Writing Prompts for the Week

This week students have three options for their writing assignment. All three options require students to use dress ups and sentence openers. All three options require a key word outline (KWO), rough draft, and final draft.

1. Humane Society Story Contest: No more than 350 words using the prompt "My pet has taught me..."
2. Scholastic Letter to Congress: Write a letter to Congress arguing that veterans should be given the chance to adopt the military dogs they worked with. Should be a minimum of 400 words with facts cited.
3. Scholastic Invention Contest: Write between 300 and 500 words on what you believe is the most important invention to mankind. Trace the history of the invention and how it has evolved. Create a timeline to accompany the piece.

VIP Day

Book Report Genres

Genres for 8^th Grade Book Report

·                 Classic – fiction that has become part of an accepted literary canon, widely taught in schools

·                 Comic/Graphic Novel – scripted fiction told visually in artist drawn pictures, usually in panels and speech bubbles

·                 Crime/Detective – fiction about a committed crime, how the criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the crime

·                 Fable – narration demonstrating a useful truth, especially in which animals speak as humans; legendary, supernatural tale

·                 Fairy tale – story about fairies or other magical creatures, usually for children

·                 Fanfiction – fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, etc.

·                 Fantasy – fiction with strange or otherworldly settings or characters; fiction which invites suspension of reality

·                 Folklore – the songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of a people or "folk" as handed down by word of mouth

·                 Historical fiction – story with fictional characters and events in a historical setting

·                 Horror – fiction in which events evoke a feeling of dread and sometimes fear in both the characters and the reader

·                 Humor – Usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres

·                 Legend – story, sometimes of a national or folk hero, that has a basis in fact but also includes imaginative material

·                 Mystery – fiction dealing with the solution of a crime or the unraveling of secrets

·                 Mythology – legend or traditional narrative, often based in part on historical events, that reveals human behavior and natural phenomena by its symbolism; often pertaining to the actions of the gods

·                 Poetry – verse and rhythmic writing with imagery that creates emotional responses

·                 Realistic fiction – story that is true to life

·                 Science fiction – story based on impact of actual, imagined, or potential science, usually set in the future or on other planets

·                 Suspense/Thriller – fiction about harm about to befall a person or group and the attempts made to evade the harm

·                 Tall tale – humorous story with blatant exaggerations, swaggering heroes who do the impossible with nonchalance

·                 Biography/Autobiography - Narrative of a person's life. A true story about a real person.

·                 Essay - A short literary composition that reflects the author's outlook or point.

·                 Narrative nonfiction - Factual information presented in a format which tells a story.

·                 Speech - Public address or discourse.

T Shirt Finalists

All readers are invited to vote for the shirt they think should represent the 8th grade class for this year! Vote by commenting on this post with the number of the shirt you would like to vote for. Family votes do count, but if you vote anonymously, you must put your name in the comment. I have deleted a bunch of large number anonymous votes. You may only post for those family members that live IN YOUR HOUSE!

VOTING HAS NOW CLOSED

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Science Lab #2

Wish List

Do you happen to have any of the follow items lying around? We'd love to have them! 

• 4 foldable camp chairs for group work
• 1 square low coffee table
• 2 tall cafe tables (think the round Starbucks tables) for standing work

Save the Date

October 2nd, 2014 at 7:00 PM is our 8th grade family information night. Every family will want to have at least one person there to learn about:

• being promoted from 8th grade
• understanding the wide range of options for high school
• choosing a high school that best fits your student
• our end of year trip
• fundraising possibilities

This is your chance to help shape the trip and have a say in the extent of our fundraising. 

Please come with any questions you have about high schools, GPA translations, deadlines, essays, recommendation letters, etc. 

Also, please bring any ideas you have for fundraisers that align with our school mission. 

Mid September Check In

We are off to a great start! I am very impressed with the focus, dedication, and kindness everyone is showing.

History: 
We are well on our way to understanding the foundations of our government. So far we have learned why we need government, how you define government, and what types of government exist. 8th graders  have also learned how to take notes, how to retell using their notes, how to highlight information from a history text, and how to apply what they've learned. 

Writing: 
We have now completed two writing assignments. The first one was a short biography piece based on glyphs completed in class. Students reviewed how to create a KWO, how to do a retell, and then effectively used dress ups and sentence openers to write a single paragraph. We discovered that many people struggled with creating effective topic sentences, so this will be something we focus on! The second assignment was a persuasive essay based on the reading in our Scholastic News. In this essay we focused on quoting the text to support our thoughts. 

This week's writing assignment is a persuasive piece. Students are to design a t shirt that represents our 8th grade class. After designing their shirt, students will write and film a 30 second commercial selling their shirt. The commercial should contain all of the dress ups and sentence openers. 

• Due Date - Monday, September 22nd, 2014

Required Materials - Students may use their own filming equipment if they would prefer, or we will film in class on Thursday, September 18. The finished project must be a wmv or mp4. 

Expected Time Requirement - 1 - 2 hours including t shirt design, KWO, rough draft, final draft, and filming. 

