Eagle's Eye View
Parent Edition-December 2017
Zarrow International School: One Child, Two Languages--Unlimited Possibilities.
Email: communications@zarrowpta.org
Website: http://zarrow.tulsaschools.org/
Location: 3613 South Hudson Avenue, Tulsa, OK, United States
Phone: (918) 746-9180
From the principal's desk/Desde el escritorio de la directora:
Greetings Zarrow Families!
I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving and that December finds you all well. We have been battling strep, colds and other viruses. As a result the teachers have been busy during their “free” time wiping down everything in the rooms from desks and chairs to door knobs and light switches in an effort to keep from spreading the germs. We have also posted fliers around the building reminding everyone of the importance of washing hands and correct ways to cover coughs and sneezes. We appreciate any support you can offer: anything from reinforcing these procedures at home to helping your teachers wipe down classrooms at lunch or after school.
All of our ambassadors have returned home. Friday, November 17th we held an assembly where we welcomed them back as well as welcoming the Costa Rica students to Zarrow. They are quickly settling in and becoming part of the Zarrow family.
Jeff Porter was at Zarrow last month with 3 performances for the upper elementary grades 3-5.
Here is a little bit about Jeff:
"Jeff is a percussionist who has been studying, performing, and teaching music from Cuba, West Africa, the Congo, and Brazil for the past 17 years. His goal is to bring the spirit of music to as many people as possible because it is really fun! Jeff teaches using non-traditional instruments like wooden boxes and paint buckets, as well as body percussion and singing. He also uses traditional instruments like Congas, Bata, Pandeiro, Djembe, Shekere, and Cajon. He has performed and recorded with Paul Simon’s band from Graceland, Emmylou Harris, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Laura Goldhamer, and many others."
Here is more about the performance:
The performance mixed hip hop, body percussion, comedy, and Congolese music into a fun, interactive experience. After performing a few songs, Jeff Porter and bass player Jordan Hale got the student audience up and involved until everyone was having fun jamming together. A special thank you goes out to our marvelous music teacher for coordinating this – Thank you Mr. Parkhurst! This was a wonderful learning experience.
We have been working on hallway norms and procedures. Whenever I “catch” a class doing a great job with following these procedures they are awarded a free dress day. This has cut down significantly on yelling, running and general chaos in the halls which had been a source of several squabbles and even a couple of injuries.
We have welcomed Emily May, our new Global Education Coordinator, to Zarrow. She hit the ground running and will soon be contacting 4th grade families about interest in next year’s exchange. Srta. May has a bachelor’s in International Business and Marketing with a minor in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma. She did two summer exchange programs at the Universidad de Alcala, in Spain and also worked as a summer intern at Ditch Witch in Barcelona, Spain. We are very excited to have her on the team!
With just two and a half weeks left until break, I would like to remind you of how important it is that your child attend school every day, on time, prepared to learn. We have been and will continue to put into place attendance incentives to help encourage this. Students from our third grade class with perfect attendance were put into a drawing and 25 lucky winners were treated by the district to a field trip to the Veteran’s Day Parade. We have announced to the students our attendance competition that will allow individuals as well as entire grades or the whole school to earn free dress days. Any student that has perfect attendance for the month will receive a free dress day. Also, any grade level that has 98% or higher attendance for the month will receive a free dress day. In addition, if all classes have 98% or higher on any given day we will have a free dress Friday that week for the entire school.
Have a wonderful winter break and a safe journey to those of you who will be traveling. Enjoy quality family time, warm traditions and have a joyous and restful break!
¡Felices vacaciones de invierno!
Con Cariño,
Sra. Marquez
¡Saludos, familias de Zarrow!
Espero que todos hayan tenido un fantástico Día de Acción de Gracias y que diciembre los reciba a todos muy bien. Hemos estado luchando contra estreptococos, resfríos y otros virus. Como resultado, los maestros han estado ocupados durante su tiempo "libre" limpiando todo lo que hay en los salones, desde escritorios y sillas hasta perillas de puertas e interruptores de luz, en un esfuerzo por evitar la transmisión de gérmenes. También hemos publicado volantes en el edificio para recordarles a todos la importancia de lavarse las manos así como las formas correctas de cubrirse al toser y estornudar. Agradecemos cualquier apoyo que puedan ofrecernos: desde reforzar estos procedimientos en el hogar hasta ayudar a los maestros a limpiar las aulas durante el almuerzo o después de la escuela.
