Post date: Jan 21, 2018 6:27:57 AM
Today I looked back on the newsletters from the past month and I realized that the calendar of events that I put at the bottom of each has gotten shorter and shorter. So, this week's newsletter will be just an updated and explained list of upcoming events. There are a few things that are NOT on the list because I don't have information yet, including baby pictures for yearbook and graduation, the Spring auction, and ???.
But for the rest of the stuff, here is what I know:
Calendar:
January 16 (Tuesday): Historical Research & Writing Intensive started:
Using the issue of slavery and the timeline of the civil war, Bonnie works with room 25 kids each morning from 9 to 10:30 for five weeks. The big deliverable of her intensive is a research paper written in MLA format and with high school expectations in mind.
January 23 (Tuesday): Baby Photos Due
For the yearbook's "baby photo" page. Put physical photos in folder in office or use upload.
Please include 1) Student Name and 2) Room Number.Link to upload:
January 23 & 25 (Tuesday and Thursday): Prospect and Westmont Meetings
Parents and current 8th graders from Prospect's feeder schools are invited to an informational meeting on Tuesday and same for Westmong on Thursday. Details are on the high school page of my website.
January 24: Eighth Grade Panoramic Photo
All 8th graders are placed onto wide risers for a panoramic graduating-class photo. Order forms were passed out last week and I have extras in my classroom. I'm confident that students can order them after photo date, and probably even online.
January 26 (Friday): First Semester Ends
This "event" doesn't really have an impact on us, but just as an FYI I will be printing score sheets for all three subjects out and sending them home for parent review and signature this week.
January 29 (Monday): Geography Bee practice session.
Room 26 after school.
February 1 (Thursday): Geography Bee
For the past two years, Bonnie has hosted this after school National Geographic sponsored event. It is a competition between any interested students and narrows down to one winner for our school that afternoon. Students can progress to regional, district, and national competitions.
February 5 (Monday): Prospect, Westmont, and Del Mar to DCS
Students who might be going to any of those 3 high schools will meet with their administration in order to understand the course offerings, schedules, and requirements. Students will begin filling in registration forms and bring them home to discuss with you.
February 6 (Tuesday): Selective Sign-ups for 8th Graders
These kids are quite familiar with the process, Courses will be listed online and new courses will probably be described at a quick assembly on the day before.
February 7 (Wednesday) 100th day of school
Just FYI. No events planned (not by me, at least, but I'm always open to an excuse for some kind of celebration.
February 14 (Wednesday): Skills-Based Progress reports available on Novare
The new skills-based report card is a big change from the grades-based report card and it will involve much input from students and subjective evaluations from us teachers. Parents should have received sign-in information via an email from the school in mid December.
February 16 (Friday): First Semester Selectives End
Students will have already selected second-semester courses by this date and those will start on Monday.
February 19 to 23 (Monday to Friday): President's Week
Enjoy a week off (kids).
March 1 (Thursday): 8th Grade to the Exploratorium
There is so much to learn and enjoy at this place -- best way to get intrigued and involved in scientific exploration and understanding. We'll need 5 or 6 parents to drive and at least 3 per homeroom to come inside (others can have 3 hours free in SF).
March 9 (Friday): Laps for Learning
The sheets for T-shirt designs will come out soon. 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 9 (Friday): Staff-Student Basketball Game
Dr Dowling usually leads the charge in this potentially intimidating friendly competition between students and staff. 3:30 at Moreland Gym
March 10 (Saturday): Parent Work Day
There is usually quite a large list of cleaning, organizing, and building projects for parents to help with on this day
March 14 (Wednesday): Pi Day
Math teachers and volunteer parents will create and run a variety of math activities all morning on 3.14
March 16 (Friday): Staff Development Day
No school for students, great times for us teachers.
March 21 (Wednesday): Discovery Has Talent
Yes they do! Kids of all grade levels participate in this not-much-talent-required assembly. :)
March 23 (Friday): Middle School Dance
Moreland Middle School gymnasium
March 26 to 30 (Monday to Friday): Room 26 Walkabout & San Francisco
Bonnie and her class will be combining the coastal walks and SF explorations into one five-day trip. Just an FYI for us.
March 28 (Wednesday) K-5 Science Expo
Middle schoolers will visit k-5 classrooms to browse their projects and engage the kids in conversations about their projects. There are always amazing projects to see and excited kids to learn from.
