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Dr. Marci L. Waleff, Ed.D
Franklin Area Jr/Sr High
Reading: Grade 7
August 2022
Happy New Year! Today marks the beginning of a new year. There will be many firsts today. I welcome all of you to seventh grade. Rest assured, you are not the only one here who has questions that require answers. While I am excited to be here with you at Franklin Jr/Sr High School, I too have unanswered questions. It is my sincere goal to explore all of these answers together. It is okay to be new at something. If we never tried anything new, we would never learn ANYTHING!
This year will be filled with both challenges and rewards. One challenge for all of us will be adjusting to a new school, new peers, and new teachers. We will be learning new routines and new rules. We have the opportunity now to decide who we want to become. Let’s become the best that we can - together.
I truly hope that I can get to know each of you well this year. One of my goals for the school year is to help each of you unlock meaning and purpose in reading. In other words, let’s find what you love to read. In order to do this, we will read a lot. We will read things that you may not prefer. We will push each other to achieve more. We will explore and question together.
In order to BE successful in seventh grade reading with Dr. Waleff, there are just a few things you need to remember to BE.
Be Respectful: to yourself and all others.
Be Responsible: in your assignments and work habits.
Be Accountable: when you are wrong, admit it.
Be Safe: think!
Be Prepared to Learn: Come to class with agenda book, pencils, paper, folder, Chromebook, notebook, and novel.
Be Your Best: Never be afraid to work hard. The dictionary is the only place where “success” comes before “work”.
There are likewise things that you can EXPECT this year.
Expect to read every day.
Expect to write every day.
We will read, discuss, write about and analyze text from short stories, poems, plays and novels. You must bring your notebook to class daily. We will be reading various novels. These books will be both teacher assigned and student chosen. You will be expected to have a novel that you are currently reading each and every day. You can expect to read and write about your reading both inside and outside of class. You should expect to complete one novel project per month. You will receive detailed rubrics for each project; expect to be graded based on these rubrics.
A little bit about me:
So, some interesting facts about me… My husband, Steve and I have 3 daughters, Alexa, Lilly and Erica. Alexa is a junior at Slippery Rock University where she is studying to be a Special Education, Early Childhood Education teacher. Lilly is in 10th grade at Commodore Perry School District where she is playing volleyball, basketball, and running track. Erica is in 4th grade at Commodore Perry Elementary and she loves to dance and play basketball! Our family runs an Educational Farm. We have goats, pigs, chickens, ducks, turkeys, rabbits, a Great Pyrenees livestock guard dog, a Crested Gecko, a Tree Frog, a Spotted Salamander, hermit crabs, and some random fish. I think that is all! We also love horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, singing, music, dancing at Native American festivals and powwows and of course, reading!
Remember we are all on the same team. Our team must be one of celebrating accomplishments and learning from our mistakes. Let’s have a great year!
If you have questions about anything, please do not hesitate to email me at waleff@students.fasd.k12.pa.us
Respectfully,
Dr. Waleff
FMS Reading 7