Todos nuestros embajadores han regresado a casa. El viernes 17 de noviembre tuvimos una asamblea en la que celebramos su regreso y les dimos la bienvenida a Zarrow a los estudiantes de Costa Rica. Se están acostumbrando rápidamente convirtiéndose en parte de la familia Zarrow.
Jeff Porter estuvo en Zarrow el mes pasado con 3 actuaciones para los grupos de tercero a quinto grados.
Aquí hay un poco sobre Jeff: "Jeff es un percusionista que ha estado estudiando, actuando y enseñando música desde Cuba, África Occidental, el Congo y Brasil durante los últimos 17 años. ¡Su objetivo es llevar el espíritu de la música a la mayor cantidad de gente posible porque es realmente divertido! Jeff enseña el uso de instrumentos que no son tradicionales como cajas de madera y recipientes de pintura, percusión corporal y canto. También usa instrumentos tradicionales como Congas, Bata, Pandeiro, Djembe, Shekere y Cajón. Ha actuado y grabado con La banda de Paul Simon de Graceland, Emmylou Harris, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, Laura Goldhamer y muchos otros.” Aquí hay más sobre el programa: La actuación mezcló hip hop, percusión corporal, comedia y música congoleña en una experiencia divertida e interactiva. Después de tocar algunas canciones, Jeff Porter y el bajista Jordan Hale hicieron que la audiencia estudiantil participara y todos se divirtieron improvisando juntos. Un agradecimiento especial a nuestro maravilloso maestro de música por coordinar esto. ¡Gracias, Sr. Parkhurst! Esta fue una maravillosa experiencia de aprendizaje.
Hemos estado trabajando en normas y procedimientos de pasillo. Cada vez que "atrapo" a una clase haciendo un gran trabajo siguiendo estos procedimientos, se les otorga un día de vestimenta libre. Esto ha disminuido significativamente los gritos, las carreras y el caos en general en los pasillos que han sido fuente de varios desacuerdos e incluso un par de lesiones.
Hemos dado la bienvenida a Zarrow a Emily May, nuestra nueva Coordinadora de Educación Global. Comenzó con todo y empezará a contactar a las familias de 4º grado sobre su interés en el intercambio del próximo año. Srta. May tiene una licenciatura en Negocios Internacionales y Mercadeo con estudios en español de la Universidad de Oklahoma. Hizo dos programas de intercambio de verano en la Universidad de Alcalá, en España y también trabajó como pasante de verano en Ditch Witch en Barcelona, España. ¡Estamos muy emocionados de tenerla en el equipo!
Con solo dos semanas y media para las vacaciones de invierno, me gustaría recordarles cuán importante es que su hijo asista a la escuela todos los días, a tiempo, preparado para aprender. Hemos estado y continuaremos implementando incentivos de asistencia para ayudar a fomentar esto. Los estudiantes de nuestra clase de tercer grado con asistencia perfecta fueron colocados en un sorteo y 25 afortunados ganaron, por parte del distrito, una excursión al Desfile del Día de los Veteranos. Hemos anunciado a los estudiantes de nuestra competencia de asistencia que les permitirá tanto individualmente, así como a grupos completos o a toda la escuela, ganar días de vestimenta libre. Cualquier estudiante que tenga asistencia perfecta durante el mes recibirá un día de vestimenta libre. Además, cualquier grado que tenga una asistencia del 98% o más durante el mes recibirá un día de vestimenta libre. También, si todas las clases tienen un 98% o más en un día determinado, tendremos un día de vestimenta libre el viernes de esa semana para toda la escuela.
Disfruten de unas maravillosas vacaciones de invierno y de viajes seguros para aquellos que van a viajar. ¡Disfruten de tiempo de calidad con la familia, de cálidas tradiciones y de un descanso lleno de felicidad y reposo!
¡Felices vacaciones de invierno!
