Here is our newest photo of Bert's son, Walker Logan Blondin, known to friends as Logan!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Meet Logan!
Here is our newest photo of Bert's son, Walker Logan Blondin, known to friends as Logan!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
WE'RE OFF! (...in more ways than one...)
As I’m sure you’ve heard, we’re in the midst of that creative chaos known as “The Production!” In its initial stages, the brainstorming sessions and collaborative interactions that kick off our third term focus of envisioning and then realizing our very own full-length feature film are happily messy. The girls necessarily call upon all of the team-building expertise that they honed in their M2M crews as they come together as “Team 8th Grade” to craft a concept for their video’s theme – one that they each feel they can live with for the next ten weeks! This year the general theme or the “umbrella” as we call it came together in record time: some forty-five minutes (as compared to three to ten days!) The brainstorming sessions so far have spawned some rather grandiose – might I say “high flying” ideas! We’re still at the “dreaming the video” stage, but will hopefully begin to settle in to “what does it take to make this happe”n stage soon which will tether us somewhat!
To that end, we’ve begun to examine the fundamentals of screenwriting, using William Peck’s short story “Pricilla and the Wimps” as our practice platform. (Be sure to ask your 8th grader to share this two-page piece of literary cleverness with you if you’re not familiar with the story.) Once we’ve all mastered the general screenwriting format, we’ll dive into writing the various vignettes as well as over-arching theme that will ultimately become our Production.
While I’m sure that the girls would love nothing more than Production 24/7 (as they’re apt to put it)…we have successfully maintained a modicum of routine. WOD remains ubiquitous, as do the GAOC weekly submissions, if not the oral reports. 8th graders continue to work on their “The Mission Continues” / Women’s History packets as well, reading and analyzing literature, viewing and critiquing film, seeking out engaging spoken word pieces, sharing moving music, and finally writing a reflection on a woman’s quote that particularly resonates with them – all pertaining to some aspect of women’s experience. (My favorite quote would have to be Rebecca West’s : “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”) Due date: Monday, April 2nd. We’re progressing with our Grand Engineering Challenge essay as well; the girls have honed their twenty-five ideas down to five, which they further explored through five descriptive paragraphs. From there they chose two which they feel they could actually formulate, and now they’re researching these two to determine what exactly has been done in the given field before selecting one to actually elaborate.
Finally, on Friday of last week a dedicated team of eleven girls, cheered on by the rest of the class, successfully completed this year’s SGS yearbook and electronically submitted it for publication! This was no small feat, given the sporadic tech issues that plagued their progress and the complete lack of any tangible adult assistance or intervention! I think you’ll be impressed with their final product.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE: Kudos to all 8th graders and especially our inspired/inspiring Art teacher/mentor, Trina Smith, on a very impressive Art Show. The creative product, not to mention organic process that Trina awakens in her students never ceases to amaze and impress me. Our girls literally become artists under Trina’s tutelage. Brava!!
To that end, we’ve begun to examine the fundamentals of screenwriting, using William Peck’s short story “Pricilla and the Wimps” as our practice platform. (Be sure to ask your 8th grader to share this two-page piece of literary cleverness with you if you’re not familiar with the story.) Once we’ve all mastered the general screenwriting format, we’ll dive into writing the various vignettes as well as over-arching theme that will ultimately become our Production.
While I’m sure that the girls would love nothing more than Production 24/7 (as they’re apt to put it)…we have successfully maintained a modicum of routine. WOD remains ubiquitous, as do the GAOC weekly submissions, if not the oral reports. 8th graders continue to work on their “The Mission Continues” / Women’s History packets as well, reading and analyzing literature, viewing and critiquing film, seeking out engaging spoken word pieces, sharing moving music, and finally writing a reflection on a woman’s quote that particularly resonates with them – all pertaining to some aspect of women’s experience. (My favorite quote would have to be Rebecca West’s : “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”) Due date: Monday, April 2nd. We’re progressing with our Grand Engineering Challenge essay as well; the girls have honed their twenty-five ideas down to five, which they further explored through five descriptive paragraphs. From there they chose two which they feel they could actually formulate, and now they’re researching these two to determine what exactly has been done in the given field before selecting one to actually elaborate.
