Notes Home

Ahhhh, what a great trip.   Thank you, thank you, to the parent chaperones.  I think the blog says more than I can in  my current sleep deprived state.   We are working on projects to share more with you on the evening of May 27^th .  Please join us at 7:00 for this multi-media extravaganza.

Notes Home

What a wonderful performance everyone gave on Friday!   Perhaps we’ll put some dramatic scenes into our work on Costa Rica.   Costa Rica is where we will be focusing our energy now.  Stay tuned for details.

Notes Home

Thank-you all for joining us last night to discuss Costa Rica, this will be a great trip.  But, more immediately, on Tuesday  we will be starting rehearsals  at the college for Friday night’s Cabaret.  Please make sure lunches do not need to be heated up as we may be at the theater over lunch hour.   We’ll see you Friday night at 7:00.

Notes Home

Mon. at 11:00 AM there is a poetry reading with the kindergarten.

Don’t forget about the parent meeting Thursday night, March 18.  Please bring your child’s passport so we can make a copy of it at this time.

Mark your calendar for the JH cabaret on Friday March 26^th, at 7:00 PM

Notes Home

Don’t forget to check your Friday notes for the basketball Jamboree form.

MARCH READING CHALLENGE? JH STUDENTS CAN DO THIS TOO

Below is a letter about our upcoming Costa Rica curriculum and trip.

March 5, 2010

Dear JH Parents,

Our May trip to Costa Rica draws nearer.  We will have a meeting to go over details and answer questions on 18 March.  In the meantime, here is the latest.

Itinerary

After investigating alternatives, we have settled on a trip very similar to previous trips:

• May 4 Þ Fly Boston (6 a.m.) to San Jose, CR then bus/van to Monteverde. The flight from Logan is so early, we are investigating the costs and reasonableness of various options: Thomas Transportation vs. Tim’s School Bus; hotel in Boston vs. middle of night departure.
• Stay in Monteverde, at the La Colina Lodge which is very convenient to the Friend’s School, the town, and the Cloud Forest Preserve.
• Move a few miles down the mountain to San Luis and stay again at the Ecolodge which arranges for homestays, farm and beneficio visits, school visits, ecological studies, and hiking to the waterfall.
• From here we will travel to Playa Hermosa on the Pacific coast, staying two nights at the beach where we can swim and snorkel the coral reef, while experiencing the effects of development for tourism.
• May 11 Þ Return flights, into Logan at 12:20 a.m.   Home late! We will use a phone tree to alert you of our MES arrival time.

Funds

Fundraising has gone well so far with the Marlboro Fair, Cider Sale, Valentine’s Day Dance, as well as on-going coffee sales, Rent-a-Kid, and the rustic bench raffle. This has left us on solid financial footing, but efforts will continue.

Regarding family contributions, we are requesting that the first half be submitted by March 18, and the balance by April 16.

Chaperones

Along with the sixteen students, there will be seven chaperones— Tim, Rachel, Elissa, Christine, Francie, Philip Johansson, and Carol Schroeder. We will review with them expectations and any specific assignments. Each chaperone will be assigned 2-3 students to watch out for throughout the trip, especially at critical transitions. We’ll discuss this further, at the March meeting.

Passports

We understand that everyone has a passport at this time. Please bring a copy to the March meeting, or make one here that night.

Medical

There are no specific immunizations required to travel in CR. We will discuss this further at the meeting.

Curriculum

Social Studies & Science

Central Question:

• How are we connected to people in Central America through the global economy, and how do our lifestyle choices affect our Costa Rican neighbors?

Topics:

• The economics and ecology of the Coffee trade—the second largest international commodity—with a specific look at Fair Trade practices

1. Does the cup of coffee on your table affect the songbirds outside your window?

• Energy use, global climate change, and the ecology of cloud forests

1. Is this causing the cloud forest to lift?
2. How does this affect the biodiversity of tropical rain forests?

• Tourism

1. Is it good for Costa Rica?

The Work:

• There will be teacher-led classes, field trips, readings and debates on each main topic.
• Students will use snail mail, email, & in-person interviews to communicate with Costa Rican students and learn their opinions on the above topics.
• Upon our return there will be a night of public presentations when students will share what they’ve learned using a variety of formats: skits, debates, & multi-media presentations.
• Each student will also choose a related topic about which they may do some independent research. They will report their findings in a news letter when we get back home.

