Month: September 2020

 

Hello 7th/8th graders and families:

So far, I’ve been impressed with the persistence, hard work and patience of virtually all of the students. You’re all showing up for all classes, you’re doing your work, and you’ve been (thankfully) tolerant of my mistakes. Keep up the good work.

Here’s what is happening this week in science and algebra 1:

Algebra 1: We continue to work on solving problems with single variable equations, and will begin work on percent of change and square roots.

7th grade science: This week will be devoted to promoting productive talk in our class discussions. (This is something that obviously needs work.)

8th grade science: Students will practice developing a model from data.

Please note: weekly checkpoint quizzes will be open note during remote learning. However, “open note” is not the same thing as “open Google.” Please restrict yourself to your own notes while taking quizzes. Also, while it’s totally OK to help one another on daily assignments, it’s NOT ok to help one another during quizzes and other assessments. I need to know what you know.

Don’t forget: the Jogathon is right around the corner!

Have a good week,

Sven Tice

Hello 7th/8th grade students and families:

Welcome to week three of the strangest school year I hope any of us ever see! Here are some reminders:

• MAP testing takes place this week, on Tuesday, September 15, and Thursday, September 17. Testing sessions take place at 10:00 or 1:00, depending on the time you chose during orientation week.  The testing will be remote, but during live Zoom sessions. Students and families will receive an email with a Zoom invitation for the appropriate time. Testing sessions are scheduled for 90 minutes, but students will receive more time if they need it. On testing days, no other live instruction is planned, though students should use that extra time to work on academic assignments.
• The Jogathon, one of our major fundraisers, has begun. You can find a link to Jogathon information on the main St. John School page, or click here: Jogathon information
• The first week went well overall. However, there were a few issues.  A few students were off task more than I would expect a middle school student to be. Students, once a class session has begun, we expect you to be present, with your camera turned on, actively participating in class activities, just as you would during a normal, in-person school day. Also, quite a few students are logging in a little late. If the class is scheduled to begin at 9:00, please be logged in at 9:00.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me!

Have a great week,

Sven Tice

Hello 7th and 8th graders and families:

Welcome back. Sort of. I had very much hoped to see you in person this week, but alas, the pandemic is still with us, and we’re learning remotely for the next few weeks (or months). It has been a pleasure to see many your faces out on the playground this week, though, and I’m looking forward to working with you via Teams in the weeks ahead. For now, this is what you need to know:

1. We will be on a daily, consistent schedule beginning at 8:45 AM on Tuesday, September 8.
2.  You are expected to log in on Teams, with your homeroom teacher every day at 8:45. You will be expected to remain online (except for breaks) until at least 2:30 PM.
3. When you are “in class” on Teams, you are expected to be fully dressed, with supplies on hand, ready to work. (It would be great if you were in school uniform, but I can’t insist on this.)

4. By the end of this week, please do these things: make a new password for your Office 365 account (email and Teams); choose two electives for the first trimester (Spanish, music, art, PE); make sure you can access PowerSchool; and download the Teams app if necessary.

Once again, I’m enjoying seeing many of you in person out on the playground this week, and I look forward to working with you again this year.

Have a great week,

Sven Tice