January 24, 2020
PRESCHOOL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
Runnels has always been the school for all races, religions, and national origins.
FRIDAY FOCUS

Next Friday, Jan. 31, is the last day to re-enroll for the 2020-2021 school year with enrollment tuition fully waived. Open enrollment for new families begins Feb. 3. Be sure to spread the good word about Runnels and invite parents you know to visit our campus.

In Focus this week: Homecoming Ahead; Jr. Beta Club Welcomes New Members; Earning Honors in Patriotic Essay Contest; Marking 100th Day of School; Ushering in Lunar New Year at Preschool; Quiz Bowl Team To Sponsor Trivia Night; Kudos and Notable Events; We Sincerely Thank; Weekly Photo Album; Athletic Corner; Friendly Reminders.
Homecoming 2020 on the Horizon

Show your Raider Spirit by participating in all of our fabulous HOCO 2020 events. Spirit Week starts Monday, Jan. 27. Here's the dress code:

Marvel Monday ... Dress as Your Favorite Marvel Comic

TikTok Tuesday ... Dress as Your Favorite TikTok Video

Wacky Wednesday ... Wear What You Usually Don't Wear

Throwback Thursday ... Decade Day -- Dress as Your Favorite Decade

Fairy Tale Friday ... Dress as Your Favorite Fairy Tale Character

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE HOCO 2020 AGENDA...
Jr. Beta Adds 24 New Members

The Jr. Beta Club admitted 24 students in grades 6-8 to full membership in the organization at a candlelight induction ceremony in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre this morning. Conducting the event and lighting candles to honor the four pillars of membership -- character, achievement, leadership, and service -- were President Ben Hader, Secretary Gibby Guay, and treasurer Reilly Wilks.

Congratulations to ( Grade 6) Shayda Bozeman, Matthew Campbell, Gracie Coates, Maeve Dolan, Laura Golda, Alex Griffin, Evan Ho, Sammy Ismail, Conner Joubert, Emily Khalil, Lexie Matens, Kelly Messenger, Alaina Milam, Rebecca Ortlieb, Elise Parrish, Cameron Stevenson, and Riley Whittemore; ( Grade 7) Landree Clark, Clara Huxen, Sophia Rabeaux, Preston Treadaway, Harrison Whittemore, and Yaseen Zaid; and ( Grade 8) Emma Felton.

Following the induction ceremony, students, teachers and their guests enjoyed a cake and punch reception in the foyer of the Theatre. The Jr. Beta Club, which supports students in the pursuit and practice of scholarship, leadership, and community service, is co-sponsored by elementary teachers Gina Golda and John Baird.
      
(Photo: Newly inducted members of the Runnels chapter of the Junior Beta Club.)
Earning Honors in Essay Contest

Runnels eighth graders Katherine Campbell, Tyler Thibodeaux, and Addison Watson placed among the top 10 in the 2019-2020 Bishop Stanley J. Ott Knights of Columbus Patriotic Essay Contest. Each will receive a special plaque to recognize this accomplishment.

The subject of this year’s competition, which is open to seventh and eighth graders in our area, was “What True Patriotism Means To Me.” The essays were ranked according to adherence to the subject matter as well as writing ability and style, originality, and age-appropriateness.   

The essays were submitted to the contest by Runnels eighth grade English teacher Kylie Harbin. 

(Photo: Katherine Campbell, Tyler Thibodeaux, and Addison Watson.)
First Grade Marks 100th Day of School

The first graders recognized the 100th Day of School with a special event in the Drama Room on Jan. 20 that added up to fun and discovery.

After first grade teacher Kari Calhoun read 100 Days of School by Anne Rockwell to them, the children counted together to 100 by ones and tens and played a numbers game that involved counting to nearly 200. They also lined up to view the creative and colorful displays of 100 items they had collected and brought to school. Among the exhibits were 100 lollipops gathered into a bouquet, 100 photos of first grader Henry McCarney and his dog Sharkey, 100 Legos, 100 marshmallows, 100 pompoms mounted on an orange notebook cover, and 100 Cheerios.
Another highlight was the release of 100 balloons that the children worked to keep afloat for 100 seconds. Later, after sitting on the balloons and popping all 100, they adjourned to the playground to snack on 100 cupcakes.

