Post date: Mar 06, 2017 4:16:48 AM
Hello Room 25 Families.
Happy Sunday and I hope that this email gets to you (and read :) before the flurry of a new week's activities sweep in.
There are four topics I will write about this time:
1. Photos: Cristina is our photo coordinator this year and she sent me a message to forward to you:
Hi parents,
Bellow I am including the links necessary to upload pictures for the yearbook. I know some parents took great pictures from field trips and this is the moment to send them in!! The deadline for the yearbook submission is April 13. Let me know if you run into problems. Thanks!! (Cristina)
To login and upload to Smugmug: https://discoveryk8.smugmug.com/D1 Regular Password for the Discovery 1 folder: "d1_phoenix"
2. Current Events: Over the past few months I've been feeling like the current events process has declined in it's investment and value. Many of the topics are ok for most kids, but the write-ups and discussions are rarely deep or challenging enough (in my opinion). When I pass some back tomorrow I'll raise that issue with the kids, provide some samples, and ask them to step up their game. There are so many things going on in the world right now and there is little that is more important than for people everywhere and of all ages to be informed deep thinkers and effective communicators.
3. Essay Statements: The only homework that I gave this weekend was for each kid to reflect back on the "Pay It Forward" movie and their chosen topic, then come up with a statement that will be the foundation of the essay that they will write. I described this and gave an example and showed this Shmoop video on Friday and tomorrow they'll begin the organization of said essay. Perhaps you could discuss their statement with your kid on the ride to school tomorrow
4. Senior Relationships: During a class meeting last week, an idea came up that has gotten some traction! There are about 18 kids who are be interested in getting involved in establishing some sort of interaction/relationship with a senior citizen at an assisted living facility or home. I'm very very supportive of this and think it has great potential -- beyond delivering crafts projects or singing for a group of anonymous elderly people. Our kids would be excellent at this! During my high school years some friends and I (through Kiwanis) would meet with a group of 5 ol' guys and play poker for an hour each week. I always lost my chips but inevitably gained an wonderful sense of purpose and connection with a special and appreciative person. Granted we were older than 8th grade and times were different back then, but the need for human to human contact is a constant, and probably even more valuable to seniors of today who are often not visited by many middle schoolers! So, if any of you (kids or parents) are willing to do some research into this idea or something similar, please let me know!