Green Lane Gazette
November 2023
Important Dates in November
- 11/1-11/17 - Youth Truth Survey Open for Parents/Guardians
- 11/7 - No School - (Professional Development Day)
- 11/9 - Picture Make-Up Day
- 11/10 - PAYS Survey 10th and 12th Grade Students
- 11/13 - End of 1st Marking Period
- 11/14 - Youth Truth Survey - All Students
- 11/15 - Financial Aid Night
- 11/16 - Freshman Takeover Day
- 11/22 - Early Dismissal 12:05
- 11/23-11/24 - Thanksgiving Break
- 11/30 - Blood Drive
STOMP Out Bullying HelpChat Line
STOMP Out Bullying HelpChat Line
This HelpChat Line is a free and confidential online chat that helps youths ages 13-24 with issues around bullying and cyberbullying; as well as providing support to youths who may be at risk of suicide.
Click here to learn more about the HelpChat line:
The Counseling Department has been busy with college preparations. The PSAT was administered to over 700 Sophomores and Juniors. Throughout the month of October, 20 different colleges sent representatives to meet with juniors and seniors who were interested in learning about majors, tuition, dorm life, and admission requirements. November 1st is an important date for students applying to school under the Early Action or Early Decision deadlines, and the Counseling Department supplied supplemental materials for over 150 applications so far. Thank you to all of the teachers who took the time to write letters of recommendation in support of these applications!
But that's not all. We've got something special in the works for November: a Financial Aid Night event dedicated to helping you navigate the new FAFSA, set to debut in December.
This event is for families of any grade level that want to learn about this process.
The Transition Services Fair was held Thursday October 26th and was a wonderful success. Administrators, teachers from our neighboring school districts, Neshaminy, Bensalem and Pennsbury joined families and students with special needs to learn about the agencies in Bucks County that provide services for students during the transition into life after high school.
We had over 25 local agencies attend including Gwynedd Mercy's Integrated Studies Program, Temple University, SPIN (Special People in the Northeast), OVR, Office of Developmental Programs, Special Olympics, BCTHS, Center for Independent Living, APS, BARC and many more. It was a very informative evening for everyone who attended.
This month in Business Management we explored economic indicators and learned about the business cycle, The Great Recession of 2008, and The Great Depression of 1929. Students learned about economic utility and economic systems. We took our test Nov 2, 2023.
In Introduction to Business, we have been working on a Summative project running a Lemonade Stand business. Students learned about spreadsheets and created a spreadsheet to track income and expenses for their business. Then students ran a simulated business and input their expenses, the price they charged, and the quantity they sold. Finally, they analyzed their decisions in a Google Slide Presentation.
Principles of Engineering class works on energy transfer calculation and Thermodynamics/Renewable insulation concepts. See below.
Civil Engineering and Architecture designed their Green Sheds using Autodesk Revit Architecture software version 2024. See below.
The Fundamentals of Engineering students were once again competing in the Truman Pumpkin design competition using Onshape Design software. The designs were judged by the faculty and staff. The winners were all able to print their pumpkins on the Dremell 3D Printers. See below.
English 9: Students are finishing up a unit on characterization and conflict. The students will continue utilizing the R.A.C.E.S. strategy for writing constructed responses. Students will continue making progress on their personalized Reading Exact Path.
English 10: Students are wrapping up a unit focused on the role of plot and setting in short fiction and will be moving onto a deep dive into characterization, with a strong focus on motivation and direct/indirect characterization. Students will continue making progress on their personalized Reading Exact Path.
English 11: Students have completed Patrick Henry’s famous speech at the Virginia Convention and will begin a focus on literature written from the literary era of Romanticism.
English 12: Students are currently making the transition from reading Old English literature, mainly the epic poem of Beowulf, to reading literature in Middle English, which includes Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
Driver Education
Driver Education students have mastered the basics of driving, including road signs and signals. They've experienced the effects of impaired driving using goggles, even trying to drive on simulators. They've also created podcasts and infographics about the dangers of drunk driving. Next, they'll delve into controls, devices, and instruments.
Adapted PE
Mr. Sicilia and the adaptive PE class have been heading outside for PE. The students have been walking at least one lap. After their lap, it has been a mix of throwing and catching!!! The students enjoyed practicing their skills with frisbees and footballs. As the weather changes, we’ll begin volleyball and basketball skills.
