vember 25th, Pioneer Academy will have a half

THANKSGIVING BECOMES AN
OFFICIAL HOLIDAY Pilgrims held
Thanksgiving
Holiday
On Wednesday, November 25th, Pioneer
Academy will have a
half-day schedule due
to the Thanksgiving
holiday on Thursday
the 26th.
Pioneer Academy will
be closed on Thursday
and Friday November
26th and 27th.
BACKGROUND ON
THANKSGIVING
In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians
shared an autumn harvest feast
that is acknowledged today as
one of the first Thanksgiving
celebrations in the colonies. For
more than two centuries, days
of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and
states. It wasn’t until 1863, in
the midst of the Civil War, that
President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving
Day to be held each November.
every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an
attempt to spur retail sales during the Great
their second Thanksgiving celebration in
Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known de1623 to mark the end of a long drought
risively as Franksgiving, was met with
that had threatened the year’s harvest and passionate opposition, and in 1941 the
prompted Governor Bradford to call for a
president reluctantly signed a bill making
religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiv- Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in Noing on an annual or occasional basis became vember.
common practice in other New England settlements as well. During the American Revo- THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS
In many American households, the Thanksgiving
lution, the Continental Congress designated
one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and celebration has lost much of its original religious
significance; instead, it now centers on cookin 1789 George Washington issued the first
ing and sharing a bountiful meal with family and
Thanksgiving proclamation by the national
friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquigovernment of the United States; in it, he
tous it has become all but synonymous with the
called upon Americans to express their grat- holiday, may or may not have been on offer when
itude for the happy conclusion to the counthe Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621.
try’s war of independence and the successful Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Amerratification of the U.S. Constitution. His sucicans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked
or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according
cessors John Adams and James Madison
to the National Turkey Federation. Other tradialso designated days of thanks during their
tional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes,
presidencies.
In 1817, New York became the first of several cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering
is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and
states to officially adopt an annual Thankscommunities often hold food drives and host free
giving holiday; each celebrated it on a differdinners for the less fortunate.
ent day, however, and the American South
Parades have also become an integral part of
remained largely unfamiliar with the tradithe holiday in cities and towns across the United
tion. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and States. Presented by Macy’s department store
prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale—author,
since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day
among countless other things, of the nursery parade is the largest and most famous, atrhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched
tracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along
its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous
a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a
national holiday. For 36 years, she published television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveynumerous editorials and sent scores of leting various celebrities and giant balloons shaped
ters to governors, senators, presidents and
like cartoon characters.
other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally
Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps
heeded her request in 1863, at the height of
even earlier, the president of the United States
the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all
has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys
Americans to ask God to “commend to his
each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and
tender care all those who have become
sending them to a farm for retirement. A number
widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers
of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey
in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal
pardoning ritual. http://www.history.com/topics/
the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled
thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving
Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day
MODEL UN
CLUB TRIP
On Tuesday, December 1st, Pioneer
Academy’s Model United Nation (MUN)
members went on a field trip to the
United Nations Headquarters in NYC.
MUN members learned about the history
of the United Nations, the humanitarian
work that UN participates in around the
world and how all the various UN councils
work together. The council rooms, where
world leaders meet and debate, were particularly impressive. Pioneer’s MUN mem-
bers were profoundly moved by the work
that the UN is doing in the removal of land
mines around world. They learned about
and saw the horrific damage these weapons of war still cause on a daily bases in
areas where children play and innocent
people are exposed decades after wars
have ended. Many of our students expressed an interest in future careers with
the United Nations!
Blood Drive
Turkish Class
in Pioneer Academy
Last month our high school students
taking Turkish Language class visited Turkology department at prestigious Columbia University and they
had the opportunity to attend one of
their classes.
In Turkish Language class, students
completed some hands on activities
which is part of the language class
curriculum. One is Turkish tea time
with the recipe given, students had
learned why it is important, how to
make it, and what are common gestures for tea. It was such a great experience for them to involve tea time
with real Turkish tea!
Pioneer Academy hosted its Annual Blood Drive on Monday,
November 30th from noon until 3:40pm. Every unit of blood goes
through a series of tests to ensure that it is as safe as possible.
The steps in order are donation, processing, testing, storage, and
distribution. Did you know that one pint of blood could save as
many as three lives? Giving blood is an extremely selfless act that
contributes to saving millions of lives. An enormous thank you
goes out to all those that donated blood!
