Mrs. Black's Classroom

Just a quick post today to get some CourtMat Information out:

Courtmat candidates will be introduced at the wrestling meet against Chillicothe, next Thursday, January 12th.  Coronation will be held during the school day on Friday, January 13th at 11:00 in the HS gym.

The courtmat dance will take place on Saturday, January 14th, from 8-11 in the HS cafeteria with entertainment provided by Top Sound.  Admission is $5.00 and a photobooth will be available for an additional $2.00 per session.

Brookfield High School students will be taking Missouri End-of-Course Exams next week.  All students enrolled in and passing the following core classes are required to complete the exam.  Exams will be given in these courses:

Monday, December 12th–American History, American Government

Tuesday, December 13th–Language Arts II, Algebra I, Biology

Wednesday, December 14th–Algebra II, Language Arts I, Geometry

It is very important that students make an effort to attend school on each of these days.  If your student has an EOC exam, please make every effort not to schedule routine appointments on these days.  The exams will, on average, take 90 minutes.  It is important for students to get proper amounts of sleep and to eat a good breakfast so they will have enough energy to make it through such a tedious testing schedule.

Please contact the high school (258-7242) if you have any questions about testing next week.

All BHS students were able to watch a presentation today, given by Sergeant Brent Bernhardt, from the Missouri Highway Patrol.  Sergeant Benrhardt gave an inspirational and gut-wrenching presentation about the importance of wearing seatbelts and avoiding inattentive driving.

Sergeant Bernhardt shared many personal stories about working crashes and then having to tell parents that their child had died.  He shared an instance where he missed an opportunity to tell his best friend that he was making poor decisions and told of how much he regretted his inaction that night.

He made it very simple for the students to understand, telling them that the decisions that they make every single day are decisions so easy that a kindergarten child would know the right choice, and yet they continue to make poor choices.

He followed his speech with a short video that  made the scenarios real.  “Permanent” showed graphic crash photos of fatality wrecks in the state of Missouri.  Pictures of the crash victims’ lives and videos of family members’ testimonies were interspersed with the images of mangled cars and almost unrecognizable bodies.  I truly hope that these images will stick with our students as they pull out of our parking lot this afternoon and again tonight when they make a choice to get in a vehicle and go out on the road.

Earlier this year, we surveyed our students and found that a shockingly low 33% of our student body wears a seatbelt each time they enter a vehicle.  As an adult in our community, I am appalled by that number.  A simple, easy act could save so many lives and our students feel so invincible that they are willing to risk death rather than use a seatbelt.

My own father made sure that seatbelts were a habit for me.  I was not allowed to start the engine of my car without wearing a seatbelt and I was not allowed to drive if even a single passenger in my car was unbuckled.  I knew that if my dad saw me without a seatbelt that I would not have driving privileges.  Even more than that, however, I knew that my dad cared enough to require responsibility from me.

If you are a parent or grandparent of a teen driver, please make seatbelts a requirement for your driver.  Talk to them about the assembly they sat through today and let them know you care enough to want them to wear their seatbelt 100% of the time.  Set the right example by using your seatbelt each time you drive or ride in a car and then ask our teenagers to step up to the plate.

The tragic and untimely death of any individual in a car accident is something that each of us would prefer to avoid.  Simply click your seatbelt and save your life!

If you would like additional information about Missouri’s seatbelt statistics, visit:

www.savemolives.org

To get additional information about having Sergeant Bernhardt present at your school, you can find his contact information at:

http://www.mshp.dps.mo.gov/MSHPWeb/PatrolDivisions/PIED/index.html

After reading this article(http://www.edutopia.org/blog/gratitude-builds-health-character-maurice-elias) today, I am reminded of the benefits of a simple act of gratitude.

The author of the blog reminds teachers that a simple expression of gratitude each day can have a huge pay-off in terms of our students’ motivation.  I would like to think that I am always pleasant and polite during interactions with my students, but I can always do more.  It is so important that they sense the genuine gratitude that I feel for their cooperation in education.  A classroom full of eager-to-learn high school students may be impossible to find, but if I can motivate them to at least complete the basic tasks required of my course, then I have a window of opportunity to impact their education.

