Mrs. Zoromski's Page

Dear Parents,

This will be really short, I am sorry, my computer just shuts down at will. I have been trying since three to get this out....

You will have to get the school news from your child but here are two important announcements for 8th grade. First, all 8th graders can come out of uniform tomorrow. Second there is no hot lunch for 8th grade again this year so please send your child with a lunch.

Students who are going to DC need to help tip the bus driver $1.00 and the tour guide $2.00. They should just bring that on the trip and I will collect it from them at the end of the trip. If the services don't seem to warrant a tip I will not collect the money. In the past we have tipped.

We meet on the MSW parking lot at 4:45, my guess is leave at 5.....and my cell number is 8473083480 if you need anything.

Take care, hope this gets to you,

Mrs. Z

 

 

Dear Parents,

I am sorry this will be super short.... all is good, but my computer is not working correctly and Mr. Ron is in Florida. yikes.... my worst nightmare....

I will write tomorrow from school computer.

So sorry, take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Wow, 8th grade parents...... your children know how to have a great time. It was amazing watching them together as a group Friday night having so much fun.....What a special and great memory. Thank you all for transforming the gym. It was beautiful. I am thinking of calling you all together when Allison gets married.

In 8th grade science the students worked on their robots. Several students successfully passed the first super challenge. The students who are taking the course now, were able to turn their robot off and on with a clap. That is amazing. More robots tomorrow.

The 8th graders need to remember a lot for tomorrow, so I will help you. First three dollars for the ice cream social Mrs. Due is planning for Wednesday. Second they need a typed one page letter for a friend. They know about this assignment. They were due today and many turned them in, the rest have until tomorrow. That is for Life Skills. Finally, 8th grade comes out of uniform in their graduation t-shirt. They need to pack those for DC so wash them please. We wear those t-shirts for a group shot in DC. Please be sure they pack it.....

The 7th graders had a quick review for tomorrows Duck test. I think they will all do fine. They also worked on chormatography as they bled colors on a white t-shirt. It is a quick and easy tie dye method that shows the mixing of colors. There was a shadow student, so I moved away from a lecture and into this which is usually done the last week of school. I thought it would give the shadow student a little chance to meet and talk to the other 7th graders.

The ducks made it through their first weekend traveling to homes. Great job! They are alive, well and getting big. I cannot wait until they turn white with their mature feathers. It will happen soon. It is amazing how fast they grow and change (almost daily). Two of the ducks have developed eye infections. That is very common and nothing to worry about. Medicine is on the way.

I feel bad for 7th grade, but good for 8th. I am going on the DC trip. I have gone the last four years and could not imagine how bad I would feel not being part of this very special event in 8th grade. I am an 8th grade homeroom teacher and I will miss the 7th grade very much, but next year will be their big year. I have gone over the material to be covered with Ms. Ziobro and she is a graduate now so she will be fine taking over. Actually it will be great experience for her. She will leave MSW when I return and I will have a little time with the 7th graders before the year ends. I do have some special things to do with them starting with the pig dissection.

I have to run Anthony Loffredo is giving a speech at City Hall and I want to run over and hear it.

This is a very busy time for me. I have a lot to finish up, paper work, grades and packing.

Also just a reminder to 8th grade parents...... The 24th the students meet at Morningfields not school we have breakfast together and then walk to school as a class. This is my favorite event of the year. A permission slip will be coming home tomorrow....if I get to it.....

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today in both 7th and 8th grade I did the Friday Finale. It was a fire tornado. It worked out well, we did it outside so we had the real wind to content with, but I think they got the idea. The students all wrote very short thank you letters to the student teacher. She graduates tomorrow night, but will still stay at MSW until her term of student teaching is over. She was observing junior high Math most today, so I thought I should take advantage of the time with her away.

Just a reminder to the 7th grade parents. I had planned a test on the ducks for this week. I moved it until Tuesday because it seemed the students were on overload. That test will be next Tuesday.

In religion I talked to the student about all the gifts they and I have been given in life, and then showed a short video that was sent to me by a little boy who has AMS. His sister also has it. What a terribly debilitating disease. Thanks to the world of technology even though they cannot talk some communication is made possible through ipads. The story, the family, and the advances in technology are certainly amazing. I hope they appreciate all they have been blessed with in life.

The ducks have been enjoying their home visits and I hope they are creating some excitement in your lives too.

Thanks for your support of fun lunch today. Many 7th and 8th graders did not have their money. I allowed them to order anyway and said they could pay me tomorrow. Tomorrow is out of uniform for the school, but not for seventh grade. They will have it another day. While I am thinking about it next Tuesday is out of uniform for 8th grade only. They need to wear their graduation T-Shirt. Also they need to bring that t-shirt to Washington DC. Also next Wed. will be the final life-skills for the 8th graders and they need to bring $3.00.

Parents I hope you all can attend the pre and post part at the Kons. Thank you all who worked so hard to make the gym so beautiful. It is just amazing. Please encourage your child to dance, have fun and be inclusive. I will be there as a chaperone and I am hoping they have the time of their lives.

Thanks for your support, take care and have a great night.

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Good news to anyone who knew I was missing my camera charger..................I have it. I left it at the night preformance of the 8th grade play, someone turned it into the office, they did not know who to give it too, Mrs. Due saw it and she was holding it for me. I am so glad I found that there are some big events coming up.....in both 7th and 8th grade.

I have to say they did it again....8th graders Aced May Crowning. It was beautiful. I was very proud of Kristen and Joey. Great job to all of them. I think they are realizing the end is in sight.....

In 7th grade the students took an open note quiz in science and then watched a video on the heart. Ms. Ziobro has fallen a little behind on correcting 7th grade work. Her graduation is this Friday. I think you can all imagine how busy she is. Please be patient, she will get the work done.

The ducks were returned and went back out for another home visit tonight. If you do take the ducks home you need to get your car on the lot to pick them up. So you need to wait until the gates are open. This weather is just too cold and the box to carry is large. When returning them you need to either come back to school early so you can get on the lot or come a few minutes late. If you do come late the tardy is excused. Thank you for your help on this. They are getting big!

In 8th grade the student worked on their robotics project in science and did not have religion today because of Spanish.

I have to end here because I am running out to get some things for the Friday Finale. I hope to do it tomorrow because I will not be in school Friday morning. I am going to Joseph with the 7th grade and my student teacher said she did not want to do it....... So hopefully, weather permitting tomorrow will be a very exciting day in science for both 7th and 8th grade. I ordered the pigs today and the things that I need for some extra special 7th grade year end activities. I always like a BIG finish.

It is so hard for me to believe the 8th grade dance is around the corner. I cannot wait to see the dresses... Today I thought ALL the boys and girls really looked nice. I am glad they were able to change into something more comfortable for the afternoon.

Just a reminder tomorrow is out of uniform for the whole school and fun lunch.................oh no, I will be busy.... If you forgot to order do not worry just send the money with your child's order to my homeroom first thing in the morning. Friday is also out of uniform. I better go before the science store closes.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow is May Crowning; I cannot wait that is always a very sacred and beautiful ceremony. The 8th graders may change out of their formal clothes after the May Crowning. Parents just a reminder after May Crowning usually there is a big photo op outside of the church. I know this class is followed by the paparazzi......see you there!

In 7t grade the students worked on the circulatory system focusing on the heart. It was a great intro given by Ms. Ziobro and then I went into a short discussion of heart disease. The piece that excites me so much is how far they have come in heart disease prevention, cure and the new procedures on the horizon.

Tonight the ducks made their first home visit. I got forms from many students but not from all. No one can take them home without turning in a form. I will try to accomodate you wishes on days and times as much as I can. I was very pleased with the excitement and appreciate your willingness to participate in this learning event. We will have a test on ducks and duck care next Tuesday. I was going to give it Thursday, but the students told me about ALL OF THEIR other tests, quizzes and homework, so I pushed it out. I hope that helps. The ducks are growing right before our eyes. It is just amazing to watch.

In 8th grade the students finally started robotics. The students who were in the robotics club had the choice of reviewing the course with the rest of the class or accepting independent challenges. The first one is to make the robot move down the hall to Ms. Bielfuss's office. I was happy with how many students accepted the challenge and I wish them success. The other students worked on learning how to program their robot. I was very impressed with how well they did. So far the robot is just moving forward and backward, but they have a good understanding of how to work between the robot and the computer. That is really the key. Once they have that down adding new commands is quite easy. I am glad we have the equipment and I think it is a great way to end the year. The 8th graders are really not as interested in lectures at this point.

Father Andrew came to religion today and brought a friend of his who is also studying to be a priest. He talked about Mary and her role in the Church and our Faith. I think this gave extra meaning to the ceremony tomorrow.

The 8th graders had life skills today and I stopped in to talk to them about the dance. I strongly encouraged them to HAVE FUN. This is the only dance they will go to where they will know every single person there. They really should make it a point to mix it up, and include everyone. My hope for the night is there are 50 students together making memories to cherish. Please talk to your son or daughter and make this a reality. I have seen it happen in the past and that I believe is the purpose of an 8th grade dance.

I better go; honestly I have so much work to do my head is spinning.

One last thing, I have lost my camera charger. If you ask your student what I always have by my side they will say a cell phone and a camera. I know the last time I had it was at the 8th grade play. If anyone knows anything about where it is pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee contact me. Mr. Ron is not going to be happy about this...and I need to take pics at May Crowning.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I hope you all enjoyed the 8th grade play as much as I did. Wow, your children worked and their effort and talent showed. What a success! I'd like to thank the mom's who came to do the makeup for the afternoon and evening show. Also, thank you to Mrs. Pilarski for arranging the cast party. Even though it was last minute, while I was there it seemed like everyone was having a lot of fun.

The 8th graders got their graduation t-shirts today. I think they looked so cute with the uniforms. The colors were perfect. The students need to come out of uniform in dress clothes for the May Crowning ceremony on Wednesday. Remember shoes finish the outfit. I hope the students can wear another type of shoe rather than gym shoes. The girls need to be careful in those heels..... They do have to go up and down the stairs. I watched the practice today and got goosebumps when Mary was crown. This class has done an amazing job at anything they have been asked and I am sure Wednesday will be no different. They will also get their ribbons on that day. They may sign each other's ribbons they will be getting a new one to wear for graduation. The students may change in the afternoon because they have gym. The boys do not need to wear a white shirt although from experience a lighter color shirt does look better. After the May Crowning there will be time for parents to take pictures.

In 7th grade science the students finished up learning about Pekin Ducks and their care. They will have a test on that material Thursday. They can start taking the ducks home tomorrow. It is amazing how much they have grown in such a short period of time. If you have concerns about taking them home, please send me an email. They really are very sweet ducks.

In 8th grade the students worked on Thank Yous for the play and the Cub's Rooftop. Then they played with the ducks. The 8th graders will start robotics tomorrow and I cannot wait! This is usually a great way to wrap up the year.

We did not have religion today because of May Crowning practice. Tomorrow is a normal day with no interruptions and I am very excited about that.

I found out today that I will be going with the 7th grade on the Field Trip to Joseph. That should be a great experience.

I hope you have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I did a special Friday Finale for the 8th grade because they missed last Friday and they are missing tomorrow.... Ask them about the rocket....... I think they loved it and I will do it for the 7th graders on Monday.

Tomorrow is SHOW DAY GRADE 8............................and they will be ready. I hope to see you all at the play either at 1 or 7. The students should also be taking home their graduation gown tomorrow. I have a hard time even typing those words.... As Ron says I always want more... I hate to see them leave.

In case you did not hear The Pilarski's are coordinating the Cast Party.... Hope to see you all at Morretti's after we strike the set.

The students need to have their complete costume in school tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is 8th grade out of uniform..........................................

Thanks to the mom's who are coming to help with make-up. That really enhances the show and gets them so PUMPED UP (not that this class needs it)

The 7th graders made lungs today in science, and I think they were pretty cool. We are moving through the body systems and getting ready for the pig dissection. I know I am pulled away right now, but I will do just as much next year for your seventh grader who will be an 8th grader. This 8th grade class was you last year... We have some very special 7th grade year end projects so I think we will have a great finish to the year.

Take care,

Have a great night

and see you at the PLAY

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Just looking at this I am seeing yesterdays writing did not make it on.... I do not know why. The letter below this is Monday and I do not see Tues. I am sorry. I wrote, I guess I forgot to hit save. Sorry anyway today is Wednesday and I think I should probably put the day or date somewhere in the letter from now on.

Anyway today our schedule was a little messed up because we had a very special Mass to honor Ms. Dittemore. It was beautiful and thank you to all the students who helped make it so nice. I know her family was very impressed.

The seventh graders and eighth graders played with the ducks today. They are too cute!

8th grade had play practice all afternoon. The play is coming along nicely. The students should all have their costumes in school tomorrow for dress rehearsal. I hope to see many of you Friday night at the show. The students have been working very hard.

Tonight is the DC meeting I will try to stop by at it.

8th grade will be starting robotics and 7th grade will continue their study of body systems.

Thank you Mrs. Martin for getting the t-shirts for a special project the 7th grade will be working on at the end of the year.

Thank you to all the families that sent wet ones and paper towels. Now that we have the ducks in the classroom these are even more important than usual. The students have to wash their hands and clean the floor when they take the ducks out. If any of you think of it please send paper towels or wet ones with your child. We will be using a lot of them in the final weeks of school.

Thanks so much,

Take care,

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Well it happened today. The 7th grade students met their class pets. A few weeks ago I purchased four Pekin Ducks. They were shipped from the farm to the Park Ridge post office one day after they were born. I picked them up last Wednesday and they were two days old. They lived at my house for their first few days of life. I tried to keep them in a quiet peaceful environment and played with them all the time. They are adorable. There is a picture of Mrs. Due and me holding them on face book in the MSW website if you want a peek at them. They are yellow today but as they grow they will get their mature feathers which are white. They are Pekin Ducks and they are very social and easy to care for. The students in both 7th and 8th grade quickly fell in love with them. That is a good thing, because when I pick the class pet I am never sure of the reaction I will get from the students. We spend today in 7th grade science learning about the ducks and their needs, and then the students got to play with them. I left school at 3:30 today and went back tonight a few minutes ago to check on them and they were sound asleep. I think the students wore them out.

Ms. Ziobro passed back the science tests to the 7th grade. The students did very well. They need to bring the test back signed.

The 8th graders did not have science today because they had play practice. Play practice is going along well and the show has some pretty cute songs in it.... I have not seen the whole play, but I am looking forward to it. Last year some of the parents planned a class party at D'Agastinos for after the play. They invited the whole class and the parents went over there too. I think they had a great time....Anyone interested in organizing that???? I think it is a fun way to celebrate the end of the event.

We had religion, and as the students finished their assignment they were given time to play with the ducks. They also had May Crowning practice today. That is something to take off work for. Please plan on coming. I think that is one of the most beautiful MSW traditions. Today it was announced that Kristen Sako would crown Mary and Joey Lechowski would be the escort. Many teachers and administration were involved in the decision. Congrats.... to them.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I am writing early because I want to make it clear the 7th grade test will be tomorrow. This should have been last week, we have already moved on to new material. Studies and experience show putting a test off does not help because the time between learning and testing gets too far. If someone feels they need the weekend to study they may read a book during the testing time and take it on Monday at lunch. I do not like Monday tests; I do not like to take away from family time over the weekend. I have never had a test on Monday or homework over the weekend except the chicken, which you did get about 2 months on. That is because I think kids need down time and family time is very important. But if you think it is better for your child please just write a note and have your child take it on Monday. I know this was a hard week of testing...... I know they had many other tests and quizzes. The students did get a review sheet over a week ago and the test follows that review sheet very closely. Today there was a review at lunch many students did go to that.

Today in 7th grade science the students got many papers back. Then they reviewed the work done yesterday and had one Friday Finale. I have a second one ready and I will fit it in (that will just get them caught up, I have one for tomorrow too).... So we will see what we can get done after the science test. I do promise they will get everyone.... I know they are very important to the students. I do think they really liked learning about acids and bases today. I hope they learned bases turn the indicator blue or blue green and acids turn the indicator a color on the red, orange pink spectrum. It was great too because they learned a lot about how medicine works.

The chickens are spectacular the best ever...... Thank you and I do hope your child learned through that hands on experience. I will be writing a written evaluation on each one. It takes time and this is a very busy time of year, but I feel the evaluation is very important. Each student in the class will be getting a lab grade of 100 and two homework grades of 100 because this was such a time consuming event. Everyone completed it on time so all the grades will be 100 even though the evaluation comments will be very different. Many teachers and students have come to me stating also BEST JOB ever!

The 8th grade finished their flashlights today and 100% success. There were some problems with getting the screwdrivers back to some of the students correctly. I am still not sure I did that right. The screwdrivers were not all labeled and some look very similar. If your child has the wrong screwdriver let me know and I will try to fix it. I know how some people feel about tools, and lending tools. I do want everyone to have their correct one back.

The 8th graders had their lunch with Father Andrew today, but no religion due to play practice.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

What a big day.

In 8th grade we started and almost finished making flashlights. Today was only 30 minute classes so we were really rushing and not everyone was able to complete the task. They should be coming home tomorrow and they are pretty cool.

In 7th grade the students compared a skeleton of a chicken and a human. I think the results are amazing... Your child should be able to tell you the difference when we go over it tomorrow in class and then the value of the chicken project becomes very clear.

In the middle of all of this the class pet arrived in Park Ridge. I do not plan on them going to MSW until Monday. They will not start making home visits for another week or so. They are babies.....

We left at noon for the Cubs Rooftop event. Wow, that was really nice. The kids were amazed when they walked in the door and it just got better. Unlimited food, time with their friends and the game. Sorry the Cubs didn't get a W, but I still believe.

One last reminder, the 8th graders do not have to bring a lunch tomorrow. They are having a pizza party with Fr. Andrew.

Then I went into MSW so the students could get their backpacks and I attended the meeting to plan our summer trip to St. Bonaventure. After that I flew home to check on the class pet and went back to see the movie A Race To Nowhere. I was happy to see parents there and hope that soon this catches on. I feel we are hurting our children so much because we love them so deeply and we do not even know we are doing it.....

I am kinda depressed after the movie, and that does not happen often so I think I will end here.

Have a great night, take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Another speedy night.

I know I am sounding like all I do is 8th grade stuff, but 7th grade has a lot of very special things in the works. In the next three days the class pet should arrive at my house. I know everyone is excited, but as usual I am the MOST excited. They also should be turning in their chickens tomorrow. I have been amazed and very pleased with the flock I have outside of my room and every day I see a few new ones. When you have time please stop down and take a look it is truly amazing. Well done and thank you for your help and support. I have heard from some of you how great it was.... and from others well....... The students learned about bones today and did a lab. Part of the lab was looking at Allison's broken finger X-Rays, it brings it all home when you are looking at the bone structure being totally distorted. Tomorrow they will be comparing the human skeleton to a chicken skeleton, minus the wings we are pretty much alike... I moved their test until Friday so there could be a revie; on Thursday. I will not be there in the afternoon tomorrow so there was no way to fit a review.

The 8th graders took a test today. The student teacher is correcting them, and I am anxious to see how everyone did. I know at this time of the year many 8th graders are losing focus..... We are making flashlights tomorrow. It is a short section on electricity. I am really doing it because some of the 8th graders have siblings that made them in 8th grade and since 6th grade they have been begging. It is a lot of work getting the materials together but tomorrow will be a great day. Please send a small Phillips screw driver to school with your child. This was announced on Monday and they will need it.

In Religion the students took a test and then we read Visions which is the weekly supplement that explains Sunday's Gospel. Thursday is their Pizza Party and religion with Father Andrew and I think Friday is play practice so we had to fit it in today.

Tomorrow is the Cubs Rooftop field trip. Everyone in my homeroom has paid. The students can come out of uniform and can wear Cubs attire or anything appropriate. They may not wear Sox or Cardinals clothing. I think that is disrespectful since we are in the Rooftop. They should wear layers, but the Rooftop has an enclosed viewing room they can sit in if it is cold and rainy. It is usually a very fun afternoon. The 7th graders should come out of uniform and wear their Spirit shirts we have an assembly.

I hope some of you have heard about St. Cornelius and their water bottle drive. Please send any and all recycling to school by Thursday. Come on, pitch in, it is garbage and does not cost any money. Let's all try to help.

