As some of you may already know that due to budget cuts that I will not be returning to Wewa next school year. Although I am disappointed, it is part of life. I am mostly sad about not seeing all my fantastic 7th grade students returning as 8th graders next year. Nonetheless,  I know you will do your best no matter who the science teacher is. Have a wonderful summer and if I do not move I am sure some of you will see me cycling on 22 or even
 
It was a great year especially having such wonderful students!. I wish you all a wonderful summer and get well rested for next school year. I look forward to seeing my "new" 8th graders next year as I have some interesting ideas to try out.
 
If anyone has any suggestions to improve this site, improve communications between parents and me, or questions about Discovery Education or "Gizmos", please do not hesitate to comment on this blog, or send me an e-mail.
 
Results of the first quiz was overall very good except for students in my first and 4th periods. The main reason for the lower grades in these classes was that a high percentage of students did not have their "Super Scientist" worksheet, which could have been used for the quiz. Nonetheless, their were a lot of positives overall that we can build on in the coming weeks.
   We will starting Discovery Education this week. Parents, you can access your child's account with their login and password. You can see their assignments and results of most quizzes (although not the last one). If they do not finish their work in class they can do so at home.
 
First week is school is over and it went very smoothly. Looks like a really good group of students this year and I know with the help of parents and guardians this will be a very successful year!.

First quiz for both 7th and 8th grade will be this coming Friday, 24 Aug (see the 7th and 8th grade page for more information). There are important study guides on the same page that I have put links with the answers.

Lastly, in order for students to do experiments and activities in our science lab they must have a "Lab Contract" turned in signed by both parent/guardian and student. They will be given the paper on Monday to bring home, if you do not receive it there is a blue link below that you can print out a copy. Experiments are age appropriate for middle school students. I will be the only one handling any "potentially" dangerous chemicals , and then they will only be used as demonstrations.
 
Just finished the first day of school and i am really excited about this year. I have decided on my goal : to have my student be so engaged and interested in what we are doing in class that they do not even realize they are learning!  As I get more and more comfortable applying the potential of  Discovery Education (DE) in my everyday lessons, I know that this is the future direction of student learning in primary and secondary schools. The days of teaching by lecturing, reading and extracting notes out of books, doing endless worksheets, and assessing by memorizing "facts" are a thing of the past. Students should be able to understand complex concepts and think through the answer by applying what they have learned.

I do ask a favor of parents, I can only do so much in a school setting, I need your support in being an active participant in your child's education. With DE you can see exactly what your child is learning, the work they are doing and have finished, and the results of their quizzes and tests. There are many ways that you can assist by using DE. Please visit on the links that I have posted for more info. If you have any questions please e-mail me or comment in this blog and I will respond.
 
Thanks to all the parents that showed up for tonight's open house. We had nearly 80 families attend, which says a lot about how concerned you are about your child's education. Please feel free to look over the site and make sure you stop at your child's grade page, which is were I will post quiz, test, homework, and project info. Also on the blue buttons below you will find information about Discovery Education, with it's focus on student engagement and interactivity I believe it is the future of education. Click on the buttons below left to find out more. On the right is the syllabus for 7th and 8th grade.
 
Students should have the following for our science class:
- Notebook (spiral or composition) for their journal
- Three ring notebook (to put the returned work and any handouts in)
- Pencil or pen
- Paper
 
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This year I will be doing most of my correspondence using this website, which is for both students and parents. The site is divided into three basic parts, which can be accessed by clicking on the tabs on the top of this page. First there is what we are doing in each grade (7th and 8th) that will show what we are working on, links to the Discovery Education and/or Gizmo website, and when upcoming quizzes, tests will occur, and when any projects and homework is due.
Next is the General Info page, which will list things such as class rules, discipline, supplies, grading rubric, along with my bio. In addition, it will discuss how our "online" Discovery Education techbook works and why it is a better way to tech science instead of obsolete textbooks.
Finally, there is my "blog". What is a "blog"? It is my online journal about what is going on in our classroom listing entries in reverse chronological order For example, I will put this entry in my blog. Furthermore you (students and parents) can leave comments or question for any entry I post. Remember that any entry you post will be seen by other students and parents, so be respectful of that.
I hope with the addition of this site that we all can work together to make this the best year ever!