MLK Update

This just in! A former Blue Team student has emailed an opportunity for you to provide service to the community this MLK Day. Here are the details:

As we near Martin Luther King Day, we recall his words and honor him through our service. "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" MLK, Jr.

In 2009 the Hoosier Hills Food Bank distributed more than 3 million pounds of food, up 82% from 2006. Herald-Times, 12/31/09

This MLK Day, Volunteers for Change is making it easy to do for others. We are hosting a Community Canvass for Hoosier Hills Food Bank:Monday, January 18th, arrive between 1:00 - 2:00 pmRachael's Cafe: 300 E. 3rd St. (between Lincoln & Grant) We will have everything you need and will be working in teams. You can go door to door or you can provide transportation and a warm vehicle. This is a family friendly activity! After the canvass, patronize a local business and hang out with us at Rachael's. Enjoy soup, sandwiches, and hot chocolate (made with milk and chocolate chips). Plenty of free parking available: Rachael's lot; Monroe County Democratic Party lot (3rd & Grant); street parking on Grant & Lincoln (by 3rd St. Park).

Note: This is not an endorsement, just an announcement. I would recommend an adult accompany you if you are going to be canvassing a neighborhood. For more info, contact Volunteers For Change. I imagine you can do this through this website:

http://www.volunteersforchange.us/contact.php

A Day On

An annual tradition for the Blue Team is participation in volunteer activities on or around Martin Luther King Day. Ten points of extra credit are given to students who bring written verification that they participated in a volunteer activity. This can be a formal activity, such as those found on the list of this City of Bloomington link:

https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/cobvn/org/opp/medallions/?medallion_id=10284441675

You might also come up with your own project, such as picking up trash in the neighborhood, helping an elderly neighbor or relative with shopping, babysitting (for free) siblings or neighbors, dog walking, or whatever you might think to do that would be helpful and contribute in some way to the community.

Finally, you might participate in the events of the day. This year the Rev. Jesse Jackson will be speaking at the Buskirk on January 18th.

Remember, to receive the extra credit you must bring a statement, signed by an adult, that verifies your participation.

Have fun!

Peyton

Whether you love him or hate him, or simply don't care, you must admit Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks to have played the game. Is this because of his innate talent? Of course there is some of that, but what separates Manning from so many others is his work ethic and his attention to detail. He studies film religiously, he spends extra time before and after practice working with receivers, he learns the nuances of opposing defensive players and their coordinators. It is for these reasons he is able to set the records and accomplish the things he does.



What does this have to do with you? Plenty! 8th graders, you are two-thirds of the way through middle school now. 7th graders, it has been almost six months since you were in elementary school. You all can take a lesson from Manning. Middle School is not hard. You are not stupid. Each of you has the ability to succeed at this level. What some of you lack is the work ethic, the discipline, to succeed. The only thing that can kill your grade at this level is not following through on your work! For this reason we have instituted numerous ways to help you. Having just finished ISTEP remediation conferences, I can share with you the advice we gave to parents of students that did not pass the ISTEP. This advice is helpful for all students.



First, use your Agenda Book! Record assignments for every class and note when there are no assignments. Don't simply leave a day blank. Second, use Homework Hotline or homeworklive.com. When you are absent or forgot your materials at home, don't allow yourself to simply fall a day behind. It is hard enough to keep current without having to try and catch up! Third, read thirty minutes every night. It doesn't matter what you are reading, just do it! It is like the receiver who runs the same routes over and over, the soccer player who practices header after header, the basketball player who shoots one hundred free throws a day. Practice improves your game.



As we head into the winter doldrums I hope you'll keep these suggestions in mind. We can't all play football like Manning or the guitar like Jeff Beck, but practice and hard work will go a long way towards insuring your success at the middle school level and beyond!

Fall

Tuesday we usher in another fall season. Football, pumpkins, frost, and, of course, NWEA testing. Unlike ISTEPs, which tend to measure progress of both student and school, the NWEA tests are a diagnostic tool. By that I mean they help us, as teachers, determine where you, as students, fall in your skills and abilities. Equipped with these scores, we can tailor curriculum to best meet your needs.

So don't be surprised to see differentiation in your team classrooms. Determining where you stand in your reading and language usage development will allow us to create a variety of assignments and lessons to meet your individual needs. This could mean different assignments for different students, a variety of tests, and so on.

Hopefully, you'll get plenty of rest before the tests Weds., Thurs., and Friday and that you'll try your very best on them.

Homework Live!

