Putnam
City
Schools
Tracking Students Online
Five Great Technology Projects
Putnam City in Numbers
Getting Better All the Time
The Joys of Teaching
Foundation Activities
“Putnam City
provided me
with fantastic
teachers, principals, counselors and others who truly
cared for my
future and gave me an education that could help me reach
my dreams. Without those educators, I have no doubt that I
would not have achieved the academic and personal success that
I have today. I owe Putnam City
schools, and particularly Putnam
City North High School, far more
than I could ever repay. They
gave me the most valuable asset I
will ever possess: a high-quality
education.”
—Scott Cravens, Law Student,
Oklahoma City University
Graduate of Putnam City North
High School, 2001
TRADITION
OF
SUCCESS
“A t t e n d i n g
school in Putnam City was
an all-American experience
– a place with
some wonderful
teachers
and a chance to not only gain
knowledge, but also to grow socially and spiritually. It helped
me establish academic, social and
spiritual foundations that are core
to who I am today. These would
include skills such as interpersonal communication and critical
thinking, and values which have
been paramount to my work in
high tech and to being effective
in today’s global economy.”
—Sonny Vu, Chairman and
Founder of AgaMatrix, a consumer medical device company in
Salem, New Hampshire
Graduate of Putnam City West
High School, 1991
2
www.putnamcityschools.org
P
A
R
E
Putnam City Parents Can Now
Go Online to Check Student
Grades, Attendance and More
Y
ou want to know what assignments your son is receiving in
school. You want to check on
your daughter’s grades. You want
to receive an e-mail if your child
missed a class
or failed to turn
in
homework.
Thanks to a new
online
service
called
ParentCONNECT, Putnam City parents and guardians
can now have all that and more.
ParentCONNECT is an online
5
N
T
O
C
N
service that allows parents and
guardians free access to view their
children’s attendance, check their
immunization records, read school
announcements and verify personal information such as address
and phone numbers. Parents of
students in grades 3 through 12 can
also view student assignments and
grades. Parents can
also choose to receive
automatic e-mail updates on unexplained
absences,
missing homework, poor
grades and more. In
addition, the site provides an easy
way to trade e-mails with teachers.
N
E
C
T
Putnam City parents and legal
guardians who wish to sign up for
ParentCONNECT should visit the
district website at www.putnamcityschools.org, or visit any school
website.
Great Elementary
Experiences with Technology
In Putnam City, teachers are
creating assignments that
require even elementary students to put their hands on
technology and use it in creative, thoughtful ways. Consider these projects:
1
In one 2nd-grade classroom,
students selected an ocean animal to research. They gathered facts
from books, selected photos available on computers in the school
computer lab, then
put together short
PowerPoint presentations. Students not only
learned
about
sharks, sea lions
and penguins; they
also learned about
nonfiction text, research
techniques, digital photos
and how to use technology for
communication.
2
In a 3rd-grade class, students
studying igneous rocks visited volcanoes across the world via
a Google Earth tour set up by the
school’s library media specialist. Using
Google Earth images, students got
up-close looks at
cinder cone volcanoes, shield volcanoes and other types
of volcanoes, and saw
how volcanoes line up
along the plates of the
earth.
3
In
one
4 t h-g r a d e
class,
students worked
in
groups
to write, direct and star
in short films
about why and
how to use different reference materials. The films were
then used with all 3rd-, 4thand 5th-grade classes in the school
to reinforce lessons about finding
and using reference materials.
4
In one 5th-grade classroom,
students were asked to inter-
view a parent
or
family
friend. The
final product could
have been a
written paper. Instead,
it was a podcast. Students
inter v iewed
their subject, wrote
a story and then recorded it on to a computer hard
drive. Students also pulled photos
of their subjects into the podcasts
and searched through public domain music to find and add background music.
5
In another 5th-grade classroom,
students took endangered animal research papers they had written and then collected digital photos and video clips of their animals
through unitedstreaming.com, a resource the district makes available
to all teachers and students. With
those two ingredients plus a moviemaking program, students created
documentaries about their animals.
Putnam City in Numbers
99
Academic
AllStaters from Putnam City during
the 21-year history of the award.
Putnam City has had more students
named Academic All-State than any
district in Oklahoma.
11
district students were
named National Merit Finalists in 2007. In the last
21 years, 201 district students have
been National Merit Finalists, one
of the highest totals among state
school districts.
14
consecutive
years
Putnam
City
Schools has been selected as
one of the top school systems
in the nation as a recipient of
the SchoolMatch “What Parents Want Award.”
