PRESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
Runnels has always been the school for all races, religions, and national origins.
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In
Focus
this week: Electric Einsteins Triumph at State Meet; Jr. Beta Holiday Visit;
Here Comes Santa Claus; Hour of Code; Tech Theater Sets for
Beauty and the Beast
; "Big Cake Challenge"; Preschool Flag Retirement Ceremony; More Makers' Moments; Books Come to Life in 4th Grade; Music to Our Ears; Go-Green Carnival; Canine Cuddles on Campus; Kudos; Thank Yous; Weekly Photo Album; Athletic Corner; Friendly Reminders.
We wish you and your family a joyous holiday season and a very Happy New Year!
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Electric Einsteins Triumph at State
The winning streak continues for our rookie Jr. High Robotics Team, the Electric Einsteins. At their first foray into state competition at the First Lego League State Tournament last weekend in New Orleans, the 6th graders captured the trophy for Project Innovation.
Last month in their rookie First Lego League Qualifying Tournament at Woodlawn in Baton Rouge, they won first place in Core Values, third place in Robot Missions, and finished second overall in a field of 14 teams!
The force is strong in this talented team! Congratulations to Summer Guerin, Lina Derzi, Poppy Pellisier, Zeb Tate, Parker Wright, and Coach Sheri Allen.
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Displaying the award they won at their very first state meet, the First Lego League State Tournament in New Orleans, are the Electric Einsteins, from left, Poppy Pellissier, Summer Guerin, Lina Derzi, Zeb Tate, Parker Wright, and Coach Sheri Allen.
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Holiday Cheer ... The Jr. Beta Club paid a holiday visit to residents of the Flannery Oaks Guest Home on Dec. 14. Students entertained the residents with
holiday music and presented them with gifts including peppermints, hand soap, warm socks, blankets, lotion, and stuffed animals. Christine Pousson sponsors the Jr. Beta Club. (
Photo: Jr. Beta students play carols at the Flannery Oaks Guest Home.)
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Here Comes Santa Claus! ... Twelve reindeer were reportedly sighted on the roof of our school this morning just before Santa appeared in the kindergarten. He spoke with the students, taking mental notes about what they wanted to find in their stockings next week, and handed out candy cane treats. That same morning, Santa again appeared, this time at the preschool, a favorite stop of Rudolph's, who loves the glittery reindeer kibble the preschoolers usually make for him. (Many thanks to Darrell Smith [preschool] and David Latona [kindergarten] for helping to make the holidays "magical" for our students. (
Photo: Santa and kindergarten teacher Lisa Latona with the students in Room 9.)
MORE PHOTOS..
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Elementary Students Participate in Hour of Code
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Hour of Code Coaches ... With the help of the Jr. High Robotics Team, the 3rd graders recently participated in one of the largest events in educational history, the Hour of Code, a global movement to introduce students to computer programming.
On Dec. 5, the Electric Einsteins (Summer Guerin, Poppy Pellissier, Lina Derzi, Zeb Tate, Parker Wright and coach Sheri Allen) met the 3rd graders in the Elementary Computer Lab where they used the regulation size robotics table to demonstrate the missions their robot performed at the First Lego League Qualifying Tournament. The younger students also played a Lego programming game to help them practice coding.
(
Photo: Jr. High Robotics Team members put their competition robot through its paces to show 3rd graders what computer programming can do.)
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Get that scrap metal, BB-8! ... The first graders in math classes learned some computer programming last week by playing a Star Wars game. On their Chromebooks, the students visited the website
code.org where they accessed the game. They built short programs telling BB-8, the little spherical droid from
Rogue One, where to "walk" on a playing grid to pick up scrap parts. They dragged and dropped directional blocks into stacks that formed the programs telling the droid what to do and in what order to do it. Once they got the hang of it, there was no stopping these young coders.
(Photo: Stacking up code in the Star Wars programming game are, from left, first graders Jackson Simpson, Wilson Whittemore, and Anderson Smith.)
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Designing Sets for
Beauty and the Beast
As a midterm project, students in Neena McLain’s technical theater classes designed and built 3-D models of sets for three scenes in our February 15-17 musical
Beauty and the Beast
. Working solo or with a group, students presented their mock-ups for the sets of the village, tavern, and castle. The models were constructed of
balsa wood or heavy card stock.
Students also presented artistic renderings of their designs and floor plans drawn to scale on graph paper. Some of the designs will be incorporated into the full-size sets we'll see in the actual production.
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(Photo: In technical theatre class, senior Camille Doucet explains her set design ideas for a scene in our upcoming Disney musical, "Beauty and the Beast.")*
*Tickets available starting Jan. 7 at runnels.org.
