Social Studies Curricular Links
English
~ Language Arts Curricular Links
December 3, 2003
Dear Parents,
I trust that each one of you had a wonderfully relaxing and joyful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Mine was low key with just the right balance of activity and rest. After four days away, our return to school has been a busy time.
Long Term Assignments
The students have several long term assignments on which they are working. While there is a great range of elementary school experience of homework among the students, this year generally has more long term assignments than the students are used to managing. These management skills need to be learned, so we have spent much time in class specifically addressing the use of the Binder Reminders /Assignment Notebooks, scheduling target dates for the completion of smaller portions of a larger project, as well as discussing the benefits of not postponing daily work on long term assignments. Each of the long term assignments has been staggered over a span of between two to five weeks of time, with several class periods given to the research, skills lessons, and completion of the assignments. In addition to class periods devoted to computer and library research, as well as in-class lessons relating to the skills needed for the assignments, the students are expected to work on these assignments at home. Each student has been given a sheet explaining how to log onto the JLS Athena server from home. Saving their work onto Athena from home allows a student to seamlessly work both at school and home on their projects. if you have a Macintosh computer at home, logging onto the JLS Athena server is easy. PCs have a more challenging time connecting. If you are using a PC at home, your child will probably need your help learning how to log onto Athena.
English
We are nearing the conclusion of Hatchet and the students are working on their Brian's Journey Timeline assignment. The student have been given five weeks to complete the assignment. As a part of our discussions on time management, the students have planned out small sections of this assignment so that they do not end up with a huge load near the end of winter break, especially if the student will be away from home during the break.
The first draft of the Thanksgiving Essay is due this week. We have been using the Write Source 2000 for writing skills lessons and reviewing 6 Trait Writing rubrics for a greater understanding of the characteristics of good writing. We have been breaking down the components of writing into the traits of 1] Content Ideas, 2] Organization, 3] Word Choice, 4] Voice, 5] Sentence Fluency, and 6] Conventions. Some of the writing skills lessons have included thesis statements, opening paragraphs, transition sentences between paragraphs, writing taboos, and formal conclusions. The students are learning that well crafted sentences form well crafted paragraphs and that well crafted paragraphs form well crafted essays. The essay does need to be typed, with all drafts and revisions double-spaced. The final essay also need to be typed; however, it should be single-spaced. We demonstrated in class how to select double and single spacing in Word 6.0, however your child may need some help with this at home. Since writing skills lessons, peer editing, and teacher writing conferences will be taking place over the course of the writing process, students will need to attach all drafts and revisions to their most recent version of the essay and bring all of these to school each day.
Social Studies
We have begun our study of Ancient Mesopotamia, in which students will learn about the geographic, political, social, religious, and economic systems and structural interactions as one of State Content Standards for social science/history, 6.2. We discussed the historical irony of the modern day location of Ancient Mesopotamia being Iraq. The students contemplated the impact of the western world being engaged in conflict with the cultural site of the origins of its own civilization. Mesopotamia is often referred to as, "The Cradle of Civilization," meaning the birthplace of western civilization. The past to present connection, as we study Mesopotamia, will continue to be made as we, for instance, compare the laws of Hammurabi's Code to that of the Old Testament (Judaic law) and the modern California Penal Code. The students, working in pairs, have been given a Mesopotamian research topic and have begun research at school. The students will present their knowledge in a PowerPoint format.
Dates To Remember
December 3 Read Hatchet Chapters 16 and 17
December 3 International Night
December 4 1st Rough Draft Thanksgiving Essay - Typed, double-spaced
December 5 Notes Checked Mesopotamian Research Project
December 5 Rough Ant Menu P.O.W. - Name and type of restaurant, 3 to 5 items with descriptions
December 5 Hatchet Rough Brian's Journey Timeline Chp. 1-6, format as shown
December 8 Hatchet Read to end of book
December 9 2nd Draft Thankfulness Essay - typed / double spaced
December 10 2nd Draft Ant Menu P.O.W. 10 items with descriptions and prices, organized in categories
December 10 Notes Checked Mesopotamian Research Project
December 12 Rough Draft PowerPoint Presentation Mesopotamian Research Project
December 12 Mesopotamian Vocabulary Sentences
December 15 Final Ant Menu P.O.W. and Challenge / Extension
December 16 Mesopotamian Vocabulary Test
December 17 Mesopotamian Project PowerPoint Presentations
December 18 Final Essay - Typed / SINGLE spaced
December 19 Minimum Day 12:30 Dismissal, No lunch
January 7 Hatchet Final Brian's Journey Timeline
Dear Parents,
I trust that each one of you had a wonderfully relaxing and joyful Thanksgiving with family and friends. Mine was low key with just the right balance of activity and rest. After four days away, our return to school has been a busy time.
