OMSI and this week

We are headed to OMSI to see what they have to say about Energy and Sustainability this Thursday. Please, send in permission slip and $6 if you haven't already!

Also, bring in any UNSOLD Applebees tickets! Otherwise I will have to charge you for them. Thanks to all the students who participated in selling and making it a team effort. I hope you went and enjoyed being with community and being served by our 8th graders. And...thanks 8th graders who volunteered! You are great.

This week we are moving into ACTION. Students are working in groups to develop and implement an action they want to take on an energy issue. Please discuss action plans with your child. The idea is to go beyond posters and you tube videos (those things can be part of their plan but are passive actions, you don't really know who you are targeting or if there is any change as a result of it.). I want them to think of specific audiences, action objectives and how they plan on making a change.
Some possible ideas are: creating a product this your message (t-shirt, stickers etc), create a flash mop, write a song and perform it to a new group of people, do a powerpoint presentation to other middle schools, do street theater, create a mural or other art installation, write letters to government...you get the idea!

As part of the energy teach in and unit, students will also be writing persuasive/argumentative essays on  an energy issue of choice (can be the same as their action plan).

We will continue to read biographies from different perspectives. Students should continue reading their biography, 20-30 minutes a night. If they finish, pick out another one! I have many in my class.

And Finally - this Friday is the end of 2nd quarter! Wow! Mon/Tues we will be looking at any missed work and finalizing our service reflections. Please check in with your child to see that they have finished all service for the quarter. Our class got lucky, we had gardening at school and Vinny offered it to us as a late-start option too. So all of my class should have their 2 hours one way or the other.

Thanks for all you do for your children and our school. We are lucky to have such an amazing community.
Cori

ps...I had to restart my entire grading program as my last one crashed and burned. I think my new program will be much better. Once I get all the data entered and kinks worked out, I will be able to email you grades upon request! (This does not mean I will have grades entered every day, or even week, but will do my best to keep up!)