Geography

• We will start with a short unit on geography of the Western hemisphere in which groups will “travel” to CR by car, train, boat or plane, creating a route, learning about different places along the way, & sending back postcards from notable sights.

Writing

• As a way to sell raffle tickets or solicit direct contributions, students will write a persuasive essay in the form of a letter to family and friends, describing and justifying such international travel as part of middle and high school curriculum. In addition, they will write a “perfect paragraph” about themselves to share with students at the Monteverde Friends School.

Spanish

• This essential work continues, including the construction of a phrase book.

See you all on March 18 at 7 p.m.!

Tim & Rachel

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes Home

Everybody has been  working so hard this week on I. Projects, math, lit. & science and getting ready to finish up our current social studies unit with debates on the slave trade.  Next week the work continues with a science quiz on learning styles and Independent Project presentations.  Along with this most of the students have been busy planning the Valentine’s dance and playing basketball as well.  I hope everyone enjoys a well deserved vacation!  Below is the schedule of I. Project presentations if you would like to join us you are more than welcome.

Independent Project presentations

Tue. Feb. 16         9:00AM   Max—Mosaic Art

9:30 AM   Ajenai—Flight & Airplanes

Wed. Feb. 17         9:00  AM  Mesa—Claymation

9:30  AM  Ethan—Tarot Cards

1:20  PM  Heather & Shawna—Sewing

2:20  PM  Katie—B&W  photography & developing film

Thur. Feb. 18         9:30  AM         Rose—Jane Austen

12:45 PM         Luci –Anime & Manga

1:15  PM  Marcus—Static Electricity

Fri. Feb. 19         9:30  AM  Aliza—Stereograms

10:15 AM  Erik—Robotics

10:45 AM  Scott—I. Movie editing

11:15 AM  Lucas—Making a solar go-cart

12:45 PM Morgan—Origami

1:15   PM  Taylor—Weather & Clouds

Notes Home

Mark your calendars for the Valentine’s Dance on Friday Feb. 12^th.  We have a student committee, which is organizing this, but we need parents as well.   All parents should plan to help set up or clean up.  A small group of parents to help oversee and organize is important too.

Rachel Boyden                                                                                     Tim Hayes

254-3872                                                                                                           254-8448                                                    rachelboyen@gmail.com tjhayes@sover.net

Notes Home

Mark your calendars for the Valentine’s Dance on Friday Feb. 12^th.  We have a student committee, which is organizing this, but we need parents as well.   All parents should plan to help set up or clean up.  A small group of parents to help oversee and organize is important too.

January 5, 2010

Dear 7^th-graders and Parents,

In the Junior High, you have completed several Projects in which you have had a chance to learn and practice various skills. This is a time for you to pursue what interests you and demonstrate your mastery as a learner.  It could be about a career that interests you, some topic you’ve always wanted to know more about, a cause you wish to support, or something you want to learn how to do. It is meant as a time to have fun, engage in the joys of learning just for the sake of learning and to show us what you can do when left to your own devices.

Now it’s time to demonstrate:

• Choosing a topic that is interesting and relevant to you and creating an “angle”
• Conducting research with a variety of media and note-taking
• Organizing information and creating an outline
• Managing time to set and meet deadlines
• Using computer technology to create attractive documents
• Presenting your work orally and visually to the class

What: The elements required in the project include:

1)     A written document that could be in a variety of forms, most likely dictated by your topic

2)    A list of resources on your topic.  This is not just a bibliography, which is only the sources you used, but also an overview of what sources are available to someone interested in this topic.  This list might include books, web sites, organizations, individuals, etc.

3)    A presentation to the class, parents and perhaps the larger community.