Long Term Assignments
The students have several long term assignments on which they are working. While there is a great range of elementary school experience of homework among the students, this year generally has more long term assignments than the students are used to managing. These management skills need to be learned, so we have spent much time in class specifically addressing the use of the Binder Reminders /Assignment Notebooks, scheduling target dates for the completion of smaller portions of a larger project, as well as discussing the benefits of not postponing daily work on long term assignments. Each of the long term assignments has been staggered over a span of between two to five weeks of time, with several class periods given to the research, skills lessons, and completion of the assignments. In addition to class periods devoted to computer and library research, as well as in-class lessons relating to the skills needed for the assignments, the students are expected to work on these assignments at home. Each student has been given a sheet explaining how to log onto the JLS Athena server from home. Saving their work onto Athena from home allows a student to seamlessly work both at school and home on their projects. if you have a Macintosh computer at home, logging onto the JLS Athena server is easy. PCs have a more challenging time connecting. If you are using a PC at home, your child will probably need your help learning how to log onto Athena.
English
We are nearing the conclusion of Hatchet and the students are working on their Brian's Journey Timeline assignment. The student have been given five weeks to complete the assignment. As a part of our discussions on time management, the students have planned out small sections of this assignment so that they do not end up with a huge load near the end of winter break, especially if the student will be away from home during the break.
The first draft of the Thanksgiving Essay is due this week. We have been using the Write Source 2000 for writing skills lessons and reviewing 6 Trait Writing rubrics for a greater understanding of the characteristics of good writing. We have been breaking down the components of writing into the traits of 1] Content Ideas, 2] Organization, 3] Word Choice, 4] Voice, 5] Sentence Fluency, and 6] Conventions. Some of the writing skills lessons have included thesis statements, opening paragraphs, transition sentences between paragraphs, writing taboos, and formal conclusions. The students are learning that well crafted sentences form well crafted paragraphs and that well crafted paragraphs form well crafted essays. The essay does need to be typed, with all drafts and revisions double-spaced. The final essay also need to be typed; however, it should be single-spaced. We demonstrated in class how to select double and single spacing in Word 6.0, however your child may need some help with this at home. Since writing skills lessons, peer editing, and teacher writing conferences will be taking place over the course of the writing process, students will need to attach all drafts and revisions to their most recent version of the essay and bring all of these to school each day.
Social Studies
We have begun our study of Ancient Mesopotamia, in which students will learn about the geographic, political, social, religious, and economic systems and structural interactions as one of State Content Standards for social science/history, 6.2. We discussed the historical irony of the modern day location of Ancient Mesopotamia being Iraq. The students contemplated the impact of the western world being engaged in conflict with the cultural site of the origins of its own civilization. Mesopotamia is often referred to as, "The Cradle of Civilization," meaning the birthplace of western civilization. The past to present connection, as we study Mesopotamia, will continue to be made as we, for instance, compare the laws of Hammurabi's Code to that of the Old Testament (Judaic law) and the modern California Penal Code. The students, working in pairs, have been given a Mesopotamian research topic and have begun research at school. The students will present their knowledge in a PowerPoint format.
Dates To Remember
December 3 Read Hatchet Chapters 16 and 17
December 3 International Night
December 4 1st Rough Draft Thanksgiving Essay - Typed, double-spaced
December 5 Notes Checked Mesopotamian Research Project
December 5 Rough Ant Menu P.O.W. - Name and type of restaurant, 3 to 5 items with descriptions
December 5 Hatchet Rough Brian's Journey Timeline Chp. 1-6, format as shown
December 8 Hatchet Read to end of book
December 9 2nd Draft Thankfulness Essay - typed / double spaced
December 10 2nd Draft Ant Menu P.O.W. 10 items with descriptions and prices, organized in categories
December 10 Notes Checked Mesopotamian Research Project
December 12 Rough Draft PowerPoint Presentation Mesopotamian Research Project
December 12 Mesopotamian Vocabulary Sentences
December 15 Final Ant Menu P.O.W. and Challenge / Extension
December 16 Mesopotamian Vocabulary Test
December 17 Mesopotamian Project PowerPoint Presentations
December 18 Final Essay - Typed / SINGLE spaced
December 19 Minimum Day 12:30 Dismissal, No lunch
January 7 Hatchet Final Brian's Journey Timeline
November 24, 2003
Hello Parents,
Field Trip
Last week's field trip to the San Francisco Academy of Sciences was wonderful. The students enjoyed the many science exhibit and the lunchtime romp in Golden Gate Park. I want to give great thanks to the parents who made the trip possible by chaperoning /driving. Thank you, thank you to Mrs. Neff, Mrs. McNally, Mrs. Dembo, Mr. Hardison, Mrs. Yuan, Mrs. Cole, Mr. Nguyen, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Fitch, Mrs. Larsen, Mrs. Lada, Mrs. Lin, Mrs. Li, and Mr. Barney. This was an especially meaningful trip as the Academy Museum will soon be closing for a five year period.