One last reminder that tomorrow night is Race to Nowhere. I hope to see many of you there.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Where did the night go?

It is late and I do have a lot more work to do, so this will be short.

The 8th graders did the egg drop from the balcony of the second floor to the gym floor in Wisdom Hall. They all had 15 minutes to protect their egg using as much paper and tape as they wanted. It was amazing how many eggs did not break. They will have a test tomorrow on speed, velocity and acceleration. There was a review session offered at lunch today, and some students stayed after school for extra help.

The 7th graders test got moved to Friday. There will be a review session during the second half of lunch on Thursday. That test will be on heredity and genetics. We are moving forward with new information that will not be on the test. The students will have a great lab experience tomorrow. I know they still need the Friday Finale, but the student teacher is being observed by her supervisor so she needs to teach. I will do the Friday Finale as soon as I can.

During Religion class we worked on Tuned into Worship Broadcast to the World. The students could not settle down. They ended up with a homework assignment. They are also having a test tomorrow. I know it is only one night to study, but we do not have many religion classes left due to play practice. The test is only on the Living Stations. We worked on them for two weeks. The students all watched and read the stations over and over and over. All they have to do is list the stations in order. I really think this should be very easy for them if they were participating in the practices.

Wednesday is the Cubs Rooftop party and Thursday is the pizza lunch with Father Andrew to celebrate the success of Living Stations. The 8th graders signed the numbers 12 today, which will go on the back of their graduation T-Shirt. These are all signs that our time is running out. We will have regular classes at school on Wednesday and leave for the Rooftop at 12. I hope the weather gets nicer. There is an indoor room that we can use if we need to. Please have your child dress in layers and warmly. It is often colder in the city.....

Please try to attend the Race to Nowhere viewing. I will be there and cannot wait. I saw this whole syndrome growing when my daughter was in grade school and high school. It has gotten bigger not smaller. I am very pleased that someone is taking a stand. I used to watch my daughter pitch in game after game and mentally I was writing another chapter in the book that I would title When The Cheering Ends. I am glad this is at least getting discussed. I am not sure I will agree with everything in the movie, but I strongly feel this is something that needs to be looked at. Also I am sure you are thinking that this has to do with little children and your child is beyond this. From experience I feel strongly that the next four years is when it reaches it peak. I could tell you stories from when Allison was in high school that would shock you and this is years later, and things have not gotten better.

Take care, and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

What a great day. The big news is tomorrow is Talent Show.... The 8th grade acts are going to be on sometime after 2:15. Hope to see you there cheering your child on....

In 7th grade science the students presented their homework and explained in groups the DNA/RNA processes and connection. Then they had a short lesson on mutation.

The 8th graders had a quiz and then worked on a measurement project. We used the last ten minutes to have a final run-through of our 8th grade Talent Show act.

Fr. Andrew came and talked to the students in Religion today and invited them to a pizza party to celebrate their success with Living Stations. That will be next Thursday during the regular lunch time. I will organize it. There will be no cost to you or your child for that.

The students may come out of uniform tomorrow, but they need to wear something presentable. We did talk about that. They may change into their costume before the show.

I worked from 4-9 on the Friday Finales..... Yep, more then one. Things start to heat up towards the end of the year there is so much I want to fit in. Sad to say the 7th graders will not have science tomorrow due to the Talent Show, but I will repeat the Friday Finale for them on Monday.

I will try to pass out the review sheet for the Science Test for the 7th graders tomorrow because I know some of you like to get a jump start on the weekends.

Just a reminder they will be selling candy and glow sticks during the talent show.

Also the science lab has been out of wet ones and paper towels for a long, long time. I have repurchased many times and borrowed from other teachers. If any of you think of it when you are in Jewel or Costco please pick up a roll and send it with your child. We will be using a lot of cleaning supplies between now and the end of the year because of the class pet. I really should have my students bring in more cleaning supplies because Science uses so much more than the typical classroom.

Hope you have a great night and weekend,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

For the last two days Ms. Ziobro has gone over how DNA and RNA interact and copy to create protein. Tonight she sent home a homework assignment that she gave the directions to two times. It involved coloring, cutting, pasting and then demonstrating how the process worked. I hope your child was able to explain it to you. They will continue working on this tomorrow.

The 8th graders got a review sheet for their test and went over what the test would include. The test is next Tuesday. They are also having a short quiz on acceleration tomorrow. The test will conclude Ms. Ziobro's work with the 8th graders. I will then move into robotics with them. Also tomorrow after their quiz I will conclude the speed/acceleration section with a great lab. I think the 8th graders will have fun in science tomorrow as they explore the affects of motion, force, speed and acceleration. Ask them about it when they get home from school.....

We did not have religion today because of the pep rally. That was a fun event with a visit from Benny the Bull. I think the whole school enjoyed it!

Tomorrow is pizza day, run by Kids Who Care to benefit St. Bonaventure. All students in the entire school are encouraged to wear crazy socks, just for fun! I know on the website it said that it was for people buying the pizza lunch that is an error.

I went to the volunteer dinner and had a great time. I really do appreciate all you do to support MSW. I know I do not say thank you enough...

I hope you have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Well today was a little easier, I was a little more awake. It was hard getting back into the swing of things.

The 7th graders worked on DNA and RNA with Ms. Ziobro. I think they are catching on. It is a more complicated concept. She will finish that up tomorrow. The students did not get homework, but will get an assignment tomorrow.

The 8th graders finished the example of the periodic table. I am excited to get that on display in the hall. The 8th graders worked hard on this and the 7th graders will now hang it for them. This has been a long standing tradition and the first step to the 7th graders moving into the 8th grade slot. That is always hard for me. I have a hard time believing the year is coming to a close.

I know a test is brewing for both 7th and 8th grade. Both classes will get a review sheet, and there will be extra help given at lunch for anyone who wants it. I think the 8th grade test is next Tuesday and the 7th will be next Thursday. I do not have my plan book at home. I will check to be sure that is right tomorrow and reconfirm with you all.

In Life Skills today the 8th graders worked very hard on their all class talent show act. I hope you stop in Friday morning to see it. The costumes will be simple and that will be decided tomorrow. I just think it makes their final talent show a little more special if they all have a chance to be in it.

During Religion today we worked on the 8th grade awards. There are a variety of major awards at the end of the year. Some of them the students nominate who they think is most fitting for the award. Sometimes teachers nominate students and the students pick from our nominations. Some awards like Fr. Clark and the Brian Barry award are completely separate. My class started late due to play practice so we will finish that up tomorrow morning. The students are STRONGLY encouraged to nominate the person of their choice, not necessarily the most popular student and not their best friend... There are many ways students are recognized at the awards ceremony and many opportunities for students to win awards. It is my dream that everyone gets recognized during that event.

A bit of news for 7th grader parents. The chickens are slowly coming and they look GREAT! I am very impressed with the time and effort put into that major assignment. The students will be comparing the chicken skeleton to their own skeleton very soon in class. AND the big news is over spring break from Florida I ordered the class pet. I was trying to get a flamingo......how cool would that have been, but no luck. The pet is being flown to Park Ridge and will arrive one day after the birth. I do not know exactly what day that will be; only God knows. But it will either be the 23, 24, or the 25 of APRIL. So I am making preparations. Having the class pet in 7th grade goes along well with biology and the 7th graders need something special as they watch the 8th graders have many special events and activities during the next six weeks. Start preparing your houses though because everyone has the opportunity to take the pet home for a little visit..... I never know what pet to get, but my main criteria is that I get something that most of you do not already have as a pet to expose them to something completely different. I usually raffle off the pets at the end of the year. I hope they love the pet as much as other years.

Tomorrow is out of uniform and the students can wear the shirt of any team they play on for MSW or any MSW wear. We will go to Mass as a school and we will have a Spirit Assembly/Pep Ralley with a special guest. 8th grade parents please remind your child to pay close attention to the Mass I will be giving an A or F quiz after Mass. I will be giving it to Ms. I's class as well as mine.... The question will be simple if you are listening.......

Have a great night and it does feel good to be back, just sad that they year is ending. I have really enjoyed working with all of the 7th and 8th graders. I am so proud of the way the 8th graders have stepped up and done such an excellent job on all of the extras...their kick off assembly in Aug. was excellent, Snake Road was a great day, Confirmation was excellent, any Wed. Mass that any student has participated in has been flawless, the Living Stations will be hard to top, and now I see them putting their heart and soul in the Talent Show and the Play. This is a very talented and SPIRITED class.

Have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

So very much to say and it is already late. I will type as fast as I can... I bet you are all asleep already and I know I should be.

First of all hats off to those 8th graders. The second performance of the Living Stations was also over the top.... totally a grand slam. So reverent and moving. I was standing with the camera man from the Journal, telling him where to go to get the best shots. At one point I saw him leave the church and I thought he had enough pics and was going home. He came back. At the end of the stations he came up to me and explained that he had to go to the bathroom to get some toilet paper to dry his lens, because the stations brought him to tears..................Wow, that says it all. He didn't even have a student in the stations. Excellent job by all of the students in both performances.

Second, I hope you all had a great break. I did. Saturday I flew to Florida and saw Mr. Ron and my college friends and their spouses. Then on Thursday night at midnight Allison flew in from Ohio.... We spent Friday and Saturday together. On Sunday we all went to Mass, brunch and everyone split up again. I had a great trip and a good rest. I really enjoyed the time I had with Allison. The next time I see her she will be at her graduation getting her Master's Degree.

The 8th graders worked on acceleration. They had a homework assignment. The lesson finished a little early so we went over the Talent Show Act. I really like to have an 8th grade act to help bring the kids together as a group. I try to make it positive and simple. I worked on it in Florida and was amazed at how quickly the students picked it up. That is good because the show is Friday, so not much time to practice.

The 7th graders had a big lab. Today they extracted their check cells to see their own DNA. They will be learning about DNA and RNA the rest of the week. They did not have homework.

We did not have Religion today, we had play practice. I loved it. The students were working on the big dance numbers. I sometimes think I should have been a theatre major I love all of it, the singing, the dancing and the drama of it allllll.

In case you do not know the Cubs Rooftop is going to be Wed. the 25. I am working on that and permission slips will be coming out soon.

I better go, take care and have a great night.

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I am torn, I want to write, but there is a lot to get done tonight. Sadly, I will have to be brief.

The 8th grade had Life Skills and Mrs. Due strongly suggested that the students stop talking about DC room assignments. When the trip gets closer that will be dealt with in Life Skills. I know this is a strong concern for the parents as well as the students. I can speak from experience; the students are in their rooms for a very short period of time. They are so tired from the day that they fall asleep very quickly. Also a great deal of time is spent in arranging the rooms under the guidance of Mrs. Due and by the time we get on the bus everyone is comfortable with their roommates.

The 8th graders had a big practice for Living Stations and it went very well. I appreciate the support from Ms. Trochhio and Mr. Wolf. Tomorrow will be dress rehearsal and I am sure they will be ready for Friday.

There was no 8th grade science today.

In 7th grade science the students worked on the differences between mitosis and meiosis. One class also had Easter Science.

We had song practice at the end of the day in preparation for the Tridium prayer service tomorrow. Please try to attend that if you can, it is really done well. The fifth graders are leading us in that.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and a great break from school. I will stay in town Wed., Thurs. and Friday so I can be with the 8th graders during the final presentation of Living Stations. I leave very early Sat. morning to see Mr. Ron. I will be spending the week in Boca getting some school project done, and catching up on sleep before the big finish of the year. Allison will not be with us for Easter but she is going to meet us for the following weekend. That will be a real treat! I cannot wait to see her.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I just want to tell you I really loved the way the entire class pulled together and made the Living Stations so beautiful, respectful and meaningful. What a gift of themselves to you, the teachers and all of the MSW students. The Living Stations were worked on this year, but it really is a pulling together of their Faith development which started with you and includes all of their teachers throughout their time at MSW. I hope we can have a repeat this Friday.

Here is some information that might help you on Friday. The students who are readers need to dress very nicely. They need to be at Church no later than 6:15 p.m. They need to get in their space in their pew so no one takes it..... The actors need to be at MSW Annex (right outside of the Gathering Space) at 5:45. It takes a while to get all of the costumes on and checked. Thank you for your support and help on this. The actors can wear flips and shorts. No one will see what they have on.

Mr. Rosinski videotaped last week’s Living Stations. Anyone who wants a copy can have one for free if they let me know. He will also video this Friday and then after break you can get a copy of that one if you want it. The forms will be sent home tomorrow. Ms. T's room might have gotten them today. I just ran out of time.

Today was EASTER SCIENCE all day. I have to repeat tomorrow with my one 7th grade class because I was at Stations practice during their class. I will be with them on Tuesday and Wednesday. I promise them all of my attention and the entire egggggsperience tomorrow. I do feel torn, but I cannot be at two places at once, so the 8th grade always takes precedence and then next year the 7th graders get me more when they are the 8th graders. I have no choice, in the end it all balances out. I hope your child told you some of the egggsperiments we did today. If you need an into to get them talking ask them what happens when you put a peep in the microwave, or did you learn anything about eggs today? If you get no response I am going to have to retire. I did about 12 experiments....

The 8th grade practiced for Stations in the afternoon. The students were not as focused or as serious as I would like to see. We are going to have to pull this together very quickly and they really need to remember all of the details until the Friday show. These days are hard for them because they do have spring break on their mind and we have run through the stations so many times, many are not as interested or excited. I do hope tomorrow practice goes well because Wednesday morning will be their dress rehearsal.

My religion class met today. They had made posters on things they could do to make the world better a few days ago, and today they presented them. It was interesting to see what they chose. They did a good job.

I was happy to see some of the students who were gone last week back, but sad to see that some others are going away now.... When anyone is out for any reason it is noticed and they are missed.

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I wrote to you yesterday, but somehow all that showed on the screen was lines in the morning. I will try today. I hope I get better results. That is sad, because I cannot recall all I said. I am sorry about that.

Today 7th grade science had a quiz. Those have been graded and all scores were C or better! Yippee!!! They also finished their lab with a punnet person, created a punnet family with partners, presented their work and hung it in the hall. This is a bright, energetic and creative class.

Today in 8th grade the students wrapped up their lab from yesterday and moved into new vocabulary terms. There was a quiz scheduled for tomorrow. I decided it was not a good idea with stations. That quiz will not happen until after Easter break. There is way too much going on right now.

The 8th graders had a dress rehearsal today for tomorrow's performance of Living Stations. They did a good job, and I will be talking to them about the experience, the value and importance for a few minutes during Science tomorrow. During our study of Confirmation many times we discussed the idea that part of making your Confirmation was gaining the ability to give Witness to your Faith. Giving witness can be done in many ways. One is living a life like Jesus, another is being strong enough to stand up for what you believe, and finally it is teaching others what you have learned about your Faith. I see no better way for the 8th graders to give Witness than through this incredible gift they can give to the younger students of MSW, and their parents.

A side note about tomorrow. The 8th graders do come out of uniform. The students who are actors may wear casual clothes, including flip flops, shorts, t-shirts. This makes getting ready and into their costume much easier. The students who are readers need to dress nicely. They will be standing in front of the school narrating the story. Then next week, on Good Friday, the dress expectations flip. The other students will be the actors and they may dress casually and the other students will need to dress appropriately.

I am very excited for you to see the Living Stations tomorrow at 1. All of the students, the readers and the actors have worked very hard to make this a very meaningful, prayerful and solemn reenactment. I was amazed and proud of how much effort each student put into listening and learning their part.

Thank you for your support,

Take Care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Sorry again for the mistake in my first web letter last night.

What a beautiful day.

In 7th grade the students worked on a group project using punnet squares, creating a family. Hopefully the repetitive use of the punnet squares will help prepare them for the quiz on Thursday. Remember Ms. Ziobro will help anyone who has questions at lunch tomorrow.

In 8th grade the students have shifted into physics. They started learning about motion and refence points. The beginning of this chapter reviews many skills they have had in math. The students are beginning to see the relationship between math and science and for some it is a little intimidating. I will try to keep the strongest focus on the science concepts but in that there will be some math.

We worked on the stations again. We did the last half of the stations today. They are much more complex and the students again did an excellent job. They are picking up the motions quickly and committing them to memory amazingly fast. This is key here because they are this Friday. The readers really need to pay close attention because there are very few practice days with that group as the actors because next week is a short week. I hope our successful practices continue. I think the 8th graders are very working very hard to make this the best presentation ever. Tomorrow is a short day so we have less time to practice. Thursday is dress rehearsal and Friday afternoon is the presentation. I hope you can all come to support the 8th graders. All 8th graders will be out of uniform on Friday. The students who are readers need to be in their Sunday best.... Then on Good Friday the other half of the class needs to be very dressed up also.

I hope you have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I am very sorry I made a mistake the 7th grade science quiz will be on Thursday. Students who have questions or need help should see Ms. Ziobro druring lunch on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Wow, am I a happy teacher. The 8th grade had their first Living Stations practice in Church and they were amazing. I have done this for many years and this was by far the best first practice ever. I am so grateful for their serious and conscientious effort. The readers are right on and the actors are quick to pick up their parts. The readers need to pay very close attention to these practices because next week is a short week so we will not have many practices.

In all of my classes I did a Friday Finale because last Friday I did not see all of 7th grade and 8th grade had a big lab. It was on oil spills pretty amazing....

In 7th grade the students got a review sheet they are having a quiz on Wednesday. I think they have a worksheet that is due tomorrow. It was given last week.

In 8th grade the students finished their lab on measurements.

Religion class was spent outside in celebration of their very hard work in the Church today.

This was just a great way to start off a very hard week.

Have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Another beautiful day.

The 8th graders worked on conversions and have a big lab tomorrow that includes all different measurements and conversions. I think they will like it.

The 7th graders worked on phenotypes, genotypes and codominance.

In religion we went over the weekly introduction to the Gospel.

Tomorrow is a short day due to conferences. I hope you found the conference form I sent home helpful. Anyone who does not see the Friday Finale tomorrow will see it on Monday.

Everyone please remember the 8th graders in your prayers next week. The Living Stations are on Friday. Our first practice is Monday. I know the students want it to be the best performance ever, and so do I.

Take care and have a great weekend,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I just got home from the blue - white volleyball game. Wow, there was a lot of talent on both 8th grade girls teams. I was glad I got the chance to see them all play. What a great night in the MSW gym.

I have conference folders for 7th and 8th grade. I make those for many reasons. First it gives me a chance to say things that I may not want on a report card. Second it allows me to study trends. By that I mean if the fourth grade under homework, quiz and class participation are all low, that may indicate that the student struggled with one section of science and not all of it. Another trend that is very common is a student does well on homework every night and does well on quizzes but not tests. Why? Quizzes come quickly and are only on one concept. Tests are very spread apart and have many concepts making them much more difficult to do well on and to prepare for. Finally it is just a way for you and me to connect one more time. I did pass out the 7th grade folders today and I will pass out the 8th grade folders tomorrow. Some 8th graders will also get a religion folder. I would like the tests back and the letter that I wrote to you with your child's scores on it. You may keep all of the papers from the trimester.

The 7th grade worked on dominant and recessive traits today. They seem to remember a lot of concepts m 5th grade. That is a good sign.

The 8th grade took a quiz and started SI units. They w froill spend a few days on conversions. They need to have some concept of what a meter is before they move into the Laws of Newton.

I did not teach Religion today the students had Spanish.

Incase you did not hear, the junior high had vision and hearing screening yesterday. And FYI Kids Who Care is meeting at lunch tomorrow and staying after school until the key chains for Chardon High School are complete.

Have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

I know I did not write yesterday. Allison was in town and when I got home from school we went to Woodfield and then to dinner. I just took the night off to spend some time with her. She left today to visit her father in Florida they will be in Boca until Thursday and then they are heading off to Disney/Epcot....I thought about going but there is a lot going on here.

What a great day at school. I love the weather and today was a great day of learning.

In 7th grade science they students learned about genetics. They did get a worksheet for homework, and it is due tomorrow. The material was all covered in class so I hope it was not too stressful. They do have a very exciting lab coming up on DNA (more on that when the Fed Ex box arrives).

In 8th grade the students worked on their pieces of the Periodic Table. That is slowly coming along. We are going to move on to Physics but we will finish that up at some point.

