Builders Club is BACK!!

Calling all Volunteers!! The Builders club is back and ready to serve!

The Builders Club is a community service organization that meets every other Thursday after school in room 227 with Mrs. Kopp.  We also have many weekend events that we participate in. 

Students can join Builders club at anytime during the year.  Just come to a meeing!

Students can be part of the Builders club without coming to every event and meeting.  You can come whenever you can and participate in events that interest you and fit your schedule. 

Past activities include:

Fright Night at Station Park

Working with Sparta Parks to run programs for preschool children

Pennies for Patient fundraising

Running the student/faculty basketball game

Making get well bags for hosptial patients

Collecting items for animal shelters

Working with Pass it Along on their holiday toy shop

2011-2012 Meeting Dates

All meetings will take place after school in room 227 until the late bus at 4:30

October 6th (First meeting)

October 20th

November 3rd

November 17th

December 1st

December 15th

January 5th

January 19th

February 2nd

February 16th

March 1st

March 15th

March 29th

April 19th

April 26

May 10th

May 24th

June 7th (Party for members with 10 or more hours of service)

Come join the fun and make a difference in our world and community!!

Parents - if you have an idea or outlet that we can use to volunteer please let me know!  We love to take on new projects! Thanks!

Pretty has nothing to do with it.

Recently JCPenney took the above shirt off of their shelves after parent complaints that it fed into the stereotype that young girls should be more worried about their looks rather than focusing on their education.  My husband was the one to actually see this article and point it out to me.  Now that we have a daughter our radars beep whenever something like this arises.  JCPenney was also marketing a shirt that read, "I'm too pretty to do Math."  Again this fed the stereotype that girls were not as good as boys in Mathematics.  

We brought this article to school and it sparked some anger in most of the teachers that we work with and I decided to address it in class.  Today in class the students wrote about their morning routine and then they re-wrote it as the opposite gender.  This writing exercise  reveals many gender stereotypes.  (examples: boys smell bad, girls take too long to pick clothes, boys are not sensitive, girls gossip, boys eat a lot, girls text all the time, etc.) We then listed these stereotypes on large post it notes and will save them to use next week.

Next week we are going to read the article about JcPenney and their t-shirt issue (http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/epic-t-shirt-fail-quot-im-too-pretty-to-do-my-homework-so-my-brother-has-to-do-it-for-me-quot-2537106/)  and ask the question, "Does pretty have anything to do with it?"  We'll also look at how media affects our opinions and reinforces many stereotypes about gender, age, religion, cultural background, etc. Additionally we'll explore the Pink vs. Blue world that begins at birth and discuss whether or not toys can affect a child as he or she is growing. 

This is a hot topic and the students are really interested in discussing it.  If you get a chance talk to them about it at home! 

Student Quotes on writing - GOOD STUFF

I had the students complete a "writing interview" with themselves so that I could get a better idea of how they feel about writing and what they would like to learn about writing this year.  Those interviews were great and honest and here are some of the best quotes that I was able to pull from them.

Writing Advice

By students of room 227

“ It’s easier to write about myself.” – Rivas

“Always brainstorm before you write.” – Sica

“I would tell them not to rush.” – Mohamed

“READ – you need to be a good reader to be a good writer.” – Smith

“When you write you should describe your senses, tell what you hear, see, feel, and smell.” –Caselnova

                                   

“Just let if flow and don’t think it.” – Chute

“READ. That is my advice to students.  Read other people’s writing and yours will get better.” – Connelly

“Think about what you write and try to paint visual pictures of the story in your head.” – Sobotor

Why do you write?

“ I especially like to write about the symbolism behind the author’s words.” – Schluter

“I write because I like to remember what’s happening.  I want to look back and remember that event, that feeling I had on that day.” – Rivera

“People sometimes write to feel comfortable to feel as though they have someone to talk to, to express their feelings.” – Baldini

“When you write sometimes you have no idea what you want to say, sometimes it just comes to you.” – Daly

“ I write because it gives a passage way for my feelings and emotions…” – Crimando

“Writers are artists.” – Buchanan

“I write occasionally when I’m not at school if I have a random great idea.” – Purvey

“I get my inspiration from how I’m feeling and watching people live their everyday life.” – Waitzman

“When I write I feel as if the world dissolves around me, and all I can hear are my thoughts and the clicking of the keyboard…” – Cuan

How can I help you?

“Teach me how to like writing.” –Sica

“You can help me by showing me examples and techniques.” – Rivera

“Let us write about things we enjoy so we apply more effort.” – Grove

“Writing different types of things would make me a better writer.”

 

Self Awareness - Who are you?

Our first unit is entitled Self Awareness.  During the month of September we are exploring who we are, where we come from, and who we want to be when we grow up.  Students will be reading articles on nature vs. nurture and birth order. They will start to form opinions that may differ from those of their parents and I will encourage them to use facts to reach an opinion of their own. 

Since school started the students have completed an Oval with pictures that represents who they are and what they love, they have chosen and played a song that represented themselves, and created a wordle (www.wordle.net) about themselves.  I have encouraged them to talk to their parents about nature vs. nurture and to get outside opinions to bring back to class discussions.

So far the students are excited and enthusiastic in class and have participated wonderfully!  I think this is going to be a great year!

Welcome Back! 2011 - 2012 School Year!

 Well it's official, the lights at SMS are restored and school is ready to start in just THREE days!  I can't believe it!  This year in Connections we're going to be exploring various topics that will be interesting and fun.  I look forward to a great school year.

Parents: this blog is a place you can check often (or subscribe to) so that you can get an inside look at our class and what we are learning.  Not only does it keep you up to date but it also give you lots of great talking points to bring up at dinner with your teen.  Also be sure to check out my website (www.sparta.org - click staff directory - click middle school - scroll down to Jade team and Mrs. Danielle Kopp website.)  where you can find a homework calendar that is accurate and correct, current assignments and objectives and resources to help your child. 

Here's to a great school year!