The Progress Dilemma

Congratulations  to our 8th graders on a great e-night. Here are some of my favorite pics from the night:

ELMS Staff and Students Supporting Verterans

Throughout November at Expeditionary Learning Middle School, students and staff are raising funds for the GI GO Fund which is a charity that provides a variety of transitional services to our Nation's veterans.  These services include help finding a job, money for housing and schooling, and locating proper services in their community.  Thank you for your continued support!  The next Hat Day for students is Friday, December, 5, 2014 so please remember your $1.00 for your hat and for our veterans!

Mayor Miner attends Peacemaker Interview

Five of our peacemakers interviewed Mayor Miner about her ideas on peace today! They did an amazing job!

MESH publishing party-November 13

Many of our young poets at ELMS were honored with a publication in MESH Literary Magazine and many of them performed at the University. It was a proud day for kids, parents and Of course Ms. Ogno and me!

8th graders are working hard on their expedition!

We can't wait to show off their work December 2 at the Center of Excellence!

7th grade field work at Newhouse! We learned how to spread our positive epidemic of peace!!

ELA Homework for November

Students have been given biography books to complete their November book reports. They are due November 25th!! Please check in with them to see their progress! 

Our peacemaker interviews have begun!! We can't wait to show off our finished product!!!

Halloween fun!! We were ready for community meeting!!

Swerve Crew Overnight!!

We had a great time full of adventure, challenge, fun and s'mores!! I'm so proud of these lovely ladies!!!

After school

Our 8th grade students leading literature groups in after school. Their conversations about literature are very impressive!!!

Poetry Fridays

Our kids have been working with Syracuse University's MESH program on Fridays to study, write and perform original poetry. They are so talented and make me so proud!!

I love catching students with their noses in books!!!

Reminder!!!

After school starts this coming Wednesday, October 21.

8th Grade Experts: Phil Arnold and Sandy Bigtree

Today our 8th graders learned about the Haudenosaunee perspective on the history of Onondaga Lake. Our experts were awesome and the kids amazed them with such insightful questions!

7th Grade Kickoff

Students received violence statistics throughout the day from all of ELMS staff and got together to solve the puzzle. It turns out that those statistics are all from Syracuse. We discussed the need for change and how we will create peace in our city. I was impressed by the level of conversation and their willingness  to share. This is an issue near all

of our hearts. I'm so excited for what's to come with this expedition!!

7th Grade Expert: Marie Morelli

Marie Morelli from the Post Standard came in to teach our students how to perform effective interviews. We learned so much from her expertise and we are almost ready for our peacekeepers!!

September Payday

I had the pleasure of escorting students with a 3.5 or higher HOWLs GPA to get ice cream on Friday!  These students certainly deserved the treat and we had a lot of fun! It goes without saying, good work habits = happy Friday afternoons!

7th Grade Expert: Abraham Chol from South Sudan

Our 7th graders have been reading A Long Walk to Water  by Linda Sue Park to kick off our Quest for Change expedition and we were so lucky to have Mr. Chol join us to speak about his journey and his personal quest for change.  He emphasized hard work and not taking shortcuts in life and our students were captivated by his story.  We are so excited to take on this expedition!

ELA Homework: October

I was so impressed with the high quality book reports that I graded this weekend!  I may be biased, but I believe we have the most talented and creative students here at ELMS. Please check e-school to see if your student completed his or her book report and what grade he or she received.

For October, students will be expected to create a narrative using instructional tools within their narrative writing packets.  You will find the assignment, tools for using different types of details, vivid verbs, imagery, an outline,  and rubrics for writing.  Please ask your students how they are doing on this project and help them revise.

I am so excited to read the incredible stories that I know will come out of this project.

Thank you for your support! :)

Miss Buecher

Extended Day Applications

We have an exciting year planned to engage and promote student success this year in ELMS after-school program.  We need to have the applications to sign your students up online this year as soon as possible.

8th Grades Social Studies 2014-15 Syllabus

Very important dates, TCI Access, expectations, and procedures are listed.

8th Grade Social Studies Syllabus

7th Grade Social Studies 2014-15 Syllabus

Very important test dates, TCI Access, procedures, and expectations are listed within.

7th Grade Social Studies Syllabus

Welcome back to school!  I'm looking forward to seeing all of your smiling faces on Tuesday.  I hope you've had a relaxing and fun summer.