Con Cariño,
Sra. Marquez
Counselor's Corner:
It’s December and we are coming upon “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. With the holiday season comes holiday parties, gift exchanges, decorating, traveling and time spent with family and friends. In addition to all the exciting and fun things planned there can also be a heightened level of stress and expectations for parents. The American Psychological Association has some tips to help parents effectively manage holiday stress:
- Strengthen social connections – We know that strong, supportive relationships help us manage all kinds of challenges. So, we can view the holidays as a time to reconnect with the positive people in our lives. Accepting help and support from those who care about us can help alleviate stress. Also, volunteering at a local charity on our own or with family can be another way to make connections; helping others often makes us feel better, too.
- Initiate conversations about the season – It can be helpful to have conversations with our kids about the variety of different holiday traditions our families, friends and others may celebrate. Parents can use this time as an opportunity to discuss how some families may not participate in the same holiday traditions as others. Not everyone needs to be the same. It is important to teach open-mindedness about others and their celebrations.
- Set expectations – It is helpful to set realistic expectations for gifts and holiday activities. Depending on a child's age, we can use this opportunity to teach kids about the value of money and responsible spending. We need to remember to pare down our own expectations, too. Instead of trying to take on everything, we need to identify the most important holiday tasks and take small concrete steps to accomplish them.
- Keep things in perspective – On the whole, the holiday season is short. It helps to maintain a broader context and a longer-term perspective. We can ask ourselves, what’s the worst thing that could happen this holiday? Our greatest fears may not happen and, if they do, we can tap our strengths and the help of others to manage them. There will be time after the holiday season to follow up or do more of things we’ve overlooked or did not have the time to do during the holidays.
- Take care of yourself – It is important that we pay attention to our own needs and feelings during the holiday season. We can find fun, enjoyable and relaxing activities for ourselves and our families. By keeping our minds and bodies healthy, we are primed to deal with stressful situations when they arise. Consider cutting back television viewing for kids and getting the family out together for fresh air and a winter walk. Physical activity can help us feel better and sleep well, while reducing sedentary time and possible exposure to stress-inducing advertisements.
I hope the families at Zarrow have an enjoyable holiday season with the Zarrow Eagles refreshed and ready to start for the second half of the 2017-2018 school year upon return in January.
Alisa Lobaugh
Zarrow International School Counselor
From the PTA president:
It’s been a whirlwind fall and it’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through the school year! I would like to express my gratitude to the entire Zarrow family - from our fabulous teachers and assistants to every single parent and family member who is working to keep our school at the top of Oklahoma public schools. I consider it a blessing to be part of this wonderful school and the community that comes with it. So, truly, thank you all for all you do.
Stacey Woolley
PTA President
From the HZIS Foundation President:
Dear Foundation Partner,
The generous spirit of Mr. Henry Zarrow is fully alive and well at Henry Zarrow International School! We have made TREMENDOUS strides, & based on recently released State test scores, we are now the #1 public elementary school in the ENTIRE State of Oklahoma! We could not have done this without YOUR generous support! We believe we can do even better though!
We want to thank you for your past, current, & future financial support of our Foundation!
With your help we can & will:
1. Continue to keep 2 teachers in every classroom (Unique to Zarrow). A big part of this is funding our AMITY intern program 100%! Everything from the administrative costs, to the stipends of interns, to host family stipends. We also step in and pay for any gaps in funding for Domestic Teacher Assistants as needed (year to year this is always different).
2. Support our Exchange Program (Unique to Zarrow). This involves funding need-based scholarships for our 5th grade exchange students. We also want to continue the long-term viability of the entire exchange program in general.
3. Fill gaps for things like curriculum that are created due to loss of District, State, & Federal funding.
4. Our BIGGEST focus this year is to address the teacher retention/shortage crisis. We know that neither the State nor the school district will do anything about this anytime soon. The beauty of it is, we CAN & SHOULD do something about it NOW! We have the ability to do something INNOVATIVE, something that no school in Oklahoma has done in recent history! What does this look like exactly? Those details can & should be worked out. We welcome & value your input through this process. I believe that we should give our teachers a bonus/stipend &/or help them out with additional professional development & opportunities. They need to know they are valued, and they need to be treated like the top educators that they are!
Thank you again for your support of our Foundation!
We are in the midst of our ThanksGIVING fundraising campaign. If you have already given, THANK YOU! If not, please consider making your tax-deductible donation by going to www.zarrowschoolfoundation.org . Whether you can give or not, please turn in the form that was sent home 2 weeks ago in Thursday folders. There are class incentive parties for all classes that turn in 100% of their forms.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Arnold
President
Henry Zarrow International School Education Foundation
Coming Attractions:
December 21-January 3 – No School, Winter Break
Feliz Cumpleaños!
