Green Lane Gazette
November 2021 - Harry S Truman High School
Dates To Remember
- November 4 - PAYS Survey
- November 10 - Youth Truth Survey
- November 11 - Veteran's Day (School & offices closed)
- November 16 - End of 1st Marking Period
- November 17 - NHS Induction
- November 23-34 - Report cards posted
- November 24 - 1/2 day for students
- November 25-26 - Thanksgiving Break (School & offices closed)
Please note that the school calendar was changed on 10/16 to create 3 new 1/2 days for students on 1/12, 2/9, & 3/9. Click below to see the full calendar.
Youth Truth Survey - Help us get to 75% Participation
Parents/Guardians:
We are asking for ~15 minutes of your time to complete an online survey that will help us improve Truman. We have asked YouthTruth– a nonprofit organization that supports hundreds of schools and districts across the county – to conduct an anonymous survey on our behalf.
Please take the survey before it closes at midnight on 11/19 by clicking this link: ytsurvey.org/bristolfamily21.
Please note:
The survey needs to be completed in one sitting.
We ask that one member of each household fill out the survey.
If you have more than one child who attends the same school, you may respond to the survey multiple times - one time per child.
If you write any comments, please do not include your name or anything else that might identify you. Your responses are anonymous, and they will be combined with the responses of other parents and guardians before being shared back with school and district leadership.
Your children will also be completing a similar survey on 11/10 in school. If you would like to opt your child out of that survey, please write an email request with your child's name to jon.craig@bristoltwpsd.org.
Attendance
Please review our attendance guideline in the BTSD Code of Conduct. All attendance notes, trip 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. Please work with our school nurse and health office if your student is not feeling well during the school day.
Yearbook Ordering Information
For your convenience, we have several purchasing options available:
- Order online at www.sscyearbooks.com
- Print out and fill out the attached order form and
- mail your completed order form directly to Student Services Company (address on order form)
- Fax it directly to Student Services Company at 610.539.6530
- OR call your order in by dialing Student Services directly at 610.539.1330.
Department Summaries
School Counselors
October was a busy month in the Counseling Office! Counselors are working hard to meet all of their students and help seniors get ready to submit their College Applications!
Dates to Remember:
- FAFSA Completion Night November 10 at 6 pm
- NHS Induction November 17 at 7 pm
- Future Ready Conference sponsored by BCCC (11th grade) November 19th
-There is only one SAT date left in 2021, if you are interested in registering please visit CollegeBoard.org. If you are eligible for a fee waiver, please visit the Career Center.
-SENIORS: Please be mindful of College Application deadlines and Financial Aid (FAFSA and possible CSS Profile) deadlines. Please contact your counselor with further questions.
-Attention all 11th Grade Students: Bucks County Community College is hosting Future Ready Conference on November 19th. Please see Mrs. Evans or Mrs. Allen regarding signing up for this trip!
B-E-T (Business, Engineering, & Technology)
Our department saw a flurry of activity drawing the month of October.
- Mr. Mergard’s Sports Marketing students were busy preparing promotional materials for the different school and sporting events.
- Mr. Mergard and Mr. Cutler are also assembling the 2021/2022 DECA team.
- Ms. Cundari's Fundamentals of Engineering classes spent the pre-Halloween days designing pumpkins using Fusion 360 and Onshape. The faculty participated in voting for their favorite pumpkins, which have been produced on our 3D Printers.
- Our Engineering Design & Development students created signs for our Department and for Mr. Di Liegro’s Civil Engineering/ Architecture student's projects.
English
Mr. Mason's 11th Grade English classes have finished up the aphorisms of Ben Franklin from the 1730s, and the modern-day equivalent . . . the fortune cookie. (He did ask his class to go home and tell anyone in charge of dinner that Franklin's aphorisms were ambiguous, and see if using a 5 dollar vocab word would get them Chinese takeout ... but unfortunately, none of his students admitted to even trying).
They are now working on the revolutionary fire of Patrick Henry and will be moving to one of the early drafts of the Declaration of Independence that Thomas Jefferson kept showing that it is necessary to know BOTH when to stand up and fight for beliefs; and when to compromise for the benefit of the greater group. Unless of course, the compromise is over what topping to put on a pizza ... there will never be a consensus on that topic. "Give me sweet peppers and onions ... or give me death"!