In religion I assigned the reading parts to my class and we read through the stations. They really did a great job. It encourages me before we head into the Church. The costumes are figured out. A few new ones needed to be made so some of the students are waiting for the new ones. This class is much bigger then last year's class of 37.

The students had Life Skills today and came back happy. That is always a good sign. They have been singing their 8th grade graduation song.....that is very bitter sweet for me.

I hope all is good with you and your families. I know I need to grade the 7th grade science test, but Allison and Ron were in and a few students had not finished it. I am going to get that on power school soon. Tomorrow night I hope to go see the 8th grade girls play volleyball. It is the two MSW teams against each other, so they may not get graded tomorrow night.

Just an fyi Kids Who Care are going to be meeting after school on Thursday. We are still trying to finish the key chains. Hopefully we can just stay at school Thursday until they are done. It is very hard to make much progress at lunch time.

Have a great night, enjoy the sunshine and warm breeze and

take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Another beautiful day......................................and yes I wore my flips!

Just a reminder tomorrow is out of uniform the students can wear green.

I can only write a little ALLISON and MR. RON will both be home tomorrow....Wow the first day since Xmas and she was only home 3 days then. They grow up fast so enjoy.... Ron goes back to Florida on Sunday and Allison will leave for Florida on Tuesday. I am not sure if I will be in school on Monday I am trying to get things in order so I can spend one day with her.... We will see. At any rate I have a million things to get ready to make their visit perfect! Hence the brief note.

Tomorrow BIG Friday Finale for everyone. I try to do something super special for the holidays. I need to practice that a bit.

7th grade took their tests. I have not looked at them; any student that wants more time will have that option tomorrow. Monday they will start genetics.

8th grade did a big lab today. I was very pleased with their conduct and serious attention. The lab involved many dangerous chemicals. It concludes our periodic table unit.

In 8th grade religion the students tried on their costumes so we could see what fit and how many more costumes we need. I am going to do that with Ms. I's class tomorrow (I hope).

Have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Wasn't today just so beautiful? Nothing could get me down today. I just love the sunshine, the longer days and saying goodbye to winter coats.... Hello happy feet and flip flops.

The schedule was a little different today because we celebrated an all school Mass honoring people who serve us. I did see Mr. Loffredo in Church in full uniform. I love the idea behind this Mass. One of the PR firefighters (might even be the head of it all...) was walking into the church. A little third grader looked up and him and said, "Thank you for serving us." That did it for me. Wow.... They got the message.

The 8th graders worked on their periodic table and tomorrow they will be doing a major lab that finishes up the elements unit. I did finish the tests last night, grades are online and I was very pleased. The tests should go home tomorrow.

The 7th graders had a little review to prepare for their test tomorrow.

Friday hopefully will be very special. I am working on St. Patrick's Day science. I think it will be pretty good! No hints but you know green will be involved....

I did not teach 8th grade religion today because the students had Spanish. Tomorrow religion will be extra special because we will be trying on the costumes for the Living Stations. This class is larger than last year so some new costumes may need to be made. Mrs. Sylvester makes them for us which I really appreciate and we need to give her a little time to do that.

Eighth grade parents please try to make the best of the days. The year will be wrapping up very quickly and you will see the pace of everything increase. The students will be working on Living Stations and the play all at one time. Suddenly they will be on the rooftop watching the Cubs and then Crowning Mary. It all goes so fast. Enjoy these very special moments with your child.

Take care and have a great night.

 

Dear Parents,

Wow, a double header....every once in awhile my new student teacher will be writing to you... I think it is good for everyone. It helps you to get to know her a little and it helps her get the real experience of teaching.

I will still try to write to you every night....Why because I love you.....

In 8th grade science today the students took a major test. The material on this test is the hardest content of the year and the most useful in preparing them for high school chemistry. They worked very hard in learning the material for the past few weeks in class and it shows on the test. The test was seven pages long and covered a lot of material. I spent from 4-7 correcting and have finished half of them. So far the lowest grade is an 92 so I am very pleased. The students will finish working on the periodic table in the hall, do a major experiment with elements and move into physics.

In 7th grade we are quickly finishing the chapter on photosynthesis and respiration, which we were working on before Ms. Palmer came. We have now also covered the fermentation part of that chapter and the section on the cell cycle. The 7th graders will have an open note, open book test on Thursday. We reviewed for it today, and the students had no problem finding the answers or understanding the material. I was going to put the test on Friday because that would give them more time to prepare, but they have a very heavy load on Friday already. This will count as a test, but it should not be a major study pressure on them. They have covered it all in class, they are reviewing and they can refer to their notes and book.

In religion today the parts for the Living Stations were announced. That is always a hard day for many especially the girls. Many girls want to be one of the four major parts. Think about that last sentence..... There are only four major parts. That makes it very hard especially when so many are very qualified. The decision is not made by me alone. Fr. Andrew and administration had a lot of input. This is all a little different for the boys. Most of them are not as interested in the major roles. I hope as the days go forward the students can all accept the role they have been given and work as a group to make this the best and most meaningful Living Stations. We also watched and discussed a video of Stations from a few years ago.

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Good evening Parents,

As this chapter is coming to a close, 8th graders are preparing for their test, which is scheduled for tomorrow. Along with the end of this chapter is the fun and exciting periodic table project. Students are working on creating a life-size periodic table. We can't wait to display this project outside of our classroom once it is completed.

As a school community we are so sad about the loss of Ms. Dittemore. May she rest in peace.

Sincerely,

Ms. Ziobro

 

 

Dear Parents,

I am sure you have heard and or read the news about Ms. Dittemore. Wow, that hits hard. I have known her since she came to MSW because she was Allison's music teacher and private piano teacher. She was very welcoming to me when I later joined the staff. She will be missed as a friend and colleague. I do think the last year has been very hard for her as she fought so viciously against the cancer that was taking over. I learned a lot about courage and strength from her. I was grateful that she was able to be back for parts of this year. I am glad that the faculty started the day with a prayer service for Ms. Dittemore. I get great peace and strength from prayer. I know in mind for Ms. Dittemore's this is a great thing suffering is over and she is in heaven. Yet the day seemed so hard. The entire school body went to Mass this morning. We prayed for Ms. Dittemore, her family and each other. Last week I wrote a song to the Mickey Mouse Theme because Ms. Dittemore was a big Disney fan. On Thursday morning the entire 8th grade met in the science room to sing it to make a video for Ms. Dittemore. Over the weekend, Mrs. Schutter was able to drop that off at Ms. Dittermore's. The video was a compilation of songs etc. from all of the grades. I am glad the students had the chance to make that tribute to her.

In 7th grade science we worked on the cell cycle. There is a YouTube song that I think will really help your child memorize the difficult concepts of the cell cycle. I played it in school today and they seemed to enjoy it. The students will be having an open note, open book test on the cell cycle and respiration and photosynthesis. Not tomorrow, but in the near future. More on that as the date becomes clear.

The 8th graders went over covalent and ionic bonds preparing for tomorrows test. Many students stayed in during recess for a review session. I think I helped to clear up many questions. A few students stayed after school to work a little more on all of the concepts. This test is covering a lot of material, but I think they have been catching on as we have been going along. I think they will all do well tomorrow.

Fr. Andrew came and talked to the students about the Living Stations and that as they portray the stations they really are given the opportunity to reflect on their own life. I know the students in my class are very anxious to hear who has what part. That is very difficult. There are many students who all want the same part. I DO NOT PICK ALONE. Father stayed after class for a half hour giving his input and I still need to meet with administration. I really wish they all could have the part they want, but that is impossible.

I hope you all have a good night,

Take Care,

Mrs. Z

 

 

Dear Parents,

What a great day!

The 7th graders finished their lecture on photosynthesis and respiration and moved on to cell division! Tomorrow should be a very special class for them. I found a great learning aid and cannot wait to share it with them. Of course it will end with a Friday Finale!

The 8th graders worked on their class creation of the periodic table. I think they are enjoying this. I do want to remind you all that the test is on Tuesday. It is a major test. It covers a significant amount of material. They all got a review sheet last week. We have gone over that in class together. I will hold a review session Monday at lunch and Monday after school all students who have questions or need help are welcome to attend. This test will be followed by a major lab and then we leave chemistry behind and leap into physics to learn all about Newton! I do think they are very prepared for this test. I will end their class on Friday with a Friday Finale.

In 8th grade religion we did a lot of work in our Focused on Faith journal. I told my class to start thinking about who they wanted to be in the Living Stations. I think my class will do the parish production and Mrs. Inandino's class will do the show for the entire school. Both events are very different because of the audience change, but very special. This is one of the great moments of 8th grade. I looked over the different submissions to the Fr. Clark award. They were great. I am glad I am not a judge.

Have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

 

 

 

Dear Parents,

Thanks so much for those of you who took your child to the mission. I am way behind because tonight was really long......good but long....

7th grade did a lab looking at yeast cells under the microscope. I do have the best plan for Friday for them..... so please ask them about science. I think you will be pleased too.

8th grade worked on the song that was videotaped for Ms. Dittemore. We did not have Science, but ask your child to sing you the song. The 8th graders rocked this one!

I did not teach religion today due to Spanish.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

What a beautiful day. Spring is in the air....

Today's blog is all about the MSW mission. I went last night and was very happy to see so many MSW students there. This is a very special mission with a very interesting speaker. I am so glad that I took the time to go and I am encouraging you all to go.

Last night there were many 7th graders there. I do remember seeing Bailey and Maggie Carey. There were probably more, I am sure I did not see everyone who attended. William was in the balcony so I missed him. To those who went yippee! Tonight I hope to see everyone from the 7th grade there.

Last night there were eight eighth graders from MSW there. They got called up to the front of Church. I was very pleased that Anna, Tanya, Evan, Marianna, Kristen, Colleen, Charlie and Caroline went. Again tonight I would like to see the entire 8th grade class.

I told the 7th grade that I would not be giving homework all week, due to the mission. I told the 8th grade that I was moving their test and review session to next week, due to the mission. I told my religion class that I would give 10 points extra credit for every night they went to the mission. I did all of this because I believe they will leave feeling different about themselves, their lives and their Faith.

I hope to see everyone there.

Take care and have a good night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Wow, this is a busy time... I do not know why but no matter how hard I try my to do list just gets bigger and bigger. Hopefully things will settle down a little for us all.

The big news for the 7th grade is they got their chickens today. Please keep in mind I call this the chicken experience. Do as best as you can. It is not easy, it is a lot of work, and it does take a little time. You have a long time before they are due, so do not panic. I sent directions home for the students and I went over them in class today. You can call me any time 8473083480 or 8473187228 if you are stuck. I know this is hard for some of you and for some students, yet I know for others they have been waiting years for this. The chicken skeleton helps prepare them for the pig dissection and the chicken skeleton is very similar to ours. There is a lot of learning through this project. Also the students are so proud when they are done and the rest of the school all gets so excited to see what the 7th graders did. As I was ordering the chickens and going downtown on Sat. morning to pick them up and making arrangements to store them for the weekend at Devon Ave. Meats I was seriously thinking why do I put myself through this. The answer remains the students get a lot out of it and they will never forget the chicken.

In 8th grade science we are getting ready for a test which is scheduled for Friday. I gave the students a review sheet last Friday so they could get a head start studying. I will hold a review session at lunch on Thursday and after school on Thursday for any student who needs help. This is a major test and covers a lot of material, but in class they all seem to understand.

I did not teach religion today, the students went to a little mission. It was on vocation and hearing your own calling. It is interesting to me how life changes. When I was a fourth grader at MSW I remember praying on my knees that I would get the calling to be a nun..... Well now I get why I never got the calling I was born to be a mom. Who knows what our calling will be, the students were just encouraged to listen for their calling. I found it interesting. I have to run I want to get to the Parish Mission tonight. Father said the church would be rocking....I have not seen MSW rocking since the days of Fr. Clark and Fr. Cusick so I have to close.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Wow, where did the week go? Tomorrow is the last day of the second trimester and I am sadly realizing my days with the 8th graders are dwindling. Fasten your seat belt the last trimester goes very quickly for them and is filled with many 8th grade activities and exciting moments.

In 7th grade science Ms. Palmer had the students do a lab on the speed of water molecules. They will finish that tomorrow, get their tests back graded, have a Friday Finale and have a little send off for Ms. Palmer. If your child wants to bring a treat for the class that is fine. I know the students will miss her, and I will to. She brought the sunshine to class each day. The students may cry on Monday when it is back to old Mrs. Z....

In 8th grade science we worked on covalent bonds. I was pleased that so many students picked it up so quickly. This is touching on high school material, but a little challenge is good for the students at this point. Tomorrow I will do the Friday Finale with them, and then go over a review sheet to help prepare them for a very big test next Friday. That test will be on all of the material we have covered during this section on the Periodic Table. If there is something your child does not understand they should see me after or before school next week. Some students have already scheduled a time. There will not be much written homework next week, but they should be studying. I know Mr. Wolff has a timeline project for them to do, so they need to manage their time well.

In religion today we talked about the 1,3,5,7 Stations of the Cross. At the end of class the students all picked one station that they would make a poster for. It needs to be the size of a sheet of white typing paper. The students should only use black on it. They need to write the station, a short reflection of what the station means, a prayer related to the station and end with an illustration. I am thinking that their reflection and prayer only be three sentences each but it should include meaningful content. Those are due on Wednesday. The entire school will be working on this project at their grade level. This will be a Stations book created jointly by the students of St. Bonaventure and Mary, Seat of Wisdom. The other 8th grade class is doing stations 9,11,13,15 and St. Bonaventure is doing 2,4,6,8,10,12,and14. It will be interesting to see the differences and similarities between the 8th graders at MSW and the 8th graders on the reservation. I think the students are excited about this project and we spent a lot of class time working on some ideas.

Mrs. Schutter came to do a classroom observation today during science. My student teachers were shocked that someone as old as me would be observed. It goes on every year spontaneously and planned visits. I do still get observed, but I just don't panic about it the way I did when I was their age.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

My to do's seem to be mounting and no matter how hard or fast I work these are tough days.

I am trying to work with Kids Who Care on the shootings, grades are approaching, we are saying goodbye to one student teacher and hello to another and the list goes on so tonight will be a brief note.

Mrs. Palmer was not in school today, she was not feeling well. The students took the test she made up for them and they seemed to have no problem completing it in thirty minutes. Students may bring in a treat to share with Ms. Palmer as we say goodbye. (If she is well enough to come in.)

The 8th graders worked on the families of the periodic table. They had a worksheet on this which is due on Friday.

I did not teach religion today due to Spanish.

Ask your child what Mrs. Schutter wore during this morning's assembly....

Sorry so brief,

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

The seventh grade finally got last week's Friday Finale and I think enjoyed it, but I did explain repeatedly that they should not try the demonstration at home. Then they reviewed for their test tomorrow with a crossword puzzle Ms. Palmer made up. She will be leaving us on Thursday and I am planning a little party for her. Any child who wants to bring a snack to share with the class is encouraged to do so.

In 8th grade we worked on ionic bonds and their charges. Some students seemed confused. I will look over their homework to be sure they understand this before we move into covalent bonds.

In 8th grade religion I collected the Do Wonderful Things for God projects. I was very impressed with them. The students will be getting a quiz grade entered twice in the grade keeper for this project. I am was very pleased with their work on this and am grateful that I am not a judge. I cannot imagine how anyone will be able to pick the best. We will begin working on a Stations of the Cross project that we are doing with St. Bonaventure.

I checked online for an update on the Ohio High School shooting before writing tonight and unfortunately another victim has died so that makes three of the five, and one is brain dead. I just cannot imagine what those families are all going through. I think school should be a safe haven and children all have the right to an education free from fear. I just cannot believe this is going on in America in 2012. It just overwhelms my mind. I am deeply concerned and am praying for the entire community. Kids Who Care will be working on ways to help those communities in the next few weeks. This morning Marianna Sanchez and Kate Nedza read the prayer service that I wrote. They did a beautiful job and I thought to myself how lucky we are that prayer can be part of our school day.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

As you can see (from the blog below) my new student teacher either is very eager or goes to bed earlier then me because she already wrote to you today. Ms. Ziobro will be working with me for the rest of the school year. She will slowly start taking on some responsibilities in 8th grade. She will help with the Living Stations, but I will handle that and most of the religion. She has been in contact with me since Aug. and seems very qualified. I have given her my website information so some days you will be hearing from her.

In 7th grade Ms. Palmer had the students explain their digestion projects. They are very well done and extremely creative. You should stop by and see them on display outside of the science lab. They will be on display for two weeks. Ms. Palmer is working to prepare the7th grade for their test on the digestive system. That test got moved to Wed. I hope the students are studying. She will be wrapping up her stay at MSW this week.

In 8th grade we worked on ionic bonds. The students had a homework assignment practicing ionic bonds.

Fr. Andrew taught my 8th grade religion class. He is explaining Lent in great detail.

I went to the funeral Mass for Anthony Loffredo which was beautiful, what a loss of such a wonderful man. Anthony and Julia did an excellent job reading at the Mass. As I drove back to school with my radio on I learned of another school shooting. This time at a high school in Ohio. This was very planned, very deliberate and very intentional. My heart aches. So I will end here.

Take care and have a good night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Hello, my name is Ms. Ziobro and I will be student-teaching with Mrs. Z starting in March. Just to tell you a little bit about myself: I am a senior at North Park University majoring in Elementary Education with a Biology concentration and an ESL/Bilingual endorsement. I am grateful for this opportunity to get to know the students, staff, and families of Mary Seat of Wisdom. I am looking forward to working with your 7th/8th grader.

Sincerely,

Ms. Ziobro

 

 

 

Dear Parents,

Today was a little mixed up because I took Life Skills for Mrs. Due who was in the middle of an emergency. I loved it, but Life Skills means I miss a class, and some 8th graders took a special test for a competition. So, in 8th grade the students that I saw did a work sheet on valence electrons and the students I did not see had to do it for homework. I am sorry it played out that way, but I will be having my 8th grade classes tomorrow. We will be working on combining elements to make compounds. We will be working on ionic and covalent bonds. We will continue with that for a few days, it is a little tricky for some students.

My student teacher had the 7th graders working on assembling their digestive system projects. They really are very creative and are coming along nicely. I will keep them on display outside of my classroom for a while so if you get a chance, stop in and see them. Today was great because they looked at all their parts, saw what was missing, worked on figuring the assembly out (which really is the very complicated part) and hopefully they will complete that tomorrow.

In 8th grade Religion we worked on finishing out thank you notes for Confirmation. I hope your child is working on Do Wonderful Things For God. This is an opportunity for them to win $500.00 to be used in the future for education. Fr. Clark was the pastor at MSW when I grew up at MSW. He often encouraged people to do wonderful things for God. That is where this all started. It is a scholarship in memory of him. The most special part about this is my daughter won the award when she was in 8th grade. She used the money when she went to Greece and Italy with her Latin/Greek class in high school. I have told all of my religion class they must participate in this. There will be a grade given before I turn their work into the judges. This year, for the first time ever the students were given choices besides an essay. It used to be an essay contest. They felt that maybe some students had other ways to express themselves besides writing. Students can write a poem, a song, design a poster, draw a piece of art work or write an essay. I am very glad that they are open to this new format. I am excited at the possibilities and know in my heart that Fr. Clark is smiling at this twist on the assignment. They also can work in a group. If a group wins, the money will be divided between the members of the group. This is due Tuesday and they have known about it for a long time, over a month. I know though some students put things off and don't always inform their parents so I thought it was a good idea to pass this information on to you. You can get more information online at the MSW website. I will be talking to the students about this and encouraging them again tomorrow.

On last thing before I close, and I better close because I have to figure out the Friday Finale.....or I will be in big trouble tomorrow. I noticed on the internet yesterday a third grader was shot in the stomach accidently in school. This concerns me and bothers me very deeply. I am strongly opposed to hand guns, have been my whole life and I hate when things like this happen. I wrote a prayer service that Emma Madigan and Grace Murphy read to the entire school over the PA for the entire school. They did an amazing job and only had three minutes to practice. They led us in prayer for the girl who was injured who is in intensive care recovering from surgery, the boy who brought the gun, the teachers, classmates and families. I met with Kids Who Care at lunch today and we are going to make a backpack clip and send a note to each child in the school. This will take up some of my time, but I do feel that there is more good in the world then bad, that we are called to care for those in need, and it will be time well spent. I am very proud of the deep concern and response from the students in Kids Who Care.

