No School March 14th

Students and Parents,
I am sorry that you have had an interruption in your schooling this week, but I hope you are aware of the reasoning behind the canceling of school.  Today, two bills are being discussed is the house that will have a direct impact on teachers, students, and the entire Louisiana community, and many educators wanted to take part in standing up for public education.  The bills involve the removal of tenure for teachers, which would allow principals to fire teachers at will; and expanding vouchers and charter schools, which would decrease the funding we receive.  I urge you to do some research and find out what is going on.  It will affect us all.  I assure you that I have your best interests at heart, and I will always put you first.  When we return to school Thursday (A-Day), we will take the Sentence Types test and work on preparing ourselves for LEAP Phase I Tuesday.

~Miss Hughes

More information about school closing and the bills being discussed:
http://www.wbrz.com/news/louisiana-teachers-protest-at-state-capitol/
http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/14/10685511-teacher-protest-closes-schools-in-louisiana
http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/

P.S. - Students and Parents, if you have any questions or concerns, please email me at ahughes2@ebrschools.org or call the school to schedule a conference.

Public Service Announcements

In groups, you've come up with what you think are huge problems in our society, and are working on creating public service announcements geared towards fellow students to help make our community a better place.  Filming starts Monday, so be sure to bring all props!  

Here are a few PSA's for you to look at for inspiration.

Interview with a Nasa Engineer and Astronaut!

Interviews Due Monday

Students, your interviews are due Monday the 23rd.  Please contact your interviewees (one for each career you chose) ASAP!  Like I said last week, you CAN NOT wait until the last minute or you will have nothing.  It's not your interviewee's faults you haven't contacted them yet!  If you need help finding someone to interview (phone, email, or in person [with parent]), let me know, and I will help you find someone.

Remember to call your interviewee by name (Mr.___ or Ms. ___ or Dr. ____), introduce yourself (name, 8th grader at Westdale Middle), introduce your project (research paper on potential careers), and ask them if they have time to answer questions, or know someone who would have time to answer questions, about the career of ____.

Speak loudly and clearly when on the telephone, and remember to have those questions we developed in class in front of you so you won't miss anything!

Email me if you have questions: ahughes2@ebrschools.org

Career Research Papers

Parents and Students, here is a copy of the letter I sent home to be signed by both of you.  Your research papers will be worth a majority of your English grade this nine-weeks, so it's important you keep up with the due dates, and say busy during class.


January 10, 2012

Dear Parents:

I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday! Now that the break is over we are getting right back into the swing of school. Your child will be working on an important research project over the next several weeks. During this time, the students will be conducting research to learn more about two careers that interest them. As part of the project, the students will interview people working in their fields of interest, write reports reflecting their research, and create a presentation to share facts with the class.

This project is worth a total of 250 points; therefore, it will account for a large portion of your child’s grade for the third nine-weeks. In order that you may assist your child, the due dates and possible points are listed as follows:

Component                 Due Date                   Points Possible

Topics                 Beg of Class 1/12                       10

Interviews            Beg of Class 1/23                       50

Note Cards         End of Class 1/24                        50

Outline                 End of Class 1/24                        10

Final Report         End of Class 1/30                         100

Presentation         Beg of Class 1/31-2/1                    30

TOTAL                                                                   250


If you have any questions about any aspect of the project, please feel free to contact me at school at 225-924-1308 or email me at ahughes2@ebrschools.org. Thanks for your support in helping your child plan for the future.

Sincerely,

Allison Hughes
Approved by Sherry L. Brock

My signature below indicates that I received a letter from Ms. Hughes concerning the 8th grade research project, and I am aware that this project will account for a large part of my child’s English grade for the third nine-week grading period.
__________________________ ___________________
Student’s Signature                        Date

__________________________ ___________________

Parent’s Signature                          Date

Jeopardy Review Game

Here's a link to a Jeopardy midterm review game.  Enjoy! 
http://www.superteachertools.com/jeopardy/usergames/Dec201150/game1324044064.php


Don't forget to study for all exams!

Friday - 2a and 3a (full day of school)
Monday - 2b and 3b (11:30 dismissal)
Tuesday 4a and 5a (11:30 dismissal)
Wednesday - 4b and 5b (11:30 dismissal)

Study Guides

You will have two exams for me.  On A Day, you will take your grammar and writing exam, and on B Day, you will take your literature exam.  We will work on these study guides in class from Monday, December 12th to Thursday, December 15th.  Here are copies in case you misplace yours:

English Midterm -
hughesMidterm English Studyguide



Literature Midterm -
litmidguide



Graphic Organizer to go with Poem on Literature Study Guide -
FISHBONE