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"Big Cake Challenge"
When elementary teacher Julie Fink saw a spike in the number of 6th graders headed to Homework Detention in early November, she came up with a plan to reverse that trend. She launched what became an effective and popular incentive program called the "Big Cake Challenge." Her proposal was that if the students brought up their collective rate of turning in homework on time to an "A" level (96%), she would treat them to a "Big Cake." From Nov. 11 through Dec. 17, Mrs. Fink tracked the numbers. By the end of the challenge, the homework turn-in rate had jumped to 96.26%. On Monday, Mrs. Fink rolled out the "Big Cake" -- two huge chocolate cakes, actually -- and the 6th graders celebrated their accomplishment.
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(Photo: The sixth graders and elementary science teacher Julie Fink, far right, celebrate success in the "Big Cake Challenge," which helped inspire them to do their homework.)
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Retirement Ceremony for Preschool Flag
When rough weather left the American flag on our preschool campus a little worse for wear, local Scouts stepped in to give it a respectful and proper retirement ceremony.
Last Friday afternoon, Boy Scout Wilks Pittman, grade 7, and Cub Scouts Tyler Felton, 4B, and Brady Osborne, 4B, who are members of Pack 15, Den 9, conducted a ceremony to lower the old American flag in front of the Molly Hightower Activity Building for the last time. It was replaced with a crisp new one.
We thank the three Scouts, Pack 15 leader Nick Pizzalato, and Den 9 leader Dustin Felton for their assistance. Mr. Felton said that at an upcoming Boy Scout campout, the flag will be ceremoniously burned according to protocol. Thanks also goes to Preschool Co-Directors Karen Runnels and Janice Leger for arranging to have a ceremony, and to Shasta Felton for helping to facilitating it.
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(Photo: Conducting the flag retirement ceremony at the preschool Dec. 15 are, from left, Boy Scout Wilks Pittman, grade 7, and Cub Scouts Tyler Felton, 4B, and Brady Osborne, 4C.)
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More Library Makers' Moments ... Students continue to exercise their creativity and ingenuity by working on Makers' projects in the Elementary Library, and this month they took on a challenge with a seasonal vibe.
Recently, we found 6th graders gathered around a library table collaborating on building and decorating unique gingerbread houses. Construction materials consisted of cardboard boxes and an array of crafting items such as colored paper squares, pom poms, markers, paint, and straws.
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Books Come to Life
...
"Blackbeard the Pirate," "John Lennon," the "Crocodile Hunter" and even the "Pope" turned up in Michele Barnett's 4th-grade reading class this week as students presented their biography book reports.
For the assignment, each student was required to read a biography and conduct an “interview” with the subject of the book. Later, students shared the interview questions and answers with the class."To spice up their presentations," explained Mrs. Barnett, "some students dressed up as their book character. It was a real 'Who’s Who' event."
(
Photo: Fourth graders in character for their biography book reports.
)
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Music to Our Ears
... Students in Johnice Thoms' General Music class showed their parents how much they had learned this semester with a Parent Day performance in the Chorus Room on Dec. 20. They demonstrated newly acquired skills in reading music, playing the recorder and piano, singing, song writing, and even performance etiquette. Working as an ensemble, they played traditional songs on the recorder (with student conductors), played solos on the piano, and sang holiday songs. They even led the audience in singing a three-part round they had written.
(Photo: Ethan Ly, 4B, conducts as General Music students play a song on recorders.)
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Go-Green Carnival
... Reduce, reuse, and recycle were the watchwords for this week's Go-Green Carnival created by our 6th graders for their kindergarten buddies. They invented holiday themed games such as "Christmas Spirit Bowling" and "Naughty Elf Knock Down" and built them from recycled materials. It was a great way for the 6th graders to raise awareness about recycling and have loads of holiday fun with their little buddies. (
Photo: Playing "Santa Hat Bingo" are, from left, Mason Pizzalato, 6C, kindergartners Chase Wilcher and Luciano Toscano, and Dylan Evans, 6C.
)
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Canine Cuddles
...
Wet noses and wagging tails put midterm exam stress on hold for a while on Monday when pups from Bark and Roll Rescue Companions stopped by our main campus to offer calming cuddles to junior and senior high test takers. Many studies have shown that pet therapy can reduce test and school anxiety. We sincerely thank Dana Kahn of Bark and Roll Rescue for bringing in the dogs and art teacher Lee Randall for organizing the activity. (
Photo: Freshman Collin Coates cuddles with a
Chihuahua as Charlie Garrison, also a freshman, looks on.
