Post date: Aug 29, 2015 6:13:41 AM
Dear Room 25 Families,
At A Glance (I'll put this part first from now on):
1. Team building & creativity activities are ongoing and we'll be working on creativity & innovation this coming week.
2. Some daily and weekly routines started this week, including vocabulary, curiosity slides, and current events.
3. All parents are invited/encouraged to teach something to the class for an hour or so, any time in September
4. Parent job descriptions are on my site and Marcy is working (well!) to communicate them clearly and get slots filled
4. Class meeting on 9/10 will focus on curriculum, class jobs, and information/decisions about this year's field trips and overnighters.
With our first full week under our belt, I felt that we were/are ready to start adding some more academic endeavors into our days. Although the teamwork- and creativity-building activities need to continue, the daily routines from now on will focus on the specifics of science, history, and English. The engines seem to be running well and I'm eager to move forward with this group as we let out the clutch and start covering new ground.
Recap of the Week:
Through a variety of activities and assignments, I'm getting to know more and more about these kids, and they about each other. Each kid contributed to the "Aspects of Us" spreadsheet and should have written a draft of their "My Name" essay. A few of the kids have also done their "Me in a Bag" presentation. We also did some fun improvisation games in the afternoon.
In addition, we started 3 routines that will continue all year.
1. Their vocabulary collection will reside in a composition book and will grow by at least four words each week and involve a variety of types of activities. I'm hoping that the kids will develop a love and/or appreciation for words and try to expand their repertoire all year and beyond.
2. This week we also started the current events routine, wherein each kid is responsible for running a table-wide conversation on a specified day of the week. They should read and print an article of personal (and hopefully group interest) the evening before their day, summarize the article they chose, and have discussion questions written out. During class they will educate their group and engage them in great discussion.
3. Finally, we started the weekly "curiosity slide" process that allows the kids to document a topic of personal interest, stating what they know and what they wonder about that topic. They will do this process once per week, and delve into one of those areas in much detail about once every five weeks.
In addition to those routines, we spent time this week learning about the scientific method, experimental design, and graphs. In history most of the time was spent learning about European exploration of the Americas and about geography of North America. Next week we will get to know a bit more about the amazing cultures of Native Americans, and then ease into the topic of colonial life, unrest, and the tensions that lead to the war for independence.
Parent Presentations (link)
As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, I would like parents or other adults to come to class for about an hour sometime in September, to teach/demonstrate/play something with the class. Nine parents have already come up with great ideas (Joan on chickens & the fiddle, RichE on fire, RichW on spreadsheets, Mae on structures, Susan on wall gardens, Kate on physical therapy, David on running a business, Roxy TBA, and April on safety or charity) and when the rest of your talents, resources, and creativity are added to the list, the class and I will get a set of experiences unavailable anywhere else. I'm being a bit forward about this because I really believe that this is the type of thing that should happen at a place like DCS, and because, honestly, I don't think that I have the repertoire of lessons and activities to fill every day of the month with the caliber of great, diverse, novel, and important stuff that we as a collective group can. Plus, the planning and in-class time can count towards your classroom hours or serve as a "get out of jail free" card for those times when you can't come or just want a week off!
Class Jobs & Meeting (link)
On September 10th we will have our first class meeting from 6:30 to 8:00. You'll spend about an hour in our homeroom and 15 minutes with Mr. Dowling and 15 minutes with Ms Malouf. During our time together we can discuss class-specific issues, play some games, and create a draft list of which of you would like which of the classroom jobs. Many of the jobs are not tied to a specific day and time but we do have to make sure that everyone contributes and in a way that best fits your schedule and preferences as well as the kids' and my needs. As you may already know, there are four main classroom workshift jobs that I'm proposing, but they are a bit unconventional:
Upcoming Events:
September 3 (Thursday): Selective Sign-Ups for 8th graders
September 7: (Monday) No School (Labor Day)
September 9: (Wednesday) DCS 10th Birthday Assembly & Celebrations
September 10: (Thursday) 8th grade parent meetings (6:30 to 8:00)
September 12 (Saturday): DCS International (4 to 7)
September 15 (Thursday): Fall Portraits
September 17 (Thursday): Middle School Math Back to School Night
September 18 (Friday): Star Party (8 to 10)
September 24 (Thursday): Room 25 to Ropes Course -- if you would like to drive on this trip, please email Susan Raymond and/or Jane Hintz
September 24 (Thursday) Parent 101 at Westgate Church (7 to 9)
September 25 (Friday): Middle School Dance
September 28 (Monday): Selective & Parent Workshifts start
September 30 (Wednesday): Student Council Elections
October 16 (Friday): Teacher Learning Day (no school for kids)
October 17 (Saturday): Fall Festival
October 26-30: Fall conferences
November 11: Veteran's Day (no school)
November 23-27: Thanksgiving Break
December 4 (Friday): Middle School Dance
December 18 (Friday): Early dismissal
December 21 - January 10: Winter Holiday
So, thanks for a great week. I'm looking forward to seeing you on Monday. Welcome Yassin.
Parents, please continue (or start) to look at the homework doc each evening with your kid. The work is up to them to do, but the doc should help us all maintain clear expectations, timelines, and responsibilities.
Chris