Green Lane Gazette
May 2022 - Harry S Truman High School
Dates To Remember
- May 13 - Senior Prom
- May 16 & 17 - Professional Development Days (No Students)
- May 18-20 - Keystone Exams
- June 6 - Senior Finals Begin
- June 10 - Underclass Finals Begin
- June 15 - Commencement
- June 16 - Last Student Day
Keystone Exam Information
- Keystone Exams will be administered May 18-20 according to the schedule below.
- Letters will go out this week to confirm which students are taking which exams (Students currently in Algebra I, Algebra 1B, Biology, and 10th grade English are automatically scheduled).
- Students will be taking the exams on their Chromebooks.
- Parents choosing to opt-out their students are invited to review the exam on May 11th from 3:30-5:00PM in the Truman Main Office.
- Opt-out forms can be filled out by clicking here
- Opt-out questions should be directed to dawn.martesi@bristoltwpsd.org or 267-599-2126
- Students not taking the Keystone Exams will NOT come to school in person those days and will have virtual learning expectations for attendance and classwork assigned through Canvas.
- Contact adrienne.jones@bristoltwpsd.org or 267-599-2203 for all other Keystone Exam questions
Act 158 - Pathways To Graduation - PLEASE READ
Impacts Class of 2023, 2024, 2025 & beyond
This new law applies to EVERY student.
Honors Night Scholarship Application
Truman’s Honors Night application is attached below. Please complete this application to be considered for the available scholarships. To be considered you must email the following information to Mr. Pierce at steve.pierce@bristoltwpsd.org:
Truman Honors Night application which includes 3 essays. The essays are on page 4, 5 & 6. Each essay must fit in the space provided. You must complete all parts of the application.
A screenshot or copy of your Financial Aid package from the post secondary school you are attending.
The application must be downloaded in order to be completed electronically. A handwritten application will not be accepted. Save the application when you are finished and email it to Mr. Pierce at steve.pierce@bristoltwpsd.org. The application and financial aid package must be emailed to Mr. Pierce before 2:13pm on May 12th. Applications submitted after 2:13pm on May 12th will not be considered. Please see your School Counselor if you have any questions.
Attendance
All attendance notes, trip approval requests, and other inquiries should be emailed to hst.attendance@bristoltwpsd.org or call 267-599-2109 to speak with Debbie Schipilow, our attendance clerk.
Department Summaries
School Counselors
4th Marking Period Progress Reports - May 12th
The 4th MArking Period is halfway over on 5/12. Progress reports grades will be posted on the parent/student portal at the end of the day on May 12th. Please continue to monitor your child’s academics and contact your child’s counselor with any questions or concerns. Our Grade Calculation and Policy worksheet can be a helpful tool to assist in monitoring.
New Manufacturing Pre-apprenticeship program for Seniors NEXT YEAR!
Truman seniors will have the opportunity to participate in a Manufacturing Pre-apprenticeship program on the Bucks County Community College campus next year. This is a free program to those that qualify and will occur during the school day and end just prior to graduation next year. This program has a Job Placement Rate of 90%. Please have your child contact his/her counselor if interested in this program for next year!
Manufacturing Pre-apprenticeship Information
B-E-T (Business, Engineering, & Technology)
Mr. Di Liegro’s Civil Engineering/Architecture class has been working on the site development unit. They are in the middle of surveying the baseball field and creating a cross-section representation of the grades. The work is in the preliminary stages. And completed soil testing in the lab. Tests include gradations, soil classification, liquid limit, and plasticity index.
English
Mrs. Fitzgerald’s classes have been working on Symbolism. We made charts of Common Symbols that are present in many literary works to give us a base knowledge of symbols. Our chart contained nine symbols, such as light bulbs, owls, and skulls. We pasted the charts in our notebooks for easy review. We also colored them for fun!
Mrs. Lieberman's AP Literature and Composition students are reviewing for the May 4th morning AP examexam by presenting group analysis of fiction and nonfiction focusing on point of view, figurative language, imagery, character motivation, conflict, theme and thesis statements. Her 10th grade classes are finishing their Time Travel research focusing on returning to a specific time in the past including Salem Witch Trials, Ancient Greece, and Medieval Times among others, or traveling to a future world of science and technology.
