April Showers

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since I've posted, and for that, I apologize! If you have not spoken to your child about what they are reading in Language, please ask them about Unwind - it's a fantastic book, and you may be getting requests to find them a copy of UnWholly, the book's sequel.
Let me bring you up to speed on some things going on in Grade 8 world....

EXTRACURRICULARS

• Rugby, Rugby, Rugby!  It has started and our team is looking good!  So far, we have about 60 students (Grades 7 and 8) coming to tryouts/practices at recesses, and the kids seem to be having a blast.  Upcoming news about games and tournaments is coming - stay tuned!
• Zentangle Club is back! We will be meeting weekly in the library - if we have any new students who wish to join, the kits are $13 and come with tiles, pens, and pencils. Students should listen to the announcements for meeting dates.
• Student Council - as always, our dedicated Student Council is busy planning daily events and school-wide activities.  Big high-fives to our Grade 8 Student Council members for their dedication to Fieldcrest this year.
• Talent Show auditions are happening in the next couple of weeks.  Students are reminded to sign up and will be notified for their audition dates soon.

ACADEMICS

• French assignment: Friday, April 19th
• Character Types, Tasks 1 and 2:  Friday, April 19th or Monday, April 22nd
• Math test (simplifying algebraic expressions and the distributive property): Friday, April 19th Monday, April 22nd
• Geography assignment: Monday, April 22nd
• History poster (Immigration - click on link for success criteria):  for Skelton's and Sauve's students, due Monday, April 22nd; for Bax's students, the due date is to be announced
• Essay (Unwind - outline AND final copy):  Friday, April 26th *this is an extension date, so students MUST have their essay handed in on or before this date*
  Success Criteria for Essay:
  
  
• BONUS Language activity "Create-a-Character": Friday, May 3rd
  Outline for Create-a-Character:
  
  

OTHER GRADE 8 ITEMS OF NOTE

• GRAD TRIP!!  Information was sent home earlier this week regarding our tentatively scheduled, one-day trip to Niagara Falls.  We spoke to students today about the expected itinerary, so for details, please ask your child!  A friendly reminder that a $50 deposit is required by Friday, April 26th to secure your child's spot on the trip.  The remaining balance is dependent on how many students attend, as the number of students will affect the cost (more students = lower cost).
• GRADUATION - will be held at Bradford District High School on Tuesday, June 25.  All further details will be given closer to the date. Students are asked to bring in a baby photo (approximately from age 1-2 - cute/funny/embarrassing baby photos are welcome!) before April 30th so that we may get the Graduation slideshow prepared.
• YEARBOOK - We discussed putting together our annual yearbook today, and students were excited to get started. Pages will be established within the next few days, and students will be encouraged to have their contributions to Miss Skelton as soon as they are ready. 

This coming Tuesday, we say farewell to Mr. Davis who has been our Teacher Candidate from Lakehead University.  Best of luck, Mr. Davis!

Enjoy your weekend!
Miss Skelton :)

February already!

Hello, Everyone!

Where has the time gone?  I can't believe February is already here.  We have had a very busy January, and my apologies for not keeping the blog as up-to-date as I would like.  Here are some of the exciting things we've been doing:

Language - we've been enjoying some excellent Young Adult novels (which you can see on our Literature Circles page).  Students have been working in groups of 3-4 to read, discuss, and analyze their novels.  Many of the activities required students to think creatively or analytically, and what a joy it was seeing what our students are capable of! Students should have their novel read by Monday, February 4th, and will need to complete the online book completion survey by Friday, February 8th.

Math - To complete our Measurement unit, we've given the students the task of building a mansion.  They are responsible for designing the interior and exterior of the structure, and using their measurement skills to create scale floor plans and 3-D representations.  They are also building a Community Center (using their circle-skills), and estimating land plots for gardens and a 3-hole golf course.  Please ask your child about this project - although a challenge, students have been having a lot of fun!

Science - Students have been looking into the controversial Canadian Seal Hunt.  On Friday, they were involved in a video conference with local Anti-Sealing lawyer, Nicholas Wright, who shared his views on the Seal Hunt. We encourage students to decide which side of the debate they are on, but to consider that all points of view they are shown may have a certain bias. Links will be added to our Science Links page this week.

