In the end, the board turned down all but four charter bids, opting

instead primarily for internal, teacher-led proposals. Even though

the district has struggled most with improving secondary education,

no charter received a high school and only one, Magnolia Science

Academy, will run a middle school -- on a campus it will share with a

separate teacher-run school.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

Magnolia Schoolsr e f l e c t i o n s f r o m

Magnolia Schools Quarterly Newsletter

Volume 1 Issue 2

Winter 2010

GREAT NEWS FROM PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE RESOLUTION!

Congratulations to all our Magnolia Family on our new campus! The Los Angeles Unified School District Board has officially approved our application for a Middle School Facility in the City of Bell.

We would like to thank each and every one of you for your support through this challenging process. This would not be possible without your hard work.Let’s keep up the great work and continue to do our best for our students.

Media highlightsTABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from CEO Page 2

CAO’s Corner Page 3

MSA-1 Reseda Page 4

MSA-1 Reseda Page 5

MSA-2 Valley Page 6

MSA-3 Carson Page 7

Chess Contest Page 8

President’s Day Essay Contest Page 9

MSA-4 Venice Page 10

MSA-5 Hollywood Page 11

MSA-6 Palms Page 12

MSA San Diego Page 13

PTS Orange County Page 14

PTS Orangevale Page 15

Parent Testimonial Page 16

Message From the Chief Executive Officer

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Dear Magnolia Schools Family,

I would like to start with some outstanding news: On February 23rd, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board officially approved our application for a brand new middle school facility in Bell, Califor-nia. I am honored to announce that Magnolia Science Academy-Bell will soon open its doors to 468 middle school students who will embark on a path through Magnolia’s quality educational system. I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff, parents, and all of the other supporters from Magnolia Schools for their hard work and dedication in the LAUSD School Choice Process.

At Magnolia, we organize activities that are both ac-ademic and fun in order to encourage students to achieve their full potential and prepare for real world competition. In February, our schools in Los Ange-les, Orange County, and San Diego participated in two significant events that speak to this goal. First, we held a “President’s Day Essay Contest” with the theme “I Love My Country.” The top three essayists from each Magnolia school were recognized at a ce-remony hosted by Magnolia Science Academy–Palms campus. We were honored to have our keynote speaker, Dr. Chui L. Tsang—the President and Su-perintendent of Santa Monica College—address the parents, students, teachers, and administrators with a motivational speech.

Another event that challenged our students in com-petition was Magnolia Schools’ first annual Chess Tournament. The Chess tournament was held at the Magnolia Science Academy–San Diego campus and was a challenging, entertaining, and extremely re-warding event.

Despite Magnolia Schools’ effort to provide quality education for all students, the unfortunate budget crisis makes it difficult to fully support all of our prog-rams. As of yet, we have not been forced to cut any programs, but without additional support from read-

ers like you, we may have to decrease the number of fun activities like those des-cribed above. Therefore, it is very important for each parent to support Magno-lia Schools in whatever way possible during this period of financial stress. Please keep in mind that even a small donation from each parent can help us retain these great activities for our students.

It is up to us to take control of our destiny so that we can make an impact on every child at Magnolia Schools. Magnolia will keep working hard to enhance the current academic success, and our teachers will always continue to educate, challenge, and support your children.

Finally, I invite you to explore our new website,www.magnoliacharterschools.org, to learn more about Magnolia Schools and the great work taking place across our campuses.

Yours Truly, Dr. Suleyman Bahceci, CEO

New Building for Magnolia Science Academy - Bell

“A college education shows a man how little other people know.” Thomas C. Haliburton Canadian Writer

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MAGNOLIA SCHOOLS: MATH, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY FOCUSED COLLEGE-PREP SCHOOLS

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The aim of Magnolia Schools is to prepare all students for a successful experience at a 4-year college. College app-lications are a crucial part of this mission, and a complex process that requires a stu-dent’s attention well before his or her senior year. In or-der to produce an outstand-ing application, students

must start planning for college in their middle school years. To emphasize the importance of early plan-ning, Magnolia Schools organize “College Awareness Days” for eighth grade students.