Mr. Gravuer’s AP English Language and Composition students are busy preparing for the upcoming AP exam, then will be reading one more novel and creating an exciting project that demonstrates the importance of visual rhetoric in the medium of film. His 10th Honors English class is wrapping up several mini-projects inspired by the students’ reading of the Edgar Allan Poe short story, “The Masque of the Red Death.”
AngTang’s Period 6 class and Ang’s Period 4 class both had pizza parties as a reward for earning the most Exact Path trophies during the third marking period.
Health, PE, & Driver's Education
Driver Education The Buying a Car Webquest opened our students' eyes to a lot of the fixed and operational costs associated with buying and owning a car. Students learned just how much credit scores affect interest rates and also insurance rates. Students also needed to calculate the yearly cost of gas, which had some students re-thinking the cars they were planning to purchase. Driver Ed students have two projects coming up in May. An advocacy campaign project and a road trip project.
Physical Education Spirit Day was well-received by all of the students, and the PE students had an extra competitive edge since they had been practicing the events during their PE classes. With the weather getting nicer we anticipate being able to have class outside for the remainder of the school year.
Health and Wellness As the year rolls to an end, we are working hard to get through our comprehensive sex education unit. Health students will take their last unit test for pregnancy and childbirth at the beginning of May. After the test students will be working on researching and presenting information about an assigned STI, creating a pamphlet about a contraceptive method, and working through information about consent.
M.A.C. (Music, Art, & Consumer Science)
Fine Arts: Students participated in the Annual Bucks County Community College Art Show. This showcases art work from all area Bucks County High Schools.
Photography: Ms. Pacenski and Photo2 class spent the day working as photojournalists on Friday, April 22nd. Students visited all schools in the district and photographed all the news and happenings in each building. Look for their work to be seen on the district web site in the near future.
Graphic Design Class: Screen printed 50+ tee shirts for Mill Creek Elementary Reading Olympic students.
Music: Marching Band had a successful trip to DisneyWorld! The band had a 1st place finish in the Florida high school competition!
Drum Line took 1st place in Regional Championships.
Color Guard took 3rd place in Main Championships.
The Concert Choir enjoyed the Pa. Music Educators Association 9th grade song festival at Abington High School.
Concert Choir Concert is May 11th!
Theater: All levels of theatre are close to finishing their year long MUSICAL MONDAYS. Along with the regular theatre curriculum, students have been learning about 3 musicals each Monday. As of 4/25/22 they have learned and watched clips of 87 different musicals. Only 9 more musicals until finals!!!!
Truman Drama has been asked by TRW, Theatrical Rights Worldwide, to pilot and assist in creating the school edition for THE PROM. This will be Truman’s third pilot production in as many years of musicals. An amazing and fun movie musical version of the show is on Netflix. The musical will be in December of 2022.
Truman Drama competed at the Student Theatre Festival at the Bucks County Playhouse. We finished the day with 3 awards:
- Spotlight award for featured dancers in ROCKY, a first for Truman Drama at this competition. Kudos the girls and our choreographer Mariah Pizzo ‘09 graduate
- Spotlight award for featured trio of singers in ROCKY: Cassidy Summerville, Alyssa Gray, Meredith Trzaskawka
- Best Actor in a Play for Sea Wall/A Life: Giovanni Nigro
Library: Truman’s Reading Olympic Team competed virtually, hopefully for the last time, this year. The team made the most of it by enjoying snacks and playing the Kahoot in the library. Afterwards, our Snap Readers celebrated the culmination of the year at Yordana's with a team dinner.
The first sticker mural, funded by The Foundation of Excellence, was finished this month. Students and faculty enjoyed watching the picture evolve every time they entered the library.
Math
Even though the school year is heading into its final full month, Truman’s math students continue to explore new topics and skills. Our Algebra 1A classes are hard at work learning a plethora of methods for solving systems of equations, a key focus area of the Algebra Keystone exams. The Algebra 1B students are deep into the topic of quadratic functions, an area of study that will be expanded upon in Algebra 2. Speaking of Algebra 2, those classes are currently examining the composition of functions. In Geometry, students are learning all about right triangles, and many of them will soon have their first exposure to Trigonometry. They will continue the study of trigonometry in Pre-Calculus, where the students are presently studying logarithmic functions. Our AP Calculus and Statistics students are focused on the AP exams, scheduled to take place this week and next.
Even with the AP exams already in motion, Keystone exams about two weeks away, and finals right around the corner, the learning never stops in Truman Math.
Science
Anatomy students have been studying the Cardiac System and have successfully dissected Pig Hearts. Next they will move on to the Nervous System.
