Week 32 Update and Schedule

Spring is in the air and we've been moving forward in Language Arts and having some fun with learning along the way!  We had a great week learning about process when students were asked to write an informational process 3-paragraph paper on how to make a paper airplane. The students who finished their work were able to participate in a very fun Gecko Day where students swapped process papers and made airplanes based on another's instructions, then raced the planes. It was a blast!

Airplane Racing Fun during 6th period with Mr. Rarick running Gecko Time (Mrs. Leany is back there too).  It's awesome to work with teachers who can have just as much fun as our students!

The most interesting landing of the day...

See?  Teachers have fun too!

This upcoming week will begin our CRT-prep unit where I will focus on preparing students for the test by reviewing important concepts, practicing test questions, and learning valuable test-taking skills & brain-stimulating exercises.  As always, I will try to present the material in an engaging, fun way.  I'm excited for this unit and know that my students will receive the support and preparation to test well.

Our CRT testing has been moved to April 22-24.  Please mark this on your calendar and make sure your student is in attendance.  Another important calendar item is that April 3rd will be the due date for the next Book Report.  Students must select a book report type they have NOT picked yet and need to choose a book over 150 pages that they have never read before.  I'm putting a hold on all "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"/"Dork Diary"/"Captain Underpants"/"Goosebumps" books for book report books.  Although these books help to encourage reading in reluctant readers, they will not push your child to read better, and as 7th graders--they need to branch-out.  I have a ton of great books in my classroom available for check-out, as does our impressive school library.

Please check PowerSchool--grades will be updated by the end of the weekend and I am worried because some students are missing multiple assignments, which is driving-down their grades.  I am available before and after school and I'm happy to help your student catch-up but they need to be proactive and talk to me.  Please encourage your student to work hard and hand in work on time.  Also, students need to talk to me before or after missing a day of school as soon as they can so they don't fall behind.

Here is how our schedule looks this week--No Utah-in-the-News this week.

Monday, March 25th:  Wk. 31 Planner/Reading Check, Poetry Analysis, Grammar Hunt (oh, this is going to be a FUN one!)

Tuesday, March 26th: STAR Reading Test (Benchmark)

Wednesday, March 27th: Reading Comprehension, Library Day

*AM/PM Reading Club*

Thursday, March 28th: Reading Comprehension, "African Killer Bees"

School Assembly

Friday, March 29th & Monday, April 1st: NO SCHOOL   

Enjoy your Easter Break ;)

Week 31 Update & Schedule

Welcome back from Spring Break!  I hope everyone had a safe, fun week and enjoyed playing hard and sleeping-in. :-)  In addition to enjoying time with my family, I have been planning for the upcoming weeks and grading the Novel Projects that have been turned in.  It's been exciting to see the high-quality of projects that came in early.  I'm so proud to see how students have been working so very hard to demonstrate their knowledge of the novel.  Way to go!  Remember that Monday, March 18th, is the official date for Novel Projects so please work hard to turn them in on time.  Please write down any reading you did during Spring Break in your planner for extra effort.  I've read a couple good books this week and I hope you've enjoyed some good reading too.

The next 6 weeks will be CRT Prep.  Our CRT testing will be April 30-May 1st.  If at all humanly possible, plan to be in school those days.  Mrs. Leany, Mr. Rarick and I have worked hard to design an effective and FUN CRT Prep. until to fully prepare students for testing.  Attendance is essential, so I hope families had some good vacation time these last couple month and students can be in school.  CRT tests matter and go on your permanent school record.  I believe that everyone has the knowledge and skills in their heads and it's my job to help students be able to quickly recall and demonstrate their understanding.

Book Orders are due on Monday, March 18th as well.  If you are interested, simply click on the link from the blog and place your order.  Scholastic is doing a lot of clear-out right now, so it is a good time to buy; AND, they are still giving a voucher for a free book worth $5 for any online order.

