March 29, 2014

Basket Raffle

Yes, I know, we're looking for a lot of stuff from you all.  Here's a friendly reminder that the Basket Raffle items are due Friday, April 4th.  Ms. Skapof is in great need of more gift cards.  The themes include:

• Ms. Donnelly- BACKYARD BBQ
• Mr. Hunt- TEACHERS TOOL BOX
• Ms. Laberge- ROAD TRIP
• Ms. Skapof- GIFT CARDS GALORE

Theater Details

Here we go! This coming week the bulk of our energy will go into the costumes, sets, lights, blocking, acting, lines, programs, etc, etc for the Theater Festival.  There are many details to keep track of.

*Costumes should be in Swift House already in a labeled bag.  Click here for costume assignments.

*Tickets are on sale for $5.  The order form is stapled to your son or daughter's Greensheet this week.   The ticket money is used to offset theater costs.

*Monday: Macbeth Tech Rehearsal @9:45 a.m.

*Tuesday: Twisted Fairy Tales Tech Rehearsal @9:45 a.m.

*Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. Macbeth Dress Rehearsal, 1:15 p.m. Twisted Fairy Tales Dress Rehearsa

* Thursday:

• 10:30 a.m: Twisted Fairy Tales School Performance
• 1:30 p.m: Macbeth School Performance
• 5:00 p.m: Macbeth Performers return to Swift for costumes and make-up
• 5:30 p.m: Twisted Fairytales Performers return to Swift for costumes and make-up
• 6:30 p.m: Theater Festival!
• ~8:30 p.m: Strike followed by Cast Party

On Thursday night there will be a short intermission between Macbeth and Twisted Fairy Tales.  Students are expected to stay for both performances.  We really appreciate having the audience do the same.  After the performances students will have assigned "Strike" responsibilities.  Once the clean-up is complete we will have a small party in the dining room.  See food requests below.

Cast Party

After Macbeth and Twisted Fairy Tales, Swift cast, crew and families gather for a small celebration for the team’s hard work in the school dining room. Please help supply some goodies to make this a healthy and fun event. Kids will be hungry after a long day!

• Mr. Hunt’s Core: Cheese, Crackers, Veggie’s and Dip 
• Mrs. Donnelly’s Core: Fruit (grapes, cut apples, berries, bananas), Dessert 
• Mrs. Skapof’s Core: Beverages (water & juice) 
• Mrs. Laberge’s Core: Napkins, Cups, Small plates 

 Thank you for your support of Swift House Theater!

Yearbook Order Forms

Yearbook order forms are available here.

Dialogue Night

Dialogue Night - for 5-8th graders and their parents - has been rescheduled for Wednesday April 16th from 6-7:45PM. Click here for the flyer.

March 21, 2014

The  Next Two Weeks...

Phew, we wrapped up portfolios and have begun conferences.  Our Swift House theater festival is now at full throttle, and yet, that is only part of the big picture...

*Monday, March 24th~ All students should be off-script.  There should be many young folks working hard to be sure they have their lines memorized this weekend.

* Monday, March 24th, 6:30-8:30 pm in the Al Myers Theater~ Stan Davies Anti-Bullying Presentation for parents.  See the School Bell for more information.

*Tuesday, March 25th~ Stan Davies presentations for students during the school day.

*Wednesday, March 26th~ 7th and 8th Grade Spring Concert.  There will be two performances during the day.  Swift House students who are not part of the concert will see the concert at 1:15.

*Thursday, March 27th~ Costumes due for Theater Festival.  We will be sending out lists for students about what they need to have.  We aim to gather as much of our costuming needs here at school but will need students to supply basic clothing needs.

*Friday, March 28th~ Notecards due for students attending the NYC trip.

*Thursday, April 3rd, 6:30 p.m.~ Swift House Theater Festival!  

In Support of Standards-Based Reporting and PLPs

Nexus, the Swift House reporting system, is a 100% standards-based assessment.  This system evaluates students against specific criteria instead of averaging grades.  Recently Ms. Parks shared an article with WCS faculty titled, It's Time to Stop Averaging Grades.   This brief article supports what we have been doing all along: teasing out specific standards instead of lumping various assessments and skills into one number. 