By way of advance planning, I want to let you know that our next filed trip is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20. We will be going to the San Jose Egyptian Museum for a docent led tour of the Pharaonic antiquities. We will need five driver/chaperones from each class for this trip, as well. Please check you calendars (many of us do plan this far in advance) to see if you are available; or, better yet, pencil the date in and reserve it. :0) The sign ups and paperwork for the trip will be sent home the first week in January.
Friendship Bridge China Project
The students have all sent their first introductory e-mails to the Beijing e-pals and are eagerly awaiting a reply. It was heartening to see the students' motivation to "perfect" their paragraphs for their Beijing partners. Normally, there is much less enthusiasm for the editing process. Kelly Kobza, the Oumu Foundation Project Coordinator, spent last Friday with us teaching the students the basics of digital video filming. The students worked in small groups, taking turns filming various camera shots. They learned the differences among wide angle, close, cut away, and reverse shots, as well as the beginnings of editing techniques on the iMovie program. We began brainstorming the possible subjects for our students' short films after viewing some of the fine examples created by the Beijing students. Kelly showed beautiful slides of her recent trip to China and our students were impressed with the Chinese student produced films. Some of the subjects brainstormed were skateboarding, a typical American dinner from the shopping to the cooking, and eating, as well as shopping at an American mall. It's interesting to watch students ponder what constitutes American culture.
English ~ Literature
The students have been assigned a three to five paragraph essay on Thankfulness. We have spent time on pre-writing activities in class, with each student completing pre-writing webs for the details and ideas supporting their essays. The focus is on intangible concepts, such as love and friendship, rather than tangible objects such as MP3 Players. We have used the WS 2000 resource (which students also have a home) to look at the structure of sentences, paragraphs, and essays. We've detailed, with the students taking notes, the role of transition sentences to link paragraphs, the function of topic sentences and thesis sentences in the introductory paragraph, as well as the purpose of the conclusion in holding up the essay. The rough draft of the essay must be double-spaced, typed, and around two pages in length. This essay will be taken through the full writing process, with pre-writing, drafts, revisions, peer-editing, teacher's writing conferences, and final essay.
We have begun a long term assignment, the Timeline of Brian's Inner Journey, which is a literary response assignment that visually demonstrates the students' understanding of the major changes in the characteristics of the main character, Brian. The students will need to use their Hatchet books to complete this assignment.
Social Studies
We have been studying the Universals of Culture, a brief unit in which the students begin to understand what comprises culture and those characteristics which all cultures share. The students worked in small groups to complete Cultural Universal collages, depicting the characteristics of particular categories such as body adornment, economics, marriage rites, education, language, standards of beauty... from various cultures. We were able to see that although the specific way in which this category is experienced varies from culture to culture, each culture has some form and representation of that category as universal to all cultures. I also shared with students a wonderful exercise called Nacirema, in which a profile of Nacirema's culture was read to the class. The students were asked to give their reactions to what they heard and they described Nacirema as "weird, barbaric, self-absorbed, self-conscious, ungrateful, crazy, violent..." As it turns out, Nacirema is American spelled backwards and is a profile of American culture deliberately written with culturally biased language. The students were surprised to learn that they could so easily see their own culture as inferior and suspect simply by the language and description. While it is a tendency to see our own culture as the standard, it is very important as we study many different cultures this year, for the students to develop the ability to embrace other cultures. After much discussion, and other activities, the students agreed to be open to the experience of other cultures as different; however, different does not have to mean "weird, crazy, barbaric," etc.; but, instead it can be seen as, simply "not like something I'm used to."
P.O.W.s
The students have been given a new P.O.W., The Ant Menu. This is long term assignment in which they are to create a menu for a restaurant specializing in the serving of insects and/or arachnids. P.O.W.s are assignments designed with differentiated instruction in mind and offer opportunities for the students to challenge themselves by extending themselves beyond the basics of the assignment. P.O.W.s offer the opportunity for creativity and a variety of ways in which students can demonstrate knowledge, skills, and interests. The Ant Menu P.O.W. is connected to both social studies and English, aligning with our Cultural Universals unit and with the use of descriptive sensory language. Food is one of the very personal aspects of all cultures and what is eaten and how it's eaten varies greatly. We began by reading an article written by a Mexican biologist suggesting that insects could be the solution to world hunger. It gave many reasons why insects are a valuable food source and speculated about the benefits. The students created a T-Chart comparing the use of beef as a major source of food protein to that of ants/insects. We looked at the environmental impact, the costs, the health impact, and the availability worldwide. On all counts, insects were more positive than beef. We then looked at a two minute segment of a Nova documentary on the relationship between insects and humans, which showed various world cultures in which insects are a major source of food protein. The film emphasized that insects make up as much as 40% of the food protein in some cultures' diets and that it is only in the west where the eating of insects is frowned upon. However, crustaceans such as lobsters, crab, and shrimp (which many consider a delicacy) are all related to insects.
