Coupla Things v0 (7/24/17)

Post date: Aug 02, 2017 2:46:15 AM

Dear Parents,

My name is Chris Heumann and I will be your kid's homeroom teacher this year. As those of you that have spent a previous year with me may remember, each week I write a "Coupla Things" newsletter in which I try to give you an idea of what is happening in class, alert you to upcoming events, and elicit some discussion about various topics. So, here is version 0 as an introduction to the year, to me, and to the future!

My Summer Recap. I spent the first few days of vacation relaxing and recharging, then got to work (again) on construction/repair/landscaping projects on our little ol' house in the Santa Cruz mountains. (Anyone know a hardwood floor installer?) My daughters and I will soon do our annual wilderness backpacking adventure through a granite and crystal-blue water section of the Sierras then it is off to Oregon to drop two of the three daughters off at college. I also plan to get myself to school for the first few hours of most days in order to clean, organize, and ponder possible improvements. All-in-all it has been (and still is) a great summer.

Overview & Intentions for The Year: Eighth grade is an important time and should be a strong culmination of the kids' years here at DCS as well as provide the tools needed for happiness, success, and comfort in high school. The planned curriculum is all intriguing to me (and hopefully the kids), including a range of topics in physical science, an understanding of US history and government, and an exploration of literature, and diverse reading and writing projects. Each class will have a great deal of homeroom instruction, punctuated by six 8th Grade Intensives (two taught by each 8th grade teacher). Much of what the kids will learn about will be determined by their existing interests and emerging curiosity -- what matters most is that they are always learning something. I value strong and sincere relationships with the kids and plan on treating them well and working them hard. I'm very invested in using a variety of hands-on, text-based, and online activities all year in order to make your child's learning experiences as deep, interactive, meaningful, and efficient as possible. Many/most powerful learning experiences, in my opinion, occur out of the classroom, so I'm hoping that we venture off campus quite a bit this year.

Further Introductions: I only know a few of the kids and families for this 8th grade class, so I've created this form for you to fill out in order to provide me with information you and your kid that might help me be the most effective. If any of you are curious about me and where I come from, here is a good run-on sentence summary: Born the youngest in a family of 6 from post WWII European immigrants, I lived in Berkeley in the 60's and Atherton in the 70's, San Diego for college, and then back to the Bay Area after some fun jobs in Tahoe, Hawaii, and the Yosemite area. My first real job started in 1987, teaching 7th grade science at Kennedy Middle School in Cupertino (where I met Dale) for 24 years. To keep myself always learning, I got a Masters in Instructional Technology, a single-subject (high school) credential in science, an authorization in Industrial Arts, ran technology workshops for teachers, and became a Google Certified Trainer. I arrived home, here at DCS, in 2010, and will stay put until I retire from this awesome career. For a more personal perspective, you can browse the "Awkward Q & A" page of my site.

Practical Stuff: I probably should have put this at the beginning of the email, because it is most important.

1. If you are in the mood to shop, here is the class supply list.

2. Class jobs are being discussed these days; this page describes some.

3. Last year, during the long all-homeroom first 6 weeks of school, I asked each parent to come to class and do some kind of activity, presentation, lesson, game, or project (chart and list). I'll be doing that again this year, and I really hope that you all will be willing to share your talents, experiences, and knowledge with me and the kids. Please email me to let me know what your "activity/presentation" might be about

4. Parent Work Day is Saturday, August 12. Here is a page where I'll write the to-do list which will probably be quite large by then, so I hope that some of you can make it.

I am eager to get to know all of you and to spend this school year with your kids. Please fill in this form as soon as possible (now?); also, since I am not sure if I have correct or complete emails for everyone, please reply to this just so I can check-off who has received it.

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to meeting you and your kid.

Follow Up Email of August 1:

Dear Rm 25 Parents,

Today is the first day of August and we're down to just 2 weeks and 2 days until school starts. I'm squeezing in as much summer as I can, but school tasks are also creeping into my thoughts and daily activities. I'm writing this email to follow up on a few "tasks" I gave you in my introductory email and also to get you thinking about the possibility of chaperoning on our first class overnight field trip. Here are the details:

1. I've made a form that I'd like you to fill out so that I can learn a bit more about your kid. Eleven of you have done it so far and provided very valuable input/insights. It would be great if the rest of you could fill it in too, or if the questions don't quite hit the mark for you, maybe just shoot me an email with information about your kid that you (or they) think is important.

2. The Parent Lesson/Demo/Activities chart is ready to be filled in by you! I've heard from Marie, Kieran, Ellen, and Brian about their topics and am eager to hear from the rest of you. Yes, this is asking a lot of you but it is an amazing experience for the kids and really sets up a "learn something from everything" culture that I try to facilitate/foster all year.

3. Our first overnight trip is a three-day two-night exploration of the coast from Santa Cruz to Marin called the Cal Coast Walkabout. Take a look at this page of my website to learn more and please consider being one of the 5 or 6 chaperones necessary to make this trip happen. It is, usually, an excellent and educational experience for all!

4. Lastly, take a look at the done chart and let me know if I've missed something. You'll notice that I am less than subtle about the "everyone does their part" thing and perhaps a bit too driven by my "rows and columns" tendencies.

I'm eager to get to know you and the kids!