I hope you are all thinking snow day...................

I am....................

Check the website in the morning,

Have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today we mixed up the schedule a bit, because we did not have Mass this morning, but we did have Ashes in the afternoon. The students had all of their classes today, but with a few time changes.

I gave an open note quiz to the 8th graders. It was seven pages long, and they did a great job. Now they and I know what we need to go over before the test. Luckily more than half the class is ready for the test. I was very pleased we are now covering the most difficult material of the year.

The 7th grade filled out a study guide Ms. Palmer made. She turned filling it in into a game. It was a cute idea. She is really trying to keep their interest and vary the lessons. She did collect them and correct them while we were in Church to be sure that students were studying accurate information. This should help your child do well on the test next Tuesday. I think Wednesday is her last day. I am very anxious to get back to teaching the seventh grade. I have missed working with them very much.

We talked about Ash Wednesday and Lent today in Religion.

I hope you have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

I am back..... I had a great time in Florida! I got to see my college roommate and Mr. Ron... I love the sunshine and it was a good break. I corrected a lot of papers, so you should be able to see that online. There were some late papers I got today, so they will be put in soon. I hope you all had a great long weekend.

Congrats to the 8th graders who got into the high school of their choice. I was a little sad, because that is the first sign that they are really leaving me and MSW, but I was very happy for them. Great job....

In 8th grade religion we worked on the energy shells of electrons. This is a little tricky, but they seem to be picking the concepts up quickly. We have an open note quiz tomorrow and then I will have a better feel for their understanding before we move on.

The student teacher worked with the students on a project they will be doing. It is very exciting and creative. Just fyi they will be getting a test next Tuesday and she will be going over a review sheet with the classes tomorrow. She will then collect and correct them and pass them out at the end of the day. That way everyone will have accurate information to study.

Father Andrew took my 8th grade religion class. His focus this week was on Ash Wednesday and Lent. The students really seem to enjoy his visits.

We all prayed for the Loffredo family who suffered another loss this weekend. Very suddenly, Anthony's uncle died. They were all very close and this year the Loffredo's have lost two other members of their family. Please remember them in your prayers.

We also prayed today in a very special way for Mrs. Dittemore. She went into the hospital this weekend. I feel very bad because I have known her for such a long time. She taught Allison music and gave her private piano lessons after school.

I loved Florida, but there is just something very right about being at MSW..... It takes a lot to get me to come back, put my flips away and wear SOCKS....

Oh one more thing. Does anyone use Netflicks? I am trying to get a movie to show my Religion Class. Please email me if you subscribe, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Unfortunately this is the last time I will write until next Tuesday night. I am flying to Florida to see Ron right after school tomorrow. So tomorrow you will have to pull the news out of your child. I hope you all have a wonderful four day weekend. Enjoy your child and the rest.

Today the 8th grade went to Mass and then had regular classes which I was unable to teach. My sub was Mrs. Di Franco and I greatly appreciated her help. She filled in on two of my 8th grade classes because I went to the funeral Mass for Bailey's great grandfather. The review of Mrs. Di Franco is "we love her." The real question is did Mrs. Di Franco enjoy the day?????

The funeral Mass was very heartfelt and touching. Bailey amazes me. He is so kind and polite and yet so alone in all of this, no brothers, sisters or cousins. That must be hard on a good day. His great grandfather was a true father figure to him, and they were very close. I hope everyone can remember that family in prayers and give Bailey the support he will need. At the end of Mass a friend of Bailey's grandfather gave a very touching eulogy and helped us all see what a kind and giving man he was. After the casket was placed in the funeral car the 7th grade students formed an honor guard and each 7th grader offered a kind word, handshake or hug to Bailey. I know he and his grandmother were very touched by this gesture. I was very impressed with the maturity and kindness the 7th graders exhibited through the entire day. They also were dressed very well. An invitation was made to all of the 8th graders to attend the Mass and one boy stood up and said, "I will go." That was Anthony Loffredo. I have great respect for him and his decision.

Ms. Palmer did a great job teaching the 7th graders today. She is very sweet, kind and excited about teaching. Her skills are developing and she has planned a big project for the students to wrap up her unit on digestion. You will get more information on that next week. She is also giving a test on the 28th and she has planned a review and a study guide which she will give out next Tuesday.

I did not teach my 8th grade Religion class today they had Spanish.

I hope you all have a great night,

Thanks again MRS. DI FRANCO -- you rock!

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hopefully your child came home and told you all of the exciting things that happened in the lab....Wishful thinking, right????

Today was Valentine's Day Science. The students watched golden rod paper turn red when you put ammonia on it. It is a simple acid-base demonstration. Then they all got to try it. They have to add acid to the paper to make the golden rod color, so when you put water on it you get no change, but when you put ammonia on it the paper turns bright red. Amazing!

The students did an experiment with bubble gum. They took the mass of the gum, chewed it for five minutes, took the mass again, chewed it for five minutes, took the mass again and threw the gum away. The mass changes as you chew it because the sugar is dissolving and entering your body. Eventually the mass does not change because the sugar is all absorbed and you are left with the wad of tasteless gum. When I think of Valentine's Day I think of chocolate candy. I tried a few candy experiments and had very little success, so I settled with gum which is pretty close to candy.

They also wrapped up their crystal project to take home. Just so you know that is made out of borax and should not be eaten.

The 8th grade had life skills so my first class of the morning did not have Valentine's Day Science I hope they have it tomorrow, if not Thursday for sure.

I stopped at the wake tonight for Bailey's great grandfather. It was very hard to see Bailey during this time. I will be going to the funeral Mass tomorrow, which means someone will be filling in for me. I am sure you all understand.

My homeroom had a party for the last few minutes of class. I was amazed and happy because so many students brought in treats to share with their friends. Some highlights were: Anthony Loffredo baked a cake and Kristen made walk man candy treats. This was a very special time for my homeroom because nothing like that goes on in high school I am glad they took advantage of their last chance! It was fun seeing all of the students in red today.

Just a side note, I never deny anyone pizza, but please try to get your orders in. It is very hard to know how much pizza to get. Thursday is pizza day!

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

The super great news is my cold is much better!

In 8th grade today the students worked on creating Bohr diagrams of the elements. They did an in class assignment on this which I corrected and 97% of the class got 100, so I think they are catching on! Some students had a little to finish up on a homework assignment.

In 7th grade the students who did not get to make crystals as part of the Friday Finale due to the play did that today. Then they drew a diagram to go along with the writing they did on the digestion trip of a piece of food. Some students might have had to finish their diargam for homework.

I did not teach religion today. Father Andrew came to talk to the 8th graders. He began an explanation of vocations. He is doing a little follow up from the Bishop's comments at Confirmation. It seems he mentioned the idea of becoming a priest or a nun to many of the students.

Tomorrow will be a big day because I will be doing Valentine's Day science with the 7th and 8th grade. Wed. we will pick up what we worked on today.

I told the students in my homeroom that they could bring Valentine's to pass out to the class tomorrow.

Tomorrow the students can come out of uniform to celebrate Valentine's Day.

I did go to see the play on Friday night. I was just amazed at how much fun the students had. I cannot believe Ms. Gibson could figure out a way to have a play with over one hundred children. I really enjoyed seeing the 8th graders Kiara, Marianna and Grace participate. I had a great time!

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today in 7th grade science the students took guided notes on the digestive system. They did get a homework assignment that is due tomorrow. They need to write a page on the trip food takes from mouth through the digestive system. That should make for some interesting reading...

In 8th grade the students prepared for the quiz which will be tomorrow. They have known about it all week and it is on 25 of the most common elements. They need to know how to spell the element and write the abbreviation correctly.

We are going to a sneak peak of the Valentine's Day play tomorrow in the morning, so all of my 8th grade class will be shortened. I will see all of my classes and hopefully complete the quiz and Friday Finale.

I am not sure if I will see my 7th graders in the morning. I do not know how long the sneak peak is going to be. I love the plays and extra at MSW. I plan on going to the play again on Saturday night.

I did not teach religion today. During that time the 8th graders got their picture taken for the Angel Dinner Treasure. They were very excited and had some interesting costumes. They are a spirited bunch!

Still sniffing and sneezing! Maybe a little extra rest this weekend will help.

Take care,

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

As very special note to 8th grade parents......................

YOUR CHILDREN LOOKED SO GOOD TODAY! They were dressed so nicely and were such great role models to the younger students; I was very happy and impressed. Wow, they have come a long way since August. Thanks for your help and support. I think they enjoyed their Confirmation breakfast.

After breakfast our schedule was a little off so I took all the 8th graders who wanted a review on the Sound unit for Science and the rest of the students got split between Ms T and Mrs. Wolff. Those students will take a retest during class tomorrow.

The student teacher taught the 7th grade today. She is doing a nice job with the digestion unit. She is full of energy, patience and good ideas. I think the students respond well to her and are enjoying the experience as they learn.

I did not have religion today due to Spanish.

Attention 8th grade parents................

Tomorrow is another big day. The students need to come to school in their uniform and then change into something that represents them for a photo. That photo will go into a digital frame and be auctioned off at the Angel Dinner this year. I have talked to the students about this a number of times so they should understand it. They just need to remember to bring their costume or items to school. Here is an example let's say your daughter is a cheerleader she might want to wear her cheerleading uniform for the photo and carry pom pom, or your son might play on a hockey team he could wear his uniform and carry a trophy. Get the idea??????

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Sad to say, the cold got the best of me and by 1:00 I think I was in a coma in my bed.....

I tried to stick out the day, and I guess half a day is better tha none.

The 8th grade did not have religion they had life skills, so I did not miss much.

Tomorrow is the 8th grade Confirmation breakfast, a tradition I started four years ago. I just think they need to celebrate as a class;we have worked so hard on it this year. So they students should wear nice clothes.

7th grade is working with the student teacher on digestion. They watched a video today that explained the system and will be taking notes in class tomorrow. I miss teaching them....

The 8th graders are working on memorizing the elements and their abbreviations (I hope) there is a quiz on Friday. We then move into bonds. This for me is the most exciting material that is taught, but for some students this is the most complex material that we cover in 8th grade. I will be helping students who need it during lunch.

One last thing any parent who has an 8th grade student should tell all of their friends especially if they are parents of a boy.... that I write every night. Confirmation marks the beginning of the major events. I will try to include more detail and information about the events here. This will help parents who are going through it for the first time.

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

This will also be a short note. I am very sorry to say.....somehow I have caught a cold. My dad of course will say....burning the candle again at both ends when will you learn???? The science teacher in me will want to scream it is germs.................. but in reality it is probably a little of both.

I hope you all enjoyed the three day weekend. I went to the two 8th grade Confirmations on Saturday and I was so moved and impressed. The Bishop did a great job of spending time with each student and sponsor and the students all responded with maturity and respect. I think the retreat was the finishing touch to prepare them for the great day. I told them on retreat that in all my years, they were the most receptive and willing to participate.

*"*Any 7th grader who did not do well on the sound test can come to a study session tomorrow at lunch and retake it on Wed. Any 8th grader who did not do well on the sound test can come to a study session on Wed. at lunch and retake it on Thursday.

The student teacher had the 7th graders do a lab on nutrition values.

The 8th grade is getting ready for a quiz on the abbreviations of the elements. That will be on Friday. They only have to memorize 25 of the most common elements.

I think I am going to close here, just a reminder that if you did not turn in your 8th grade proofs, they are late....please do so quickly.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today will be pretty short too because I did not teach.

The entire school went to an assembly, and then we had the all school retreat.

I will tell you a little about it because sometimes students don't say much at home...

The school listened to a story which led to a homeroom discussion.

The students needed to think about what they might be in the future and then think of how they might make that pleasing do God. We have all been given different talents and interests. What we do with that and how we use it can bring God to the world. You can be a great basketball player and buy the biggest mansion and travel or you can be a great basketball player and start a charity or visit the children at St. Jude's. You can be a famous dancer or share your dancing talent by opening a school and teaching others. It just goes on and on.

Then we went to the gym and made a symbol for our dream job out of clay. The students talked to each other about their future and their dreams as they molded their clay. I know the 8th graders really enjoyed playing with the clay..... Then we went to a guided meditation which Mrs. Schutter led. She helped the students see that God has filled them all with goodness and talents, and he will be with them on their journey through life. They should work on making choices that are pleasing to God.

The next event was lunch. The students loved going out at recess today because we are being blessed with spring in Feb. how great is that???

After lunch they went to a music session and learned a song with actions which the whole school sang to open our retreat prayer service. At the prayer service Fr. Gunderson talked to the students about using the talents God has blessed them with.

It was a great day, and a very special way to celebrate Catholic Schools Week.

7th graders I am sorry I will not see you in class. You will have Ms. Palmer and I will miss you very much. Enjoy the three day weekend.

Tomorrow is the 8th grade retreat. The 8th graders can come out of uniform and they will have a pizza lunch.

Saturday is the big day...... CONFIRMATION!!!! Please be on time, sponsors and students go to the first grade hallway, family and guests go to the Church. It is a long ceremony, but so beautiful and touching. The girls need their collars sewn in and all students should have their gown hanging so the wrinkles fall. You keep the gown after the ceremony and there is a short reception with the Bishop. You can take photos with the Bishop during that time. The students have been talking about Confirmation, hearing about Confirmation, learning about Confirmation and now is their big day, I hope you all feel the Spirit in the church and are very proud of your son or daughter (and in the event of twins, sons, and son and daughter...)

Take care

and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

This will be my shortest newsletter yet! I just got home from two Confirmation practices, and I have a lot of work to do.

The 7th and 8th grade took a test in science on sound. When they were finished I took some photos of them using the sound equipment.

I did not teach Religion today. Fr. Andrew came for our last class before Confirmation this Saturday.

I am very pleased with the progress my religion class has made. I think Saturday will be a very special day in the life of these 8th graders.

I just want to remind you all that tomorrow is the all school retreat and the MSW students can come out of uniform with their Spirit t-shirt. On Thursday the 8th grade will have their Confirmation retreat and they will not be attending the all school Blue Ribbon Assembly. The 8th graders can come out of uniform and they do not need to bring a lunch. Lunch will be provided on the retreat. The 7th grades and the rest of the school should come in uniform and they need to remember to wear their blue ribbon.

Have a great night,

Take Care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

It was great seeing so many of you at the Open House. I know the noise was a lot to take, but it is worth it when there is learning. I do think it was fun for the younger children to participate in the hands on demonstrations in the science lab, and to do the make and takes in my classroom. I appreciate your help and support. I had many 7th and 8th graders there working hard for an hour.

Today in both 7th and 8th grade I reviewed the sound concepts that we learned last week to prepare them for a test tomorrow. The tests will be different, 8th grade spent all last week working on this, 7th on spent Thursday and Friday. I hope they all do well.

I did not teach 8th grade Religion today, I needed to leave MSW a little early. The students should have worked on their journals. I do expect their journals to be complete by Saturday. If they finish it earlier that would even be better. They were told this two weeks ago, so hopefully they are not saving it all until Friday night. I will be at the Confirmation practice tomorrow night. Now that the test is over and the grades were so good, I am very excited for the ceremony. I hope your child is as well. This is a very big step and they have worked very hard preparing.

Wednesday is an all school retreat. On that day the students may come out of uniform, but should wear their Spirit shirt. Thursday the rest of the school will be coming in uniform. The 8th grade should NOT. They will be at Our Lady of Hope on a retreat, and will not be attending the special Blue Ribbon Assembly. The retreat is an amazing and great experience for your child. Fr. Terry is a little different, but he really has them all engaged and thinking through the entire day. We end with a Mass, which is very special.

Just a side note in case you are confused. The students may not wear flips to school tomorrow, but they can wear them in school. They need to carry them due to the weather. I am happily shocked though with our weather, you really could wear them it is so unseasonably warm.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Religion always goes last, not in my life but in my class schedule so it always goes last in my newsletter, not today. EVERY STUDENT IN MY RELIGION CLASS PASSED THE CONFIRMATION EXAM! I could not be happier. The credit goes to the students for working hard and studying, to you the parents for the religious foundation you give me, for caring enough to send them to a Catholic school, and to Fr. Andrew for his weekly visits. I could not be happier. You want them all to be ready and you want to end the teaching section moving into the ceremony to be a very exciting, happy, and positive time. I was so happy as I recorded their grades. Because this was such a big test, took so much time to prepare for, and is so important I recorded the grade twice. Congrats to all of them!!!!!

In both the 7th and 8th grade science classes I worked on concepts involving sound. The 7th and 8th graders will be working on their demonstrations tomorrow. There will be not be one Friday Finale there will be about 10 so that should be a pretty great class for them.

In 7th grade yesterday the students took a test. I looked over the scores today and let Ms. Palmer record them into power school. Several of the students did very well. A few had a more difficult time. That could have been that the child did not understand the material that the child did not study, the format was different and that could have been harder for them, or they didn't catch on as fast to the student teacher. I will watch over this very closely. Any student who did not do well, can work with the student teacher at lunch until they are prepared to take it again. It is hard with someone just starting out; she is giving her all and will grow through this experience. During this time of mentoring her, your child will still be my primary concern. I will watch over the class and make adjustments when I need to. Teaching is not as simple as it looks and it takes time. experience and practice to get good at it. I have taught all of the grades over the years, and honestly the upper grades can be very challenging.

I hope you all have a great night and that I see you at Open House. Remember all 7th and 8th graders are expected to be present in their uniform wearing their blue ribbon. If you sent a note explaining you had a previous engagement your child is excused. If your child forgot to get that note, tonight is the last chance. The students all are getting a grade on this.

Have a great night,

and take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today the 8th graders continued to learn about sound, and how their ears work in preparation for Sunday. I told the students that if they could not attend that would be fine, but I need a note from their parents saying they have other plans for that day. I am very glad so many 8th graders will be attending. That will help us create a great learning atmosphere for the rest of the school.

The 7th graders had a quiz in motion, if you do not know what that is, you need to ask your child. They seemed to enjoy it. The quiz was on nutrition, which is being taught by the student teacher, Miss Palmer. I am very excited because today I got the ok from the office to run a second session of the Sunday science demonstration with the 7th graders. I will start preparing them tomorrow.

A very special thank you goes to Dr. DiFranco for sponsoring our Sunday Sounds of Silence event. I have known him for years, and he often helps me accomplish great things by making donations. He really has given a lot to MSW over the years. The next time you are in his office or see him, please tell him thank you.

I did not teach religion today, the students had Spanish. Tomorrow is the Confirmation test. I think all of the 8th graders will be glad when that is over. I think I will offer a quick review tomorrow at lunch but if they have not worked on their own, it will not help.

I left MSW early again today to go to St. Paul of the Cross to judge their science fair. I had a great time.

I have to cut this a little short; I am very busy with school work. This is a very busy time due to Catholic Schools Week and Confirmation.

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today the 8th graders took a quiz on uses of the elements. We have been working on that for about a week and they were able to use notes and a packet I gave them. That leaves us at a great starting point for the work we need to do to prepare for Sunday's Open House. I think this little segment on sound will be very interesting for them, and they will have a lot of fun with it.

In 7th grade I was only there for my morning class because I went to an offsite meeting on the Explore Test with Mrs. Due and Ms. Trocchio. Wow, things are always changing and we are always learners. I know more about the ACT then I ever wanted to.... Lots of great information on understanding how to improve test scores. It was great. The student teacher reviewed with the students the material she taught yesterday and they will be having a quiz tomorrow. It will be fun and amazing. I made it up a long time ago; it is called a quiz in motion. You hang questions all over the room and the students physically move from question to question. Ask them about it tomorrow night. They usually love the format! I also found out today that the 7th grade will be part of the big science sound show at Open House. After the quiz tomorrow I will start to prepare the 7th grade. They will be taking a break on the digestive system for a few days to get ready for Sunday.

I did not teach Religion today to my 8th graders. They had a substitute and were supposed to use that time to study for the Confirmation Test. The test is Thursday. The 8th graders were pretty nervous this morning before their interview, but after they had it they were all smiles. This is many of the 8th grade traditions and rites of passage. It is really the beginning of many great experiences for your child. It is a very exciting time. Any student who had all of their Confirmation information in should have taken home their gown.