Finally, on Friday of last week a dedicated team of eleven girls, cheered on by the rest of the class, successfully completed this year’s SGS yearbook and electronically submitted it for publication! This was no small feat, given the sporadic tech issues that plagued their progress and the complete lack of any tangible adult assistance or intervention! I think you’ll be impressed with their final product.
BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE: Kudos to all 8th graders and especially our inspired/inspiring Art teacher/mentor, Trina Smith, on a very impressive Art Show. The creative product, not to mention organic process that Trina awakens in her students never ceases to amaze and impress me. Our girls literally become artists under Trina’s tutelage. Brava!!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Mathmania with MM
After a brief break in early March which allowed us to intensively prepare for Mission to Mars, 8th graders are back to working 5 mornings a week honing their algebra skills. Chapter 9 focuses on inequalities and absolute values. We've seen several of our previous skills reflected in this new chapter - everything from remembering that inequality signs are like alligator mouths that eat the bigger number, to refreshing our memory about graphing systems of equations, both linear and quadratic - and are applying them in new ways.
Our goal will be to take our chapter 9 test the Thursday before spring break. Students who will be going on the Spanish trip to Mexico or any other students leaving early for spring break, should be sure to make arrangements to take the test before they leave.
By the end of the year we plan to complete through chapter 10 in our CPM books. Depending on how much time once this happens we will focus on some additional math topics, like geometry, to augment our Algebra I knowledge.
Our goal will be to take our chapter 9 test the Thursday before spring break. Students who will be going on the Spanish trip to Mexico or any other students leaving early for spring break, should be sure to make arrangements to take the test before they leave.
By the end of the year we plan to complete through chapter 10 in our CPM books. Depending on how much time once this happens we will focus on some additional math topics, like geometry, to augment our Algebra I knowledge.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Grand Engineering Challenge with MM and Sally
Now that we're home safely from Mars we'll be shifting our conceptual focus in science. We started the year with Discovery and Exploration, moved on to Power and now we will consider Innovation. The Production will incorporate innovation in a variety of very meaningful ways, and although that is our culminating project for the 3rd term, in science we will be exploring innovation through two projects – the first of which is the Engineering Grand Challenge.
I came across an essay contest sponsored by the National Association of Engineers that caught my eye a few weeks back. It read:
Often the work of engineers can make a big difference in society, and sometimes their work can affect millions or even billions of people. In the last 100 years engineers have changed the world with advances our great grandparents could only have imagined. Technology has allowed us to explore the galaxy, provide safe drinking water and food to millions of people, and communicate across the globe. But the work is not yet finished. The most pressing world needs demand engineers who are creative and persistent. Think about what life will be like on earth in the next 100 years. What do you believe are the most critical human needs? How might engineers contribute to meeting these needs? These are Engineering’s Grand Challenges. In 500 to 750 words write about the Grand Challenge that you believe will lead to the most important breakthrough of the 21st century and describe the role that engineers will play in meeting that challenge and building our future.
(See full link here.)
This seemed like an excellent opportunity to combine several educational components: to be creative problem solvers as we suggest solutions to global issues, to think like democratic citizens as we consider world needs in the next 100 years, and to practice concise, persuasive writing as well as research skills. Additionally, this is a great chance for Sally and MM to collaborate – combining writing with science. This week your daughters have been brainstorming about current and future world issues and possible engineering solutions. They started out with 25 possible writing topics from improving recycling to improving sanitary living conditions around the world. Eventually each student will narrow her pool of questions down to one that she will write about. Stay tuned…more innovation to come!
I came across an essay contest sponsored by the National Association of Engineers that caught my eye a few weeks back. It read:
Often the work of engineers can make a big difference in society, and sometimes their work can affect millions or even billions of people. In the last 100 years engineers have changed the world with advances our great grandparents could only have imagined. Technology has allowed us to explore the galaxy, provide safe drinking water and food to millions of people, and communicate across the globe. But the work is not yet finished. The most pressing world needs demand engineers who are creative and persistent. Think about what life will be like on earth in the next 100 years. What do you believe are the most critical human needs? How might engineers contribute to meeting these needs? These are Engineering’s Grand Challenges. In 500 to 750 words write about the Grand Challenge that you believe will lead to the most important breakthrough of the 21st century and describe the role that engineers will play in meeting that challenge and building our future.
