Monthly Archives: December 2017

Co-op Update — Week of 12/18/17

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A few quick updates.
1) MId-Year Conferences are going to be here quicker than you think.  They begin January 22nd.  Students will be leading half hour conferences and sharing their learning/progress.  Please sign up for conferences using this schedule.
2) Here are the mid-year portfolio requirements.  The expectation is that students have this completed prior to their conference.
3) Friendly reminder that athletic day is Friday.  Please check in with your student as to their plans/needed materials for that day.  Skiers will need to be at school at 7:30am and should be picked up at 4:30pm on Friday, December 15th.  Everyone else will have regular school hours.
4) Integrated rubrics will be shared during co-op on Tuesday, December 19th.
Thank you for all your support this semester.   We have a really fantastic group of kids in our co-op and it’s super fun to spend time with them daily.  I hope you and your family have an amazing and peaceful holiday break.  -JF

LA Update — Week of 12/18/17

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Thank you so much for all of your support with our Coffeehouse Reading last Thursday.  It was so much fun to celebrate the students’ writing with you and I am proud of each and every one of them!
Our final week of 2017 is a light one.  Due to other activities, we essentially only have three days of class.  Here’s what we’ll be working on:
1) Mid-year i-ready reading assessment in class.
2) LA PSR sign-offs for portfolios.  Students have done all the work for this already.  They just need to print out their coffee-house blurbs and their final draft stories at home, get them hole-punched and inserted into their portfolios, and bring them in to me for final signatures.
3) Updating reading plans/padlets and finding good books to read over winter break. All students are expected to read 30 minutes a day over winter break.
Have a fantastic holiday break!  -JF

Co-op Update 12/11/17

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Very little to report.   Big thing is that health starts Monday.  Students will participate in health during Block 3 by grade level.  Eighth grade families — congratulations on the arrival of “flour” babies!

This is a great time to check in with your student about goal progress/monitoring and/or service.  Students will need to have evidence to show progress towards their goals during our mid-year conferences (which will begin January 22nd.).   I’ll send the sign-up sheet in the next update.

Have a great week!  -JF

LA Update — Week of 12/11/17

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Hi Everyone,

Lots happening this week — including the Coffeehouse reading on Thursday!  All the details are at the conclusion of this email.
Upcoming due dates:
Monday: Strong drafts of Student’s Coffeehouse Blurb are due at the beginning of class.  These blurbs can double as students’ PSRs for Language Arts.  We’ll be doing a blurb critique protocol in class.   If students don’t have their blurbs for class, it makes it really hard for them to participate.  The final draft of these blurbs are due at 8:30pm on Monday.
Tuesday:  Program Cover due by the end of class.
Thursday: Coffeehouse reading.  Students need to remember to bring their excerpt!
Thank you so much for all your support.  Can’t wait to see you Thursday!
Josh Feiger
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One last time —  A friendly reminder that our coffeehouse event will take place on Thursday, December 14th at the Espressoria Cafe on 2116 Pearl Street in Boulder.
 
  • Block 1 students will begin reading at 5pm.  (We’ll probably end around 6pm)
  • Block 2 students will begin reading at 6:30pm.  (We’ll probably end around 7:15pm
The Expressoria Coffeehouse is well…  cozy.  It will be crowded and may be standing room only (especially with the cold weather on tap).  Thanks in advance for your patience and flexibility.  Students should plan on arriving 10 minutes before their class begins reading — and in the spirit of support and community, please plan on staying throughout the entire performance.  (You don’t need to stay for both performances!)

LA Update — Week of 12/4 (Coffeehouse Details)

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It has been super fun to read the final drafts of the “Hero’s Journey” stories.  We now transition into our coffeehouse preparation.  A friendly reminder that our coffeehouse event will take place on Thursday, December 14th at the Espressoria Cafe on 2116 Pearl Street in Boulder.
  • Block 1 students will begin reading at 5pm.  (We’ll probably end around 6pm)
  • Block 2 students will begin reading at 6:30pm.  (We’ll probably end around 7:15pm
The Expressoria Coffeehouse is well…  cozy.  It will be crowded and may be standing room only (especially with the cold weather on tap).  Thanks in advance for your patience and flexibility.  Students should plan on arriving 10 minutes before their class begins reading — and in the spirit of support and community, please plan on staying throughout the entire performance.  (You don’t need to stay for both performances!)
Upcoming due dates:  (We’ll talk about all of this in class)
Every night:  Reading.
Wednesday:  1) Two copies of your coffeehouse excerpt, proofread, printed, and stapled to construction paper
              2) Your introduction and closing for your reading.
Friday:  Strong draft of your blurb (PSR)
Monday, 12/11:  Final draft of the blurb by 8pm
Tuesday, 12/12:  Program cover design due by end of class.
Have a great week!  -Josh Feiger
Ps.  We’ll do a lot of microphone practice in class, but if your student is feeling particularly nervous — please encourage them to meet with me before or after school and we can practice together.

Co-op Update — Week of 12/4

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A few people had trouble finding the athletic form in the CHOICE weekly.  In case you missed it, here is the link for the athletic day form    If you haven’t turned in your form already, please print this and have your student turn it in as soon as possible.
We continue work on our portfolios.  Here is the November Portfolio checklist of what should be complete.  This is also a great chance to check in with your student about their goal progress and their service.
This will be the final week of Integrated classes.  Health classes by grade level will begin December 11th.
Thank you — as always — for all of your support.  Have a great week!  -JF
Ps.  Here is once again the link to the Portfolio Document Warehouse which contains every portfolio document FYI…

Fast Food Nation Update — Final one for Fall Semester. Week of 12/4.

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Thank you for a wonderful semester in Fast Food Nation.  With the final week of class, there is lots happening.
1) Students’ should have a strong draft of their Presentation of Learning (POL) by Monday.  We’ll be spending Monday’s class practicing and fine-tuning them with one another.  Here’s the full task description and rubric for the POLs.
2) POLs will actually be given on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Here’s the complete schedule of POLs.  We hope you can join us!
3) PSRs were due last Thursday.  There are a number of students who are VERY close to getting signed off, but are just missing one piece.  Students who have not gotten their portfolio reflections signed off need to do so by setting up an appointment with me either at lunch or before/after school.  Here’s the task description for PSRs.  Please check infinite campus to see whether you (your student) have been officially “signed off.”
4) On Thursday, we are going to be watching our Ancient Civilization Newscasts, wrapping a few things up (including one last chapter from The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and also working on our semester rubrics.  The newscasts are a LOT of fun.   I will post these on Google Classroom on Thursday, December 7th, so ask your student to share them with you after that time.
5) And lastly, we are having our Geography Challenge Stock Market Award Ceremony and our End-of-Semester Party on Friday.  We’ll also <probably> be watching The Founder.  I have also asked all students to bring in a “slow-food” recipe as part of our celebration.  Ask your student about this and thank you in advance for your support of that endeavor.  And — as per CHOICE tradition — students must have their PSRs signed off in order to participate in that culminating event.
Thank you again for all your support and for a fantastic semester!  -JF
Ps.  For a sneak peak at their POL movies, check out our class movie padlet.