My door is---

Students have been working quite well in class and for the most part using class time wisely. I have now entered three grades on Powerschool--two vocabulary quizzes and a Writer's Notebook check. Today in class students worked in small groups, discussing the short story they chose this week for reading. Then they took a short reading check (aka quiz!), so I can determine the depth and accuracy of their reading. Those scores should be entered by the weekend.

Today I began class with a few reminders about absences. Moodle provides students (and teachers!) with extraordinary access to class materials. In addition, I post a monthly calendar and a weekly agenda that gives more detailed information about what we did in class. My suggestion to kids if they miss class for the day is to go to Moodle, check the daily agenda, and most of the time they will be able to complete the work we did in class that day. And even if they can't -- they'll at least know what they need to get from me. I am lucky enough to have yearbook computers in my room that my other students can use and I'm also at school by 6:45 most days. Students should try to see me before school so by class time they can hit the ground running. At this age students should be taking on more responsibility themselves for getting missed work, meeting with teachers, and staying on track--some day, instead of school, these skills will be needed in the work world.