Before we learn about how to prepare for college, let’s first explore what most colleges are looking for in an applicant:• Meets and exceeds application criteria• Genuine interest in their schools - A “good match”• Someone who will add to their campus• Intellectual spark, academic drive, curiosity, pur-

pose and authenticityHere are some useful tips for students looking to meet these qualifications:• Get organized and develop good study habits• Practice time management skills• Start pursuing hobbies and personal interests• Challenge yourself personally and academically

(Get excellent grades in rigorous courses)• Write a thoughtful, authentic college essay• Get stellar teacher recommendations• Participate in extra-curricular activities and servecommunity service hours (minimum 40 hours)

HOW MAGNOLIA SCHOOLS SUPPORT STU-DENTS TO MEET THESE QUALIFICATIONS:

Student College Tracking System with Indivi-dualized Four Year Plans: The four year plan is an integral aspect of our college preparatory focus. Each Magnolia freshman meets with a counselor to work on an individualized plan that includes a course road-map - a list of courses the student will complete dur-ing high school. A student’s needs and choices - such

as specialized math courses or an interest in biology- are reflected in this plan. Our counselors meet with the student and their parents to review and updatethis plan over the course of the student’s Magnolia career. The counselor and student meet again dur-ing the summer of the student’s junior year to dis-cuss graduation requirements, the selection of senior year classes, and college applications, including ap-plication deadlines and financial aid. Practice Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT): We encourage all high school students (especially sopho-mores) to take this SAT practice test.Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Preparation Courses: We offer courses in SAT English and Math on weekdays and weekends.SAT Winter & Spring Camps for Juniors: For Ju-niors, we offer an intensive study program to pre-pare them for the SAT.California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) Preparation: All Magnolia sophomores are required to take this state-mandated English- and Math-based test and they must pass the CAHSEE by their senior year in order to graduate.Advanced Placement (AP) Program: With our Advanced Placement (AP) program, we offer college level courses to our students for AP credit.Note: The number of students taking AP English and other AP classes in MSA-Reseda has increased since AP courses were first offered. In the 2005-2006 school year, the percentage of MSA-Reseda students taking AP courses was only 1.8%. Currently, 27.7% of the school’s population will take AP tests.Visits to Local and Statewide Universities: We take our students on numerous trips to a variety of universities. These visits motivate and help to edu-cate students on the specifics of college life. Pursuing higher education is not only an expecta- tion for our students, it is part of our culture. We are pleased to announce that all of our seniors have ea-gerly pursued their educational dreams by attending various institutions of higher learning.Varol GurlerChief Academic Officer

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SUPPORT FOR LEARNING CHALLENGESAT MAGNOLIA SCHOOLS

Magnolia Schools offer an array of services to sup- port student with special needs. Our Resource Spe-cialist Program (RSP) services a variety of students in grades 6-12. The program is designed to assist students with processing and/or learning challenges. Students attend general education classes with their grade level peers and receive additional support ser-vices from the resource program.

Resource teachers collaborate with general educa-tion teachers to support students with learning chal-lenges in a general education setting. This collabora-tion can be described as a combination between a co-teaching model and a multi-modal approach.

Students may also receive support by working in The Learning Center. The Learning Center provides stu-dents opportunities to work with resource teachers and peers in a one-to-one or small group setting. Here, students are able to receive assistance with assignments, study for upcoming tests, get organi-zational support, and review key concepts and im-portant lessons using a variety of teaching methods and strategies.

We are very pleased with the levels of success our students with Individualized Education Plans have achieved on our campuses. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to educate them in a small school setting where they are among their peers and held to state standards with accommodations, modifications and varied support. The general education and re-source teachers meet regularly to discuss individual student strengths, areas to improve upon, and stu-dent goals. Magnolia’s approach to meeting all stu-dents’ needs is evident in our 100% success rate for the California High School Exit Exam, one example out of many that shows how our students are per-forming at their best.

Kelly Hourigan, M.S.Magnolia Schools Special Education Coordinator

JUNIORS’ SAT WINTER CAMP

A productive, fun-filled, and altogether wonderful time was had by the 24 11th grade students who at-tended the third annual SAT-Review Winter Camp in Oceanside, CA. The four-day camp was organized to better equip MSA students as they strive to achieve their college goals. Each day featured eight hour re-view classes in both Math and English, conducted by Mr. Karasoy and Ms. Flores. These classes were separated by numerous breaks to enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Ocean.

Participants appreciated the beach-side lodging and sumptuous meals, arranged by the MSA staff. A bon- fire at the beach—complete with marshmal-low roast—marked the pinnacle of the camp during which the MSA staff wished the 11th graders all the best in preparing for the SAT.

