Shady Creek

On May 31st our students will be visiting Shady Creek Outdoor School for a long day of learning in the mountains. Buses will leave at 8:30 a.m. from school, traveling for about an hour and a half on windy roads and arrive around 10. (If you get motion sickness, read this)

After a day of outdoor learning and fun, we will get back on the buses at around 5:00, putting us back at school at 6:30. Please, be here to get your kids on time. We will all be tired and in need of dinner.

What to Wear
Wear light layers and comfortable walking shoes. NO FLIP FLOPS. We will be walking in dirt, up and down hills, and participating in a low ropes course. 

What to Bring
Water! It's important to stay hydrated. Sunscreen and a hat are optional. 

Map to Shady Creek

Weather 

Classes:
Each homeroom group will join with a Naturalist for some adventures. Following are three classes that we will surely participate in. 

Survival – A real favorite with kids, this class is designed to help students feel at ease in the wilderness, reduce fears, and promote self-confidence. Instruction is given in the basics of wilderness survival including; preparation, mental outlook, shelter, being rescued, water, fire and food. At the close of the class, students put their new information into action and build survival shelters.

Communities – A series of fun activities and challenges that build cooperation and trust are used to increase each student’s feeling of self-worth, as well as their appreciation and understanding of others. Utilizing Shady Creek’s low ropes course, this class strives to increase students’ sense of community and cooperation, both within the classroom and beyond.

Birds – Students study birds and their adaptations when visiting our injured hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls at The Raptor Center. Birds are used as an ideal focal point to both develop appreciation of wildlife and teach the needs of all wildlife.
Raptor Center

Here's something to think about. You can make an impact in your community.  Be an Eco Kid!

Students Want to Know

I watched a striking TED Talk (shown below)

 from Sir Ken Robinson called "Do Schools Kill Creativity?"

Then I had a conversation with my students about how they have so much information available on the internet that they can use to educate themselves. "What do you want to know about?" I asked. I directed students to TED.com where they could watch TED Talks or visit TED Ed videos. 

They watched videos that interested them and wrote persuasive paragraphs so I would choose their selection. 

Below are the winners! Enjoy.

Which one is your favorite? Keep learning from TED. They are "Ideas Worth Spreading"

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Famous Person

The famous person that I am thinking of is long gone and past. He was born January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He moved to Memphis. He got his first guitar when he was eleven years old. He was called a king because of the work he had done in music. He sang a song called Heartbreak Hotel. He sadly died August 16, 1977. Most people  these days do not remember or even care about him but other people (like my grandma) still very much like him and still listen to his songs. He was one of most talked about people in the music industry. He’s kind of a legend.

-Brenna

Question of the Week

I asked my mom what it was like growing up with 8 younger siblings and her being the oldest. My mom replied, “There was always trouble and never a quiet moment. I was like second mom to the younger ones. I cooked, cleaned and did laundry. I always had to babysit and did not have free time like you. We always had to share everything.”

Unlike my mom I am the only child but I still do those things but for my little cousins. Knowing my aunts and uncle it’s not very surprising seeing that they got in trouble. My aunt Pag, Cindy, Yer, and Mailee tell me a lot about when they were growing up and a bunch of stories and occasionally my mom will tell me a few, like how one time she burned her arm. Other than that I feel bad for my mom since she was the oldest. Maybe you should ask your parents how it was for them growing up, too.

-Faith

2 Truths and a Lie

1.       I have wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember. When I was little I used to play “School” with my friends. I always got to be the teacher. When I went to college, I studied to be a teacher. Once I graduated, I got a teaching job here at Palermo teaching 6^th grade. I taught 6^th grade for one year and 7^th grade for about 12 years before I became the Vice Principal.

