Get Your Yearbook Now

Purchasing a 2016-17 school yearbook is a way for you to remember this school year for all time. Inside the book, you'll see pictures of your friends and teachers as well as interesting information gathered about the school year. Memorable events will be immortalized. Years from now, when you look back on your portrait, you will recall fond memories of the current styles and trends, who your friends were, and what they had to say about you on the autograph pages. Below is an example of Mrs. Davis' fond memories. :-)

Pre-order your yearbook now.

The next 50 yearbooks

we sell will be at the reduced price of $40.

That's $10 off the end-of-year price.

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Guest Blogger, Movie Review:

The Hunger games was a great movie (and book) in my opinion. I loved the drama that the series held throughout it all. Following Katniss's adventure battling the capitol made a great story.

The whole concept of phanom and the districts, each specializing in their own way to help them in the games.

My favorite character was Haymitch, because of his backstory and the humor he adds to the devastating story.

My favorite part of the movie was when Katniss volunteers to fight in the games, rather than her younger sister, Prim, who at the time was 12 years old, the youngest you can be too go into the games.

Very many people say their favorite character was Gale, Katniss's best friend. Though he had been there throughout everything that Katniss went through, I still did not like him because of the romance he made with Katniss.

I had mixed thoughts about Peta Malark. I think he made a great person to go with Katniss into the games, but he was not the most intelligent person ever. I also disliked the drama with Peta, Gale, and Finnick, who is introduced later in the story.

Other than Haymitch, I loved Effie, who announced the tributes for the hunger games each year. I liked her because of her fantastic style and personality.

In conclusion, I would give the movie a 4 out of 5 rating. It was good, but the romance in the story did not fit, in my opinion.

-Jenae

Two Truths and a Lie

1. When I was camping with my family, I was holding a trashbag one night sitting around a campfire. A black bear came running out of the woods, came and stood right in front of me, and grabbed the trash bag out of my hand. Then it ran right back into the woods.

2. When I was done riding my horse, Gunner, and I put him in his stall, my friends and I drove a golf cart through 6 beehives through a bunch of Kiwi plants. I was hanging on to the side of the golf cart where all of the beehives were, and I was the only person that got stung.

3. When I was brushing a baby horse named Tucker, a plastic bag flew right past us and he got really scared. Horses can be very jumpy because in the wild, if they are not aware of their surroundings, a predator can get them. The plastic bag spooked Tucker, and he got really scared, and he turned around and kicked me right in the chest.

Which one is the lie?

Mikayla C

Grade-Level Writing

Instructions and rubric for the essay we wrote in class.

We recently completed an essay in class using the topic of the importance of a loving community in a person's life. Since we are reading The Outsiders, we could easily make a connection with the novel about community and cite textual evidence in the essays. We started the discussion by defining community, followed by answering some critical thinking questions that students answered in groups. Individual students drew pictures of their own communities in their interactive notebooks. 

Next we brainstormed and wrote a collective thesis statement that informed our topic sentences for the remaining paragraphs in our essay.

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Below are the standards we are meeting by writing this essay.

English Language Arts standards for Writing in 8th grade- 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.A
Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.B
Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.C
Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.D
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.E
Establish and maintain a formal style.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.2.F
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

English Language Arts standards for Language in 8th grade-

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.A
Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.B
Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.8.2.C
Spell correctly.

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The students completed their own rubrics before turning in their essays. I made notes in addition to theirs. That page should be taped into the interactive notebook with a reflection included (Assignment #26). Take a look to make sure it's there. 

HERE ARE SOME GREAT ESSAYS WRITTEN BY 

THIS YEAR'S STUDENTS

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GUEST BLOGGER- Movie Review

Gravity

I have recently watched the movie called Gravity. Gravity is a movie about a team in space.There are two main characters throughout the movie. There is Sandra Bullock who plays Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first mission in space. The other main character is veteran commander astronaut Matt Kowalsky played by George Clooney. The movie is about how Dr. Ryan and Commander Kowalsky are on a space walk that goes horribly wrong. There was some space satellite debris that came and hit the team while on a space walk. The two end up getting separated from the team and lose communication with N.A.S.A. They have to find a way to either get back or find a way to find another space station. So throughout the movie they go through many challenges in solving their problems. I think that my peers will like this movie because it is very interesting and talks a lot about space and N.A.S.A. The movie is also really suspenseful and has some twists and turns. The movie is not boring, even if it seems that way. So in conclusion, I think this movie is good for anyone to watch and everyone will enjoy it.

-Caleb P.  

Two Truths and a Lie

1. When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I went to visit my grandma and grandpa up in Yreka. I spent the week up there but we had to leave early due to my grandpa closing his garage on my head and splitting my head open in 2 different places. I then had to get my head super glued back together.

2. When I was 9, I got a drone for christmas. When I went outside to fly it for the second or third time, I hit my sister in the face and she had to go the the hospital. Then I had to pay all my christmas money because of the hospital bills and the 4 stitches she had to get.

3. My mom went to Mexico in 2015 with a few friends, and she had fun. Then one day in Mexico, she went to the beach and it was low tide. All of a sudden, a huge wave came in and took her under. The same was true with a bunch of other people. Lifeguards and other people near by went in the water and saved the people who were taken out from the waves. My mom broke a few bones and almost died.

Evan M.

Interactive Notebooks

Teachers and students alike appreciate the usefulness of interactive notebooks. Interactive notebooks allow students to reflect on their learning regularly which improves comprehension and retention of the skills and concepts. The students can see their progress all in one place. They can use it as a reference, and they can have an artifact of their learning for an entire year.