40
languages other than English
spoken at home by Putnam
City students.
50.3
Percentage of Putnam City students
receiving free or reduced price
lunches.
11
Putnam City teachers
earned National Board Certification
last year, one of the top distinctions
for quality in teaching. Sixty-nine
district teachers have earned National Board Certification.
TRADITION
OF
SUCCESS
21.7
District composite score on ACT,
which is higher than the state (20.7)
and national (21.2) scores.
2,061
hours of college credit
That’s how many hours of college
credit students at Putnam City’s
three high schools earned in 2006
by taking advanced placement (AP)
classes and passing AP tests. Students saved about $350,000 in college costs.
12
Number of Putnam City
students honored in 2007
at the State Superintendent’s Arts Awards of Excellence
ceremonies. Putnam City had more
students honored for arts
excellence than
any other district – both last
year and the
year before.
$5.5 million 18,861
scholarship dollars awarded to
graduating seniors in 2007.
“I truly believe
the foundation
for my current and future
success began
in
Putnam
City. I have to
give credit to
the wonderful faculty and staff
who taught me to dream big and
encouraged me to never give up.
My teachers helped me discover
my talents and showed me how to
maximize them to my full potential. Putnam City is a place of lifelong mentors and friends who will
impact me for the rest of my life.”
—Michael Gilbert, Department Assistant, Office of Global Inclusion,
MTV Networks, New York
Graduate of Putnam City West
High School, 2002
Number of students in Putnam City
schools.
27
Number
of schools in
Putnam City.
8
Number of Putnam City educators last year who received
national or state awards for excellence in teaching.
“I look back
with appreciation on science
classes in Putnam City and
recall the excellent teachers who were
exciting, aroused my curiosity
and made learning fun. In addition to academics, I learned lessons about citizenship, morals,
discipline and humility from my
teachers. I learned punctuality
and working hard for goals from
team sports such as basketball. I
learned the value of camaraderie,
serving others and being positive
from student activities such as pep
club and student council. Attending an excellent public school gave
me the benefit of socializing with a
greater variety of students and impacted who and where I am today.
I am still proud to say I am a Putnam City Pirate!”
—Lisa D. Taylor, M.D., Plastic and
Reconstructive Surgery, Graduate
of Putnam City High School, 1982
www.pcf4kids.org
3
“I especially enjoyed and appreciated Putnam
City’s gifted and
talented program
and its dedication to providing
honors and advanced placement
courses. Because of the AP courses
and concurrent enrollment I was
able to take in high school, I began
college with 18 hours of credit. This
allowed me to skip several basic
freshman classes and take more of
the upper-level courses that interested me.”
—Sarah Swinney, Student,
Baylor University
Graduate of Putnam City
West High School, 2005
TRADITION
OF
SUCCESS
“I’ve been extremely
fortunate to be
making a living
doing what I
love. I must say
that the emphasis at Putnam City North High
School on the creative arts was invaluable in leading me to where I
am. The learning and creative environments were second to none. We
were lucky to have a state-of-theart performing arts center that met
the standards of most professional
facilities. My time spent on that
stage in that environment gave me
an enormous amount of confidence
that I was able to apply directly to
what I am doing now. Every high
school student should feel as lucky
as I feel about their high school experience.”
—James Marsden, Actor, X-Men, X2,
X-Men: The Last Stand, Superman Returns, Zoolander, Hairspray and more
Graduate of Putnam City North
High School, 1991
4
www.putnamcityschools.org
A
Putnam City Schools: Getting Better All the Time
cademically, Putnam City
schools are not what
they were four years ago.
They’re better. Proof is found in
Oklahoma’s Academic Performance
Index (API), the state’s way of measuring school performance. API
scores are mostly based on student
test scores. Increasing API scores
41
High Schools
Start with high schools. The math
and total API scores of every Putnam City high school were higher in
2006 (the latest year available when
this publication went to print) than
2003. The reading API score of every high school but one was higher
in 2006 than in 2003.
Middle Schools
Now take a look at middle schools.
The math and total API score of every Putnam City middle school was
higher in 2006 than in 2003. The
reading API score of every middle
school but one was higher in 2006
than in 2003.
Elementary Schools
The math, reading and total API
scores of every Putnam City elementary school but one was higher
in 2006 than in 2003.
District
Now, look at the big picture. API
scores range from a low of 0 to a
perfect score of 1,500. The average
API score for a school in Oklahoma
is 1,180. As a district, Putnam City’s
API is 1,225. The district’s total API,
reading API and math API has increased four years in a row.
