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PNA NEWS 2005/06
May 26, 2006 New photos have been added to the Kirkpatrick and McMurray web pages.
May 10, 2006 Sylvan Park PNA -- Special thanks to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Tennessee State University for their generous contribution to our book drive. Also, we're pleased to report that we will soon have 38 published authors who took part in our book writing venture!
April 27, 2006 Bellevue PNA -- A pre-registration meeting for the 2006/07 school year will be held at Bellevue Middle School on Tuesday, May 9th at 6:00 p.m. Space is limited. Therefore, it is essential for parents and guardians to attend in order to guarantee an enrollment slot for their children.
April 26, 2006
John Early PNA
April 20, 2006 PNA enjoys a wonderful partnership with the Nashville Zoo in bringing the "Wildlife on Wheels" program to our afterschool centers. Now, thanks to funding provided by the Predators Foundation, the Nashville Zoo is extending 10 scholarships for PNA kids to attend their camp!
The Nashville Zoo Summer Camp is a one-week program for children (ages 5-9) to discover the Zoo through crafts, educational games, stories, activities, and special animal visits. Here's an example of the program curriculum: There's No Place Like Home" -- Just like us…animals have homes too! Through exploring habitats —rainforests, deserts, wetlands and forests— campers will discover how animals make themselves at home and find everything they need to survive.
Thanks to the Nashville Zoo and the Predators Foundation for providing scholarships for 10 PNA kids. We know they will have a blast!
April 10, 2006 Two Rivers PNA -- Kudos and congratulations to Site Director Tammie Stephens and the staff and kids at Two Rivers PNA for a phenomenally successful book drive. They sold over $2,977 worth of books, giving them a credit of $1,380 with which to buy books for the new PNA library! Wow-zers! Great job, Tammie! April 7, 2006 Apollo PNA -- Our two field trips last month were wonderful. Our first one was to the Adventure Science Center. The kids had a "ball" and wanted to stay longer. We also visited the Frist Center where the students got to make tribal masks. They learned much and had a lot of fun.
Haynes PNA -- Representatives from Bass Pro Shop will be coming to the site on April 25, 26, and 27 to teach students how to fly fish, cast, and select bait. On the following Saturday, interested students and parents will meet and go to the lake to apply the techniques learned.
Joelton PNA -- On April 11th, we will take a field trip to the Joelton Fire Department.
John Early PNA
McMurray PNA
March 10, 2006 McMurray PNA -- This week, we combined our "Blues" recital with a parent meeting. About 100 parents, kids and community members attended. Everyone was delighted with the kids performance. We had tears in our eyes because they did such a great job and were so proud of themselves. Mr. Bayou said that in ten years of doing these workshops....McMurray was his favorite (I was so proud of our babies.) After their performance, we had kind of an informational meeting. We talked about our "LEAPS" grant and all the other great stuff we have going on in PNA right now. We also talked about 4-H working with us. The president of the Children's Entrepreneurial Opportunities Academy, Inc. gave a wonderful demonstration and spoke for a few minutes. She sparked a major interest in financial education in our kids and parents. Then we ate and just sat around and visited. We all really enjoyed the evening.
March 8, 2006
Kirkpatrick PNA -- The Harmonica Recital from our 3rd and 4th graders was awesome. Field trips were the missing piece from aftercare! Students can hardly wait to earn their field trips.
McMurray PNA -- "HIP" (Health in Progress) is still going great. Thinking about being healthy has become a way of life for our kids. They come in asking if we are going to do "HIP" today, and we overhear conversations about whether or not something is healthy. We took an awesome trip to the Frist Center and saw the "African Voices" exhibit. Origami and art club are going great. Origami has put geometry in a whole new perspective for them. "Blues in the Schools" is a lot of fun and the kids are having a good time learning to play the harmonica. It is such a self-esteem builder. We have made a school-wide incentive out of our "Word of the Day". Every adult and student in the building is involved. It is very exciting to work on a book that you know will actually be published. Our Southwest Airlines "adopted pilot" Captain Len Paulsen recently escorted our kids on a tour of an airplane at Nashville International Airport. It was a blast!