The final products will be watched in class and the final 3 will be uploaded to our blog and used to vote on which design will be our official 8th grade shirt!

Reading:
We have not begun our first novel yet, that will come at the end of the month. For now, we are working on reading non fiction text and have been utilizing the Scholastic Weekly Readers and the Newsela web site. Newsela is an online reading program that allows students to read news articles at their reading level. After each article, there is a quiz that tests for comprehension, allowing the student and the teacher to see immediately how the student is progressing. Students may sign on at home to read articles and take quizzes as well. There's no such thing as too much practice. 

Science: 
Last week was our first week of science. Tuesday we took notes on the lecture about relationship between mass and acceleration and how they in turn relate to force. Students were asked to illustrate the equation F=ma to prove understanding. These illustrations are posted outside our classroom. On Thursday we worked in the lab on our first lab. We walked through the lab write up process and then students were asked to finish the conclusion at home. Over the weekend I heard from several students that they had forgotten their notebook, didn't have the data, etc. Thankfully, the lab write up isn't due until Tuesday! This week we will be working on the different types of forces. 

Upcoming Dates:
September 16th (Tomorrow) - Picture Day! Uniforms required
September 25th - All School Assembly (8th grade hosting)
September 25th - VIP Day 8:00 - 9:30
September 25th - NHS Induction
October 9th - Jog A Thon
October 9th - Physics Field Trip (3 more chaperones needed!)
October 13th - 23rd - MAP Testing
October 16th - Harvest Festival
October 24th - Field Trip (5 more chaperones needed!)

Picture Day

It is that time of year again. Yes it is time for those SPECIAL SCHOOL PICTURES!! All children must wear the school uniform and abide by the dress code (you can find this in the front of the student planner) in their picture.

We are using a new company this year, Apple of My Eye Photography. They will be using the outdoors of our campus for the back drop. Don't worry it is suppose to be GORGEOUS weather next week, but just in case they use pop up canopies for the children to be under. Below you will find the scheduled days and the hours pictures will take place.
No picture packets are needed and no money needs to be sent to school on picture day. I have attached the packages and pricing from the photographer so you have an idea of what is available.

Every student will have their picture taken even if you do not wish to purchase pictures. We upload student pictures to the district database Synergy, and student pictures will also go into our annual yearbook, which will be on sale in the spring and go home the last day of school.

Once the photographer has completed the editing process she will send us information about viewing of the pictures online and how to complete purchases online. There will not be retake days because the photographer will take a few shots for you to choose from.

Monday, Sept. 15
Kindergarten - 3rd grade
8-11am

Tuesday, Sept 16
4th -8th grade
8-11

Tuesday, Sept 23
for any students who were absent on their picture day or new students who started after picture days

Volunteer Needed!

I need one volunteer that can work from home for about 15 minutes each night. Every day in class we get new vocab words. There is an amazing site that allows students to practice these words, but the new ones must be entered. Are you decent on a computer? Can you spend 15 minutes entering the new words for me? If so, let me know and I'll get you all set up and then will send home the words with your student each day. Thank you!

The Sovereign State

Today's lesson was focused on what makes a country an independent functioning entity.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to...

• Identify and describe the four features of a state.
• Differentiate between a sovereign state and the “states” in the United States by deciding whether the four features of a state apply to each.
• List the four roles of government.
• Apply the features and roles of a state by creating a profile of a new, fictional sovereign state and deciding on its priorities.

Students should be able to tell you what four things make a country a sovereign state and give examples of those four catagories.

Curling Field Trip

Our first field trip will be on October 9th, 2014. We are going to Evergreen Curling Club to learn the sport of curling and to see physics in action!

About Evergreen Curling:
"Curling first came to the Portland, OR area in the winter of 1847 when the HMS Modeste, an 18 gun British warship, spent a few months frozen in on the Columbia river near Ft. Vancouver. Four officers from the Modeste bested four locals from the Hudson Bay company in a 3 game series on the frozen river on January 26, 1847. They used locally found stones and a makeshift rink only 22 yards in length. During the after-match partying they cordially instituted the Vancouver Curling Club, the fate of which remains a mystery today.

More than 110 years later, in September of 1962, Harold Mahnke, a retired school teacher from Superior, WI, re-introduced the ancient sport to Portland by holding a series of curling exhibition matches at Lloyd Center Ice Rink near downtown Portland. Mahnke then established the Portland Curling Club which hosted games on rented ice at the Silver Skate Ice Rink in Portland for 20 years until the demise of Silver Skate in 1983.

Nearly 20 years later, in 2002, Doug Schaak, a newly arrived English Professor with roots in curling dating back to his childhood in Rolette, ND teamed up with Cheryl Doucette and an enthusiastic group of volunteers to form the Evergreen Curling Club. They rented ice at Mt. View Ice Arena in Vancouver, WA and eventually at Lloyd Center to provide leagues, bonspiels and other events in the Portland area for 10 years through the Spring of 2012. Highlights of this period included Rose Bonspiels attracting curlers from across the USA and Canada, an exhibition match with the 2006 Olympic Bronze Medal team, and a 2007 re-enactment of the 1847 HMS Modeste Match with curlers in full period costume.
Read Doug Schaak's own words...

