Weekly Emails
Dear Parents,
Salvete Omnes! This is an informational letter from Mr. Hill, Latin Teacher at Wakefield High School, for the period from April 8 and 9th and for next week, April 12 to April 16.
For the next two weeks, students will learn about the Roman system of education and Greco-Roman art, as well as the important role that Greeks played in these areas of Roman culture. The main language features include 1st and 2nd person verbs, personal pronouns Nos (we) and Vos (you all), comparative adjectives, questions formed with "-ne" and imperative forms of verbs.
With the physical return to school for many students, here are some items to consider:
-- If a student is Plan A and does not attend in person class, I will call the parent and let them know that daily (physical) attendance is expected; failure to attend will count as an absence.
--Question that I received and my answer:
Question: "When we return to school, will we be marked present if we attend online or do we have to be in the building if we are not virtual academy?"
Answer: If you are not enrolled in virtual academy, then you are expected to be physically in the building. If you are not enrolled in Virtual Academy, and you are not physically present in school, then you will be marked absent.
Even if a student attends a Google meet and the student is enrolled in Plan A, the student will be marked absent if the student is not in the building.
If you have further questions, please email those to me.
With Respect,
Steven A. Hill
Dear Parents,
This is your Latin class newsletter for the week of November 30 to December 4 at Wakefield High School. This past week students learned about the Regina Viarum, the Queen of the Roads, the Via Appia, as well as Scipio Africanus and his defeat of Hannibal during the Second Punic War. Additionally, we continued to scrutinize the life of Rome’s first Emperor, Augustus. Language activities centered on introduction of verbs in the future tense and reinforcement of usage of prepositional phrases.
On the horizon, students will learn look at Roman burial customs, as well as their beliefs about life after death. Language features for the week will introduce dative case nouns and continued recognition of subject verb agreement and with verbs in the present, future, and perfect tenses.
A cool word from last week is “furtive,” which is derived from the Latin word “fur,” meaning thief.
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill
sahill@wcpss.net
S.A. Hill
BA, MA, NBCT
Wakefield High School Latin homepage
Teacher, Researcher, and Writer
sahill@wcpss.net
hills@pitt.k12.nc.us
Dear Parents, et al.,
Latin students at Wakefield High School during the week of November 16 to Nov 20 maintained a steady diet of learning about the ancient Romans. The menu included entrees of adjectives as well as genitive Case nouns. Students considered Roman Cultural and historical features of the Roman religion, Emperor Augustus, as well as the Ara Pacis, the Altar of Peace.
Monday 11/23 and Tuesday 11/24 are asynchronous learning days for students. There are a few short reading quizzes for students to complete. Also, I have made myself available to students for individual conferences via Google Meet. Here is the sign up sheet for students. Students must access this sign-up sheet while in their Wake Count School email. Outside email accounts will be disallowed entry. The purpose of this optional Conference is for students to complete their Sentence Projects (*please ask your child if they have completed this!) and get caught up on any other grade related items.
Please have a Happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill
Dear Parents, et al.,
The week of November 9 to November 13 was a bit fragmented; we had Wednesday off for Veterans Day and a weather-related early release on Thursday, but we successfully pulled through. Students enjoyed lessons about cardinal and ordinal numbers, Roman slavery, as well as recitation of the first few lines of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star…” in Latin. This is meant to assist students with pronunciation of ancient Latin words.
Next week students will look closely at forming Latin adjectives and adverbs along with cultural and historical subjects of the Roman Legion, the Pontifex Maximus, and more.
Please read the information below about how Parents can sign up for Teacher Conferences https://ptcfast.com/schools/Wakefield_High
Parents will be able to sign up for 10-minute conference slots using the link on our website beginning Wednesday, November 11th. The site can be translated to Spanish as well. When the teacher’s schedule is filled, parents will receive an automated message to reach out to you to set up a conference at another time.
Timeline:
11/11 Sign-ups go live on the school website
11/11 – 11/16 Parent Conference Sign Up Period
11/16 Sign-up Period Ends
11/16 -11/17 Teachers send Google Invite or code to their parents who have scheduled conferences
11/18 Conference Day
Dear Parents, et al.,
During the week of October 26 to October 30, Latin students at Wakefield High School learned about imperfect and perfect tense verbs, as well as new forms of the verb “to be,” Erat and Erant. In keeping with this, students were taught “Verb Parsing,” an exercise that divides a Latin word into its meaningful segments to attain meaning. Students learned to use a Latin dictionary to locate verbs and nouns, an activity that bears few similarities to using an English language dictionary.
The painting “The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons,” by French artist Jacques-Louis David, was considered, as were Roman aqueducts, and the differences and similarities between the Circus Maximus and the Coliseum.