Pioneer Receives Accreditation Recommendation from Middle States
The Pioneer Community is very excited!
We received our unofficial accreditation
recommendation from Middle States Association! A huge thank you to our supportive parents, brilliant students (former
and current), outstanding educators, dedicated administration and everyone else
involved in the Pioneer Academy community. We couldn't have done it without
your support, endless help and persistent
belief in the vision and value of the education at Pioneer Academy! Let us all
continue to raise the bar and reach even
higher now!
Thanksgiving Luncheon
On Wednesday, November
25th Pioneer Academy hosted
a Thanksgiving Luncheon. The
Mayor of Wayne, NJ greeted Pioneer students and families. Pioneer Alumni attended this event as
well. Students in grades 5-12 were
responsible for bringing in the side
ACT Career Profiling
Pioneer Academy is implementing the
ACT College Profile, a free web-based
career profiling service by ACT. With
ACT profile, students are offered insight
into the careers that are suitable for them
based on interests, abilities, and value
inventories. After taking the inventories,
students are presented with a variety of
dishes. Members of SGA and
Model UN arranged the setup and
cleanup committees. Thank you
to all of those who contributed to
make this a fantastic event! Special thanks to Ms. Coban and Ms.
Gensinger for their preparations,
support, and guidance!
careers that match their results. They can
explore their careers and read about its
characteristics, required/recommended
training, salary range, etc. We hope that
this program will help students better
understand themselves and discover the
myriad career opportunities that suit their
interests, abilities, and values.
Talent Show 2015
On November 24th, Pioneer Academy hosted its annual Talent Show with students showcasing their creative skills under the direction of Mr. Bajrami. Some of
the performances included: singing, playing piano, playing guitar,
and doing magic tricks. Every year the talent at Pioneer seems
to improve and all students always look forward to the event!
Thank you to all students who participated to make this a noteworthy and enjoyable event!
Here is a list of the winners:
High School:
1. Yernar Akimzhanov (piano)
-River Flows in You by Yiruma
2. Serhat Sertkaya (guitar)
- Sevdan Bir Ates & Artik Sevmeyecegim
3. Emin Yilmaz (piano & magic tricks)
-Kavaleriskaya by D. Kabalevsky
Middle School:
1. Melek Oztoprak ft. Kemal Dernek (voice & guitar)
- Wings by Little Mix
2. Havva Angun and
Meryem Dulgeroglu
(voice)
- Counting Stars by One
Republic
3. Hasan Senturk
- Turkish March
Seniors
The Time is Now!
Although it seems as if
your first steps into college are close by, there
are many crucial deadlines
that you need to make in
order to place yourself in
the best possible position to
succeed in your final year in
high school and as you embark on your future journey.
Here is a checklist to help keep you organized. If you have any questions, please
see your counselor in the guidance department.
Explore your prospective schools'
financial aid requirements to plan
your college budget.
Winter (December-February)
Schedule your college interviews to
finish up the admissions process.
Complete your FAFSA so you can
get the most possible financial assistance for college.
Cross everything off this post-application
checklist.
Continue your hunt for scholarships and
apply for scholarships.
Spring (March-May)
Once you've received all of your responses from colleges, make your final decision!
Fall (September-November)
Verify your financial aid before you make
Start your senior year by finalizing your
any college budget decisions.
college list.
Follow our last admissions checklist:
Now that you have an idea of where you
want to go, visit prospective colleges and Send your final transcripts to your college
and meet housing deadlines.
get a feel for the campuses.
Consider options for early action and your Prepare for your AP exams and complete
your AP tests before summer.
recommendation letters.
Cross everything off your graduation
Register for required tests, it's your last
chance to take the SAT, ACT, or SAT sub- checklist and graduate!
http://www.campusexplorer.com/colject tests!
lege-advice-tips/6BCDBA67/HighFill out and complete your college appliSchool-Senior-Timeline-and-Checklist/
cations before the deadlines arrive.
Make an appointment with your guidance
CLASS
counselor to ensure all your colleges get
what they need.
Start working on your college application
essay; it's a crucial part of your application.
