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Friday, July 27, 2012

Countdown to the 1st Day of School

This is the first summer I haven't worked since I was 14, and initially I thought I would love it.  I have been doing lots of things to keep myself busy, but not busy enough! Next summer, the job hunt is on!

The first day of school is fast approaching.  Since next year is my first year as a teacher, I've been working a lot at the school to get my room & materials in order.  My cousin, Jody, is a fantastic artist & crafter, so I called on her to help me dec out my classroom.  It took a few weeks to do all the painting, but it was well worth it!

CLASSROOM RECONSTRUCTION

My Door


My Classroom


Treasure Chest Of Books


"There's more treasure in books than in all the pirates' loot on Treasure Island"-Walt Disney


Wall Decorations


Smartie Pants For My Little Smarties =]


My Desk

Messy Painter


CHEERLEADING

I've also kept busy this summer coaching junior high cheerleading.  The girls have been working hard to raise money and learn new cheers and chants for football season.  They're an awesome group of girls, and they've kept me on my toes this summer! 

Check out some pics from our car wash =]
My Girls =]












Thursday, May 10, 2012

Summer Camps at RVJHS

River View Junior High School will be hosting 4 one week long summer camps this year.  The camps will be a combination of learning, team building, activities, physical activities, food, and field trips!  Each session is one week long and will have a theme.  We have been working hard to create some pretty awesome activities each week.  Each week, students come from 8:00-11:00 to participate in a variety of activities.  One day each week we will take a field trip!  The themes change week to week and are very different, as we hope to interest a diverse group of students!  The tentative schedules for each week are as follows: 


     June 4-8: Extreme Weather


     June 11-15: Batter Up!  (confirmed)
  
     July 30-August 3: Entrepreneurship 


     August 6-10: Old and New Sports and Games (confirmed)


I will be teaching the Batter Up! and Old and New Sports and Games sessions.  During these weeks, we will do a variety of activities and projects.  Batter Up! includes: attending a Columbus Clippers baseball game, calculating batting averages, making homemade ice cream, making pancakes and muffins, creating flubber, water balloon activities, and much more!  During the New Sports and Game sessions, we will be researching and playing old fashion games such as: tiddly winks, Chinese checkers, hopscotch, etc.  


I'll add the advertisements for the other weeks as soon as they are confirmed and complete!
I hope 7th and 8th graders (2012-2013) will consider attending these awesome camps!  The staff has put in a lot of thought and creativity to make it a fun time.  


Hope to see you there =]



Sunday, April 29, 2012

Boring Weekend = More Crafts =]


I got bored this weekend.  So, of course, I turned to crafting.  I've seen lots of decorated teacher chairs on pinterest.com, so I decided to make one for myself.  Instead of a chair, I bought a barstool.  I think it turned out pretty neat for my first try :)


top

side 1--not my favorite...

front & side 2

back

top & side

my favorite :)


Monday, April 16, 2012

2012-2013 RJHS Cheerleading Tryout Material

Hey ladies! Here are the videos of the materials.  Since I used my MacBook to film the videos, they are a mirror image of yourself.  You can practice with them like I was facing you at practice.  Have fun & practice hard :)










Tuesday, April 10, 2012

River View Junior High Cheerleading Tryouts



It's my favorite time of year....Cheerleading Tryout time!!!  I will be coaching River View Junior High Cheerleading this year.  I will be using this site as a place to update cheer info until I move it to another site during the school year.  


Cheerleaders & Parents:  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at jlw111807@gmail.com & I will respond as quickly as possible.  


2012 Tryout Information

Any current 6th or 7th grade student wishing to tryout for River View Junior High Cheerleading should sign up in their building's office and get a tryout packet from Miss Wright.  If your school's office does not have the packets, please have the secretary contact Miss Wright at 740-824-1357.  You must have a packet to tryout, as it has many important forms and lots of important information about cheerleading expectations and tryouts. 

All practices and tryouts will be held at River View Junior High School

7th Grade Practice Schedule
April 16-April 19      4:30-6:00
Monday-Thursday

8th Grade Practice Schedule
April 16-April 19     3:00-4:30
Monday-Thursday

TRYOUTS: FRIDAY, APRIL 20    5:00 P.M.

All other information regarding tryouts is found in the tryout packets.  Remember to remind your teachers and principal to turn in teacher evaluation forms on time.

