Monthly Archives: February 2019

Co-op Update — Weeks of 3/4 and 3/11

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Lots happening in co-op these days, but not a ton of “news” to report.  We’ve been participating in the “No Place for Hate” school program, continuing with our read-aloud, playing games, and just connecting about upcoming events (Athletic Day, etc.). A few notes:
1) Contributions to CHOICE reflection should be signed off and in portfolio by Tuesday, March 19th.
2) Athletic Day is March 22nd.  Students who are planning to ski and do not already have a lift pass need to bring in $25 for a lift pass.
3) Spring trip will be announced March 13th.  Drum roll….
4) Sixth grade 1:web chromebook adoption will be happening on the afternoon of March 7th.  Any questions should be directed to Katherine Kelly <katie.kelly@bvsd.org>
5) Parents — if you have not yet completed your 2018-19 CHOICE Donation, please make sure to do so.  Between athletic day and Spring trip, we have a number of upcoming expenses.  We’ve gotten most of the CHOICE donations, but there are still a few outstanding funds and we need your support.  (Thank you in advance!)
6) CMAS will take place April 8,9,11 for LA/Math in the mornings.  CMAS Science (8th grade) and CMAS Social Studies (7th grade) will take place during the week of April 22nd during seminar classes.  I’m sure the school will be disseminating more details as they come available.
Thank you for all your support!   -JF

Game of Stones Update — Week of 2/25

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Here’s upcoming dates of note for Game of Stones:
Tuesday:  LTP Cornell Style Notes due.  Students are researching their LTPs and should have notes from five different sources recorded in their journals by Tuesday.  They’ll need to meet with me during class to show me these notes.
Thursday:  Air Poster Due at the end of class.  We are in the process of doing a number of air related experiments / labs to help us understand its mysterious nature.  Students will be creating a poster to share their findings due at the end of class.
Friday:  We are doing a bus/hiking tour of Dinosaur Ridge to learn about various Geology sites.  Students will need warm clothes and a sack lunch.  We’ll be leaving around 10:30am and we’ll be back at school by 2:10ish.  If you are interested in joining us, please let me know,
Thank you for all your continued support!  -JF
Ps.  In early March, we are going to start plate tectonics and students will be using Makey-Makey to understand this conceptually.  I’m looking for some flat cardboard. I don’t need a ton, but if you have a few extra boxes lying around, send them in (and thank you!)

8th Grade Seminar Update — Weeks of 2/25 and 3/4

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Hi Everyone,

Here’s what’s happening in 8th Grade Seminar for the next couple of weeks!

We have started reading To Kill A Mockingbird.  The first few chapters are really challenging in that Harper Lee throws you into the middle of things and there are a lot of characters that can be confusing.  To help us sort that out, we are going slow and reading the first few chapters as a whole class.  We’ll also be conducting our first round of book groups on Tuesday.  We’ll be focused on keeping the conversation flowing (and on topic!) as we try to better understand To Kill A Mockingbird.  Here is a sample book group menu fyi…

Upcoming Due Dates:

Every night: Read 30 minutes.  Students should not be reading ahead in TKAM, so they will likely need a book on the side to meet the CHOICE reading requirement.  I’ll be recommending books in class (and students are always welcome to email me) — but here’s also a padlet of book recommendations.  We also may do some “book dating” in the library as time allows.

Tuesday:  Chapters 1 and 2 in TKAM with questions.

Wednesday:  Check-in #1 Due by 8am

Tuesday, March 5th:  Chapters 3 and 4 of To Kill A Mockingbird with annotations

Monday, March 11th:  Chapters 5-8 of To Kill A Mockingbird with annotations.  Possible “surprise” reading-check quiz on that day.

There’s a myriad of ways to read TKAM.  Some students may read it independently.  Others may join us for “read-aloud” during class.  I also have audio links here.  Students are welcome to listen to the story so long as they simultaneously track with a book in hand.

Also fyi…. there are a number of students who may need a resupply of writing pens/pencils.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to teach your student!  Have a great week,  -JF

Game of Stones Update — Week of 2/19

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Here’s the latest and greatest from Game of Stones.
1) Chaperones wanted.  If you are interested in joining us for geology related fieldwork on Friday, March 1st or Meteorology fieldwork on Friday, April 5th, please let me know.
2) LTP.  We’ve been modeling Cornell style notes as a research tool to gather information.  Students are continuing to fine-tune their research questions and conduct background research on their topic.  Students are planning missions all over the solar system.  We have a student going to Europa to find out what lies under the ice of Jupiter’s ocean moon.  We have a student going to Ikea to learn how they use Geothermal energy to heat their stores.  We have missions being planned to the Mariana Trench, Great Barrier Reef, the moon, and much more…
3) Atmosphere.  We are just starting our unit on meteorology.  Students are learning about the atmosphere and we’l be doing a station lab to learn about the pivotal relationship between temperature and pressure. (We are not going to study the PV=nRT equation, but we are going to talk about it in middle school terms.). There will be 7-8 stations for students to try different experiments with air.
Upcoming Due Dates:
Wednesday, February 20th:  Atmosphere Drawings and assignment due.
Tuesday, February 26th:  LTP Cornell Style notes from at least five sources.  (These can be from text, online, video, etc.)
Have a fantastic long weekend!  -JF