CLUB
AC
Life Saver’s Club: On Monday, November 16th, members of the Life
Saver’s Club helped clean Pioneer
Academy’s campus. They raked leaves
and picked up any trash that was lying
around. Their next event is the Blood
Drive. It will be held on Monday, November 30th from 12:00 PM to 6:00
PM. All donors must be at least 17
years of age or 16 years of age with
parental consent. Each participant will
receive 2 community service hours.
Following the Blood Drive will be the
Ring-A-Ding event. All you need to do
is ring a bell! That simple!
If you’re interested in signing up for any
event please see Bilal Aksoy baksoy@
pioneeracademy.org
Student Government Association:
The Student Government Association
now has thirteen new members. Senate elections were held on November
5th in which these new members were
elected. After two meetings, the Student Government and Mr. Akman have
come to an agreement to extend the
wi-fi hours and to redistribute the refrigerators back to the dorms. Starting
Monday, November 23, students will
see that the internet closes at a later
time and opens earlier.
Yearbook: The Yearbook Committee is
working on putting together the 2015
- 2016 school yearbook. If you have
any pictures that you would like to see
in the yearbook, please send them to
[email protected].
For Seniors: Please send pictures
from 1 year of age to now. We are
mainly in need of baby pictures!
Macbeth ABC Poetry
Pioneer seniors have been working on Macbeth poems in ABC format.
ABC poems add rhythm, rhyme, and a specific pattern to follow. Students delved into the characterizations of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and
explained how they had tragic flaws to complete their poems. A few top
poems are reprinted below. To see all poems, please check out the English
bulletin board.
BC Poem about Macbeth by
Dogukan Aciker
Macbeth by Aaron Nazir
Macbeth was a strong soldier.
But he had the weight of the world on his
Although life is tough
shoulders.
Because all pressure
Can he stay loyal and be great.
Continues throughout your days
Or be someone that’s depraved.
Determination
Everytime he see’s the king, he gets jealous.
Even when you’re good
He wants to be king and be with his fellas.
Fire, don’t play with that
Good or bad, it’s up to him.
Girls came into your life
He chooses to kill and that’s a sin.
Holding onto your thirst
He lives in Scotland with Lady Macbeth.
Imagine being King of Scotland
She’s just as evil as anyone can get.
Joy will only last for a little
Keeping a secret between you and your belo- Macbeth killed the king.
Let’s be happy and sing.
veded wife
Macbeth is filled with joy.
Lost in your own mind
Now he starts to feel bad and cry like a boy.
Moving from humanity to inhumane
Over exaggerating and going a little crazy.
Nothing
People start to realize, he’s crazier than his
On earth is more
lady.
Praiseworthy than to kill your friend
Macbeth then turns into a quitter
Quit being someone else, be you
Right now, Macbeth feels bitter.
Re-start your life before the thirst
So as you can see.
Start by telling the truth
Everything is not what it seems to be.
To appreciate being the King’s favorite
Now Macbeth feels useless and done.
Until the gloomy night is over
Now he can vividly see, he should go and run.
Victory will be brought by people of justice
When will he realize?
We see your true face, my friend
That his eyes are full of lies.
Xhaling and inhaling evilness
Now you see.
Yes, your mask has fell.
Macbeth is in a deep sleep...Zzz
Zzz, six feet under the ground.
Macbeth by Azhdar Ulu
Always have greed in power,
Bring himself trouble,
Climbed a lot of ladders.
During nights Macbeth lose himself,
Evil thoughts come in his head,
Feared that somebody can hear,
Grotty thoughts from his head.
Hail to Macbeth for his brave,
I think he deserved it.
Jealous of power is poor,
Killing Duncan is evil.
Life is hard for Macbeth,
Not mercy for the traitors.
Old people can trust anything,
People always believe Lady Macbeth.
Quitting fast is for powerless people,
Resolute people is perfect.
Suddenly witches came,
Thoughts of evilness came to Macbeth.
Unexpected things is very horrible,
View of Banquo’s is death.
War is coming from darkness,
Except Macbeth, nobody knows
sadness.
Yet people don’t know the truth,
The muzzled assassin is the best.
Macbeth by Ugur Tatlidil
Although Macbeth was so naive
Below him laying a psycho man
Couldn’t see what’s coming to them,
Duncan and the others
Exposed very much to Macbeth’s dagger.
Frankly, Macbeth and the Lady didn’t get
caught.