12-1 Nuria Primo
12-4 Jenna Buell
12-6 Karem Quintero
12-9 Maricel Santiago
12-10 Yujany Bracho
12-19 Nadia Najera
12-21 Luz Smith
12-28 Juana Terrazas
Reminders:
Mark your calendars for Viva Zarrow 2018! Saturday March 3 at Greenwood Cultural Center. Tickets on sale now! Advance ticket prices go up Feb 22nd. A new ticket add on option is for VIP wine and whiskey pull! This will give you a ticket to pull a bottle of wine with $50+ value or a bottle of whiskey!
https://zis.schoolauction.net/auction2018/?_ga=2.15607733.208014912.1511863229-330996348.1507068658
The 2017 fall directory is now ready for viewing! Please log in to your PT-Avenue.com account to view it. (https://www.pt-avenue.com/documents.asp?f=Directory) Please do not provide this link in ANY social media sites or share with anyone outside our Zarrow family. We have password protected it so that it will not be visible to anyone other than our school. Password: PTA2017
Log your volunteer hours! You can do this on pt-avenue or by sending an email with your name, child’s name, teacher and hours to zisvolunteerhours@yahoo.com We are having a great year so far as we strive to have an adult for each student in our school volunteering in some capacity or another. If you cannot be at the school to volunteer, please talk with your Home Room Parent for ideas and suggestions of ways you can volunteer from home.
Teachers available for tutoring:
Fatima Guzman
918-855 2877
Spanish, Reading, Writing; 1st-5th grade
Tuesday - Friday 3:30-5:00 PM
Nuria Primo
918-746-9180
Spanish, Language arts (reading, writing, spelling, word study…… ) Math, Science-social studies projects.
Tuesday-Friday 7:30-8:15 & Tuesday-Friday 3:30-5:00 PM
Anyi Yicel Mosquera
918-289-3631
Spanish and Social Studies
Wednesday-Friday 4:00-5:30
Carrie Torres
918-746-9180
Math
Tuesday-Thursday 3:50-5:00 Available after fall break
Santiago Benitez
918-933-8976 (only texts)
Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art (kinder-4th)
Tuesday & Thursday 3:45-4:45 PM
Maricel Santiago
918-951-9648
All grades in Spanish
Friday 3:45 to 4:45PM
Nadia Najera
918-746-9180
Spanish, K-5
Wednesdays & Fridays 3:50-5:00
Yada Astrid Villalobos Coreas
918-740-3504
astridcoreas260593@hotmail.com
Math 1st-3rd
Thursday & Friday, 3:45-5:00
Luz Rey
786-630-3270
All subjects in Spanish, grades K-3
Monday, Wednesday & Friday 3:45-4:45
Monica Bocalandro
918.896.3207
All Grades - Spanish and All subjects
Wednesday and Friday 3:45-4:45
María Laguardia
can be reached via What'sApp at +34 665 50 35 47
Spanish: reading, writing. Kinder -2nd grade
Tuesday - Friday 7:30-8:15 & Tuesday- Friday 3:45 - 5:30 PM
María Vazquez
can be reached via What'sApp at +34 667 48 52 18
subjects teaching : Spanish and first, second, and third grade mathematics
Monday-Thursday
PTAvenue
The Zarrow PTA is excited about our new communications and information sharing resource, PT-Avenue. This cloud-based communication platform will allow us to have an online directory, available to all members, share files from meetings, easy access to purple folder flyers, and even have an online store!
It's important that we have all families and staff in the PT-Avenue system. If you haven't already, please hop online and fill out your information for the directory! Visit www.pt-avenue.com/login.asp, type in our organization code: ZISPTA and make your family's profile.
We have some helpful instructions available too:
PT-Avenue Login https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1XjnySDhgDVbldPNHI0VmVPcms
PT-Avenue Registration https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1XjnySDhgDVWno1OUVvZ2NpWHc
As with any new system, please be patient as we move forward with this process. We are excited to be utilizing PT-avenue and all it can offer our school.
Questions? Please email communications@zarrowpta.org