Creative Writing!

We began our creative writing unit in Language Arts last Friday with a couple of days of Creative Writing Warm-ups. If your child hasn't told you about those yet, ask! They are a lot of fun!
Today, I introduced the story topics for each class. 6th grade will be writing Fairy Tales. We listened and responded to popular fairy tales today and will begin our brainstorming tomorrow. 7th grade will be writing Adventures, and 8th grade will be writing Mysteries. Both 7th & 8th began their brainstorming today. The kids are coming up with some really great ideas! I can't wait to read them!

Where Are Mr. P & Mrs. Schulze?

Over the next several weeks, Mr. Plucknett and Mrs. Schulze have a few opportunities to engage in some professional development. These activities will add tools to our teacher toolboxes that will help us in the classroom as we work with your children. We are excited about these opportunities! It does mean that we will be out of the classroom a bit as we hone our skills, but we will be leaving the classes in the very capable hands of Mrs. McCann and our faithful subs. So, if someone comes home and says, "Mr. Plucknett and Mrs. Schulze were gone today!" be assured, your kids are well taken care of, and Mr. P and Mrs. Schulze are working to make school an even better place for your kids.

Scholastic Book Orders - Due April 18

Scholastic Book Orders have gone home. If you are interested in ordering for your child, please order online or return the form by Monday, April 18. 6th grade should order through Mrs. McCann, while 7th and 8th grade should order through Mrs. Schulze. Thanks for ordering, and happy reading!!!

Joseph Musical Update

Preparations for our Spring Musical are well underway.  Everyone is working hard as we start to put together scenes and learn our songs.  It is getting really exciting as we see things take shape!  We have such a talented group of middle schoolers!

Each student has a script so they can follow along with their part and learn what they need to know.  With limited time to work as a group, some things may need to be reinforced at home like learning lines.  Starting the week of April 18th, everyone should be off script.  This means lines and songs memorized.  The sooner we get to that point, the easier it is to practice and rehearse.

I am so excited to see how this all comes together!!!

Some Auction News...

We are less than a month away from our annual auction! It's coming up quickly! Here is some quick information:

• The Class Project Reveal will be next Friday, April 8, beginning at 3:00 in the library. Come enjoy some ice cream and see all the wonderful projects your kids have been working on!
• From now until April 23, there are a variety of errands that need to be run and small tasks that can be completed at home. If you're looking for ways to complete your PAL hours, this is a great opportunity! Contact the auction committee at auction@fhlcs.org to help out in this way.
• Another way to earn some PAL hours is to work at the auction. They are in need of people to do all kinds of jobs at the auction. If you're interested, email auction@fhlcs.org.
• If you haven't bought your tickets yet, there are still some available! If you don't want to go alone, but you're not sure who to invite to go with you, email Mrs. Schulze at schulzek@fhlcs.org or the committee at auction@fhlcs.org and we'll set up a class table for you and other parents from your child's class.

Thank you for your support of our auction! We have a great time every year. It's a truly enjoyable way to raise money to support your children's education!

DC Trip Update: Day 5

On Day 5, we said goodbye to Washington DC and moved on to Philadelphia.  In our one day of touring around this historic city, we saw many places that are very significant historically.

We met our Philadelphia tour guide, who was dressed in traditional 18th century clothing.

We stopped by Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were made.

We stopped by a print shop as it would have looked in Benjamin Franklin's time.

We got a surprise stop at a museum where we saw some 18th century clothing and their way of life.

We had a quick stop at Betsy Ross's house, the original maker of the American flag.

We went to the Constitution Center and had fun with the hall of statues honoring every member of the Constitutional Convention.

We saw the Liberty Bell and posed for a picture.

We stopped at Benjamin Franklin's grave and did the traditional "flipping of coin" to leave with Ben.

Our last stop was the Philadelphia Museum of Art, better known as the "Rocky Steps."

Even the parents ran up the steps like the Italian Stallion.

Next, we head off to New York City!!!

DC Trip Update: Day 4

For our last day in Washington DC, we started the day by travelling a little outside of town and ended the day with a moving tribute to a recent tragedy.

Our first stop of the day was a bit outside of the capital.  It was Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.

We posed for a picture before watching an introductory video to Washington and his amazing home.

In the Mount Vernon Learning Center, students were able to take the Presidential Oath of Office next to a wax statue of Washington doing the same thing.

Once back in town, we stopped at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

A short walk along the waterfront brought us to the FDR Memorial, honoring our longest-tenured president.

We sat and learned about President Roosevelt in front of a wheelchaired statue of the president.

The students got in line at the soup kitchen in observance of the Great Depression.

The future trying to live up to FDR's inspiring words.

A further walk down the waterfront brought us to the Jefferson Memorial.

The group sat on the steps and learned about the significance of our 3rd President, whose statue overlooks the White House.

We were able to make one last stop at a Smithsonian Museum.  This time, the spot was the Air & Space Museum, where we saw the Wright Brothers first airplane, the spaceship from the first moon landing, and everything in between.

Before dinner, we saw the awe-inspiring US Air Force Memorial, overlooking the Pentagon.

Our final stop of the night was the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.  A bench has been placed for each person who died here that day, indicating whether they were on the plane or in the building.

The students were asked to find a bench, sit, and pray for that person and their family they left behind.

Goodbye DC!  On to Philadelphia!