10 Jubilant January Jangles

1. All three MACC classes are working on an Olympic Project that requires students to complete a City Study, a Sport Study and an Athlete Study.  The projects have been sorted by multiple intelligence and students have selected the projects that they are most interested in or will best show their learning.  The first two assignments are already submitted and the third is February 7th (for grade 6/7’s) and January 31st (for grade 8’s).

2. In addition to the projects, students will be completing Olympic Inquiry Project.  Ms. Abbot, Ms. Moody and Mr. Utting are participating in a learning team with Dr. Leyton Schnellert about using inquiry in the classroom.  We started this unit with an image set and had the students describe what they saw in the pictures, then what they wonder about and then what deep questions they have.  We will be taking the questions they generated, as well as questions that have been generated from their projects and allowing them to explore a question and then show their thinking and learning.   We will be showcasing their work at a celebration of learning with a MACC class from Kway on February 19th.

3. All 3 classes are also talking about Healthy Relationships in HCE.  The grade 6/7’s are using “The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens” by Jean Sunde Peterson. We’ve been talking about our relationships with friends and parents.  Grade 8’s have been focusing on Healthy Relationships and Healthy Decisions.

4. Grade 6/7’s have been doing geometry in Math.  Grade 7’s have just finished a unit and will be starting a unit of circle geometry and area of shapes on Tuesday.  Ms. Abbot has been using “Teaching Student-Centered Mathematics” and students have been doing hands-on exploration of polygons focusing on triangles.  Ask your student about why the interior angles of a triangle equal 180 degrees.

5. We’ve been looking at alternative presentation methods and decided instead of participating in the District Public Speaking Festival we would host our own HARRY Talks.  Inspired by TED Talks but with a MACC criteria, students are identifying a theme they are passionate about and looking at inter-disciplinary connections.

6. The school is focusing on Habit 4 “Think Win-Win”.  We’ve had discussions about the difference between Win-Lose, Lose-Win, Lose-Lose and Win-Win attitudes.

7. Grade 7’s have been completing the FSAs over the past two weeks.  Grade 7’s have completed a short writing sample, a long write sample, online reading comprehension questions, a short written response comparing two passages and a two part numeracy assessment.

8. Wacky Wednesday was this week!  And it was Twin Day….

9. Icy and cold! Students have been on the mountain enjoying the Ski and Snowboard Club.

10. The grade 6/7’s are Art and Dramus Explorations right now… updates coming next week about projects.