New D.A.R.E. Class!

This week our groups had their first D.A.R.E. class! Group 310 went yesterday, and group 308 went today. We met our instructor, Cecil Township's own Officer Strain. He introduced us to the program, gave us our books, and our first informational handouts to share with our parents. We learned a little about Officer Strain, our class rules, what D.A.R.E. stands for, and talked about the decision making model. We're looking forward to learning more each week!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Homework:
Reading - PSSA p. 25 (50-55) is due on Monday. Read January and February in The Wednesday Wars and complete your role for Thursday.
Science - Science packet due on Wednesday
Wellness - Complete your D.A.R.E. book work for Wednesday (p.5, 28, and 32). Share the handout with your parents and have it signed.

Cyber Bullying

Every Thursday afternoon, our class meets as part of the Olweus Bullying Program. Today's topic was a brief overview of Cyber Bullying. Most of the meeting was spent discussing ways it is used and how it is harmful. Most of us have phones and love to use them to send texts and pictures. Our messages are there in an instant, and we love to communicate with our friends. Unfortunately, some friends forward information or pictures to others without permission. They may even say things about us that are untrue, and then, in an instant, it's everywhere. A sobering statistic that we heard today is that 1/3 of all teenagers who use the Internet say they have been targets of a range of activities, such as threatening messages, messages forwarded without consent, embarrassing pictures being posted without consent, or having rumors spread about them. Although this is a scary form of bullying (most admitted they'd rather be bullied face-to-face), it is more easily documented. We all need to remember to be responsible and treat others the way we'd like to be treated. Some important words we explored during our meeting were: anonymous, free speech, harassment, intimidation, and slander.

We had a great McD's Cafe today! We enjoyed discussing the chapter called December, which told about Holling's performance in the Shakespeare play and his not so pleasant meeting with Mickey Mantle. We're starting to notice that Holling is developing a better relationship with his teacher and friends. His friends seem to be true!

Not only did we have drinks, but cream puffs as well! Cream puffs are a treat that the students in the story seem to love, so Macey and Marah decided to share cream puffs with the class. Thanks, Macey and Marah! Thanks to Sydney, too, for the delicious drink.

Homework:
Reading - Review Saving the Sound (story and vocabulary). Quiz tomorrow. Also, read January and February for next Thursday's cafe. Complete your role.
Math - worksheet
Spelling - Quiz tomorrow. Study your list.
Science - Test tomorrow. Study.
Tech. Ed. - Drawing
Long Term - PSSA p. 25 (50-55) due on Monday

News for Kids!

Ask your child about Tween Tribune! Each student in our class now has an account which will allow him/her to access current and interesting news stories on a variety of subjects. They enjoyed reading some of the stories today, looking at comments left by other students, and writing some comments of their own. It's a great learning tool! Check it out under links on our blog.

TOMORROW IS AN IN-SERVICE DAY FOR TEACHERS. DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL.

Homework:
Reading - PSSA p. 25 (items 50 - 55) for next Monday. Also, complete your reading and role for this Thursday's cafe.
Math - worksheet
Spelling - Study. Test is on Friday.
Writing - Finish your draft for Thursday.
Science - Test on Friday. Study.

Spelling Stars

Congratulations go to Jacob for winning this year's school-wide spelling bee! We were amazed by the ability of all the contestants! Thank you to Lauren and Clarine for representing our team this year. Everyone did a great job in a pressure situation! Enjoy the slideshow!

Homework:
Reading - Read December in The Wednesday Wars and complete your role for Thursday. Also, complete your poetry practice for PSSA (pg. 25 - items 50-55) for next Monday.
Math - Mighty Multiplication
Spelling - Study. Test on Friday.
Writing - Finish your organizer for tomorrow.
Foreign Language - French phrases test is tomorrow.