The Eagle Newsletter SUPERINTENDENT’S MESSAGE

As spring draws near, we are all breathing a sigh of relief. Part of the boost in spirits here at

school is due to our successful and informative visit from AdvancEd, the accreditation team.

On February 21 and 22, a team of five administrators from nearby Idaho districts spent all day

at the school, interviewing students, staff, faculty, and parents and observing teaching and

leadership. They invested hours in reviewing the documentation our staff prepared, and as they

left they gave us an exit report with their preliminary findings.

The exit report included an IEQ (Index of Education Quality) score. Our school IEQ was above

the national average, 292.31 compared with 278.03. This means our combination of teaching,

administration, technology use, and other factors puts us above the curve in education.

The team noted several powerful practices here. At TCPCS:

1. We maintain and communicate a purpose and direction that commits to high expectations

for learning as well as shared values and beliefs about teaching and learning.

2. Our Board of Trustees provides sufficient autonomy for school leaders to manage the

school in a manner that allows for the achievement of goals and effective instruction.

3. The school leadership and staff foster a culture that is consistent with the goals and mis-

sion of the Taylor's Crossing Public Charter School charter.

Along with these practices, the team gave us useful tips for improvement:

1. Increase training in research-based instructional strategies to improve instruction, and

improve student achievement.

2. Provide training for the implementation of a school-wide collaboration time that includes

a continuous effort to improve professional learning with the K-12 teachers and staff.

3. Provide training for the professional and support staff in the evaluation, interpretation,

and use of data to drive instruction and improve student achievement school wide.

Finally, the team gave us a renewal of our AdvancEd accreditation for the next five years. We

are thrilled with these preliminary findings and look forward to receiving their official report in

the next couple of months. We are committed to pushing forward with the best educational

practices to serve our students.

As we look forward to completing this school year, we are also putting a lot of effort into pre-

paring students for the Idaho state-mandated tests. We appreciate all our families who make

sure their students are on task, concentrating in class, and preparing for the testing window that

opens in April. We anticipate that our school with perform above average, as we have high-

quality students and great support from their families. Thanks for encouraging your student to

put consistent effort in all the way to the end of the year. The results will be phenomenal!

TO DO LIST:

Make sure you respond to

reserve your child’s spot for

next school year.

SYNC YOUR CALENDAR:

March 15, 6:00 p.m. — PFA

meeting, high school commons

March 16, 1:45 p.m. — Elemen-

tary music program, gym

March 20–April 2 — Spring

break, no school

March 24 — Lottery Applica-

tions due

April 1, 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. —

Red Cross Blood Drive, school

gym

April 8, 11:00 a.m. — Lottery for

2017-18 school year

April 11, 8:00 a.m. — SAT test

for all juniors

April 11–13, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00

p.m., 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. — Scho-

lastic Book Fair, BOGO Free,

cafeteria

April 18 — Spring picture day

April 19, 8:00 a.m. — ACT test

for juniors and seniors

“WE LOVE ANIMALS” MUSIC PROGRAM

Elementary students grade one through six will be performing their spring

music this week. This fun program will feature songs about animals and

pets. The program will begin at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 16 in the gym.

March 2017

Volume 5, Issue 7

www.tceagles.com

Taylor’s Crossing

Public Charter School

(208) 552-0397

Fifth grade students learn about the

number pi on “Pi Day,” March 14. They

wrote the digits of this unique, non-

terminating decimal in different colors.

Then they ate pie.

SPRING TESTING

DATES

All Juniors, please note these testing

dates and be in attendance on these

days.

SAT School Test Day—Tuesday APRIL

11, 2017—Paper test

ACT School Test Day—Wednesday

APRIL 19, 2017—online / computer

test

BLOOD DRIVE

A Red Cross Blood Drive will be held

at our school on Saturday, April 1,

from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You can

donate if your are sixteen or over;

however, sixteen- and seventeen-year

-olds will need parental consent. If

you have questions about eligibility,

please contact the Red Cross at 1-866-

236-3276. This date falls on spring

break so please remember to come!

