| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Page Last Updated Apr 30, 2012
Number of Visits: 425
Jump down this page to view:
FlashCards
|
April 30, 2012 We're in the final stretch of SOL review! SOLs begin next week!! Students will have homework each night this week in final preparation. They will have 15 multiple choice questions to answer each night, Monday through Thursday, from a Virginia SOL Practice Test Booklet. March 2, 2012 Review assignments have been posted on myskillstutor.com for both 7th and 8th grade Math SOL objectives. Students will be working on this review in class over the next 6 weeks, and they will be receiving grades for their progress. They may also access the website from home, and can proceed through the assignments on their own. The Math SOL is 8 weeks away! Website: myskillstutor.com Username: student's first and middle initials, and whole last name Password: student's lunch number Site: jdis01 (that's a zero and a one, not the letter"O") Proceed with the next assignment highlighted in yellow. March 1, 2012 Tomorrow is the last day of the 4th 6 weeks! Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Papers were sent home yesterday with my 8th graders, requesting your participation in an online survey. To each yellow survey paper was stapled a red preference slip. The red slip has space for you to indicate whether you will take the survey online, whether you would prefer a paper copy of the survey, or if you'd rather not participate at all, which is fine. The survey is for the Virginia Department of Education, and helps us help you. Please remind your child about the paper; none of the red slips were returned today, and they all let out a collective gasp when I inquired. :) oopsie... Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7th graders (2nd period ONLY): HOMEWORK!!! Complete the Chapter 5 Review you started in class. Workbook pages 165-168, questions 1-13B ( a total of 14 questions) 8th graders: HOMEWORK!! Solve the 3 problems your classmates created for you. The week of January 18-20 We have been doing a mid-year review of everything my students have learned thus far. They've been very competitive in our activities, which makes teaching and learning both fun and exciting! They are answering questions from released Math SOL tests to get used to the kind of questions they can anticipate seeing in May, learning how to eliminate answer choices and pick out important information. We then work through the ones they do not understand. There has not been any homework. Monday, January 9, 2012 Students have been working on collecting data as they learn about probability. We have flipped coins, tossed number cubes, rolled dice, selected marbles, and even played Twister a time or two! We will wrap this SOL objective up this week with a paperless challenge of wisdom (*test*). Friday is the end of the 3rd 6 weeks! We're half way through the school year already! Wednesday, November 29, 2011 Some of my 8th graders have homework tonight in their workbooks, pages 105-107, questions 1-9B Several students finished the assignment, but the majority did not. Tuesday, November 29, 2011 2nd period 7th graders ONLY have HOMEWORK tonight! Questions 1-6c on pages 133-134 QUIZ TOMORROW on all transformations! Monday, November 28, 2011 8th graders have 7 questions to answer in their workbook tonight! :) page 99, 1-7A Tuesday, November 15, 2011 I apologize for not updating sooner, but we've been very busy! That little skiff of snow last week arrived just in time for us to begin our Geometry unit, which is my favorite unit! From now until Winter Break, my classes will be working on projects in class, "learning by doing". I won't be updating every day until we return in January, as there will not be any homework. Everything Wednesday, November 9, 2011 no homework Tuesday, November 8, 2011 7th graders: Chapter 3 review in the workbook 8th graders: 6 problems, page 79 in the workbook Monday, November 7, 2011 no homework Thursday, November 3, 2011 no homework Wednesday, November 2, 2011 no homework Tuesday, November 1, 2011 no homework Monday, October 31, 2011 7th graders:
8th graders:
