Warm Beach Pictures - More coming soon!

Warm Beach- Friends, Fun, Theme, Oh My!

Hi Everyone!

Exactly two weeks ago, our class was off at Warm Beach Camp: deciding our theme, hanging out with new friends, doing a high ropes course, accomplishing team building games, swimming, and making collages.

Here are some of the goals we all agreed to at the beginning of camp: Decide on our theme(s) for the first term, connect with one new person, take something back with us to school that we learned or shared at Warm Beach, be challenged, and have fun!

I think we all accomplished these goals, especially being challenged - most of us tested our comfort zones by doing the high ropes course! About 25 feet in the air, we walked across logs, climbed up trees, went through ropes, and jumped across platforms.

We also were interviewed for our community jobs: a job that we want to do that helps out the 8th grade in some way. For example, one of my jobs is co-blogger. At the same time as interviewing, we also made collages with our name, picture, magazine cut-outs, and the phrases "I am..." and I will..." You can see these at the bottom of the 6th grade stairs.

But probably the largest part of Warm Beach was trying to come to consensus on our group theme for first term. Theme is an independent study class - learning about what WE want to know. It's all about our passions and what we care about. Theme is individual for the two last terms, but the first six weeks are a collective group theme. When the guidelines were first given, we could only have a maximum of three groups, and our topic had to be stated in question form. But as time went on, Team B.A.D. agreed to let us bend the rules on the group size: each theme group would have to include at least six people- there weren't really any limits on how many groups. We discussed, eliminated, polled, and sacrificed. It was difficult, because condensing passions is challenging, but with all the time given at Warm Beach, and the two extra class periods at school, we have come to consensus on the following:

• Photography: Includes Payton, Bailey, Anna, Jade, Tess, Sophia, Caroline, Tate, Izzi, Katherine. What are different styles and techniques of photography?

• Music: Includes Julia, Sarah, Lindsay, Gracie, Ariana, Lia. What U.S.A. artists made a big impact in their musical genre from 1810 to 2010?

• Technology: Includes Imani, Greta, Evy, Ruby, Jasmine, Briana, Emily. How do search engines work?

• Greek Mythology: Maia, Lillian, Olivia, Maggie, Mahogani, Eleora. Who are the Greek gods, how are they related, and what are their stories?

SJCU activity (Social Justice Cultural Understanding)

Last week, in SJCU, we did an activity based on race, and how it gives you either advantages or disadvantages in society. We were broken up into four groups: The Highlights, Middle Town, the Destructors, and the Oh No’s. The Highlights were the upper class, who were given anything their heart desired, and were looked up to by everyone. The Middle Towns followed in the Highlights' footsteps, and as they saw them popping the balloons that the Oh No’s were supposed to protect, they did the same. The Destructors mostly stayed to themselves, doing their puzzle, and working together to figure out a way to communicate. Lastly, the Oh No’s were treated the worst, being constantly attacked both verbally, as well as having their balloons popped.

This activity was hard on everyone. It showed us some of the things that we aren't aware of in our day-to-day lives as young girls. We had a discussion at the end of the class about how we felt. Some people said that it felt unfair, because when the Highlights ran, they weren't called out on it, but when the Oh No’s ran, they were told not to do that again with a stern look from the teachers. It ultimately all came down to one thing... What is racism?

8th Grade 2010 Blog

Hi 8th graders and families,

This year, Eleora and Greta will be the student bloggers for our class. We'll post pictures, summarize the current happenings in 8th grade, and update you all on what we are learning! The website URLs for the SGS 8th Grade Blog (what we'll be updating) and the 8th Grade Student Blog (homework) are:

SGS 8th- http://sgs8th.blogspot.com/

Student- http://my8thgrade.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Final Words

Hello All,

I'm sorry to say, but this will be the final blog entry from the graduating class of 2010. Just a brief wrap up to the year- and what an amazing year it has been. We read poems, wrote plays, went to the international space station, ate weird neon green pisatacio pudding, decrypted codes, math problems and blood splatter analysis, decided whether a pig autopsy was ethical, came to consensus on term 1 theme (deep sea life), supported each other on a high ropes course, spent a week in Mexico (most of us did), created a perfect world, a multi media presentation about a science question, used string to determine a blood splatter, wrote emails, learning contracts and essays galore, solved puzzles, learned new words, created individual learning plans multiple times, prepared for learning team meetings, gave presentations about race in Social Studies, memorized 167 countries, had deep conversations about the origin of race, wrote reflection, after refelction, after self assement, learned about forensics, made amazing art projects, wrote thank you notes, asked questions and bonded together as an entire grade- all in 9 months. And now, with only 9 days left, we still have an entire movie to make. WOW. I think this last year has been a great final huzzah for everyone. It's going to be a difficult transition into high school for all, but SGS visits will always be waiting. So here's to a great three years as a class, and to a promising, outstanding future ahead.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a GIFT. That's why we call it the present" -Eleanor Roosevelt