Post date: Jun 09, 2018 6:21:59 PM
Welcome to the last week of school, and almost my last newsletter. I'll write one more of these weekly newsletters after the last day of school, but that one will be just a short recap of the week and a final goodbye. Please know that many of you (students and parents) have provided great joy and inspiration this year. I've tried to push the kids to be proactive, passionate, and productive throughout the year. There have been encouraging successes, both planned and unexpected as well as a few persistent hinderances. But everyone, in their own way, has hopefully grown and enjoyed parts of the year. Eighth grade should have been both a cumulation of the DCS experience and a springboard forth into the next portions of their adventurous journeys.
1. Rafting Recap: Wow, what a great time! Everything went so well, and the kids really seemed to have a good time on the river, in the river, and off of the river. The group gelled so well and everyone was in good spirits and high energy. Everyone that came in contact with our group seemed impressed by their attitudes and actions and quite a few went out of their way to comment on the great things they noticed. It thrilled me to watch the kids play, cook, swim, chat, and chill during this last overnight outing. Thanks, parents, for supporting this non-academic but extremely important experience. I will miss nothing more than DCS trips!
2. Paper Organization and Progress Report Input: I'll be asking the kids to put some organization to their papers for the year so that they might be useful in future classes. They'll also give me their input for progress report skills levels and writing their reflections for the narrative portion of the second semester report card.
3. Graduation: I apologize for not handing out the envelopes of graduation tickets on time. They are still in the classroom and I'll hand them out first thing Monday morning. On Tuesday morning some parents will drive groups to the graduation practice at Westgate Church. They'll be doing rehearsal until about noon at which point you can pick them up at the church. Sara sent out a very informative email with the schedule and details and I forwarded it to you mid Saturday. Summary: have your kid to the church at 4:30. The graduation itself will start at 5:00 and the after party goes until 9:30. The other graduation related thing to mention is that your kid will be creating a reflective document -- a combination of text and image -- that will be posted in the lobby of the church.
4. Turning in Chromebooks, Science Books & Kill-A-Watt Devices: According to Debbie Devine, some kids still haven't returned their Chromebooks so please ask your kid about that. Also, please ask them to bring their assigned science textbook to school Monday. Also, some of the electricity measurement device that I lent out about a month ago are still missing. Please scour the house for anything that looks DCSish and return it if possible.
5. Maker Day: Tuesday morning DCS will have its own great maker day. There will be lots of activities for the kids to do and learn from. Parents, if you want to get involved, check your email for information from Karen Yorn or Brooke or the science task force. This doc shows what activities are hosted in various locations.
Thanks for reading these weekly emails and for keeping yourselves involved and informed!