In fact, the are commonly referred to as the insects of the ocean. I shared with the students about some of the more unusual foods I have eaten while traveling, including mopani worms in Zimbabwe. The Ant Menu P.O.W. is a very involved assignment; therefore, the students have been given a month to complete it. It involves the research of edible insects and the cultures that consume them, the incorporation of descriptive sensory language in the menu, and will include an interdisciplinary connection with math. I have books available as resources such as The Eat a Bug Cookbook and Creepy Crawly Cuisine. There are also a number of great internet sites for information. I have also recommended that the students look a restaurant menus for examples of sensory descriptions. The students have also been given a challenge /extension opportunity with the Ant Menu P. P.O.W.. Please ask to see the assignment sheets and look over the suggestions.
Important Dates
November 25 Read Hatchet Chapters 12 and 13
November 26 Minimum Day 12:30 Dismissal, No lunch
November 27, 28 No School! Thanksgiving and Local Holiday
December 4 Rough Draft Thankfulness Essay - typed / double spaced
December 5 Rough Ant Menu P.O.W. - Name and type of restaurant, 3 to 5 items with descriptions
December 5 Rough Brian's Journey Timeline Chp. 1-6, format as shown
December 10 2nd Draft Ant Menu P.O.W. 10 items with descriptions and prices, organized in categories
December 9 2nd Draft Thankfulness Essay - typed / double spaced
December 15 Final Ant Menu P.O.W. and Challenge / Extension
December 18 Final Essay - Typed / SINGLE spaced
Hello Parents,
Field Trip
Last week's field trip to the San Francisco Academy of Sciences was wonderful. The students enjoyed the many science exhibit and the lunchtime romp in Golden Gate Park. I want to give great thanks to the parents who made the trip possible by chaperoning /driving. Thank you, thank you to Mrs. Neff, Mrs. McNally, Mrs. Dembo, Mr. Hardison, Mrs. Yuan, Mrs. Cole, Mr. Nguyen, Mrs. Hinson, Mr. Fitch, Mrs. Larsen, Mrs. Lada, Mrs. Lin, Mrs. Li, and Mr. Barney. This was an especially meaningful trip as the Academy Museum will soon be closing for a five year period.
By way of advance planning, I want to let you know that our next filed trip is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20. We will be going to the San Jose Egyptian Museum for a docent led tour of the Pharaonic antiquities. We will need five driver/chaperones from each class for this trip, as well. Please check you calendars (many of us do plan this far in advance) to see if you are available; or, better yet, pencil the date in and reserve it. :0) The sign ups and paperwork for the trip will be sent home the first week in January.
Friendship Bridge China Project
The students have all sent their first introductory e-mails to the Beijing e-pals and are eagerly awaiting a reply. It was heartening to see the students' motivation to "perfect" their paragraphs for their Beijing partners. Normally, there is much less enthusiasm for the editing process. Kelly Kobza, the Oumu Foundation Project Coordinator, spent last Friday with us teaching the students the basics of digital video filming. The students worked in small groups, taking turns filming various camera shots. They learned the differences among wide angle, close, cut away, and reverse shots, as well as the beginnings of editing techniques on the iMovie program. We began brainstorming the possible subjects for our students' short films after viewing some of the fine examples created by the Beijing students. Kelly showed beautiful slides of her recent trip to China and our students were impressed with the Chinese student produced films. Some of the subjects brainstormed were skateboarding, a typical American dinner from the shopping to the cooking, and eating, as well as shopping at an American mall. It's interesting to watch students ponder what constitutes American culture.
English ~ Literature
The students have been assigned a three to five paragraph essay on Thankfulness. We have spent time on pre-writing activities in class, with each student completing pre-writing webs for the details and ideas supporting their essays. The focus is on intangible concepts, such as love and friendship, rather than tangible objects such as MP3 Players. We have used the WS 2000 resource (which students also have a home) to look at the structure of sentences, paragraphs, and essays. We've detailed, with the students taking notes, the role of transition sentences to link paragraphs, the function of topic sentences and thesis sentences in the introductory paragraph, as well as the purpose of the conclusion in holding up the essay. The rough draft of the essay must be double-spaced, typed, and around two pages in length. This essay will be taken through the full writing process, with pre-writing, drafts, revisions, peer-editing, teacher's writing conferences, and final essay.
We have begun a long term assignment, the Timeline of Brian's Inner Journey, which is a literary response assignment that visually demonstrates the students' understanding of the major changes in the characteristics of the main character, Brian. The students will need to use their Hatchet books to complete this assignment.
