BUILDING LITERACY

We are celebrating the joy of reading!

There are many days set aside in March to recognize and celebrate education. One of those special educational initiatives is National Reading Month. Our families, community, teachers, and students are finding ways to celebrate the gift of reading books all month long. How are you nourishing the love for reading at home?

Read. Read. Read.

Tucker Elementary School

Lucille Nesom Memorial School

Independence Leadership Academy

Schools across the district have invited special guests to read aloud to our elementary students. It has been a real treat to welcome our community visitors to our classrooms. #RaisingReaders #BuildingLiteracy

Interested in becoming involved in our Building Literacy initiative?

Become a Partner in Literacy.

Get Loud about Reading Aloud!

You probably read out loud more than you think. For many of us, reading out funny emails, memes, or news articles to family members and coworkers is a near-daily ritual. Others will read prayers and blessings for their spiritual practices. Writers will recite their drafts to perfect rhythm and sniff out errors. At some point or another, most of us will read aloud to make sense of recipes, complicated contracts, and instruction manuals.

Why do we read out loud? Our brains are just much better adapted to parsing and remembering spoken language than written language. For this reason, it’s very likely that you remember more song lyrics and movie quotes than book or magazine quotes. Reading aloud consistently improves retention of words and texts compared to reading silently. It also has profound effects on our memory, our cognition, our comprehension, and our self-confidence when communicating.

Benefits of Reading Out Loud with Children

The memory-boosting effect of reading out loud is particularly strong in children. Next time you read with your child, take turns reading aloud.

If he or she stumbles over certain words, gently offer guidance on their correct pronunciation. Mistakes are how we learn! 

Occasionally, you may come across an archaic or rare word that neither of you will be familiar with. There's nothing wrong with admitting you don't know something; learning together is a great opportunity for bonding. Visit a free online dictionary such as Merriam-Webster or Dictionary.com to hear the word pronounced out loud. Take turns repeating these words and try incorporating them into your daily conversations. 

Reading aloud: 



• Strengthens cognition 
• Improves vocabulary and memory
• Increases attention span 
• Builds connections between spoken and written words
• Helps with stutters and speech impediments 
• Boosts self-confidence 
• Encourages children to become comfortable with using their voices 
• Helps children understand the structure and rhythm of language 

Creative Ways to Incorporate More Out-Loud Reading into Your Daily Routine 

Everyone’s heard the parenting adage “read for 20 minutes every day”. While making time to practice reading skills is very important, we understand that not everyone has the time to sit down and read a book. 

When you're on the go, reading out loud is easy! 



• Go for a walk around downtown and read historic plaques together. 
• Sing at-home karaoke together. 
• Read dialogue boxes in video games. 
• Read a recipe or ingredient labels while cooking dinner. 
• Take turns reading through the instruction manual before playing a board game.
• Read billboards, street signs, car decals, and text on trucks. 
• Visit a museum and read its plaques and posters. 
• Read a newspaper or magazine.

Join us for an informative early education and enrollment event for students and families. Event will include food, fun and interactive games for students.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2023 AT 10 AM – 1 PM

Once Upon a Time in the Park

601 West Coleman Ave Hammond, LA

During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits.

Learn how to eat healthy with MyPlate

Remember the food pyramid? Meet MyPlate, the official symbol of the five food groups. Learn how to make MyPlate work for you!

Survey Window Opens

Monday, March 27, 2023

Family Survey

Helping students do their best in school requires a team effort. Parents, students, and schools all play important roles in this process. To help all of us learn how to make your child's schooling experience as positive and beneficial as possible, we plan to provide a survey as a way for you to give us your honest, thoughtful responses to some very important questions.

Be on the lookout for more info in the coming weeks.

TESTING

Have a Non-Public or Homeschooled student? Find out more information in regards to LEAP testing at tangischools.org/academics/assessment

HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

Fill out the FAFSA

Did you know students who are eligible for TOPS must fill out this form to receive funding?

Did you know the financial aid included in this application can be applied to vocational schools?

And lastly... did you know that completing FAFSA is a graduation requirement?

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This application is required by the state for funding, including TOPS and other grants for technical schools.

SOCIAL & SAFE

To protect our children online, we must stay informed of the potential risks. Be aware of the warning signs of troubling situations. Keep an open conversation with your child about how they feel when socializing in a digital environment. The resources below can help you and your child to stay social & safe.