**Videos of tryout materials will be uploaded Monday night after practices.  I will try to upload them as soon as practices are over so you have the opportunity to practice at home.**

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you next week at practices =]




Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley is a wonderful book by Jeff Brown.  It is a story about Stanley Lambchop, a boy who becomes flat when a bulletin board crashes on him in the middle of the night.  The story tells of the many adventures he has while he's flat.  I've done this book in reading groups with 3rd graders and 5th graders, and both classes just loved it!  I did it with 3rd graders last year.  After reading the books and discussing it in reading groups, the kids created their own Flat Stanleys.  They then wrote letters to family and friends out of state asking them to take Stanley along with them on "adventures" and keep a diary of the experiences.  They had a blast with it!  One student's uncle was a professor at a university and took Stanley around campus with him.  He and Stanley visited landmarks at the university, visited a sorority, toured the Crayola and Peeps factories, and delivered candy and cards to children with cancer at a hospital.  He also took 8x11 color pictures of Stanley on each adventure and sent them with his diary entries.  The best part was that he sent crayons and Peeps for the kids in his niece's reading group.  It was really cool!


This year I did Flat Stanley again with my 5th graders.  They had just as much fun with it as the 3rd graders.  We didn't have time to send out Flat Stanleys like the 3rd graders did, but we did do a lot of discussions and a project over the book.  I made a packet for each student to work through as we were reading the book.  The packet included vocabulary words, comprehension questions, and discussion points.  As we read the book, we had round table discussions and worked through the packets.  After completing most of the questions and graphic organizers, the students put it all together to create a summary.  They also made plot diagrams for the story and colored a Flat Stanley.  They listed character traits for Stanley around their colored picture.  We put them onto some tri-fold cardboard pieces.  They also wrote a letter to me as if they were Flat Stanley, explaining how they became flat and how they felt now that they were flat.  The projects turned out pretty neat :)





This was a fun way to still hit the important concepts, but it allowed the students to be a little creative!


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

A New Kind Of Computer : The Google Chromebook

When I see something new or hear about a new product that would make my life easier, I usually have to buy it.  And that's exactly what happened when my principal, Joel, mentioned this new fangled device called a chromebook.  I had mentioned that I was thinking about buying a netbook so I could work on Progress Book at home (since Adobe and my Mac don't really get along).  He simply said, "Don't get a netbook.  What you need is a chromebook."  I had never heard of such a thing.  When I asked him what it was, he told me to go home and research it.  I looked it up and fell in love.  A chromebook is an internet based computer that boots up in less than 8 seconds.  It has no hard drive and runs entirely off the internet.  Everything is saved online on the cloud.  It's Google based. (I love Google and am still convinced that it is slowly taking over the world.)  I didn't believe it.  It sounded too good to be true.  Naturally, I had to buy one.  I purchased the Samsung Google Chromebook-WiFi only.  I bought it online for the low price of $349.00. (no shipping costs either!)  It shipped in a few days, and I was ecstatic when it arrived.  Could it be everything it claimed to be?


I'll be honest, at first I was not impressed.  Progress Book wouldn't open, and that was one of the main reasons I made this purchase.  Joel, being the tech freak that he is, offered to babysit it for the weekend and try to figure it out.  It was the perfect deal for me.  I didn't get frustrated from trying to figure everything out and Joel got his tech fix.  After contacting a few amazing people through twitter (@RVCPrincipal & @ericcurts & @jrsowash), Progress was working!  It was a simple solution.  An ie browser tab had to be installed...I'll go into detail about that amazing little tool on another day.


After I spent more time playing around on the Chromebook, I am in love.  It is everything that it claims to be.  It really does boot up in less than 8 seconds.  Everything does save to the cloud.  It really does run completely off of wireless.  I'm able to access all of my saved materials through Google Docs anywhere, anytime.   Joel reminded me of another neat feature the Chromebook has.  There are individual accounts and guest sharing. Never fear to hand your Chromebook over to someone. None of "their stuff" ever gets mingled with "your stuff." They can't edit or even see your settings, bookmarks, etc. That's why it's good for students, too. Now, our schools just need to all get Chromebooks so we can flip the classrooms! Check out the Chromebooks for Education video below.  It's amazing what could be done with these little machines.  Oh, the world is changing, and I love that I am getting the opportunity to begin my teaching career during such a techno-savvy time.






Ahhh...They've learned SOMETHING!

I am all about grammar.  My friends and students probably get annoyed with me because I am constantly correcting grammar.  I always get excited when I see a student, or adult for that matter, use an apostrophe correctly.  Let's face it, I'm a grammar geek.  Yesterday I was walking down the hallway at the junior high and this sign caught my eye....