At the same time, the Vermont State Legislature passed a law mandating Personal Learning Plans for all students.  Read Governor Shumlin's announcement here.  Again, we have been doing this all along with students personal goals in their portfolios and on greensheets.  It is exciting to see national and state-wide support for the systems we have in place in Swift House!

Kudos for the Engineering Challenge

Our first WCS Engineering Challenge at WCS was an exciting and positive day.  All WSC 7th and 8th graders participated throughout the day. They took the risk to get on stage with their products, for better or for worse.  We were very proud of the students who continued to test their machines despite malfunctions.  This is all part of the process.  Special recognition is due, however, for the Swift House 2nd Place Winner of the Indoor Slingshot Competition: Teegan Ross, Zach Schaw and Zach Roy!

2nd Place Winners~ Slingshot Competition

Showing contraptions to judges

4th Place~ Slingshot

Good Teamwork ~ Slingshot

The Rubberband Car

Rubberband Car moves!

Judge Mr. Thomas taking measurements

Launching the Zipline Contraption

More Ziplines

March 16, 2014

Portfolios

Students have completed their personal plan reflections and are currently putting the last of the class reports into their portfolios.  They will receive their reports from World Language and Related Arts classes on Tuesday.  Please look for portfolios to come home that day.  You will find students' personal plan evaluations as well as reports from three literature groups, math, science, social studies, word study, related arts, and world language.  You will also see students' final Independent Project reports and Poetry unit assessments to represent writing class.  Finally, there is evidence included related to each of the students' personal plan goals.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to review the portfolio with your son or daughter.  Core teachers are in the process of scheduling 2nd Trimester conferences as well.

Swift House Theater Festival

After completing the audition process, cast lists were created, stage managers named and technical directors assigned.  Our theater unit is now in full swing.  This is a fast and furious process, already interrupted by two snow days, and an Engineering Challenge and Music Concert Tuesday and Wednesday.  Students are working hard on learned their lines and where to be on stage.  We will carry on for the next two weeks with rehearsals only taking place during literature class.  Then the technical rehearsals begin when we add sound effects, props, lights, scenery, etc.  This process keeps us all busy, and may not be perfect in the end, but we all learn something about Shakespeare, the stage, technical aspects of the theater, and teamwork every year!

Remember to save the date for our evening performance on April 3rd at 6:30 pm.  Tickets will go on sale shortly.

Engineering

The First Annual WCS Engineering Competition will take place this Tuesday in the auditorium throughout the day.  Seventh and eighth grade students have been working in teams to create a machine to solve a task.  The zip-line delivers a ping-pong ball down an 8 meter line.  The moon lander lands a marshmallow safely from an extended drop.  The launcher sends a marshmallow into a buckets 5 meters away.  Finally, the rubber band car moves forward and stops promptly at a 5 meter line.  We will post photos and results next week.

Good Egg: 5th and 6th graders observed osmosis using eggs whose shells had been dissolved with vinegar.  This egg absorbed the colored water through osmosis due to the concentration variation from one side of the membrane to the other.

Basket Raffle

A reminder of our FAP Basket Raffle themes for this year:

Ms. Donnelly- BACKYARD BBQ
Donation suggestions: Grilling tools, tablecloth, hotdog griller, salt and pepper shakers, BBQ fork, grilling cookbook, marinades, timer, basting brush, grilling basket, mesquite chips, apron, thermometer, portable grill, charcoal, cooler. Gift cards to Dick’s, Wal-Mart, Hannaford’s or Shaw’s, or Shelburne Meat Market.

Mr. Hunt- TEACHERS TOOL BOX
Donation suggestions: school supplies, binders, desk calendar, graph paper, Ticonderoga pencils, markers, erasers, protractor, calculator, planner, post its, colored pencils, glue sticks, sticky notes, index cards, book covers, gift card to Staples, Wal-Mart

Ms. Laberge- ROAD TRIP
Donation suggestions: travel mugs, first aid kit, car safety kit, National Parks guide, travel games, VT/US atlas, car organizer, neck pillow, national chain restaurant gift certificates, car wash coupons, duffle bag, car trash holder, universal phone/ipod car charger, towelettes

Ms. Skapof- GIFT CARDS GALORE
Donation suggestions: Gift cards to any place in Chittenden County or credit card gift cards

*We are currently accepting donations now through April 4th.  Thank you!*

March 7th

Social Studies Update

In 5/6 Social Studies we have been learning about the "Jacksonian" time period. We've learned about how the Republican and Democratic parties were formed and we conducted a mock campaign to simulate the use of mudslinging and campaign elements that came into play in the election of 1824. The students worked in campaign teams and created some great slogans, commercials, flyers, and campaign buttons for their candidates. Bobby Spencer won the election!

