Test Preparation

Standardized tests are a fact of life for American students. Here is some important information, brought to you by the National Association of Elementary Principals, that will help everyone as test time approaches.

Click here to read the article.

All-County Honor Band

Almost 200 students came together today to participate in the Talladega All-County Honor Band. Students were selected by audition. They rehearsed all day today and will rehearse Saturday morning.

The event consists of two bands. The Junior High All-County Honor Band is being conducted by Steve Reagan, assistant band director at Gadsden City High School. The High School All-County Honor Band is being conducted by Russ Waits, band director at Gadsden City High School. Both groups rehearsed at Zora Ellis Jr. High School with the junior high band in the band room and the high school band in Harwell Auditorium.

The event will culminate with a concert to be held on Saturday, February 28 at 2:00 P.M. The concert will be held in Harwell Auditorium. The concert is open to the public. Admission is $3.

Bands Advance to State Assessment

Congratulations to the Zora Ellis Junior High Band and the Talladega High School Band for their recommendations to compete in the Alabama State Concert Band Assessment. To advance to State Assessment, a band must receive recommendations from two of three judges at District Assessment. Both the Zora Ellis Band and THS Band received recommendations from all three judges.


Zora Ellis will perform on March 2 at 1:00 P.M. The location is Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Talladega High School will perform on March 4 at 5:00 P.M. The location is Gadsden High School.
The complete schedule for the Alabama State Concert Band Assessment can be viewed by clicking here. The event is free and open to the public.

Miss Alabama Inspires R. L. Young

R. L. Young and Miss Alabama have a common goal...to raise money for St. Jude Hospital. This special guest shared her experience serving as Miss Alabama. Her platform is supporting this wonderful hospital.

Miss Tapley has ties to R. L. Young through kindergarten student Taylor Pressley. R. L. Young appreciates Taylor's mother and grandmother who worked to bring Miss Alabama to the school.

Superintendent Dr. Joanne Horton and Dr. Frank Buck were on campus to help welcome our special guest.

R. L .Young students are doing their part by participating in a St. Jude Math-a-thon project. But time will run out on FEB. 27th. Please feel free to make donations to this worthwhile project.

Congratulations, Mrs. Thomas!

Pattie Thomas was named "Outstanding Alumna" for her work in Teacher Leadership. The award was given by the University of Montevallo College of Education and was presented during their annual Alumni Recognition Dinner.

In addition to her work as principal at Raymond L. Young, Mrs. Thomas has assisted numerous teachers in achieving "National Board" certification. She has consistently kept the focus on children and making sure they receive the best all-around education possible.

It's always good when one of our own is recognized for outstanding contributions to education. Congratulations, Mrs. Thomas!

Another Online Math Tutorial

Last week you read about Khan Academy. This week, we bring to your attention MathTV.com, a second online math tutorial. This site does require you to register in order to see most of the lessons. Registration, however, is free.

With MathTV.com, you view a teacher demonstrating on a white board how to work problems. Most of the problems offer a selection of several different instructors, including a Spanish-speaking instructor. The videos range from basic mathematics through Calculus.

The Economy and Our Children

If you ask Americans their #1 concern about our country at this time, the answer is likely to be "the economy." For our children, our concerns become their concerns. Our fears become their fears.

The National Academy of Pediatrics has produced a sheet entitled "Talking to Children About the Economy: Tips for Parents and Other Caregivers." Click here to download that handout. The sheet provides some very practical suggestions that may help to lessen unneeded worry and stress on our young people.

Above and Beyond in Talladega City Schools

The Talladega City Schools Foundation would like to know about the good things going on in our schools. Do you have any students, teachers or others who are going above and beyond the basic educational experience?

The Foundation wants to help share the good news about our City Schools. Please let the Foundation know about your success stories by sending an email to Jeanne Rasco at mjrasco@bellsouth.net

Talladega Schools' Winter Guards fair well at SCGC Competition

After two long weeks of hard work and the addition of new material, Talladega High School Band and Zora Ellis Junior High Band Winter Guards, the Ellis Emeralds, Dega Darlins Addition and Dega Darlins, traveled to Oak Grove, Alabama, on Saturday, February 7, 2009, for their second winter guard compeition of the season. The excitement of each group being promoted to the next classification and the anticipation to see where they would stack up against the competition proved to be a very rewarding wait. Each group had an outstanding performance.

The ZEJH Band's Ellis Emeralds Winter Guard came in a close 3rd, proving that no challenge was too much. The challenge of competing with several high school groups was something they were willing to take on full force and do with success. The Dega Darlins Addition (a group of all THS Band's 9th grade dancers) competed in the Scholastic B classification where they were awarded 2nd place for their efforts. The Dega Darlins (the THS Band's varsity Winter Guard) astounded the competition and very proudly took 1st place under their new classification, Scholastic AAA.

For more information, pictures, and accomplishments please visit the indiviual group blog by clicking on the groups name: The Ellis Emeralds, The Dega Darlins Addition and The Dega Darlins.

Zora Ellis JH band director Danielle Todd is the coach for these three teams. The Winter Guards are sponsored by the Band Boosters of Talladega.

Free Online Math Tutorial

When it comes to online math tutorials, it’s tough to beat the Khan Academy. Clicking on the link takes you to the list of tutorials they offer ranging from basic arithmetic up through Calculus. The entire site is free.

Clicking on any of the lessons takes you to a YouTube video. You will hear the teacher explain the problem just as if he was sitting beside you. You see the problems being worked just as if the teacher was writing on the board as he was talking. You won’t find a lot of bells and whistles. What you will find is solid, easy-to-understand explanations at a pace slow enough that it can be understood. This one is a winner.

History 101

School are working harder than ever to educate students about American history. Families can be even more influential, because they have so many opportunities to link what is happening now with what happened in the past. This article from the National Association of Elementary School Principals explains.

Click here to read the article.