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A weekly online newsletter from Park Tudor SchoolOctober 3, 2013
In This Issue
Downtown with Uruguayan Guests
Student Achievements
Fine Arts News
Share grandparents' info with us
Ryan Betz runs to raise money for PT scholarship
Upcoming events for parents
Kitchen Notes
PTPA news and events
College Avenue Construction Update
New PT photos
Quick Links
A Trip Downtown with Uruguayan Guests

By Chris Holobek, 4th Grade Teacher

In September, I was invited to take our guests from Uruguay on a trip to downtown Indianapolis, taking six of our grade 4 students along as student hosts. During the course of the morning, we visited the City County Building and sat in on several court cases including one with a Spanish interpreter. The Uruguayan students were intrigued by our court system, as theirs is quite different. One of the grade 4 girls was invited to sit with the defense/prosecuting lawyers. We also had the chance to go into a courtroom and sit at the judge's bench and at the lawyers' tables. Before leaving, we took the elevators to the 28th floor to the observation deck to overlook our city. What an amazing view! The students liked spotting Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Lucas Oil Stadium, as well as finding helicopter landing pads and watching freight trains crossing the city.

A quick pop into the City Market (and oh the smells, as we neared the lunch hour) to buy cookies - because what trip downtown would be complete without stopping for a warm cookie from Just Cookies - was just what we needed. The baker was from Peru and enjoyed having the opportunity to meet our visiting students. And of course, the patrons of the Market were curious about our large contingency - Where are you from? What school? How long are you here? You're visiting Park Tudor?

Visit to the Statehouse We walked up the street to the Circle and had many photo opportunities on the steps before heading up Market Street to the Statehouse. We were given a quick tour (as we were getting hungry), then, by chance (and a familial connection), we were invited to meet our Lieutenant Governor, Sue Ellspermann, who greeted each child with a handshake, asking their names, and welcoming them to Indiana. We learned the building was 125 years old, much of the marble was from Italy, and was built when women couldn't vote, though six of the eight statues in the atrium are of women (representing Agriculture, the Arts, etc).

When we left there and headed toward Steak 'n' Shake for lunch, one of the students commented on how much schoolwork he was missing by being on this trip. One of the girls said, "No, we've had math in the Statehouse, Spanish in the courtroom, language arts when we read the signs upstairs [at the City County Building], history when we learned about Lincoln's childhood, and science by being outside today. We haven't missed any schoolwork at all." And I had to think about that comment - yes, we were on a field trip to wander downtown, and I was enjoying being outside, but the students had had a full day applying what they have learned in a new and unusual classroom setting. And they realized it.
Three Seniors Named National Achievement Semifinalists; 13 Named National Merit Commended Students

Three members of the Park Tudor Class of 2014 have been named as Semifinalists in this year's National Achievement Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 800 Achievement Scholarship� awards worth about $2.5 million that will be offered next spring. The National Achievement Scholarship Program, conducted by National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), was initiated in 1964 to recognize academically promising black students throughout the nation and to provide scholarships to a substantial number of the most outstanding participants.

Congratulations to:
  • Samone Blair
  • Danielle Johnson
  • Victoria Longe

In addition, 13 Park Tudor seniors have been named as Commended Students by the National Merit Scholarship Program, and will be presented with a Letter of Commendation from the NMSC. Congratulations to:
  • Julia Amstutz
  • Samone Blair
  • Taylor Byxbee
  • Andrew Foster
  • Austin Honigford
  • Thomas Klimek
  • Katelynn Kyker
  • John McCarter
  • Charles Osborne
  • Leah Schuckit
  • Alan Stautz
  • Linda Tauscher
  • Walter Winslow
Fine Arts News

Art & Ecology: A capstone course of the visual arts department is the Art Seminar in Social & Global Issues in Contemporary Art, taught by Heather Teets. The theme of the course this semester is Art & Ecology, and the students have chosen to work on collaborative art and design projects to address the issues of plastic marine pollution. To connect the pollution problem in the oceans to the midwest, the students were interested in investigating and engaging in the health and condition of our local waterways.

Seniors, L - R: Emily Janin, Sophie O'Neill, Maddi Heberden and Danielle Johnson
Seniors in the class recently participated in a White River cleanup in Noblesville, picking up plastic debris to use in art projects. "Students will be able to make greater connections to their environment around them locally and globally," said Mrs. Teets. "They will be exploring vital roles the arts play in raising awareness about water quality. Students will add value to plastic through art."

Orchestra students grades 5-12 and their parents are invited to participate in a school outreach presentation by the members of the Juilliard String Quartet. Mrs. Lorelei Farlow, PT orchestra teacher, has arranged the event to include members of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra, the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy, and Broad Ripple Magnet School for the Arts, as well as Park Tudor musicians. It is sponsored by the Ensemble Music Society of Indianapolis, and will be hosted at Broad Ripple High School on Saturday, October 12 from 10-11 a.m.