4)    A physical component or product: poster, a demonstration, a film, a web site, a power point presentation, or an object you made.

5)    A reflective essay addressing your process of learning, your strengths and weaknesses as a learner.

Extra Credit Þ  An interview with someone in the community related to your project.

Where: Study halls and time at home should be used to complete this project. You will check in with either Tim or Rachel throughout the project.

When: This project will be due the 16^th of February, giving you six weeks to complete the project.  Deadlines are as follows:

Final Project Proposal                           6 January

Research sources                                  _______

Notes                                                     _______

Interview                                               _______

Outline                                                   _______

Draft 1- main document

& updated resource list       _______

Final- main document                             _______

Product                                                   _______

Presentation                                          Week February 15th

Draft 1- reflective essay                      day after presentation

Final- reflective essay                          6 March

Your work will be evaluated for:

• Organization (research notes, outlining, meeting deadlines)
• Documentation (written document, list of resources, interview, and essay)
• Presentation and physical product

Tim & Rachel

Welcome back.  I Hope you all had a relaxing and fun filled break. We are starting and continuing some exciting topics for winter.   In science we will be beginning our learning about learning unit while in social studies we will be continuing our study of Africa but now with emphasis on the slave trade rather than geography.    Math continues on many levels for the different students and in Literature we are starting two new books each in an historical setting.  Our biggest new project for the winter will be Independent projects so please take a look at the attached letter to understand what will be expected of your son or daughter over the next six weeks.

As we work on the current curriculum we are also planning our Costa Rica trip.  Our apologies for not filling you in sooner about the chaperones.   We are happy to say that Genell Mikkalson (mother of Lucas), Carol Schroeder (mother of Katie), and Philip Johansson (father of Eric) will be joining us for the trip.  We have reserved airline tickets for early morning Tuesday May 4^th.  But we still need to hear from many of you about how much you feel you can contribute toward the trip.   If you haven’t yet done so, please let Francie know how much (even if it is nothing!) you feel you will be able to pay.   We are in the midst of trying to figure out how much money we still need to raise and can’t do that if we don’t know what the families feel they can contribute.

Also, this week we will be checking again about the status of passports!  If you don’t have one and haven’t applied for one yet please do so as soon as possible.   We don’t want to leave any one behind.

Hope you all had  a wonderful break.  We are back in full gear, getting ready for the holiday concert, studying evolution, Africa, and poetry.    Report cards went home on Monday and those you who haven’t yet returned them, please do so as soon as you have had a chance to discuss them with your son or daughter.

Don’t forget the coffee which is for sale in the hall if you are looking for presents for love ones.  Or, perhaps you would like to by them a raffle ticket to win one of the rustic benches the kid are making.  Just ask any Jr. High student.  Proceeds from these sales are helping pay the way to Costa Rica.   We have reserved airline tickets for Tuesday May 4th.  But we still need to hear from many of you about how much you feel you can contribute toward the trip.   If you haven’t yet done so, please let Francie know how much (even if it is nothing!) you feel you will be able to pay.   We are in the midst of trying to figure out how much money we still need to raise and can’t do that if we don’t know what the families feel they can contribute.

Also…….a number of you have not let us know about the status of your child’s passport.       If you haven’t applied for a passport please do so ASAP.   Thanks; we really don’t want to leave anybody behind.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 3rd    Pick dropped apples at Green Mountain Orchard
130 West Hill Road, Putney VT
Directions:  I-91 North to Exit 4, Putney
Left at Stop sign at end of exit ramp
Next Stop sign bear Right
Make a Left center of town onto Westminster Rd. (Putney General Store)
After about 1 mile, Bear Left onto West Hill Rd. (after Putney Central School)
Orchard is on Right, about ¾ mile.
Meet at Orchard at 9:00 am, Cider doughnuts will be available!  If everyone arrives on time, we should be done around 1:00pm.  Pack lunch if you like for an orchard picnic!  Bring family, friends, and all the helpers you can!