In Ucci's & Root's 12th grade classes, students are working on Goal-setting activities. This will help students when writing the required college essay in class. It will also help them to assess which goals are reasonable expectations and which goals they might need a backup plan for. We will also be discussing Gladwell's 10,000-hour rule in relation to goals being realized.
Mrs. Lieberman’s 10th-grade classes created imagery projects on "The Pedestrian." They used textual evidence connecting four types of imagery to a dystopian tone.
Mrs. Lieberman’s AP Literature & Composition students created symbolic literary-based pumpkins on The Kite Runner, Song of Solomon. Crime and Punishment, Beowulf and "The Raven." We ended up with an amazingly creative pumpkin patch.
Literary Pumpkin Patch
Literary Pumpkin Patch
Literary Pumpkin Patch
Mrs. Ursino
Mrs. Ursino
Mrs. Wood
Health, PE, & Driver's Education
The month of October began with Mrs. Denny being named Instructure's Educator of the Year 2021 and it ended with the retirement of long-time Health and PE teacher James Strickler.
Mr. Strickler first entered Truman High School (then Wilson) in 1967 as a second-grade student at John Fitch Elementary School coming to the high school to swim as part of the PE curriculum. He continued his education in the Bristol Township School District until his 9th-grade year. He returned in 1983 as a substitute teacher. Mr. Strickler worked in several other districts before he received a contract from Bristol Township School District in 1993 and taught at Truman for the duration of his career. We are excited to announce Mr. Brian Sinkiewicz will be joining the PE department in November to replace Mr. Strickler.
Driver Education students continued to log hours on the simulators. Students are currently learning basic vehicle operation, Mr. Sicilia took students on their first "field trip" to the parking lot to see the actual controls, devices, and instruments in his car.
Physical Education students ran their first practice PACER of the semester and have been enjoying the weather outside. As a department, we have been planning our indoor activities and will be implementing student choice in PE.
Health and Wellness students have been learning about mental health disorders. Students played stress Jenga to learn that it isn't always the most stressful life event that causes the tower to topple. Students have also learned that there has been an increase in mental health disorders since the rise of cell phones and social media access, but correlation doesn't always equal causation. During the first week of November, students will have their first guest speaker discussing Signs of Suicide. There is also a parent component of the Signs of Suicide program which will be a virtual presentation on 11/3/2021 at 7:30 pm. If anyone is interested in attending the virtual presentation please use this link to sign up. In November we will be starting our comprehensive sex education unit.
M.A.C. (Music, Art, & Consumer Science)
Fine Arts:
Please check out the Truman artists and their work on display in the boardroom from November through January.
Music: Band participated in competitions at Pennridge HS and Neshaminy HS where they r received “Outstanding” Awards." The marching band will be participating in both Bristol Township & Bristol Borough Holiday parades.
Theater class: Casting auditions for the world premiere of "Rocky" begins in November
Consumer Science:
The Network of Victims Assistance or NOVA is coming in on Nov 4th to present Safe Relationships to all Resources for Living classes.
Math
This year, Truman students are getting support at every level of mathematics. Exact Path is a web-based program that focuses on the individual needs of each learner who uses it. Through an initial diagnostic exam that evaluates student abilities in a variety of math categories, each child is given a “learning path” - a self-paced series of lessons specifically tailored to that student’s needs.
Given the turmoil of the previous two school years, Exact Path offers a chance for students to take a second look at topics that were particularly challenging to learn in the virtual/hybrid classroom. Using the results of the Exact Path diagnostic test, along with regular formative classroom assessments, math teachers can also use the program to assign lessons they feel would benefit all of their students. While many teachers are setting aside time each week for classes to explore their learning paths, students also have the option of working on their Exact Path at home, too.
Math Scavenger Hunt
Math Scavenger Hunt
Flexible Seating in Geometry
Science
Here's what's going on in our science classes:
- Biology - Students have been learning about the properties that make water the most important molecule on our planet! As they move forward, they will begin to go deeper into each type of macromolecule and the role they play in providing nutrients to all living organisms! Biology students also used microscopes to look for life in pond water.
- Anatomy and physiology - Students began dissecting frogs and have further developed their laboratory skills.
- Honors Chemistry - Students conducted a laboratory experiment investigating the mole. They did a baking soda lab and will begin working on their first laboratory report. Students conducted calorimetry experiments designed to determine the heat of neutralization and the heat content of some foods like marshmallows and potato chips.