• Keeping Children Safe Online: This webpage offers tips, videos, and resources to help parents, guardians, caregivers, and teachers help protect children from becoming victims of online child predators. U.S. Department of Justice
• NetSmartz: NetSmartz is NCMEC's online safety education program. It provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach children be safer online with the goal of helping children to become more aware of potential online risks and empowering them to help prevent victimization by making safer choices on- and offline. 
• Project iGuardian - this site provides children, teens, parents, guardians, and teachers information regarding the potential dangers of online environments and how to stay safe online can help prevent many instances of child exploitation. 

Protect children from exploitation by recognizing the risk factors and warning signs, knowing how to respond, and supporting students who have been victimized. 

Set your goals into motion.

Join our fleet of Tangischool Bus Drivers.

March is National Arts in Education Month!

Visual Arts. Dance. Music. Theatre.

Young Artist Exhibition

The Young Artists Exhibition is on display through March 30th at Hammond Regional Arts Center.

Gallery Hours: Wed - Fri from noon to 6 pm.

HAMMOND REGIONAL ARTS CENTER

217 E. THOMAS STREET

HAMMOND, LA, 70401

Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun!

The hallways of Lucille Nesom Memorial School are decorated with the celebration of student creativity. Showcasing artwork helps to paint the picture of student individuality and expression.

Singing Loud & Clear for all to Hear.

HHMS Advanced Choir performs at the Parish Choral Assessment.

March is Theatre in our Schools Month! Visit us online to see our talented students take action on the big screen.

Tangipahoa Parish Library

YOUNG WOMAN OF EXCELLENCE AWARD

The recipient of this award is a female student who exemplifies outstanding service to Tangipahoa Parish and leadership in the community. The student will be selected by the Award Selection Committee from nominations received from teachers, school librarians, principals, or community leaders of Tangipahoa Parish.

Nomination Instructions

Submit Online Form by 6pm on March 19th.

Interest Meeting

On Saturday, March 18, IBoosters of Hammond High Magnet School (HHMS) is hosting a Coffee Talk to provide information on Hammond High's International Baccalaureate (IB) program. HHMS is an IB World School offering an IB magnet pathway that provides a rigorous curriculum centering on student development. This Coffee Talk event is focused on providing information to upcoming ninth graders and their parents, but is open to anyone interested in learning more about IB at HHMS.

Date: Saturday, Mar. 18

Time: 9am - 12pm

Where: HHMS Campus - 2nd Floor Library

Contact: deirdra.haase@tangischools.org

Can't make it this Saturday? No worries. We will meet again April 1. Same place, same time.

Have you heard about our new Magnet Center opportunity?

The purpose of the Advanced College and Career Magnet Center is to expand pathways for over 2000 11th - 12th grade students across our seven high schools in TPSS. By allowing teachers to be centrally located within The Center, TPSS juniors and seniors will have increased access to Advanced Placement (AP) and dual enrollment courses, as well as opportunities to attain basic and advanced credentials. This innovation will support students’ college and career readiness, so they are able to access meaningful post-secondary opportunities.

The new center will open at the start of the 2023 school year. The time to enroll in classes is now! Deadline to request classes is March 24.

Building a positive relationship with the key players of your child's education is so important. It begins with building a professional and positive connection with the teachers who work with your child each day. If there is ever a question, misunderstanding, incident, or curiosity, reach out to the teacher first. Many concerns can be set at ease with a simple conversation. It is also helpful to reach out for praise, support, and appreciation. This goes both ways. Modeling a healthy and positive relation between families and school will help to build an encouraging attitude in our children. If reaching out to the teacher is challenging, call the school office. Each school has an administrative team that is equipped to help see that your child's needs are met.

Talking with someone about your thoughts and feelings can save your life.

Call 988 to speak to someone

Text 988 to chat

The Lifeline is available for everyone, is free, and confidential.

988lifeline.org

Student Progress Center

Want to keep track of your child's attendance, grades, and discipline records? Create a new user login with our Student Progress Center.

Families can now Update Contact Information in the Student Progress Center :)

UPCOMING DATES

March 25 - Saturday: Once Upon a Time in the Park (Early Childhood Event)

March 27 - April 6 - Family Engagement Survey Window

April 1 - Saturday: 2023 Teacher Job Fair @ Chappapeela Park (8:30-11am)

April 6 - Thursday: Half Day for Students (full day for staff)

April 7 - 14 - Spring Break

May 23 - Last Day for Students, End of 4th 9 weeks/2nd Semester

May 24 - PD Day for Teachers

Make every day count.