Friday, November 20, 2009

Rebecca Caudill Books

The Language Arts and Reading department is excited to kick off the Rebecca Caudill Award reading extravaganza. Every year, we ask our students to read a certain number of the nominated books. Students will have from next week through February to read as many books as they can. Then in February, students will participate in a national voting day to be a part of selecting the award winner.

We're looking forward to Miss Hagensee's book talk on Monday!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Stand Up For Kids!

Lakeview's Student Council and Make A Difference Club are excited to announce our participation in a Stand Up For Kids Drive.

Stand Up For Kids is a nationally acclaimed volunteer organization dedicated to helping homeless, runaway, and at-risk youth in over 42 cities nation wide. They not only feed and clothe children, but also attempt to encourage and motivate them by providing straightforward mentoring , emergency resources, and helping them find the tools they need to get off the streets.

Starting next Monday, November 16 through Tuesday, November 24, we will be holding a donations drive to support Stand Up For Kids. The following is a list of items that would help:

1. Healthy, shelf-stable, single serving food items (that do not need to be cooked) like granola bars, fruit cups, fruit snacks

2. Fruit juice

3. Socks

4. Winter Hats

5. Winter gloves

6. Sweatshirts

For more information, please visit their website: www.standupforkids.org
Thank you in advance for making any donations!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Shelfari

Mrs Foellmer has turned me on to an incredible website: www.shelfari.com

The site offers many interactive applications for readers. For example, members can create a virtual bookshelf to display the books they have read, the books they are currently reading, and the books they plan on reading. Additionally, the website encourages members to review and recommend books. I am currently working out a way to enhance the experience of reading by connecting my students to meaningful discussions of literature!

Friday, October 23, 2009

A word about grades...

In light of the high number of absences we're having here at Lakeview, I would like to take a moment to share what I'm doing with my gradebook.

Even if a student is absent, I will be putting zeros in for any missing work. This is so you are aware of graded assignments that your child is missing. I will not be penalizing students for work that is turned in late due to an absence. Adhering to the school grading policy, a student will receive however many days they were absent to make up new work.

Friday, October 16, 2009

JV Basketball Cheerleading and Mascot Information

Cheerleading:
Clinic: Monday, October 26, 2009 3-5 pm
Try-Out: Tuesday, October 27 3-4 pm
Mascot
Clinic: Monday, October 26, 2009 3-4 pm
Try-Out: Tuesday, October 27 3-4 pm

The JV Basketball Cheerleading and Mascot season is right around the corner. After waiting anxiously for the Winter Athletic Schedule to be published I am happy to announce the try-out information.

The cheerleading squad is open to any 6th or 7th grader who has a physical turned into the office by the try-out date. On Monday at the clinic, cheer candidates will learn a chant (short sideline), a cheer (longer routine), a proper toe-touch, and a short two-eight count dance. The girls will need to practice that night for the next day's try-out. The Try-out will be held from 3-4 pm. Scores will be tabulated as quickly as possible, and they should be posted by 6 pm on Tuesday night.

The Mascot position is open to any 6th, 7th, or 8th grader who is not afraid to get a crowd going. The clinic will be held from 3-4 pm on Monday. At this time, I will explain what a mascot does and what they will be required to do for the try-out. This will include various physical reactions/emotions and a short dance.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Important Reminders...

There are several things that you should be aware of:

1. All final drafts of the Personal Narrative Composition are due Tuesday. These drafts should be typed in Times New Roman, size 12 font.

2. The second book report project is due on October 23. Students are to create any type of greeting card as one character in their novel to another. There is also a writing component to this project. Students have been given a project description, rubric, and an example from which to work.

Have a delightful long weekend!

Friday, October 2, 2009

New Book Report! Due 10/23

As students continue to read their new "student-choice" books, I want them to begin thinking about their new book report.

Directions: Think about the characters in your novel. Imagine that one character is sending a card to another character. What kind of card would they character send and why?

Choices of cards: Birthday, Sympathy, Thank You, Get Well, Friendship, Anniversary, Retirement, New Baby, Valentine's Day, Miss You

Task: There are TWO parts to this project.
1. Create a card to one character in your novel to another character.

2. On a separate sheet of paper, include the following:
- The title and date of publication
- In one paragraph, explain why you created the card you did.
- In one paragraph, explain the importance of this choice and how the novel
would be different if the card had actually been sent.