Just a heads up..... I will be out of the building tomorrow from 1 on because I am going to Saint Paul of the Cross to judge their science fair.

Take care,

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today in 8th grade science we continued working on the uses of elements. We are going to finish that up tomorrow. Then we will move towards getting ready for the Open House on Sunday. I worked very hard to find something the 8th graders could learn and then pass on their knowledge to anyone who came to the Open House. I think I have a winner. You decide... stop in the Science Lab this Sunday.

In 7th grade the students started a unit on digestion. The work on the Carbon Cycle is done. The student's tests were excellent. Ms. Palmer, the student teacher will be teaching this unit. We discuss everyday what is to be presented and how it should be done. I am working very closely with her.

In 8th grade Religion Fr. Andrew came to talk to my class. He helped prepare the students for their Confirmation interview tomorrow morning. The students will be divided into small groups and they will meet for 20 minutes with Fr. Gunderson, Mrs. Schutter, Mrs. Due, Fr. Andrew or Mr. Furjanic. This is a very important step in preparing for their Confirmation. Also tomorrow the red Confirmation gowns will be passed out to the students who have all of their paper work in. Please make sure that gets done. Tomorrow some student will be very sad when they do not get their gown.

Tomorrow afternoon I will be at an offsite meeting to discuss the Explore Tests. I look forward to this opportunity to learn more about the Explore tests, the scoring, and maybe get some tips to improve scores!

I held an after school review session for the Confirmation test today. I was very pleased to see so many students at it. I announced this opportunity on Friday. I suggested that if the students have other commitments on Monday this one time they should think about missing them. This is very important; a lot of material and the test is quickly approaching. I wish all of the students would have taken advantage of this extra help. I opened it up during the day to all of Ms. Inandino's class. I do think the students who stayed were glad that they did. It was hard for all of us to work an extra hour today, but very worthwhile.

Take care,

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

mini note, after I wrote the below I tried the Friday Finale and it blew my mind...... amazing.... I will not be able to sleep tonight. I really hope the 7th grade has time to see it with their test, but if they do not they can see it on Monday.

 

Dear Parents,

It is my favorite night...Thursday! You might think that is because tomorrow is the last day of the week....nope that is because tonight I get to play mad scientist coming up with the best Friday Finale for tomorrow! I spend the whole night looking online talking to other scientists and working on the idea, and then I get to practice it! Also some big news I just found out next week my science class is going to be featured on a national blog.... more news on that as it develops. I am also very busying trying to create some science magic for the Catholic Schools Week Sunday Open House! I hope to see you all there and that will be a chance to meet Ms. Palmer my student teacher.

I missed the 7th graders today..... I don't really like it when one of my students is absent, but when the entire class is gone, the sun just does not shine. I hope they had a great day and I am excited to hear all about it. Remember they do have a test tomorrow. They all should have all of the questions and have for a week, so they should be ready.

I did teach the 8th grade. We are working on uses of the elements. They did have an element crossword puzzle to finish. They do have a packet that they should be referring to. That will help them find the answers.

I had religion today and we started to review for the Confirmation test. Today we worked on the Sacraments and I am confident that they will do well on that section of the test. They really need to be memorizing on their own. They need to know the 10 Commandments (not word for word but close...) they need to know the Beatitudes and three Spiritual and Corporal works of mercy. These things are all listed in the back of the book, if you need help.

I hope you all have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today was a mixed up day. We started with a Faith Partner project instead of Mass which was fun for all of the students. They really do enjoy helping the younger students. Then I had to leave because I went to a funeral. Mr. Rosinski took over for me. He taught the rest of my morning classes. Then when I came back I taught one 7th grade science class and we had a Prayer Service. It was on peace and remember Martin Luther King. The sixth grade did a great job leading us in prayer. Then it was time for the students to go home, and me to attend the faculty meeting. Today was a short day with very little news.

Here are my closing comments.... 7th grade have a great adventure on your field trip tomorrow. 8th Grade take advantage of every moment to prepare for the Confirmation test.

Have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today got off to a bang when all of a sudden I was looking at a group of students that looked more ready to go on a job interview for Corp. America! I was shocked... The 8th graders all looked so nice for their graduation pictures. They had them taken first thing in the morning and because they take 6 poses it takes a long time to get through the grade. So my 8th grade classes were a little rocky with students coming in and out. We managed and I had written work for them to do on the elements so it was fine.

In 7th grade science we finished the unit on the carbon cycle and I answered a few questions that the students had about the test. I also moved the test. Tomorrow there is a Prayer Service in the afternoon. I was not sure if I would have a full 30 minute class for my second group to take the test. I did not think it was fair to move it for one group and not the other so it was moved for both. The test will be on Friday. Also on Friday I am collecting their journals to correct. I have enjoyed doing this extra unit, but am very happy to get back to the usual curriculum.

I did not teach my 8th grade religion class today because Fr. Andrew came. He did a great job of going over the Fruits of the Spirit with the students. I really hope the students are studying for the big test. I did pass out the review sheet last week. It is very long and full of facts that need to be memorized. I keep telling them to get busy on it.... I hope you are encouraging them to do the same.

Also I will not be in school first thing tomorrow. I am going to a funeral Mass and will be at school as soon as that is over. I have a replacement.

I hope you have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Wow, I almost made it through my first week back. It is hard after such a long break, but we all do have Monday off. That will help me get caught up, and next week will be a short one.

I continued to move through decomposition with the 7th grade and should finish that tomorrow. I also gave them exactly the five questions that will be on the test. They agreed with me that this was not going to be very hard for them. They will have to look the material over and study, but very manageable. Keep in mind though that since they have all of the questions I am looking for strong well thought out answers. Not all of the questions are essays, so when there is an essay I want to see evidence of understanding. Also during this time the students have been keeping a journal. That journal is very important and will count as several grades. Mrs. Maramba and I both will be grading those. I will collect those from the students next Friday. You will see many grades added to powerschool once those are collected. Most students completed the work in class as we went a long a few students needed more time and each day we would tell the students to finish the work for homework. Mrs. Palmer has been observing and really enjoying getting to know the students. She told a very funny story today about the snow that I gave the students in a test tube as a Christmas gift. Ask your child if you think of it....

In 8th grade we continued working on the periodic table. Yesterday we went through the table naming the elements and talking about some common elements. Today the students worked on a worksheet that explain how some elements got their names and another one explaining what elements are in their body. Do you know the most abundant element in the human body???????????? No promises but your child might!

In my Religion Class we finished a chapter and much to my surprise they have one more chapter in their book.... I was using last year's manual. We will still finish all the material we need to cover on time. I did pass out a very detailed and long study guide. I begged them to start to study. They should just study one little part each day. That will really help. There are a few lists of things that they need to know like all of the Beatitudes, Commandments, Corporal works of Mercy, Spiritual works of Mercy. If they could just get that part out of the way over this long week end they would be way ahead of the game....

I love the look of the snow, but don't the inconvenience of it.... When I was a kid, there was nothing I loved more than snow. The bigger the snowfall the better in my book.... I loved everything about it playing in it, shoveling it, throwing it.... now........................ not so much.

Also in the 7th grade we made a rubber egg in class, as part of our unit on the carbon cycle. The egg gets preserved in the vinegar and the shell breaks down. The egg soaks up some of the vinegar so now the egg is larger. It is very fun and very cool. Many students want to try it at home. I am just giving you a heads up. In the end it is called a rubber egg, but it is much more like a water balloon. They do break and it can be messy. If your child makes it and plays with it on the kitchen table I think it will be a great experience.

All parents just a reminder.... very important the Bishop will be at MSW tomorrow please be sure your child does not wear boots or gym uniform. Thank you for your support on this.

I really have to go, tomorrow is Friday and I have to find a Finale....

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

 

Dear Parents,

Today was a great day, starting with an all school assembly put on by 6th grade.

I have a lot to do in preparing for this Friday with the Bishop coming, Confirmation and Catholic Schools Week, so messages may be shorter for awhile.

The 8th graders from my Religion class should have written in their Confirmation journals tonight. No science homework was given today. We continued to learn about the elements and the periodic table. I think the students are very eager to move through this material and they find it interesting.

The 7th graders continued taking notes on the carbon cycle and tomorrow we will be discussing decomposition. I will be giving them a test next week. It will be different then other test that I give. It will be much shorter and they will have the questions in advance. The questions will be given to the students instead of a study sheet. I know next week is short and, they have a field trip, the Constitution Test, and a math test. I am trying to keep everything in perspective and not over load them during a period that is pretty loaded.... Even if I hold off (which history has shown is a bad idea, because testing too far off from the learning usually does not have good results) and give the test the following week that week has a lot of interruptions due to Catholic Schools Week. The test will be next Wednesday.

I did not teach Religion today because of Spanish. Here is my planned outline so you know what is happening regarding the final Confirmation Test. We will finish the last two pages of the last chapter tomorrow. We will then begin our review for the test. We will review Friday in class, the students will have the review sheet and should look it over during the three day weekend. Fr. Andrews will talk to the students on Tuesday and Wednesday is Spanish. During those nights the students have to be studying on their own and getting ready. We will review as a class again on Thursday and Friday. On the following Monday Father Andrew will be in to talk to them. The test will be on Tuesday and their interview with a priest will be on Tuesday also. We will review seriously when we meet as a class, but you can see there are many interruptions. If your child does not feel confident or prepared on Monday after school I will review with any students that need extra help. Keep in mind I can help them, but some part they just have to memorize. The test is 13 days away they need to put time in at home. I do not make up the test, it is given to me and they have covered all of the material on it in class. The test is not hard if they put in time studying.

Have a great night,

Take care, Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Oh my, last night at about 4 in the morning I remembered that I didn't write on my website.... I guess I got out of the habit... I am so sorry. I thought about all of you and your children so much over break and then when I got back to school I was so caught up in all the school things I just totally forgot to write. I am sorry. Then tonight when I thought I better write, before I forget - I could not remember how to get on...but here I am and here goes.

First of all thank you all for the donations you made to the Teachers Christmas fund, I really appreciate that and I know all of the other teachers do too. Second of all for all of the very thoughtful extra gifts, thank you....thank you....thank you... Your thoughtfulness touched my heart and I did write you all and your children individual notes. I tried my best to keep it all straight, I hope I succeeded. If not, please know the tag fell off in route or something and I am very sorry. Those notes were written over break while I was in Florida and mailed from there, so have patience they are coming.

Second I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2012. I hope you enjoyed the break with your families and created many memories to cherish through the years. Make the most of this time when your children are young and at home....believe me it all ends too quickly.

I had a wonderful Christmas with my entire family at my house and feel very blessed for all the good things that fill my life. I had Allison home for three days and that was the greatest gift. She went back to school to study for comps. She took a test that started at 9 in the morning and went till 5:30 at night, wow that is tough. A pile of blue books, pen, and three questions to answer. I am praying for a successful outcome she finds out in two weeks. She gave up going to Florida with me for a few days to go back to Ohio and study alone. I hope it paid off. I was in Florida from the Wednesday after Christmas until the Sunday night before we went back to school. That was a long time and gave me a chance to visit many friends that happened to be there also (my roommate from college for one, Mrs. Due for two, and several others). So my break with my husband, in the sunshine, wearing flips was pretty great too.

I am back and ready to go. The second half of seventh grade is full of learning, special moments and activities. The students will finish the unit on the carbon cycle, have a student teacher, get a class pet, reassemble a chicken, and dissect a pig. It really is an exciting finish to seventh grade. The 8th grade finish is even more emotional and memorable. They will be going on an all class retreat, getting Confirmed, acting out the Living Stations, putting on a play, performing the May Crowning Ceremony, going to the Cubs Rooftop and of course heading off to DC, along with many other activities. So I think for both grades the best is yet to come.

The 8th graders have completed the bridge unit. They took their bridge written test, got it back which I hope they are asking you to sign. The students all worked hard and have a very good feel for how very hard it really is and how many things engineers have to consider when building a bridge. The bridges were judged by engineers and then their scores were reviewed by the office. Today the winners were announced. The first place team was the Pink Fluffy Flamingos and they were successful in creating a revolving bridge (that was impressive). Team members included James Balitaan, Matt O'Dowd, Kaitlyn Falson, Caroline Wysgalla, Tia DiFranco, and Joey Lechowski. The team in second place was The Long John Silvers made up of Chris Jeske, Charlie Avery, Matthew Cox and Anders Cox. The third place team The Moldy Breads made up of Olivia Spagnola, Kate Nedza, Natalie Bracamontes and Kiara Irizarry. It was a tough decision for the judges because all of the students did such a great job. All of the bridges will be on display during Catholic Schools Week. A photo was taken of all the teams with their bridges. Those photos will be sent to the Disney Company to see if any can compete nationally. The 8th graders are now working on the Periodic Table which is part of the Chemistry section of their curriculum.

The 7th graders will finish up the Carbon Cycle, and go back to Photosynthesis and Respiration. After that the student teacher will do a chapter on digestion and food. I have met with the student teacher many times. I think we are lucky to have her and she is very lucky to work with this very special group of students. I will be working very closely with her during this time. I will oversee her work to make sure all standards are met, but I do remember a long time ago being her. I was very grateful someone gave me the guidance and opportunity. It is very hard when you are just starting out.

This week my Religion class will finish the book and next week we will study together to prepare for the big Confirmation Test. I do a lot to help the students get ready, but they still do need to put time in at home. No student may receive the sacrament of Confirmation unless they pass this test. The good news is I have done this for three years and everyone in my class has always passed. Let's keep the winning streak going. I am sure as long as these students do their part they will be very successful. To me knowing and understanding our Faith is extremely important. You should be able to explain to someone what being Catholic is, but also equally as important I think is how we chose to live. I think at MSW both aspects are stressed throughout the years.

I could go on all night, but I have a ton of other work to do. So I will write more tomorrow.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

I am glad to be back. I am very excited for the visit from Bishop Kane, I have met him and he is a wonderful role model for our students. I think they will connect with him and Friday will be a great day. I really hope you can come to the Mass and share in this very happy time at MSW. I am also very excited for Catholic Schools week which is right around the corner. More info on that as it develops. S

Dear Parents,

I am not clear on what is going on with the font, but I will get to it at after the holidays.

I hope you heard from your child about Xmas science. Wow, it was a fun mess!!!! What a great way to wrap things up for the year.

This morning I got a huge bonus.....I taught religion for the first hour, because we did not go to Mass, due to the prayer service tomorrow. I am not sure the students thought it was a bonus, but I am under a lot of pressure to finish the book. It is more than that though, I want to be sure they understand the meaning of Confirmation and what goes on during the ceremony. It has been hard this year with students missing one day a week for Spanish and with Fr. coming, but we will make it. Also the date was moved a week early. Anyway, I was very grateful for that extra class.

I know the students turned in their shields quite a bit ago, and they still are not graded. I really like to spend time on each one and write a letter to the student. I am sorry with robotics, kids who care, preparing and getting the supplies for science and everything involved with teaching I just have not had a good block of time. I am not telling you my work load so you feel sorry for me, just so you understand what is going on. I will get those graded the first week we are back from Christmas.

This is my last note of the year. I am glad that I have this tool to reach those of you who are reading it. I hope you find it helpful and informative. I enjoy writing and am very pleased that I have written almost every day. I will write again after the holidays.

Until then, My plans for this Christmas season are to; welcome Ron and Allison home. We will be together for Xmas and Xmas Eve, both are celebrated with my entire family coming to my house. So needless to say I am swamped. Then to put things over the top I also host an After Midnight Mass party at my home for Allison's friends and their parents. Then on Monday we are all going to Wisconsin to be with Ron's family for the day. First thing Tues. Ron flies to Florida and Allison flies back to Ohio, I will straighten up a few things and on Wednesday I will fly to Florida. I will be there until the Sunday before we go back to school. I am looking forward to that time in the sunshine and relaxing living a life with a little less stress and pressure.

I want to wish all of you a very Happy Holiday Season. For those of you traveling I hope you have a safe trip.

May the holiday be a time you spend with family and friends. May you feel the Blessing of Pease, the Beauty of Hope, the Spirit of Love and the Comfort of Faith. Let the New Year be filled with the Faith that makes all things possible, the Hope that makes all things work and the Love that makes them heartfelt. See you in 2012!

Take care and have a good night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Wow, I better figure out how to change this font size, no time...

I figured it out................yippee!

The 8th graders finished their bridges and some are very impressive, and others are very interesting. I collected their take home test today.

The 7th graders took an open note quiz to pull together the first part of this special unit we are working on.

Fr. Andrew taught 8th grade religion today.

Tomorrow is red and green day, thank you Student Council.

Tomorrow is also Mass in the morning and then five classes in a row of CHRISTMAS science..................... I am looking forward to tomorrow. Sorry I better go and prepare!

Parents, I hope you understand this is a very busy time of year, I will enter grades over Xmas break, but not until then.

Have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I do not know why the font got big and bold but no time to change it.....

Wow this is such a busy and stressful time. I will be very short and hopefully I can write more tomorrow.

In 8th grade science bridge construction continues. Tomorrow is the deadline and some teams need to make every minute count tomorrow. Also their take home test is due tomorrow. I gave it to them last Monday so hopefully they are not going crazy or driving you crazy tonight.

In 7th grade science the students made their own slide of a pepper peeling and looked at it under the microscope. They did a great job. It was the first time using real scalples and no one got hurt. That makes me happy.

In Religion we started the next chapter. The pressure is really on with Confirmation being moved up a week, but we will meet all deadlines. The students did get homework. They needed to do the chapter review in their book. That is due tomorrow.

I am sorry this is so brief, but I have hours of work to get done.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

In 8th grade science the students continued to work on their bridges. They are coming along nicely, but students need to keep moving to meet the completion deadline. I hope the students are working on their take home test.

In 7th grade science the students used the bags of decomposing carrots to find the volume, mass, temperature and made observations of the decomposition at various stages. Tomorrow the students will use their peelers to make their own bag of carrots and study decomposition and what affects it. I heard that many students went and called you because they forgot their peeler. I am very sorry you had to make a second trip. I did not know that was going on. I would have stopped it. I feel bad that you had to make a second trip to school, especially during this very busy time.

In Religion we moved through the chapter and I asked the students to write a letter to Fr. Andrew. He gives up a lot of his time to talk to the students helping them prepare for Confirmation. This gives the students a chance to individually and creatively thank him, wish him a Merry Christmas and let him know the impact he is having on them. Those are due tomorrow. They should be one page, and typed. I still have not heard back on our Bishop letters, I hope they were all acceptable.

I have to go and work on the Friday Finale!

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

What a great day.... Yippee!!!!!!!!

Today we went to Mass as a school. At the beginning of Mass two MSW students joined the RCIA program in a short but beautiful and meaingful ceremony.

In 8th grade science the students worked on their bridges. They are coming along very nicely, but I hope they are keeping "time" in the back of their mind. We only have four more classes for the students to finish them.

In 7th grade science the students used microscopes to look at different types of bacteria and fungi. Some students might have had to finish working on the drawings of what they saw at home tonight. The students were asked to bring a vegetable peeler to school tomorrow. Just FYI we may not get to use the peeler tomorrow, we may need to keep them two nights. I promise they will be going home over the weekend....

I did not teach 8th grade Religion they went to Spanish.

Just a reminder - tomorrow is a pizza lunch run by Kids Who Care.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

This will be very short.

The 8th graders worked on their bridges for the Disney Contest. I hope they are spending some time on their take home test. Just a reminder those are due Tuesday of next week.

I did not teach either of my 7th grade Science classes due to the visit with the Students from St. Angela's. What a wonder tradition and experience for all the students of both schools. All of the students from Kids Who Care served lunch to the first and second graders from both schools. I really count on and appreciate the hard work of all the Kids Who Care. The 8th grade Kids Who Care stayed with the St. Angela's students for a half hour and entertained them with singing and dancing. I wish I had a movie of it. The little ones of St. Angela's looked with such awe into the eyes of the 8th graders. It was very touching to see, and this brings out the meaning of Xmas for me. The whole day was just perfect, and I was very impressed with the energy, fun, and spirit the 8th grade Kids Who Care brought to the day.