April 3 to 6: Room 25's San Francisco Trip
THIS is probably the most important one on the list. The kids and I will plan each day's locations, routes, transportation, and teaching activities, but I really am hoping to get help with the 4 dinners and we'll need 2 chaperones and one luggage driver. You?
April 9 to 13 (Monday to Friday): Spring Break
Who says this teaching job is hard?
April 25 (Wednesday): Middle School Science Fair
This event usually consists of a combination of the traditional science experiments explained on trifold boards as well as the "testing" (aka destruction) of a variety of engineering constructions like towers and bridges and catapults. Check the DCSscience.com website.
April 30 to May 4 (Monday to Friday): Conferences
During these sessions we will analyze student work and discuss learning styles and adaptations for high school.
May 11 (Friday): Middle School Dance
May 13 (Sunday): Mothers Day
May 14 to 17 (Monday to Thursday): CAASPP Testing
May 18 (Friday): DCS to Maker Faire in San Mateo
I think that this will be the third or fourth year that Debby has arranged this for us. We'll need drivers/chaperones, of course.
May 28 (Monday): Memorial Day
No school
May 30 (Wednesday): Field Day & BBQ
Mr. Snider will help the 8th graders to host a variety of games and challenges for the rest of the school. Pre-order lunch.
June 1 (Friday): Final Middle School Dance
June 5 (Tuesday): School Musical
Suessical; Ask Aine about it!
June 6 to 8 (Wednesday to Friday): 8th Grade River Rafting Trip
This trip isn't set in stone yet because water flows determine whether or not it is feasible/enjoyable. Information is here
June 11 (Monday): DCS Maker Day
The PSC and Science Task force organize activities hosted by various parents. Here is last year's schedule.
June 11 to 14 (Monday to Thursday): Early Dismissal
June 14 (Thursday): Last Day of School
June 16 (Saturday): Parent Work Day
July 8 (Sunday): DCS Alumni Boating and Barbecue at Vasona
Opinion | OP-ED
How Discovery Charter Makes Learning History Fun
By: Avani Young
History is an essential subject, but with the repetition of the videos, the lectures and the books that teachers use to dispense the information into the student’s heads the process can get a bit tedious. Students are becoming uninterested about our nation's, or even planet’s past. As a result, the teachers and staff at Discovery Charter school have been producing new and engaging ways to teach young students history.
Field trips are a great way to teach students about history because it will give them a great visual about what they are learning about and keeps them engaged. Kiya Akhenaton, an 8th grade student that has attended Discovery Charter since kindergarten, prefers the less “traditional” way of learning saying, “The way I like to learn is with interactive activities. I like that because it engages me more than a textbook would.” She goes on, “...going to museums helps a lot because you can see the things out in front of you and sometimes they have activities to do.” As Kiya kept talking, she exclaimed, “...textbooks are a boring way to learn, learning needs to come easy and a way to do that is to make learning fun.”
While students like Kiya thrive in an environment where they can visually interact with the material that they are learning, some students prefer the long-established way. Samek Rangarajan liked to learn via documentaries and short informational videos. Samek says, “It explains it with pictures and music. It also goes over things in chronological order.”
To better understand how to make history fun, people need to know why they learn history. History is important for many reasons, whether it be our own personal history or the world's history. History is there so we as humans can learn from our mistakes and when those things happen again we know how to stop them. When Discovery Charter 8th grade teacher, Chris Heumann was asked to share his opinion on this topic he said, “I believe that history is a call to action. When something bad happens in the past and people are knowledgeable about it, if they see something like it beginning to conspire in the present day they can use their knowledge of the past and help prevent it from getting really bad.”
Though History is important for students to learn, not all of it is as essential as the books make it out to be. When asked, what components he may find to be less important as others, Chris Heumann commented, “They overstress the people like the whole rest of the world wasn't there. People need to know that the big names in history had influences and people helping them.”
To make the students engaged and excited to learn history, Chris Heumann said, “What I do is take the stories and try to relate them to school life or the students life.” His idea helps better to understand the material and make it easier to remember. The tone of voice plays a huge part. If the teacher talks in a monotone, boring voice the entire time and just gave out the information, people will most likely lose interest and stop paying attention. Chris Heumann is always so enthusiastic about what he is teaching us in spite teaching it every year.