One student tells about her interactive notebook.

Parents and family members, please take a look at your child's interactive notebook to be aware of what we are working on in class. Ask your kids to share with you. Let's keep the school-home connection alive. :-) 

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Below is a book review from a student.

Need

This summer I red the book Need by Joelle Charbonneau. It is a book that has the same premise as the new blockbuster Nerve. The main character in the book is a teenaged girl named Kaylee Dunham, and her main goal in the book is to find a kidney donor for her younger brother. Her best friend Matthew advises her to go tho the new social media site “Need”, where you ask for something and you'll get it if you fulfill a task given by the website creator. Also the website is only for Nottawa High School students, and you can only join by invitation. Once she realizes that the task her classmates are given are dangerous, she tries to report the site, but the creator is watching and makes the site inaccessible to her. Now she has to try to to convince the authorities that she is not crazy but trying to help the town. I recommend this book to my classmates because I think they will enjoy the book. It's like the movies that we watch. Also it's not boring like most of the books that are out there.

-Iyanah B.

Two Truths and a Lie

Can you guess which is the lie?

1. This last summer I took a trip to Las Vegas to see my older brother and one whole day was on the water and on the beach. We tried wakeboarding, tubing, and just chilling on the water. It was hard to stand up on the wakeboard, but I got it after a couple of times. But the rest of the time was putting baseboard up and playing some basketball.
2. When I went to Yosemite National Park, I was hiking up a waterfall. It was really pretty, but their was this big hole that you could not see because the water was running over it. I did the mistake of stepping and falling into that big dark hole. When I got out, I was surprised that I did not break my leg. I dropped about 10 feet and did not break anything! It was a miracle.
3. When I got my first phone I was 10 years old. I had the iphone 5. I loved that phone so much, but one day I dropped that phone and it broke. I was so lucky because my parents got me a new one, but I broke that one, too. My parents told me that they would not buy me a new phone until I was 13 years old, and when I turned 13 years old, I got the iphone 6s.

-Marcos B

Why Blog?

Sorry this week's blog is late; I got married!!

Blogging is fun! and easy to do.

I picked a subject that I want to focus on, 

so my audience knows what to expect from my blog. 

For me, that's education.

I share my thoughts, ideas, learning, classroom activities, photos, videos, links, student work, assignments...

My blog is read by students, parents, family members, teachers, administrators, educators... 

from all over the world!

I want my audience to know when to look for my blog post, so I consistently post once a week. Some people even sign up to get notifications of my next posts. 

This blog is part of my digital footprint. 

Like everything on the internet, it is instant and permanent, so I really consider 

what I want the world to see. 

I practice good digital citizenship.

You might find a topic that you are passionate about that you would like to share with the world, or maybe you want to follow someone else's blog that interests you.

Blogging is an authentic form of reading and writing that offers real world opportunities to connect with others.

The video below talks about the basics of blogging. 

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Two Truths A Lie

1.       When I was younger I had a black Labrador as a pet. He had dragged me on the concrete floor. This happened when he saw a cat under a car. He ran to it while I was holding onto his leash.

2.       I was 11 yrs old, in sixth grade, a squirrel ran up to me. It bit my shoe and I freaked out. I ran towards my friends and it followed me. I looked down to see what it wanted and I found a piece of cheese I had eaten during lunch on my shoe. I guess it was hungry that day.

3.       When I get home, I go straight to my little brothers room. When I get near the door I start walking slowly so that he won't hear me. Once I am close enough, I jump in and scare him. This is a daily part of my life. If this is not done, I pick on him once in awhile.

           P.S. around every 2 seconds

           

   - Emily A.

Three Seconds

One of my students shared this video with me. 

It's a powerful message about the damage that humans do on the planet. It has a heavy environmentalist bias. 

I agree mostly with what the speaker has to say.

I haven't looked into the "Stand For Trees" organization. 

I do not know if they are reputable or not. 

I am not encouraging anyone to give them money, 

but I am interested in getting people to think about 

how we interact with each other and the planet.

Share with me your thoughts in the comments.

Thank you, Ajwan, for the video above 
and the fun guest blog below.

Two Truths and a Lie
(Guess which one is the lie)

1. When I was younger my family and I were going to San Francisco airport, and there are many things to look at as you already know. I was looking at a mini store filled with toys and candy. My family was still walking as I stopped. All of a sudden, I remembered my family. I looked around left and right, and I realized that I was lost. I was about to cry, seeing hundreds of people walking by just waiting for someone to ask if I needed help. All of a sudden I see this long guy that worked at the airport. He asked for my name and mother and father’s names as well. He announced it out loud, and my family came. I never got lost at an airport ever again
   
   
2. I had a twin that passed away at a very young age. One night I was at a sleepover with my cousins. We all fell asleep. My grandma woke up in a shock seeing my twin sister covered. She couldn’t breathe. My grandma didn't know what to do. She ran upstairs to call my aunt, and they called the ambulance.
   
   
3. On my mom's birthday, my sister and I ran out of the house because we wanted to surprise her. We knew that she would get mad because she would want to know where we went. After we came back, my sister tried to distract my mother so that we could come in. Hoping that no one was in sight, we hustled up the stairs to wrap up the present and we also added a card. Once my mom saw us, she was worried but we gave her the gift and told her the whole story. After that we were all laughing.