ACCOMPETE RESULTS

ACCompete, Accord Education Institute’s Computer Science Competition, is a competition among Ad-vanced Math and Science Program students as a part of AMSP program. In the 2009-10 school year, AC-Compete expanded to incorporate 250 students from 19 schools. 131 students participated in the contest.MSA-1 ranked third in the competition and seven students from Reseda were in the top 100 list.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

Nine seniors, two juniors and three fabulous teachers traveled to New York City in December for a field trip of great cultural significance. The students visited many interesting places in Manhattan and the neigh-boring boroughs; the Bronx, Harlem and Brooklyn. The students were able to go on self-guided tours and even ran into Tracy Morgan, a current actor on Saturday Night Live. The restaurants were amaz-ing and it was agreed upon that the pizza might be the best in America. Forget Dominoes the students might say, it’s all about Lombardi’s for your New York pizza needs.

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“MAGNOBOT” EARNS 3RD PLACE

Magnolia Science Academy–Reseda’s robotics team “MAGNOBOT” made it to the semi-finals of the 2009 First Tech Challenge robotics competition in San Diego. Even though they were a rookie team, the MAGNOBOT team surpassed all expectations and placed third out of 32 teams! Their next goal is to win the Las Vegas regional tournament.

Using a sports model, First Tech Challenge is de-signed for those students who are interested in competing in a head-to-head robotics competition. Teams of up to 10 are responsible for designing, building, and programming their robots to compete against other teams in an alliance format. The robot kit, reusable from year-to-year, is programmed us-ing a variety of computer languages. Teams, includ-ing coaches, mentors and volunteers, are required to develop robots based on sound engineering prin-ciples and with complex strategies in mind. Awards are given to a variety of recipients, including to the winners of the base competition, and winners for design, community outreach, and real world accom-plishments.

MSA-RESEDA SOCCER TEAM

The road to their first post-season championship was a very exciting yet challenging experience for the MSA-Reseda soccer team. At the beginning of the season, the team first selected members on the basis of having a strong foundation of sportsman-ship. Next, team members were chosen not only on their ability to perform on the field, but also in the classroom. Together the team developed strategies

that helped them perform at the highest possible level. At the same time, the team strove to under-stand opponents’ strategies by discussing these strategies and their own counter-strategies during training.

Moreover, rules within the team were established to keep discipline at the highest level. For example, if a student were to use an inappropriate word dur-ing a game, the offending team member would be disqualified from the following contest. The athletes found this to be a big factor in their team’s success.

All of these preparations helped Reseda to become undefeated champions. Congratulations are in or-der to the MSA-Reseda soccer team and the MSA family. We wish for these types of achievements to continue in years to come.

“SOLES 4 SOULS”: A RELIEF EVENT FOR HAITI

An astonishing 552 pairs of shoes were collected by MSA-1 students, families, and staff for “Soles 4 Souls”, a shoe donation program for survivors in Haiti. As we all know, many people, both chil-dren and adults alike, were devastated by the 7.0 earthquake that shook Haiti on Tuesday January 12, 2010. Haitian victims affected by the quake and the extreme poverty that was already abundant, will re-ceive a badly needed pair of shoes, quite possibly the only pair they will own all year. An enormous thanks to all who were led by their hearts, who dug in their closets, who asked neighbors and friends, and who encouraged students to bring in shoes for this worthwhile event.

You are the best!

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ington, D.C., where the winner earns a $25,000 scholarship. We are very proud of his great accom- plishment and wish him luck!

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

MSA-2 held a school-wide assembly to conclude the first semester. During the assembly, students were congratulated for their success during the first half of the school year. Inspiring speeches were made by Principal Kocak and Dean Sahin, asking students to continue on the path to achievement throughout the second semester. Certificates for the “Most Out-standing Student”, “Most Improved Student”, and “Math and Science Fair Champions” were given, as well as awards for excellent attendance, excellent behavior, and honor roll. Students receiving these certificates and awards should be very proud. We look forward to the further success stories in the second semester.

MSA-Valley students were a part of the Advanced Math and Science Program AC Compete Contest #2, where their math and science skills were put to the test. Throughout the academic year, MSA-2 students rigorously prepared to compete in this contest. Teachers have been helping all MSA-Valley gifted students develop their critical and analytical skills, while nourishing their interest in math and science for this program.

