I just wanted to thank all of you for your patience and prayers over the past month. After the death of my "chosen grandmother," my mother has learned that she has colon cancer. As I informed you on Friday, I was gone on Thursday to be with her while she had the right-side of her colon removed. The doctors are now doing tests on the mass (tumor) in her colon, the walls of the colon, the blood supply system to that side of the colon, and her lymph nodes near the colon. We were hoping to get these results this weekend, but won't be able to until Monday. She has had some problems with her recovery from the surgery, but was able to have fluids again today (she was on a liquid diet from last Saturday until Thursday, and has only had ice chips since then).
My brother (Brother Dominic) drove home on Friday and has been given some time by his religious order to help out here at home. I will be at school on Monday, but may need to miss another day to help her come home. As I learn more information I will let you know.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Welcome to the Land of Ites!
As we begin our journey together this next school year, I will periodically post information on this blog page to keep you informed and to answer questions. This is just a review of what we have covered these first few days of the school year:
All school and middle school rules apply in my room. If you want to keep it simple, think RESPECT: respect God, yourself, those around you, your teacher, and all equipment. This is a safe place for your body and your ideas; everyone's opinion is valid (deserves attention) and everyone is equal.
I am huge on scheduling and planning ahead. There will be calendars on-line, on the board in the MS hallway, and in my classroom. This may be THE MOST IMPORTANT skill you learn this year; try to take advantage of it.
I am also big on students learning responsibility for their things and actions. I will be handing out assignments in class ONCE; all will be posted on-line, so if you loose or forget your copy, it is YOUR (the student's) RESPONSIBILITY to make another (hint: try printing it off-line from home or school).
Regarding testing: I believe in testing you over what you know. I do not give pop quizzes, I do not add additional information to tests, and I let you know ahead of time what will be covered on all assessments. For every project, I give a rubric. Therefore, if you have questions about an assignment, the time to ask them is BEFORE the assignment is due.
I post grades on Edline each week, and expect both parents and students to be aware of their current grades. All work that is given to help students learn a skill (formative work) is scored using a 1-4 scoring system; those grades are also entered into Edline, but are worth zero in the overall grading. That being said, a student who receives a score that is less than a 3 is expected to redo that work until it is of 3 or 4 quality. Those scores will be changed in Edline as students continue to improve their work quality. When students complete work showing their mastery of a skill (summative work), that work will be entered into Edline with a numerical grade. With the exception of a student failing an assignment, these numerical grades will not be changed after being completed.
If you have any questions, the fastest and easiest way to get a hold of me is to email me at cites@sainttheresaiowa.org. I can also be reached at the school office 277-0178. I have a young child and live 35 miles from Des Moines, and will need at least a 1-day notice in order to set up before or after school meetings.
I'm looking forward to a wonderful year for all of us!
All school and middle school rules apply in my room. If you want to keep it simple, think RESPECT: respect God, yourself, those around you, your teacher, and all equipment. This is a safe place for your body and your ideas; everyone's opinion is valid (deserves attention) and everyone is equal.
I am huge on scheduling and planning ahead. There will be calendars on-line, on the board in the MS hallway, and in my classroom. This may be THE MOST IMPORTANT skill you learn this year; try to take advantage of it.
I am also big on students learning responsibility for their things and actions. I will be handing out assignments in class ONCE; all will be posted on-line, so if you loose or forget your copy, it is YOUR (the student's) RESPONSIBILITY to make another (hint: try printing it off-line from home or school).
Regarding testing: I believe in testing you over what you know. I do not give pop quizzes, I do not add additional information to tests, and I let you know ahead of time what will be covered on all assessments. For every project, I give a rubric. Therefore, if you have questions about an assignment, the time to ask them is BEFORE the assignment is due.
I post grades on Edline each week, and expect both parents and students to be aware of their current grades. All work that is given to help students learn a skill (formative work) is scored using a 1-4 scoring system; those grades are also entered into Edline, but are worth zero in the overall grading. That being said, a student who receives a score that is less than a 3 is expected to redo that work until it is of 3 or 4 quality. Those scores will be changed in Edline as students continue to improve their work quality. When students complete work showing their mastery of a skill (summative work), that work will be entered into Edline with a numerical grade. With the exception of a student failing an assignment, these numerical grades will not be changed after being completed.
If you have any questions, the fastest and easiest way to get a hold of me is to email me at cites@sainttheresaiowa.org. I can also be reached at the school office 277-0178. I have a young child and live 35 miles from Des Moines, and will need at least a 1-day notice in order to set up before or after school meetings.
I'm looking forward to a wonderful year for all of us!
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