(See full link here.)
This seemed like an excellent opportunity to combine several educational components: to be creative problem solvers as we suggest solutions to global issues, to think like democratic citizens as we consider world needs in the next 100 years, and to practice concise, persuasive writing as well as research skills. Additionally, this is a great chance for Sally and MM to collaborate – combining writing with science. This week your daughters have been brainstorming about current and future world issues and possible engineering solutions. They started out with 25 possible writing topics from improving recycling to improving sanitary living conditions around the world. Eventually each student will narrow her pool of questions down to one that she will write about. Stay tuned…more innovation to come!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Congratulations to Bert and Heidi
As many of you know, the Hopkins family has welcomed their newest addition, a baby boy yet unnamed. Born Sunday, March 18 at 1:01pm, Baby Hopkins was two weeks early and weighed in at 6lbs, 2oz and measured 19 inches long. Bert will be taking the next two weeks off from school to spend time at home. Best wishes to them all!
Mission Accomplished!
A big thank you to everyone who joined us for culmination. I hope you had a chance to see the problem solving and communication skills your students have been developing over the last several months - not to mention the leadership and self-efficacy! It was a wildly successful (as well as incredibly high speed) trip to Mars and back. Congratulations to all our astronauts on a job well done. And now, on to the Production!
Monday, March 12, 2007
Underwater Sports-R-Us!
Greetings from poolside! This is Commander McLaughlin reporting in from our neutral buoyancy adventure here at Underwater Sports on Aurora! I only wish you ALL could be here to see our amazing 8th graders as they “take the plunge!” They are focused, serious and adventuresome – all wrapped up into one! Their task, once they familiarize themselves with underwater/scuba etiquette, will be to construct an underwater structure as a crew out of PVC pipes and joints. Expect some lively reports once you’re reunited with your astronaut candidate!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Mission to Mars - What to Expect
Mission to Mars is a very different kind of culmination. Your daughters, in crews of 8 students, will enter a 3 hour long simulation which focuses on team work, collaboration, communication, problem solving and leadership as well as the skills they have been honing since the beginning of the year such as robotics, rocketry, electronics, and much more.
Mission to Mars is scheduled for Thursday March 15th. There will be four launches: 9am-noon, 1-4pm, 5-8pm and 9pm-midnight. Please note there is no regular class on launch day and the following day is Head's Holiday.
You are invited to attend the Mission to Mars. We ask astronauts to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled launch. There will be a press conference for guests to ask questions and find out more about the preparations leading up to the mission beginning 5 minutes before the launch. You are welcome to stay for the length of the mission, but many guests of astronauts choose to leave and come back for the final 30 minutes in order to watch the landing and greet their astronaut as they return home.
Thank you for your ongoing support. We're looking forward to an exciting culmination. - MM, Sally and Bert
Mission to Mars is scheduled for Thursday March 15th. There will be four launches: 9am-noon, 1-4pm, 5-8pm and 9pm-midnight. Please note there is no regular class on launch day and the following day is Head's Holiday.
You are invited to attend the Mission to Mars. We ask astronauts to arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled launch. There will be a press conference for guests to ask questions and find out more about the preparations leading up to the mission beginning 5 minutes before the launch. You are welcome to stay for the length of the mission, but many guests of astronauts choose to leave and come back for the final 30 minutes in order to watch the landing and greet their astronaut as they return home.
Thank you for your ongoing support. We're looking forward to an exciting culmination. - MM, Sally and Bert
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Astronaut Training with MM and Bert
It's T minus 7 days - precisely one week until our Mission to Mars - so we're moving into high gear for astronaut training. This morning, student crews prepared a variety of topics for an extemporaneous speeches and received training in cryptography. Then this afternoon crews participated in a variety of team challenges ranging from applied algebra to describing the symbolism behind the mission patch they created. Tomorrow, we head to Clarisonic to see electronics and circuitry in action!