PARENT / TEACHER CONFERENCES Tomorrow!!! Thursday, October 27 - 12:00-3:00 & 4:00-7:00 *Teachers have a break from 3:00-4:00, and doors will be locked. Wednesday, October 26, 2011 No homework! No school tomorrow or Friday! Wednesday, October 19, 2011 No homework! Tuesday, October 18, 2011 No homework! Monday, October 17, 2011 No homework! Thursday, October 13, 2011 YES! ~ HOMEWORK tonight!!! Both 7th and 8th grade classes are finding percents of a number using cross multiplication. They have a puzzle to solve on a worksheet called "Double Cross". Decode the answers to 3 questions. ALSO~ PLEASE, oh PLEASE....send a box of tissues with your child....we are running out...no pun intended. ;) Wednesday, October 12, 2011 No Homework Tuesday, October 11, 2011 No homework tonight Some of my students are aware my son had a wreck on his way to school this morning, and that I left abruptly. I want them to know that my son is ok. He was able to go on to school without a scratch, and damage to his car was minimal; he was hit from behind while waiting for the vehicle in front of him to make a left turn. I am especially proud of my zero period students who were in the room when I got the call; they immediately detected the seriousness of the situation and were very thoughtful and caring, concerned for both me and my son. They're going to make such good grown-ups! And parents, know that you're doing a good job. Your kids are good even when you're not looking, and you'd have been proud of them today. I was. Monday, October 10, 2011 No homework tonight Thursday, October 6, 2011 1st period: The girls finished their work in class. The boys did not. Homework tonight is workbook pages 64-65, all problems should be done, 1-9AB. Problems 1-6, we did together in class, but not all students were on task 100% of the time, so they may need to back-track to catch up. 2nd period: Everyone finished in class. 5th period: Homework is workbook page(s) 48-49, all 9 problems should be done. We went over problems 1-4 in class. We will go over 5-9 at the very beginning of class. STUDENTS WILL EARN "BEE-POINTS" for correct answers!!!! Remember ~ I do not assign homework on Fridays, so my next update will be Monday. Have a great weekend! Wednesday, October 5, 2011 1st period: Only 1 student finished homework in class. The rest have problems 7, 8, 9A, and 9B on page 59 to finish for homework tonight. 2nd period: Everybody finished homework in class. 5th period: No homework tonight because OVER HALF MY CLASS DID NOT DO THEIR HOMEWORK LAST NIGHT, which puts us behind. BAD START TO A NEW 6 WEEKS! Everybody starts the new 6 weeks with a 100% A...what they do not do, brings the grade down. Tuesday, October 4, 2011 HOMEWORK TONIGHT! 1st period: Didn't get far enough along for homework tonight, maybe tomorrow. 2nd period: Workbook pages 58-59, questions 5-9B, adding/subtracting integers 5th period: Workbook pages 43-44, questions 5-9, tax, discount, interest, sale price Monday, October 3, 2011 No homework today! Students redeemed their passes for goodies today and had free time to play Math games while some students completed a few last minute details. Today was the last day of the 1st 6 weeks. Tomorrow they get new passes, 6 every 6 weeks. They can be redeemed on the last day of each 6 weeks...sort of a n incentive to not leave my class unless absolutely necessary. Thursday, September 29, 2011 Parents~ My apologies for not updating on a regular basis lately. I recently had a significant health scare and required immediate surgery. I had to be off a few days and am just now getting back into the swing of things. If you check grades on Parent Portal, mine are not yet up to date, but I will work on those this weekend; the 6 weeks ends on Monday, October 3rd. I appreciate your patience during this very much unanticipated bump in the road. The good news is, my students have worked hard in class on hands-on activities and computer programs that enhance our SOL objectives, so they've not had homework unless they owed me make-up work for class absences. My 7th graders are working on patterns and sequences. My 8th graders are working on discounts, tax, interest, etc, and have an opportunity to re-test on The Real Number System tomorrow in class. I tried to get their test in before I had to be out, but they need more practice and review...my fault, not theirs. We've reviewed in a fun, competitive way this week, had a good time doing so, and will have a quick review again tomorrow before the test. I will replace their ugly scores with the pretty ones they get tomorrow. Friday FRIDAY FrIdAy!!!! Just a reminder...A Code of Conduct packet came home with students yesterday, and we NEED the last page returned, signed, so we know you (parents) did, indeed, receive it. Thank you! Have a wonderful weekend! Thursday, September 15, 2011 Fundraiser has been extended ~ Money and orders are due tomorrow! Math 7 classes: Test tomorrow on SOL 7.1abcd!