SCIENCE FAIR

MSA-2 students created nearly 100 projects to dis-play for the 2009 Science Fair. Projects explored topics ranging from nutrition to electricity to plant life. Creativity abounded as students demonstrated their knowledge and artistic talents to parents and other guests for this annual event. All students in-volved in the Science Fair should be very proud of their efforts.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY BEE

Artur Ryabets won the school’s National Geogra-phy Bee, a contest where students answer various questions about world geography. Since then, Artur has taken the written exam to qualify for the Cali-fornia State Championship. If he becomes a finalist in the State Championship, Artur will have a chance to compete in the National Championship in Wash-

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ADVANCED MATH AND SCIENCE PROGRAM

In December, 2009, MSA-Carson took part in the AC Compete Test. With Accord Institute as sponsor, students participated close to 250 from 25 schools. Students participated in an online computer test about Scratch Programming and MSA-Carson ranked fifth amongst these 25 schools. Chistopher Balestreri earned third place and Natalie Esquivias received fifth place honors—great achievements for both. Congratulations to all who participated.MSA-Carson has had several lunchtime bake sales and through these sales, the school was able to raise $260 to be used for transportation to and from our Winter Camp, being held from12/18/09 to 12/23/09 in Sacramento, CA. 13 Students will be participat-ing in several math competitions in this state-wide event.

FEBRUARY BLACK HISTORY MONTH

MSA-3 Carson celebrated Black History Month this

February in many different ways. First, MSA-Carson highlighted famous African Americans in American history in the school Newsletter. Some of celebrated Americans were Martin Luther King Jr., Shirley Ch-isholm, Oprah Winfrey, and Carter Woodson. The newsletter enlightened its readers with different stories and contributions from these famous African American leaders. Additionally, MSA-3 Carson ob-served black history month with its very own Film Festival. This festival honored African Americans throughout History. Every Friday the school showed a different culturally relevant movie in its comput-er room. Movies like “More Than a Game”, “The Long Shots”, and Michael Jackson’s “This is It” were shown. To enhance the experience, pizza was pro-vided and a raffle was held for all attendees. Win-ners of the raffle attended a field trip to the science center, featuring the “I am The African American” Imprint Exhibit. All students enjoyed the festivities and gained a new appreciation for African American culture.

FUTURE CITY CLUB

MSA-3 is in the News: Congratulations to our Future City Team as they received second place honors at the Southern California Future City Competition! Additionally, MSA-3 participated in the National En-gineers Week Future City Competition. There, se-lected students competed against 13 other middle schools from the Los Angeles area. To read more about the team’s success, follow the link to theDaily Breeze website: www.dailybreeze.com.

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CHESS TOURNAMENT

What a challenging day! Magnolia Science Academy-San Diego hosted chess lovers from various Magnolia Schools on February 27, 2010. Students from Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego schools partici-pated.

All participants were awarded certificates and med-als but the students who ranked within the top three were quite flattered when they received trophies. Stu-dents’ and teachers’ courage and patience should be applauded throughout this event.

Top three winners are as follows:

1st Place: Nazar Karanurov MSA-5 Hollywood2nd Place: Ostap Mekhridze MSA-1 Reseda3rd Place: Ethan Bass MSA-6 Palms

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PRESIDENT’S DAY ESSAY CONTEST

Magnolia Science Academy 6-Palms hosted the first annual “President’s Day Essay Contest.” This year, competing schools from Los Angeles, Orange County, and San Diego, wrote essays on the theme “I Love My Country.” To motivate participating students, an award ceremony was held and winners were recog-nized for their great achievements. At this ceremo-ny, Dr. Chui L. Tsang—the president of Santa Monica Community college—delivered a keynote speech, expressing the importance of higher education.

Magnolia Schools would like to give special thanks to all the Language Art Teachers and especially our final evaluators Laura Fishman, Daizy Cabezas, San-dra Nadazdin and Prof. Marguorite Waller for their work as volunteers.

As a finale, participants enjoyed Kiana Fuller, a stu-dent from MSA-6, deliver a touching piano recital. We want to congratulate all our winners and thank everyone including our principals, teachers, stu-dents and parents for their effort and cooperation.

