Monday, January 30, 2012

Comets Flying Through the Air!
















Friday we were busy comet building, and with the beautiful day we had outside we could not resist going outside and playing with the comet. We threw it around until it was pretty much totally dissipated and only had some rocks left. Enjoy the pictures.

We will not have an essay to write this week, we will simply be writing poetry each day and students will share it with the class the following day.

Tomorrow we have a Science Test simply made up of Astronomy Terms.
On Friday the scholars have their science research due for their science experiment.
We will have our normal spelling and vocabulary tests on Friday.
Have a great evening!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy.....

The Scarlet Pimpernel was completed today and tomorrow we will watch a version of it after our NWEA tests....it will be a good mind break for the scholars.

Tomorrow we will be taking the NWEA for Reading and then Thursday for Math...Please be sure your scholar gets a good breakfast and that it includes protein.

Poetry Contest - Your scholar is bringing home a packet today for the state poetry contest. This is totally optional, but if they would like to submit a piece to be considered, I would have to have it at school by the 9th of February so I can get them all mailed in by the 15th.....Good Luck!

Scholars are also bringing home invitations for the IMMEDIATE family for the coffeehouse. Please send me a number ASAP....we need to determine how many seats we will be needing and then can open up the invitations to others once we know immediates. Thank you!

We began our Algebra unit today, and scholars have the review packet for the unit 6 test which will be given on Friday. Please make sure they are comfortable with the unit and they know if they have any questions they need to come see my prior to Friday.

Friday we have a congressional debate at Wasatch High School in Heber City. We are looking for parents who would like to drive us there and back. We are wanting to leave school at 1:30 and be back by 6:30 or so. Please speak with your scholar if you can transport.

Have a blessed evening!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

A Few Last Minute Changes....

We need to alter our January calendar a bit due to my not being at school on Monday the 23rd and also considering our current work load. Here is what the rest of the month looks like for our scholars:

History Test on the French Revolution: Wed the 25th
NWEA Reading Test: Wed the 25th
Book Report Projects Due: Thurs the 26th
NWEA Math Test: Thurs the 26th
Math Test Unit 6 Friday the 27th
Congress Debate at Wasatch High School: Friday the 27th (optional)
Comet building: Friday the 27th
King Arthur Projects due: Mon the 30th
Science Test Astronomy: Tues the 31st

That is quite the busy week, along with spelling/vocabulary and essays. Your scholars' plates are full, but if they have been practicing their time management skills (that we go over daily) they will not be overwhelmed or taken by surprise. We do what we must so that we can do what we want!.....

CHALLENGE TO THE CLASS: I have told the scholars that if EVERY person in the class raises their NWEA scores by even ONE point next week, that we will celebrate with a scholar party....not quite sure what that looks like, but I'll make it happen if they succeed! :)
Saying that, it is IMPERATIVE that your scholars not only get a good night's sleep Tuesday and Wednesday night, but that they eat a high protein balanced breakfast before school. They will be testing at 8:30 which should be a very alert time for them. Please help me to help them achieve success! Thank you!

Next month is going to fly by as fast as this one will.....we have a full plate in February also. January and February tend to be the highest demand of cognition because we are DEEP into the curriculum. They will be having a field trip to Mrs. Cavanaugh's, ($1 donation), they will be learning about the circulatory system and dissecting hearts on Valentine's day!!! They will also be putting on their coffeehouse....ALL IN THE SAME WEEK! I don't know how that happened this year, but that's the way it played out on the schedule. So much to do in such little time....before we know it they will be graduating!

Speaking of which....there will be a graduation packet coming out for the scholars to take home. The graduation ceremony itself is not MANDATORY, but if you would like your graduate to get a sash, be bragged about, and get their awards with the class, then you'll be interested in this information.

Have a great weekend! Onward and Upward....

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Back into the Swing of things.....

Well, it was a nice break for the scholars to have a three day weekend....and now we push, and push hard to get to our break in February!

We enjoyed the pizza party today and a great big THANK YOU goes out to Mrs. Connelly for running to pick up the pizza for us in a pinch! We appreciated the opportunity to sit together and eat and discuss the value of education. Our goal at GFA is to have every student college minded, and looking forward to accomplishing great things for our society.

We will be finishing up our French Revolution history unit and The Scarlet Pimpernel soon. This will be the culmination of this study as we move into the industrial revolution and studying governments and their characteristics. Debate will come in handy and we will be using many of our argumentation skills in History class as we discuss the values, and the pros and cons of different forms of government.

We are almost finished with our 6th unit in math on percentage and will be moving in Algebra by the end of next week. I am quite certain that the scholars will totally enjoy the unit, and see it as a breath of fresh air after working so hard with rate, percentages, and ratios. It is a welcomed addition to the curriculum at this point. Please understand, once again, that if your scholar is carrying 80's in Singapore math, that they will easily translate to high 90's in any other math program. Scholars that struggled to get C's in Singapore last year are all earning the highest grades in math in 7th grade. Many are in Harcourt, Houghton-Mifflin and Saxon. We are proud of our rigor and what it is producing for these scholars. This is a time to really stretch and grow them so that when the grades count in Jr. High and High School, they can easily produce them.

We are moving right along in our astronomy unit....working on seasons and phases of the moon. We are going to be creating a comet in the "lab" early next week. We may need some assistance with the scholars, and I will let you all know when that will be happening.

