
roll and for perfect attendance. Also, representatives from
Cittone Institute spoke to students about post secondary educational
opportunities.
Congratulations to the Multicultural Academy students who were inducted
into Project LOGRO (Learning Opportunities for Graduation, Retention
and On-the-Job Training) on Thursday, January 29th. LOGRO
provides support and opportunities to strengthen bilingualism, academic
success and career preparation through workshops, guidance activities,
and work experiences. This leadership program is an effort to
direct Latino youth to college and ultimately become productive
citizens of their respective communities. New members include Ileana
Cuebas-Leon, Esteban Cabrera, Maridania Croussett, Crystal Gonzalez,
Marina Jaquez, Jennifer Jimenez, Dany Marrero, Iliana
Mezquita-Gonzalez, Suheily Santiago, Jesus Silva, and Elizet Silva.
Students in the Multicultural Academy will have an assembly program on
Friday, February 27th to celebrate Dominican Independence Day.
Students are planning dance, poetry and historical readings.
Taller Puertorriqueño was the site for exhibiting artwork for
students of the Multicultural Academy. Rebeca Croussett,
Francisco Ramos, Luis Ramos, William Rentas, Julio Sanchez, and
Jonathan Torres completed their service project, a study of El Yunque,
the tropical rain forest of Puerto Rico. They worked under the
leadership of Mr. Carlos Pascual. The students created Christmas
cards and artwork featuring animals, landscapes, and other
characteristics of the Puerto Rican culture.
Congratulations to Aleksaida James, Bk. 420, on her selection as
Telemundo Student of the Month. She will be featured on
television throughout February. She is a member of the student
government, cheerleading squad, and is on the honor roll.
Students in the Ninth Grade Success Academy are already working on
their service learning projects as part of Rotary International's
Interact, a service club for young people ages 14 - 18. All
Interact clubs complete two service projects - one that benefits the
school or community and another that furthers international
understanding. Through Interact, young people develop leadership
skills and lasting friendships. Participants include Sinclair
Velazquez, Luis Beato, Diana Martinez, Carlos Colon, Nicole Lopez,
Marcos Moran, Katherine Bodden, Melissa Solano Tejeda, Chasity Roman,
Christina Mulero, Maryrose Diamante, Geovannie Aponte Albertorio,
Marquis Carthon, Aleksaida James, Nyoshi Acevedo, Sheena Fowler, Iris
Rios, Raymond Serrano, Brittany Felder, Chelsea Negron, Angelica
Torres, Zsa Zsa Betancourt, and Marivie Boria.
The Student Government held its annual assembly program in honor of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. The group will also present its African
American History Month Program this month. Students will also
make daily morning announcements to highlight achievements of African
Americans throughout history.
A new chess club will be forming this month under the guidance of Mrs.
Irene Karpinski. The club will meet one hour per week and
all interested students are invited to participate.
The Class of 2004 has tentatively scheduled the following activities:
February 13th - Valentine's Movie Night and in March (date to be
determined) 106 & Park visit.
The Robotics team kicked off its fourth season on January 10th
and received its kit for this year's challenge. The team will
plan, design, build and strategize with the help of Mr. Dunakin, Mr.
Preiss, and Ms. Ehrlich to complete the project by February 23rd.
Eighteen students are participating in the biweekly Pipeline Program at
the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Students are
taught by medical students and mentored by undergraduates. They
also receive a .5 credit upon completing a final project.
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