2.       I love to travel. I have been to fourteen countries in Europe (Spain and Italy were my favorites). I have been on four cruises to the Caribbean and one to Alaska. In the United States, I love to visit National Parks and historic monuments. A few of my favorite places are Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, the Oregon Coast and New York City. This summer I am going to Glacier National Park in Montana and then driving to Banff National Park in Canada.

3.       I worked as a firefighter for Cal Fire for thirteen seasons. I worked on a fire engine and went to wildland fires, structure fires (fires in buildings), car accidents, and medical calls (if someone was having a heart attack, etc.).  I fought fires all over California and was always ready to respond to emergencies. It was an exciting job! 

-Ms. Farrar

The "Real World"

Thank you, @Alice Keeler, for all of your help this year!

Like my students, I have learned a lot this school year. I've been thinking about preparing students for the "Real World". Here are a few big ideas I'd like to share:


-- A quiet classroom is not necessarily a better classroom. Quiet kids are compliant, not necessarily learning.

• If kids are engaged with their school work, they are not always quiet. They collaborate, give each other feedback, discuss, suggest, assist each other, problem solve. Sometimes it's even noisy. I have learned to let them do that. It's a different sound than disruption. That happens sometimes, too. If kids are disruptive, I need to look at the content of my lessons and try to keep kids interested. Some kids do not make the best use of their time; they haven't learned to be responsible or independent. Those kiddos require reteaching and redirection, sometimes consequences.
• Today in my classroom, students read to each other from our class novel. They discussed responses to the literature that they typed into Google Classroom. Then they shared persuasive essays with one another and gave each other feedback. Noisy, active, engaged students? Yes. Learning? Yes.

-- Kids like to have choice. Where and how do you learn best? At this age, they are learning about themselves and they most often make good choices when I am clear about my expectations.

• Some kids like to lie on the floor. Some kids work well outside. Maybe reading independently is best. Maybe in pairs or small groups. While I require independent work sometimes and collaboration sometimes, I am allowing kids more and more to choose what works best for them. They deserve to operate in a "real world" situation, giving them opportunities to exercise free will within reasonable constraints.
• As we approach the end of their 6th grade year, they have opportunities to choose which assignment they will work on, knowing what the due dates are. Once their work is done, they can visit the classroom blog; they can listen to the Writer's Almanac; they can read from the classroom library of books and magazines; they can redo assignments with improved understanding.

-- I want kids to have the opportunity to be kids. Most of my students are 11 and 12. They forget pencils; I give them new ones. They lose papers; I make extra copies. They fail to meet deadlines; I take late work. They are sometimes rude; I try not to take it personally.

• There is a lot of pushback against this thinking. "How will we teach them to be responsible?" Some educators think that students need more punishment consequences. My priority is to see what they have learned from my academic teaching. I want them to get their work done. If I give them a pencil, they can do their work. If I take late work, they can still do their work. If I am able to work on my relationship with the kids, they will do their work. (If my assignments are interesting and engaging, they will do their work)
• Teaching is exhausting and sometimes frustrating. Kids don't always come to school prepared. Some of them don't want to learn; some of them have more pressing things on their minds than school. I want to build in as much support as I can to encourage student success. There are plenty of other ways to teach them responsibility.

-- Paperless classrooms help teachers, students, and the environment. 

• I am trying to use chromebooks as often as possible in class. Kids can work on a variety of assignments. They can easily keep track of their work. They don't lose individual papers or journals when their work is on a chromebook. Google Classroom allows kids to work on their projects from anywhere there is an internet connection. At home, in class, during the afterschool program, at tutoring, on vacation...Everywhere.
• Today in class, students are responding to literature by typing short answers to questions.  Highlighting key points doesn't require another implement. They can highlight, bold, and change colors to emphasize and make their ideas stand out. Their "writing" is always legible! They can spell check and word count. Resources like the dictionary and thesaurus are at their fingertips. They will turn in work with a the push of a button. I can comment and return the assignments without taking a stack of papers home. Students who are absent can simply check Google Classroom to see what they've missed. I don't have to recreate work at the copy machine.