Parents and community members are

especially welcome to attend.

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HIGH SCHOOL NEWS

The Drama Club production of

Shakespearical had students rock-

ing with laughter. The club’s even-

ing performances were so impres-

sive that they were invited to per-

form for the younger grades during

school. They did an abbreviated

version and performed twice on

March 3. Their satire of Shake-

speare’s works was concise and to

the point, with very basic props

and costuming, but filled with

irony and humor as well. Congrat-

ulations to the students who

worked hard to perform this play!

NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY

SHAKESPEARICAL IS A HIT WITH STUDENTS

The National Junior Honor Society

welcomed the following new members

at the Feb. 27 induction ceremony.

Pictured at left, faculty advisor Mrs.

Meldrum and current students lit

candles to symbolize the pillars of

character.

Calvin Fletcher Isabel Gardner Brooklyn Hill Erin Hill

Joshua McCubbin Tyler McCubbin Peyton Miller Jaidyn Orchard Garrett Shippen Andria Turner Heidi Whiting Pearl Foote Justice West Jaslen Ybarra Rebekah Lewis Anisha Reynolds

The Drama Club cast, l-r: Jackson Ames, Olivia Harris, Seth Bailey, Carolyn Weyerman, Seth Acheson,

Connor Baird, Shane Acheson, Josh Fransen, Caleb Jarvie, Bryce Weyerman, John Baker (director/

narrator), Andie Duncan, Sarah Lerum (ghost), and Savannah Lott.

Congratulations to Matthew Boone,

who went to the State Wrestling Cham-

pionships with Bonneville’s team.

Second graders sit spellbound as the final scenes of Henry

V play out. Josh Fransen and Connor Baird fight with

swords after everyone else has fallen to their death.

CHARACTER CONNECTION: CITIZENSHIP

Citizenship is one of the core values of the Harbor

Method, and at Taylor’s Crossing, a huge part of

our citizenship training focuses on American

history.

In the first and second grades, students are taught

the names of presidents on coins and bills, as well

as important dates and facts about our country

and state, including who is our mayor, governor,

and president.

In the fourth grade, kids look forward to an in-

depth study of Idaho history so they know what

makes our state unique and can be proud of

where they were raised. They do a showcase of

Idaho Heroes each year and even write a story on

their hero’s life.

In the fifth grade, students really dig deep into

American history and study each president’s life.

They do reports on presidents and, as a class,

memorize the Gettysburg Address.

As the students progress, they also learn more

than rote facts. They learn how to be a good citi-

zen by participating in service opportunities such

as food drives or recycling drives throughout the

year. Service is so important at Taylor’s Crossing

that it is one of the requirements to graduate to

have logged fifty service hours each year. Many

high school students have served at the food

bank, the library, at scout camps, or in rest

homes. As they serve, they stretch their definition

of what it means to be a citizen and how each

person affects the health of their community.

By the time they enroll in the required govern-

ment and economics classes in high school, stu-

dents have been exposed to many sides of citizen-

ship. At graduation, it is our hope to have pre-

pared each child for adulthood by creating a firm

resolve to be an active citizen, knowledgeable

about current issues and well-versed in American

history.

LOTTERY

If you have a student in our school

and a sibling who is waiting for

admittance, please make sure the

sibling’s application is turned in by

March 24. The lottery will be held

April 8 for any open seats in grades

K-12, and the students will be con-

tacted by the school to let them

know if they were admitted or were

placed on a waiting list.

BOARD UPDATE

The school board tries to stay

abreast of all that is going on at the

school, as well as the laws and up-

dates happenings at the state level.

Their recent discussions have in-

cluded the school’s wellness policy, a

legislative review, and maintenance

and facility updates that are needed

in our building.

The board meeting will be held Wed.

March 15. They are considering

approval of these three actions

items: review and approval of the

emergency school closure day of

Feb. 24; the school calendar for the

2017-18 school year; and the rehire

of Superintendent Wendt with a

three-year contract.

