Mid-Term's ...just passed

Hello! Wow, the year has flown by. Testing has started for Math, Science, and Language Arts. Social studies will have an end of the year test, but it won't be until the second to the last week.

I would like to encourage all parents and students to check PowerSchool on a regular basis to make sure all assignments are in... I will accept any late assignments until May 14. I have extra copies available in the classroom - the students should know where to find them!

I will keep you updated on school-related events, including next week's TALENT SHOW! Come watch our school's bravest, most talented students strut their stuff.

3rd Trimester

We are going to be studying more recent events this trimester. We will start with the Middle Ages in Europe, then the Renaissance and Reformation, the Revolutionary period, and Modern Conflicts. I will be adding links to the Social Studies Blog for resources.

I am encouraging students to increase their responsibility this trimester. They need to be on top of their planners, staying organized, and relying more on their own skills. It will be a fast 3 months, filled with testing in the core areas, and hopefully when we get to May, the students will realize how much they've grown this year.

Conversation with students

I was glad to hear from many parents that they had a conversation with their child at home about the Greek newspaper assignment. Again, it was not something that the majority of students did, but it was a significant enough number (and happened in every class) that I felt it was important to address now. Thank you for your support on this issue.

We have begun our unit on Rome. We are focusing on reading for information, taking notes, and creating outlines to solidify thinking. We will be going through Chapters 10 and 11 in the World History book slowly, reading and outlining, before we address the final essay test. I will be sure to prepare the students as best I can for this. I know that many of their future teachers will appreciate them knowing how to communicate their learning.

Happy New Year!

Welcome back! I hope you all had a great Christmas vacation, I know I did. It was hard to get up with the alarm clock, but I'm excited for the new half of the school year. Mid-term grades (for the 2nd trimester) will be posted on Friday (1/8), and a paper copy will be sent home next week.

We will be starting our Greece newspapers this week, and spend the next couple of weeks working on it in class. There may be some research work or typing that individual students need to finish at home, but I have scheduled class time and time in the computer lab for this project. Students will bring home instructions and a rubric for the newspaper by Wednesday.

Greece and Christmas

Hello! It seems like an age since I updated the posts. I have added another class, so I do not have a prep during the day. It is a great group of kids (thanks Mrs. Lea), but it leaves me less time to do "all those other things", like posting on the blog. We have started our unit on Greece. Students should have brought home a permission slip for Hercules yesterday (12/10). After Christmas, we will be starting our Newspaper project, and students will have instructions and a rubric then.

Christmas break will start on 12/19 and students do not need to return until Tuesday, 1/5. Enjoy the holidays! Thank you for all your support! Merry Christmas!