Physical Education
Students have been enjoying participating in Physical Education classes inside and outside! As the weather begins to change, please make sure your child has warm clothes, we will attempt to go outside if the temperature is above 50. While inside, the main choices will be volleyball, basketball, weight training, and soccer. We will be introducing pickleball as well.
Health and Wellness
In Health and Wellness, students are wrapping up the mental health unit, engaging in meaningful discussions. They're receiving support from social workers and guidance counselors. The upcoming topic is comprehensive sex education.
As the first marking period ends and a new one begins, Truman students are learning a bevy of new topics in their math classes.
In Algebra 1A, lessons on relations and functions give way to solving equations and applying those skills to meaningful real-life situations.
Full-year Algebra 1 students will be studying linear inequalities in the coming weeks. Geometry classes are beginning to explore the relationships between parallel lines and transversals, which will provide the introduction to the study of triangles.
Algebra 2 classes are finishing up their units on systems of equations and inequalities (including 3-variable systems), and will soon begin their study of quadratic functions and relations. In Personal Finance, students are wrapping up their unit on taxes, which they hopefully found to be both practical and fun.
Resource tip: Are your students having difficulty with a particular topic in their math class? Visit Khan Academy, where nearly every math topic from K-12 is broken down into a series of helpful and neatly-designed lessons: https://www.khanacademy.org/
In Academic Biology, students completed a unit on the unique properties of water. They were also working on a macromolecules unit that focused on amino acids and proteins. In AP Biology, students completed a unit on structure, function and transport. They focused on cellular transport processes. In Honors Biology 2, students completed a clinical karyotyping lab. They analyzed the chromosomes of a patient with an unknown disease and tried to determine the genetic disorder based on their analysis. Each student conducted a survey using google forms to collect genetic data. They then graphed and analyzed the genetic traits of the participants. In Anatomy and Physiology, students have been working on skin disorders. They used Kleenex boxes to model the layers of the skin and to diagram skin diseases and disorders, there is a photo attached showing this activity.
In Honors Chemistry, students are completing a unit on atomic structure. They learned about isotopes and using carbon-14 to date fossils. They conducted experiments on mole ratios and the law of conservation of mass. They also completed an investigation of an exothermic reaction using Vernier probes attached to their chromebooks.
In Earth and Space Science, students completed a unit on stellar evolution. They are doing a research project on the death of stars and they also created Hertzsprung Russel diagrams to show the relationship between brightness and star classification.
In Forensic Science, students worked on crime scene documentation. Attached is a photo of Mr. Wright's forensic class collecting crime scene data.
Mr. Kotofsky hosted his very popular field trip to the Delaware Valley’s oldest and largest flea market in Columbus, New Jersey. 65 students from his American Pop Culture classes explored the market’s grounds looking for examples of items relevant to our rich popular cultural history and hit the Farmers Market for some amazing food offerings.
Western Civilizations are wrapping up the first marking period with the Age of Exploration unit. It introduces students to many European explorers, the routes and discoveries they made, and the indigenous populations they encountered.
10th grade students in American Studies courses concluded a study of the 1930’s and have begun examining the factors that led the United States on the path to World War 2.
11th grade Civics students have concluded a thorough examination of the U.S. Constitution and have begun exploring the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Hola, Ciao, and Hello! As the first marking period draws to a close, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us with questions or concerns about academic performance. All teachers can be reached via email, Canvas messaging, or phone. Thank you for your help in supporting our students!
Classroom Corner
Many creative cultural activities and cultural knowledge are being experienced in all of our Spanish classrooms for Día de los Muertos. Click here for more information about the traditions, culture, and food of this special Mexican cultural event. :https://dayofthedead.holiday/
Teacher Spotlight - Signorina Rebecca Lezi, Italian (new to Truman)
Signorina Lezi has a Foreign Language Degree with a specialty in literature from the University of Milan in Italy. She previously worked at Marco Polo School in Bala Cynwyd and also in Italy with secondary students. She enjoys traveling, reading books, and playing board games with friends and family. She has 2 cats named Kyo and Kyra and 2 dogs named Toby and Appa.
The SWPBIS team held their annual Kickoff event on October 4th. All students transitioned around the building going through the behavior expectations on our Tiger Strong matrices. Students were also excited that we opened our Tiger Bucks Store once again. This year our student team is running the store and doing a great job. When looking at our behavior data, the team has focused on improving and reminding students of the procedures of hall pass use and getting to class on time.
Truman Contact Information
267-599-2210
Instagram:@officialharrystrumanhsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/bristoltownshipschooldistrict
Twitter: @TrumanTigerBTSD