I did not teach Religion today. Fr. Andrews talked to the students about Advent. I stayed with the class, but he did the teaching!

After school I went to see the two 8th grade boys teams play each other. I saw a lot of energy on the court and some amazing shots! I also got to see some cheerleaders. I especially enjoyed their half time show.

Tomorrow school and classes as usual. It will feel good to get back to teaching!

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

It is now five to nine and I just walked in the door. This will be short, I am sorry. Tonight Kids Who Care ran a parents night out from 4-8. It was a lot of fun, a huge success but I am beat.

7th grade started the unit that Mrs. Maramba wrote to win us a grant to get 25 microscopes. Today we worked on the carbon cycle. The students will work on this until Xmas and then for one week after we return. Homework was given, I tried to pass out sheets with more information to the student. It appears that somehow one homeroom did not get them. I will be sure they get the extra information tomorrow. No worries it is not due until Wednesday.

In 8th grade the students started construction on their bridges. The bridge judging goes on over Xmas so they need to have it finished by Tuesday of next week. They also received a take home test on Bridges which covers the material we learned last week.

The biggest and best news is in Religion today my class all turned their Bishop Letters into Mr. Frujanic. I hope he finds them acceptable. Your child did a nice job and I tried my best, so now I will just keep my fingers crossed. Thank you for any help you gave your child. I do think these assignments are meant to give you a chance to talk with your child about their Faith and Confirmation. Over the weekend I went to school and read all of the posters. I checked them for grammar, spelling and then hung them up. They were beautiful. The stories of the saints were the best ever. I was very pleased. I do not know if you saw it but the rubrik is very extensive and detailed. That is a tremendous amount of work. I also like to write a long note to each student. I am sorry but I do not think those will be graded until after Christmas, but after my reading of them, I am confident that the grades will be good.

Over the last week and during this week I have been very busy with Kids Who Care. Xmas is our biggest time of year.

Take care and have a good night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

The day flew by because classes got shortened due to the Holy Day Mass. I just cannot believe another week has gone by.

Today after school was the Robotics competition. I hope the students had a good time and thank you to all of the parents who came to watch. The students learned a lot in a very short amount of time. Robots are really fun, but it is not as easy as it looks. I was very pleased with their effort and progress. Congrats to everyone who participated.

7th grade got homework. It was just one worksheet on respiration.

I am very excited for tomorrow because I finally have the material for a Friday Finale that I have wanted to do for three years................. I just stumbled onto the missing substance. I was standing in a store and it was all over the floor. I bet you want to know what it is...............well you will have to ask your child tomorrow on the way home from school.

Thank you to all the 8th grade parents for helping your child with their Bishop letter and for emailing them to me. I think it is great that you and your child have a chance to really talk about this important sacrament that they will be receiving.

I am not sure, but if they can find coverage for me I will be leaving in the morning for a bit to go to the Solari funeral Mass. I have known Sandy for twenty years. Her oldest daughter Katie and Allison were classmates.

I know many 8th grade students will be heading off to Maine South tomorrow to shadow. I hope they have a positive experience.

Take care and have a great weekend,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today the 6th, 7th and 8th grade went to Reconciliation. Because we did not go to Mass and we have an hour set aside on Wednesday, I did have all of my classes today. Father Greck led the students in a very mature and serious examination of conscience. If you are looking for dinner conversation, bring it up and see what they are thinking.

In 8th grade we watched the rest of the bridge video clips and discussed them. I think it is valuable to present material in many different ways. Change every once in a while is a good thing.

In 7th grade we went over photosynthesis and I gave them a homework assignment. That should be turned in tomorrow.

I did not have my 8th grade Religion class today because of Spanish. I feel like I just typed that yesterday. Time is really flying by. The other morning during homeroom, one of my 8th graders said sadly, "Our year is almost half over"! I was as sad as she was. Tomorrow the second version of the Bishop letter is due and I need that emailed to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . They should write Bishop Letter second copy or version two or something so I do not get them mixed up. I am very happy to say that many students did them last night and those were so well done, they have completed the assignment. Anyone who forgot to give me their journal today please make sure to get that in tomorrow. I know it is hard to remember to turn something in when we do not have class.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

What a great day! The 7th graders did a lab on starches. Test them....next time you are having a family dinner. They should guess that the bread is a starch and the celery is not. Sounds simple right...well it gets a little more complicated. It was called a lab in motion. We do one lab in motion during the year and one quiz in motion. Ask them what that means.

The 8th graders started the unit on bridges by watching a series of short clips on different aspects of bridges. I think they were amazed and how much thought really goes into the construction and how simple the destruction is.

In religion we finished the chapter. There is no test on this chapter. I would rather have them put their time and energy into the Bishop letter at this point. I gave them back their first draft today with many comments. I hope they make the necessary changes and get it back to me completed on Thursday. Just a reminder if your child read their Creed to the family at Thanksgiving dinner they did not have to do four pages of their journal. All journals are due tomorrow.

Finally you must go to mswschool.org face book and watch the video clip Mr. Rosinski made of the rollercoatster day. It is five minutes. It starts out with the rollercoasters after they are assembled and then it goes into how they were constructed. This is very fun to watch, and you may get to see a glimpse of my day.... then you will start to understand why I love my job.

Tomorrow is 6, 7, and 8th grade Reconciliation. We will be going to Mass on Thursday as a class.

I have to go and construct the trophies for the Lego Robotics competition. Just a reminder the competition is Thursday in the Science Lab. Good luck to all the participants.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I just finished the lab that the 7th grade will do tomorrow detecting starch in foods. I think they will enjoy it. Today I passed back and went over quizzes and papers with my first class. My second class took their quiz. I worked at lunch with the students who were in the Nutcracker some chose to take the quiz today and some will take it tomorrow.

In 8th grade we finished the unit on energy with what I think is the best endothermic experiment. We made ice cream. Tomorrow we start out unit on bridges. After we get through the learning part of this unit, the students will be able to demonstrate their understanding as we compete in the Disney bridge building competition.

In 8th grade religion we talked about the Beatitudes, moral choices and our conscience. I will be giving them back their first draft of the Bishop letter tomorrow and they will have until Friday to make corrections and resubmit it to me. Remember they need to email it to me and turn in a hard copy. They should name their email Bishop letter rewrite when they send it to me. They also have a journal assignment which I gave them before Thanksgiving due on Wednesday.

In Oct. my husband accepted a job in Florida. It was a great opportunity for him. The company flies him home on the weekends and is willing to fly me there. I am very busy with school right now, but I may head south over Xmas break. At this point I have no plans of leaving my teaching position at MSW. Some students have been talking about this situation, and I wanted you to know exactly what is going on.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

P.S. Have you noticed I am switching from red to green each day from Thanksgiving until Xmas???

Dear Parents,

I just got home from a long day that ended with a very exciting Robotics Club meeting. The students will be in the Olympics next Thursday. You should have gotten a flyer about this from your child..... If you did not the competition will be at 4:00 in the science lab and room 121. There will be pizza served, and you are welcome to join us!

I reviewed material with the 7th and 8th grade. I think they are all ready for tomorrow. 8th grade will be having a lab on Monday that they need gloves for (winter snow gloves or mittens). They will be able to take them home on Monday night... Try to help them remember, I know it is hard over the weekend, but they do not want to wait until Tuesday to do the lab.

Three 8th grade students met with me at lunch to get extra help before the test. I love to see that interest and concern.

I received all of the first drafts of the Bishop Letter from my Religion class, and they look great. I will grade them and pass them back on Monday for rewrites. There is no test on this chapter because of shield and Bishop letter. I plan to get one more Confirmation chapter in and then move into some Xmas discussions. It is very hard to fit everything in since the date of Confirmation was moved, Fr. Andrews gets class time and we miss a class each week due to Spanish. Participation is high in class discussions and we are keeping a solid pace.

Tomorrow is the Nutcracker. I cannot wait to see the show. Some of my students will not be in Science class because of that. Any 7th grader that missed class today can review with me on Monday at lunch and take the test on Tuesday during lunch.

We will be thinking about Katie Pilarski tomorrow as she dances at the Daly Center. Too bad it is during school, I would love to see her performance.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I have to ask for your patience on this one....I have fallen behind on grading if you have been checking powerschool. I am sorry; I try not to let that happen. When I went away over Thanksgiving I did not bring any work with me. (Big mistake....how to catch up???) I promise by Sunday at midnight all 7th and 8th grade work except the shields will be on powerschool.

I missed my eighth grade classes this morning, but made it in time for my 7th grade. Eighth grade did the work I had planned with Mrs. Forde. I really appreciate her filling in for me. 7th grade worked on proteins, lipids, enzymes and nucleic acids.

I will review during both 7th and 8th grade for their test in 8th and their quiz in 7th. I know usually the students get more than a week to study for tests, but this is only one section of material for 8th and two sections for 7th.

I did not teach Religion today, my students went to Spanish. Just a reminder to my 8th grade Religion class the first copy of their Bishop letter is due tomorrow. It needs to be typed and they need to email it to me as well.

The 7th graders do have a homework assignment tonight; I will go over that with them tomorrow as part of the review.

I hope you all have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I cannot keep up with the pace of these days, but I did enjoy today's excitement as the 8th graders built roller coasters. Mr. Rosinski videotaped and will be putting something special on facebook. When it goes up I will let you know. The talent, creativity, and problem solving of this class is amazing and commendable. What a great morning. Tomorrow they will watch a couple utube clips on the promethean board and go over some energy information from CWE. I will not be in tomorrow morning. My husband's car is being shipped to Florida and I need to be here to sign off on it. I hate missing school!

Tomorrow morning is an assembly and the students may come out of uniform in their Catholic Identity T-Shirt.

In 7th grade we had a great discussion on carbohydrates. I think they will be getting a short test or long quiz depending on how you want to look at it on Friday. I told them today and explained what to study. This chapter is long and I want to get to a good stopping point by Friday because Monday we start the special unit created by Mrs. Maramba. It is what she submitted for the grant which allowed us to get 25 microscopes. I am very excited about this project and I think the students will enjoy it.

We had a great Religion class. First of all 100% of the shields were turned in on time. Yippee!!! That is excellent and thank you for your help and support on that project. It really does help to pull all of the important elements together for Confirmation. I only had a second to glance at them, but they were very well done. I will look them over and hang them, but it will be awhile before I get them graded. Hang in there with me please this is such a busy time of year. I did discuss the Bishop letter with my class and passed out the directions and a sample. Please do not use sentences from the sample, that was just to help give you an idea of what is expected. Please feel free to work with your child on this project. What a great way to discuss Faith and Confirmation with your child. My class's first draft is due on Thursday. Please email it to me as a word document too! I went over this in class. If your child is having a problem with the letter, please have them see me for extra help. I know this is a lot of religion, but what is bigger than Confirmation????? I promise after this letter the religion workload slows down until after the holidays. Then we prepare for the big test. That test is about as hard as the Constitution Test, just a little fyi on that.

On a professional note, I have been very busy working with a national science website that plans on featuring MSW and junior high science in Jan. More news as that project develops. Also I was asked to apply for the teacher board of Lego's. I am waiting to hear if I am chosen as a finalist. I think it would be great for MSW if I was.

Anyway I hope I am in school to teach my seventh graders.

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Wow, the weekend flew by. Thanksgiving was perfect and being with my family was even better! I hope you all enjoyed family, friends and a little break from MSW.

I did not teach my 8th grade Religion class today, Father Andrews spoke to the class. Just a reminder the shields for my class are due tomorrow.

In 8th grade science we went over the plans for the week, which are pretty great. They will be building roller coasters tomorrow as we move on through the unit on energy. That is always fun for the students. We are having a test on Friday. It is a short section that we have been working on and I wrote the review on the whiteboard. They should have that in their notebooks. If anyone needs extra help they should make a plan to see me.

In 7th grade we talked about chemicals and compounds as they relate to life and cells. We also discussed the results of an experiment we did last week. The students put iodine and water into a paper cup. Then in a zip lock baggie they mixed cornstarch and water. That looked like a milky solution. Now that time has passed the iodine believe it or not went through the baggie into the milky solution turning it purple....and we thought those baggies kept things out. What a great example of osmosis!

No one got homework tonight, but for any child/parent in 7th and 8th grade that I did not see at conferences, I sent home a conference folder for you and your child to review. Please look it over, return the signed tests to school, keep the papers, and sign and send back the comment page. Thank you for your help on that. I hope it gives you a little clearer picture of how your child is doing and what they might need to work on. I understand that I cannot see all parents, but I think this is another way to communicate the information to you.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

I know it is Sunday and I usually do not write on the weekend, but with conferences I know I will be too busy and too tired to write on Monday or Tuesday.

I will not have the seventh grade again until after Thanksgiving. I will be administering the Explore Test to the 8th graders. Sorry about that 7th grade. I will miss seeing you as class, but hope to get to say hi to you in the hall as you are moving from class to class.

8th grade will start the Explore test on Monday and finish it on Tuesday. I may see them for a short Science class on Monday. I hope so, because I do have a lab planned. They will not be having Religion class on Monday and Tuesday.

Please remember to send canned goods with your child. The Park Ridge Food Pantry is at an all time low.

I will be heading off to New York on Wednesday, and returning on Sunday. I will be meeting up with Ron and Allison and cannot wait to spend time with them. My whole family goes to New York for Thanksgiving for a family reunion. We all go to the Macy's Day Parade, have dinner at my sisters and just have a lot of family fun! My sister lives in Brooklyn so getting to see her and her family is very special. My favorite holiday by far is Thanksgiving because I do feel I have been very blessed and have so much to be thankful for. One thing I am very grateful for is the opportunity to teach at MSW. It is more than a school to me, it is where I went, where I sent my daughter and were I find happiness and fulfillment. Teaching at MSW is not a job for me, it is getting to do what I love, and I am grateful for that gift. I do believe it is more than a Blue Ribbon School. I think we have knowledgeable, strong and caring administration and very hard working and dedicated teachers. I think the parents that send their children to MSW have a strong commitment to Faith and are very concerned about their child's education. I love spending the day with the kids and sharing all of the excitement and experiences as they grow in faith, knowledge, and as an individual. I would not be as happy at any other school. I count the fact that I am on the faculty at MSW as one of the biggest gifts in my life. I also feel that I have been very blessed with a wonderful husband, daughter and extended family. The older I get the less things matter to me and the more spending time with family and friends is treasured.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and get a little time to enjoy the fun of family.

Take care and gobble gobble,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Between selling pink shoe laces, running the Pizza Lunch, teaching robotics after school and attending two 8th grade boys basketball games I am tired.

I usually can go and go and go, but it was a long day.

All students should have brought home their report card for you to look at and for you to sign. Please take some time and go over their accomplishments. Many students have worked very hard this trimester. Let them know how pleased you are and how much that effort and success will help them as they move on. If there is an area that needs improvement, try to put a plan together to help your child be more successful.

I was in the lab all day. The 7th and 8th graders both did labs. The 8th graders are working on endothermic and exothermic reactions. The 7th graders worked on diffusion and the color of leaves. We will discuss the results the next time we are together. That leads me to tomorrow. The students have Jumior Achievement tomorrow. I know Mrs. Sako has been preparing for weeks. She will be the rep in my homeroom. The students may come out of uniform tomorrow.

In religion the students have a journal. I told my religion class today that if they read their Creed outloud at your family Thanksgiving they would not have to do part of the journal assignment. First of all their Creeds were beautiful and are very worthy of being the prayer at Thanksgiving, second part of Confirmation is giving witness, look at all of the marytrs that gave their lives for God. It will take a good deal of security to read the prayer. I do believe that they should be that confident in their beliefs if they are getting Confirmed. If they do not want to read theirs, they can just do the written journal assignment.

I really enjoyed watching the 8th graders play basketball tonight and we have some great cheerleaders.... What a fun in the gym.

Thanks for taking time to read this and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

It is such a busy time. I am so sorry these notes have all been short this week. I am trying to get this written before I head back to school for the Kids Who Care Service project. Tonight they will be loading the truck for Julia Center. I wish it was a little warmer out........

I want to remind the 8th graders in my homeroom to bring in food for the food pantry. This is an all school project run by the second grade. We have been getting food donations in very slowly. Let's all try to remember the less fortunate during this Thanksgiving season.

In 8th and 7th grade science the students got their folders ready for Parent Teacher Conferences and I collected homework. Classes were a cut short today because it was Wed. but then I lost even a little more time because Mass went long.

I did not teach 8th grade Religion today due to Spanish.

Tomorrow all 7th and 8th grade students will be in the lab.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Several students from the 8th grade class competed at the Fenwick science competition. They did a great job, and the school won a laser set which will be the highlight of a Friday Finale. Thank you to Ania Szeszko, Anna Spytek, Emma Madigan, Chris Jeske, Tim Wallace, Anders Cox, Matthew Cox, and Jessica Urbanczyk. They did a great job! I appreciate the support from the parents in providing transportation.

In 8th grade Science the students took notes on different forms of energy. The 8th graders need to return their Science test with a parent's signature.

In 7th grade Science the students took notes on photosynthesis. 7th grade will be doing a lab tomorrow that demonstrates osmosis! The 7th graders need to return their Science test with a parent's signature.

In 8th grade Religion we discussed the infallibility of the Pope and continued working on the study of the Creed.

Take care and have a good night,

Mrs. Z

 

 

Dear Parents,

I am so sorry about last Thursday night, but I knew the students would be anxious to see their grades. The eighth grade test was nine pages and the seventh grade was seven, which was a lot in one night. I corrected them and showed the students on Friday, but did not send them home until today.

I was very pleased with the tests in both classes.

We have moved on. 8th grade is working on endothermic and exothermic reactions. I love all the activities we do in 8th grade but this section is packed with really extra special labs.

In 7th grade the students are learning about diffusion, osmosis and passive and active transport. They do have an amazing lab coming this week as well.

Just a reminder to 8th grade parents Explore tests will be given next Monday and Tuesday. They will be given in homeroom. At this point I am not sure what this means for my 7th grade science classes..... The 8th graders got a flyer explaining the Explore tests. I hope you saw it.

Kids Who Care is very busy. We are selling pink shoe laces to raise money in honor of Mrs. Schutter and Mrs. Dittemore. The money will go to the Breast Cancer Fund. The shoe laces cost $2.00 and the students can now wear pink shoe laces to school. We are also packing the truck for the Julia Center on Wed. night. The students got a flyer on that today. Finally, we have another pizza lunch this Thursday to raise money for New Mexico.

Tomorrow the 8th graders who signed up are heading off to Fenwick for a science competition. Congrats to all of the 8th graders who competed in Quiz Bowl at St. Ignatius (that is where Allison attended high school). MSW took first place. Yippee!!!!!!

I am done with report card grades and comments. I thought it was a great first trimester! It really seemed to fly by. Now I am working on conferences. I look forward to meeting the 7th grade parents and seeing the 8th grade parents again.

I was amazed last week when I looked at the work done by my Religion class. They wrote a two page paper on someone they looked up to. The people they picked amazed me, but even more reading the qualities that they admire were very uplifting. Then I had the students rewrite the Nicene Creed in their own words. They did such a great job; I dropped them off for Father Andrew to read. Those will be hanging in the hall. You should look at them if you have extra time when you come for conferences. They will touch your heart, and help you see the value of 8 years of Catholic education. Today I did not teach Religion, Father came. He wrote a class creed including all of the ideas of all of the students. I hope to get that hung up for you to see.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

I have no time to send information today. It was all testing. Check online for grades later tonight!

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Another crazy day. I had a review for 8th grade science during my lunch and a few students who had been absent after school. I hope all parents of 7th and 8th grade students know tomorrow is a major science test. I wish them all the best.....

Today in 8th grade science I reviewed a few of the more difficult sections of the test and then they studied with a buddy, for the last few minutes of class.

Today in 7th grade science the students made either a plant cell or an animal cell. The hope was that they would be thinking about the organelles (part of the inside of the cell) as they built theirs. Hopefully that helped them memorize the parts of a cell. They sure had fun playing with the 25 packets of jello I made. They all took them home, so check the backpack. You probably don't want that in the bottom of their backpack all year. They are fine for a few weeks, eventually they may mold.

I did not teach 8th grade Religion today due to Spanish.

