E.A. Young Academy is a not-for-profit, private academy created to generate transformative changes to meet  the needs  of the K-12, gifted, talented, and high ability scholar.

The Source for Firehawk News and Information
Vol. 5 Issue 8 - December 20, 2016

A Look Ahead
Mark Your Calendar:

Jan 4         Back to School
Jan 5         Evening FLARES Meeting 6 PM Mr. Gatti's Pizza
Jan 5         Spirit Night @ Mr. Gatti's Pizza NRH 5-10 pm
Jan 11       MS Field Investigation: Red Door Escape Rooms
Jan 14       EAYA 501(c)3 Anniversary!
Jan 16       Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday--School Holiday
Jan 24-26  MAP Testing
Feb 3         FLARES Meeting
Feb 4         MATHCOUNTS Competition

To access the General School Calendar, click here. This calendar is downloadable/uploadable to your smart phone, as well.  iCal: http://bit.ly/EAYAOfficialCalendar  
Firehawk Family Campaign
In celebration of hitting our Fifty by Friday Firehawk Family Campaign goal, our scholars created their own
Mannequin Challenge. Enjoy it in all its Youngified glory. Thank you, Firehawk Families! 

UPDATE: We are only $1800 short of making the $75K goal which would result in a Faculty vs. Scholar Silly String War! We hope that every parent will make the Firehawk Family Campaign a philanthropic priority. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact anyone in administration for assistance. We look forward to partnering with you on this critical campaign!
The Mystery of Edwin Drood Dinner Theater



Wow, The Mystery of Edwin Drood was a sell-out success both nights! All of the actors and tech crew did a fantastic job; no hitches! Special thanks to all of the adult support and everyone who attended! You can view a  bunch of photos from both shows here .
Visual Arts
Julie McGhee, BA MEd


After viewing real snow globes and photos of snow globes, art scholars created little their own versions of a snow globe. Each age level had different criteria for their piece.   We discussed how the light plays off of the glass and how to create that effect in our pieces. We also used these pieces to review and practice shading techniques and details in designs.   One of my favorite comments by a scholar was that each little scene in a snow globe is like "a tiny magical world." We had lots of fun creating these little magical worlds during our last few days in art together before the break!
Eighth Grade Purple Cord Field Investigation
Gayle Brown, BS MBA


As part of their Purple Cord service for the year, Mrs. Brown's eighth graders brought toys to Mission Arlington, then spent a few hours helping people "shop" for their kids in the Christmas Shop! They did an awesome job and were so helpful! 
FLARES Grants Teacher Wishes!
Our generous FLARES group has offered Teacher Grants to our amazing faculty this year. The grant application was sent to all teachers at the end of October. Teachers thought about what projects they had coming up and how some of them could use some financial support. The applications were then reviewed by a committee of FLARES volunteers. After the review, it was determined that due to better-than-expected spirit wear sales and Youngfest costs being under budget (great job Youngfest team!) we had enough money to fund ALL the grants!! This motion was voted on at the December 2nd FLARES meeting and it passed. The teachers have been notified and we have begun funding the grants. What fantastic news! Congratulations to all of the faculty!
APHELION



Aphelion had a tremendous night at Kindred Coffee last weekend! It was a wonderful night of poetry and performance, jewelry, handmade art, and gift-wrapping. Upper Schooler, James M.'s band, Bliss, also performed ! Proceeds from the purchases went toward the education of two young girls in Africa that Aphelion supports through the Maasai Girls Education Fund . Thanks, everyone, for coming and supporting these hard-working, generous, big-hearted scholars!
Honors Biology
Carol Raymond, BM BMEd MEd