Signs of
Strong Schools
High Parent Involvement
When parents are active in
schools and show children they
value learning, schools thrive. In
Putnam City, parental involvement
is the norm. The Putnam City PTA
membership is so high that almost
10 percent of Oklahoma PTA members are Putnam City parents. According to Oklahoma’s Office of
Accountability, the number of hours
(about 150,000 hours a year) Putnam City parents and supporters
volunteer in district schools is much
higher than the state average.
2
means student achievement is increasing.
Help for Students Who
Struggle
If students struggle or fall behind in
a subject, how do schools help them
catch up? In Putnam City, each high
school requires tutoring for struggling students
during
the
school day and
offers tutoring
before or after school four
days a week.
Students also
have
access
to “5th-block”
after-school sessions that give them
the opportunity to master material
and successfully complete classes.
Middle school and elementary students also have opportunities for
tutoring before, during or after the
school day.
3
Academic Acceleration
Students in high school Advanced Placement classes experience a rigorous, college-level curriculum
and have the chance
to take a test to earn
college credit. Students in Putnam City
have 16 AP classes
available to them.
For
academically
advanced high school juniors, the
district offers a summer institute
to prepare them
for the Preliminary SAT exam, a
screening tool for
qualifying to be
a National Merit
Scholar – a distinction that opens
doors for students
and ensures them
a chance to attend college at little or
no cost. In addition, gifted students
in every elementary school spend
four hours a week with a teacher
who only teaches gifted students.
4
Outstanding Fine Arts
Programs
The relationship between arts education and student learning and
achievement is well documented.
That’s why Putnam
City has art teachers
and music teachers
in every elementary
school. In addition,
students as young as
4th grade may choose
to learn to play
stringed instruments.
As they get older, many of these
students go on to play in awardwinning high school orchestras
and join Silver Strings, an orchestra composed of musicians from
all three high schools. Putnam City
is also unique in providing Counterpoint, a program that enables
talented students in Putnam City
Schools to work with professionals
in the performing arts areas.
A Teacher Talks About the
Challenges and Joys of Teaching
P
utnam City West English teacher
Dionne Liebl was the district’s
teacher of the year in 2007. Below,
she discusses her approach to teaching:
School must be a safe place for our
children, a
place where
they
feel
welcomed
and valued.
In order for
that to happen, students must feel like
they have someone
to go to for help and
advice. They thrive
when they know
that their teachers
care about them.
“I know I am expecting a great deal
from you, but that is because I have
seen excellence in you. I know you
are capable of what I’m asking.”
There’s no “oh well, there aren’t very
many students today” or “they don’t
seem like they want to learn, so I give
up.”There’s a job to do. They may not
pass a test or earn an A, but I teach
all students like they have signed up
When my students show acts of
compassion and understanding that
I sometimes wonder if adults would
even think of, it’s a proud moment.
Daily, I am proud to work with such
compassionate young adults.
During one of my first years of teaching, a group of students presented
me with a bundle of gorgeous flowers along
with a detailed letter citing
ways that
I had welcomed, helped and inspired them. At
first this gesture confused me. Why
were they grateful to me for doing my
job? I came to understand that those
flowers and heartfelt comments were
evidence that students notice and
appreciate teachers’ efforts. Too often
we forget or fail to realize the impact
we have on students’ lives.
Oh, To Be a Teacher!
High school students are on the
verge of adulthood,
and they need to feel
that their thoughts,
opinions and feelings are valued
and considered. When they feel their
feelings are dismissed, they can shut
down. Although my students learn
there is a time and place for their
opinions to be shared, they know they
will have an opportunity to be heard.
Thus, they are patient. I believe one
of my most important jobs is to help
students to convey their opinions in
a diplomatic manner. This works well
for my classroom and the world.
Teens feel a need to be loved and
to belong. What better time to present students with literature like To
Kill a Mockingbird, which teaches
acceptance of others? What better
time to read The Odyssey and start a
discussion about accepting responsibility and not blaming others? What
more crucial time to cause students
to think about the perils of rivalry
and feuding, such as in The Tragedy
of Romeo and Juliet? Teens are eager
to explore the universal themes of literature because they see themselves
and our culture in the works.
Almost everyday I find myself
telling an individual student or
an entire classroom of students,
for tutoring to get into Harvard. They expect and deserve my best, and I give it
to them. In turn, I tell them
to step up to my expectations. When they see that I
have high expectations for
myself, they accept my high
expectations for them.