Social Studies
We have been studying the Universals of Culture, a brief unit in which the students begin to understand what comprises culture and those characteristics which all cultures share. The students worked in small groups to complete Cultural Universal collages, depicting the characteristics of particular categories such as body adornment, economics, marriage rites, education, language, standards of beauty... from various cultures. We were able to see that although the specific way in which this category is experienced varies from culture to culture, each culture has some form and representation of that category as universal to all cultures. I also shared with students a wonderful exercise called Nacirema, in which a profile of Nacirema's culture was read to the class. The students were asked to give their reactions to what they heard and they described Nacirema as "weird, barbaric, self-absorbed, self-conscious, ungrateful, crazy, violent..." As it turns out, Nacirema is American spelled backwards and is a profile of American culture deliberately written with culturally biased language. The students were surprised to learn that they could so easily see their own culture as inferior and suspect simply by the language and description. While it is a tendency to see our own culture as the standard, it is very important as we study many different cultures this year, for the students to develop the ability to embrace other cultures. After much discussion, and other activities, the students agreed to be open to the experience of other cultures as different; however, different does not have to mean "weird, crazy, barbaric," etc.; but, instead it can be seen as, simply "not like something I'm used to."
P.O.W.s
The students have been given a new P.O.W., The Ant Menu. This is long term assignment in which they are to create a menu for a restaurant specializing in the serving of insects and/or arachnids. P.O.W.s are assignments designed with differentiated instruction in mind and offer opportunities for the students to challenge themselves by extending themselves beyond the basics of the assignment. P.O.W.s offer the opportunity for creativity and a variety of ways in which students can demonstrate knowledge, skills, and interests. The Ant Menu P.O.W. is connected to both social studies and English, aligning with our Cultural Universals unit and with the use of descriptive sensory language. Food is one of the very personal aspects of all cultures and what is eaten and how it's eaten varies greatly. We began by reading an article written by a Mexican biologist suggesting that insects could be the solution to world hunger. It gave many reasons why insects are a valuable food source and speculated about the benefits. The students created a T-Chart comparing the use of beef as a major source of food protein to that of ants/insects. We looked at the environmental impact, the costs, the health impact, and the availability worldwide. On all counts, insects were more positive than beef. We then looked at a two minute segment of a Nova documentary on the relationship between insects and humans, which showed various world cultures in which insects are a major source of food protein. The film emphasized that insects make up as much as 40% of the food protein in some cultures' diets and that it is only in the west where the eating of insects is frowned upon. However, crustaceans such as lobsters, crab, and shrimp (which many consider a delicacy) are all related to insects.
In fact, the are commonly referred to as the insects of the ocean. I shared with the students about some of the more unusual foods I have eaten while traveling, including mopani worms in Zimbabwe. The Ant Menu P.O.W. is a very involved assignment; therefore, the students have been given a month to complete it. It involves the research of edible insects and the cultures that consume them, the incorporation of descriptive sensory language in the menu, and will include an interdisciplinary connection with math. I have books available as resources such as The Eat a Bug Cookbook and Creepy Crawly Cuisine. There are also a number of great internet sites for information. I have also recommended that the students look a restaurant menus for examples of sensory descriptions. The students have also been given a challenge /extension opportunity with the Ant Menu P. P.O.W.. Please ask to see the assignment sheets and look over the suggestions.
Important Dates
November 25 Read Hatchet Chapters 12 and 13
November 26 Minimum Day 12:30 Dismissal, No lunch
November 27, 28 No School! Thanksgiving and Local Holiday
December 4 Rough Draft Thankfulness Essay - typed / double spaced
December 5 Rough Ant Menu P.O.W. - Name and type of restaurant, 3 to 5 items with descriptions
December 5 Rough Brian's Journey Timeline Chp. 1-6, format as shown
December 10 2nd Draft Ant Menu P.O.W. 10 items with descriptions and prices, organized in categories
December 9 2nd Draft Thankfulness Essay - typed / double spaced
December 15 Final Ant Menu P.O.W. and Challenge / Extension
December 18 Final Essay - Typed / SINGLE spaced
October 16, 2003
Dear
Parents,
Parent~Student~Teacher Conferences
The conferences have been completed and it was wonderful for Jay and me to meet with all of you and your children to discuss their academic and social progress, as well as their transition to middle school. Jay and I agree that we have delightful classes. The students are a great group of children, who work well individually and in cooperative groups. We will continue to work on the instruction of the skills talked about in conferences and will share your child's progress with you. Please have your child return the social studies and English portfolios, given during the conferences, as soon as possible. Many students have brought back their English and social studies portfolios; however, some are still at home. We are building a record of progress in these areas and need the work for student self-reflection.
Social Studies
We are completing the Hominid Project, with oral presentations beginning Monday. Today we reviewed the components of good oral presentations, focusing on the Do's and Don'ts of presentation skills. The students were given the Oral Presentation grading rubric and they took notes as we modeled and discussed what makes for fine presentations. The students will be given, as is true for all group projects, individual grades for their preparation and demonstration of their individual learning.