Scholars extracted chlorophyll and explored many of its properties as a culmination of their study of photosynthesis and cellular respiration - did you know that chlorophyll fluoresced RED? I mean, it looks like BLOOD under a black light! Check it out!
AP Research
Carol Raymond, BM BMEd MEd
Those scholars who are using human subjects in their research projects submitted them to our EAYA IRB this past week. A special thank you to Beth Lusby, Carole Baas, Kathy Lyda, Mattie Oveross and Sam Earles for your service on our official IRB!
Health Promotion
Amy Klein, BS MS; Michael Petruso, AOS CPT; Chris Glenn, BS MBA
In HP, the 2/3 class has been learning about our body systems (muscular, skeletal, respiratory, circulatory and digestive) during the last several weeks. Our "ewww" moment came when one scholar realized that we have bacteria living in our bodies and that those bacteria have their own digestive and waste systems, too!
The seventh graders have been busy learning about media advertising strategies and how those influence our health care decisions. They finished this lesson by working in small groups and creating their own commercials for some common teen hygiene products.
FLARES Evening Meeting and Pizza Spirit Night
On January 5, we will have our monthly FLARES meeting at the new Mr. Gatti's pizza at 6 PM! They are also hosting a spirit night for us from 5-10 PM. Woohoo! For most of what you order between those times 15% will go back to EAYA. (Does not include beer or wine sales, everything else is included.) There is a game room where kids can play and we have reserved the back area for our meeting at 6, so bring the family and come hear what FLARES is planning for 2017. Mr. Gatti's is located around the corner from Young Academy, at 8849 North Tarrant Parkway, NRH. Happy Holidays to everyone and we look forward to seeing you on January 5!
EAYA Running Club
EAYA's Running Club is open to scholars in grades 4-12. We encourage all our scholars to be active but the physical demands of running club merit the decision to limit participation. Our scholars will have an opportunity to run with their classmates during their HP classes in addition to our new Saturday morning runs. Coach Mike invites all scholars in grades 4-12 to join him at Bear Creek Park each Saturday morning at 8 am. We also need several parent volunteers to join us each week. Please follow the link below to sign up as a running club volunteer. All volunteers will need to be background checked as well. Check your email or ask Aimee for a background check form. EAYA Running Club t-shirts are available for purchase - use the link below to order your shirt. Shirts are $15 each and are made of a dry wick/fit athletic material that will stay dry throughout a run.  Here is the link for v olunteer sign-up and T-shirt ordering .
Running club participants are encouraged to join their fellow Firehawks at a few community fun runs & races. We have several planned in the coming months. Information for each run is listed below. Participants can choose the distance they are comfortable running in each race - each run offers a mile fun run and 5K while others offer even greater distances.
Feel free to reach out to Coach Mike directly with any questions about Running Club (mpetruso@eayoungacademy.com).
Mira avoiding the public eye.

Lindsey and Lindy attempting to get Mira's "autograph" for their Market Day booth. :)
101 Donations Initiative

To help give our faculty the tools and supplies they need to provide these awesome learning experiences and adventures for our scholars and to help maintain our school environment, we are excited to announce the  101 Donations Initiative!   
What kind of items are we talking about?  EAYA faculty members compiled a list of items needed in the classroom, then we placed those items on a Dalmatian (get it? 101 Donations?) on the bulletin board in the hallway near the restrooms. Each Dalmatian is an item that our Faculty have identified as a need either in their classroom or in the school as a whole. 
How do I know what kind, type, color, quantity, etc. to buy?  On the back of each Dalmatian, we have outlined important information pertaining to that specific item. This includes an item description, desired quantity, vendor, and estimated cost.
What happens after I buy the item?  Once you make the purchase, please bring the item to the front office. We will be tracking the donations in hopes we can reach our goal of 101! When you bring in the item, we will also provide you with a donations receipt.
Note: Please do not give the donations directly to the faculty member that requested the item. Please bring the item to the front office so we can document we received it, provide you with a donation receipt, and then we will distribute the item to the appropriate faculty member. 
Wow, you guys are really clever, how do I participate?  Select and remove a Dalmatian from the 101 Donations board in the main hallway. Be sure to take it with you so we do not get duplicates of the same item.
FLARES Scrip Program
We are using Scrip, a gift card fundraising program to raise funds for the school! Basically, you buy gift cards through Scrip for places where you know you'll spend money. When you buy the card, the school gets a cut. You spend the gift cards by having your phone scanned at checkout. It is pretty cool and easy!  If you haven't created an account yet, go to www.shopwithscrip.com, select REGISTER at the top of the page and then "Join a Scrip Program." Use enrollment code 3E73163F53175 when prompted. Once your enrollment is complete, select the SHOP menu option to browse gift cards available from hundreds of retailers. Select the DASHBOARD menu option to manage your account, including setting up PrestoPay (debits your checking account for all purchases). All purchases must be paid for by either PrestoPay or by check (made out to FLARES). If you are purchasing physical gift cards and paying by check, please be sure to drop your check in the FLARES box (located in the front office of the school).  Thank you for your support and happy shopping!
FLARES News
If you are a Firehawk parent and haven't yet joined FLARES, please go to this link to pay your dues, get involved and purchase spirit wear!
You can sign up for reminders from FLARES to be sent directly to your phone by following these directions:
1. If you want to receive notifications on your phone, go to this link. Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. (You will be prompted to download the free app.)
2. If you don't have a smartphone, or would just prefer to receive a text, you can sign up by texting @hbh83 to 81010. If this doesn't work, try texting @hbh83 to 817-310-8427.
*Your FLARES membership includes an associate parent membership in Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT), our state's gifted organization, and a Firehawk directory!