January 23rd I will be out of the classroom. I will be attending a series of meetings in Weber County for a group of math coaches that I am currently working with to prepare to teach our instructors at GFA the appropriate courses for a math endorsement. I will be expecting to only miss one, at the most two days of class time. I will be sure the students are prepared and know what to expect in my absence.

THE COFFEEHOUSE will be upon us before we know it! We will be traveling to Mrs. Cavanaugh's Chocolate Factory on the 15th of February (we get all the great deals that day) and the scholars will see a movie clip on the founding of the factory, learn about chocolate, and get a tour of the factory from above. We will then have the opportunity to shop at the candy store. The cost of the tour itself is $1 per person, including adults and siblings. We plan this trip purposely right before the coffeehouse so that the scholars can purchase chocolate to decorate their tables for the event. Each student will have a table to host their family for the event, and it will be their job to design invitations, a centerpiece, and chocolate treats for their guests. Please provide your scholar with some spending money if possible so they can bless you for the coffeehouse.

The coffeehouse itself will be at Wasatch Christian School in their auditorium on the night of February 17th. We will be asking each family to provide some sort of snack to share with everyone else. Last year we kept it to snack type finger foods. We also served coffee, cocoa, and tea. Melody Bloker will be sending out a sign up email for families to help us set up, decorate, and put out the food. We would like to begin our evening by 6:30 as we have 22 students to present not only their classical piece, but some duos, and sonnets. I guarantee it will be an enjoyable event for all! :)

Duo presentations at the coffeehouse will be judged. Ballots will be used so students can accumulate points to attend the national competition. We will hopefully be presenting four or five duos for your enjoyment. If you are not familiar with the duo event, you will be pleasantly surprised. More info on the coffeehouse to come!

Forward and onward with excitement in our hearts....this is 2012, and our scholars ROCK!

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Warmest of Thank Yous!


Just to thank you all one more time....here is a photo of the recumbent bike I purchased with your gift for Christmas!

And who said money doesn't grow on trees!! :)

I am most grateful! You are all a blessing in my life!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

The "Ott"ers at Ott!

We had an interesting visit to the Ott Planetarium today to reinforce what we already knew about the solar system and astronomy and to learn some new things. The scholars were attentive and performed well on a quiz when we got back later in the day.

Tomorrow the scholars have an essay due, as well as a spelling and vocabulary test. We will be reading the Scarlet Pimpernel and working on Science.

The Scholars have gotten approval for a RESPONSIBILITY project from the headmaster today. They will be putting together a flyer to go home with every student asking for cans to be donated to the school. We will collect on a daily basis until they have enough cans to take them, cash them in, and come up with $120 plus tax to purchase soccer goals for the K - 3 playground. They are very excited about this undertaking. It will take extra time, energy, and a LOT of responsibility. I believe they are up to the task and will be able to meet their goals!

Next Tuesday: January 17 WE ARE HAVING A PIZZA PARTY to celebrate Mrs. Goers' completion of her Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from WGU. The students were extremely helpful in my final project, and they deserve accolades! Please cancel lunch for your scholars on that day. We will enjoy Pizza instead! :)

There will be no essay, vocab, or spelling next week. Instead we will begin our poetry unit and cover the material we need for our Coffeehouse coming up in February. Also, the field trip to Mrs. Cavanaugh's is scheduled for February 15 at 10:00 a.m. We will be back to school by lunch. We will need drivers. Please contact Melody Bloker if you can help out.

Our Coffeehouse is scheduled for the 17th of February. You will be hearing more about that soon. The scholars will each have so many invitations, depending on the size of the room, and will be performing classic poetry/their own sonnets/ and some duos for you to enjoy! Mark your calendars!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The "COOLEST" Science YET!






For sure the highlight of our day was the science fair kick-off at the end of our day today. Thank you for contributing to your students learning and understanding, as well as gaining the opportunity to touch liquid nitrogen and watch their ice cream solidify before their eyes. Enjoy the photos of our day. We had a great time, will be writing thank you notes tomorrow, and are ready to dive into our experiments for the science fair! :) Your scholars have coupons for a dollar off sub zero ice cream....please visit their establishment and support their desire to support education!

We still need drivers for the field trip to Ott Planetarium next Thursday. Please send in a note if you can drive.

Monday, January 2, 2012

January Will FLY BY!!!!

We hit the ground running today with a busy schedule and all the January events taking place! Please see the calendar below for what's going on this month, and what your students will be responsible for....we are studying responsibility this month for Character....let's see how we actually perform!

Please send your scholars with $1 for the science fair kick off, and $2 for the Ott Planetarium on the 12th. Thank you!


Calendar for the Month

4th - Science Fair Kick-Off, 2:00 in the cafeteria ($1 donation)
6th - Essay, comparing two characters from literature read thus far in class. Spelling/Vocab test
9th - Math unit 5 test
12th - Ott Field Trip 9:00 - 10:00 $2 donation
13th - Essay, Spelling/Vocab test
13th Report cards graded, handed out on the 17th
18th - History Test
24th - Science Test
26th - Book Report Project
27th - Essay, Spelling/Vocab test
30th - King Arthur Project
16th School Out for students/ Professional Development for Instructors

With so much on our plate, I am sure January will just fly by! This is the year of 2012...the year your scholar SHINES!
:)

Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Class of 2012 ROCKS!






Hard to believe we are through our break and all ready preparing to start up again!....Somehow breaks just seem to go by too fast!....

Please enjoy the photos of the last week of school, parties, and our service project last week. We really enjoyed seeing each other and packing meals for starving children!

The Class of 2012 ROCKS!