The essay contest winners are as follows:

1st Place winner: Yavuz Yilmaz, Pacific Technology School - Orange County2nd Place winner: Chelsia Reyes, Magnolia Science Academy-5 Hollywood3rd Place winner: Nia Harril, Magnolia Science Academy-3 Carson3rd Place winner: Shantel Vacarro, Magnolia Sci- ence academy-3 Carson

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PIERCE COLLEGE FIELD TRIP

In addition to the many events depicted in pictures on this page, Magnolia Science Academy-Venice ventured to Pierce College Farm for a unique learning experience.Students had the opportunity to see many animals they normally never encountered. The two-hour tour took them first to the new Equine Center where students observed many different types of horses. Next MSA-4 Venice met Wade the alpaca and his friend Oliver the pot-bellied pig who, the students learned later, acted much more like a dog than he did a pig. From Oliver and Wade, students continued to the Chicken Unit, where they learned all about chick-ens and even got to pet them.

Next, students were introduced to a field full of friendly goats. One of the tour guides removed a goat from his pen so students could get a chance to pet it and view it up close. On the way to see the sheep, students walked past a herd of cattle, who were more than willing to approach the fence and inspect the curious-looking students who strode past them. When the stu-dents reached the sheep, a sur-prise awaited them in the form of a three-horned ram. The sheep, much like the goats, were very friendly and seemed to enjoy in-teracting with the students.

Finally, when the tour was com-pleted, students stopped at Can-yon De Lana by a pond to enjoy their lunches. As their day at Pierce College Farm came to an end, some students had to protect their food from hungry ducks, who were excitedly trying to steal their lunches.

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NAZAR TAKES HOME FIRST PLACE AT CHESSTOURNAMENT!

The Magnolia Schools Chess Tournament was held at MSA-San Diego Campus on Saturday February 27th, 2010. After a two-week elimination process and a great deal of focus on the game of chess, MSA-5 successfully selected those who would represent them in the Tournament. Henry C., Chris P., Nazar, David A. and Emilio earned spots to repre-sent MSA-5 in San Diego. Nazar breezed through the tour-nament undefeated, becoming the champion for the day.

Emilio received third place honors. And Henry C. ranked sixth place among all of the chess participants. Each contestant received a medal and a certificate. Aside from the awards and the fun, the chess tourna-ment also sparked an idea for a chess club at MSA-Hollywood. Mr. Ali launched a mini-tournament for all eight graders at MSA-5, and the first three places were awarded movie tickets. Congratulations to all the winners and all of the chess enthusiasts at MSA-Hollywood.

MSA-5 STUDENTS AT MEDIEVAL TIMES

In December, 7th grade students from MSA-5 had the opportunity to attend Medieval Times in Buena Park, CA. Medieval Times features an extravagant display of Medieval culture, complete with a formal dinner and a sword-fighting and jousting tournament. Upon arrival at the Medieval Times castle, guests were assigned to a knight to support and given a crown to wear that featured that knight’s colors. MSA-5 was assigned to the black and white knight and while the students enjoyed their meals, they cheered for the black and white knight in all his competitions. Unfortunately, in the end the black and white night was defeated by the green knight, much to the disappointment of the MSA-Hollywood students. But their spirits were lifted as they were given the opportunity to purchase many interesting souvenirs to take home as keepsakes from their trip.

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Officer Gilbert and Officer Scout (a K9) from Culver City Police Depart-ment visited MSA-Palms and did a presentation on police work. Officer Gilbert talked about safety, citizen-ship, and his partner Scout through videos of real-life situations from cameras throughout the city. Stu- dents enjoyed spending an hour with the officers and after the presentation was over, they were able to take pic-tures with them both.

Our MathMatters Contest at MSA-6 was a huge success! In total, 75 participants from MSA-Palms competed. While these students were testing, parents enjoyed a presentation about MSA-6 and all of the interesting things that go on there. After the testing was completed, and scores were tabulated, awards were giv-en to the winners. First place won a Nintendo Wii, second place was awarded an Ipod Touch, third place took home an Ipod Nano, and 10 runners-up received scientific calculators. Af-ter the awards ceremony, everyone enjoyed a relaxing dinner, with pizza on the menu.

MSA-6 took a school-wide field trip to the California Science Center and visited many different exhibits. Ad-ditionally, everyone got to watch “IMAX 3D Under the Sea” where stu-dents had a chance to see some of the most exotic and rare creatures from different parts of the underwa-ter world.