Our thanks to elementary teachers Kari Calhoun, Julie Stevenson, and Madeleine Timpa for organizing the event and first grade mom and elementary nurse Beth Williams for her generous assistance. 

( Photo: Viewing the collections of 100 items at the 100th Day of School event in the Drama Room on Jan. 24 are, from right, Elementary Assistant Principal Sheri Allen, and first graders Madelyn Haselden, Josie White, and Molly Hart.)
Preschoolers Explore Chinese New Year Traditions and Celebrations

At preschool today, our students learned about many of the traditions and celebrations that usher in the Chinese or Lunar New Year, which begins tomorrow. Supplying the information were preschool parents Maggie Yuan, Alex Yang, Yajun Rong, and Fan Feng, who all have students in the 2s class.

Typically, everyone in a family will get a haircut and new outfits for Chinese New Year. Houses are cleaned from top to bottom until they sparkle to chase away any misfortunes from the old year and welcome spring and a fresh start to the new year. The children also learned about the Lantern Festival, receiving red envelopes with money inside for good luck, the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac (2020 is the Year of the Rat!) and how to say Happy New Year in Chinese.

(Photo: Decked out in red and pink for the Lunar New Year are, from left, Maggie Yuan and her daughter Arwen, preschooler Maxwell Xie, Alex Yang and her son Christopher, Yajun Rong with preschooler Kiera Li and her daughter Kylie in pink; and Fan Feng with her son Derek.)
Quiz Bowl Team To Sponsor Trivia Night

The Runnels Quiz Bowl Team will host a pub-style Trivia Night in the Jr./Sr. High Andy Mack Memorial Library on Feb. 20 from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. to raise funds for equipment and tournaments.

"Parents, students, alumni, and friends of the school are invited to come to the library to compete for prizes and glory," said quiz bowl co-sponsor Ann Ostrom. Tickets are $10 per person at the door and include snacks. Pizza, water, and soft drinks will be available for purchase.

"The plan," Mrs. Ostrom added, "is to run three to four rounds of questions, with a winning team and prizes for each round. The three highest-scoring teams will be invited to send a representative for a bonus speed round to determine the night's champion. There also will be a 'boobie' prize for the lowest-scoring team, and a 50/50 drawing. The quiz bowl team members are really excited for this event!"
Kudos and Notable Events
Happy 100th, Ms. Dawn! ... To recognize the 100th Day of School, our Pre-K students made and decorated special 100th Day of School crowns in Laura Russell's art class. They also had great fun celebrating the pretend 100th birthday of preschool teacher Dawn Pittman's out on the playground.

(Photo: With the elderly but ever cheerful Ms. Dawn are, from left, preschoolers Owen Hayden, Sam Mayeux, Addy Tremblay, Jacob Varnado, Jordan Woods, Aiden Healy, Karter Simpson, and Hannah Kinberger.)
100 Feats of Fitness ... In Mary Winnett's Kindergarten Fitness class, students hailed the arrival of the 100th Day of School on Monday by performing 10 different exercises for either 10 seconds each or 10 times each to equal "100 Feats of Fitness." As each activity was completed, the children had fun crossing it off a checklist.

( Photo: To commemorate the 100th Day of School on Jan. 24, kindergartners balance on one foot like flamingos for 10 seconds in Mrs. Winnett's class.)
Autographed Copies ... Enormous thank yous go to author Todd-Michael St. Pierre and illustrator Lee Brandt Randall for presenting a read-aloud of their new children's book, Thibodeaux Turtle and Boudreaux Bunny, The Tortoise and the Hair with a Louisiana Twist, to our elementary students in the Drama Room Thursday.

While Mr. St. Pierre read the story, Ms. Randall presented it visually with cable puppets of its two main characters that she designed and constructed. Joining them on stage to sing Fast Like Me and Slow and Steady, theme songs for the bunny and turtle that he composed for the book, was David Randall. At the event, students who had purchased the book in advance received signed copies from the author and illustrator. The book is available for purchase at all the usual places including smile.amazon.com. If you select Runnels as your charitable organization, 0.5% of the purchase price will be donated to our school.