)
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The Gaudier the Sweater, the Better ... Kudos to the winners of the Jr./Sr. High School's "Tacky Holiday Sweater Contest." Cade Tate won 1st place, Julia Sager came in 2nd, and Alyssa Oubre placed 3rd.
(Photo: Cade Tate)
Eagle Ceremony ...
Sam Day (‘18) earned the rank of Eagle Scout on Dec. 16 in a joint ceremony with his younger brother Ben. Both are members of Boy Scout Troop 203 chartered at St. Patrick’s Church. Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in American Boy Scouting. Fewer than five percent of all scouts achieve this prestigious badge. Sam currently attends the University of Lafayette.
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A Note of Thanks To Our School Family ...
When
Kathy Chittom
, the mother of elementary student
Adam Chittom
unexpectedly passed away early this month, our school community rallied around the family. In a note to Head of School Marcia Mackay, Adam's aunt,
Genny Chittom Anderson
(Class of '92), said she wanted to let everyone know how much that support meant to her family: "I’m blessed to have grown up as a Raider (even a Raccoon to start!)," she wrote, "and my heart was consoled so deeply with all the outpouring of love and generosity from everyone at Runnels School."
Toys for Tots
... We extend a huge thank you to everybody who donated to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots drive at Runnels this year. Lance Corporal Leonardo Zamora of the Marine Corps Reserve 23rd Truck Company stopped by to pick up the overflowing boxes this week. All of the toys will go to needy children in the Baton Rouge area as holiday gifts. We also extend a huge thank you to elementary secretary Pamela Culp for organizing the drive. (
Photo: LCpl Zamora and Miss Pam with 2nd graders, from left,
Adleigh Watts,
Ellis Belhadjali, and Evan Lee.
)
A TREE-Mendous Thank You
... A sequoia sized thank you goes
to the following parents for contributing sections of tree trunks to the kindergarten playground: Jim and Tritia Linford, Jordan Bergeron, Michael Wiltcher, and Vance White. Kindergarten fitness teacher Mary Winnett reports: "The kindergartners are thrilled to have new stumps for climbing, jumping and stretching their imaginations."
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In this week's photo album: Electric Einsteins at State; Rescue Dogs on Campus, 6th Grade Go-Green Carnival, Elementary Math Cookie Exchange, 1st Grade Pajama Day, Jr. Beta Club at Flannery Oaks Guest Home, Dance Class Watch Day, General Music Class Parent Day, Hour of Code, Tech Theater, Flag Ceremony, and Miscellaneous Candids.
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JUNIOR HIGH BOYS BASKETBALL
Last night, the junior high boys basketball teams took on St. Theresa. The 8th grade team won 44-21, with Alex Lam scoring 10 points. The 7th grade also scored a win, 48-25. Cooper Coates and Rossie Harrison each scored 18 points.
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GET RUNNELS APPAREL AT THE BOOSTER CLUB SPIRIT STORE
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GAMES DURING WINTER BREAK...
TONIGHT
- Jr. High Boys Basketball at Sacred Heart Tournament – TBA
- Raiders vs. Parkview at home, JV at 5:00 p.m., Varsity at 6:00 p.m. SPIRIT EVENT!
Dec. 27th – 29th
- Varsity Boys Basketball – Red Stick Classic Tournament at Catholic - TBA
Jan. 2
- HS Boys Basketball at Springfield – JV at 5 p.m. & Varsity at 6 p.m.
Jan. 3
- Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Houma Christian at Burbank #18 – 6:00 p.m.
- Boys Basketball at Highland Baptist – JV at 5:30 p.m. & Varsity at 6:30 p.m.
- Jr High Girls Basketball—Blue vs. Parkview at Runnels —5:00 p.m. & White vs. U-High at Runnels —6:00 p.m.
Jan. 4
- HS Boys Basketball vs. Livonia at Home – JV at 5 p.m. & Varsity at 6 p.m. SPIRIT EVENT!
Jan. 5
- Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Istrouma at Burbank #9 – 1:00 p.m.
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RAIDER FAN ART WELCOME!
SEND US YOUR FAN PICTS!
Email game and fan photos to
n.latiolais@runnels.org
. Please include the event and the name of the students pictured
.
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Jan. 7 - /
School Resumes
Jan. 10 /
Spring PAR Meeting
/ Elementary Drama Room, 6:00 p.m.
Jan. 14 - 18 /
Spirit Week
/ Homecoming Week
Jan. 18 /
Homecoming Court Presentation
/ Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre, 2:10 p.m.
Jan. 18 /
Homecoming Basketball Game
/ Catalano Gym, 7:00 p.m. (Court presentation at half time.)
Jan. 19 /
Homecoming Dance
/ Catalano Gym, 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 21 /
Martin Luther King Day
/ School Holiday
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