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MATHMATTERSOn January 30, 2010, MSA-San Diego hosted Math-Matters—a math contest for 4th and 5th graders in San Diego. Students from different area schools par-ticipated in this exciting event, with Thomas Le from Clay Elementary winning first place and taking home a Nintendo Wii for his efforts. Second place winner Charlotte Schmidt from Tierrasanta Elementary and third place winner Cory Willweber from Marvin Ele-mentary won an iPod Touch and an iPod respectively. These winners, and all of the MathMatters partici-pants should be proud of their great work.

MathMatters is a contest that tests students individ-ually in a half-hour format. Questions are prepared by Accord Education Institute’s math committee. As well as a chance to win the prizes described above, participants also play math games and solve math puzzles and both students and teachers receive cer-ticates and awards for their successful participation in the contests. The primary goals of MathMatters are to stimulate interest and achievement in mathemat-ics among 4th and 5th graders, and to provide rec-ognition of outstanding young mathematicians, their dedicated teachers, and their exemplary schools.MSA-SD has successfully hosted this contest for five years in a row, with increased interest from area el-ementary school teachers and students each year

SCIENCE FAIR

MSA-SD held its annual school-wide science fair on January 29th. The four-day fair culminated with an award ceremony on the final day. Judges from the school and the science industry recognized the top five students in each grade level for their outstand-

ing science fair projects.

Each MSA-SD student participated in the fair by creating their own original project. Topics included bacterial and plant growth, how lasers work, the ef-fects of music on calming dogs, the effects of sun-light on pieces of artwork, and many more inter-esting projects on a variety of intriguing subjects. Congratulations to all winners!

COLLEGE NIGHT

MSA-SD invited 8th graders and their parents to College Night on February 23rd and 25th from 6-7 pm. Included in the evening was a presentation about high school graduation requirements and MSA-SD’s 4-year college readiness plan.

PARENT TESTIMONIAL

Hello David,I was on your email list interested in having my son attend Magnolia Science Academy... My son is in the 5th grade at ... Elementary and I want him to attend Magnolia Science Academy. It matters not to me where it is located, I will drive him there...I have submitted an application to your current school site for next year and will keep my fingers tightly crossed that [my son] is accepted. He is a GATE student who wants to become a biologist or entomologist when he grows up. Your school would give him the opportunity to blossom in a way that other schools cannot.Sincerely,Cindy

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EXERCISE-A-THON IN PTS-ORANGE COUNTY

Pacific Technology School held their first Annual Ex-ercise-a-Thon in January of 2010. The event was a great success, with PTS-OC able to raise over $3,000 for a sorely needed portable PA system for the school. Participants had a great time exercising for a great cause—including competitions that saw classmates compete in lap-running contests against one anoth-er. Good attitudes prevailed throughout the event, and it seemed that the thought on everyone’s mind was, “when can we do this again?”

A celebration for the winners was held after school on the day of the event, recognizing participants who excelled in the different competitions, as well as awards for the top three donations. The donation winners are as follows: First place went to Precious, second place went to Colin and Third place went to Yavuz. The winners of the lap-running contests in each grade were awarded gift certificates to fine lo-cal establishments, and Daniel Herrera won the raffle and was awarded a brand new bike. A very special thanks goes out to Falcon Aerospace who sponsored the event and provided all the participants with a

new t-shirt that can be utilized in PE classes. It is also important to thank Sunset Graphics for doing a great job designing our t-shirts and for supporting the event by furnishing the shirts at a very fair price. Thanks to everyone who sent in donations and to those parents who were generous enough to donate their time in order to make this fundraiser a suc-cess! And finally, thanks to Miss Crenshaw for work-ing with us in keeping kids active and for allowing the fundraiser to take place during her PE class time.

SCIENCE FAIR WITH SCIENTISTS

On January 28th and 29th, Pacific Technology School students held their first annual Science Fair. The hardworking judges came from local businesses, including esteemed scientists and engineers from NASA.

Winning students were awarded gift cards from Do-nerG and a field trip to NASA in Los Angeles. Addi-tionally, winners were nominated to take part in the International Science Fair.

The Science Fair was a great success. The projects displayed exactly how hard the students worked, and teachers, judges, and classmates alike seemed to enjoy exploring the fair. In the end, the judges were faced with a very difficult task: choosing the best out of all these quality projects.

