Post date: Aug 17, 2013 2:57:27 PM
Hi Parents and Students!
According the the countdown ticker hidden on the bottom of left side of my website, there are 5 days until school starts (including today). I really hope that your summer has been a blast and that you are feeling ok about school starting up again. I certainly like vacation time, yet I am eager to get to know this class and to begin our fast-paced year together!
Middle School Mixer: Monday evening is our first chance to get together as a class and a grade level. We will do a "two truths and a lie" activity in the classroom for the first half of that time, and then head outside to join the other 7th grade classes for some rope and water games.
Summer Scrapbook Page: I have posted my plans for day 1 on the daily schedule page of my site, and there is one project for which you (students) need to prepare before the first day of school. Specifically, I need you to bring in pictures or other things to put onto your "Summer Scrapbook" page. I'll have scrapbook pages (12"x12") for you, but the "stuff" to add to that page will come from you. Bring printed pictures, stickers, or any other things that somehow relate to your summer so that during class you can design and build your page. Parents, since I don't have the email addresses for about half of the kids in class, please share this paragraph with them and help them get some of the supplies together.
School Supplies & Shopping: The class supplies list that I posted in the Spring has changed a bit, but only in that I added a 3-ring binder or accordion folder as well as a note about the classroom supplies (explaining that spreading these things out over the year is preferable to a bumper crop in the fall and barren fields in the winter and spring).
Saturday Work Day: Tomorrow, from 9 to 1 we are having a parent work day. I have a list of about 25 tasks written on the whiteboard in room 25 and will likely add a few more before I leave school tonight. I'm hoping that a few of you can come and help out. Tasks range from shopping, to organizing, to cleaning, to moving, to technology tasks, and handyman stuff. Kids are welcome to come if they are willing to work, as I have high hopes for a productive day!
Class Parent Meeting: I'd like us to get together for an hour or so early in September so that I can give you an overview of the plans, practices, priorities, and philosophies for the year (no school wide "Open House Night" this year). How 'bout Monday the 9th from 7 to 8? Let me know ASAP if that date doesn't work for you.
Missing Student Emails: I communicate with students quite a bit using email. Although all students have a gmail account behind our "mydiscoveryk8.org" domain, many do not check it often. Therefore I'm trying to collect student email addresses. So far I don't have one for Alec, Avi, Elise, Gabriela, Hunter, Lesley, Maya, Nathan, Oscar, Prerna, Russell, RyanS, and Theodor. If you can fill me in with those, that would be great. If not (for any reason), I surely understand!
Parent Class Jobs: Roseanne Smith and I met today to discuss some ideas I have for parent work shifts. The details are on the parents page of my site, but I'm very flexible. In general I'm looking for writing coaches, book club guides, science & history helpers, daily-task assistance, and online resource organizer. I appreciate the diverse skills and preferences that you parents have and hope that we can best match you to class (and my) needs.
Reminders:
There are still 10 students for whom I haven't received a response on my "Parent Input About Their Kid" survey.
Please mark "My Kid on the CalCoast Walkabout" on October 8, 9, and 10 on your family calendar.
School start and end times have changed for this year. 8:40 to 3:20.
Find those cool little (flat) memorabilia things for your (kid's) "summer scrapbook page" and bring them to class Wednesday
If possible please reply just to let me know that I have connected with you.
Other Tidbits:
Tuisku's is back from surgery and will (yay) be here for the first day of school.
Welcome Prerna, to our class!
The first set of students that I ever taught are turning 40 this year -- I ran into one of them on the coast last week.