PIES & BAKED GOODS!
Each family needs to bake 10 pies and if they still have steam, any additional baked goods.  Recruit family members if needed or organize a pie baking party!  Pies will need to arrive on both Saturday and Sunday (bring 5 each day).  You can start baking now and freeze things too!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 9th SET-UP
Tents will be set-up, tables and chairs, press, grinder, wash tanks, signs up on Route 9, etc., etc.  This is a busy day please let Celena know if you are available to help!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10th & SUNDAY OCTOBER 11th
CIDER PRESSING & PIE SALE!  Corner of South Road, at Marlboro North Dormitory Route 9 Marlboro.
A Shift Sign-Up Sheet will be at apple picking the weekend before, at GMO, make sure to sign up then, or contact Celena!!

Thank you in advance for all of your hard work and let’s hope for beautiful weather and a profitable weekend!

Contact info:  Celena Lundsted  251-0214 or willolive2@yahoo.com  I am also at MES everyday until 11:30ish.

Many, many thanks to Cathy Cunliff & Phillip Johansson for all their help on the Chocorua trip.

Review this and pack carefully; see Rachel or Tim with questions ASAP

__two pairs of hiking shoes ==> at least one with decent tread
__clothes for hiking: shorts or loose-fitting pants, windbreaker,
fleece, thick socks (extra pair to bring on hike)
__day pack (to hold water bottle,lunch, jacket)
__2 water bottles
__rain gear: coat and hat/hood
__sun block & cap
__toiletries & towel
__utensils for eating: cup, bowl, plate, fork and spoon
__journal & pens/pencils
__pack lunch for Tuesday

__sleeping bag
__sleeping pad
__pillow case &/or pillow

Optional:
__camera
__iPod for bus ride

Don’t Forget
__ use one piece of soft luggage and one small backpack.
__ if possible, put the bedding in the luggage.

Dear Parents,

On Tuesday we depart for our annual camping trip that includes a visit to an art museum and a mountain climb. This trip has become an important part of the Marlboro School culture, giving the students a chance to be away for three days and see a new part of the region, while experiencing different arts and attempting new physical challenges. It will no doubt be a memorable experience!

As you can see from the enclosed itinerary, students come to school as usual on Tuesday, and we will depart as soon as we can. Our first destination is the Saint-Gaudens Historical Site in Cornish, NH, the adopted home and grounds of one of America’s most influential sculptors. There we will receive a short tour, practice our Visual Thinking Skills, and do some sketching. From there we will travel across NH to Tamworth and the Brass Heart Inn where we will be staying in an enormous barn with running water and finished floors.  We will be camping, but camping in style.  We are enclosing the phone number of the Inn, but please only call in an emergency since the phone is not in the barn but across the field at the Inn itself.  You can also call Rachel’s cell phone 802-380-2107. We will make dinner outside the barn and then get a good night’s sleep.

On Tuesday we will proceed to Mt. Chocorua and the trailhead of the Brook Trail on the SW corner of the mountain. The hike up is just under four miles and takes about three hours; we will descend on the Liberty Trail which is less steep. We anticipate the round trip to take 5-6 hours. The mountain is rather spectacular because of its rocky summit and expansive views—it promises to be well-worth the rigorous hike. That night we will celebrate with organic pizza and lemonade at Flatbreads restaurant in North Conway, where they have offered us a very reasonable, special deal.

On Wednesday we will break camp and head over to the Glade at the foot of the mountain on the shores of Lake Chocorua where we will do some group initiatives and trust exercises. From there we will head for Marlboro and be back in time for the busses.

We have enclosed a packing list and please note Monday’s lunch, the sleeping gear, and most importantly the footwear. If new shoes are in order, we recommend the “trail running” shoes which are sneaker-like but have good support and tread—great winter shoes.

The chaperones for the trip will be Rachel, & Tim, with Philip Johansson and Cathy Cunliffe joining us for the hike. If you have any questions or special concerns, please call either of us this weekend.  We will shop for food but we welcome any brownies or cookies for extra nourishment on the trail.