Biology classes have moved on to the unit on Evolution this month. They have learned all about Darwin's journey around the world and his observations which led to the Theory of Evolution. As the month is wrapping up, they are learning about natural selection, and how those best suited for their environment are the ones who influence the changes in their population! They also learned about genetics and inherited traits. They ended their unit by learning about genetic diseases and genetically modified plants and animals.
Chemistry students have been working on gas law problems and have discussed and solved problems using pressure, temperature, mole and volume conversions. Honors Chemistry 2 students just began a unit on organic chemistry naming many of the functional groups and they are beginning lab work with basic organic reactions this week. AP chemistry completed the final unit of the year and were preparing for the AP exam.
Environmental science students learned about fisheries and forestry resources and continued to work on an ecocolumn research project.
Students in Forensic Science are learning about DNA Fingerprinting and DNA extraction from strawberries. They also practiced micropipetting aliquots of solution into our practice DNA gels for gel electrophoresis.
Students in Biomedical class have been working on the basics of vital signs including blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and temperature. Students were also introduced to the techniques involved with phlebotomy. They are currently learning about diabetes, its symptoms, physiology, and treatments. Mrs. Ritter, from guidance, came in as a guest speaker to talk to the students about her Type 2 diabetes and her Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring system she uses.
Social Studies
Mr. Monaghan's Sports History classes used the Oculus VR Headset to box the characters from the Rocky Franchise in virtual reality! Students worked to create "Dream Bout" boxing matches pitting boxers from different eras against each other. Watch VR Boxing In Action
Ms. Wright - Students are learning how individual choices can have an impact on history by examining the conditions enabling the Holocaust.
Mr. Kotofsky's Pop Culture classes enjoyed another successful trip to the Columbus Flea Market to check out the different products that are offered that people buy and sell.
Ms. Currie's Civic's and Diversity classes had a successful trip to NYC to visit Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the 9/11 Memorial.
Seen Around Truman
What are some characteristics of an effective classroom learning environment that results in high student engagement? For this month’s newsletter, we are spotlighting Mrs. Dietrick’s and Mrs. Long’s Algebra class. Check out the pics below!
The students were working on subtracting polynomials and some students were finishing their adding polynomials lesson from last week and preparing for the upcoming state Keystone Assessment for Algebra. The atmosphere of the classroom provided a learning environment where students felt safe to take risks. The lighting was adjusted and there was a piece of low soothing music playing in the background.
Students were actively engaged in the lesson. There was small group instruction, one-to-one instruction, and group independent practice taking place during the visit. Students were also supporting one another. The students were taking advantage of many learning tools including graphing calculators, student notebooks, whiteboards/markers, and technology.
World Language
Hola, Ciao, and Hello! Feliz cinco de mayo (Happy cinco de mayo). Many Americans mistakenly think that cinco de mayo is Mexico’s Independence day. In reality, cinco de mayo commerates the victory of Mexico over France in the battle of Puebla. Read more here: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Cinco-de-Mayo
Señora Reffner has announced her retirement.
Please help us say “gracias” for her 29 years of service as a Spanish teacher here at Truman High School as well as at Armstrong middle school and the Franklin Freshman academy. Feel free to email her a positive note before the end of the school year: brenda.reffner@bristoltwpsd.org
Classroom Corner:
ESL 3 is reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. We are in Ch. 5. We are continuing to work on plot elements. Today, we used Gimkit and Quizziz to review what we have read. Below you will see some pictures.
ELL 1&2 used Flipgrid to talk about a woman that they admire.
Italian 1 is exploring history in Italy during World War II which ties in with what students are learning in their Social Studies classes.
Italian 2 is learning all about Italian food.
Italian 3 recently had a creative day with making original artwork and researching places to see in Italy.
Italian 4/5 is exploring elements of multiculturalism in Italy.
Medical Spanish is creating a mini-telenovela episode where they show an injury, diagnose and treat it!
Spanish 1 created Diamond Poems, reviewed adjectives, gender and number agreement, present tense AR/ER/IR verbs, the verb Ser and negative words. Earth day was celebrated with songs and a bilingual video.
Spanish 2 honors just finished reading a short novel.
Spanish 3 is expanding their knowledge of commands with the ¨nosotros¨ forms.
Spanish 4/5 honors created review games (digital and non-digital) to play.
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Truman Contact Information
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