History - We are learning about the controversial Canadian figure, Louis Riel.  On our History Links page, there are some links to videos that share the story of Louis Riel and how he fits in with Canadian History.  Students will make the decision as to whether they think Louis Riel is a hero or a villain, and they will create a short story book to share his story (bias included and required!).

Geography - Students are learning about the basics of Economics.  More information to come!

HIGH SCHOOL UPDATE!
With Report Cards right around the corner, students are strongly encouraged to think about what classes they will be signing up for for the 2013-2014 school year.  Mr. Shank was in to visit us earlier this month, and students received course selection information.  We will be having another visit with him with regards to how to fill out the course selection sheet.  This information will go home and we ask that you go through it with your child, fill it out, and send it back.  I will be adding a new page to our blog with pertinent links and Frequently Asked Questions about high school.  If you would like to discuss your child's high school pathway, please feel free to call or e-mail me at anytime.

Updates will happen more frequently - please check back often!  Thanks for your interest and involvement!

Miss Skelton :)

Happy New Year!

Hello everyone,

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2013 - it's hard to believe we're down to only 6 months left of Grade 8.  This is when time really starts to fly.  We have a busy January ahead of us, leading us into an even busier February!

Our major focus in Language will be collaborating as students share in a Literature Circle with their peers.  Students received their books today - please ask your child about his or her novel. Also, students should have a duotang to organize their literature circle handouts - binders will not be convenient, so duotangs are strongly encouraged.
Click here to see the novels that our class will be reading.

Our Language schedule begins with Group 1 (the students whose "homebase" is Bax's class) having their first official literature circle meeting on Thursday of this week.  Assigned chapters must be read and the activity sheet that accompanies their roles must be complete as well. Group 2 ("homebased" out of Skelton's class) will have their first official literature circle meeting on Friday; same rules apply.

We will be starting a "big project" (Bax's words!) in Math.  Our Measurement unit will find students practicing conversion of measurements, finding area and perimeter of regular and irregular shapes, finding circumference and area of circles, and using volume formulas.  These skills will be transferred to designing a home and a piece of property involving several structures and landscaping features. 
For now, we are working with circles, finding circumference and area.  Here are the solutions to today's problems (we didn't quite get there!):

Between December and January, we've welcomed three new members to our class.  We are up to 30 students now!  Welcome to our newest Falcons!

Thank you for taking the time to read the blog!  If you know parents of other Grade 8 students who might be interested, please pass along the link. 

Have a great week,
Miss Skelton :)

Multi-Modal Language Unit

Hello everyone,

This is a copy of the letter sent home with students yesterday (or today, if you're in Mr. Bax's class) about our upcoming multi-modal text Language unit. The letter home is intended as information, rather than permission. The portion that needs to be signed is just my way of ensuring that you (at home) are aware of our lesson content. If you have any questions, please contact me at skelton.fes@gmail.com or sskelton@mail1.scdsb.on.ca.

Thanks for your attention to this,
Miss Skelton

Dear Parents and Guardians,

     We are beginning a Language Arts unit on multi-modal text.  Multi-modal text is text that includes written, auditory, and visual components. For example, students will be asked to read the lyrics to a song, record their ideas and thoughts, and determine what the main idea is.  Once we have completed that task, we will read the lyrics again, this time with music. Again, students will record thoughts and ideas – this time, they will identify which thoughts have changed with the addition of the auditory component.  Lastly, we will read the text while watching the video associated with the song.  Students will once again complete the task of determining the message, and will hopefully realize that with new information (such as auditory and/or visual cues), opinions and perceptions can change.

     Some of the videos and songs that we will be investigating will cover issues that tie in to our Health units, and that are serious in nature. These topics will be approached with tact and sensitivity. Some of the topics we will be discussing include:
- self-esteem                                           - poverty and homelessness

- bullying                                                - mental health issues

- weapon use                                          - drug use

- suicide                                                 - sexuality

     The purpose of this activity is to entrust students with mature concepts and to equip them with higher-order thinking and decision-making skills. We also want students to feel safe and comfortable talking about difficult issues, as having a good understanding of them will empower students with the knowledge they will need to make informed decisions.

     If your child has questions regarding any of these topics, they are welcome to speak to me or to discuss the issues with you; if they feel uncomfortable asking these questions, Kids Help Phone is an anonymous helpline where students can ask questions or simply talk to someone.  The number is 1-800-668-6868 and the website is www.kidshelpphone.ca. 

Thank you,
Miss Skelton