I am dedicated to providing a Real World 21st century classroom to these kids. They deserve it!

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Famous Person
Can you guess my famous person? My famous person was born in South Central Los Angeles, June 16, 1969. He is a rapper, record producer, actor, and filmmaker. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the gangster rap group N.W.A. He was ranked #8 on MTV's list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time. His son played him in Straight Outta Compton. He played in Ride Along one and two, Friday, and a lot of other movies. He was raised by his mother Doris who worked as a hospital clerk, while his father Hosea was a groundskeeper at the University of California, Los Angeles.
-Geneese

Question of the Week

Students, have you realized that teachers are humans too? Yes, it’s true. They go out for dinner, to the movies, shopping, etc.  Most importantly, they have fun away from school (although, I am sure they miss their students)!

I asked the sixth grade teachers what they enjoy doing when they are not at school. You may be surprised at their answers.

Ms. Davis said, “When I'm being intellectual, my favorite thing to do is develop my teaching knowledge through interacting with teachers on Twitter. I love being connected to educators around the world. When I'm focusing on my personal life, I like to have people over to eat! Dinner parties with friends and music, that's my favorite thing to do.”

Mrs. Williams answered, “This time of year we spend our weekends on the lake. We have a boat for swimming and relaxing.” Maybe you will run into her at Lake Oroville some weekend.

Mrs. McCoy’s favorite thing to do is sit on her front porch and watch her kids play in the yard. She has 3 little ones at home. It’s probably easiest to keep track of them if they are all in one place.

Mrs. White replied, “I haven't had a ton of time lately, that's a tough one...I like to be outside somewhere with friends and either play games or have good conversations, I also really like to be able to get my workouts in and spend time at the gym.”

Mrs. Cotter enjoys being outside. She just bought a kayak so you may see her out paddling near Foreman Creek.  She also likes to ride horses, hike and work in the garden.

Mr. McCoy has an exciting favorite hobby. He loves to dirt bike. However, now that he is the father of three small children and must be responsible, he spends time outdoors with his family.

Mrs. Brown is very outdoorsy. She is always out hiking. If you plan to hike Table Mountain ask Mrs. Brown for the best spots because she has been everywhere up there. Besides hiking, Mrs. Brown loves to travel and see the world. Here is what she says about traveling. “It opens my eyes to new experiences and allows me to embrace new cultures. I love meeting new people and their way of life. It also gives me a chance to be adventurous and explore the land from ancient ruins to the tropical sea. I enjoy learning about ancient relics of the past and standing where others did thousands of years ago. It also makes me become more aware of who I am as a person. It allows me to hear amazing stories, try new foods, and gives me a lot of exercise. Some of my favorite places I have traveled include: London and other parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, Paris, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii. I am looking forward to my next adventure this summer! I am going to Florida, Jamaica, Haiti and South Cayman Islands.” When Mrs. Brown is not exploring, she loves to spend time with family and friends, read, catch up on her favorite TV shows and cuddle with her cat.

Who would have guessed that your teachers have such fun hobbies? If you see them out and about, give them a shout!

-Ms. Farrar

2 Truths and a Lie

1. When I was little I was at my uncle's. He had a pond so I went to step on the bridge, (a wooden plank) and my cousin was behind me. As I was walking I thought it would be funny to block my cousin from getting to the other side, so I turned around and he got mad and pushed me in pond! I cried after I got pushed.
2. When I went to L.A I thought I saw my favorite my YouTuber, so I freaked out. I almost went up to him. When he turned around I got really upset because it wasn’t him! I wish it was him!
3. When I was playing softball I was looking at my friend and she was looking at me. Then we laughed. My coach said, “pay attention.” The coach hit a pop fly. I backed up because my friend called it. She went to catch it, she missed it, and it hit her in the lip. I saw everything!

