By Julie Keys on 12/16/2007

Happy week before Winter Break!  Before we begin our discussion of academics, let's handle the business side of things.  We are still looking for some parent volunteers for the Winter Party, which will occur in class on Friday, December 21, at 1:30 PM.  Anyone interested in generously donating their time to our endeavors, please contact Mrs. Jennifer Blecha, who is our lead parent for the activity, or me.  Also, in relation to our Winter Party, the Theme class wil be participating in our holiday Secret Elephant activity.  Students have drawn names of other students as their "Secret Elephant."  Students are asked to bring a small, mini-gift for each day of the week, Monday - Thursday (items such as cookies, candy bars, drinks, etc), and on Friday, each student should bring the main gift.  Please make sure that no more than $20 is spent throughout the week on all presents combined.  Please also be aware that this ... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 12/9/2007

    Greetings again!  With the holidays quickly approaching, it's time for our class' annual Winter Holiday party!  Mrs. Jennifer Blecha has graciously offered to be our lead parent volunteer for this.  We do need another four parents to generously volunteer their time, so if you are available, please contact Mrs. Blecha as quickly as possible.  The party will take place in the classroom on Friday, December 21, beginning at 1:30 PM.  If you are able to help us out, please contact me as soon as you can; at that point, I will give you Mrs. Blecha's contact information.

    OK, now that we've covered that, it's time to get down to the business of our Theme class.  Our students are still engaged in their Road to Revolution Learning Stations activities; upon completion of these activities, we will make a smooth transition into our studies about the actual American Revolution.& ... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 12/2/2007

This week actually brings us a quick update of the Theme class' happenings, as opposed to the novels that seem to be the norm!  Our Theme class continues to work on their Road to Revolution station activities.  These stations are cooperative learning, project-based stations that allow students to work in teams and yet still be held responsible as individuals for the quality of their learning.  All station activities are to be finished  and handed in by the beginning of class Friday.  Due to the nature of this unit, homework will not be assigned until this Friday.  Please check the website as that day approaches for more information.

Have a wonderful week!

By Julie Keys on 11/25/2007

I hope all of you had a truly wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!  I'm sure the time off was beneficial to us all!  Now, however, it's time for the academic excitement ot begin again!  This week, our theme class will finally tackle the Road to Revolution unit.  Students will work in small groups to complete tasks related to the events leading up to the American Revolution in a learning stations approach.  Teams will be given seven days to complete all activities at each station.  Stations titles include Violence in Boston, Loyalist vs. Patriot, Acts of the English Parliament, the Revolutionaries, the Continental Congresses, Documents of Change, and Analyzing the Acts.  Teams will work together to create a portfolio of work relating to these topics.  These stations will go well into the next week of classes as well.   There will be no homework associated with Theme during this time, as all activities are expected to be comple ... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 11/18/2007

    Welcome to Thanksgiving week!  Before we get started, let me take the time to wish all of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!  As this is a very short week, our activities will be somewhat limited.  Due to the time and complexity of the presentations of the students' trimester projects, we were unable to begin our Road to Revolution Learning Stations Activities.  We will instead undertake this journey next week, after we return from the Thanksgiving break.  As for the two days of this week, we will continue our presentations of the students' projects.  Enjoy your break!

 

By Julie Keys on 11/12/2007

    We're back!!!  We arrived back from KSS safe and sound, and I'd wager to say that we all had an incredible time!  Let me start by congratulating all of the students for a job well done!  What a great group of kids these are!  They represented themselves and the Stargate community with respect and grace.  I am truly impressed at how well this class gets along and works together.  Each and every one of these students made the lives of the chaperones easy and fun.  Speaking of the chaperones, a humongous thank you to Mrs. Turner and Mr. Zonies!  All of their hard work helped to make this trip the wonderful trip it was, and their efforts were truly appreciated by the students and me!

    In other news from the past week, thank you to all of you who so generously donated to our Gala basket.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend - KSS did indeed wip ... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 11/2/2007

Hello to all and welcome to a most exciting week!  That's right, it's Keystone Science School week!  As you know, we leave from school this Wednesday morning.  Please make sure that your student has packed all of the items listed on the KSS supply list, but at the same time, remind your student that he or she must be able to manage their own bags!  While at Keystone, we'll be engaged in a study of wolf ecology.  Our Theme class this week will dedicate most of our time in preparation for this, completing some of the pre-learning activities provided by KSS.  If you do have any questions, please get in touch with me at your convenience.

The final set of research cards for the trimester project is due in class on Tuesday, November 6.  Please be aware that this is one day later than what is listed on the checklist.  The rough draft of the bulleted page for the topic will be due on Tuesday, November 13.

& ... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 10/28/2007

    Happy Halloween to all of you celebrating this year.  With Halloween upon us, as well as the start of Keystone trips - have fun Ms. Embry and Ms. Root's classes - we're entering an even busier time than usual!  However, as always, we start with some homeroom-related announcements!

    If you have not already, please make sure that you send in all Keystone forms and payments as soon as possible.  If you have not already handed in your forms, and feel any hesitation whatsoever in doing so, please get in touch with me!  I can promise you, as someone who had this experiences many (we won't say how many) years ago, it is one of the most memorable educational experiences your child will ever have!

    Another reminder - we are still collecting for our "Great Outdoors" gala basket.  Please, if you have not already, please ... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 10/20/2007

    Here we are again, ready for another exciting week.  Before we get into the academic side of the agenda, we just have a few quick reminders regarding upcoming events.  Let's begin with Keystone Science School, which is only a few weeks away!  Please remember to hand in all forms as soon as you can.  If you are in need of finanacial aid, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can start the process right away.  If you have any other questions related to KSS, please feel free to touch base with me.

    Also, don't forget to make your donation to our homeroom's Gala basket.  As you know, our theme is "The Great Outdoors," so we are asking that your donations relate to this theme.  If you have any questions regarding this, please contact either me or Shana Zonies, our contact parent for this project.

... Read More »

By Julie Keys on 10/18/2007

Hello all!  I just wanted to post a reminder to you about our Gala basket.  Our basket's theme is the Great Outdoors.  We would truly appreciate you taking the time to find a fitting donation for this basket.  If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me or Mrs. Zonies, who is our point parent on this project.  Thanks to those of you who have already donated to the cause!