The article also suggests that an individual who takes time to notice the small things and to be grateful for those things will be happier than someone who does not.  To encourage this activity in my students’ lives,  I ask my sophomores to complete a gratitude journal every Friday of the first and third quarters.   At first, it is like pulling teeth to get them to think of five things for which they are grateful, but somewhere around week three it becomes a habit and they can easily name countless things.  I think that in a world where we are bombarded with so many negative news accounts or where financial struggles  and family stresses abound, it is beneficial for all of my students to engage in a simple expression of gratitude each week.

I would encourage you to read the article listed above and seek out some ways to incorporate expressions of gratitude into your family’s daily life.  Never underestimate the power of a simple thank you!

Each year our Student Council organizes a fundraising event to benefit the local food pantry. Student Council selects different teachers each year to participate in this event and this year we chose teachers in the high school who were new to our district.  This year our four participants happily agreed and I couldn’t be more grateful for their efforts.

Our new principal, Ms. Enyart, jumped right in with feathers flying and started her campaign early.  She spent the week selling baked goods, acting as DJ during lunch shifts, and even taking her campaign on the road to principals’ meetings and church events.

Mrs. Blakely, our new science teacher, put her heart into the campaign with the help of her campaign manager.  She made rounds with a basket of treats and made sure that each student knew about the cause.

We also welcomed Mr. Keeney and Mr. Dickson to the competition.  Mr. Keeney, our new English teacher, used his linguistic skills to create a few comedic slogans and he even went so far as to wear a t-shirt emblazoned with a yellow polka dot bikini to really fulfill his “buh-keeney” character.   Mr. Dickson, our new math teacher, put his number-crunching skills to work for our cause and came up with a great donation.

As I sat down today to count the donation I was overwhelmed by the generosity shown by our students and the dedication shown by our candidates.  Each of our candidates sacrificed personal time and money to participate in this event.  They still had to teach and advise students during the day, but they gladly welcomed yet another duty in service to our community.  I applaud their efforts and am sincerely grateful that they chose to participate in this event.

I am continually amazed by the quality of students at BHS.  Many students have little excess in their lives, be that in the form of money or canned food, and yet we were able to donate hundreds of food items and over $1,500.00 dollars to the food pantry.  What an amazing accomplishment!

Our community is so blessed to have a resource like our food pantry, which serves 1,300 individuals each month.  During this holiday season, please follow the example of our high school students, and make an extra donation to the food pantry.

Sophomores are winding down with their study of To Kill a Mockingbird.  We will finish the reading on Monday or Tuesday of next week.  I hope that the students have been hooked by the storyline, but if they haven’t, please encourage them to stay the course with me.  The last few chapters change the course of the book and really solidify the themes that have been presented in earlier chapters.  This is really my favorite thing to teach and I hope the students love it too. I have not assigned any chapters to read as weekend homework because they are just too exciting to read alone.  I enjoy seeing the reactions as students put together the final events of the story.

We will complete the novel next week, then review, and then test on Thursday, the 10th.  Please encourage your students to look to the internet for extra resources.  To start, you might have them try some of these resources:

http://www.lausd.net/Belmont_HS/tkm/

–This site provides succinct chapter reviews, as well as lists of vocabulary words, idioms, and allusions.

http://www.enotes.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/q-and-a/

–The enotes site allows students to ask questions about the novel, which are then answered by enotes editors.  This might be helpful if students are having trouble understanding the themes in the novel.

http://www.quia.com/rr/88170.html

A quick quiz to review some ideas contained within To Kill a Mockingbird.

As I find more useful websites, watch for additional posts.  We’ll be moving to the Julius Caesar unit before Thanksgiving break.

As student council sponsor, part of my job includes checking the parking lot to ensure that all students are parking in the appropriate parking spaces.  Many of the students have not posted the stickers in their windows this year.  If you have a student who parks in the front student lot, please remind them to put the sticker in the front windshield and park in the appropriate space so that their car is not towed from the lot.  If you have any questions, please call me at school.  660-258-7242

If money is an issue, I’ll never turn a student away.  Just send them to talk to me and we’ll take care of the pass.  Thanks!