When my students go
out into other classrooms
and even into the community and
become the leaders I know that they
can be, those are proud moments.
During the Star Spangled Banner before one game, I watched a student
of mine turn to the unruly crowd of
students and quiet them with his example of poise and respect for this
tradition. That was a proud moment.
Last year two young ladies came to
tell me that they no longer used
racial slurs as jokes because of a
discussion in my classroom that
stemmed from To Kill a Mockingbird. That was a proud moment.
After the Virginia Tech tragedy,
I watched as young ladies and
men reverently remembered
victims and survivors. That was
a proud moment.
After a field trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial, I sat in awe as my classes
discussed that they felt it ironic
that despite the destruction, the
bombing brought many people
together. They realized during
that discussion that violence
doesn’t solve problems. That
was a proud moment.
Teachers make a difference. They
shape lives. We don’t just show
up and expect textbooks to do the
teaching. Instead, we inspire. We
try to plant the seeds of confidence
and hope. My greatest moments as a
teacher are times when I see a child
succeed who had been certain he or
she would fail. Those are the moments that I smile and say “Oh! To be
a teacher!”
“The people in
Putnam
City
meant the most
to me. The faculty
cares a lot about
the
students
and the students
care about each
other. It’s a great environment.
Putnam City schools definitely
prepared me for the next step.
Academically and athletically
they gave me a great foundation and all of the confidence
I needed to enter college.”
—Sam Bradford, Student,
University of Oklahoma
Graduate of Putnam City North
High School, 2006
TRADITION
OF
SUCCESS
“My
Putnam
City education
gave me a firm
foundation for
later
college
courses. In many
instances my initial college science, history and English courses reiterated what I had already
learned at Putnam City West.
Putnam City also more broadly
prepared me for life after school,
giving me perspective on travels
and living abroad. I credit an excellent public-school education
for preparing me to better understand the world and continue
learning as an adult. All told,
I feel well-rounded, confident
and capable to continue learning
at home and on the world stage.”
—Valerie Densmore, postdoctoral fellow, Pain Management
Research Institute,
University of Sydney
Graduate of Putnam City West
High School, 1992
www.pcf4kids.org
5
“My years
in the Putnam City
school district gave
me a great
educational
background and the opportunity to interact with many
types of people. What I liked
best was my high school experience. We were so incredibly proud of our school,
and the spirit was amazing.
From athletics to fine arts to
National Honor Society to
our cancer carnival, it was
evident that Putnam City
High was as good as it gets.”
—Erica Slates, Student,
Georgetown University
Graduate of Putnam City
High School, 2006
TRADITION
OF
SUCCESS
“I’m fortunate
enough
to
have
served
a
U.S.
President,
a
U.S.
Speaker
of the House, a U.S. Senator,
an Oklahoma Lt. Governor, a
Mayor of Oklahoma City and
several U.S. Representatives.
I think that was all made possible by growing up in northwest Oklahoma City and attending Putnam City schools.
I was taught creativity, values
and a strong work ethic. I was
encouraged to have ambition
and challenged to be a leader. My upbringing ensured
that my future had no limits.”
—David Holt, Assistant to
the Mayor of Oklahoma City
Graduate of Putnam City
North High School, 1997
6
www.putnamcityschools.org
Authors Bring Joy of
Reading to Life
T
he Putnam City Public
Schools Foundation has
been a trailblazer in funding
numerous visits to schools by
authors who write books for
children and teens. Last year
10 authors visited students in
Putnam City schools, and more
than 2,400 students received
free autographed books. Visiting authors motivate students
to read more books and to write
stories. “When an author visits
our school, I know that I could
be an author someday, too,” says
one elementary school student.
The program is so successful that in 2006 it received the
Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence Outstanding Program
Award. The Author Visits program has also received support
from Putnam City library media
specialists, Kirkpatrick Family
Fund, Sarkeys Foundation and
Inasmuch Foundation.
Cameras for Students Dramatic Play Outdoors
P
hotography, journalism and
yearbook students at all
three high schools are able to
capture school life with highquality cameras purchased by
the Putnam City Public Schools
Foundation through a grant
from the Ethics and Excellence
in Journalism Foundation.
“It’s a wonderful privilege to
work with the cameras. By using the new cameras my photography skills have greatly improved,” says one high school
photographer.