- Microbiology students used spinach leaves to investigate the photosynthesis oxygen production rates in organisms.
- AP Chemistry - Students conducted an experiment to determine the amount of hydrogen gas collected over water. They used the ideal gas law and Dalton’s law of partial pressure to analyze their data.
Social Studies
Mr. Kotofsky's Pop Culture Class:
- Students examined the history and development of cell phones, and how they have changed and evolved over the years.
- Students reported on Current Sports Events choosing Winners and Weasels for the month of October. Winners included: Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Zach Ertz - former Philadelphia Eagle, and Charlie Morton of the Atlanta Braves. Weasels included: Ben Simmons, Jon Gruden, and the NFL - "Race norming."
Mr. Huber's Sociology Class:
- Students were taught the Ten Key Values of US Culture…they were then asked to play board games and as they were playing try to identify games that are hidden/unconsciously part of the game as a way to demonstrate how children learn cultural values. Afterward they are asked to reflect on other games they played as children that they now realize taught them lessons about our cultural norms and values.
Special Education
The Truman Transition Program placed student workers in volunteer and paid positions as early as the first week of school this year. Truman Transition has workers in worksites throughout the community from Savor Street in Bristol to Snipes in Morrisville, Mark’s National Collision, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, Giant, Funzilla, and Journey's Kids with many other places of work in the area. Student-workers balance school and work each week to grow their resumes and develop employment skills knowing that each work opportunity is a stepping stone into the next work placement.
Truman Transition placed 16 junior and senior students with the In-School Youth Program at BCCC. The In-School Youth Program provides real-life opportunities to learn workplace skills and earn professional certificates in OSHA training, CPR, First-AId, customer service, blood-borne pathogens, and numerous others for an advantage in the job market after graduation. Students have already earned Blood Borne Pathogen and "It's Real" Suicide Prevention Certificates. The program also visits manufacturing and various industry settings for students to get a real-life look at the workday of its employees. Pictured is Leona Carrasquillo and Tim Alonso with their Blood Borne Pathogen Certificates.
BCCC In School Youth Program link: https://www.bucks.edu/businesscareer/in-schoolyouthprogram/Congrats!
Congrats Zykee!
Practical Learning
Congrats Patrick!
Portfolio Work
Pictured here are Ms. McClelland’s class working on their portfolios and digital posters. They are creating their True to Myself Poster (personal theme and quote for senior year). In this class, the students throughout the year build their portfolios and transition plan for after high school. Activities include: completing transition questionnaires, reflects, Naviance assessments, resume writing, mock interviews, learning style profiles, & career searches.
Congrats Lizzy!
World Language
Hola, Ciao, and Hello! We are in the thick of introducing tons of new grammatical content and vocabulary to our students for them to add to their repertoire as they continue to build fluency in all levels of our language classes. This will continue throughout the school year. In addition, our English language learning classes are exploring the concept of what it means to wonder. We pride ourselves on providing a wide variety of activities and instructional methods which include: screen based and non-screen based activities and assessments as well as individual, pair, small group, and whole class activities.
Celebrating our students: Good luck to Savaira Abbasi (10th grade), Joscelin Montoya-Rojas, and Diana Murillo (12th grade)! All are current or former honors Spanish students and are applying for a merit scholarship through NSLI-Y to learn Korean virtually this winter. Per their website - The U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program promotes critical language learning among American youth. Pre-pandemic, students would travel to the country to learn the language. Currently, programs are still virtual.
Read more about the virtual program here: https://www.nsliforyouth.org/languages-and-program-experience/virtual/#.
International Education Week runs from November 15-19, 2021. This special week has been celebrated for over 20 years now and is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. The primary purpose for this week is to promote and celebrate international education and exchange. More than half of the teachers in our department have participated in immersive study abroad programs during the course of their education and/or career.
Señora Gregory - Granada, Spain & Frankfurt, Germany
Señora Reffner - Seville, Spain & Montreal, Canada
Señorita Lamplugh - Seville, Spain
Señor Matwijec - Salamanca, Spain
Signor Gleeson - Rome, Italy
Signora Guida - Siena, Italy & Perugia, Italy
Traffic Procedures
Truman Contact Information
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Twitter: @TrumanTigerBTSD