My 8th grade religion class should be working on writing their own Creed. Some students have already turned that in and they are beautiful. Wow, what a creative and religious keepsake. They will be hanging outside of my room; you can read them while you are waiting for your conference.

I had a group of students sign up for the Fenwick High School science competition. This is our first time entering and I wish all the students the best of luck. More info on that after the competition.

I have to run tonight is the Confirmation meeting for 8th graders. Parents please be sure your child is there with their sponsor. If the sponsor cannot attend, you need to go with your child. The meeting will start at 7 and end at 8:15.

Tomorrow is robotics for any students who are participating in that club.

Just a check to see if anyone is reading this, the code word is Allison. Any child that comes into science and says the code word, will get a Jolly Rancher. I do spend time on this every day, and hope that it is helping you stay connected!

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

No time to write you will have to get news from your child. I had a study session through lunch, and after school for 7th grade tomorrow they will make their plant or animal cell.

I will see 8th graders during lunch tomorrow, only if they have worked on their review sheet.

I am heading downtown to hear my dad give a speech and will be home late, sorry just no time. I am sure you all can appreciate how very special and important tonight is for my family.

Take care,

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

This will be short and sweet. I never get sick and I am worried that I caught the cough that has been going around. I am working as fast as I can and heading to bed. I know sleep is the best thing I can do.

I am very happy because today my daughter Allison defended her thesis and has completed her masters part of her doctorate program. Yippee! Also I have to be well tomorrow night my dad is giving a speech downtown that I have been waiting a month to hear.....

I talked to the 8th graders about a Science competition at Fenwick next Tuesday. I gave all the students who were interested a form. They need to turn that into me by Wed. of this week.

I also told all the 7th and 8th graders the review session times. Remember the completed study guide is the ticket into the session. If someone does not know one or two, I will help them, but a blank page will make me very sad, they have had those for a week.

In 8th grade we watched a couple of short clips that explained chemical and physical changes and states of matter. The students also took a quiz on material we covered last week.

In 7th grade we prepared part of the cell lab. We will review tomorrow because it is a 45 minute class and then on Wed. we will make a cell. That will be great preparation for the test.

In 8th grade Religion the students are working on my favorite project of the year. They had class time today to get started. They need to take the Nicene Creed and rewrite it in their own words of Faith. Typically these are keepsakes! I cannot wait to see how they do. I have read a few of the people they admire stories and they were outstanding. I hope I get the rest of them tomorrow.

Have a great night,

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Where did this week go? I just go home from robotics and cannot believe tomorrow is Friday already.

In 8th grade science the students worked on chemical and physical changes. I think they are catching on. They will have a Friday Finale tomorrow!

In 7th grade we completed the notes on organelles inside cells. We will be making a cell in class next Tuesday. I will miss seeing them very much tomorrow.

I was chosen to coach the 8th student team in the big basketball game after school. That should be exciting and I am planning on a student victory!

It was a very big and exciting day in Religion today. The students were measured for their gowns. After that I went over the shield packet. I hope they brought it home and showed it to you. You can help them, but I really want to see their work. Please note they are not allowed to copy words right off the internet. They need to put what they read in their own words. This is a school policy and should always be followed. The due date for the written assignment of who was their role model has been extended to Tuesday of next week. If anyone has it done earlier they may turn it in.

I hope you have a great night.

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

Today was great, because some of the classes I missed yesterday or saw briefly, I saw twice today.

The 8th graders took a quiz on their oobleck lab and have moved onto chemical and physical changes. I showed them two great clips from utube and then began the lesson.

The 7th graders began a lesson on the parts of a cell. They will finish that up tomorrow. They did get a worksheet on classification to help review that section for the upcoming test. I am sorry that I will not see them on Friday, but hope their field trip is a great experience.

I did not have my 8th grade religion class today because of Spanish, but some big news will be given to them tomorrow. They will be getting their directions for the shield project. This has been done for years, but for new parents of 8th graders this does take some time to complete. I am sending the information home tomorrow but it will not be due until after Thanksgiving. As soon as we come back to school after Thanksgiving the students will be working on their letter to the Bishop. Also some students explained that they had a lot going on so I extended the due date of the religion paper until Friday. I hope that took some of the pressure off of them. I would rather wait a day and get better quality. Hopefully they will use their time wisely.

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today was a little bit quieter...lots of tired students.

We had an all school Mass to celebrate All Saints Day. The students sat with their Faith Partners and the third graders came in costume depicting a saint they studied. I think the Faith development at MSW is very strong, and I enjoy praying with the entire school community.

I passed back papers in all of my science classes and the review sheet. I started to go over it and was very pleased to find how much of it they remember. I am not as worried about the test. I did encourage them to begin working on the material.

In religion we moved on to Chapter three. The students were also given a homework assignment that is due on Tuesday. (My class only.) At Mass Father Gunderson said that he was trying to live his life following in the footsteps of Cardinal Bernadine. I asked the students to think of who they would like to follow as a role model throughout their life. They need to turn in a two page typed paper on that topic.

The 8th grade students all got a copy of a letter from Mr. Furganic that listed due dates for Confirmation. I hope that made it home to you.

We will not have Mass tomorrow because we did today. So any class that I missed or only saw for a short time I will be seeing twice. That should help us all get on the same page.

Please remember send any extra Halloween candy to school, so we can have it shipped to Iraq.

Hope you have a great night

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I cannot believe I did it again. I typed a letter to you and deleted it. That is just so frustrating. I have to stop doing that.

I will start again.

I went to the Boo Bash this weekend and the autistic Halloween Party that Mrs. Due runs. I was so happy to see many of the 8th graders there helping out. Then Sat. night I went to the play. Wow! That was amazing there were over 60 students in the play and again I was happy to see so many 8th graders in it. Some were on crew, some lights, some were dancers and Kiara was Snow White. It was a fun Saturday.

First a bit of important news.... The date of Confirmation has changed to Feb. 4. This may change the due date for assignments and paperwork deadline. I am sure you will be getting notification from Mr. Furganic with specifics.

Today was a great day. I loved seeing the students in costume and I started the day being a skeleton....a little sciencish I thought, but it was hard to teach in the costume so I took it off.

I did the same science presentations for both 7th and 8th grade. We learned about and saw the wonders of carbon dioxide which is dry ice. I had 11 experiments with dry ice, and hopefully you heard a little about some of them. Dry ice only makes its way to MSW once every other year, so when it comes we do it BIG. Soon there will be pictures on MSW's Facebook.

We did not have Religion today, a party was planned for all 7th and 8th grade students starting at 2 and that is when I have Religion. Father Andrews did stop by to talk with the students for a few minutes though.

A huge thank you to Kiara's mom who went way over the top putting together a Halloween Party for my homeroom. I never asked her to do it, but if you need help with party ideas see her. It was first class from Halloween paper goods, to Boo juice, to dirt with worms. Thank you so much and thanks to all the Moms who sent treats.

While I am on Halloween I do want to mention KWC is collecting unwanted candy. I know sometimes 8th graders especially boys don't get the news home to you. Students can bring in candy through Thursday. On Thursday we will drop it off at Dr. DiFranco's office and he will give MSW KWC a dollar a pound. Then he packages it and ships it to Iraq.

Tomorrow is back to the books. Both the 7th and 8th grade are heading toward their chapter test. The tests will be next Thursday. I will give out review sheets to both classes tomorrow. I will hold a review session next week at lunch and after school for any students who feel they need a little extra help. The material on the review sheet has all been covered in class. They all understand it, now they need to take some time to memorize it and "own" it. It is not always just memorizing the definition that gets you a high score, it is also understanding that definition and being able to apply the information. I do think that this means that students may need to spend more than one night studying. I am giving the information out early so they have ample time to prepare.

I hope you all had a wonderful "spirited" Halloween and that I will see many of you at Mass tomorrow.

Take care,

Mrs. Z

 

Dear Parents,

I have to be totally honest. Today was not my best day. It just continues to get worse. A few weeks ago my husband's uncle died and I went with him to Wisconsin to the wake and funeral. I opened my email right before doing this and found out that his aunt died today...As I said things are just not going well at this point.

I went to the store yesterday to buy 25 lbs. of cornstarch and was helping a handicapped lady who I guess very much distracted me because this morning I noticed I had not purchased cornstarch. I picked up 25 lbs. of baking soda. I felt bad, very bad. The 8th graders took it well, and we will do the oobleck lab tomorrow. I have corrected the 8th grade density quizzes and most of the students did very well. Those grades will be put online Saturday.

In 7th grade we prepared for their make your own microscope lab. So that will be tomorrow. This lab really helps them see how simple it is to make a microscope and the amazing things that it can do. I did correct the quizzes on kingdoms and domains. The students did an excellent job. The scores were all in the A-B range. That is great. I will have them recorded and online sometime Saturday. They will be passed out next week.

In Religion my class had their test and we moved on to Chapter 3.

The students who are in robotics did a great job today. Everyone has now built their robots and we started programming. The students were all very successful with the first lesson which is programming the robot to move forward and backward. They caught on quickly which is a very good sign.

This is very brief because I think I should try to end this day a little early....it has not been my best and I just want it to be tomorrow.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is pizza lunch, and as always your student can bring in the money tomorrow. As special thank you to Mrs. Kons who went to Sam's Club today to but the pop and paper goods, and to Mrs. Madigan who is coming to help me in the morning with last minute orders.

Also tomorrow is orange and black day if you bring in a can of food for the food pantry. The Park Ridge Food Pantry is really low. I hope we can help them out a little.

The final reminder is Student Council is selling Dog Tags for $2.00. That dog tag is also the ticket to free entry to the faculty 8th grade basketball game.

Wow, there really is a lot going on.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

What a day in the lab.....

The 7th graders were amazed as they looked at newspapers under the microscope. Sometimes what you see is not what is really there! They also learned how to make a microscope out of water....how cool is that?

The 8th graders explored the world of density for the last time. Ask your child if a can of diet pop, and regular pop are the same size and the same shape, why is it that the regular pop can sinks and the diet pop floats???????????? Hope they can answer you. Tomorrow 8th grade science is huge....We move into states of matter and work with oobleck. That is really fun, totally messy but filled with learning. Oobleck is an amazing Non-Newtonian Substance that at times hold the properties of a solid and at other times it exhibits the properties of a liquid.

No religion today because of Spanish...but my class has a test tomorrow. I really hope they all remembered to study. They know exactly what is on the test, and they were reminded at the end of the day to take their book home. I am hoping for many good grades!

I thought the assembly this morning was great! Thank you to the 8th Grader Kids Who Care students who made announcements (Anna Kons, Kate Nedza, Anthony Loffredo, and Colleen Avery), and to all the 8th grade girls for being in the Spirit Wear Fashion Show. Aslo Matt Stam, Evan Salmon and Anthony Loffredo helped create some spirit by holding up the letters MSW!

Have a great night and take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

After school today I went to see some of the MSW quiz bowl competition at Notre Dame High School. Wow!!!!!!!!!! We can be very proud. Their behavior was exemplary and their answers were right on. It was very impressive. Ms. T, Mrs. Carlson, and Mrs. Ginnocchio do a great job preparing them.

In both of my science classes the students took a quiz, and I talked to students who were missing work. I love when every box of my grade book is filled.

In Religion we carved pumpkins with our Faith Partners. That is just so amazing to see. The students only get 45 minutes to wash, clean and carve the pumpkins. I am not sure how, but they always get it done.

I hope you all know that this is Red Ribbon week. We are doing a lot of activities during the week to celebrate that and to reinforce "just say no to drugs". This is a key opportunity for you to talk to your child not only about the dangers of drugs, but the responsibility they have to take care of their body. Don't pass up this chance. It is a hard topic to get into especially because your child may not have come across this socially, but now is the time for you to make your impression before their friends do. I speak as a science teacher and a parent on this one.

Also just a reminder that Friday is the first Pizza Lunch sponsored by Kids Who Care. (Speaking of Kids Who Care....wow we have a lot of new 8th graders in the group....boys and girls....I love to see that). This is to help raise funds for the summer program MSW is sponsoring in New Mexico. I went to work their last summer for a week. I grew as a person in so many ways. It is so hard for me to understand how in the year 2011 in one of the greatest nations in the world there can still be so much poverty. It seems so wrong to me that so many have so much and so many have so little. I am not talking about extras I am just talking about things you need.

Take care and have a great evening,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

This is really sad; I just typed in the whole newsletter, and hit the wrong key which deleted it. Today has not been my best day..... So I will write it again, here goes.

I hope all of the mini lava lamps made it home safely. The students were warned that oil was really a mess to clean up, so I hope they are being careful. I do hope some of the students were able to explain a little about the science behind it. The lamps are made of oil and water, food coloring to make it easier to see the bubbles. The oil floats because it is less dense then water. The food coloring is not soluble in oil so only the water gets colored. If you shake it they mix up and separate. That is cool, but add some Alka-Setlzer and watch what happens, that is really cool. The Alka-Seltzer releases carbon dioxide into the water creating bubbles the bubbles are much lighter now then water so they float to the top, pop, release the carbon dioxide into the air, and the water sinks back down.

In 7th grade science the students worked on filling in a chart with the important information on kingdoms and domains. They have a worksheet do fill in tonight which is good practice for them. They need to find the information by reading the chart correctly. This material will be on a quiz tomorrow in class. They can use their chart tomorrow when they take their quiz.

In 8th grade we worked on the formula for density - mass over volume. The students worked on many word problems today finding the density of regular and irregular shaped objects. They all took notes and are having a quiz on that material only tomorrow. They can use a calculator during the quiz.

In religion we went over the chapter two review and the students know that they will be tested on that material on Thursday or Friday. I do not know which day it will be because I am not sure of the time of the Thursday assembly yet. If we do have class on Thursday the test will be Thursday.

Tomorrow the 8th graders will be carving pumpkins with their second grade Faith Partner. This has been a tradition for many years. There is no cost for this and the second graders all get to take a pumpkin home. The eighth graders will be doing the carving. It is a nice bonding time for the students and a lot of fun.

In case you have not heard there will be no Friday Finale this week. We will celebrate Halloween with a very special presentation on Monday. I cannot wait! I have been planning and practicing for weeks. I also think it is wise to break from curriculum on that day, because the students are not as focused. So why fight it, I will join in the fun of the day!

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

First let me clear up a typo in the last entry. The 7th and 8th graders should bring in an empty water bottle on Friday. It should be 17 ounces or less. I wrote 1 liter that is wrong. I am very sorry. I held up the size bottle in class the students should know what I am talking about. I will have extra bottles in case someone misunderstood. I am very sorry. I was just rushing.

Today we had a guest visitor, Gary Kolodzikj

The 8th graders had a great day at the Museum. I think they learned and had fun! It was a great day. Thank you to Mrs. Pilarski, Mrs. Kons, and Mr. Madigan our fearless chaperones. The first Robotics Club meeting went great. Some students were able to finish building their robot, and some teams will finish up next week. It is a large group and having the students from St. Pat's is very helpful. We welcome the teams from St. Juliana and Immaculate Conception.

7th graders, I missed you very much. We will have a great day tomorrow with the Friday Finale and the microscope lab. If you didn't finish your kingdom picture in school I hope you took it home, it is due tomorrow.

All students should try to remember to bring a rosary tomorrow for the assembly.

Have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I did not teach the 8th grade at all today, due to MAP testing and Spanish so not much new there except the students did turn in their finished posters for the field trip tomorrow. I was very busy today making last minute arrangements for the field trip and getting ready for our first robotics club meeting tomorrow. This year is a little different than last; I hope the students who signed up have a great experience. Some students from St. Pat's will be coming to work with the 8th grade robotics teams. I have a huge group.... Thank you if you encouraged your child to sign up for KWC....that too is a very large group. It is always the biggest club in the school, but I was thrilled to see so many 8th graders sign up. What a great way to give witness to their Confirmation.

7th graders took notes on cells and the effect the microscope has had on science especially biology. Science just amazes me. The brilliance of God is so overwhelming for my mind to even begin to comprehend. I am sorry that I will not be with the 7th graders tomorrow, but if tomorrow goes well maybe next year they will be at the Science Convention. The 7th graders all have work for tomorrow, and I think they will have a good day. I will miss seeing them though they always walk into my room with big smiles. It was great today as I was teaching to see so many of them commenting....oh I remember that from 5th grade. They are right, 5th grade science touches on some of the same concepts as 7th. Nice job Ms. Horan!

Reminder to 7th and 8th grade you need an empty one liter water bottle. I do not think the 8th graders will have the Friday Finale on Friday, due shortened classes in the morning because of the Rosary Assembly, but they will do it on Monday. I do think the 7th graders will have science on Friday.

Take care and have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

7th grade worked on learning the development and history of the microscope. They will be reviewing the proper use of a microscope and having a microscope lab on Friday. The Friday Finale is so fun, I decided to get supplies for all of the student to make and take....the only thing the students need to bring is an empty water bottle.

8th grade did a great job responding to the Robotics Club. Over 24 students have enrolled. That class begins this Thursday. They will begin the assembly of their robot. How fun!

7th grade students turned in their bread mold project. It is amazing to see the different results. Some students still had no mold while others had a wide variety of mold growing in different stages. The baggies are now hanging in the science lab so we can make many more observations.

8th graders brought in many permission slips for Friday. We are still waiting on a few more so please try to get those in tomorrow. Remember the 8th graders are out of uniform, with a blue MSW shirt. They also need money for lunch or they can bring something from home.

The 8th graders only had science for fifteen minutes today because of MAP testing. They worked on their posters for the science convention. Those are due tomorrow.

I have explained the expectations and work to the 7th graders so they know what they are doing in science on Thursday while I am gone.

8th graders should also bring in a water bottle for the Friday Finale. They may have the Finale on Friday because there is a Rosary Assembly in the morning. We will try to have classes after that, depending on how the time goes.

In 8th grade Religion we did a serious study of the Rosary to prepare for the assembly.

Hope you all have a great night,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

As I write this I wonder if people are reading it.....I hope someone is.

The big news in 8th grade is that the students got their permission slips for the field trip today. They should return them by Wed. with money. I am very excited to go to the Chemical Convention with this science class. I hope we have a great day of learning and fun. Also they received their permission slip for the robotics club. Those need to be turned in quickly because the club fills up very quickly.

In science today the 8th graders worked on their Nano-Chemistry posters which they will bring to the convention. Those need to be finished by Wed. and I do not know if we will have science again due to MAP testing. So those might become a light homework assignment. They got off to a great start on them today. These students are very creative and Nano-Chemistry is just amazing.

7th grade Science students need to bring in their written lab on the bread mold and their two baggies with bread in them. That project will continue throughout the year, but in the science lab. During class today I went over how to make a proper chart and graph, those are important skills in science. I corrected labs over the weekend and noticed several students were having a hard time, eventhough I went over this skill already. I hope to see a huge improvement. Then we moved on through the chapter reviewing binomial nomenclature, classification and we began work on the three domains of life. The students will be working on a project with the domains of life on Thursday when I am with the eighth graders at the museum.

Father Andrew came and talked to my 8th grade religion class today. His topic was very interesting. He tried to explain the history of different orders of religion (i.e. diocesan priests, monks...). This could be interesting dinner table conversation.

Finally, the first Kids Who Care meeting is tomorrow during their recess time of lunch. This is a great club and very active in the school. If your child has never been part of Kids Who Care you might want to encourage them to participate. I try not to hold many meetings after school, because students are so busy. This is a great way for eighth graders to begin to live out the service part of their Faith. It is open to students from fourth to eighth graders, but you do not have to have been in it before to join.

Have a great night. I am rushing because I plan on watching some MSW basketball tonight, but first I have to get my work done....

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

It is Thursday night. I am so sorry. I did not write yesterday. I wanted to. I went to the D. C. meeting for 8th grade and then to the high school night. I ran into so many alums and it was great to see them, hear about the success and watch them tell others about their school. When I got home I started working on the computer and the next thing I knew it was twelve thirty.... By that point I was so tired I forgot to write. I am very sorry.

7th grade did a great job remembering their blow dryers. I hope they all made it back home safely. They worked very hard on their lab, learning that a potato had water in it! Who would have thought????????????????? Well, they all know living things are all filled with water, even a potato.