Bobby's Campaign Speech

Joe with campaign sign

Bray with Grant's campaign sign

Hugo taking video for Nick's campaign

Bennet hanging campaign posters

In Social Studies the 7/8 graders are working on Civil and Human Rights. We started this unit looking at 8 different civil rights scenarios called issue cards. Students collaborated in groups, did some background research and then created a technological presentation to support their views on the posed issue. Each student was encouraged to form their personal opinion of the group issue card. There was some lively discussion and debate!  We are looking at Jim Crow right now, the events and important people associated with the era. Students are researching three activists of that time and taking notes, then creating a summary. We are following a somewhat chronological journey through the evolution of civil rights, all the while focusing on human and civil rights issues in current events, thereby making connections between past and present. 

The FAP Big Basket Raffle

The FAP Big Basket Raffle Collections for the 14th Annual Big Basket Raffle and Silent Auction are underway! This is one of FAP’s biggest fundraisers of the year, with proceeds funding FAP programs that support all WCS and ABS students, families and staff. Items donated by our Williston School District families will be made into beautiful themed baskets that will be raffled off at the BIG BASKET RAFFLE on Saturday, April 12, 2014. We ask each family to donate one (or more) item(s) that relate to your class theme:

Ms. Donnelly- BACKYARD BBQ 

 Donation suggestions: Grilling tools, tablecloth, hotdog griller, salt and pepper shakers, BBQ fork, grilling cookbook, marinades, timer, basting brush, grilling basket, mesquite chips, apron, thermometer, portable grill, charcoal, cooler. Gift cards to Dick’s, Wal-Mart, Hannaford’s or Shaw’s, or Shelburne Meat Market.

 Mr. Hunt- TEACHERS TOOL BOX 

 Donation suggestions: school supplies, binders, desk calendar, graph paper, Ticonderoga pencils, markers, erasers, protractor, calculator, planner, post its, colored pencils, glue sticks, sticky notes, index cards, book covers, gift card to Staples, Wal-Mart

 Ms. Laberge- ROAD TRIP 

 Donation suggestions: travel mugs, first aid kit, car safety kit, National Parks guide, travel games, VT/US atlas, car organizer, neck pillow, national chain restaurant gift certificates, car wash coupons, duffle bag, car trash holder, universal phone/ipod car charger, towelettes

 Ms. Skapof- GIFT CARDS GALORE 

 Donation suggestions: Gift cards to any place in Chittenden County or credit card gift cards


We are also seeking donations from local businesses for gift basket items, gift certificates, and silent auction prizes. If you have a connection with a local business you think would be interested in supporting this school fundraiser, please contact Lisa Wong 878-1150 or lisakenwong@myfairpoint.net

NYC UPDATE

Our NYC field trip plans are coming together. We are wrapping up fundraising with the hanging basket raffle in May and concessions at the play. Looking forward, we are looking for parent volunteers. We are looking for one parent to help organize the hanging basket fundraiser in May (this includes keeping track of vouchers and emailing), two to three parents to organize our snack bins for NYC, and one to two parents to organize our pizza dinner (set up/ordering in advance) for our NYC trip.

Your son or daughter's topic for their NYC project is due tomorrow. Starting next week, they will be starting the process of selecting locations where they would like to go while we are in the city. We are looking to have an informational meeting in mid-April, more details to follow. Thanks! Debbie and Kevin

Dialogue Night

Theater Update

All students have officially made their commitment to either Macbeth or the Twisted Fairy Tales for the theater unit.  Students have taken on roles as actors, directors, stage managers, costume managers, and technical directors.  Students have also been designated to run the lights and sound booth for the show. Students who did not audition for a speaking part will take part in a related literature unit starting next week.  All the rest will start rehearsals next week, on Monday.  We look forward to entertaining you in April.