IMPORTANT REMIDNERS/EVENTS:
Your students received their REPORT CARDS* today, Friday, Oct. 12th.
*Every student will have an “INC” (Incomplete) for Science or IPC (Mr. Scott). Due to illness, Mr. Scott was not present, and thus unable to input his grades for our students. He will fix this upon his return.
Important Info regarding Magnet HIGH SCHOOLS: Magnet High Schools will have representation on the Pin Oak campus on Oct. 19th. This is a great opportunity for our students to meet with different schools and get information on requirements for potential students.
Some classes will be participating in a program sponsored by the Houston Area Rotary Club in the coming weeks. The volunteer Rotarians will be leading activities in the classrooms that teach the students about life skills (finances, jobs, etc.) This is a great opportunity for learning, and we are pleased that some of our students will be able to participate during the time the Rotarians are available to be here. The program will kick off on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
DRESS CODE: A new addition to the dress code this year is Identification Badges. All students must have their ID badge on their person, and it must be visible. Please make sure your student has their ID badge every morning when they leave for school, in addition to being in compliance to other dress code requirements. Lost ID? Replacement ID’s are $5.00.
Sabor Latina is Friday, Oct. 12 from 6-8. Latin dancing and music for all! (Sponsored by POMS Foreign Language Dept.)
Please check out our Foreign Language Department's BLOG by following the link below.
http://pomsfl.wordpress.com
English:
Last week, our schedule didn’t allow for us to begin our Holocaust unit, so we will start this week. We will be studying some background into this time period before we begin with literature. The students will be making butterflies this week that go along with a poem from a child that perished in the Holocaust (“I Never Saw Another Butterfly” by Pavel Friedman). Each student will attach a picture I will give them of a child that either perished or survived the Holocaust, but they will not know what the child’s fate is yet. We will hang the butterflies on the windows in the C House Commons, and with the sun shining through, it looks amazing. I encourage all of you to come up and see it sometime. At the end of our unit, I will reveal the fate of each child the student’s had, and the ones that perished will be taken down, which is a fantastic visual representation of the tragedy that was the Holocaust. This is very meaningful for the students.
We will also be doing sentence diagramming and will continue reading and journaling in class daily. FYI: I will be off campus on Wednesday, Oct. 17 for a training session.
UPCOMING DATES:
Literature Terms TEST, Friday, Oct. 19, 2007.
Independent Book Projects due OCT. 1/NOV. 1. Please monitor your child’s progress on this assignment, as it counts 3 times in the gradebook.
History:
This week, the students took notes and discussed the mnemonic OPTIC. This is used to analyze painting, pictures, or other types of graphics. The students will be using this during the rest of their careers in HISD so they need to practice using it. It is unlikely it will be taught again so anyone who was absent this week on either Monday or Tuesday should be sure to attend tutorials on Monday, October 15. The students may use OPTIC for extra credit assignments if they go to the Museum of Fine Arts or other art museums. They must analyze at least three paintings that depict the period 1607 to 1876 or are the Remington paintings.
The new assignment is to read Chapter 6, answer the section assessments and chapter questions 1-23. The students should make a list of all the dates and events in both chapters 5 and 6. Those dates should be entered on a scaled timeline which can be decorated with pictures from the period.This is due in two weeks October 24/25.
The next big History Fair date is October 22/23. The completed project is due on those dates; the students will present their projects to the class that day.
History Fair Dates:
Process Paper due, October 8/9
Final Project due: October 22/23
All School Fair: November 6, 7, 8
Science:
Mr. Scott is out ill. Please email him with any questions you may have, and he will respond as soon as he is able. Because of his absence, all students have received an “INC” (Incomplete) for his class for the 1st six weeks. Mr. Scott will correct this when he returns. Our team appreciates your understanding.
Math:
Algebra 1:
This week, the algebra classes across campus will begin using the Carnegie Math Program. Our students are excited to use the new laptops and program. We will begin in Chapter 3 of the text. In addition, students can expect a test on material from Chapter 2 of the red textbook (non-Carnegie materials). Students will further investigate linear equations, graphing functions, and solving for a variable.
Pre-Algebra 3rd Period Only: Students are deep into their study of Chapter 2. This week, we will focus on adding and subtracting unlike fractions (2-6), solving equations with rational numbers (2-7), powers and exponents (2-9), and scientific notation (2-10). The following week, we will continue the study of scientific notation, however, students will have a brief introduction to it during this week.
All Classes: Tutoring for math is available on Thursdays. Students wanting to redo work that was graded within the grading period, may do so after school on Fridays. Help should be sought on Thursdays, prior to coming to redo work on Fridays. Though tutorials are not usually full, redo sessions close to the end of a grading period are almost always full, due to procrastination. Please ask your child to redo work as soon as they know they did not perform well on an assignment (they know this in class, as they see their grade before I do). Encourage them to check their textbooks for assistance, get notes from classmates when absent, and make-up work promptly. Please email Ms. Qureshi for more information about Math and Knitting.