A
t
Central
Elementary
School, learning is child’s
play. Thanks to a Foundation and
Independent Insurance Agents
Association of Greater OKC
grant, the imagination of young
students turns new playhouses
into Grandma’s house, the Three
Little Pigs house, and countless
other settings for fun. “One of
your ongoing concerns is the low
language skills of many of our
children, both English and nonEnglish speaking. Imaginative
play is one way to increase language skills, as well as social and
problem solving skills,” Principal
Sherri Brown says.
“Putnam City
High School
was a springboard for me.
All that I have
accomplished,
all the relationships I have
built and all of
the goals I have set for myself, I
owe to my time at Putnam City
Look At All You’ve Done! High School. My principal beundreds of projects have been lieved in me and encouraged me.
completed or planned as a re- I had the best teachers and classes, including a leadership class
sult of Putnam City voters approvthat provided me the foundation
ing school bond issues.
needed to serve as a community
•Additional classrooms
and public leader and ultimately
constructed at seven schools
challenged me to take seriously
•34 projects that have replaced
a career in politics and work to
some or all of old heating and air- serve people in public office. I was
pushed to do better, think bigger
conditioning systems in schools
and never settle for average. I will
•Replacement of all or parts of
always remember my high school
roofs on 23 buildings
years.”
•Replacement of doors, windows
—Mary Millben, Schedule C
and lights in various schools to
Presidential Appointee in the
make buildings more energyBush Administration
efficient
Graduate of Putnam City
•Textbooks purchased for students
High School, 2000
H
Principal For A Day
E
ach year several dozen
community leaders become “Principal for a Day”
in Putnam City schools. Volunteer principals shadow
Putnam City principals, visit
classrooms, talk with teachers
and students, tour schools and
discuss school challenges.
“Principal for a Day” creates
awareness and understanding
of the issues facing Putnam
City schools. What do volunteer principals think of their
visits?
•“I was extremely impressed
with the dedication and enthusiasm of the principal and
the faculty.”
•“The teachers engaged the
youngsters. They taught
them things that will grow
their minds as well as their
self-esteem.”
•“I gained new appreciation
for the educational needs of
our system.”
Can You Hear Me Now?
S
tudents at Lake Park Elementary are hearing lessons better than ever since
sound systems were installed
in several classrooms using
grant money from the Putnam
City Foundation.
“Early childhood classrooms
are always filled with language,” says Lake Park teacher
Katherine Bishop. “With the
new sound systems, teachers’
voices are able to reach out
and grab the students’ attention.”
Voices are amplified by four
wireless speakers in the ceiling. Research shows that improved classroom sound quality results in better student
comprehension, better test
scores and fewer behavioral
problems.
•Maps, globes and other social
studies resources purchased for
classrooms
•Band and orchestra instruments
purchased for students
•New school buses that are more
efficient, safe and reliable
MAPS for Kids
MAPS for Kids was approved by
Oklahoma City voters in 2001. As
a result Putnam City students are
safer because school entrances are
more secure and 600-plus security
cameras train their lenses on school
hallways and grounds. Better learning environments have been created through purchase of new computers for computer labs in each
elementary school and purchase of
instructional technology for use in
every school.
The Foundation is pleased to be
partners with Putnam City voters
in sustaining high-quality academic environments and enhancing
learning opportunities for district
students.
TRADITION
OF
SUCCESS
“My experiences in Putnam
City helped to
give me focus
and enabled me
to develop and
nurture the path
to where I wanted to be in my career and community. I still live in
the district. I want my children to
have the opportunity I did to receive a high-quality education in
a district that excels in academics,
athletics and the arts.”
—Mike Thompson, District 100
Oklahoma State Representative
Graduate of Putnam City
High School, 1995
www.pcf4kids.org
7
4
Ways to Get More
Information About
Putnam City Schools
1
2
Visit the district website
www.putnamcityschools.org
Subscribe to Putnam City’s
Online Newsletter, Putnam
City Now
www.putnamcityschools.org/
subscribenow
3
Subscribe to Putnam City news
releases at
www.putnamcityschools.org/
subscribenews
How To Help Putnam City
Students and Teachers
Contact Putnam City Public Schools
Foundation
•Visit the Foundation website at
www.pcf4kids.org
•E-mail Caroline Gist at
[email protected]
•Call (405) 495-5200, ext. 1205
• Visit us at 5401 N. W. 40th Street
Tell Us What
You Think About
Putnam City Schools
T
ake a short online survey about the
quality of Putnam City schools, the
Get regular board meeting challenges schools face and more. A link to
summaries by subscribing to the online survey can be found at
Board Highlights at
www.putnamcityschools.org
www.putnamcityschools.org/
subscribeboard
4
8
www.putnamcityschools.org