Geez, Macbeth was going way too far
Hence, even the Lady was afraid of him
Insanely he grew up
Managed to kill Banquo too, somehow
Nevertheless, the people were just waking up
Omniscient they became
Perhaps, they were going to kill Macbeth ?
Quickly they prepared for a big fight
Rigidly he was fighting, he didn’t fall down.
Sons of the true Scotland were fighting
against him,
‘Till the end, ‘till the last blood
Unable to defeat Macbeth, but somehow
Macduff
Versatility stabbed the blade to Macbeth’s
stomach
What a whack person Macbeth actually was,
everybody thought
Yielded, everybody counted Macduff as the
owner of the crown
Zenithal is the Macduff now, Hail for the king.
Staff Bowling & Dinner
On Friday, November 13 PA staff attended a team building bowling
event at T-Bowl II in Wayne, NJ. Everyone had an amazing time.
Following the activity, everyone was welcome to enjoy cuisine at
Istanbul Cafe in Clifton, NJ. We thank everyone very much for
attending and hope to see you all at our future events. We look forward to more events as the school year progresses!
Tips to Keep You
Healthy through the
Holidays
We’ve left long summer days behind
to savor cozy fall nights. This time
of the year can be busy, filled with
festivities, food, family, and friends.
Even though there’s a lot to celebrate this time of year, it can leave
you feeling a bit run down. Keep
your body and mind healthy through
the holiday season with these tips.
Beat the cold and flu—and other germs
Drink water. It’s important to stay hydrated
for overall good health. Drinking plenty of
water each day helps to keep your organs
working properly, and when you’re outdoors
in cold weather, it helps you avoid dry sinuses and eyes. Try drinking tea or warm water
with lemon to stay warm and hydrated.
Wash your hands often. This time of year
can bring a lot of social activities. It’s always
good to wash your hands often in order to
avoid germs or bacteria, especially before
touching your eyes. Wash your hands with
warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. If you do notice signs of conjunctivitis,
or pink eye, make an appointment to see
your eye doctor—it can spread fast!
Get plenty of sleep. Getting the proper
amount of rest can help you recharge and
avoid sickness. And if you do come down
with a cold? Some extra rest can help you
recover faster.
Avoid winter weight gain
Balance meals. This time of year we tend to
splurge on comforting home-cooked food,
meals out with friends, and holiday treats. It’s
okay to treat yourself, but it’s important to
balance those heavy meals and sweets with
healthy ones. If you have plans with friends
or family and know you’ll be enjoying lots
of unhealthy food, try to eat well the days
ahead of time. Be sure to eat fruits, vegetables, healthy grains, and proteins; avoid
processed food and sugars. Watching your
portions can help you balance your food too.
Eating healthy and staying active not only
keeps you ahead of winter weight gain, but it
helps your immune system.
Be active. As the temperatures get cooler,
it can be a refreshing time to be outdoors.
Go on walks or run if you like, but be sure to
bundle up when you step outside and wear
sunglasses to protect your eyes. Make an
effort to take the stairs or workout during the
commercials of your favorite shows.
Suppress your stress
Relax. Easy right? Many families and working
adults are especially busy this time of year. —
end-of-year deadlines, planning parties, entertaining company, etc. Take a few seconds
to do some breathing exercises or meditation
when you feel overwhelmed. Take a walk, go
for a run, do some yoga to help calm your
stress. Not only will staying active help you
to avoid any unwanted weight, but it can also
also, it can help you decrease your stress.
Plan ahead. Whether it’s holiday shopping,
meal planning, or scheduling an appointment
with your eye doctor—take some time now to
plan for the upcoming weeks.
Spend time away from devices. We’re all
indoors more during the cooler seasons, so
many of us spend more time on our phones,
tablets, or in front of the television. Decrease
strain on your eyes and give yourself a break
to allow for quality time with friends and family. If you are feeling the strain on your eyes,
see your eye doctor to get some new glasses
to protect your eyes from too much screen
time!
Still craving more tips? Here’s additional information to help boost you through the holiday season.
PIONEER ACADEMY
DRAMA CLUB
MEDIA
CLUB
Lifesavers Club
The Lifesavers Club has been quite active planning events for this year. If you
have any questions, would like to request
additional information, or are interested
in signing up for an event, please contact
Mr. Yurtasser at [email protected].
