The Midlothian Exchange

Students,
The Midlothian Exchange has a great article about our relay team. 
Click on the link below to go to the newspaper's website.  We are celebrities!

The Midlothian Exchange

Speaking in Southern Accents

6th graders,

As we approach the end of the year, all of our attention turns to the SOL test.  Make sure you are studying your flashcards, and that you are doing the SOL pass homework assignments.  These will help you prepare for the test.  After we finish the test, we are going to be creating some Civil War vignettes to showcase your acting ability and your historical research skills.  You can do the skits live, like Broadway, or you can film them.   You will be getting written instructions on Wednesday/Thursday of this week.  For those of you who may be playing the role of a southerner, I have attached a youtube video on how to speak in a deep south accent.  I don't know if it is accurate or not, but it is neat to listen to the way she speaks....

Another idea is to use words in your scripts that are authentic to the time period.  There are hundreds of links that give popular slang phrases that would spice up your scripts.  Did you know that to "acknowledge the corn" meant to admit the truth?  Check out this Civil War slang link to get some other ideas of words to use.  (Click on "Civil War" slang link!)

I do have a few pictures that I can show you...

Here are a few pictures that I can post.

I hope that you all found the Relay for Life assignment worthwhile, and that you've come away from this a different person, truly learning that you can make a difference.

The Luminaria Around the Track

Kallia, Antonia, and Kiera

Chloe, Robbie, and Gabby

The Monday After.....

Dear all,
What an amazing weekend we all had!   I am still tired from it all, but I do have many wonderful memories and important experiences.  I will post pictures in the next couple of days, so be on the lookout for them.  Some parents have also sent Mrs. Cook and me some great pics, and I'll make sure I have them up soon.

My brain still feels a little fried from lack of sleep.  When I got home around 7:00 on Sunday morning, I found out that my dog had been attacked by my neighbor's two pit bull mixes.  My son was playing fetch with her in the yard, and he turned away for a bit, then she evidently took off into their yard and they got into a fight.  My dog is the most non-aggressive submissive dog in the world...she loves everyone...she hardly ever barks....so it was a surprise.  Needless to say, we called Animal Control.  This is the second time this has happened....the first time was with my other dog...My family took my dog to the emergency vet where they had to do surgery.  She is doing better tonight, so all is well...I feel lucky we didn't lose her.  I love dogs so much...at least the dogs I have had in my life...they are a stabilizer in my life, if that makes any sense.

When I say I love dogs, I don't love all of them.  Just the ones who wag their tails,  love people, and are gentle to everyone.  So...I am writing this because it is good therapy, plus it helps to explain why I didn't really sleep as much as I would have liked to sleep on Sunday.  My brain is still mush....but will be better tomorrow! 

Below you will see two flash mob videos from Saturday evening.  I don't know if I will get any others, but if I do, I will pass them along.  Thanks to the two people who posted these videos to youtube!

 

 

Dear Flashmobbers,

We had a great practice today.  Mrs. Bender has been a life saver in so many ways!  She has managed to take an unruly bunch and turn it into a Broadway bound machine!   Mrs. Cook and I stayed after school today to get ready for tomorrow's event.  Mrs. Bender came back to school and brought in a video of us dancing.  Unfortunately she had her phone upside down, but she managed to video it, and I managed to get it on the blog...two great feats from a generation older than you!  Try watching it standing on your head...

Relay for Life "Pod" Preparations

As you can see, we are busily preparing for our tent village.  The event is just a week away!  Can you believe it?  I am looking forward to it!  Here are some pictures from the hallway chaos of last week.  :-)

The Sleep Walkers

Thing 1...Thing 2 is coming....

A Clever Way to Use Duct Tape!

Let's Try This Again

As you know, the posting I made on the 12th has disappeared.  This was an issue with the blogger website.  I have been waiting for the post to reappear, but it is now Saturday afternoon, and still nothing.  The post involved a poll to vote for the best BizWorld wiki ad.  If you look at the column on the right, you will see the poll.  

To vote, go to the sixth grade wiki page and view all of the different ads.  Think of the ad that best gets customers interested in the upcoming bracelet sale.  Don't make this a popularity contest!   You can only vote once, so really think about it!  You can always change your vote.  The polling closes on May 27th..  You can go to the wiki page by clicking on the link below:

6th Grade Wiki

It's May 11th!

The End is Near.....

I cannot believe that the year is almost over.  I am sitting here at my desk wondering how the year could have passed by so quickly.  It seems like yesterday that I began this blog...
I have enjoyed using the blog to keep track of what we've been doing in class and as a team.  I am not always the best photographer, but some of the pictures of this year have turned out great.  I will take lots at the Relay for Life event to include as well.  Maybe I'll even make a movie if I have time.