March 7, 2006
Apollo PNA -- Regarding the harmonica workshops offered to students in partnership with American Roots Music Education, "the class was a total success. The students gave a great performance last Friday evening for their families. We followed the concert with a short parent meeting and a dinner. The parents were very impressed, and we plan to be involved next year as well."
Bellevue PNA -- Students are now participating in karate classes for an hour each week. Three instructors have committed themselves to our children for 6-7 weeks. The small fee they have agreed to charge is extremely generous and much appreciated by the staff, parents, and students.
John Early PNA -- Congrats to Elizabeth Clayton for making the Principal's List for the fourth straight six-week period. She also is second in the State of Tennessee for her age group! -- During March, we are participating in pre-TCAP test prep.
Sylvan Park PNA -- We are having our PNA Book Drive now through March 17th. We're hoping to collect as many books as possible to be distributed to PNA kids to read over summer break. We have had great field trips to the Main Library downtown as well as a wonderful trip to the Frist Center. The students were busy writing in their journals at both places. The 4th graders had some great questions for our special guest Judge Mondelli. He participated in our "I Am Who I Am" series. The students learned a lot from him including that he doesn't have his own tv show and that he works very hard at the courthouse downtown. We love our "Word of the Day" bulletin board in the hallway at the school. All of the students and teachers check it out every day!
March 7, 2006 New photos have been added to the John Early PNA webpage.
February 17, 2006 Student concerts for graduates of the first session harmonica workshops have been scheduled, and the public is invited to attend! Graduates will showcase what they have learned through performance and will receive certificates of achievement. The schedule is as follows:
March 2nd at 4:30 p.m.: Apollo Middle School (auditorium) March 7th at 4:45 p.m.: McMurray Middle School (cafeteria) March 8th at 3:45 p.m.: Kirkpatrick Elementary School (cafeteria)
Second session harmonica workshops will begin after Spring Break at Gra-Mar, John Early, and Kirkpatrick. Special thanks to American Roots Music Education for providing this special music education opportunity to the kids of PNA!
February 17, 2006 New photos have been added to the McMurray PNA webpage.
February 8, 2006 New photos have been added to the Bellevue PNA webpage.
February 8, 2006 It's official! Regular PNA field trips are here thanks to the new minibus we have leased with funding from the Tennessee's LEAPs grant! Each site is scheduled to visit the downtown Public Library, the Adventure Science Center, the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in the coming days and weeks. PNA is pleased to have hired Rena Knight as our Field Trip Coordinator.
February 8, 2006 Bellevue PNA
Haynes PNA -- The program has added many new classes including: Computer (PowerPoint, Excel, and Typing), Spades, Art, and Football Theory. We've also added a new feature, "PNA Student of the Week".
John Early PNA
Kirkpatrick PNA -- Our site is happy to implement the LEAPs Grant objectives into our daily routines. 4-H is looking forward to starting up at KP PNA. You can catch our 3rd and 4th graders playing the blues on each Tuesday afternoon. They adore their harmonicas. We are looking forward to our first field trip. Way to go PNA---your own BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fitness classes are on the way as well! The abundance of activities has given a refreshing breath of air!
McMurray PNA
Sylvan Park PNA -- We recently had our first guitar class! The students are very excited about it. in fact, we had so much interest that we will split the class into two different sessions with the second group starting after spring break. We send special thanks to Lyndsay Wojcik for providing the quality instruction. We also have Paul McClain, 1st grade teacher at the school, who is teaching knitting classes as well as guitar in the "Little Kids Rock" program. We've already seen some beautiful examples of the kids' knitting skills!
January 31, 2006 The kids of McMurray recently enjoyed the first field trip on the brand-new PNA minibus, the lease for which is funded by the Lottery for Education: Afterschool Programs (LEAPs) grant. They went to see "The Greatest Show on Earth", a.k.a. as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. A super-fun time was had by all. And now, there's even more good news! Captain Len Paulsen of Southwest Airlines is back this year to be the McMurray PNA "adopted pilot". He has informed us that in March, a Southwest airplane will be available for our kids to tour at the Nashville International Airport! We will have around 90 minutes to tour the plane. We can't wait!
January 25, 2006 Lots of new photos have been added to the McMurray PNA webpage!
January 18, 2006 Kirkpatrick PNA
McMurray PNA
January 10, 2006 The following article was published in the 12/31/05 edition of the Tennessean's "Davidson A.M." section and written by Pam Sherborne.
