Friday, September 24, 2010

1st Trimester MidTerm

It's the middle of 1st trimester...a good time to look at where kids are and make goals for the end of the trimester. I really appreciate all the communication I've had from parents this year. Please feel free to email me or call if you have a question about an assignment or grade. If you check PowerSchool on a regular basis, notice that some assignments (most of mine) show up in blue (hyperlink). There is more information about that assignment available if you click on it. "Official" midterm reports will be sent home with your child on Monday. According to the front office, parent-teacher conferences will be in mid-October (Tues., Oct 12 4-7pm and Wed., Oct 13 4-7pm)

These will work slightly differently than in the elementary. Teachers will all be centrally located in the commons(cafeteria) area, allowing parents to speak to all their child's teachers without running around the school. I look forward to meeting most of you those evenings!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Changes in September

Dear Parents,
Wow! We've finished our first unit, Geography, and tested on it. Hopefully, you've accessed PowerSchool and realized what a great tool that is for keeping tabs on your child's progress at school. We have a lot of things coming up this week at SRIS that I will detail down below, but I want to let you know something about tests in my class.
Students CAN RETAKE any test or quiz that they receive less than an 80% on... I am trying to make sure that all students gain the essential knowledge of our Social Studies curriculum. The "catch" is that I will not chase them down to do it. When I graded their tests, students receiving a grade of less than 70% got a note from me on their test about retaking. Unfortunately, there is not enough time for me to stop for 2 days after every unit and reteach for just a few students. SO... students are welcome to study (and come ask me any questions they have) and then come in before school or after school to retake their test for a higher grade. I will continue to note their ability to retake tests as I grade through the year, but I will not pester kids to do it. I have shared with them the adage about leading a horse to water, and hopefully they will take advantage of this opportunity.
COMING THIS WEEK:
It's Spirit Week @ SRIS... which means students can dress up each day as requested, and activities will be occurring each day at lunch. We will have a Spirit Assembly on Tuesday afternoon ( in lieu of TBT). Here are the dress up days:
Monday - Western Day
Tuesday - Dress according to your Birthday
J, F, M - Plaids or Stripes
A, M, J - Red or Pink
J, A, S - Green or Yellow
O, N, D - Polka Dots
Wednesday - Mismatch Day
Thursday - Flashback Day... '60s, '70s, '80s
Friday - SCHOOL COLORS

Also....Thursday will be MAKE UP DAY for School Pictures. If your child missed the first date of pictures, please be sure they are at school for make ups. They will not have a picture for their student ID or the Yearbook if they do not get a picture taken.

TBT Session 2
Wednesday will begin a new session of Thunderbolt Time. The classes should be listed on the bottom of their schedule on PowerSchool or on the paper they got at the beginning of the year. Classes should also be posted in the Commons.

I am truly enjoying all of the students in my classes this year. They have great personalities, and it makes the day lots of fun.
Thanks for all your support!
Mrs. White