The Final Stretch

We are down to the last 20 days of school. With the school year winding down, that meas PASS testing. Pass starts next Tuesday- Thursday. Encourage your child to eat a good breakfast and get a good night sleep. Some important dates to remind you of is on May 29 is Awards Day for 6th grade at 1:00. June 1-3 are half days and field day will be taking place on two of these. I hope that you and your child have had a wonderful year and look forward to the last four weeks of school.

New Dog

Well we did it! Our first family dog! The girls (Livie and Faith) are so excited. You’ll not find Claire Joy’s picture near the dog… she isn’t so excited, but she’ll come around. We survived the first night, no accidents. His name is Ramses (after the tar-heel mascot). He is a sweet fellow and we are enjoying him already. Another Ray “kid” has arrived.

Crazy Week

This has been a crazy week for me. First, there was a snow day but NO snow at my house. So, we got dressed and headed to my parents house in Central and let the kids play in 5 inches of snow. Furthermore, my brothers in Spartanburg had 10 inches of snow. I was out of school of Wednesday due to sick children. In the mean time, we are having to stay with Sabrina's parents because all of our bathrooms are being tiled and their is no bathroom to use for the next couple of days. 4 girls and no bathroom is suicide in my house. I hope that everyone has a great weekend.

Mid Way Point

Students will be receiving their mid-terms on Thursday and this marks that there are 65 days or less of school left. I would like to thank the parents who came out for the PTO Night. We felt it was a great turn out and thank you for your support. Students have been studying the ancient Greeks and how their geography affect their society, the government of Athens (Democracy) and the impact that mythology had on their society. Starting next week, students will compare and contrast the difference between Athens and Sparta, The Persia Empire, Alexander the Great and the achievements of the Greeks.

I hope that everyone had a great long weekend and are really to make the push to the end.

Its Already February!!

Time passes so fast. I can't beleive it is already February and grades for mid-terms are on the 11th for teachers. This school year is passsing so fast. With that said, please understand that the school year is approaching the end and some studnets are struggling. Grades seem to go down the 3rd nine weeks due to students taking it easy. Please encourage your child to study every night either voc. words or their notes. Space Camp is right around the corner and there is a required field trip meeting on the 17th at 6:00. If you are unable to make that one, tow others will be offered on Wednesday the 18th at 1:30 and 3:15. Parents have to attend one of these meetings. I hope that everyone has a great week.

Start of the 3rd Nine Weeks

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend. The extra day was nice to have to spend time with family. My kids were doing the snow dance last night, but it seemed it work for other people and not them. The start of the 3rd nine weeks is in full swing. Students will be getting their report cards tomorrow for the 2nd nine weeks. We are starting the section on Hebrews and will be discussing topics that most students have heard about probably. Space Camp money and forms are due by the 23rd. Have a great week.

New Year

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I can not believe that 2009 is here. It seemed like yesterday that the school year was just starting. The 2nd nine weeks and the 1st semester ends on the 13th of this month. You should be receiving reports on the 2oth. Students will be starting their 2nd semester classes on the 14th. I hope that everyone is rested and ready for the new year.

Christmas is almost here

This is my favorite time of the year. Besides being out two weeks to spend time with family and friends, it is a time to reflect on the blessings in my life. I hope that everyone has a wonderful and Christmas and they truly realize how our lives are a blessing compared to others around the world. May you and your family have a wonderful Christams and a Happy Year.

Break is Near

We have only 7 days until Thanksgiving break. I hope that everyone will have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. The students are looking forward to the King Tut trip on Friday. I hope to have some pictures posted on my website. Have a great week.

End of the Nine Weeks

The end of the 1st nine weeks is today. School has moved very quickly the first 45 days of school. The year is off to a great start and should really start to move faster than the 1st the next couple of weeks. Please remember that the 2nd nine weeks is the nine weeks that students seem to struggle the most. Please stay consistent and helpful in the stretch. We are out of school the 27th and 28th for teacher in-service. We are starting the Egyptian unit and students seem to enjoy this unit very much.

Cool Weekend

The family and I packed the camper up this weekend and headed to the great outdoors. The girls love camping. We took part in the Outdoor Festival up at Duke Power. My girls loved holding the animals, especially the snakes. After a busy day, the girls wanted to roast hot dogs and smores on the fire. This is a family ritual for us when we going camping. The evening was cool and the smell of the fire takes away any worries you have. Talking about worries, one of the worries that I don't have anymore is TARHEEL FOOTBALL. The boys are back in town. Have a great week.

Awesome Weekend

This weekend was a great weekend. I got to watch my Tarheels have a big victory against Miami and at the same time watch the Tigers lose to Maryland. It couldn't have gone any better for me. In class, we are starting to talk about the fertile Crescent and the Sumerians. We will discuss the achievements of these individuals and some other people that occupied this area. I hope that everyone has a great week.

Stone Age

We are finishing up the Stone Age this week in class. We are in the process of students creating posters about what they have learned about the Stone Age. We will finish the unit with the review game on Thursday and take the test on Friday. We are more than halfway through the first nine weeks. Please remember tat retake pictures are Oct. 1st and Family Learning Night is on Oct. 7th from 6:00-7:30. Everyone have a great week.

Wild Week

On Thursday of last week, I was asked to be the PA announcer for the C team football game. That was a first time for me to experience that. On Monday of this week, the students took part in Rachel's Challenge. This was an awesome experience for me and I hope the same for you children. Rachel Scott was the first student that was shot at Columbine. This program was geared towards challenging the students to be kind, compassion and helping each other. Ask tour child about this event. On Friday, we will celebrate my daughter's 4th birthday. How does time fly. Take time to appreciate your family and tell them you love them this week. Have a great week.

Halfway Home

As the end of this week approaches, the halfway point to the 1st nine weeks is here. If this in mind, mid-terms will be going home next week. Please remember that these grades can change. Also remember that the first couple of weeks of school were procedures and rules and there are not that many grade. A low score effects your child's mid-term. We are starting to cover the Stone Age and the people that came from this era. We will be looking at the culture of these individuals and how environment affected them.

Short Week

I love short weeks as much as anyone else. The long weekend was needed and welcomed. I enjoyed it most on Saturday night watching Alabama take care of business. ROLL TIDE. For others, that might not have been a great game. As for my class, we are covering what is history and geography. We are talking about the different types of geography and how it affected civilizations. On Friday or Monday we will start talking about the Stone Age and the first humans. Buckle down because school is in full swing.

Hit the road running

We are in the full swing of school. This week we started to look at the parts of a map, how to read a map and looking at skills that they will be using throughout the year. We are taking a look at cause and effect, comparison and contrast, and primary and secondary sources. Students should bring their textbook, composition notebook and 3-prong folder to class everyday. Students will have 10 -15 minutes of homework every night. This usually consist of studying about what we discussed in class that day.

First Days of School

We have made it through two days of school. It has been very exciting and hard work also. I hope that your children at adjusting. Overall, this as been a wonderful 6th grade class to adjust and pay attention to the rules and procedures of the school. I hope that this stays the same throughout the year. Students seem to being doing fine and you should be proud of them. I hope to see each and every one of you at open house. Be patient and stay positive the first couple weeks of school. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me or any of your child's teachers. I feel that we are going to have a great year.

How to log onto online textbook

This is a tutorial of how to log onto the online textbook. Hope this helps.

How to download from podcasting site

Tutorial of how to download audio and video from my podcasting site.