(Photo: Children's book Illustrator and art department head Lee Brandt Randall and elementary students, from left, Mohammad Zaid, Isabella Haselden, Lucas Gil, Lauren Wheeler, and Nathan D'Gerolamo with signed copies of her latest book, "Thibodeaux Turtle and Boudreaux Bunny, The Tortoise and the Hare with a Louisiana Twist.")
Aiding Animals in Australia ... Members of the Nature Club raised more than $100 to benefit animals hurt or displaced by the Australian bush fires at a bake sale they ran during lunch hour today. Many thanks to everyone who supported this cause by providing goods for the sale, staffing it during lunchtime, or purchasing sweets.

( Photo: Working the Nature Club's bake sale are, from left, seventh grader Chloe Hall, freshmen Ashleigh Cooper and Amelia Breedon, and sponsor Sydney McGraw.)
Books on the Ballot ...Students in grades 3-6 used touch screens supplied by the State Board of Elections to vote for their favorite books in this year's Louisiana Young Readers Choice (LYRC) Program today in the Elementary Library. Many thanks to librarians Leah Pizzalato and Michelle Thibodeaux and all of our reading and English teachers in grades 3-6 for familiarizing students with the books on the LYRC ballots.

(Photo: Fifth grader Sadie Raymond uses a touch screen in the Elementary Library today to vote for her favorite book in the LYRC Award Program.)
Joining Senior Beta ... Congratulations to the newly installed members of the Runnels chapter of the Sr. Beta Club. They are freshmen Sadie Alello, Mira Badawi, Emma Collett, Madison Cummins, Ali Guerin, Sophia Horridge, Alan Lam, Alex Lam, Lucy Reeves, and Zeena Shammout; sophomores Shep Butner, Natalie Fairley, Lunn Hitchcock, Zayne Mandujano, and Jacob Tate; and junior Mollybeth Wilkinson.

Conducting the ceremony and hosting a reception afterward in the foyer of the Theatre were officers Abby Robbins, Omid Boushehri, Rachel Hargrove, and Jacob Schmidt. Michele Stanfield sponsors the club.

(Photo: New members of the Sr. Beta Club display their credentials and certificates after the induction ceremony in the Gladys Hague Runnels Theatre Jan. 22.)
We Sincerely Thank ...
Anatomy Lesson ... We sincerely thank Dr. James Linford, an emergency physician at Baton Rouge General and father of Brodie, 1A, for visiting with our first grade science students this afternoon to share information about human anatomy and what a doctor does.

The children, who have been learning about the parts of the body and how they function, prepared questions in advance for Dr. Linford, which he answered at the presentation. Earlier in the semester, the students traced full-sized outlines of their bodies and labeled various parts, including the bones, muscles, brain, heart, stomach, intestines, and lungs.

( Photo: Dr. James Linford and his son Brodie.)
Re-enrollment tuition ($250 for Preschool, $500 for Grades K-3, and $750 for Grades 4-12) is fully waived if you re-enroll by Friday, Jan. 31!
Above : Sixth graders at the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Livingston, LA Wednesday. The students flank both sides of the concrete tunnel that houses the infrared laser that detected gravitational waves from two black holes in deep space that collided 1.3 billion years ago!
In this week's photo album: Book Signing, LYRC Award Voting, Phases of the Moon in Fourth Grade Science, Nature Club Bake Sale, Dr. Linford Visits First Grade, AP Biology Lab, 100th Day Recognition Event, Sixth Grade Field Trip to LIGO, Chinese New Year at the Preschool, Sr. Beta Induction, and Jr. Beta Induction.
Athletic Corner
G et your Raider spirit apparel at the Booster Club's Spirit Store !
C ALLING JUNIOR HIGH ATHLETES — IT'S TIME FOR SPRING SPORTS SIGN UP
The junior high spring sports season is just around the corner and it’s time to sign up for the following sports: Boys Baseball, Girls Volleyball and Boys/Girls Track and Field . If your athlete is playing more than one sport, simply fill out the below form twice. 

Practice for Boys Baseball and Track and Field will begin the first week of March, and Girls Volleyball will begin the third week of February.