Here is a tentative schedule for this week--I may need to make some adjustments by the time school starts. Note that students will take the Gates reading test.  This is a reading test that is a little different from the STAR and is more comprehension, rather than fluency, based so I am hoping to get a more accurate read on student's levels.  As always, please let me know if there are any questions and I'll look forward to seeing everyone Monday.

Week 31 Schedule

Monday, March 18th:  Monday-Write (2nd Trimester Reflection), Schedule Week, Novel Project Presentations (for extra effort)   NOVEL PROJECTS DUE

Tuesday, March 19th: Process Paper/Activity (3 paragraph)

Wednesday, March 20th: Gates Test, part I and Library

Thursday, March 21st: Gates Test, part II  (Mrs. Robins at a training)

Friday, March 22nd: Utah in New, Random Student, Finish Process Paper/Activity


Utah-in-the-News to present Friday, March 22nd
*Please encourage your student to be prepared on Friday.  They can present early for bonus effort. Students must use the correct form (I give it to them in class and it's available on the blog), must summarize in their OWN words and must print or cut-out the article and staple to the back of the form.

1st: Chloee Pemberton, Olivia Palmer, Bailey Pace
2nd: Javi Santander, James Rasumssen, Wyatt Parry
3rd: Lacey Reid, Hannah Silvia, Conner Pollmann
5th: Vanessa Agustin, Kayden Alldredge, Alexa Anderson
6th: Brook Stoneman, Calista Roberts, Shelbi Rigby

Week 29 Update & Schedule

It's been a difficult week with the passing of Lava Ridge student, Ashley Rubio, who was in my 5th period class.  My heart has ached at the loss of such a sweet, talented girl; Ashley will be missed a great deal.  I know many other students have struggled with such an unexpected loss as well.  I have had time to reflect on how very much I love the students I teach and what a privilege it is to be a part of their lives.  I'm so proud to be part of a school where staff and faculty have rallied together to provide support to our students.  We are truly a Lava Ridge family and please know that we are all working hard to meet the educational and emotional needs of your children.  If you have any questions or concerns about your student; please do not hesitate to email or call me.

On Friday, March 1st, students will be receiving Chapter 8: April and Summary to read at home in preparation for a comprehension/analysis based activity on Monday, March 3rd.  It is vitally important that students prepare ahead of time for class.  If they are not in school on Friday or misplace their reading, everything is online for them to read.

I am also handing out Novel Projects rubrics & directions.  They will be available on the blog later today and students will bring one home.  Students have selected a project to do. Most students will be completing these projects at home and students with support classes (Study Skills, GRASP) are working on their projects in-class with the assistance of their support teachers (Musgrave, Haws or Robinson).

The deadline has been extended to Monday, March 18th (the first day back from Spring Break).  However, if students are going to be out-of-town for the break; I have encouraged them to hand in their projects on Friday, March 8th so they don't have to worry about homework.  I do not want late work on this project and I am doing all I can to provide time & encouragement for students to complete their projects.

There will be no Utah-in-the-News this week; I'd prefer students use their time to work on their Novel Projects and finish their readings.

As a reminder, there are daily assignments so if your student misses a day, please have them talk to me before or after school to make-up their work.  If working on Novel Projects at home is difficult, students are welcome to work in my classroom.  I arrive rather early in the morning to school and I stay after school until 3pm each day.  

Here is our schedule for the upcoming week:

Monday, March 4th:  Calendar/Planner Check for Wk. 27, Novel-Talk Activity, Begin Ch. 9

Tuesday, March 5th: Poetry Bellwork, Finish Ch. 9 

Wednesday, March 6th: Begin Ch. 10, Library Time  *AM/PM Reading Club

Thursday, March 7th: Final Poetry Bellwork, Finish Novel

Friday, March 8th: Random Student Spotlight, Novel Project Work Day

**Early-Bird Novel Projects may be turned in today.

I have decided that students need a work day for their projects.  After our CRT Test, students will make Poetry Chapbooks to display the poetry they have created and we'll have a class "Open Mic" poetry reading. At this time, poetry has been recorded as part of their effort grade and their Chapbook will be assessed as an academic score in early May.