January 2009
Dear Foster Parents:
I hope you had a blessed winter break with family and friends. With the school year moving by so quickly, it’s hard to believe this school year is already half-way over.
Congratulations are in order for some of our Foster family members. First, I want to congratulate the students who made the Honor Roll for the first semester of the school year. We appreciate their hard work and commitment in the classroom and offer our thanks to our parents for your encouragement at home.
We had our school-wide Spelling Bee on Friday, January 15th. Congratulations to the following students: 6th Grade winner—Dorothy Lam, 7th Grade winner—Alexandria Schellhorn, 8th Grade winner– Charlie El. Our 2010 Spelling Bee Champion is Alexandria Schellhorn and she will represent our school at the District Spelling Bee.
Note to parents of eighth graders: On Wednesday, February 24th, our eighth graders will be taking the writing portion of the Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test (O.C.C.T.). Please encourage your student to give their very best effort on this test, and make sure they are well rested and eat a healthy breakfast so they can perform their personal best. The other major portion of the O.C.C.T. will be administered during the week of April 12th through the 16th.
I want to congratulate Penny Sanders, our Teacher of the Year. Ms. Sanders presently teaches 8th grade Social Studies and has done a superb job the last 5 years at Foster. Ms. Sanders will represent Foster well when she interviews for the title of Tulsa Public Schools Teacher of the Year in a few weeks. I also want to congratulate Margarita Carbajal, our Parent Facilitator, she was selected as Foster’s Support Employee of the Year. Margarita’s wonderful attitude and translating for our Spanish speaking parents has made our office a better place for our patrons the last four years.
Four years ago, the T.P.S. Board of Education implemented a new attendance policy for Tulsa Public Schools which is in effect this school year. The school board passed this attendance policy because we believe, and research shows, there is a high correlation between attendance at school and academic achievement. The policy states “that a student with more than nine absences (excused and unexcused) in any semester may be subject to loss of credit for any course/grade in which the student is enrolled. A written explanation must be provided for each recorded absence within 48 hours after the student returns to school.” Please have your student(s) here each and every day. It is so important for their academic achievement.
A reminder: there will be no school on Friday, February 12th (Teacher’s Professional Development Day), and Monday, February 15th (President’s Day). Our annual Bingo Night has been scheduled for Friday, February 19th at 6:00 p.m. Third quarter progress reports will be distributed to students during the week of February 16th. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Respectfully,
Darin Schmidt
"...Committed to Excellence"
At Foster Middle School, our motto is "Committed to Excellence." We are committed in doing the best we can in academics, and achieving high standards.