Here is a list of some upcoming events in
which the club will be involved.
November:
· Food Drive: 11/3 - 11/30
· Campus - Wide Clean up: Tuesday,
11/10
· Blood Drive: Monday, 11/30
December:
· Salvation Army Ring-A-Ding: Saturday,
12/5 & 12/12
· Coat & Toy Drive for Foster Children:
12/1 - 12/18
January:
· Birthday Cards for kids in Hospital: Friday, 1/15
February:
· Smiles for Soldiers (Letters & Cards):
Friday, 2/19
March:
· Homeless Shelter Visits - Saturday, 3/5
April:
· Orphanage visits: TBD
· Earth Day Activities: TBD
May:
· Nursing Home Visits: TBD
Drama club, a place where Pioneer
Academy’s spirit meets the world’s
greatest plays. With the lead of Ms.
Saira Azad, students practice their
roles to their heart’s content. At the
moment, drama club is working on
12 Angry Men which is a tremendous masterpiece by Reginald Rose.
In the past month, The Drama Club
have been rehearsing on their play
at an intense pace. Students are
determined to impress the audience
while having fun and socializing with
each other. The Drama Club is thinking
about presenting their performance at
the end of the year and perfecting their
roles until that time comes. Along with
actors, there is also a backstage crew.
Backstage deals with income of the
club, stage designing, costumes, music, etc. There are also two script editors that make necessary changes for
the script as well. So it’s never too late
to sign up for the Drama club. See Ms.
Azad and sign up now!
Unknown Substance Lab
The FBI Crime Laboratory works closely
with pharmaceutical companies to produce tests for drugs they develop. The
“standards” are critical for the proper
identification of “unknown” drugs at a later time. Accurate drug identification has
many crime scene implications.
In this activity, students have assumed
the role of crime lab chemists and created
a set of standards for the identification
of four simulated drugs. Once the set of
standards has been established, students
scene scenario, has created enormous
performed chemical tests on an “uninterest and motivated students to learn
known” simulated drug found at a crime
numerous chemistry procedures.
scene. This laboratory, set in a crime
During the week of December 7th11th, PA hosted a Scholastic Book
Fair. Teachers took their students on
trips to the library to take a gander at
the myriad of books on display. Our
most popular books were the Minecraft
guides. Students also enjoyed looking
at the fun posters and interesting pencils and pens. PA raised approximately
$1000. PA will retain 40% of the proceeds which will go towards expanding
our library collections. We would like to
thank all of the student volunteers who
supported the Book Fair and all those
that volunteered their time to help out
with the sales. A special thanks to Ms.
Gensinger and Ms. Selman for organizing the Book Fair and helping to make
it a success just like last year! Additional thanks to the English Department for their contributions as well.
PA Soccer Games
Our Pioneer Academy soccer team, the
Eagles endured three rigorous games this
past Sunday. Unfortunately, the team lost
against Dervis FC, a Bosnian team. The
score was ultimately 3-0. The second
game was against Bosnian FC and our
team won 4-3, as we were hard pressed
against the opposition yet ultimately prevailed. Then they went up against the
third team, FC Anzahri, and the game
ended with a tie, being 1-1. The only way
they could have advanced out of their
bracket, as if they won 5-0 in their next
game against the Bosnian All-Stars, as to
which they did. All in all, a relatively successful day for our team and the champions came back to a hefty dinner!
On Friday, November 13th, Pioneer
Math Club students attended Math
Conference, TIME 2000 at Queens
College in New York. The main goal
for conference was to encourage high
school students to become math
teachers. There were sections for students that how you use mathematics
in the real world. MAny students noted
how informative and exciting the conference was.
TIME 2000 (Teaching Improvements
through Mathematics Education) is
a four-year secondary mathematics
teacher preparation program offering
partial scholarships towards tuition.
Students in this program double major
in mathematics and secondary education. Upon graduation and completion
of New York State examinations, students are fully qualified to begin teaching
The following students participated
in the event: Ali Kemal Akcakir, Omer
Cagri Aydin, Omer Deveer, Furkan Aldemir, Tarik Kesen, Mehmet Fidan,
Ahmet Karakoc, Fatih Yanik, Furkan
Cetinkaya, and Furkan Sahin.
Contact Us
973-405-5169
973-405-5176
[email protected]
164 Totowa Road Wayne NJ 07470