GT Academy Newsletter
Pearland ISD / January 2025
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year and welcome back to what promises to be another exciting and enriching semester! From academic competitions to community service, Texas Performance Standards Projects to the Winter Hoopla, we are excited about all this semester has to offer as we continue to explore, create, and connect. We are looking forward to working together with our parents and community to make this semester a memorable one for all of our students.
Community Connections
Getting involved in community service helps develop a sense of responsibility, empathy, and leadership skills. Academy students have many opportunities to make a positive impact throughout the year. Our first semester projects included:
- Deck the Doors - Groups of students, parents and teachers gathered at The Harbor Assisted Living to bring cheer to the residents by decorating their doors for the holidays.
- Project Linus - Each year, our fifth graders spend a morning making tied fleece blankets for children who are seriously ill or traumatized. Because of their generous donation, they have been declared official "Blanketeers" for Project Linus.
- Socktober - After a friendly competition between PJHW and Sab, over 1,500 pairs of socks were collected for the Pearland Neighborhood Center and Lord of the Streets!
- Cards for Kindness - Students are creating handmade cards for all occasions to give to residents of local nursing homes. There is a collection box in the student office (Sab) and GTA Suite (PJHW) and students are encouraged to keep filling them up. GTAB collects and distributes throughout the year.
Thank you Mrs. Kimberly Samuels, for your leadership in coordinating these meaningful opportunities to support others. Read more about our community connections on the GTAB website.
Winter Hoopla
The 2025 GTAB Winter Hoopla is just around the corner! We can't wait to see our Academy families on February 7th in the Sab cafeteria. The fun starts at 6:30 p.m. Come grab a bite to eat from one of the food trucks, then stay for the talent showcase that will begin at 7:00.
Which class basket will bring in the highest bids? Will it be the Harry Potter basket, Dog Lover's basket, Snack basket, Mardi Gras basket, or another one? Teachers are eager to see who will join them for teacher experiences this year. Let's go bowling with Mrs. Loe, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Dennehy, go to the theatre with Mrs. Mashman, get Marble Slab with Mrs. Mueller, or get a pedicure with Mrs. Sadler! Bidding for these and other baskets and experiences will begin online February 1st and end at 8:00 the evening of the event.
Keep sending in those basket items! The deadline is January 15. Click the link below for a list of all teacher basket themes, and thank you for supporting our annual fundraiser.
Baylor TIP
We are excited to partner with Baylor University again this year to offer above level assessments for students to gain experience in SAT and ACT questioning. Students with qualifying scores are invited to participate in summer camps, Super Saturdays, Clubs & Societies, and the 7th Grade Talent Search as part of the Baylor Talent Identification Program.
This year's testing session for Academy students will take place February 18th at PJHW Library 4:00-7:00 p.m. The deadline to submit the form (linked below) to express interest in the Baylor TIP assessment is January 18th.
Field Experiences
Horticulture
Engineering
Artemis
Sewing
Storytelling
Instant Challenge
Crochet
Yoga
CSI
Code Breakers
Watercolor
Food Truck
Mars Rover
Psychology
Problem Solving
Steampunk
Oceanography
Congratulations to our stock market team, led by Braylon C.! Under the guidance of Mrs. Venkat, students participated in the Stock Market Game during the first mini corse session. Braylon's team had so much fun after the course ended, they continued competing on their own time and placed first in the region (73 teams) and seventh in the state (over 3,000 teams). Persistence pays off!
International Quilt Festival
Fifth graders visit the International Quilt Festival each year as they begin the TPSP process. After completing research papers, students will meet with their group to design and sew a unique quilt that reflects their research topics. Visiting the award winning quilts gives them a preview of the beauty and complexity of the art form. Thank you to all our great parents who joined us for this field experience!
We Love the Theatre
Seventh graders dressed in their holiday attire and traveled to the Alley Theatre for our annual trip to see A Christmas Carol. Sixth graders were treated to a holiday performance of The Twelve Ways of Christmas at Houston's Ensemble Theatre. Eighth graders will return to Main Street Theatre in February for the performance of Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief Musical. We appreciate GTAB's support in offsetting the cost of these performances.
Not only do we love attending the theatre, but we also enjoy performing as well! Sixth graders in the Drama mini course presented The Wizard of Oz in December. These creative thespians took the lead on set design, costumes and makeup, props, and of course learning their parts. The performance was outstanding!