All parent volunteer hours should be recorded on the Track it Forward   website. This information is needed for grant applications that are processed during the year. Please log your hours ! You can also download the Track it Forward app!
Community Fundraising Info
AMAZON SMILE:   Be sure to connect EA Young Academy to your Amazon account by going to Smile.Amazon.com.
TOM THUMB: EA Young Academy participates in Tom Thumb's Good Neighbor Program. Our school ID is 13241.
KROGER: EA Young Academy participates in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Visit this link and apply the school's ID number to your Kroger Plus Card. The school ID is 47813.
Please also continue to collect Box Tops. You can submit them in the office.
SHUTTERFLYWhen you purchase at Shutterfly through the storefront link, the school receives 13% of the sale (which is much higher than the Amazon Smile percentage)! Customers can still use Shutterfly's coupons! Check it out here!
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Scholars/Faculty Collaborate on Surprise for Mr. and Mrs. Lyda
Early Thursday morning, Mrs. Prostek began to brainstorm.   She had an idea: something special, something festive for the scholars to make for the Lydas: a seasonal scene of joy! Words of love and appreciation to spread peace and cheer!   
 
A quick message to Mrs. McGhee, and Mrs. Prostek was off and running.   After collaborating with the other classes who didn't have art that day, and through love and teamwork of the staff and scholars, a most lovely Christmas scene was born for the Lydas and all to see in the gym during the Spirit Assembly on Friday! The WHOLE school was flexible and jumped in on the fun and creativity!



The Upper School made a beautiful tree topper with Christmas wishes written on the points of the stars. Eighth graders painted a Christmas tree during art, and seventh and eighth graders created paper gifts under the tree telling the Lydas why EA Young Academy is a gift to them. Seventh graders also painted the cozy fireplace, and sixth graders hung the stocking with care and words of how EA Young Academy fills their lives. The 4/5 group made a Merry Christmas sign with special messages about EAYA's core values, while 2/3 made heart-shaped ornaments telling why they love our school. And finally, K/1 made a Christmas card with a precious photograph of K/1 scholars with hand heart gestures and warm thoughts for the Lydas. We think it turned out really special and was a fun way to express our appreciation and love for the Lydas and EAYA!   Way to go Mrs. Prostek for dreaming up this special holiday surprise of love!
Fiery Hills Market Day



Fiery Hills Market Day was a great success! Scholars worked for weeks to prepare their goods and marketing strategies! They worked in partnerships, teams or on their own to present successful businesses and in-demand products tailored especially toward their Firehawk peers!


K/1 QUEST, Math & ELA
Mimi Turbeville, BA


We did a fun activity with gingerbread men this week! We collected data and then made a graph that helped us interpret our data. And the data we collected was really fun! The directions were to take ONE bite out of a gingerbread man, and STOP. We observed that different people bit in different places. We tallied where our friends bit into their gingerbread man: the arm, leg or head. Then we made a graph to easily see how many people bit into each part first! There have been studies done about where you bite ~ it's supposed to tell something about your personality. According to research, if you bite the head first, you show leadership and are achievement-oriented; if you bite the right arm first, you have a scientific mind that is skeptical and must have proof to believe; if you bite the left arm, you are a creative soul; and if you bite a leg first, you are an intuitive spirit that is sensitive by nature. Take all that with a grain of salt, but it's fun to look and see if your personality fits where you bit first!

With the approaching holiday, the GINGERBREAD MAN seemed an appropriate fairy tale to study next! We read the classic version and broke it down into the story elements. K/1 scholars are experts at recognizing the SETTING, naming the CHARACTERS, and figuring out the PLOT of stories! We've also talked about finding the moral in fairy tales, and we are starting to spot which fairy tale characters display our own Core Values! A new tool we are utilizing to compare and contrast is a VENN DIAGRAM! We read a second traditional version of the Gingerbread Man, but we found that the two were in fact very different!


Gingerbread men have also crept into our math lessons! We measured some different sized gingerbread men this afternoon using CENTIMETERS! Check out how careful everyone was when measuring!
K-3 STEM
Mimi Turbeville, BA; Erin Austin



On Monday, Mrs. Austin's class visited with Mrs. Turbeville's class for a STEM Christmas tree challenge!  The task: to build a Christmas tree out of cups AND decorate it AND show cooperation, ingenuity, and creativity! They  started the lesson with a story about the tradition of trees at Christmastime, then split into teams and got to work! The teams only had 6 minutes! The task proved harder than it sounded!
Algebra II
Carol Raymond, BM BMEd MEd

The Algebra II scholars are finishing up a big unit on quadratics and spent some time exploring recursion sequences and growth and decay models. In the photos, they are exploring just how long it can take for our kidneys to cycle through medicine using a decay formula.
Progression of Gingerbread Houses toward Destruction at the Hands of the Collective Firehawk Community




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