English
Next week we will extend the Hatchet Event List, sequencing assignment to a more comprehensive demonstration of literary response.
The students will begin an assignment called the Hatchet Character Value Graph, in which they will look at the progression of the plot in relationship to the development of Brian, the protagonist's, development as the main character. Our focus is the author's intention of having the students view Brian's journey of survival in the Canadian wilderness as an inward journey of self-discovery. We will plot the progression of Brian from a self-centered boy, with a victim consciousness, a person obsessed with a family secret and filled with blame, to a self-reliant person, empowered and responsibly connected to his life and surroundings.
The students began the ERB WrAP writing assessment today; we will complete the assessment tomorrow.
Outdoor Science Camp
Camp Campbell's Outdoor Environmental Science School, Science Camp, as we call it, will be held for our classes from Tuesday, October 28 through Friday, October 31. If you have any questions about science camp costs, registration, or medical forms please contact Mrs. Scherer at 856-5182. The time is rapidly approaching for Science Camp and there are some details we'd like to review and share with you.
Transportation / Pick up and Drop Off
We will be traveling to science camp by PAUSD school buses. The ride is about one hour, and is, for the most part straight along Highway 17; however, there is a winding section once in the Santa Cruz mountains. If your child gets motion sickness, please let us know. Students need to be dropped off at school by 7:45 A.M. on the day we leave. ALL of their gear, except their light weight jacket, disposable lunch, and any medications, needs to be brought to the designated areas in front of the school, near the gym, on the pathway facing the parking lot, before the student comes to homeroom classroom. Students, and all of their gear, need to be picked up by 12:30 P.M. on the day of return. They will be tired and hungry and will not want to wait at school for another minute past return.
To Bring List / Not to Bring
Please go over the lists of what to bring and what not to bring (please prevent sneaking in items not allowed; they will be confiscated by cabin leaders) and prepare early. We strongly recommend not purchasing expensive items for science camp. Clearly print and label all gear with your child's first and last name. You'd be amazed at how indistinguishable socks, sleeping bags, jackets, and pillows become. The sleeping bag should be a fairly substantial one, not a slumber party weight bag. We don't recommend sheets and blankets instead of a sleeping bag; however, we do recommend a twin size fitted sheet, pillow, and sleeping bag. If the pillow cannot fit into the soft sided duffle style gear bag, place it in a large plastic garbage bag and label it. A water bottle/canteen is a must as is a good flashlight with fresh batteries. We recommend a disposable camera rather than an expensive one. Pack more socks than listed, the always get wet and/or lost. We've found that light weight sweats are great for camp sleep wear. The bathrooms are a short walk from the cabins, so we don't recommend pajamas, robes, and slippers. The students should have an inexpensive pair of rubber soled shower/bathroom slip on shoes/ flip flops. A heavy duty jacket, preferably with a hood, for evening is essential, it becomes very cold in the mountains at night, especially during the fall season.
The weather will be chilly; we do recommend a hooded rain poncho, large enough to fit over the heavy jacket. The waterproof boots, recommended on the list, are likely to be unnecessary. A more lightweight jacket or hooded sweatshirt would be good for daytime. An inexpensive wristwatch is also a good idea. It is important that students have more than one pair of closed toed shoes, suitable for hiking. Often the shoes and socks become wet and a spare pair is essential. Many students bring silent/quiet activity items such as a deck of cards, reading books or magazines, stationary with pens/stamps for letters home, drawing paper and colored pencils, puzzles, or a diary/journal. Some students find comfort, particularly if they have not spend many nights away from home, with a favorite stuffed animal or a few pictures from home. A large plastic bag for wet/dirty clothes is important. For the first day of camp your child will need a DISPOSABLE BAG LUNCH, marked with his/her full name and the homeroom teacher's last name. The lunch should NOT be packed but should be brought to the classroom on the morning we leave.
Dietary Needs
The medical form had a line to indicate allergies and dietary needs. It is very important that this be red flagged for the kitchen staff at the camp. In addition to having made it clear on the medical forms, please e-mail both Jay and me if your child has any special dietary needs whether from allergies (e.g. milk products) or from religious (e.g. Muslim, Hindu, Jewish) or self-selected (e.g. vegetarian, vegan) reasons so that we can be certain to follow-up at the camp. The children cannot suddenly decide to declare themselves, upon inspection of the food, a vegetarian at camp. ;0)
Medications
The camp considers all treatments as medication so even Tylenol, vitamins, and cough drops have to be labeled with your child's first and last name AS WELL AS the homeroom teacher's last name. All medications, except asthma inhalers, epi pens, or diabetic insulin kits, which the student should keep with him/her, must be placed in a labeled plastic bag, with the child and teacher's names written on it. These medications should each include any instructions/directions on administering them. They should be BROUGHT TO THE CLASSROOM on the day we leave NOT PACKED in your child's gear. They will be given to the camp nurse who will administer the proper dosage when/how indicated. If you feel your child may get a temporary condition, such as a headache or stomachache, and want the camp nurse to give him/her an over the counter antacid or pain reliever, send label it as above and place it in the bag with instructions to give as needed. We recommend prudence with medications, as most parents usually send medications for chronic conditions or anticipated concerns. If your daughter is of menses age we recommend that you send her prepared just in case.
