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February 22, 2006
Soc St Conf Day #1
I have not gotten around to posting in a week. We lost a teacher recently and I have tried to help pick up the slack with the posting of grades and putting together good social studies content for the kids. Of all things, the Progress Reports caused me the worst headaches. It looks like as often as I send them out to my kids, it wouldn’t have been any problem. Oh well, we are caught up and moving forward. Mrs. Williamson and Mrs. Nichols have done and excellent job of keeping the kids on task. But we are still very excited to welcome Mrs. Atkins to the Cobra team. As a retired teacher coming back to the classroom she brings a strong background in education and working with kids and we know Mrs. Atkins will add her own chapter to our collective Cobra history.
I got to Greensboro this afternoon and am excited already about the Social Studies Conference. It sounds bad to say but in the ten years I have been teaching I have never had the opportunity to attend a Social Studies Conference like this. I have attended numerous technology conferences and many World Views, and they were all beneficial, but here it is "all SS all day!" To brag a little bit on our new assistant principal Mrs. Anne Kosuda, she actually serves on the board of the state wide Council for Social Studies and has obviously had a lot to do with making this conference a success. Her experiences in the classroom and her love for social studies will serve many children well as she continues this new part of her career in administration.
My special thanks to Mr. Aycock for spending this time with my classes while I am out. It is so reassuring to know that Deputy Sheriff Aycock is in charge. :-) I know the kids will be on their best behavior and will make me, their families, and most of all themselves proud. The only thing I really am disappointed in is that you guys are doing the Junior Scholastic without me. They are such a great resource and I enjoy them as much as the kids do!
Be checking back here this week as I will be posting some of the things I am learning for you guys to check out.
~Take a look at The American Promise website. I got some great resources from their dinner. Can't wait to share!
For all you basketball fans out there - How about them Heels. :-) Seriously though, as much as I pick at Harry and the State fans, I don't care who you choose to cheer on, as long as you make plans to attend some university or community college. An advanced education will make cheering on the home team, that much more fun!
Posted by hlperson at 10:37 PM | Comments (8)
February 14, 2006
Happy Valentine's Day
Yesterday we were excited to have a guest speaker come and join us at NMS. Harriet Tubman, portrayed by Joyce Greir, came and shared with us the story and experiences of her life. Speaking as one who was totally caught up in her portrayal, she did an amazing job. More than once I slipped into that historical (participatory) trance I often fall into as I read historical fiction. I found myself working along side Harriet in the fields saving money to buy her freedom, running through the woods in the dark of night northwards to freedom, and I could see the shining North Star every time she pointed towards it. Hearing from the kids, I know, I am not the only one who enjoyed the presentation and learned from it.
Today we got another new student, Devin. We are glad to add another gentleman to our homeroom because the boys always say they are outnumbered. Ms. Crunkleton and Ms. Jenkins worked to get him set up for success and Mr. Lamb and Mr. Johnson are showing him around. It is always hard settling into a new place but we welcome Mr. Christian and know he will enjoy the Buccaneers Team.
Mr. Re came in this morning to read the nominations for Student of the Week and my homeroom had three different young men nominated this week from around campus. Mrs. Baker nominated Mr. Garris for his willingness to always help and go above and beyond. Mrs. Elmore nominated Mr. Thomas for always being prepared and working so hard. And I nominated Mr. Mahmoud for his superior personality and determination to do well. These young men have a lot to be proud of for this superior recognition.
Posted by hlperson at 09:47 AM | Comments (6)
February 07, 2006
An Eclectic Day
Today we spent our Language Arts Block doing some Internet based research on our Black History Month person. Mrs. Nichols was a great help and many of the kids had printed material to help them in writing their paper. Each one of the kids will be creating Public Service Advertisement from their research, sharing it with the class, and displaying it around campus for others to learn from and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
We took our BIG southern Africa Test today with my homeroom and Mrs. Wooten’s class will tomorrow. This area of the world will be in the news over the course of our kid’s lifetime and I am confident they will be more aware from now on.
Norwayne kicks off its School Wide Candy Sale Fundraiser this week and it is a major source of income for our school. This kind of fundraiser is easy for the kids and really makes a difference to their education at Norwayne. If you could help with the sale, please do. Your kids and our community will benefit from our efforts.
Mark your calendar for February 28th! Ms. Jones, Mrs. Munoz, Mrs. Harper, and Ms. Worrells will be conducting a Parent’s Workshop discussing the seventh grade Writing Test, the eighth grade Technology Test, Thinking Maps, and EOG Goal Setting. If you can come out, please do!
Carolina v/s Duke Game tonight - so no homework for Tarheel Fans!!! :-)
Posted by hlperson at 01:49 PM | Comments (3)
February 02, 2006
Groundhog Day 2006
This is the first posting I have done since Mrs. Coretta Scott King passed away Tuesday morning. I believe the President, in his State of the Union Address, said it well when he said, “Tonight we are comforted by the hope of a glad reunion with the husband who was taken so long ago, and we are grateful for the good life of Coretta Scott King.” To her family and friends take comfort knowing the pain from the cancer does not pain her anymore and know a greatful nation appreciates her sacrifice in the civil rights movement.
Today we played a Black History Month Quiz on Channel One’s website. We used some flash cards and it is reassuring to know that many of the kids know a little about our common history. It was a good chance to discuss further our plans for our Public Service Advertisement project.
I used a graphic from the CBS News Website to show the kids where the new African American History Museum is to be built on the National Mall in our Nation’s Capital. Every year I am fortunate enough to be asked to accompany a WorldView group from CB Aycock High School to tour Washington, DC. As I am talking to the students today they asked would it be built by the time they are 10th graders and take the WorldView trip. That is an exciting thought.
We worked on making a Vocabulary Wheel to study from today for next Tuesday’ Vocab test. For “fidgety” people (kinesthetic learners) having something hands on like the wheel really helps us focus and study better. And besides that it makes studying more fun. Take a minute and sit down with the kids and help them enjoy studying for their test.
Be on the look out for some Public Service Advertisements (PSAs) in the very near future. The kids are going to be researching, writing about, producing the flyer, printing, backing, laminating, and displaying them around the campus so others can learn from our work. I will post their product online for you to enjoy also.
Posted by hlperson at 09:29 AM | Comments (6)