Next week, students will practice proper usage of Latin prepositions and the formation of prepositional phrases. The Latin word of week is the verb: “pono, ponere, posut, positus: to place, put.” English derivatives include posit, deposit, exposition, deposition, etc.
Also, students who failed a class at Wakefield H.S. should expect a parent-teacher conference meeting invitation this week.
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill
sahill@wcpss.net
Dear Parents, et al.,
This is your letter for the week of the October 19 to October 23 for Latin I class at Wakefield High School. Students this week examined the Punic Wars via geography, considered a work of art entitled the “Oath of the Horatii” and its connection to early Roman history. Our language learning focused on subject-verb agreement, with nouns in the nominative case in singular and plural forms. Stories read in Latin focused on the Roman theater and its role in ancient society in Pompeii. On the horizon: students thus far have used verbs only in the present tense; this upcoming week, introduction of imperfect and perfect tense verbs will expand students’ language abilities. Latin word of the week: “Ubi,” which means “where,” our English word “ubiquitous” is a derivative.
School-wide information: WHS will host a Report Card Drive-Thru on Friday, October 30, from 9:00am-12:00pm. Report cards that are not picked up will be taken to Central Office to be mailed. Please set aside Wednesday, November 18, from 11:00am-7:00pm. We would like to use this time for teachers to hold parent-teacher conferences. This is an asynchronous day and we will allow teachers to start duties at 11:00am. Additional details will be shared at the faculty meeting scheduled on October 28. Contact Mr. Hill via email at sahill@wcpss.net if there are any questions or concerns.
Dates of Asynchronous Days
October 28
November 18
December 2
December 16
January 6
January 13
Best Wishes,
Steven A. Hill
sahill@wcpss.net
Dear Parents,
This is your weekly update letter from Mr. Hill and our Latin class at Wakefield High School for the period of October 12-16. Students this week learned about the origins of theater in ancient Greece and how the Romans made it a popular facet of their own society. The main language features included agreement of singular and plural verbs with nominative case nouns in singular and plural forms. This work in Stage 5 will continue this week, too.
School-wide information:
Oct 22 officially Ends of Quarter 1 marking period.
Oct 28: WCPSS has granted schools the option of making October 28th an asynchronous day. Wakefield HS will hold an asynchronous day on that date.
Oct 30: WHS will host a Report Card Drive-Thru on Friday, October 30, from 9:00am-12:00pm. Report cards not picked up will be taken to Central Office to be mailed. Please set aside Wednesday, November 18, from 11:00am-7:00pm. We would like to use this time for teachers to hold parent-teacher conferences. This is an asynchronous day and we will allow teachers to start duties at 11:00am.
Best Regards,
Mr. Hill
sahill@wcpss.net
P.S.
Purpose of Asynchronous Days
Asynchronous (remote) learning days are intended to support both teachers and students in having sufficient time to fully engage and succeed in their work.
Dates of Asynchronous Days
October 7 (WHS)
October 14 (WHS)
October 28 (WHS—WCPSS approved)
November 18
December 2
December 16
January 6
January 13
These dates are included on weeks where all calendars have five full days of learning.
Dear Parents and Students,
Greetings from Mr. Hill. The week of October 5 to October 9 in Latin I saw students complete Stages 3 and 4 in the Cambridge Latin Course. This means a test on Monday, October 12, before we move on to new material. Quarter 1 ends 10/22, so the upcoming test will be the last major grade for this marking period.
We will have a remote learning (asynchronous) day on each week where there is not already an interruption to the week across all calendars.
Purpose of Asynchronous Days
Asynchronous (remote) (Non-Live teaching) learning days are intended to support both teachers and students in having sufficient time to fully engage and succeed in their work.
Dates of Asynchronous, non-live time teaching days.
October 7 (WHS) Wednesday
October 14 (WHS) Wednesday
November 18 Wednesday
Nov 23 Monday
Nov 24 Tuesday
December 2 Wednesday
Dec 11 Friday
December 16 Wednesday
January 6 Wednesday
January 13 Wednesday
These dates are included on weeks where all calendars have five full days of learning.
Teachers may work with groups of students or individual students on these days.
Students should be given asynchronous learning assignments consistent with other days. There should not be additional asynchronous work to compensate for the lack of live instruction.
Attendance must be recorded on asynchronous days because they are instructional days. This may be handled through work submitted or a brief check-in opportunity.
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill
sahill@wcpss.net
Dear Parents,
During our short, four-day week from September 29 to October 2, Latin I students at Wakefield High School the Forum in ancient Pompeii, and how it served as a religious, business, social, and legal center in most Roman cities. The main language features for the week included the Latin verb to be (esse) in the 1stand 2ndperson: sum and es.