It is hard to believe that first quarter is already over.  With an early Bell Game and Homecoming, the year has flown by.  I have enjoyed getting to know new students this year and it is hard for me to think that we are already 1/4 done with the year.

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held tonight in the HS gymnasium from 3-7 and tomorrow from 8-12 in teachers’ classrooms.  Ms. Enyart and Mrs. Smith have started a new competition for the teachers this year.  We were asked to decorate our tables and we’ve all been toiling away, trying to find the perfect looks for our tables.  Please come out and sample some of our goodies and talk to all of the great staff members who are working with your kids.

If you are interested in receiving classroom updates more often, please subscribe to my blog or bookmark the page and check it weekly.  I will attempt to have the site updated with relevant information for my classes, as well as helpful links and study sites.

The Student Council blood drive was a huge success yesterday.  We had 89 participants who attempted to donate and accumulated 73 units of blood for the Community Blood Center.

This is a critical time for blood donation as seasonal illnesses prevent regular donors from donating.  If you missed us yesterday, please consider finding another date and place to donate.  Visit savealifenow.org to search for local donation sites!

NBPTS stands for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.  This organization was created, in part, to promote high and rigorous standards for teachers.  Through this organization, teachers create portfolios showcasing different qualities and skills that make them effective practitioners.

NBPTS offers a “Take One” course in which participants may complete one preselected portfolio entry and see what it would be like to participate in the full certification process.

I have enrolled in the Take One program for this school year and will, along with another high school colleague and two middle school teachers, attempt to complete a portfolio entry.  For this entry, I will have to record some of the lessons in which I rely on small group interaction to maximize learning.  Some of my students will be coming home with permission slips for parents to sign, which allows them to appear in classroom recordings.  I would appreciate parental support in allowing your student to appear in the videos.  This is an important professional development tool for me.  Reflecting on my current teaching practices will make me a better instructor and I cannot complete this process without the cooperation of students, parents, and school staff members.

Please be on the lookout for those NBPTS permission slips and keep watching for more updates regarding my experiences with the Take One process.

Grammar is an integral part of any well-rounded language arts instruction, though it is rarely a favorite task for my students.  Grammar is a part of each course I teach and I stress the importance of speaking and writing properly.  Good communication is essential and I hope that each of my students leaves with a good foundation for both the everyday and the academic writing tasks which they will encounter.

One of my favorite resources for explaining those tricky grammar rules is Grammar Girl, a blogger who demystifies classic grammar conundrums.  You can find her podcasts and transcripts at:

grammar.quickanddirtytips.com

Go there and find some easy devices for remembering common grammar rules.  Do you know the difference between affect and effect?  Search her website and discover how an anteater can help you remember which spelling is proper!

Student Council is working with the Arrive Alive (MO Seatbelt campaign) to raise awareness of proper seatbelt safety.  We conducted a survey on Thursday, October 7th, checking to see how many high school students were wearing seatbelts when arriving at school.  The results were astounding–only 35% of our high school students were wearing their seatbelts!   The Missouri average for teens is 66% and our results fall disappointingly short of that figure.

Please help us raise our score over the next four weeks by reminding your student to buckle up before getting out on the roads.  We will be conducting more surveys in the future and giving away prizes to students who are wearing seatbelts.

Statistics show that 7 out 10 teens who die in traffic crashes were not wearing seatbelts.  Help us save lives–never let your student ride or drive unbuckled!

Welcome to Blue Pride Classrooms.  This blog will serve as a unique tool in my classroom.  I hope to post relevant information, announcements, and articles to help both students and parents stay up-to-date with everything that is happening with my classroom and around BHS.

I can’t believe how quickly first quarter has drawn to a close.  It seems just weeks ago that we were preparing for the first day of the year and now Parent-Teacher Conferences are upon us.  Parents, you will have an opportunity to meet with all of your child’s teachers on Thursday evening or Friday from 8-12 next week.   This is a crucial element of your child’s education.  Please make plans to attend and to stop by my table in the gym on Thursday night.  If you are unable to make it, please feel free to call and schedule a different time.

I have offered extra incentive tickets to all students who attend conferences with their parents.  I think it’s very important for students to communicate effectively with both parents and teachers and this provides a great opportunity for that to happen!