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Today, students had the opportunity to hear a presentation from a local entrepreneur, Bert LaValley. LaValley started two successful businesses: Sustainable Comfort, a green building and property management company, and Deadhorse Hill, a restaurant in Worcester.  LaValley's presentation to students was an important part of their business plan project. He talked about what prompted him to start his own businesses, the many rewards and challenges of being in charge of a small business, and what he looks for in employees. Most importantly, he talked about the skills, qualities, and habits that he sees as crucial for success.
These are:
Students got a lot from his presentation. In the words of one student, "he told me that it is okay to take risks and that it won't always be easy." Getting to hear such a powerful message from a "real" business owner was an amazing opportunity for students. The students were so well behaved and respectful during his talk. Special thanks to Bert LaValley for taking time out of his day to come talk to our students!
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This week's feature blogger is JACK DAVIS! Jack decided to write a blog about his two favorite things, Disney and Apple, thus the blog Disney Apple was born! I am impressed with Jack's blog because he actually coded his layout himself instead of using a premade template, and his blog has OVER A THOUSAND page views. Check out the logo that he designed himself:  Take a minute and check out his blog! disney-apple.blogspot.com/
Dear 8 Blue Families,
We are writing to let you know about an exciting new project happening on team in ELA and math. One of the district goals in Shrewsbury is for all teachers to incorporate Project Based Learning elements into their instruction by the end of the 2016-2017 school year. You can find links to the district goals and more information about Project Based Learning at the bottom of this email. You may have to copy and paste the links into your browser. We have designed a cross-curricular project between ELA and math that focuses on the driving question “what skills and personal qualities are necessary for success in today’s world?” During this unit, students will be working in groups to create a business and write a business plan. In addition, in ELA, students will be reading biographies and focusing on the traits that made that individual successful, as well selections from The Outliers, The World is Flat, and Mindset: The New Psychology of Success during class. The skills this unit focuses on are:
We will be asking for parent volunteers to come give their business plans a “seal of approval” and a “seal of improvement.” Please keep your eyes out for more information soon! We are excited for the students to experience the curriculum by applying it to real world situations. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your support, Ms. Jill Carlin Ms. Kate Lewis 8 Blue Math 8 Blue ELA http://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/district/Goals1.cfm http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-parent-resources This week's blogger spotlight is on REBECCA GAUVIN! Rebecca's blog, Music in Simple Notes, talks about music theory, music history, notable composers, and more! Her posts are informative and comprehensive. I especially like how Rebecca made diagrams to help people understand some of the more complicated musical concepts.  Check out her blog to learn more about music! Link to Rebecca's blog: http://musiciansimplenotes.blogspot.com/ This week, our featured blogger is RAHUL KASIBHATLA! Rahul's blog, Journey to the Center of Sports, is about sports and travel. Here is an example of a post about his favorite player:  I particularly like the strategies Rahul used to bring his blog to the next level, including the green screen interview video. Also, Rahul's sports posts go beyond just statistics and include his own analysis and predictions. Check out his blog here!
Blogger Spotlight Every week I will feature a new blogger who is going above and beyond with their blog. This week's featured blogger is... JORDAN JARVI!!!! Her blog, The Arts and Other Smarts, covers a broad range of topics, from books and music to wellness and general tips on life. I especially like her posts titled "How to be More Organized This School Year" and "How to be Proud of Who You Are." She offers great advice that we can all learn from. Here is Jordan's advice for what to do if you're having a bad day:  Well done Jordan! Check out her blog, you'll be glad you did! Link to Jordan's blog: theartsandothersmarts.blogspot.com/ This has been an exciting week in ELA on 8 Blue! Students worked on defining their interests and passions and they created their own personal blogs! Here is why students are blogging this year:  Students are blogging about things they are interested in. Some of the topics are dance, book reviews, music, sports analysis, and more. I believe that teaching students to write for different purposes and audiences is an important skill. This unit also is teaching students about creating a positive digital footprint and gives them practice writing in the "real world."
The students are so enthusiastic about this assignment! I am so excited to see these amazing blogs as the year goes on. Ask your son or daughter to see their blogs! They should have the basic template set up, and the first post should be in progress. Post one is due on Wednesday, September 21. The beginning of the year in ELA is all about community building and getting to know each other! Towards the middle of September, we will start our first unit which is a blogging unit that will run throughout the year. Stay tuned for more information. Below is the ELA Course Description and Policies. Please review the document and contact me if you have any questions.  |
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May 2020
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