Some information about grades: Quarter 1 ends of 10/22. Grades will be due in PowerTeacherPro by 3:00pm on 10/27. Report cards will be issued on 10/30.
On the horizon, students will continue to expand their English vocabulary through Latin. They will dive deeper into topics of ancient commerce, finance, and law via the stories in our textbook. Optional for Parents: ask your child about the meaning of the Latin word “disciplus,” (pronounced DISK- KIP – U – Loose). English derivatives of “discipulus” include discipline and disciple.
Have a Great Week !
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill
Dear Parents,
During the week of September 21 to September 25, Latin students at Wakefield High School continued their study of the Ancient Romans with independent study of their religious beliefs, as adopted from nearby Greece. The Labors of Hercules also were considered, and the students read a short story in Latin about Hercules’ First Labor: the Nemean Lion.
Students gained further insight into the structure of the Latin language with familiarity through reading. More specifically, students reinforced use of nominative and accusative case nouns, singular, of the first, second and third declensions. Next week, the Latin words “ego” “tu,” “sum,” and “es” will be introduced. “Sum”is among the best known of all the Latin verbs, derived from the infinitive verb “esse,” meaning "to be."
Happy Friday!
With Respect,
Mr. Hill
Parent Email Week of Sept 14 to Sept 18
Dear Parents,
Happy Friday! Latin I students this week continued to reinforce their Latin reading skills and broaden their vocabulary, in both Latin and English. Students learned about Ancient Roman Art, the Vestal Virgins, the Roman deity Mars, as well as a comparison between slavery in Ancient Rome compared to slavery in the U.S.A. that ended in 1865. On the horizon, students will continue to read Latin and learn about how Roman ideas and practices in elections and government continue to be used today.
As usual, please contact me via email, if needed:sahill@wcpass.net
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill
Join our class REMIND 101
If you have a smartphone, get notifications on your iPhone or Android phone, open your web browser and go to
the following link:
rmd.at/latiniw
Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You’ll be prompted to download the mobile app.
Week of August 31 to September 4
Dear Parents,
Latin students at Wakefield High School during the week of August 31 to September 4 read stories in Latin and strengthened required language skills. Students practiced the proper usage of nouns in the accusative and nominative cases, as well as continued use of third person, singular, verbs.
Cultural/historical lessons touched on Roman houses, the Roman “Castra,” and students investigated French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme’s painting, Pollice Verso. Here’s a link to a short reading about the painting, in case you wish to ask them about it. And on Friday, students learned of the three distinct orders in Classical Architecture and are working on a petite project showing instances of the Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian in United States’ architecture.
The Unit 2 TEST is on Tuesday. The test will be on CANVAS.
Remember, next week starts on a Tuesday. On the horizon, students will learn the details of Roman clothing, the significance of the Roman roads system, and begin to read stories in Stage 3, in Latin.
Respectfully,
Steven A. Hill
BA, MA, NBCT
Wakefield High School Latin homepage
Teacher, Researcher, and Writer
sahill@wcpss.net
Note to Parents sent on August 21, 2020.
The first week in LATIN I at Wakefield High School was successful. All students were polite and pleasant during LIVE Instruction, with few absences. We focused on procedures and skills needed to operate in the digital classroom. We will formally dive into Roman Culture, History, and Language starting Monday! My email is sahill@wcpss.net and information to join our REMIND 101 notification system is at the bottom of this message. Best wishes, Mr. Hill
First week skills learned and/or reviewed by students
1. The CANVAS Learning Management System
2. PowerPoint
3. CAM SCAN
4. Google Jam Board
5. Screen Cast presentation
6. GIMKIT
7. VTS – Visual Thinking Strategies: this was demonstrated by the teacher.
If you have a smartphone, get push notifications.
On your iPhone or Android phone, open your web browser and go to
the following link:
rmd.at/latiniw
Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You’ll be prompted to
download the mobile app.
Note to Parents August 28, 2020
Dear Parents,
The second week of LATIN I, August 24-28, at Wakefield High School was better than first! Topics we learned about include Romulus and Remus, the three periods of Roman history, the Fasces, and some details about Roman houses in Pompeii. Language studies saw students exposed to Latin noun cases and the differences between Latin sentence word order compared to English. Students also read their first story, “Cerberus.”
Next week, students will learn about Latin verbs: tense, number, mood, voice, person, etc.
Parents, please look at student grades in POWERSCHOOL, because I updated grades today.
Best Wishes,
Mr. Hill, Latin teacher
If you have a smartphone, get push notifications.
On your iPhone or Android phone, open your web browser and go to
the following link:
rmd.at/latiniw
Follow the instructions to sign up for Remind. You’ll be prompted to
download the mobile app.