Merry Christmas!

Mid-term reports will be coming home with students tomorrow. I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...hopefully you will spend the next two weeks with family and friends making wonderful new memories! Here are a couple of websites (in the spirit of modern Christmas time) that are fun for kids... North Pole and the Santa Tracker.

Students will return to school on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011.

Greece...It's that time of year!

Dear Parents,
Probably the most popular unit of the year - Ancient Greece - is upon us. We will be doing a variety of activities: students presenting mini-lessons, creating pictures of Greek vases, and comparing some mythology. If your student has read Percy Jackson and the Olympians, then this will be their favorite time of year! We will be viewing Disney's Hercules in class, the last two days before Christmas break. Before we watch the movie, we will talk about the classical Greek heroes, Hercules' story specifically, and then we will create a book that will compare the story to the movie. You may be begged to watch Percy Jackson, or Clash of the Titans. Greek-themed movies have been very popular over time, but I am not asking students to watch movies their parents would find offensive. If you have any questions about our unit, please feel free to contact me... And enjoy your child's journey to Ancient Greece!

New Trimester

Dear Parents & Students,

It's almost Thanksgiving already! We have started our 2nd trimester...
Students who made Honor Roll for 1st Trimester received a special treat today.
No announcement has been made yet about the winner of the Box Tops competition between 6th periods.

CANNED FOOD DRIVE - the Student Council is sponsoring a canned food drive competition this week between 4th period classes (we try to rotate these things...) Please bring your surplus canned foods to the Student Council Room (400 hall) in the morning before school.

There will be NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Usually the district has made it a short day, but this year, there will be no school that day...

Happy November!

Great to Chat with You!

I really enjoyed meeting so many parents over the last 2 days. If you were unable to come to Parent-Teacher Conferences, I have sent home with your student a copy of the grade report and a paper with important dates and web addresses. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, and thanks for all your support!
Mrs. White

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Dear Parents,

Parent-Teacher Conferences are this week: Tuesday and Wednesday, 10/12-10/13, from 4-7 pm each evening. There is no advanced sign up or scheduled appointment times for you to worry about. All the teachers will be gathered in the commons area, and you will be free to visit some or all of your child's teachers at your convenience. If you are unable to attend during those hours, and still would like to meet with me in person, please call or email to schedule a different time. I look forward to visiting with you!
Also, please remember that this upcoming weekend is UEA. There will be no school Friday 10/15, and Monday 10/18. We will be starting the new TBT Session (#3) on Wednesday, 10/20, because of that short week.
I have offered extra credit for our Mesopotamia (Hammurabi's Code - see the Social Studies blog) and for our Egypt unit. Instead of a test for the Egypt unit, students will be creating a book to demonstrate their learning. I have scheduled 2 weeks in class to work specifically on the books, including 4 days in the computer lab for research and typing. They will probably have to do some work at home, and may ask you for additional materials that I don't have available in the classroom. I can provide basic supplies, but don't have the resources to supply extra artistic supplies for 150 students.
ALL WORK (late, regular, and extra credit) MUST be turned in Friday, 10/29. Please check PowerSchool to see if your child is missing any assignments (will show as empty or 0). This is the day that my gradebook will close for the 1st trimester (which ends 11/5). This will give me time to get everything graded and recorded before that date.

Thanks!
Mrs. White

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!

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

School Pictures Tomorrow!

School Pictures will be taken during Social Studies for all 6th graders, and CTE for 7th graders. These will be used for Student ID cards (should be issued in a couple of weeks). If you want to order a picture package, please fill out the form your child brought home last Friday with a check enclosed.

Beginning Thunderbolt Time

Dear Parents and Students,
This week (8/23) begins our first Thunderbolt session (hereafter known as TBT). Please check your schedules from the first day of school to see what TBT class you are in starting on TUESDAY. If you aren't sure, please check with the office. Remember that TBT is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:15 to 2:00. This is mandatory school time, and will allow every student to enrich their education through experiences they might not get to have otherwise. I will be teaching Digital Photography this session.

We are also beginning our Geography unit in Social Studies. The classes will pre-test today and we should be finished by next Friday. Be sure to check out Mrs. White's Social Studies blog from the Sites to See list on the right.

Thanks!
Mrs. W

Start of the School Year 2010-2011

Hello! Welcome to Mrs. White's main blog. If you are in my Social Studies class or one of my Thunderbolt Time classes, we will use this blog for assignment reminders, absent or extra copies, and a link to all kinds of adventures. This main blog will be sent to Moms and Dads throughout the year as a reminder of events as well.

Please notice that on the right hand side menu are links to most of the places you might want to visit, including the SRIS website, the WCSD website, PowerSchool login, and my Social Studies blog - where most assignment related items will be.

I am excited about this school year and to meet all of you! Remember, Back-to-School Night is Tuesday, Aug. 10, and school starts Wednesday, Aug. 11.

Is It the End of the Year Already?

We are fast approaching the end of the 2009-2010 school year. It has been a BUSY one! We are continuing that busy theme as we finish out the next 2 weeks. My classes are presenting their World History Museum projects on the 18th, and we will review for their end of year tests after that.

• All SRIS library books are due TODAY. If your child has a library book at home, or owes a fine, please get that taken care of as soon as possible.
• Also, lunch money must be paid in cash until the end of the year. If your child owes lunch money, they may not be allowed to have lunch.
  
• Yearbooks are still on sale for $25 in the student store.Yearbooks will be distributed on Wednesday, May 26, during 5th period to students who have purchased them. Students can get an autograph book from the media center if they don't get a yearbook.
• Sunrise Breakfast for all students will be on Friday, May 21, from 7:15 - 8:00 am. Cost is $1.
• Students who have everything turned in and all monies paid will be eligible to attend the End of the Year party on Wednesday, May 26.
• Thursday, May 27, will be an early release day... students will be released at 11:00.
  

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.