Someone had covered a student's locker with signs for her birthday.  Unfortunately, the sign maker didn't use the correct you're.  It's a very common...and annoying....error that many people make.  Luckily, someone saved the day and added the necessary 'e to the end of the word.  This made my day.  I'm just hoping it was another student who corrected it and not a teacher :)



Monday, February 27, 2012

Express Yourself...With A Glog

Glogster (www.glogster.com) is a site where students and teachers can create "glogs" about basically anything.  A glog is a personalized project someone can put together to express their thoughts and ideas about a topic.  You can personalize the background, graphics, music, videos, colors, and texts on your glog.  The best part...it's free! It's also user friendly for students and teachers of all ages.


Glogster for education.

I think this education version might cost money.  The free version already offers a number of options, so I'm not sure you'd actually need the education version.  I haven't looked into it much.


Once you create a free account with your e-mail, this is what your dashboard will look like.  From the dashboard, you are able to update your status, post a new glog, check your glog's stats, and view other glogs.  To create a new glog, simply click the "post new glog" button next to your profile picture.  


Each time you create a glog, you are given a template.  You can go in and delete it all, or just change the items.  To change the graphics and videos on the template, double click on them.  


Around the outer edge of the graphic, there will be boxes of editing options.  Just start clicking on them and playing around with them to check out all the options.  It's pretty simple!


Once you finish editing your text and graphics, simply click on the outside of the object and it will take you to the original screen.  You can then click on the various options--text, graphics, images, wall, audio, or video--to edit your glog.  There are many pre-loaded options, and you can also upload your own images, audio, and video. 


On this practice glog, I changed the glog wall.  I also inserted a heart graphic.  To change the color, I double clicked on it and chose the eyedropper option.  


You can also link other websites to your glog!  The link option is below the eyedropper option.  Simply click on it and enter the website url.  When someone views your glog, they are able to click the heart and link to the website you provided.  


Next, it was time to add a video!  Once on the home screen, you can click the video option to add a video.  You can add a video you already have saved on your computer or you can search Google for a video.  The video above was added from Google.  On the same screen you choose the video on, you can pick a frame for the video.  There are lots of pre-made options available.



Adding a picture is similar to adding a video.  You are able to add your own saved pictures, search Glogster's gallery, or search Google for images.  There are lots of pre-loaded graphics available.


And...don't forget to add a frame to your picture!


Another way to add videos, photos, or audio is the grab tool.  You have to have a webcam to use this tool.  The grab tool allows you to take a picture, record audio, or record a video and add it to your glog.  


You are also able to add music to your glog.  You can upload your own music or search for pre-loaded sounds.  There are also player graphics available to add.  You are also able to choose whether your song automatically starts when someone goes to your page or if they have to click the play button on the player.


When you're finished creating your glog, click the save and share button at the top of your page. (I believe it's hot pink.)  It gives you options to share it on Facebook and Twitter.  This site is an awesome tool to use for projects and with the creative kids in your class.  It gives students an opportunity to mix creativity and learning.  The possibilities are endless!



Go to www.glogster.com to create your own Glogster account and begin "glogging."  



Happy Glogging!



















Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Google +

If you aren't familiar with Google Docs, Google +, or anything else Google for that matter, you need to get familiar with it.  I've jokingly been saying that Google is taking over the world, but I'm seriously beginning to believe it.  I have the awesome opportunity to work with staff who are on the forefront of technology and I LOVE it!  Every day I'm learning something new from either my principal, other teachers, or co-workers.

I've been using Google Docs for some time and it has made my life so much easier.  I'll go into detail about all the awesome features of Google Docs in a future post.  Tonight, I was introduced to Google + Hangouts.  Talk about amazing....

Hangouts is a platform combining video chat, chat, and live viewing options.  You can video chat while sharing documents live with other hangout members.  Also, you can have multiple people chatting simultaneously.  Tonight, my principal, Joel, and one of my co-teachers, Christie, and I "Hung out" trying to figure out all the features of this nifty little tool.  We were all 3 able to video chat with each other while sharing and viewing docs and screenshots.  Oh, and the video camera option can be switched off if you don't want other group members to see you!  We don't have it all figured out yet, but I see it being an awesome tool to use in the classroom with both students and co-workers.


I'll share more details about Google Docs, Google +, and Hangouts in future posts, but I just wanted to share a little bit about these amazing things.  With Google, the possibilities are endless!