In January 2013, Evergreen CC took another step by opening Oregon's first dedicated curling facility. The three sheet facility is located in a rented warehouse in Beaverton, OR. Evergreen CC provides a variety of programs during curling season including nightly leagues, learn-to-curl classes, corporate events, a junior instruction program, skill clinics, bonspiels, competitive playdowns and private parties. The facility includes a warm room with bar, and state-of-the-art video monitoring with live streaming and commentary to the Internet during competition." -www.evergreencurling.com

We will leave school at 10:00 and return at 1:00. Students will wear their regular school uniform (pants only) and must bring a warm jacket. As you can see from the pictures above, it is played on ice, which means the room is below freezing! Everyone, parents included, should bring a warm jacket and gloves. Because we will return to school after hot lunch has been served, everyone will need to pack a cold lunch. 

I can take up to 4 parent volunteers. If you'd like to attend, please let me know right away. 

Attendance

We are off to a great start! So far we've had a full house every day with only a few tardies. Let's keep up the great work.

Let’s all work to be on time for school!

At Cascade Heights , families come from many different areas and getting to school  on time can be a challenge.  Please plan ahead!

* Lay out uniform and backpack the night before (don’t forget your planner)

*Get a good night’s sleep

* Leave in plenty of time (especially if you cross train tracks or travel with traffic)

Students are to be in their seats ready to learn by 8:00 a.m.  Our doors open at 7:45 a.m. each morning and close at 7:55.   This gives students plenty of time to walk to class, put  backpacks, jackets, and lunch away before taking their seats.  

If you do happen to be late:

a.  If student is in class but not in their seat- teacher will mark the child tardy but will not send them back to the office.

b. In order to start our day promptly, teachers close their classroom door promptly at 8:00.   If a student arrives to school in time, but arrives to a closed classroom door, this may mean they were not efficient getting to class and an office pass will be required to enter class. This is to ensure the safety of all students.

c. If a student arrives at school after 7:55 the student must be signed in by an adult.  Park safely, bring your child to the office where they will receive a pass to go right to class while the parent signs the student in under later arrival on the HelpCounter computer located by the door.

Why Government?

Last week was incredible and I can honestly say I'm looking forward to working with each of you this year. Today we began our first history unit which is Civics.

Today we will answer the question "Why Government?" by reading about Thomas Hobbes and John Locke.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will be able to...

• Identify the basic ideas on government from Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. 
• Define the terms: state of nature, natural rights, sovereign.
• Trace the development of the idea of the social contract from Hobbes and Locke.

Students read orally, learned to take notes from lecture, retold to a partner from their notes, and then used their notes to create a visual representation of the two opposing ideas. Tomorrow morning they will use their notes to complete a compare/contrast chart.

Tonight ask your student about social contracts and natural rights.

8th Grade Night

8th Grade Meeting

October 2nd, 2014

7:00 PM

Agenda to include: 
High school readiness
Choosing the right high school
End of year trip and fundraising
        Promotion

Room Cleaning Sign Up

As many of you know, we do not have janitors to clean the classrooms. We ask that each family volunteer once or twice per year to help vacuum, wipe down the counters, and clean out the sink. With your student's help, it takes about an hour tops.

Please visit the sign up genius below to sign up to help. While the sign up genius says 3:30 - 4:30, our class is in PE/Art from 2:00 until the end of the day, so you are welcome to be in the room vacuuming anytime after 2:00. 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4fa5af2ca64-chpcs

Thank you! 

Conference Sign Ups

Fall parent conferences are held the last week of October and are a chance for us to sit down and discuss hopes, dreams, and possible issues. 

You can sign up at: 

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0d4fa5af23a20-fall1

Back to School Night Tonight

Tonight is Back to School Night. All parents are invited to join Mrs. Denman in the gym at 6:30 to meet the new staff members and a brief welcome. Parents may then make their way to the classrooms for a 20 minute presentation on classroom expectations and our curriculum for the year. At 7:00 the second classroom presentation will begin so that families with more than one student can see both teachers. 

The music room will be open from 5:30 - 6:30 for parents to meet the new music teacher, talk about instruments, etc. 

I look forward to seeing you this evening. 

Remind 101

As part of our emergency preparedness response program please take time to sign up for Remind- 

CASCADE HEIGHTS EMERGENCY ONLY messages. 

If you signed up last year and your information is still the same, you do not have to register again.  

This system is used to communicate immediate circumstance information to parents such as early dismissal due to inclement weather, cancellation of classes for Cascade Heights only (for example- broken water main) 

To receive messages via text:   Text @fa0a2 to 971-717-3515

You may also opt out at any time by replying "unsubscribe @fa0a2'.

OR

You may also receive messages via email, send an email to fa0a2@mail.remind101.com 

Unsubscribe by replying with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. 

Remind is a one way text messaging and email system.  With Remind all personal information remains confidential. 

For more information you may visit: https://www.remind.com/