The sculpture class students put together an exhibition of their

lifelike mannequins. Left, Victoria Gruwell, Madison Hudgins,

and Jonah Thomas pose with their book-loving sculpture.

Above, Ramida Narongphet, Hannah Childers, Gavin Miller,

and Nick Mihu placed their sculpture above the lockers to

catch attention.

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SPRING BREAK

Parents, please note the dates of

spring break. There will be no

school the week of March 20-24,

and the week of March 27-31.

School will resume April 3.

This break is a good time to catch

up on doctor and dentist visits so

that your child will not miss school

to meet their appointments. Please

make sure students are ready to

come back to school on April 3.

April is the month during which

Idaho does their year-end standard-

ized testing, and we hope all stu-

dents return refreshed and ready to

participate.

The high school art elective this semester is a

sculpture class. Their last unit focused on mak-

ing a life-size sculpture. The students formed

groups and worked together to make their

sculptures out of saran wrap, newspaper, tape,

and other moldable materials, then selected a

quote to illustrate a concept or idea that their

sculpture conveyed. Finally, they created a pub-

lic exhibition in the high school commons so

that all students could see and enjoy their art-

work. Many thanks to all those who participat-

ed.

STRIKE A POSE!

BOOK FAIR

Get ready to fill your Easter

basket will books, books, and

more books! The Scholastic

Book Fair this spring is the ever-

popular, buy one, get one FREE

event. Everything is on sale,

even the popular pens, posters,

and gadgets.

The fair will be held in the cafe-

teria on April 11, 12, and 13. On

Tuesday and Wednesday, the

hours it is open are from 10:00

a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 to

4:00 p.m. On Thursday, the fair

will stay open until 6:00 p.m. so

parents can visit after school or

work.

We need volunteers to run the

register, so please contact PFA

president Janna Capener at 403

-3108 to help out.

4

NOTES FROM THE

KITCHEN

The kitchen staff celebrated Dr.

Seuss’s birthday with a fun menu

and great decorations! Students

were able to choose green eggs and

ham, a “roast beast” sandwich, or

even a wocket in a pita pocket.

Mrs. Long is still open to menu

feedback. Please send responses to

her email address:

blong@tceagles.com

Please check your child’s accounts

often. Any unpaid balances need to

be caught up as soon as possible to

make sure your student still re-

ceives their lunch.

SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS!

We have amazing young scientists at our school; the proof is in their projects! The

science fair had nearly 150 participants, from second grade through ninth grade. It

took our volunteer judges nearly all day to observe and score their project findings.

When they were done, they had one overall impression: our students excel! The judges

were especially impressed with the seventh grade class and had a very difficult time

ranking the projects to find the top winners.

Below you will find the list of winners for each grade level or combined level. Ribbons

were awarded for first through fourth place, plus an honorable mention (H.M.). Photos

were taken of all student projects, which will be displayed in a slide show on the school

website.

First through fourth grade winners

1st: Cole Kidman

2nd: Lacey Hansen

3rd: Grace Bohrer

4th: Lea Andersen

Fifth grade winners

1st: Eli Hansen

2nd: Wesley Collins

3rd: Sam Emfield

4th: Lane Bailey

H.M: Emily Mann

Sixth grade winners

1st: Kim Serr

2nd: Tyler Sessions

3rd: Aubrey Huber

4th: Avery Olauson

H.M: Hannah Bohrer

Seventh grade winners

1st: Ella Taggart

2nd: Esa Wilson

3rd: Vincent Acosta

4th: Jaidyn Orchard

H.M. Garrett Shippen

Ninth grade winners

1st: Anisha Reynolds

2nd: Bryant Bradshaw

3rd: Ricky Walker

4th: Karina Armitage

H.M: Morgan Mills

Below: Fifth grader Philip VanDyke

demonstrates his testing method for

Seth Acheson, a junior, who visited

the science fair open house.

Above: First-place winner Cole Kidman tested types of

chewing gum for the best bubble-blowing satisfaction.

Below: Parents and families visit the science fair.