Post date: Jun 12, 2017 4:17:25 AM
Good Evening Everyone.
This is the last Sunday evening at school for the next few months. 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 and sense mixed results. There have been encouraging successes, both planned and unexpected as well as 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.
Happening This Final Week:
1. Paper organization, progress report input, and letter to yourself at 18: 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. A bit more than half of the kids have given me a letter that they have written to themselves and sealed in a self-addressed envelope that I'll send out for years from this week.
2. Reproduction Topics:
Last week the kids saw the "Teen Dreams" and "Miracle of Life" videos, interspersed with discussion as well as had an hour of gender separated Q n A. Tomorrow we'll use this facts/questions/diagrams doc (click "request access" if needed) to address any remaining questions or topics.
3. Graduation Practice:
Please get your kid here to DCS a bit (5 minutes?) early onTuesday morning as we have to walk to Saratoga and Payne by 8:52 to catch VTA bus 58 which will take us to the graduation practice at Westgate Church. If we leave school without your kid, please take them to the church. They'll be doing rehearsal until about noon at which point you can pick them up at the church or they can take the 12:15 bus with me back to school.
4. Missing Science Books & Kill-A-Watt devices:
Some kids still haven't returned their assigned science textbooks (numbers 3, 8, 13, 14, 20, 24, 25, 26) and/or the electricity measurement device that I lent out about a month ago (numbers 2, 4, 12, 19, 23 and 26). 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!
Sincerely,
Chris