"Project for Neighborhood Aftercare at McMurray Middle School sponsored its second annual 'Home for the Holidays' campaign this year.
All the money raised during the past month will go toward helping those in need at McMurray. Deborah Mayberry, McMurray teacher and site director for Project Aftercare said the display of compassion demonstrated by the students to help their peers has been amazing. They raised $1,950.
'Most of the money was raised by donations from teachers and from the kids,' Mayberry said. 'These kids would just bring in whatever money they could collect. If they didn't spend all their money at lunch, they would put it in a jar. They were giving up their own money.'
The money raised went to pay a Nashville Electric Service deposit for one McMurray family, buying winter coats for students and a $1,000 shopping spree for one particular family who came to the area after Hurricane Katrina.
'This family arrived here with nothing but the clothes they were able to get in their car,' Mayberry said. 'We were able to help another family by giving gift certificates for food and Christmas gifts.'"
January 10, 2006 Joelton PNA -- Our families donated a wonderful amount of gifts to the Angel Tree project!
Sylvan Park PNA
December 8, 2005 Bellevue PNA: We continue to be blessed with valuable parent support. They support our decisions about discipline and encourage good behavior. Our Bellevue parents also make financial donations to the program.
We recently designed an incentive program to promote improved report card grades in order to become eligible for a limousine ride to the mall for ice cream. It requires that a student pull up 3 grades on their report card by a letter grade. With this method, all children have the opportunity to qualify for the reward. Of course, students with perfect grades will also be eligible. Last month, each student and staff member participated in a limo ride around the school as a small measure of encouragement toward the goals of the next six-week period's incentive program.
December 7, 2005 Apollo PNA: Brandon Hunt pinned his opponent in 1 min. 20 seconds yesterday in our wrestling match against Bass Middle School. Brandon is off to a great start again this year. His team won 62-24!
Kirkpatrick PNA: We are excited that the Boy Scouts Program is up and running successfully. Students continue to be motivated to participate. Our school newsletter featured an excellent article about PNA at Kirkpatrick School. Congratulations to Mrs. Howse and her Kindergarten friends for winning the most creative “Turkey Contest” and to Ms. Johnson and her star second graders for being the essay winners and master designers of the “Turkey Creature!”
December 6, 2005 Joelton PNA: The kids have "adopted" a ten year old boy and an eight year old girl and are giving holiday gifts as part of the Angel Tree program.
John Early PNA: For the second six-week period, four students made the Principal's List (all A's) and twenty made the A/B Honor Roll! Congrats to our kids for working hard on their studies and to staff for instilling the values of academic success in the students they serve! Eight PNA kids are also serving as student council representatives for the school.
McMurray PNA: As part of the continuing visits to the downtown Rescue Mission, the site has launched an "Any Twelve Men" program. Each week, the kids prepare a sack lunch with treats and goodies for twelve homeless men.
Sylvan Park PNA: We have new bird feeders outside our windows! "Students of the Month" and a few others helped put the feeders together and hang them so we can all enjoy them from the windows. We're looking forward to taking part in "Project Feeder Watch" which helps scientists track broad scale movements of winter bird populations. We'll count and observe birds in our neighborhood and deliver important data to the scientists at Cornell Lab of Ornithology who work in partnership with the National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada, and Canadian Nature Foundation.
December 5, 2005 Photos of the Lights On Afterschool event have been posted to the Kirkpatrick PNA webpage.
December 5, 2005 In response to the below press release, Nashville's City Paper printed the following article in today's edition. Thanks for the coverage!
December 1, 2005 METRO-FUNDED AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM RECEIVES TENNESSEE LOTTERY GRANT Funding will provide enhanced services including field trips, physical fitness programs, and financial literacy classes to at-risk children and youth ({NASHVILLE, TN}) Project for Neighborhood Aftercare was recently awarded a $56,000 grant under the Tennessee Lottery Education Afterschool Program (LEAP). 1,000 children will benefit from enhanced program services at ten Metro-funded afterschool centers throughout Davidson County. Funding provided under the LEAP grant will underwrite four new program offerings: " Emerging Readers and Writers: Includes D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) time during the afterschool program day, after which students practice writing skills through journaling. Program staff will work with students to develop written submissions for a book to be published next summer.
