I hope you enjoyed the holiday break with your families and that the students are rested, refreshed, and ready for a new semester!
I look forward to the fresh start of a new semester. I will be raising expectations in the classroom for work quality and adherence to assignment deadlines. I took a softer approach to due dates in the first semester and compliance waned. I will not employ any Medieval punishments as motivation, but I do ask for your support with creating a home environment that allows for completion of homework and project assignments.
Our next block will move us along the timeline of history from the fall of Rome and into the Middle Ages. I have enjoyed preparing the material for this block and look forward to seeing how it resonates with the class.
As always, when we have a writing intensive history block, I will supplement with daily math classwork and regular math homework assignments. We will continue to work on geometry and business math content this semester.
I will continue to select readers that complement class content, but I plan to slow the pace at which we're reading and direct more time to discussion, presentation, and analysis of our reading. We read twelve books in the first semester which is an impressive accomplishment for this age group. While the students were able to dive much deeper into many topics through the books they read, I also know that pleasure reading is an enjoyable outlet for most of the students, and the volume of assigned reading left them without time for their own reading interests outside of school.
And finally, in order to meet our academic goals for the semester, we must maximize class time. I offer a gentle reminder that class begins at 8:40. When students arrive late, they miss our opening which is a meaningful part of the school day rhythm. Our opening exercises not only set the framework for our day but also provide a mechanism for neurodevelopment through music, movement, and memory work. Late arrivals also cost the other students instructional time when I have to repeat material twice to catch the tardy students up with the rest of the class. Please help us meet our academic goals with prompt arrival!
Thanks,
Ki Molly