I am actually going to include a bit of REVO credit on the blog.  Sometimes I compose this stuff and I wonder if anyone ever really checks it.  It's okay if you don't, I know you have enough to do in your busy lives.  The blog has been a great tool for me to journal about the year.  I sometimes look back at old posts to remember some of the events and activities that we have done.

To get your REVO bonus, simply post a comment to the blog.  You have to be a follower of the blog to do this, so if you aren't, that's no big deal.  A couple of you have posted comments this year, and they are fun to read. 

We will have fun in the next couple of days getting ready for our big event at James River.  You all have impressed me so much with your dedication to our team.  It is so important to remember that one person does indeed make a difference, and when a bunch of us are doing these things together, it becomes something very awesome.

My dog died one year ago tomorrow, on May 12th.  His death was very unexpected, and was a major trauma for everyone in my family, especially my daughter.  He was the best dog ever, and was truly a member of our family.   As I was typing in the date for this blog, I thought of him, and so I thought I'd close with a picture and a memory of him.

Let's enjoy the last month of school...as best as we can...oh, and by the way...to my odd classes...I have an SOL story to tell you....you will smile.  You all did great on your SOL Simulation tests today....much better than I had originally thought.  Why?
When I asked you if you wanted to hear who got 100's....I was reading from the benchmark results in February, not the simulation results from today....in my defense...it is confusing on how it is set up..but still my mistake.  I will let you know on Friday how you all did.

Busch Gardens

I am a little late in posting this....too busy I guess.  Here are a few pics that I took while we were at Busch Gardens.  We had a great day with perfect weather. 



Getting Ready to Begin the Day




In the Parking Lot!





Brandon and Evan plotting their moves through the park




FUN!




In Front of Apollo's Chariot




Lock Ness Monster Fun




A Brave Soul Going Alone




The Lock Ness Monster



Pizza Dinner Order Form

If you are interested in ordering a pizza, please print off this form.

DINNER AT RELAY

Pizza  from Ricardo’s will be delivered to James River High School at 6 PM on Saturday, May 21^st for the Venturer/Navigator Team participants.  We are preordering pizzas by “pods” and want to get the correct count to send in the order.  The cost of a cheese or pepperoni pizza is $7. Checks need to be made out to Pam Benos, who is ordering the pizza and paying for it.  Fifty cents of each Pizza order will be donated to Relay for Life for the Venturer/Navigator Relay team.

Please bring your order form and money to Mr. McEwen or Mrs.Cook by May 16^th.   Discuss within your pod the number of pizzas you want to order.  Each will be a large pizza with 10 slices.

Pod name____________________

Pepperoni Pizzas __________  (number)        Cheese Pizzas________________  (number)

Check attached ______     Cash attached___________

Relay for Life Thoughts

I was looking for a video from the Relay for Life organization to post on the blog, and I found a couple that I will put below.  Do you think it would be possible to organize a flash mob?  Have you ever heard of those?  It is where people all of a sudden start dancing in train stations or malls....we could do one on the relay track or next to the track.  Maybe we could practice some...what do you think?  Does anyone have a boom box that they could bring?

The first video is one I found from Florida.  The second video is from Oklahoma...no flash mob, but I thought it was a good overview of how a relay can look.  If you click on the video, you can make it larger to view.

Let's have a great week!

  

Relay for Life

Relay for Life is just two weeks away.  Watch this youtube video from the founder of Relay for Life.  As one student wrote to me the other day...."we are part of something bigger than ourselves..."
I am so proud of everyone for all of your hard work, enthusiasm and dedication.  I look forward to May 21!

Running

A non-social studies post I guess.  

My sons gave me the five-fingers running shoes for Christmas.  I tried them out and liked them...a lot.  It is weird how the sensation of running is very different without all of the padding of a running shoe.  I found that I could run faster with them, and my knees actually hurt less than they did wearing conventional running shoes.  Now when I run, I try to alternate the type of shoe I use, as different muscles are used depending on what type of shoe is used.  

This weekend I decided to use some of the holiday money that you all gave the CBG teachers.  I bought a pair of barefoot running trail shoes.  I have used them twice this weekend and I like them a lot....my toes hurt a bit...but otherwise I think I will like them.

Relay for Life is in just two weeks.....!

Relay for Life Information...May 4

Dear fellow relay for life team members.....

Mrs. Cook and I have tried valiantly to copy and paste a document into the relay for life email system to send out to everyone.  We are finding major difficulties with this, so we are attempting to use another avenue!

The content of the email is listed below.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  We are so proud of each and everyone of you!

If you get a chance, go to some older posts so that you can view some of the PSAs the students did, and you can also see a few pictures from our pasta dinner we held in April.

Dear Relay Team Members,

Thank you to students and parents for attending the Relay For Life informational meeting held this afternoon and for those of you who could not make it, here are the key points:

1. Schedule of Events

§  Relay is a community-wide event.  Relay is a walking event where we need to have at least one pod member on the track walking at all times.