8th grade began the lesson on density. Today they learned that no matter how much water you have in a container the density will always be the same. The density of a quart of water is the same as the density of a gallon. Pretty amazing, that is because it is a relationship between volume and mass.

My 8th grade religion class is moving through chapter two. Big important points where highlighted in their book. We used to bible to check the significance of the laying of the hands. See if your child remembers any of them. Here is a hint, one is healing.

The big news is for the 8th graders at this point. There are two really big things in science coming next Thursday. First the first robotics club meeting will be held at MSW on Thursday. I am very excited, we are taking the club in a new direction this year and I hope it is as great as I am imagining. Students from St. Paul of the Cross, St. Julianna's and Immaculate Conception will be coming to MSW in teams. High school students will be joining us on Thursday's. At the end their will be a very special robotics Olympic competition. This has kept me very busy....More information will be sent home with the 8th graders tomorrow. If your child is too busy or not interested in extra robotic experiences, they will still use the robots at the end of 8th grade as part of our curriculum. Also next Thursday for the first time ever the MSW 8th graders will be heading down to the Museum of Science and Industry to be part of the third Student Chemical Convention. In the morning the students will tour the regular museum sites and then after lunch we will be at the convention for two hours. I cannot wait!

Also for any 7th or 8th grader who wants to be in Kids Who Care our MSW service group, our first meeting will be Tuesday during lunch in the science lab.

Now I really feel like we are in full swing!

7th grade parents there seems to be some confusion about when the bread mold lab is due. We were so busy today with the potatoes I forgot to talk to them about it. Keep the bread mold until Tuesday of next week. On Monday I will remind them to bring it in on Tuesday. I will talk to them about it in school tomorrow.

One more thing.....tomorrow is the first Friday Finale after two weeks off. That is not because I do not want to do them that is because we have not had school the last two Fridays...................so you can expect tomorrow to be extra special.

Take care and have a great weekend,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Wow, it seems like forever since I have written. I am trying to remember how.... What beautiful weather we have been having! It does not seem like Oct. already.

8th grade parents remember tomorrow night (Wednesday) is the DC meeting and the high school Open House.... I hope to see you all there.

7th graders need a blow dryer for science on Thursday. Hopefully your child will be asking you if they can bring one. If you would rather not send one, it is fine, just send a note saying that your child did ask. Students will be getting credit for bringing in the blow dryer. They will be using it on Thursday for an experiment and they can bring it back home Thursday after school.

7th grade learned how to use the triple beam balance today and will work on using it in a lab tomorrow.

8th grade worked on finding the volume of an irregular shaped object with water displacement.

Watch your students' lab grades; some students are not making the best us of time or opting for a partner. The labs need to be completed and lab areas clean at the end of class. Some students are struggling with this. It is an adjustment that all 8th grader especially make as we move from 7th grade discoveries to 8th grade lab experiments.

We are working on the three sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Faith, Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation in religion. I was very pleased with the test scores from last weeks test. I know the students carry a heavy load in 8th grade, so I try to keep a balance with Religion but it is Confirmation year. We do have some major projects coming up. We will talk about different saints in class, but you should be talking with your child about their Confirmation name, if they haven't already picked one.

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I made it back and forth to Oak Lawn, learned a lot, had some fun with other science geeks and gurus....and watched the big Soccer game at ND high school. MSW played great and I was very proud....

Thursday will be a great day for 7th and 8th graders. Nope, no Friday Finale, but that is because it is not Friday....sorry. I think the day will move quickly for them as they will both be working in the lab. 7th grade will be setting up their bread mold experiment which they should bring home. You really should tape it to the refrigerator. I know that will not be appealing to look at every day, but it is easier for your child to remember to write their observations when they see it! Don't worry the really gross reactions happen long after they have returned it to school. 8th Grade will be using the balance to figure out the mass of many objects. Once we conquer Mass and Volume they will be able to calculate density.

In both 7th and 8th grade we have talked about making crystals and rock candy. It is really very simple and amazing. I do not know why when some students tried this at home they grew mold in their cup. It might be because they did not use a glass or ceramic cup. The directions are easy to find online. I have done it at home many times and never have seen any mold. When I did try it in the science lab last year the mold appeared. That is very disappointing. I did not cover mine at home, but I did use a ceramic coffee cup. To make it all I did was boil water, add sugar slowly stirring, until no more sugar would dissolve. Then I poured the mixture into a cup and laid a pencil on top with a piece of string attached to it. The string goes down into the cup, but not touching the bottom. Each day I lifted the pencil pulled the string out of the water and then put it down again. Slowly over time I got the most amazing crystals. Hope that helps those of you who tried this and were unsuccessful.

I am working on the plans for the robotics club with Mrs. Schutter; information will be coming home soon. Lots of students are interested so it should be a great experience! This program is offered to 8th graders only.

Just a reminder to my religion class.....TEST tomorrow. They have had a week to study and they all have the exact material that will be on the test, so it is just a matter of putting in a little time. I hope they are all successful.

I guess that is all the news until next week. Enjoy the four day break. I hope you get to spend a little quality family time, because it looks like beautiful weather.

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

VERY IMPORTANT DUE TO GRANDPARENT/GUARDIAN ANGEL MASS THE 8TH GRADERS SHOULD WEAR THEIR TRADITIONAL SCHOOL UNIFORM AND BRING THEIR GYM UNIFORM TO CHANGE INTO LATER IN THE DAY FOR GYM CLASS. I AM NOT SURE THAT ALL OF THE STUDENTS HAVE HEARD THIS MESSAGE CLEARLY. PLEASE PASS IT ON TO YOUR CHILD AND IF THEY ARE ONLINE OR FACEBOOK HAVE THEM REMIND ALL THE STUDENTS THEY CAN. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP ON THIS!

What a great day of learning in science. The eighth grade completed their sludge test - mystery mixture lab. They did a great job, and I think most of them were amazed and had fun! The final test is to evaporate the liquid from the filtering and see what is left.... I think that might have been their favorite part. The seventh grade worked more on characteristics of life and needs of life and I think they are in good shape for their open note, open book quiz tomorrow. I stayed very late at school again tonight and prepared a volume lab for the 8th grade, so they should have a great day tomorrow! 7th grade should not feel left out, science is a mix between labs and notes/lectures. Their great days are right around the corner.

I am very sad to miss the Grandparent/Guardian Angel Day. 8th grade parents should try to go to that Mass. Seeing your 8th grader assume the role of responsibility for the little ones is really quite heart- warming. I am very pleased with how well the 8th graders have interacted with their kindergarten partners over the last few days.

I am very excited to go to my class tomorrow and be a student again..... I hope I am not too chatty and that I learn a lot! I am so happy that it is in Oct. so what I learn I will be able to use this year.

I tried to get to the soccer game last night, but had too much work after school preparing the sludge test to make it. I was hoping to make it over to ND to see Quiz Bowl compete and to catch a little of the Cross Country meet, but I was getting things in order for the sub.

I hope to be back from Oak Lawn in time for the big Soccer game at Notre Dame High School! Very cool, and I am confident that MSW will shine under the lights.

Take care and have a great night!

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today is Monday and I cannot believe we are already in October.... I collected and corrected both the 7th and 8th grade science notebooks over the week. I was very pleased at how well all of the students are all taking notes. I hope that continues throughout the year. I will collected and correct them again, and often we have open note tests. Note taking is a very important skill that needs to be developed before high school.

8th grade will be doing a sludge test tomorrow. They will be given a mystery mixture and by doing a variety of tests. In the end they should be able to identify what their mystery mixture was.

7th grade is working on living things. We are wrapping up our flower experiment and getting ready for the big bread mold adventure....You student should come home from school with that project on Thursday.

The biggest news which is both happy and sad is I will not be in school on Wednesday. I will be meeting with the man I consider to be one of the biggest people in the field of science education. I have waited three years for him to come to Chicago. I will spend the day in Oak Lawn at a conference he is running. I am very excited and yet very sad to be missing Grandparent/Guardian Angel day. I think in the long run this conference will help me help your child all year, so it seems like the right decision. I will be back in school on Thursday, but then the students are off Friday and Monday.

BIG warning my 8th grade religion class has a test on Chapter One this Thursday. They need to prepare for that on their own because I will not be in school when they go home on Wed. I will not be standing at the door asking them if they remembered their Religion book! If they study they will do great, but if they forget that they have the test.....it will be much harder. I will write it on the board before I leave on Tuesday, but I hope they remember.

I will write again tomorrow and let you all know how the sludge test went!

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Tonight is Thursday. You can see I missed writing all week. I was gone on Monday for the funeral in Wisconsin, and then out Tuesday and Wednesday with the flu. Shocking even myself because I am rarely sick and even more rarely out of school. I have been to the doctor, and am not 100% but I was in school today. I was pleased with the work the subs did with the students, but am working very hard to make up for lost time. I am sorry I did not write on my webpage, but honestly, even my toes hurt...... I should be back in action in school and writing to you nightly next week.

Any parents who are waiting to hear back from me, please be patient. I will get back to you in the next few days. I am behind, but will get caught up asap!

Thanks for your understanding. Being sick for a few days has really made me appreciate my health....and reminded me how much I love being at MSW and spending the day with your child doing what I love most.

I am hoping that Spirit Day is a great experience for your child. I know Mrs. Due is planning a presentation about our trip to New Mexico for all of the students. Maybe they will tell you about it!!!! Remember wear your new spirit shirt tomorrow!

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I will not typically write on Sunday night, but I have some news. I found out on Friday that my husband’s uncle died in Wisconsin. I will not be at school on Monday due to the wake and funeral. My husband's father died when he was six, and this uncle filled in like a father during my husband’s childhood. They shared a very special bond. I plan on being back in school on Tuesday.

Also I just wanted to say....for those of you who were able to attend the Mass and hospitality...wasn't it nice. I loved it. I got to see so many of this year’s class and a few alum....It was so nice to see the 8th grade so strongly represented. We had two altar servers, many in choir, several who had solos....many students with their families and then of course those of you who brought and/or served cookies. Well I guess I am glad that we don't do it on a regular basis because....I did eat a few of my favorite cookies. I hope it got your day off to a beautiful start too! Thanks to all of you for trying to make it so special. 8th grade always steps up!!! Thank you to everyone, I left with a happy heart.

Sorry, I will not be there Monday, so any emails, letters to parents, or things that the students need help with will not be taken care of until Tuesday.

Take care,

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

I am just so excited I can not even type. I practiced the Friday Finale and I love it! Amazing.....I have thought about this one for three years and could not figure out how to make it happen at school. Well, I've got it! Hopefully your child will be equally excited when you pick them up at three.

This is going to be very short because I have some science tests to correct and I really would like to get them done tonight, because I know the students are very anxious.

Just a reminder for my 8th grade religion class they need to turn in the note about Mass on Sunday! Also I understand if you can not go, but I hope many do go. My religion class had a homework assignment which was to write 10 sentences on how they got their name. That is due tomorrow.

Happy weekend to all of you!

Incase you haven't caught on I do not write on Friday....... So until next week....

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

A reminder to my homeroom Picture Day is Friday. This is not their graduation picture!

7th Grade Science classes will be having their test tomorrow! I hope you feel ready and are successful. Nothing is better then working hard and then doing well. What a great feeling of accomplishment.

8th Grade Science did a great job on their invention presentations. A lot of creativity in this class! The presentations were video taped so they could see the work done by the other sections! Watch the msw website/facebook because the video is being edited and some clips will be put on it for you to see. We will begin work on chapter two!

I did not teach Religion today because the students had Spanish, but we did go to an all school Mass. Ask your child whose Feast Day we celebrated today....I bet they know!

I better go, because I have a lot of work to do to get ready for tomorrow.

Sad to say I have a doctors appointment tomorrow and will be leaving early. I will miss my 8th Grade Religion class. I am leaving work for the students, and will be in school on Friday.

Have a great night and I am throwing in another code for Jolly Ranchers the secret word is happiness!

Mrs. Z

P.S. If anyone is reading this, isn't it better that i go to the top each day???

Dear Parents,

Today is Tuesday. Wow, what a great day at school! I just started correcting the 8th grade tests and so far so good! It makes me so happy when everyone is catching on to what I am saying and now I do feel like we are in the swing of things, and summer vacation is behind us. I hope to pass them out tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a big day. The students will be presenting their inventions to the class. They have been working hard, and I think there may be some jingles and costumes!

7th Grade Science was great today. First off, I did get the class I missed on Friday caught up YEA! All of the 7th graders worked on Terra Nova Science skills. We will do that every once in awhile, luckily it is right in our book. Also the students had a chance to try out the new microscopes. I hope they mentioned to you how great it was. There were a lot of ooos and aaaas. (spelling???)

8th Grade Religion is heading towards the first test. It will be next week. Remind your child they should listen closely in Mass tomorrow morning there will be another quiz! Also, your child had a homework assignment, but it is not due until Thursday (only my class). The students needed to investigate how they got their name, and write ten sentences explaining that. Also I sent home information about the Mass we are hosting this Sunday. Please sign and return that form with your child.

Hope you all had a great day and enjoyed the last bit of summer.

Mrs. Z

Dear Parents,

Today is Monday. As you can see, I am trying to type the newest message on top so that you don't have to do as much scrolling.

I spent time in all of my classes on Friday teaching the students how to find this, so hopefully they will use it or show you how to use it.

The big news in 7th grade is, I have moved their test. It was brought to my attention that the 7th grade was carrying a very heavy testing load. Sometimes, that happens and there is nothing I can do. This time I moved my test. Hopefully, the extra time will result in more very high scores! The students were very surprised today when they made their Monday observation on their plant lab...Ask your child what they saw!

The big 8th grade news is, they do have a test tomorrow. I am hoping for super scores! The material was covered in class, the students created a review sheet and I passed one out that I made for them to use. I was pleased today that several students came up to me and asked for help at lunchtime. We worked together and I think I was able to clear up their confusion.

The really big Religion news is Father Andrews came and taught the class today. What a great opportunity for our students to discuss their Faith with a priest. I was very impressed with the answers my class gave and their very respectful behavior.

Sad to say Mr. Ron did not share my feelings about the puppy! I went to the Rooftop event and had a great time, but I was not carrying a puppy home at the end of the game. Mr. Ron is right.... I am gone everyday until atleast 4, we don't have a house full of kids, and he is never home so the life we could provide for the puppy wouldn't be the best....I am thinking of asking for a goldfish!

Hope you all had a great weekend and I will send more info tomorrow. Remember Thursday is picture day.

One last bit of news. I had to leave school last Friday for an eye doctor appointment. I missed one of my 7th grade science classes. They are behind one Friday Finale I will make that up tomorrow!

Mrs. Z

Hello Parents,

If you are reading this I am very happy and impressed. Give me a little time to get the hang of this because I really do believe it can be a very useful tool.

8th grade is working on their technology invention group project and so far I am very impressed. I love the creativity, but am most impressed with the trouble shooting and brainstorming. Next Tuesday is the first test. It will be on chapter one and your child should have a study guide in their notebook that we created in class. Typically I will be handing them a typed study guide, but in the beginning of the year I like them to see where the questions are coming from....Any student that thinks their is a section of the chapter they do not understand should see me after school or at lunch. I do not plan on reteaching them the chapter, but if their is something they do not understand I will help them.

7th grade is working on their study guide for the first test which also will be on Tuesday of next week. I corrected their first quiz which was open book, open note and was very pleased with their grades. I do think they have a very good understanding of the material in the first chapter, but now some of them to need go over and memorize some of the vocabulary and concepts. Remember have your child see me if their is something they do not understand. I will help them at lunch or after school. I hope at Back to School night you got to look at their Science Lab Safety posters hanging in the hall, they did an excellent job. In science listening, following directions, and time management are very important skills as we move into the lab.... so as we work on the science concepts of the chapter I hope to be improving and strengthening those skills. We will do our second lab this week which is on the growth of flowers.

Today in 8th grade religion I explained to the students that participation is 20% of their grade. That is a lot and they should keep that in mind during class discussions. I know sometimes it is hard for students at this age to discuss their thoughts and feelings but it is an important component. Also on Wednesday morning we will be going to Mass. After Mass I will ask the student one question that is very obvious from the Mass. I do feel it is important that if we take the time out of teaching for Church that the students be actively participating. They will be getting a one question quiz. Parents I promise the question will be something that the priest has mentioned over and over. I am not trying to trick them in any way, I am trying to get them to listen and think during the Mass. Since it is only one question if you get it wrong it is an F. I have done this for the past 4 years and a few students may fail the first one, but they quickly catch on.

Sad to say I missed the big Parish Festival this weekend, I went to visit my daughter for her birthday in Ohio. I hope to see you all the Cubs rooftop.

I am very excited because Mrs. Maramba wrote a grant that was approved and now MSW has 25 new microscopes in the Science Lab. They were just delivered today! Seventh grade uses microscopes all the time, and our were old, some were broken and we only had twelve. Thank you Mrs. Maramba.... Also she will be team teaching a unit in science with me a little later in the year!

Please remember to email or call if you have any questions or concerns. I can not make anything better if I do not know about it.

The site I type in does not have spell check.....so sorry in advance for any typos!

Ok I am going to reward the students whose parents have taken the time to check this website out...so if your child says Green to me, I will give them a Jolly Rancher! Hopefully this will encourage other students to go home and tell their parents to check the website.....more tomorrow! Mrs. Z

Ok today is Tuesday and I am using a new color, I want to try to leave up info for a week, we will see how this works.....

So the big news for today is 7th grade had homework....I gave them the directions on a short sheet of paper and they needed to use loose leaf paper to complete the assignment. If your child has lost the short paper, have them call a friend for the questions. This work was given to help them prepare for the test on Tuesday. Tomorrow will be a big day in Science for them because we will be hard at work in the lab.

I am happy to say that some children earned Jolly Ranchers today.... the new password they need to say to me is blue...., even if they got it yesterday they can still get it tomorrow....and if they did not get it yesterday they are in the running for tomorrow!

8th grade Religion started their Confirmation books today...I was not so impressed with the amount of participation. I do believe that with time they will begin to open up....I sure hope so! More news to come as the week progresses.

Parents please support the Cubs Rooftop.... it really does make a difference, if you can not attend please consider buying raffle tix! The money they raise at the Rooftop goes directly to the school. If you don't have a friend going, it is ok, I will talk to you! Mrs. Z

Just a bit of news because today was a short day...I hope the seventh grade students gave their parents the note on the Chapter Test...I would like that back signed tomorrow. We had a great class today, as they worked on their first lab. Also a big shout out to the very successful seventh graders -- every student turned in their homework!

8th Grade Religion news...I met with Fr. Andrews today and he is going to be helping me prepare the students for Confirmation. He will be teaching both groups of 8th grade Religion every other Monday.

8th Grade Science news... The eighth graders will have a test on Chapter 1 next week. They are just finishing up their invention project, I can not wait for the presentations.

Ok a few more people are checking the site....The new color is yellow. If you read this and tell your child to say yellow to me tomorrow they will be getting a Jolly Rancher....

Have a great night only two more days of what I consider our first full week.

Parents look over the silent auction items for the Cubs Rooftop but please don't bid on the puppy, that is what I will be bidding on....haven't mentioned it to my husband yet!

Mrs. Z

Wow tomorrow is Friday. Where did the week go?

I can not wait for my first science class...The Friday Finale Rocks! If your child does not mention it to you ....well, then I don't know what excites them.

The biggest news of the day is MSW is a Blue Ribbon School. We spent a lot of time last year preparing the paper work, sending it off and then the long wait to see if we would win....Yipee Skipee! What a great accomplishment for all of us!

Seventh grade Science learned about technology and worked on their plant experiment.

Eighth grade Science began working on their review sheet for their science test.

Eighth grade Religion began discussions on the Holy Spirit as an advocate and what that means...

It was a great day of learning and excitement over Blue Ribbon.

Remember if I can help you in any way please email, call or write. I am here for you and your child.

Hope to see you all at the rooftop, and next week when i do these messages to you I am going to put Monday on top, but then on Tuesday when I write I am going to go above Monday and so on...That way there will be less scrolling down.

On Friday in all of the Science Classes I am going to show the students how to do this, and hopefully they will come home and show you so everyone can check on this site for messages, information and homework assignments.

Oh the Jolly Rancher code word for tomorrow is going to be Penny!

Happy Friday, Mrs. Z