Co-op Update — Weeks of 2/19 and 2/25

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Here’s what’s happening in co-op over the next several weeks:
1) With special events and other activities, our portfolio workdays are few and far between this time of year.  I did review the end of the year reflections with students on Tuesday.  None of these are due anytime soon, but something to keep in mind.
2) On both days — Thursday, February 28th and Friday, March 1st —  students need to bring a sack lunch.  CHOICE will be doing a field trip on the 28th for a performance by “Up With People” in Erie.  March 1st in our 2nd ADI Field Trip.
3) Eighth graders have author’s night on February 20th at 6pm.  (Sixth and Seventh graders are welcome to attend.)  Eighth graders will also be signing up for HS Course Selection on March 1st.  You can find course selection sheets on High School websites.  (I have an 8th grader myself so I am doing the same thing!). It’s really helpful to have those conversations now so that when March 1st rolls around, your student has a clear idea of their course preferences.
4) Our next athletic day is Friday, March 22nd.  Look for information about that soon.  Students will have the option to go skiing at Eldora ($25 fee if they don’t already have lift  passes) or go to the APEX recreation center (free)
5) Friendly reminder that third trimester LA/Math classes start on Tuesday the 19th.  (Crazy to think we are 2/3rds of the way through the school year.). Second Trimester math and LA rubrics will go home the week of February 25th.  We are hoping to have honor roll recipients finalized by March 1st.  We’ll let award recipients know via email.  The honor roll breakfast will take place on Friday, March 8th before school.
Thank you for all your continued support!  -Josh Feiger

8th Grade Seminar Update — Week of 2/19

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Hi Everyone,

I’m super excited to start 8th grade seminar on Tuesday.  Here’s what to expect:

Tuesday:  We’ll be having a conversation cafe about prejudice, stereotypes, assumptions, and the beginning of class.
Wednesday:  We’ll be reading a chapter from Malcolm Gladwell’s Blink, exploring the IAT Test, and learning about what (if any) biases we bring to our perspective.
Wednesday is also 8th Grade Author’s Night from 6pm-7pm.  We look forward to celebrating your 8th grader’s writing with you.
Thursday:  We’ll be talking about Jim Crow and introducing a small poetry activity to learn about some of the big themes of To Kill A Mockingbird.
Friday:  We’ll begin reading To Kill A Mockingbird in class.  Students will have the option to read independently, as a group, or using an audio copy.  We’ll be focused on important passages.
Upcoming due dates: 
 
Wednesday, February 20th:  8th Grade Author’s Night from 6pm-7pm.  We look forward to celebrating your 8th grader’s writing with you.
Tuesday, February 26th (that’s the following week):
  • Important passages (as modeled in class) brought to class.
  • Chapters 1 and 2 complete in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Wednesday, February 27th: Check-in due via email by 8:30am
Students are expected to bring the following to class:
  • Writing pen(cil)
  • Composition Notebook.  (Students can use their existing LA notebook if they have one.  All notebooks are welcome to be stored in my class)
  • To Kill A Mockingbird book.  (I’ll hand these out in class on Friday)
  • Choice Novel
Have a fantastic long weekend!  -JF

Game of Stones Update — Week of 2/11

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In our ongoing journey from the Big Bang to the core of our Earth, we enter the atmosphere this week!  In addition, I am looking for chaperones for our Geology fieldwork at Dinosaur Ridge on March 1st.  We will be departing school via bus at 10:30am and returning at 2pm if you wish to join us.  Please let me know.
Here are upcoming due dates:
Monday, February 11th: Earth/Moon/Sun Group Presentations.  Students have been divided into five groups, each focusing on a different aspect of the Earth Moon Sun relationship. Presentation Guidelines.  Presentation Rubric (due at conclusion of presentation).
Wednesday, February 13th: LTP Mission Question due to Padlet.
Tuesday, February 19th:  LTP Cornell Style Notes from five different articles/videos/books should be complete.  This is step 3 in the LTP Process. If students have not gotten their topic approved yet, they should complete their initial research and meet with me to do so asap.
TBA: (To be announced)  Atmosphere drawings due.  What is air?
TBA:  Earth/Moon/Sun and Mars Celebration (Assessment)
Thank you for all your continued support!  -JF
Ps.  I keep Infinite Campus updated with latest status of completed or missing assignments fyi…

Game of Stones Update — week of 2/4

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It’s Earth/Moon/Sun week at Game of Stones. Students will be using lamps and physical models of the moon and Earth to figure out the complex relationship between these celestial bodies.  Students will be gathering data and preparing group presentations on the following topics:
1) Earth’s Real Motions
2) Hours of Daylight
3) What Causes the Seasons
4) Moon Phases & Motions
5) Eclipses
We’ll also officially introduce our LTP.  Students will identify three potential locations for their research and hopefully, we can lock down approval on a topic by the end of the week.
Upcoming due dates:
Thursday: LTP Topic Approval.  To get a topic approved, students should plan on conferencing with me during class with a completed destination chart.
Monday, February 11th:  Earth/Moon/Sun Group Presentations.
Have a fantastic week!  Best, -JF
Ps.  If you are ever awake just before the sun rises, Venus and Jupiter are brilliant right now in the Southern Sky.
Pps.  I do keep Infinite Campus updated, so any missing assignments will be noted there.

Co-op Update — Week of 2/4 and 2/11

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Fantastic to see everyone last week for conferences. Here’s what’s happening going forward in co-op:
1) The end of the trimester is February 14th.  Students will be completing second trimester rubrics in their math and LA classes.  (This is a great time to make sure that any missing assignments from these classes are complete.)
2) Students should be working towards completing any portfolio tasks assigned from their conference.  (I would love to sign off on any personal sections that remain unsigned.)
3) Our next two weeks in council we’ll be exploring “words that hurt, words that heal” in trying to better understand the impact of language in our community.  We’ll also be recognizing random acts of kindness as we get closer to Valentine’s Day.
4) No school 2/15 and 2/18.
Thank you so much for your support.  -JF