-Shantelle

New Curriculum

Publishers of new curriculum from the
California Department of Education website

Next year, Palermo School (and so many others) will be adopting new Reading/Language Arts and English Language Development curriculum. I had the privilege of spending a whole day this week looking at the options and trying some things out. There were four publishers that have met all the necessary requirements for California's adoption process for our middle school. We looked at Collections, StudySync, SpringBoard, and Amplify (not pictured here). It seemed to me that there was only one possible choice. 

StudySync was the curriculum that grabbed the attention of all of the teachers and held it. I went in looking for a dynamic curriculum that would be exciting and relevant for students with a strong digital component. I wanted reading and writing and multimedia options to engage kids. I wanted units that interconnect literature, informational text, poetry, and drama--short passages and long reads. It is important for me that students be able to collaborate with one another and have many opportunities to demonstrate what they have learned. StudySync offers all of that and more.

Here's this from the StudySync webpage:

Teachers Can Support All Levels of Learners:
Simply and Effectively

Teacher Tools for Differentiation and Assessment
StudySync’s management tools put the teacher in control, allowing differentiated instruction based on students’ needs. Teachers can customize, assign, track, and review each student’s work, anywhere, anytime.

Easy Tracking of Students' Performance
Adaptive assessment tools allow teachers to easily track student progress and improvement. By having access to a complete body of a student’s work, teachers are able to give formative feedback and track growth of a student’s thinking over time.

Powerful Academic Supports
StudySync offers a supportive educational experience for a diverse student body. Teachers can access Tier 1 content for universal application for all students across disciplines, as well as Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports.

• Audio Readings of All Texts, many with Audio Text Highlight
• Closed Captioning of Video Lessons
• Background-building Introductions and Video Previews to All Units and Texts
• Annotation Tools to Aid in Reading and Writing Development
• Concept, Academic, and Idiomatic Vocabulary and Grammar Support

The final decision has not yet been made, but there is really only one possibility, as far I as am concerned.

The following video made by Catlin Tucker is clear evidence to me that StudySync is a great option for us.

Reason #1- "Blasts" are one cool way to make learning fun!

Reason #2- Catlin Tucker is an awesome educator that I already follow on Twitter @Catlin_Tucker

Reason #3- Check out this information about eating crickets!! That's a weird coincidence, don't you think?

I am really rooting for StudySync to be adopted by our school for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade next year. 

What do you think?

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Famous Person
Can you guess my famous person? Here are some clues. My famous person was born on February 12, 1934 in Monroe, Louisiana. He is also 82 right now. The college he went to was in San Francisco from (1953-1956). He got drafted in the first round and was 2nd pick in the NBA 1956 draft. Also the team that drafted him was the Boston Celtics. Next, he played from 1956-1969. The position he played was a center and his number was 6. As a player he won 11 championships, 5 MVP awards, 12 time NBA All Star, and 3 time NBA first team. After his playing career he became a coach and coached the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Sacramento Kings.
Takashi T.   

Question of the Week

I asked Hayley about her little baby cousin Kira! She replied, “She loves the trampoline and she likes dogs and she loves her mom! Her favorite color is pink.” On Kira’s free time she plays with Hayley and her trampoline. Kira also likes to wear her hair palm tree style. Kira likes fishies! Kira takes so many naps! Hayley loves Kira because she is chubby and she is super cute! Kira is only a year old and she has red hair and brown eyes. Kira always wants Hayley to pick her up all the time, but if someone else wants to pick her up, she will run. Go ask Hayley about Kira because she has many stories to tell about her!

-Natalie

Relationships

It is about this time of year that I realize how much I care about my students. I have spent so much time with them, learning about their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses. I have dreams in which they are walking down city streets waving at me or helping me buy a new car. They have a way of making it into conversations at my dinner table. The truth is, I love my students! Each and every one. It sure is exciting to feel appreciated by them, too. Zoom in to see how Miss White encouraged my students to "show me the love."