" Get Moving: With limited time allotted during the school day for physical activity, many students spend 8 hours or more being sedentary. The Get Moving campaign provides weekly structured physical activities with the goal of encouraging healthy lifestyle choices. Classes in aerobics, dance, and karate are offered.
" Financial Literacy 101: Many, if not most students know very little about the benefits of saving and investing. The problems inherent with a present-oriented idea of money as well as the benefits of delayed gratification are the focus of Financial Literacy.
" Field Trips: LEAP funding will enable the lease of a minibus to transport children on field trips. Trips to the downtown Nashville Public Library, the YMCA, and the Federal Reserve Bank will reinforce the learning objectives of the new program offerings outlined above.
December 1, 2005 For the second year in a row, Captain Len Paulson has selected McMurray PNA for his participation in Southwest Airlines’ Adopt-a-Pilot program. Captain Paulson will mentor students in this educational program that encourages students to research careers, believe in themselves, and realize the importance of achieving in school.
Throughout the mentorship, Captain Paulson will volunteer his time during the enrichment segment of the afterschool program. He will correspond from the "road" via e-mail and postcards. The McMurray PNA kids will chart the pilot's course through an official U.S. route map, and the students will record daily flying statistics sent by Captain Paulson in the provided Adopt-A-Pilot curriculum.
November 21, 2005 The McMurray PNA web page has been updated with new photos taken during the recent International Parent Festival.
November 15, 2005 The PNA Team web page has been updated to include a short bio of Regional Site Administrator Kisha Cox.
November 9, 2005 Apollo PNA -- The Zoo's "Wildlife on Wheels" visit this month involved a study of animals commonly found in rainforests across the world. We touched a sloth and millipede and saw a giant tarantula. The kids were extremely excited and spent a lot of time with the sloth.
Haynes PNA -- A Hip-Hop Fashion Show featuring the kids is scheduled for December 1st.
John Early PNA
Kirkpatrick PNA
November 4, 2005 New Photos have been added to the Sylvan Park PNA page.
October 21, 2005 On Thursday, October 20th, PNA sites hosted special events surrounding the annual "Lights On After School" celebration. Each event involved an open house in which parents and community friends were invited to enjoy refreshments and witness a day in the life of PNA. Here are details on what happened at some of the centers:
Apollo PNA -- The theme of "PNA Thinks the World of You" centered around honoring students and families from other countries. Food and crafts representing the cultures of Mexico, Cuba, Egypt, and Laos were on hand. The students had their "passport books" stamped as they "toured" the various cultural stations.
Bellevue PNA -- The site joined forces with Bellevue Middle School to enjoy food, friends, families, and festivities. PNA opened the program at 5:00 p.m. with a PowerPoint photo presentation of the afterschool program followed by the presentation of student awards. At 5:30, the program adjourned to join Bellevue's Fall Fiesta with a Mexican buffet dinner and planned activities.
Joelton PNA -- Fox 17 News was on hand to cover the activities which included a disaster relief drive and a presentation by the Safe Haven organization. The students made crafts to send to the children of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina. See the Joelton web page for photos from the craft workshop.
Kirkpatrick PNA -- Community organizations expressed to students and parents the importance of being a part of an afterschool program. Vietti Foods donated enough chili to feed 225 students and parents. Thanks Vietti Foods! East Literaure Magnet High School Cheerleaders pumped the crowd up with cheers and served the chili.
Sylvan Park PNA -- Following the Nashville Zoo's "Wildlife on Wheels" program, the students presented a short program titled, "Safe, Smart, Happy and Cool, Keep Lights On After School." The event was so widely attended that they ran out of food!
Two Rivers PNA -- With a theme of "Togetherness Within the Family", the site set up various stations at which parents participated with their children in activities such as:
October 17, 2005 PNA recently collaborated with American Roots Music Education on a grant proposal submitted to the Tennessee Arts Commission. Great news! Funding has been granted! Ninety PNA students will benefit from "Playin' the Blues", a blues harmonica and songwriting workshop. Professional musician-educators will meet with students for one hour, one day per week for seven weeks to teach students the basics of playing the harmonica, how to improvise blues harmonica melodies and rhythms, how to compose blues songs in the traditional 12-bar format, and about the history of blues music and its influence on contemporary popular music. PNA staff will work with the students for 30 minutes twice a week to review what they have learned with the musician-educators. Students will each receive an instructional booklet, a practice CD, and 2 Hohner harmonicas to use during the workshops and to keep afterwards. On the seventh week students will perform for other students, their parents, and teachers.