Tim & Rachel

Phone Numbers:
•    Saint Gaudens Historic Site ==> -603-675-2175
•    Brass Heart Inn ==> -603-323-7766
•    Rachel’s Cell Phone ==>-802-380-2107

Learning is not compulsory… neither is survival.      ~  W. Edwards Deming

6 August, 2009

Dear Parents and JH Students,

Though it seems like summer weather is just now beginning, we have turned the corner to August and the last weeks of summer. It’s time for the annual letter, to remind you of who we are and what will be happening in the fall.

The tradition in the Junior High is that the first day of school is a Mystery Day—soon after arriving at school you will be back on a bus that will take you to a mystery destination.  Come prepared to be outside all day Þ bring lunch, water bottle, hat & sun protection, footwear that can get wet and bring raingear if the forecast is less than perfect. It is essential that you also bring the field trip permission form on this first day! And, of course, there are all the other enclosed forms mentioned in the School Notes—especially the one for those of you who do not take the bus home after school.

On the following day, please come to school with a binder, dividers, a pencil pouch, and a simple calculator (too many students last year did not have them). This binder will be your “desk”, the place you keep all your current work, as well as a system to keep track of assignments due and completed. We will continue to have weekly binder checks. At these times students will meet individually with a teacher to review the organization of their binders, the completion of their work and to discuss any other concerns. For some, these checks will be like a show & tell, for others, more like a fire drill! Either way, staying organized will be a key to your academic success in the Junior High, and we will help.

In order to efficiently transfer written work from home to school computers, the “flash key” seems an advisable and relatively affordable tool. Whether it takes such a device or not, we must avoid the statement, ”I can’t work on my story today because it’s on my computer at home.” There’s always the pencil…

In order to show what they have learned and demonstrate skills they have acquired, students keep portfolios of their work organized by the MES realms of learning: knowledge, problem solving, communication, personal development and civic/social responsibility. Twice a year, all students present their portfolios to their parents at student-led conferences. To graduate, 8^th-graders must present their portfolio to a panel and demonstrate adequate learning in these five realms. Throughout this process, finished work is critiqued and revised, with an emphasis on self-evaluation.

This year we are hoping to take our spring trip to Costa Rica, but have not finalized those plans. We sent out a note about this last spring, encouraging initial feedback and concerns about it, but we have not heard back from anyone. Please consider this an open request for feedback, and we will keep you up-to-date on matters as they develop. Currently, we are looking into a two part trip like the last two trips, this time combining the cloud forests of Monteverde area with a stay in dry tropical forest on the Pacific coast where we can be involved in both ecological & local education projects. We’ll tell you more at the Parent Meeting—see below. 

Here’s a brief look at some of what our curriculum will address this year:

• ·      Hogback Mtn. Ecology: A Collaboration w/ Marlboro College In collaboration with Jenny Ramstetter and her students, and using the 600 acre conservation area as our lab, we will investigate the natural and human features of this site—the headwaters for three different watersheds. We will initiate what we hope to be a long-term Biological Inventory while learning the principles of biology, geology, and ecology. On our trip to Costa Rica we would apply this understanding to two radically different ecosystems.
• ·      Learning About Learning: The Brain, Memory and Your Learning Style.
• ·      Social Studies: Our year long emphasis will be on trade & cross cultural exchange starting with Mongolia in the 12^th -14^th centuries (the time of Genghis Khan & Khubilai Khan empires).  We will then move to Africa in the 17^th-19^th centuries  and the impact of the slave trade.  Finally, I hope to wrap up with the Costa Rica trip & Central/South American,  coffee, bananas & tourism in the  19^th & 20^th centuries.  We will also do some mapping of the three continents ( Asia, Africa, & Central/South America).
• ·      Design Technology: The construction of rustic furniture using mortise & tenon joinery—stools, tables, and benches. There may also be an element of fundraising and/or community service.
• ·      Writing: while writing in a variety of styles for the state portfolio, we will conduct workshops on both writing conventions and style.
• ·      Literature: The program will include whole class (read aloud), small groups (book groups), and individual reading (book talks). Please see the enclosure for more information on this year’s literature classes.
• ·      Drama: We will once again present a night of scenes, one-acts and musical sketches. This may include some work related to our field trip.
• ·      Mathematics: continuing study in instructional groups based on student’s aptitude and experience.
• ·      I-projects: on a topic of individual interest, students will conduct research, write a report, and create a presentation. This is a Graduation Project for the eighth-graders; the requirements are modified for 7^th-graders.