Renaissance Ensemble: Congratulations to the musicians who have been selected for our honors chamber music group, the Park Tudor Renaissance Ensemble. The ensemble's first performance will be next week for the Charted Property Casualty Underwriters' annual luncheon. On October 24, the group will perform for the first annual Mitch Daniels Leadership Award Ceremony. Ensemble members are:

� Violin: Jason Zhao (12), Francesca Santini (12), Mattie Shepard (12), Roddy Bowlby (11), Isabel Freihofier (11) and Julia French (11);
� Viola: Ruben Schuckit (12), Chris Gregory (12) and Linda Tauscher (12);
� Cello: Nicholas Chun (11) and Alex Bowlby (10);
� Bass: Thomas Knowles (12)
Share grandparents' information with us

  

Share your child's grandparent information with us! Grandparents will receive our weekly e-newsletter (The Park Tudor Times), our quarterly school magazine (The Phoenix) and an invitation to attend Grandparents' Day (grades JK-8) with their grandchild(ren) the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

 

If you would like your child's grandparents to be included on our mailing list, please send their contact information (name(s), mailing addresses and email addresses) to Julia Sloope at [email protected].  

Ryan Betz runs to raise money for PT scholarship

Ryan Running Senior Ryan Betz has run 44 half-marathons since he started high school at Park Tudor. He's on a quest to run one in each state before he graduates in June.

On his journey, he has raised $45,000 so far that will be put in an endowment for a Park Tudor scholarship. Ryan's vision is to start a scholarship for an Indianapolis inner city student to attend Park Tudor, and with the endowment, he hopes that the scholarship will continue giving back to his community and his school for many years to come.

WISH TV recently profiled Ryan Betz as the Athlete of the Week. To follow Ryan's journey, visit ryanrunning.org and follow him on Twitter at @RyanBetzRunning.

Upcoming events for parents       

 

Parents, mark your calendars for these important events at Park Tudor:

  • Upper School Fathers' Morning - Friday, October 4, 8:00-11:45 a.m.
  • Middle School Mothers' Morning - Friday, October 11, 8:00-11:45 a.m.
  • Lower School Fathers' Morning - Friday, October 25, 8:00-11:45 a.m.
  • Strategic Planning Conversation Session for all parents - Thursday, October 10, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
  • Strategic Planning Conversation Session for all parents - Tuesday, October 15, 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Kitchen Notes      

 

On Homecoming Friday, Aladdin Food Service kicked off its "Farm 2 Table"

initiative in the lunchroom with a western-themed cookout. The "Farm 2 Table" initiative is an effort by food services to buy local food products. The stars of the show on this day were the bison burgers purchased from Johnson Farms in Noblesville. A delicious, nut-free Waldorf salad featured local apples, and local cabbage was used to make cole slaw. Food services will continue to "buy local" whenever feasible.

 

PTPA news and events

Huge kudos go out to Kristin Tomyn and Leona Woody for their leadership in making the Fall Family Festival and Homecoming a big success. We would also like to thank all the parents, staff, students and alumni that worked hard to make it fun for all. Because of all of you, everyone enjoyed a spectacular afternoon and evening!

On your mark! Get set! Get ready for the 10th Annual PT Challenge on Saturday, November 2, from 6:30-10:00p.m. (Registration opens at 6 p.m.) The PT Challenge is similar in concept to the TV show "The Amazing Race." It is a fun, free, team activity for Park Tudor students and their families. There are prizes and pizza for all at the event's end. Teams are made up of 4-8 contestants. Please note, teams including Lower and Middle school students must include at least one adult. Registration packets can be picked up at the front desk at each school on October 24th when registration opens. Don't have a team? Turn in a form and you will be placed on one.

Volunteers sign up now:
Contact Jennifer Siegel at [email protected] or
Debbie Dominguez at [email protected].
College Avenue Construction Update

Pavement removal began on Wednesday, shutting down one lane of College Ave. between 71st and 73rd Streets. Please allow extra time if you are coming from the south as traffic can be heavy during drop off and pick up times.
Check out  new PT photos!

Check out photos of Homecoming, Spirit Week, the Fall Family Festival and more on the Park Tudor photo page. If you have photos to share, you may upload them for moderator approval.

 
Park Tudor School Mission

Park Tudor School's exceptional educators and extraordinary opportunities prepare students to become confident and resourceful lifelong learners. The school community creates an inspiring college-preparatory learning environment for highly motivated young people in preschool through grade 12.

Editor: Cathy Chapelle '87
Editorial Staff: Emily Groves '93, Cassie Dull
Graphic Design & Layout: Stefanie Dean '05

The deadline for submissions to the Times is Monday at 9 a.m. for publication on Thursday. Because of the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee publication in the same week, but date-sensitive information will receive priority.