Special thanks to Buffy Holton and her team at American Roots Music Education for selecting PNA to be the collaborating partner. Thanks also to the Tennessee Arts Commission for such generous funding.
October 6, 2005 The Apollo PNA webpage has been updated with new photos featuring animal friends from the Nashville Zoo's recent "Wildlife on Wheels" visit.
October 6, 2005 Apollo PNA -- Some of our students play on the soccer and volleyball teams, both of which are doing well and will be going into tournaments soon. Other students are also involved in football (the quarterback and running back), wrestling, and cheerleading.
Bellevue PNA -- The HIP (Health in Progress) program meets each Wednesday and Friday and promotes good eating habits and exercise. The students are keeping a record of the number of laps they run/walk in order to accumulate miles.
John Early PNA
Sylvan Park PNA -- We recently had a Photo Art Gallery Coordinator speak to the kids as our first guest in the "I Am Who I Am" series on careers.
October 5, 2005 Kirkpatrick PNA
McMurray PNA -- Our "HIP" program (Health in Progress) is becoming a wonderful experience. The children are learning to be responsible for their own health, are practicing their public speaking skills, and are becoming physically fit. They are also doing major spontaneous research. It feels like a "family" effort.
September 28, 2005 Heartfelt thanks to The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for granting $1,000 to underwrite the Wildlife on Wheels program in ten of our afterschool centers. The Nashville Zoo's W.O.W. program enables children to encounter animals up close and personal outside of the zoo in an educational and entertaining manner. The importance of conservation to animal life is a strong focus of the series. The grant will fund one W.O.W. session at each site and an additional session at four of our centers. The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee continues to be a wonderful financial supporter of PNA enrichment activities. Special thanks to President Ellen Lehman and Grant Coordinator Laundrea Lewis!
September 28, 2005 The mother of a McMurray PNA staff member lost virtually everything to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Her home in the New Orleans area was completely destroyed. In times of great tragedy, it seems we're all connected to someone who is hurting. When faced with loss, each of us can and should do something to help. The PNA kids and staff organized a donation drive to raise money for Patricia Gayle Shaver. A total of $871.29 was raised! Not only does this help Ms. Shaver in her time of loss and displacement, but it also teaches the PNA kids the value of taking initiative to help those in need. This type of service learning opportunity is a key element of how PNA strives to build character in the children under our care.
September 28. 2005 PNA has partnered with Nashville Public Television to bring the "PBS Kids: Our Musical Heritage" program exclusively to PNA kids and families. The program is scheduled for Saturday, October 29th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Nashville Convention Center. In this interactive workshop, students will move from station to station to participate in different activities and to learn about bluegrass music as part of their Tennessee heritage. Activities include making acoustic bass guitars out of washtubs and vegetable cans, square-dancing lessons, an instrument "petting zoo", banjo lessons, and more!
September 21, 2005
Dwight Lewis, Senior Editor of The
Tennessean, will visit the John Early PNA site this afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
Mr. Lewis will be talking to the students about a recent article he wrote
entitled, "If Your Pants Are Dragging, Respect For You Is Lagging".
Faculty, staff, and parents are encouraged
to attend.
LaMont Doty, John Early PNA Site Director
September 12, 2005 The administrative office of PNA has moved to a new location. Our address is now 2807 Bransford Avenue, Suite C, Nashville, TN 37204. The phone number is 615.385.7067 and the fax number is 615.385.7047. We're excited to have the space for a resource center which houses a plethora of curriculum tools and project materials along with a computer with high-speed Internet access for our Site Directors and Regional Site Administrators to work from.
July 29, 2005 The Bellevue PNA registration meeting for the new school year will be held Thursday, August 11th at 7:00 p.m. in the theater at Bellevue Middle School. Anyone wishing to register their child should attend this meeting. Students will be registered on a first come, first served basis until all enrollment slots are filled, after which they will be placed on a waiting list.
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