First Seventh-day Adventist Church
Tulsa Adventist Academy News
Tulsa Adventist Academy News
Tulsa Adventist Academy News
Adventures in Learning Ahead for Students
by TAA Principal Craig Mattson
AUGUST, 2009 After the dust settles from the hustle and bustle of registration and the first day of school, teachers find themselves standing in front of classrooms of wide-eyed students who are all asking themselves the same question: What happened to my summer? The expedient end to their much anticipated summer behind them, the students at Tulsa Adventist Academy are once again back in the routine of the school year. We are proud to be the host to forty-six wonderful students this year, with the possibility of more on the way!
The youngest students at TAA will be spending their time at the end of the hall in that classroom that just looks like a while lot of fun to be in! Joann Short has been hard at work this summer decorating and preparing her classroom for TAA's newest students, the Pre-K and Kindergarteners. Mrs. Short has six energetic students who are all still a little unsure about this whole school thing. They will be well trained this year as Mrs. Short delivers her curriculum through the theme of the Wild West! I look forward to watching their progress as they grow and mature throughout the school year.
While the Kindergarteners are taming the Wild West, Mrs. Bruce's class will be embarking on a safari through the jungle. Ellen Bruce is host to six first graders, two second graders, and three third graders this year. Mrs. Bruce has also worked hard in developing an approach that will keep her students engaged and on task as they surge through spelling, math, and Bible.
The newest addition to our teaching team is Matthew Hargett. Mr. Hargett has just returned from a semester abroad where he was serving as a missionary in the Marshall Islands, an island group located in the South Pacific. Mr. Hargett has integrated his tropical experiences into his classroom, bringing with him a wealth of stories as well as his collection of tropical sea shells. Mr. Hargett has four fourth graders, three fifth graders, and four sixth graders under his wing this year.
The international adventures continue in the junior high classroom. Alyssa Valenzuela will be taking her students on a reading adventure that will circle the globe. Mrs. Valenzuela will be leading five seventh graders and three eighth graders as they explore such locations as Athens, Cairo, and Honolulu. The junior high will have a diverse array of instructors this year. In addition to Mrs. Valenzuela's home room instruction, the class will be involved in choir classes with Lizzette Mattson, my wife, and they will be taking their lessons in American history from me three times a week.
Last but certainly not least in Tulsa Adventist Academy's high school classroom. This year the students will be covering a range of subjects that will take them on a journey that will begin with the ancient civilizations of Asia and Africa through the Protestant Reformation and into modern Seventh-day Adventist Church history. This approach will integrate history and Bible, providing the students with a deep understanding of who we are and where we came from. The ninth and tenth graders will also be navigating their way through biology, and will be exposed to some of the great authors of the twentieth century in their language arts class. TAA is proud to have David Whitacre as our single ninth grader and nine graduating tenth graders.
Tulsa Adventist Academy Hosts Korean Students
JANUARY, 2009
Students at Tulsa Adventist Academy are learning about another culture, and not just from books or media! January 6 brought us four students from Korea - one 3rd grader, two 4th graders, and one 5th grader. They will be here through the end of February. Students have been taking tuns helping our new friends get to know our schedule, know where to go, and do class work with them. Once the shyness wore off, they began to settle in and make friends. They sit with our students, impressing everyone with their speed in completing math assignments. At the same time, they rely on our students to assist them in completing assignments that involve reading and writing.
The main goal isn't for them to do schoolwork, but to learn conversational English. So besides going to school, they have enjoyed activities like wtching the Eagles [TAA boys' basketball team] and Lady Eagles [TAA girls' basketball team] play basketball games, going to the volleyball tournament, and attending the school's International Picnic on January 18. One of our Korean students spent almost two hours with her host mom reparing some special Korean food for the picnic. They also look forward to a trip to Disney World the first week of February, while the teachers attend their Teachers' Convention.
Two families, one from Tulsa Adventist Fellowship and one from the Broken Arrow Seventh-day Adventist Church took the opportunity to host the students. It is a learning experience to host someone from a different culture. Whatever the host family would normally do, the Koreans are included. Last year we hosted 4 Koreans, and I believe I learned as much as they did! The first evening after we picked them up, we stopped at the store. One girl, Matilda, grabbedf my hand as we entered the store, and said, "We are allyour children. You are our mother!" She grinned and giggled.
Now, as I watch my students work and play with our new Korean friends, I know that by the time February 26 rolls around, both sides will be left with some lasting memories.--Valerie Loewen
Tulsa Adventist Academy pictures can be viewed at http://gallery.me.com/phlyfisher.
TAA Reaches Out to Bahamian Teacher
NOVEMBER, 2008
Our TAA students are experiencing first-hand the joy of helping someone in need. The Student Association chooses several outreach projects each year to get the students involved with helping others. The most recent focus was a public school teacher in the Bahamas, Miss LaToya Smith. TAA heard about Miss Smith through Ellen Bruce, our 1-3 grade teacher. Both women graduated from Southwestern Adventist University and became friends through Mrs. Bruce’s husband, Kevin.
Miss Smith, a native of the Bahamas, teaches 32 first graders, of which 24 are boys! Their public funding for books and classroom teaching aids is next to nothing, and the students come to school with no school supplies.
Tulsa Adventist Academy’s students and parents rose to the occasion and at a school assembly presented Miss Smith with $100 cash along with numerous school supplies like books, puzzles, paper, markers, pencils, stickers, glue, felts, and enough white boards and dry erase markers for every student! “I’m proud of our kids for making a profound difference in the lives of these first grade students,” praises Joann Short, SA sponsor.
Pastor and Mrs. Bruce’s church, New Life SDA Church, graciously stepped up to raise the $200 to ship the school supplies to the Bahamas. And Miss Smith indicated that she would pass on the blessing by sharing some of the supplies she received with other teachers at her school.
Students Attend Outdoor School
OCTOBER, 2008
“Native Oklahoma” was the theme at the Oklahoma Conference’s outdoor school this year. The first week of October students from the five Oklahoma Adventist schools, plus one home-school group, traveled to Camp Egan, just outside Tahlequah for this annual event.
“Native Oklahoma” was the theme at the Oklahoma Conference’s outdoor school this year. The first week of October students from the five Oklahoma Adventist schools, plus one home-school group, traveled to Camp Egan, just outside Tahlequah for this annual event.
For five days, four nights, fifteen of TAA’s 4th through 6th grade class participated in a variety of activities and learning opportunities. The classes included a ropes course, canoeing, living aqua organisms, rocks and minerals, and wild animals. A special visitor from Tulsa, our own Bob Fjeldsted and young friend Jake Duncan, played the guitar and fiddle, sharing their knowledge of stringed instruments.
Some special attractions were included in this outdoor experience. The students visited the USS Batfish, a World War II submarine that has been turned into a museum, and an actual Cherokee village that included options for students to try basket-weaving, pottery, or making mini-sticks for a native Cherokee game. The last day was spent touring Fort Gibson before the schools’ return trip home.
“Our time at Camp Egan was so much fun, not just being out in nature and learning about God, but also learning to work together in God’s living room. It was a great bonding time for our class, both spiritually as well as socially,” states teacher Valerie Loewen.
School Office
900 S. New Haven
Tulsa OK 74112
918-834-1107
900 S. New Haven
Tulsa OK 74112
918-834-1107