~We spent the entire class period today reviewing~ Math 8: Took a 15 question multiple choice test yesterday. Some students did very well. Others, not so much. Today we went over the test, question by question. They then had opportunity to take another test to improve their score unless they made an A on the first one. Ten of the same questions were reformatted to not be multiple choice, with minor changes...maybe an exponent changed, perhaps numbers got rearranged...slight changes, same process for solving. Many students recognized problems as being similar and wrote down what they thought they remembered the answer to be without ever changing the given fraction or percent into a decimal for comparison, or so much as work the problem following the Order of Operations. That didn't work. Some students are still refusing to put forth the effort required to arrive at correct answers. They must show their work. We could have been done with this objective yesterday if they had taken the time to follow the process we have practiced, and practiced, and practiced. Anyone wanting to improve their grade on a third different test will have to make arrangements with me to do it during their 6th period Resource class, or immediately after school next week. We're moving on! Parents ~ please see that your child attends school every day. If they're not here, we can't teach them. Tuesday, September 13, 2011 Fundraiser Money ~ DUE TOMORROW! Zero Period worked on finishing work from other classes. 1st Period: Homework tonight!!! Scientific Notation/Planet worksheet
2nd Period: Students who have been absent were given make up work to do. Otherwise, there is no homework. 3rd Period: Most students completed the Test for Higher Standards Grade Level Assessment today. Those who didn't will be able to finish it tomorrow during zero period. 5th Period: Students worked on reviewing SOL 8.1 on Skills Tutor. Please note!!! Skills Tutor can be accessed from home!!! Work ahead!!!
Parents ~ Please make sure your child comes to school every day and arrives on time. If they aren't here ~ we can't teach them. Monday, September 12, 2011 I realized over the weekend, I may not have ever mentioned...I don't update SchoolNotes on Fridays. As a rule, I do not give homework on Fridays. Ever. Unless, of course, behaviors are such on Friday that I am unable to get through instruction soon enough for students to have adequate time to finish work in class. ***Fundraiser money is due on Wednesday.*** Zero Period: Work is starting to come in from other teachers for students who require additional time on classroom tests, quizzes and activities. For that reason, I will be firm on my requirement that all students work quietly, refrain from having conversations with others, and abide by all rules, both classroom rules and school rules. If your child receives a Penalty Hall for Zero Period, it is likely due to:
1st period: No homework 2nd period: Homework - Planets worksheet / Scientific Notation 3rd period: We'll continue tomorrow with the Grade Level Assessment for Writing. Remember to read nightly. 5th period: No homework Thursday, September 8, 2011 Zero Period: Students should still be working on their states for History, and a few are finalizing their powerpoints for English. Those without specific projects should have their novel with them each day. 1st period: HOMEWORK! There's a 2 sided worksheet students are to complete tonight. We did several of each variety of problems together, and students seemed to think it was easy. It should not take long. 2nd period: No one in my 2nd period class did their homework last night. I was very disappointed. 3rd period: Powerpoint presentations are going great! Remember to continue reading your novel each night. 5th period: My 8th graders continue to be very enthusiastic and are participating well in class. We won't often have homework if this super-productive behavior continues. LOVE IT! Wednesday, September 7, 2011 Zero period: Mrs. Bishop's students need to know states 11-20 by Friday. Some students have communicated that they will not be here Friday; those students should be prepared to take the quiz TOMORROW during zero period. Mrs. Curd's students are responsible for states 1-25 TOMORROW. 1st period: No homework 2nd period: Homework! A worksheet, front and back, on Squares, Cubes, and Exponents was assigned. 3rd period: Practice for your powerpoint presentation! Use your handout that you printed for yourself; make sure you're familiar with details you may want to share but didn't include on your slides. Remember, your slides are for reference; what you've included on your slides should prompt you to remember other details that will make your presentation more exciting and unique! :) Also, read a little bit of your novel tonight so you don't get behind. 5th period: Scientific Notation, pages 22-23 in the workbook if not completed in class. Thursday, September 1, 2011 I'm on the ball today! Updating early! :) 1st period: 7th graders have 4 problems to convert and sort out, least to greatest. Due tomorrow for 10 points. 