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LEGO ROBOTICSPacific Technology’s Lego Robotics club participated in the Lego League Tourna-ment on November 21, 2009. Their Lego robot, along with a play featuring it, comprised the students’ project, called “Transportation Altercation.” Currently, the club is working on improving their skills for programming, robot design, and sen-sors for the next year’s tournament.

COOKIE EXCHANGEPTS-Orangevale’s first annual Cookie Exchange was a huge hit! Thank you Shilo Quinn and Diane Knirk for making this event pos-sible. Students and parents brought cookies, brownies, and cake to celebrate the end of 2009 and the much needed Winter Break. Hot cider was served while students created cards and made ornaments in anticipation of the upcoming holidays.

PTS STUDENTS COMPETED IN MATH CONTEST In November PTS-Orangevale students went to Casa Robles High School to take part in a local math contest. 62 students from five area schools competed, and while it was only PTS-Orangevale’s first math contest experience, they exceeded expectations and per-formed at a very high level. PTS was represented by three teams of 12 students total. Konstantin R. from Team Mad Ninjas earned 5th place in the individual math category among all 6th graders and received a trophy for his efforts. Arvind C. from Team Smarticles was also awarded a trophy for placing 5th among all 6th graders in the Number Sense category. Vanessa T. and Austin U. from Team Smarticles, Nicholas A. from Team Calculator, and Garrett H. from Team Mad Ninjas received ribbons for placing in the top ten in the Number Sense and Individual Math category. Congratulations ev-eryone!

A PATHWAY TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING, GIVEN BYJ.J. BAUM.The third lecture in PTS-Orangevale’s series on careers was given by J.J. Baum. Mr. Baum covered the educational requirements and his own personal pathway from a student to a professional in the field of engineering. He also discussed various environmental engineering projects and took questions from curious teachers and students.

Magnolia Schools Vision‘Inspiring students

to choose career paths inscience and technology‘

EditorsDr. Suleyman Bahceci

Mr. Mathew ShirleyMs. Kelly Hourigan

Mr. Varol GurlerMr. David Yilmaz

Ms. Derya Hajmeirza

Designed byRasul Monoshev

MAGNOLIA SCHOOLS MAIN OFFICE

555 W Redondo Beach Blvd STE 100Gardena, CA 90248

Phone: (310) 327 - 2841Fax: (310) 327 - 2941

contact@magnoliafoundation.org

www.magnoliacharterschools.org

MagnoliaMagnoliaEducational & ResearchEducational & Research

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PARENT TESTIMONIAL FROM PTS-ORANGE COUNTY

We feel so fortunate to have found the Magnolia Schools. This is our second year and we couldn’t be happier. Cody has been given educational opportunities and a safe learning environment not available in our public school system.

We started at MSA-3 last year and were very impressed by the car-ing, supportive atmosphere and the genuine concern shown by the principal and staff; this, coupled with the small class size and the in-home visits, allowed the teachers to get to know each student individually and help each of them reach their full potential.As a member of the AMSP program for two years now, Cody has had the opportunity to sharpen his math and computer skills. He loves going to AMSP camps – the camps combine math instruction with fun activities and field trips, and he has made many friends and has become much more comfortable in math competitions.

This year we followed three of Cody’s favorite teachers to Pacific Technology School. We were amazed at how the principal and staff were able to get so many after school clubs up and running, even with all the pressures and demands that go along with starting a new school. The dedication of the teachers and Mr. Keskinturk is extraordinary and very much appreciated. They started not one but two Robotics Clubs, both of which went on to the Regional fi-nals for our area. The opportunity to join a Robotics Club is almost unheard of in middle school in our area. Drama, CJSF, Turkish dancing, ping pong and sports are also offered – we wish we had the time to be involved with more of them.

PTS staff makes learning fun. There have been some wonderful, educational field trips, (Legoland, Medieval Times, “A Christmas Carol”, John Wayne Airport, U.C. Irvine and Olvera Street among others so far this year) and, at the recent Science Fair, students were encouraged to wear lab coats to make the experience more authentic. Even Mr. Keskinturk, the principal, wore one.

These are just a few of the many reasons I feel the Magnolia Schools are heads above public schools in our area. They have a great future ahead of them, and we are proud to be a small part of their foundation.

Sincerely,Stephanie Hale, PTS-OC parent