Coupla Things v23 (1/28/16)

Post date: Feb 29, 2016 6:7:10 AM

Note: date in url should be Feb 28, not Jan 28

Dear Parents and Students:

This teaching job has got to be the best gig around – rewarding, rigorous, with trips to cool places with great people, and, of course week-long vacations every couple of months. I try hard not to gloat when I chat with my cubicle-confined contemporaries on Facebook or at various reunions. Thanks to all of you who make the job so great.

SF Trip Recap: The planning and preparation paid off and things went mostly as scheduled, or as changed by consensus. The weather was perfect and SF gave us her amazing, diverse, and eye-opening best! I'm not sure if the kids had much fun, but they hopefully learned a lot and felt independent and important to the process. There were times when I would look at the group and be so thrilled at the level of engagement and energy, and there were also (far fewer) times when I would get discouraged by their tendency to just sit and go on-screen when there was so much to see around them and do with each other. My most sincere appreciation to Moira and Greg who helped out in every way, held things together, and kept all of us on our best game. They, along with the parents that bought, prepared, and/or brought food, made it a great team effort.

Due-day Only Assignment Turn-In: Its time to go cold-turkey on the late-work habit that has been infecting about one third of the class since school started. I predict that it will be a tough adjustment for some and there will be dips in attitude and grades, but the lesson will be a long-term one and will benefit them during high school (hopefully before).

English: We'll start two new things this week. First, a self-reflective piece on screen-time and second, the choosing and reading of one of John Steinbeck's books.

Science Fair: This year the middle school's science fair will be split into two events: a "tri-fold day" (March 23) , during which the kids will display the results of an experiment or investigation; and an engineering day (June 6), during which they will test an apparatus they have built (bridge, tower, catapult) or display a product that they have designed and prototyped. Tomorrow in class I'll be discussing the fair with them with the hopes of getting their buy-in, authentic interest, or at least open-minded attitude.

Addition to the Red Shed: I've always been into building things. As a kid I always had a tree-fort under construction or some elaborate contraption cluttering my room. DCS has been tolerant of my construction addiction and with the help of some great kids and parents, the results are littering the alley (waterfall, benches, drinking fountain, storage shed). The next project that I want to get into is the construction of a lean-to addition to the red shed by room 20. I'll be asking interested kids to help with all phases of construction such as excavation, layout, foundation, framing, roofing, and door hardware. Parents, if you would like to be involved at any level, please let me know.

Something on my Mind: There has been an unsettling thought swirling in my head as well as a tone of concern in some parent discussions lately: How can the remaining time in 8th grade best prepare the kids for the requirements and rigor of non-DCS high school? During my first years at DCS I started a paper I'm calling "The Frontage Road and the Freeway" about this very topic. Two-second summary: how to help the kids make the merge from the scenic and experiential county frontage road (of "alternative ed") to the fast-paced demands of life on the freeway (of "traditional ed"). I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you have time and desire, please reply with whatever input and ideas you have. This will probably be a topic of discussion during our parent meeting.

Chris.

Here's that expanded calendar:

February 29 (Monday): Chemistry intensive starts

This time our class goes to Mr. Dowling for five weeks of fun science. His chemistry curriculum involves atomic structure, the periodic table, chemical properties and interactions, and the specifics of accurate investigation.

March 4 (Friday): Laps for Learning

Although the proceeds benefit next year's class (and me!), I'm really hoping that the kindness and giving nature of this class will get them into action.

March 14 (Monday): Pi-day & Google Tour

Math activities until 10:15 then we'll head off to Google for a tour and some first-hand exposure into the projects, products, and culture of Google.

March 18 (Friday): Staff Development Day

No school for students, great times for us teachers.

March 23 & 24: Evening and morning science fair exhibits

This year, science fair is split into two separate events. This portion if for kids to share their "trifolds" describing their scientific investigation. They did an "effect of this on that" experiment in the fall, and this round has wider scope and a more tangible form of reporting.

May 7: Spring Auction

Kate Nickerson will be meeting with the class about this to elicit ideas and plan out the process of making a great room 25 "basket" around a chosen theme.