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Superstars!!

SUPERSTARS

I am going to "show some love" back at the Superstars in my classroom. A few kiddos really stood out for me this time around. Some kids are really maturing at this time of year and showing growth in responsibility. I am proud of them. 

TEACHER'S HELPERS

A group of students consistently help me after school to get jobs done. They file papers, clean off desks, complete odd jobs, run errands, and many other things. Pictured here are some of the helpers who were here today.

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Famous Person

My famous person was born on January 20th in the year of 1985. He is an American country rock artist from Jefferson, Georgia. Four of his songs have gone number 1. He is 31 years old. He also wrote Jason Aldean’s singles “My Kinda Party” and “Dirt Road Anthem.” Some of his songs are Bottoms up, Kick it in the Sticks, Small town throwdown, Country must be country must be country wide, and You do not know her like I do. He is married to  Amber Cochran. They got married on June 28, 2015.  

-Hunter

Question of the Week

Since I learned that the teachers here at Palermo School don’t give much homework, I’ve asked Natisha how she feels about homework when she does get it. She said, “When I get homework I’m bummed because I could be doing other things.” I asked her how often she gets homework. She explained, “Whenever I do get homework, I usually finish it in class.” Next I asked her how much homework she would usually get if the teachers gave her homework in every single class. She estimated, “A page in every class probably, except for math and science. We have a number of problems to do.”

-Kayelah

Two Truths and a Lie

1. When I was 2 my father left me. He threw all my memories away. The reason why he left me was for another girl and 4 kids. After that I have never heard or seen him. I have never liked him since.

2. When I was 5 years old my mom took me out for ice cream and I dropped it on the pavement. I was sad that I dropped my ice cream but I carried on and went to the park.

3. When I was 11, I went to the hospital for my face, mainly my forehead. My little sister Calli threw a tinkerbell music box at me. I threw it on her bed and she threw it back. I was bleeding all over my bed and had to get stitches. I have a scar from it.

~Kylynn

#Minilivestock

Persuasive presentations were this week. They were fun!

Cricket Flour Cupcakes

GOURMET CRICKETS 

Cricket Potstickers and Cricket Bars

Kids made up products containing crickets or cricket flour because, as it turns out, they are actually healthy and delicious! They were graded with a rubric that they got to practice with ahead of time. It was clear that some students put a lot of effort into their projects. Ask your child how they scored. 

Whole crickets!

Chocolate Cricket Flour Cookies

Cricket Flour Cookies. REALLY!

For the next couple of weeks, students will be writing persuasive essays. First they will write about cricket flour; 

next they will choose a topic of their own. 

Be prepared to be persuaded by them in the near future.

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GUEST BLOGGERS

Famous Person

My famous person was born on May,2,1972. He is an actor and a wrestler {that was a big hint} He was born in Hayward, CA. His initials are DJ. He was in the movies The Rundown, The Game Plan, Get Smart,The Other Guys, Faster, The Fast and the Furious {another big hint}.His father was known as “The rocky johnson” and his grandfather on his mother’s side was a football player playing for the Miami hurricane football team in the year 1991. Later in his career he met and married Dany Johnson {garcia} and had a daughter. In 2008 the couple got divorced.

- Fredy

Question of the Week

I asked my sister Katlyn, “What is your favorite thing about high school?” Her response was that she loves most of the teachers. Her favorite teacher is Mr. Napp. he runs the FFA program and Parly Pro. Parly Pro is a debate team. She is the chairman most of the time which means she gets to boss people around and she is very good at that. The FFA program is the best class she has ever taken. This year she decided that after taking math for two years she had enough credits to do something else. She is now talking floral culture and usually brings home a different bouquet of flowers every other day.

- Olivia S.S.