2nd period: finished homework in class. Yay! 5th period: 8th grade, finish worksheet page 24 questions 1-15 if not completed in class. Oh. Did I not update yesterday? Sorry Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Today, my 7th graders did not meet due to our fundraiser assembly. My 8th graders, however, have HOMEWORK tonight!!! They got their brand new workbooks today, and after reviewing the Order of Operations yesterday, they were assigned page 13, questions 1-9. We checked 1-3 step by step in class, and they are to complete the remaining problems for homework. Several finished in class and had me check them before they left; they were to repair any they missed for homework. They must show their work! They will receive a zero for the assignment if all they can show me is their ability to circle an A, a B, a C, or a D. Monday, August 29, 2011 What a good day! My 8th graders especially were SO engaged in the problem solving activity we did in class. We've run a length of velcro down one whole wall of the room. They had to measure the length in inches, then think through the process of finding 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 of the length and label them after measuring off the appropriate number of inches. Additionally, we changed the fractions into decimals, and decimals into percents, and they had to mark the wall accordingly. Now they're able to take their birthday pawprints and see how close they were on their estimate compared to where their actual percentage falls based on how far into 365 days their birthday really is. They were enthusiastic and competitive, which made for a very fun class. Tomorrow, my 8th graders get their workbooks. :) 7th grade workbooks have not yet arrived. :( My 7th graders are still working on their pawprints, but those will be done tomorrow and students will have an opportunity to add them to the wall. This has been a great learning experience for students to see equivalent values in fraction, decimal, and percent form. Another thing both grade levels are doing in my class...when I return papers, I am not writing their score on the paper, but instead, rubber stamping images of coins that add up to their score. So instead of telling them they got an 85, I stamp our 85 cents worth of coins. They have to count the change to determine their grade. Then they record their chunk of change in checkbook registers to keep track of their "deposits". No homework tonight, but SOON! Friday, August 26, 2011 Oops....honestly, I forgot to update on Wednesday. Not to worry; we didn't have homework! Yesterday, I had a small emergency and had to be out unexpectedly. Students had a fabulous sub who was able to infer what we had been doing and pick up where I had left off. Today, Friday, students changed fractions into decimals and percents using their birthdays. They've constructed a line plot with all of my students in one area of the room. Now we're taking the same information and constructing a line graph on another wall. It's making our room look really neat, and giving students an opportunity to compare how the same data appears in different graphs. Ask your 8th grader (7th graders will find out Monday) how they are expected to figure out what grade they got when papers are returned. :) I do not give homework on Fridays. I want my students to rest, relax, and have fun, and return on Monday ready to do their best. Be safe! Have a nice weekend!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 A great day today as well! My Math students are starting to work on Decimals, Fractions, and Percents. We're making graphs using their birthdays, as well as determining the decimal, fraction, and percent based on how far into a year their birthday falls. No homework tonight. Monday, August 22, 2011 One down, 179 to go! We had an amazing first day! Always nice to see how much the kids have grown and hear about what they did over the summer. Thank you to all of my homeroom parents who so very quickly returned all those papers that needed to be signed. I appreciate you taking care of that. I had to do it as well; my son is at the high school. All of my classes went over rules and expectations today, so there's no homework, obviously. I did not get to see my 1st period class today because they had an assembly with Mr. Smith. They'll hear the rules tomorrow, and somewhere along the way, we'll get everyone on the same page.There are a bunch of tired little children coming home to you tonight. Rest well; we'll do it all again tomorrow! :) Welcome Back Bobcats!!! Teachers have been preparing all week for your arrival! We enjoyed meeting new students and parents yesterday at Open House, as well as visiting with old friends from previous years. I hope that you enjoy this last weekend before school starts and that you'll come to school Monday well rested! My students should come to class every day with plenty of pencils, paper, and for Math...one of those 1 inch binders that was on your supply list. Homeroom folks: Don't feel that you have to bring all the items like tissues, hand sanitizer, and stuff like that all on the first day...it can trickle in throughout the first week or two of school. ;) Other than that...Please be safe, be kind, and be ready! It's going to be a great year!!! Mrs. C |