Athletes must have a completed physical on file to participate. The athlete will not be allowed to practice or play until the physical form is complete and the online sign-up form is submitted. If you completed the free spring physical in 2019 at Runnels, your child's physical is valid for the entire sports season. You do not need to get another. If your child needs a physical please click on the link below for the proper physical form:
You must turn a hard copy of the Physical Form in to the office; please save a copy for your records. If you have any questions please contact Junior High Athletic Director Sam Coates at s.coates@runnels.org
BASKETBALL: VARSITY
 The Raiders varsity basketball team defeated Maurepas 83-13 last Friday night. The Raiders overwhelmed the Wolves from the beginning of the game and never looked back. Thirteen players scored, and the team had 20 assists. Monday, Runnels lost a tough one to 5A Central 59-62. The Raiders rallied from being down 51-29, but a last second half court shot fell short. Wesley Stevenson led the way with 18 points. On Tuesday, the Raiders followed up with another district win against Christ Episcopal. The final score was 75-32. Runnels jumped out to a big lead and led at halftime 43-15, and finished strong for the convincing win. Wesley Stevenson, Ben Stafford, and Collin Coates all scored in double figures. There were 22 assists handed out in the game. Holden travels to Runnels Friday night.
 
THIS SUNDAY, the Raiders will play in the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans at 12:30 p.m. against Istrouma. To attend, purchase a ticket to the Pelicans game that night. The ticket will admit you to both games.

BASKETBALL: Junior High
 Last weekend Runnels 8th grade boys finished 3rd in the St. George Tournament, beating St. Alphonsus 30-14, St. Aloysius 34-24, and St. Jude 26-16 before losing to Our Lady of Mercy in overtime 33-30. Cooper Coates averaged 17 points while Rossie Harrison averaged 11 and Tyler Thibodeaux averaged 6. On Wednesday, the 8th grade team beat Glen Oaks 44-34, with Cooper Coates scoring 28 points.

On Tuesday Runnels junior high girls beat Episcopal 22-12, with Annie Garrison scoring 12. Wednesday evening, the girls defeated Glen Oaks, with Gracie Coates scoring 14 points.

(Photo: Tyler Thibodeaux puts one in the basket.)
THIS WEEKEND
FRIDAY
Basketball vs. Holden – JV 5:00 p.m., Varsity 6:00 p.m. SPIRIT EVENT
Boys Soccer vs. Catholic PC – 6:00 p.m. – Burbank
Jr. High Basketball – STM Tournament

SATURDAY
Powerlifting Panther Invitational Meet at Woodlawn High School
Girls Soccer at Lee Magnet – 10:00 a.m.
Jr. High Basketball STM Tournament
Track & Field at LSU

SUNDAY
Basketball vs. Istrouma – 12:30 p.m. – Smoothie King Center



RAIDER FAN PHOTOS
Send in your fan pics to n.latiolais@runnels.org
Friendly Reminders
Jan. 27-31 / Homecoming Spirit Week / Marvel Monday, TikTok Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Fairy Tale Friday
 
Jan. 27 / PAR Snack for Grades K-12 / at Recess for Grades K-6; in Plaza Area at 11:50 a.m. for Grades 7-12
 
Jan. 27 / Homecoming Pep Rally / Catalano Gym, 2:10 p.m.

Jan. 29 / Jr. High Battle of the Books / Jr./Sr. High Library, Room 153, and Theatre (Final Round), 12:30 p.m.

Jan. 31 / Last Day to Re-enroll at Runnels with Tuition Enrollment Fully Waived
 
Jan. 31 / Homecoming Court Presentation / Theatre, 2:10 p.m.
 
Jan. 31 / Homecoming Game and Encore Court Presentation / Catalano Gym, 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 1 / Enchanted Evening High School Homecoming Dance / Lake House, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Feb. 3-5 / Jr. Beta State Convention / Lafayette

Time to Get Your Tickets for The Sound of Music

Elementary Library Spring Used Book Sale Feb. 16-20

The Elementary Library will hold a Spring Used Book Sale -- with both adult and children's titles -- from Sunday, Feb. 16 through Thursday, Feb. 20. Sunday hours will be 12 - 3 p.m.; Monday through Wednesday hours will be 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; and on Thursday, the sale will be open from 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Your donations of adult or children's books to the sale are welcome. Please bring your used book donations to the Elementary Library during school hours.