Some dates to keep in mind:

• ·      Parent Meeting – Wednesday 7 p.m. September 9^th, to introduce the JH program and discuss this year’s Spring Field Trip.
• ·      Marlboro Fair – Saturday the 12th and we will once again be selling fruit kabobs along with some other irresistible items. Parent volunteer for Friday prep!
• ·      Fall Camping Trip – This year we will again visit Mt. Chocorua in NH. for three days during the week of the 21^st-we’re still working on which part of that week. Chaperones?
• ·      Fund raising with Meeting House School – This year we will be collaborating with Meetinghouse School for the cider sale.  Apple picking will be the weekend of Oct. 3^rd; the sale is the weekend of Oct. 10^th.

Have some great last days of summer, planning nothing so that everything is possible—and there’s always swimming at South Pond.

Tim & Rachel

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Literature with Rachel 2009-2010

Mystery, Justice, Race, & Identity

This year our literature groups will start by reading detective stories.  We will then move on to a wider variety of “mystery” stories all of which involve the main character discovering as much about him or herself as he or she does about the crime or act of injustice they are investigating.   Many, although not all, of these stories involve racism as a basis for injustice.  Race and identity will also be a year long theme in our literature groups. Once a week you will be expected to write (and share!) a short (1-2 page double spaced typewritten) response on one of the following topics. You do not need to decide before you read what your response will be.  You do need to choose a variety of responses over the course of the year. Each piece (even visual representations) should include an interpretive question you would like to explore with the group.

Choices for Literature assignments

(If you have an idea for something different to write about that’s fine, just let me know)

1) SETTING: Write about where the story takes place.  In what part of the world (or out of the world) does the writer place you?  When does the story take place?  Do you find yourself inside or outside? In the city or the country?  Describe the physical environment.  What does it look like?  Talk about colors, sounds, smells, the weather, and what all that makes you feel.  You can give examples in the form of quotations from the book but most of the words need to be your own.  Tell us why you think the setting is important.

2) CHARACTER DESCRIPTION/DEVELOPMENT: Pick one of the characters and tell us what he or she is like.  What does she look like? What kind of personality does he have? Short quotes from the author can help you out but your task is to tell us in your own words who they are with the quotes as examples of how you know.  Has this person changed from the last time you read about her?  Why? You may need to talk about plot and setting a little bit to explain how and why your character has changed.

3) LANGUAGE/AUTHOR’S STYLE: This is your chance to talk about what kind of writer you think this author is.  Does he or she write good descriptions? Are the sentences or words to long and complicated?  Maybe they are too short and flat.  Is there a lot of dialogue?  Does that help you understand the characters or not?  In talking about author’s style it is very important to give examples of what you are talking about in the form of direct quotes.

4) CONNECTIONS/COMPARE AND CONTRAST: Did anything in what you read remind you of something else you read, or a movie you have seen, or something that actually happened to you or someone you know?  (A character description can also be a compare and contrast, so can reflections on an author’s style.) Describe the incident or emotion in the story and tell us how it is similar or different from one in another part of your life.  Did this make the story more or less interesting to you?  Did it help you understand what was happening in the plot or to the individual characters?  Did it   help you understand what it was like to be in that setting?

5) ILLUSTRATIONS, MAPS, OR GRAPHS: If more words will not help you understand the story you may illustrate a piece of the action,  draw a map of the setting, or create any kind of thinking map, graph, or diagram to help us understand the setting, plot, or characters.  A family tree is often helpful when you just can’t remember how all the characters are related; a double bubble map is a great way to compare and contrast characters or settings.