Cabin Assignments
The students will be in separate boys' and girls' cabins (the staff and teachers' cabins divide the camp into gender sides) of about 8 to 12 students. They will be supervised by a full time camp counselor (usually a high school junior or senior from the San Jose area). The students have made a written request for one other student, with whom they'd like to "bunk," to be their cabin partner. The teachers have sent these requests to the camp and they will form cabin groups of pairs from the various classes attending. J.L.S. is attending with Terman Middle School during our week, so the cabins will be made up of J.L.S. and Terman students. The larger field groups, in which the students will receive their outdoor education instruction, will be made up of about three cabin groups and will be co-ed.
Communication / Valuables / Money
Please do not send any precious or valuable items to camp. This can help spare conflict and hurt feelings over lost, damaged, or stolen items that are irreplaceable or of value. Please DO NOT SEND MONEY with your child. There is no where and nothing on which to spend it. We do encourage parents to write to your child. The children are very excited to receive mail at camp. The one caveat is that the mail is seriously slow, so you must mail your letters to the camp before the Tuesday we leave if there is hope they will arrive before our return! Address the letters to your child in the very specific way given below:
YMCA Camp Campbell YMCA Camp Campbell
Student's FIRST and LAST Name Gabriel William
C/O Homeroom Teacher's LAST name C/O Ms. La Place
[J.L. Stanford Middle School] [J.L. Stanford Middle School]
16275 Highway 9 16275 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, CA 95006 Boulder Creek, CA 95006
Parent~Student~Teacher Conferences
The conferences have been completed and it was wonderful for Jay and me to meet with all of you and your children to discuss their academic and social progress, as well as their transition to middle school. Jay and I agree that we have delightful classes. The students are a great group of children, who work well individually and in cooperative groups. We will continue to work on the instruction of the skills talked about in conferences and will share your child's progress with you. Please have your child return the social studies and English portfolios, given during the conferences, as soon as possible. Many students have brought back their English and social studies portfolios; however, some are still at home. We are building a record of progress in these areas and need the work for student self-reflection.
Social Studies
We are completing the Hominid Project, with oral presentations beginning Monday. Today we reviewed the components of good oral presentations, focusing on the Do's and Don'ts of presentation skills. The students were given the Oral Presentation grading rubric and they took notes as we modeled and discussed what makes for fine presentations. The students will be given, as is true for all group projects, individual grades for their preparation and demonstration of their individual learning.
English
Next week we will extend the Hatchet Event List, sequencing assignment to a more comprehensive demonstration of literary response.
The students will begin an assignment called the Hatchet Character Value Graph, in which they will look at the progression of the plot in relationship to the development of Brian, the protagonist's, development as the main character. Our focus is the author's intention of having the students view Brian's journey of survival in the Canadian wilderness as an inward journey of self-discovery. We will plot the progression of Brian from a self-centered boy, with a victim consciousness, a person obsessed with a family secret and filled with blame, to a self-reliant person, empowered and responsibly connected to his life and surroundings.
The students began the ERB WrAP writing assessment today; we will complete the assessment tomorrow.
Outdoor Science Camp
Camp Campbell's Outdoor Environmental Science School, Science Camp, as we call it, will be held for our classes from Tuesday, October 28 through Friday, October 31. If you have any questions about science camp costs, registration, or medical forms please contact Mrs. Scherer at 856-5182. The time is rapidly approaching for Science Camp and there are some details we'd like to review and share with you.
Transportation / Pick up and Drop Off
We will be traveling to science camp by PAUSD school buses. The ride is about one hour, and is, for the most part straight along Highway 17; however, there is a winding section once in the Santa Cruz mountains. If your child gets motion sickness, please let us know. Students need to be dropped off at school by 7:45 A.M. on the day we leave. ALL of their gear, except their light weight jacket, disposable lunch, and any medications, needs to be brought to the designated areas in front of the school, near the gym, on the pathway facing the parking lot, before the student comes to homeroom classroom. Students, and all of their gear, need to be picked up by 12:30 P.M. on the day of return. They will be tired and hungry and will not want to wait at school for another minute past return.