Please make sure you check your supply list and make sure you have your composition notebook for ELA.

I will distribute our syllabus and homework in class, but I want you to be sure you have access to important materials on the blog as well.  Our first homework assignment will be a book report due on September 30th.  Both are attached to this post.  As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns!  2014-2015 will be a great year!

Miss Buecher

7th Grade Syllabus

8th Grade Syllabus

Book Report #1: Realistic Fiction Due: September 30

Recent Seventh Grade Field Work

Homework 7 and 8

Our 7th and 8th graders will have weekly assignments in their test prep books. Please check your students planner and ask them about all of the strategies they are learning! Students also need to turn in a reading log every Friday. Please ask your student about what they're reading and discuss their books with them to help foster an importance and love fore reading. Your support is very appreciated! As always, please contact us with any questions or concerns!

7th grade fieldwork prep

Our 7th graders are hard at work researching their local abolitionist sites in preparation for our upcoming fieldwork on the 14th and 17th. Please make sure your child has his or her permission slip turned in!

8th grade kickoff fieldwork at the Palace Theater

Our students kicked off our expedition grappling with the level of sacrifice and the need for honor by watching Saving Private Ryan at the Palace Theater. Our students are building valuable background knowledge and preparing for veteran interviews!

Fieldwork- Jerry Rescue and OHA

We had such a great time and learned so much despite the cold! Our kids showed perseverance and a strong will to learn! We are so excited our expedition is finally kicked off!!

Field Work-WE NEED PERMISSION SLIPS!

Please ask your child for permission slips for the upcoming field work.  We are missing many slips and need them ASAP:

7th grade field work to OHA and Jerry Rescue sites: 2/6 (We need these now!)

8th grade field work to the Palace Theater: 2/14 (Students need to pay $3 to view the film)

Thanks for your help, we are looking forward to kicking off our expeditions with these enriching experiences!!!

Upcoming ELA Assessments!

Good evening!

Your 7th/8th grade student will be taking two assessments in the next few weeks at ELMS.  Your student will take the SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory) to measure his/her Lexile level.  This test helps us understand what grade level your child is reading at and helps us greatly to track personal growth.  Please encourage your student to try his or her best so we can get a clear measure on his or her ability and growth.  Your child deserves to see hard work pay off!

Our Unit 3 Hybrid Reading Unit test is this coming Monday 2/10.  Your student will receive a study guide to review important concepts and vocabulary.  If your student comes with the study guide complete, they may use it on the test and I will give them 10 extra points. 

Please encourage your child to keep reading every night and track it on the reading log.  They are due Friday as always!  Thank you so much for your support!

Miss Buecher

Howl #4 at its finest!

Our dear 7th grader, Nayelis, has been caught teaching us what hard work looks like! She demonstrated perseverance and revised her Unit 2 test essay not once, not twice, but three times! This is the type of work ethic that leads to success! We are proud of you, Nayelis! Keep up the great work!

Seventh Grade 1/27/14 to 1/31/14

We are going to have the sections of seventh graders stay with one teacher until Wednesday 1/29/14 to make-up for time lost with school delays and cancellations.  Students who have Mr. Coir on Day 2, we will be having a test on American Revolution.  In both classes, we will be doing research on slavery in the new nation, creating our government, and preparing for fieldwork to the Onondaga Historical Association on February 6, 2014.

Have a great weekend!

Mr. Coir

Check out the Onondaga Historical Association's Website

8th Grade Mid-January Update

The 8th grade is concluding their investigation of World War I and will be taking an exam the week of 1/22/14.  Students need to be reviewing over the three day weekend.

7th Grade Social Studies- Mid-January Update

Hello ELMS families and students!  The seventh grade historians are wrapping their investigation of how the Patriots justified their separation from Great Britain by reading and analyzing Thomas Paine's Common Sense and the Declaration of Independence.

1/16/14 students have homework:  students are asked to create an illustration that describes the meaning of their excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.  This is due on 1/22/14.

Also, after the holiday we will be having an exam on the American Revolution the week of 1/22/14.  Our next unit of study is the creation of our new American government.

Homework!

Hi everyone! Happy new year! Please remind your student of the reading log due on Friday. Students have also been assigned a paired reading task to complete by Friday or Monday, depending on which day I saw them. (The snow day threw us off a bit!) Thanks for all of your support and please contact us with any questions!