A Christmas Carol
The Alley Theatre
It's Competition Season
PJHW DI Team
"Midterm Magic"
Students have been working hard and spending hours before and after school preparing for competition season, and it's just around the corner! Here's an update:
- Robotics - Sab First Lego League teams are presenting research projects to judges this week and will compete at San Jacinto College on January 18th. PJHW First Tech Challenge teams have a competition the same day at Lutheran South Academy. Sab TCEA teams will compete with Friendswood Junior High teams at Sab on March 6th.
- Future Problem Solvers- We have an awesome group of writers this year, and anticipate another successful season. FPS teams have qualifiers this month to see who will be going to the state competition in Waco this April.
- TMSCA - We have another practice meet on January 25th at Fort Settlement, and are hosting our annual qualifier competition at PJHW on March 1st. We need lots of volunteers to continue this successful event, so parents are encouraged to sign up when the information is sent out through math teachers. Our Sab/PJHW team is currently second place in the state!
- Destination Imagination - Teams are preparing for the Gulf Coast Regional competition that will be held at Dulles High School on February 15th. As part of their challenge, our eighth grade team "Midterm Magic" visited Alvin Community College to encourage students on exam day. We are thankful for all our parent Team Managers for stepping up to this creative challenge.
- Quiz Bowl - Students who participate in Quiz Bowl develop excellent study skills and are introduced to an Academic Decathlon type of competition. Teams have been studying together weekly in preparation for the district competition that will be at Turner High School in March.
- Chess - Our fifth and sixth grade teams made us proud as they brought home top honors at the first tournament with Pasadena ISD. Seventh and eighth grade chess enthusiasts meet weekly in Mrs. Mashman's classroom. We are looking for additional PJHW team members for the next tournament. Join us!
GTA Spotlight:
Student
Student
Student
Sara has such a kind heart. When we visited our Harbor Assisted Living friends, she was eager to visit with and assist one of the residents as her group decorated the door. Sara's attributes of kindness, intelligence, and integrity make her a a great example of an Academy student.
Teacher
Teacher
Parent
One of the strengths of the Academy is our incredibly supportive parents. From serving on GTAB committees to volunteering as guest speakers and chaperones or supporting fundraisers, our parents are the best! Ms. Ninan has been volunteering her time and expertise with our Sab FLL Robotics team. She attends practices each week to help monitor the team, gives presentation feedback and offers suggestions to improve their robot game. She has even come up to the school to offer extended time for the team to practice. We appreciate her time and engineering expertise!
Mark Your Calendar
January 13 - Mars Rover work session 4:00-5:00 p.m.
January 15 - Winter Hoopla basket items due
January 18 - Sab FLL & PJHW FTC Robotics competitions
January 20 - MLK Holiday - No School
January 22- PISD Spelling Bee @ ESC
January 22 - AMC8 (Sab) 4:00-5:00 p.m.
January23 - Sab Inventors work session 4:00-5:30 p.m.
January 25 - TMSCA practice meet @ Fort Settlement
January 27 - AMC8 (PJHW) 4:00-5:00 p.m.
January 27 - Mars Rover work session 4:00-5:00 p.m.
January 28 - FPS Qualifier (PJHW) 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
January 29 - FPS Qualifier (Sab) 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
January 30 - Sab Inventors 4:00-5:00 / Parents Invited 5:00-5:30 p.m. @ library
January 31 - Sab Inventors Showcase
January 31 - Winter Hoopla Talent Run Through @ Sab cafeteria 4:00-6:00 p.m.
February 1 - PJHW Robotics @ LSA
February 3- Mars Rover work session 4:00-5:00 p.m.
February 4 - Civics Bee essays due
February 5 - GTAB Meeting @ PJHW library 6:00 p.m.
February 6 - DI Run Through @ Sab 4:00-6:00 p.m.
February 7 - GTAB Winter Hoopla 6:30-8:00 p.m. @ Sab cafeteria
February 10 - Mars Rover work session 4:00-5:00 p.m.
February 14 - 8th GTA to Main Street Theatre
February 15 - DI competition @ Dulles High School
February 18 - Baylor TIP testing @ PJHW 4:00-7:00 p.m.
February 22 - Chess tournament @ Pasadena ISD
February 24 - Mars Rover work session 4:00-5:00 p.m.
February 27 - Team Purdue field experiences