Two Truths and a Lie

1. When I was born I was super ill and my grandma had to pay $10,000 so I could live. They would not let me out of the doctor’s, so my dad went and put grow lights over me. He grew me like a plant until I was three. I had three sisters. I am the youngest but the tallest out of them.
2. When I was five I got to go to Disneyland. My aunt worked there, so we got a discount. I got to go on the California rollercoaster. My sister thought she was driving me, my mom, dad and two sisters, but at the end of the ride she found out that she was not really driving.  We went to see the fireworks and tinkerbell. After that we back to my aunt's house.
3. Last New Year’s, my cousin passed away in the house. I found out and I was super sad. My dad came and got me and we got in a car crash on highway 20. I broke my arm.

-John

Student Choice about Choice

The students had some say before spring break in how we can make our classroom a better place. We recognized that some students are disrupting and making instruction hard for the rest of us. 

-What can we do differently? 
-We have to work as a team to be successful. 

Every child had the opportunity to share their opinions. They wrote their ideas on sticky notes, and we organized them by category.

The suggestions fell into the following groupings: Assign Seats/Partners, Rearrange Seating, More Rewards, Get Rid of Some or All Alternative Seating, More Consequences

I was surprised to find many students wanted assigned seating!! Also, there was a series of complaints about some of the alternative seating being too noisy or too distracting. There were definitely some requests that certain students should not get the choice of who they will sit with. Finally, there are students who couldn't take the activity seriously.

About a dozen students stayed after school that day to rearrange and get rid of furniture. I assigned seats.

We've been in the new arrangement for about two weeks. Here is some feedback from students about the changes:

Things students like

More things students like 

Some kids are happy with the changes.

Some kids would rather sit with their friends.

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Guest Bloggers

Famous Person

He was born September 7, 1963 in Compton California. He recorded song in his parent’s garage. He is called the godfather of gangsta rap. He was a big part of  N.W.A. He sang the song “Boyz in the Hood.” He created the group N.W.A in 1986 with Oshea “Ice Cube” Jackson. He died from aids on March 26, 1995. More than 3,000 people went to Eazy-E’s funeral. He was buried inside of a golden casket. He had a flannel shirt, jeans and a Compton hat on. He payed $50,000 dollars for each of his nine kids.

Anthony

Question of the Week

In honor of National Sibling Day which is April 10 this year, I asked Marcy how many brothers and sisters she has. She said, “I have two brothers and one sister.” I asked what their names are and she said, “I have one sister named Jacky and two brothers named Ricky and Benny.” Marcy's favorite  sister, Jacky, is going to the army in Korea. She has spent 3 months in Columbia so far. She just came for Easter break and is leaving today at 10:00 p.m She will be gone for a year. She said, “We are going to leave at 8 tonight and drive her to the airport in Sacramento. It's gonna be a 3-hour drive. We won't be home until 1 or 2 in the morning.”
Natalie

Two Truths and a Lie

1. When I was 4 years old I fell of a fence post and I started to roll down a hill. It happened at my uncle’s going away party when he was leaving for the Navy. All I remember was that I rolled down the hill and my dad was running after me yelling my name. When my dad finally got me I fell asleep on my mom’s lap and when I woke up I went swimming with my aunt. I don’t remember anything from the time I rolled and the time I woke up only this.
2. Ever since the 4th grade me and my sister, Cindy, have been pretending that she was my aunt. Cindy is actually my half sister from my dad. I don’t remember much, but all I know is that when my mom and dad split up, Cindy chose to live with my mom. She changed her last name to my mom’s last name. Cindy is very awesome and everyday we go walk around the backyard and sometimes our little cousin joins us.
3. I prefer not to talk about my dad. That’s why when people ask I become super shy and awkward. My dad left me and my mom when I was about three or four and last year in May or June he got remarried. The reason I prefer not to talk about him is because he got remarried without telling me or my mom, and all I know about his new wife is that she is allergic to dogs. Me and my mom only found out through my uncle George’s Facebook and some family that has Facebook.

Faith