Information about 8th grade art show from Trina
Generously Sponsored by Seattle Center
The girls have been working extremely hard to get everything ready for the upcoming show. I hope that you saw the announcement in the Thursday notes home a few weeks ago and have it on your calendars!! It was a grand success last year and I believe that it will be even more exciting this year. Seattle Center has donated a wonderful space for this event. It will be in the Seattle Center Pavilion. This link will give you a map of Seattle Center for locating the pavilion. http://www.seattlecenter.com/information/map.asp
(Do not confuse it with the Fisher Pavilion where we have had auctions in the past)
There is one catch. Because the Seattle Center Pavilion is a special events building, there is not a regular staff affiliated with it. This means that if we want the show to be open that we have to man the door. You will see the days that I would like to have the show open below. The show loads in on Friday and I will be there so do not need volunteers that day. Similarly, I will open the space for the opening on Tuesday the 27th. However, I would love to have it open on the weekend as well as a few additional evenings for the public as well as friends, relatives, parents, etc who could not make it to the opening.
Please consider the times below and contact Trina at tsmith@seattlegirlsschool.org
Volunteers Needed:
Saturday and Sunday (March 24th and 25th) 10am-4pm
Wednesday and Thursday (March 28th and 29th) 5-8pm
Also, if you can, bring a goodie to share at the opening.
I am very excited to put this body of work into the public eye. The girls should be proud of their artistic achievements!
Trina
The girls have been working extremely hard to get everything ready for the upcoming show. I hope that you saw the announcement in the Thursday notes home a few weeks ago and have it on your calendars!! It was a grand success last year and I believe that it will be even more exciting this year. Seattle Center has donated a wonderful space for this event. It will be in the Seattle Center Pavilion. This link will give you a map of Seattle Center for locating the pavilion. http://www.seattlecenter.com/information/map.asp
(Do not confuse it with the Fisher Pavilion where we have had auctions in the past)
There is one catch. Because the Seattle Center Pavilion is a special events building, there is not a regular staff affiliated with it. This means that if we want the show to be open that we have to man the door. You will see the days that I would like to have the show open below. The show loads in on Friday and I will be there so do not need volunteers that day. Similarly, I will open the space for the opening on Tuesday the 27th. However, I would love to have it open on the weekend as well as a few additional evenings for the public as well as friends, relatives, parents, etc who could not make it to the opening.
Please consider the times below and contact Trina at tsmith@seattlegirlsschool.org
Volunteers Needed:
Saturday and Sunday (March 24th and 25th) 10am-4pm
Wednesday and Thursday (March 28th and 29th) 5-8pm
Also, if you can, bring a goodie to share at the opening.
I am very excited to put this body of work into the public eye. The girls should be proud of their artistic achievements!
Trina
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Yearbook Recognition Ads
A very hearty thank you to all of you who took advantage of this year's 8th grade recognition ads program in our upcoming yearbook! Your generous support makes the book more affordable for every member of the SGS community. The hardworking crew of diligent 8th graders who make up the yearbook staff are working toward our March 26th final deadline. If you find you have any interesting digital photographs of any 8th grade event, please feel free to send them our way, using my SGS email address.
Black History Month...Women's History Month: Mission Continued!
As we slid seamlessly from February into March, we successfully completed our Black History Month “Mission: Possible” project and embraced a similar project packet designed to encourage an individual exploration of Women’s History Month in March. As with Black History Month, the 8th graders will strive to expand their growing edge through a series of investigations involving literature, oral tradition, music and film as well as an independent project. If you’re interested in viewing the assignment, I’d be happy to send you an e-copy. Just email me your request at smclaughlin@seattlegirlsschool.org I've been inspired by the interest and energy our students have brought to these projects! (Plus my music library is growing daily, thanks to their excellent selections!)
Mission Patches with MM and Trina
This morning we met as crews in order to create our mission patches for our upcoming Mission to Mars (t minus 9 days!). After viewing a variety of actual NASA mission patches and discussing the symbolism behind them with MM, students worked with Trina in art to create a patch that respresents their crew and their task at hand. These patches will adorn the official Mission to Mars t-shirts worn by crews to their mission. Has your astronaut not told you when her mission is? See the list below. Reminder: Astronauts should arrive 15 minutes before their scheduled launch time.