§  Relay begins with Opening Ceremonies at 1pm on Saturday and ends at 6:00am on Sunday morning.  

§  It will be a fun event; in addition to walking the track there will be events and contests that will be going on all day and night long.

§  Tent set up (for those spending the night) - between 12 and 12:30pm.  Parents, please help with tent set up.

§  The Relay event begins with the Opening Ceremonies at 1pm, Survivor’s Lap kicks off the Relay followed by the Caregiver’s Lap; thereafter, everyone will join in.

§  9:00pm – Remembrance Ceremony and Luminaria

§  6:00am – Sunday morning – pick up by parents – home to bed!

2. Rules for staying the night – Mr. McEwen, Mrs. Cook will be staying the night with students.  To stay, you will need to have raised at least $30, unless your parent is planning to stay with you overnight.  You also need a permission slip and youth participation agreement signed by a parent.  Forms are available in Mrs. Cook’s room.  These forms were given out at the relay meeting on Tuesday, May 3.

3. Rules for coming and not staying the night – you must leave by 11pm, unless a parent is there with you.  Please let us know if you plan to do this.  If your parent is dropping you off and picking you up at a later time, you need a note, signed by your parent.  Notes are necessary for any back and forth movement.  This is for safety reasons.

4. We organized into ‘Pods’ at our meeting.  If you are not in a pod, please find a pod, or see Mr. McEwen or Mrs. Cook.  Each Pod is made up of at least one student who is bringing a tent, along with those who will share quarters with them.  Boys with boys, girls with girls.

5. ‘Pod’ Responsibilities

§  Each Pod needs a name and name banner– we have a contest for the most creative Pod name

§  Each Pod should bring snacks and water

§  Each Pod needs to sign up for times to walk.  See Mr. McEwen to sign up for your time(s) for walking.  Remember…there must be someone from our Venturer/Navigator team at all times on the track

§  Each Pod should have a tarp for set up under the tent, in case it rains

§  Each Pod should help with Luminaria placement after 8pm

§  Each Pod should sign up for a time to help man our Relay Sales Booth

§  Please plan to bring your folding chairs, coolers, pop-up canopies, in addition to your sleeping bags

6. Dinner

                Although concession items may be available for purchase, we will be taking orders in advance for pizza to be provided by Ricardo’s.  If Pods want to participate, whole pizza 10-slice pies can be purchased in advance for $7.00.  An order form is at the end of this email.  Bring money and the form for your pizza dinner to either Mrs. Cook or Mr. McEwen.  Please have this in by Wednesday, May 18^th.

7.   Booths for selling items at Relay – be thinking about the things we could sell.  Ideas were popcorn, bracelets, marshmallows, snow cones.  We will talk more about this in the coming week.  If you have an idea, please come by and talk with Mr. McEwen or Mrs. Cook!  We already have a great idea from a student selling foam fingers!  Awesome!

7. Personal Items – toothbrush, spare clothes/shoes/flip flops

8.   Parental help – we need your help!  Please email Mrs. Cook or Mr. McEwen and me if you are willing to help out

§  Tent set up – 12-12:30pm

§  Adults on duty between 9pm and midnight

§  Adults to spend the night

§  Adults to help with clean up, disassembly of tent city around 5:30am Sunday morning.   

Thank you all for participating.  Your participation is helping to support the fight against cancer.  Pod groups are included in a chart below.  Let us know if there are changes or corrections that need to be made.  If your name is not listed, see to it that you are joining a pod!

Thanks….Mr. McEwen and Mrs. Cook….

Pod Groups:

6th Grade
Pod Name	Tent Provider
	Paul Kemp	Adam	Nicholas	Patrick B	Jordan F	Evan Arents
	Hayley M.	Maria D	Abby Bender	Krystyna
	Diane	Alice
	Kallia	Elizabeth	Emma W	Emma J	Kiera	Sarah L
Amazing R	Jackie	Gabby	Isabel R	Sarah Z
The Sleep Walker	Preston	Cameron L	Cabell	Coleman	Christopher	Ryan	Danny
	Sarah M	Kiersen	Lara	Blair	Caroline
	Cameron D	Maggie P	Antonia	Sara F	Kristina
Thing 1/2	Kate C	Emmie	Mandy	Hannah	Sarah M	Paige	Lauren I
7th Grade
	Sam	Michael	Noah
Soapfaces	Carolyn Stough	Katie Rose	Emily VanDoornik	Savannah Quick	Olivia Staub	Abigail Staub	Faith Hodges	Patricia McCabe	Tessa Delano
	Tess	Abbey C	Kate R	Lorin R	Anna D
		.
	Joey	Robbie	Billy F	Evan
8th Grade
	Michaela Nee	Alyssa Harvie