SUPERINTENDENT’S LETTER / From the desk of Dr. Cathy Walker
Hello Racer Families,
It is hard to believe we have finished the third nine weeks of school.
Time sure does fly. There have been many great things happening in our schools this nine weeks that I wanted to highlight. The ECC hosted a health fair where students learned about teeth brushing, handwashing, sleep, safety, physical activity versus tablet, healthy eating, germs, and kindness. They also hosted their first PE With Parents to engage families in active play with their students. Parents enjoyed playing soccer, climbing the rock wall, jumping rope, tumbling on the mats, stacking big structures with the buckets, shooting hoops, and many showed off their hula hoop skills. Finally, families of kindergarten and pre-k students were invited to attend the Stephen Fite concert at the high school.
The elementary school hosted their Boosterthon and met their goal of raising $30,000 for their school. Students participated in a Fun Run, and the 5th graders had the privilege of participating in a Color Run!
Fourth graders recently participated in NAEP testing. This is a national test given to selected schools across the United States. Students were complimented by the national testing monitors because every single student utilized a “testing tool or strategy” during their test. This is a big deal when taking a state or national test. Way to go fourth graders!
The elementary school also had 70 nurses from Oklahoma City Community College come and teach lessons on hygiene, mental and physical health, and safety. And on Fridays, they honored their Student and Citizens of the Month from each grade level.
The middle school sponsored a “Coin War” which raised $1,303.13 for Special Olympics. The seventh graders were the winning team and enjoyed a pajama day and pizza party.
The seventh and eighth grade choir received excellent ratings at the OSSAA competition. They are competing in Class 5A now and have done a great job of learning more complex music to compete in this class.
The high school had a successful career fair, bringing together 48 businesses from the community to share careers with high school students. It was a great day for students to interact with business owners in the community.
The following FCCLA students won at regionals: Zaelyn Elmo won first in Children’s Literature; Charlize Miller won second in Career Investigation; and Kaitlyn Morgan, Luke Beson, Mya Miller, Jacob Jones, and Avery Wise won first in Parliamentary Procedure. Each will move on to compete at the State competition. Our Ag students have done well showing animals at the McClain County Livestock Show and at the Newcastle Livestock Show. They are preparing for the Oklahoma Youth Expo at the fairgrounds during spring break.
Our speech and debate team had three students who qualified for regionals.
BPA had four students who qualified for the State competition. The winter guard team has been competing. They placed third at Winter Color Guard competitions at Putnam City West High School and at the Choctaw High School competition. Best of luck to all of these students as they continue to compete and represent Newcastle Public Schools.
Winter sports had a successful season. Connor Leader won State in the 100m backstroke and took second in the 100m butterfly. The following wrestlers qualified for the State Tournament: Addison Schuringa, Aundrea Estrada, Trinity Duran, Shane Lovejoy, and Nicholas Lozano. Lozano brought home a third-place State medal. The girls and boys high school basketball teams won District and the boys won Regionals. I am so proud of all of these athletes and coaches.
There are many activities that will happen during the fourth nine weeks of school. Please check our website for dates and times for these events. I hope everyone has a great spring break! It is a great day to be a RACER!
— Dr. Cathy Walker
