Wow January flew by!

UPCOMING EVENTS this week:

• Report Cards are out on Monday
• Visit from King Chavez High School (parents welcome) Tuesday 9:30-10:30
• 8th grade fundraiser Parents’ Night Out: Friday Feb 5 6:00-10:00
• Field trip to Health Sciences High and Middle College(next week): date TBD
  

The wet week of Jan 18-22 could be considered one of the strangest. We had a three day weekend and then we had a three and a half day weekend! The rain, although welcomed, wreaked havoc on our schedule! Some highlights:

• We welcomed a new student this week! Canelle: Hooray another girl!
• We started our math-graphing project. Both the 7th and 8th graders measured the upstairs area of IA. After all rooms were measured, students created a 2D scale model on graph paper.
• Continued working on our unplugged project. Students were preparing their pod casts and worked on an essay explaining what it would be like to live without the five “plugged in” things they absolutely cannot live without.
  

Last week Jan 25-29 seemed to fly by. We crammed a lot of things in that we missed out on from last week.

• Reading Buddies: On Monday mornings we meet with the 3rd graders for reading and fun.
• Edudance is in full “swing”. Not only are students learning how to dance, they are getting learning about manners and etiquette while they dance.
• Current events: students have signed up every other Wednesday for science and social studies currents events. Our first Wednesday started off slowly as not everyone who signed up was prepared. Those who were, did a excellent job!
• In order to catch up on our “Unplugged” project we took a short detour from ecosystems (7th grade) and chemistry (8th grade). We learned about energy, renewable and nonrenewable resources, pollution and conservation. On Friday, students were assigned to choose and complete ONE of the following activities using the 5 “plugged in” things they can’t live without:
  1. Create a graphical representation of consumption levels of common plugged in items.
  2. Research what happens to used “plugged in” items. Recycled? Dumped?
  3. Estimate the amount of money it costs to buy and/or replace your items over two years. We also started recording pod casts. Can’t wait to hear them all!

TWO concerns:

• My supplies are dwindling not from use but from misuse! This past week three of my rulers were broken. I started the school year with full drawers of markers, pencils, pens, scissors, etc. I bought most of it with my own money. I am down to hardly anything. I do not mind students using my supplies but I do mind when those things disappear or are destroyed. Talk to your student about how they can help to keep our classroom community running smoothly. Beginning this week, students can check out supplies from me, but they will need to return them at the end of the period.
• Cell phones and electronics: Students are allowed to use phones, computers and electronics during breaks ONLY unless otherwise cleared with Tony or I. I WILL take them away if they are used during classtime.