It seems we've survived the first ten days. Forms (oh those forms!) are all in and school is settling into a comfortable pattern, right? Great!

I just wanted to post a reminder to use homework live. It is a great website for keeping track of your assignments not just for Blue Team, but for other classes as well. More and more JCMS teachers are taking advantage of this site. Not only can you set up an account where you can have all your classes (if the teacher has made an account) to check assignments, you also get the Agenda Book calendar. Best of all, teachers can post extra copies of assignments. If you are absent, or lose your assignment, you don't need to wait until the next day to get a new copy!

I hope you'll all take advantage of this new service. I know I do!

Welcome (back)...

Okay! It's the big day! Are to ready to roll? I am. New books, some new posters, but it was getting a bit boring being in the classroom with no students. It's time to fill those seats.

If you are a 7th or 8th grade Blue Teamer this year, check this link from the Blue Team Web page for a welcome letter you can share with your parents. It contains a list of supplies you'll need as well as the (ahem) rules of the Blue Team classrooms. Here it is:

http://www.mccsc.edu/~rcourtne/blulett.htm

If you are a former Blue Teamer, hope you enjoy high school (as if you wouldn't!).

Mr. Starks will be teaching at North this year. Too bad you're going to South. But try to get a class with Mr. Hoagland or Mr. Combs. Not only are they both friends of mine, they are excellent teachers and I know you'll enjoy their class.

Current and new Blue Teamers, be sure to check the Blue Team web page frequently, especially the Social Studies link, since it contains things like the class syllabi and links for the units we'll be doing first.

Finally, don't forget to have the various papers and forms you received in A-A completed and signed. I know it can be overwhelming at first, but it is important to return those ASAP. In addition, you'll be receiving from me a form that allows you to use the internet at school. Until that is signed and returned to me, we can't let you on line, so you'll miss reading this amazing blog!

See you in school!

Barco!

First off, I hope your summer is going well! It's hard to believe that the break is almost halfway over, isn't it? I'm sure your summer is full of fantastic fun and you aren't even thinking about school. But, perchance you decided to check this blog, I'm obligated to update it.



My summer so far has been spent practicing guitar, walking my dog, playing a computer game, reading, and watching the FIFA Confederations Cup soccer tournament in South Africa, site of next year's World Cup! The US team has failed to impress, losing solidly to both Italy and, one of my faves, Brazil. Egypt shocked the world by becoming only the second African team to defeat a European one when they upset defending World Cup champs Italy 1-0 yesterday. Then there is Spain, without doubt the world's best national team right now. I'm hoping for a Spain-Brazil championship match. Now THAT would be entertaining soccer.






Speaking of soccer, I plan to devote some space in my room this fall to a World Cup display. However, the focus will also be on my favorite European club team, Barcelona. They recently accomplished a major triumph in European soccer, winning the Copa, the La Liga, and the Champions titles! Barco plays a free flowing, attack oriented style of soccer that is a delight to behold. If more teams played such a style, soccer might actually become popular in the US as a spectator sport.


But there is more to like about FCB than just players such as Messi, Xavi, Danny Alves, Henry, and Iniesta. There is the club's, and city's, history. Barcelona is the most modern of Spain's cities and the Catalonian people are a distinct ethnic group. Always a progressive-minded city, they resisted the Castilians of Madrid and the Inquisition. During the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona fought against Franco and his fascists. George Orwell, yes, of Animal Farm and 1984 fame, fought alongside Catalonian socialists in that war. Franco personally despised FCB (Football Club Barcelona) and gave all sorts of advantages to Real Madrid, Barco's hated rival. (Think Yankees vs. Red Sox) Though Franco is "still dead" (ask your parents about that joke), Real Madrid remains Barcelona's number one rival. Just like the Yankees, Real has been spending millions this summer to try and build a team capable of dethroning Barco.



Finally, Barcelona is the one European Football Club that does not wear corporate sponsoring on their jerseys. Instead, their jerseys advertise UNICEF! What's not to like about a club like that?



Speaking of soccer and politics, I hope you have been paying attention to what is happening in Iran. Millions have taken to the streets to protest the election results and the government in general. I fear a major crackdown is on the way, but it is moving to see such courage from people who feel they have been oppressed by a reactionary regime. Some of the players on Iran's National team wore green wristbands to show their support for the protesters. Check out the link below if you are interested in learning more:



http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1905213,00.html



That's it for this week! I may post again next week.... or perhaps not. Enjoy your vacation.