To Bring List / Not to Bring
Please go over the lists of what to bring and what not to bring (please prevent sneaking in items not allowed; they will be confiscated by cabin leaders) and prepare early. We strongly recommend not purchasing expensive items for science camp. Clearly print and label all gear with your child's first and last name. You'd be amazed at how indistinguishable socks, sleeping bags, jackets, and pillows become. The sleeping bag should be a fairly substantial one, not a slumber party weight bag. We don't recommend sheets and blankets instead of a sleeping bag; however, we do recommend a twin size fitted sheet, pillow, and sleeping bag. If the pillow cannot fit into the soft sided duffle style gear bag, place it in a large plastic garbage bag and label it. A water bottle/canteen is a must as is a good flashlight with fresh batteries. We recommend a disposable camera rather than an expensive one. Pack more socks than listed, the always get wet and/or lost. We've found that light weight sweats are great for camp sleep wear. The bathrooms are a short walk from the cabins, so we don't recommend pajamas, robes, and slippers. The students should have an inexpensive pair of rubber soled shower/bathroom slip on shoes/ flip flops. A heavy duty jacket, preferably with a hood, for evening is essential, it becomes very cold in the mountains at night, especially during the fall season.
The weather will be chilly; we do recommend a hooded rain poncho, large enough to fit over the heavy jacket. The waterproof boots, recommended on the list, are likely to be unnecessary. A more lightweight jacket or hooded sweatshirt would be good for daytime. An inexpensive wristwatch is also a good idea. It is important that students have more than one pair of closed toed shoes, suitable for hiking. Often the shoes and socks become wet and a spare pair is essential. Many students bring silent/quiet activity items such as a deck of cards, reading books or magazines, stationary with pens/stamps for letters home, drawing paper and colored pencils, puzzles, or a diary/journal. Some students find comfort, particularly if they have not spend many nights away from home, with a favorite stuffed animal or a few pictures from home. A large plastic bag for wet/dirty clothes is important. For the first day of camp your child will need a DISPOSABLE BAG LUNCH, marked with his/her full name and the homeroom teacher's last name. The lunch should NOT be packed but should be brought to the classroom on the morning we leave.
Dietary Needs
The medical form had a line to indicate allergies and dietary needs. It is very important that this be red flagged for the kitchen staff at the camp. In addition to having made it clear on the medical forms, please e-mail both Jay and me if your child has any special dietary needs whether from allergies (e.g. milk products) or from religious (e.g. Muslim, Hindu, Jewish) or self-selected (e.g. vegetarian, vegan) reasons so that we can be certain to follow-up at the camp. The children cannot suddenly decide to declare themselves, upon inspection of the food, a vegetarian at camp. ;0)
Medications
The camp considers all treatments as medication so even Tylenol, vitamins, and cough drops have to be labeled with your child's first and last name AS WELL AS the homeroom teacher's last name. All medications, except asthma inhalers, epi pens, or diabetic insulin kits, which the student should keep with him/her, must be placed in a labeled plastic bag, with the child and teacher's names written on it. These medications should each include any instructions/directions on administering them. They should be BROUGHT TO THE CLASSROOM on the day we leave NOT PACKED in your child's gear. They will be given to the camp nurse who will administer the proper dosage when/how indicated. If you feel your child may get a temporary condition, such as a headache or stomachache, and want the camp nurse to give him/her an over the counter antacid or pain reliever, send label it as above and place it in the bag with instructions to give as needed. We recommend prudence with medications, as most parents usually send medications for chronic conditions or anticipated concerns. If your daughter is of menses age we recommend that you send her prepared just in case.
Cabin Assignments
The students will be in separate boys' and girls' cabins (the staff and teachers' cabins divide the camp into gender sides) of about 8 to 12 students. They will be supervised by a full time camp counselor (usually a high school junior or senior from the San Jose area). The students have made a written request for one other student, with whom they'd like to "bunk," to be their cabin partner. The teachers have sent these requests to the camp and they will form cabin groups of pairs from the various classes attending. J.L.S. is attending with Terman Middle School during our week, so the cabins will be made up of J.L.S. and Terman students. The larger field groups, in which the students will receive their outdoor education instruction, will be made up of about three cabin groups and will be co-ed.
Communication / Valuables / Money
Please do not send any precious or valuable items to camp. This can help spare conflict and hurt feelings over lost, damaged, or stolen items that are irreplaceable or of value. Please DO NOT SEND MONEY with your child. There is no where and nothing on which to spend it. We do encourage parents to write to your child. The children are very excited to receive mail at camp. The one caveat is that the mail is seriously slow, so you must mail your letters to the camp before the Tuesday we leave if there is hope they will arrive before our return! Address the letters to your child in the very specific way given below:
YMCA Camp Campbell YMCA Camp Campbell
Student's FIRST and LAST Name Gabriel William
C/O Homeroom Teacher's LAST name C/O Ms. La Place
[J.L. Stanford Middle School] [J.L. Stanford Middle School]
16275 Highway 9 16275 Highway 9
Boulder Creek, CA 95006 Boulder Creek, CA 95006
J. L. Stanford
Middle School
480
E. Meadow Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306
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