Launch time 9am
Crew Aries
Jamila
Lisa
Jazz
Ravenna
Regan
Kristin
Manya
Morgen
Launch time 1pm
Crew Valles Marineris
Sylvie
Dani
Krislyn
Olivia
Katherine
Emma S.
Talia
Naima
Launch time 5pm
Crew T Minus Mars
Annie
Ying
Riley
Salome
Linnea
Marissa
Ronnisha
Launch time 9pm
Crew Titania
Ali
Elise
Emerswon
Naomi
Molly
Emily
Krishni
Natalie
Launch time 9am
Crew Aries
Jamila
Lisa
Jazz
Ravenna
Regan
Kristin
Manya
Morgen
Launch time 1pm
Crew Valles Marineris
Sylvie
Dani
Krislyn
Olivia
Katherine
Emma S.
Talia
Naima
Launch time 5pm
Crew T Minus Mars
Annie
Ying
Riley
Salome
Linnea
Marissa
Ronnisha
Launch time 9pm
Crew Titania
Ali
Elise
Emerswon
Naomi
Molly
Emily
Krishni
Natalie
Monday, March 5, 2007
Circuit Projects with MM
This morning we spent reviewing Ohm's Law this morning (note: if you were absent, I handed out a calculation homework assignment due Friday), but this afternoon held the excitement of the first day to solder our individual projects. Students selected from a variety of projects such as the Lie Detector, Crazy Chirper and the aptly named Insanity Alarm. What is your daughter building, you ask? I've promised complete anonymity until after April Fool's Day. Consider yourself forewarned.
But really, soldering is more than just tormenting our families. This project gives us a great opportunity to learn circuit components like resistors, capacitors and LEDs, not to mention figuring out how to read schematic circuit diagrams plus the added bonus of learning a cool skill like soldering. Students will be able to take their projects home on Tuesday and share them with their families, so be on the lookout!
But really, soldering is more than just tormenting our families. This project gives us a great opportunity to learn circuit components like resistors, capacitors and LEDs, not to mention figuring out how to read schematic circuit diagrams plus the added bonus of learning a cool skill like soldering. Students will be able to take their projects home on Tuesday and share them with their families, so be on the lookout!
Friday, March 2, 2007
Mini Culmination
What a great way to end the week! After spending the morning practicing calculations with Ohm's law, this afternoon we complete our final set of mini-culminations. The improvements we have seen in teamwork, collaboration, communication and planning are truly impressive. Two groups participated in the alternative energies challenge where they designed a system that harnessed wind power to move a rocket fuselage along a mag lev track. Interestingly, both groups took advantage of their knowledge of robotics to assist in this process. The other two groups completed their shuttle system miniculmination which focused extensively on communication and teamwork. If you'd like to see some of their challenges, visit this site.
In other news, no math homework until after Mission to Mars. Have a great weekend!
In other news, no math homework until after Mission to Mars. Have a great weekend!
Thursday, March 1, 2007
In MM's class today
Hello all!
This morning we spent our core practicing calculating resistance in series and parallel circuits. We also had some interesting conversations about getting struck by lightening, the trials and tribulations of holiday light strands wired in series versus parallel and why not to take toasters in the bathtub. Additionally, students received an Ohm's Law handout with sample calculations for V=IR as well as some practice problems we'll try tomorrow.
This afternoon we'll have our final prep day for our Mission to Mars "mini-culmination" in alternative energy or shuttle systems, depending on your group. And don't forget your paperwork for the Neutral Buoyancy Scuba Dive. If you answered "yes" to any of the health questions, you'll need a second permission slip. Please see MM, if you do.
This morning we spent our core practicing calculating resistance in series and parallel circuits. We also had some interesting conversations about getting struck by lightening, the trials and tribulations of holiday light strands wired in series versus parallel and why not to take toasters in the bathtub. Additionally, students received an Ohm's Law handout with sample calculations for V=IR as well as some practice problems we'll try tomorrow.
This afternoon we'll have our final prep day for our Mission to Mars "mini-culmination" in alternative energy or shuttle systems, depending on your group. And don't forget your paperwork for the Neutral Buoyancy Scuba Dive. If you answered "yes" to any of the health questions, you'll need a second permission slip. Please see MM, if you do.
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