Monday, June 8, 2020

So close...

Only two days of school left as I write this. 😎

None of us wanted the year to end this way, but this is where we are. I will miss getting to say goodbye to you all in person.

With the two days we have left there are a few things you should do or check on. ⏰


  1. One last READING PROGRESS UPDATE. 📚
  2. Do the COURSE EVALUATION form too if you didn't do it last week. (Must be signed into your stu.sandi.net account.) ✅
  3. Did you take the SPRING LEXILE TEST? Directions are at the top of your classwork page in Google Classroom. I'll add your scores to PowerSchool as an ungraded assignment late Tuesday afternoon. 📖
  4. Did you turn in your Suspenseful Narrative Project? Did you also post the opening on Flipgrid? Be sure to go read your project steps doc for directions for Flipgrid. 🗣
  5. BOOK RETURN. If you have textbooks at home you can return them to campus on Wednesday 6/10. Ms. Cooper will even accept books you borrowed from our classroom if you want to turn in those too. (You can also return my books in the fall, and you can loan them to friends during the summer.) 📚
I'm not having an office hour this week because I will be busy grading narratives and entering grades, but if you need me you can still reach me by email, and Remind. 

Thank you to everyone who sent me goodbye emails. I'm writing back to all of you as quickly as I can. I hope to see all of you again in August, even if you are still six feet away. 😘

Monday, June 1, 2020

Last full week of school

Source: Harvard's Celebration of Diversity
Wow, this is the last full week of the school year. I miss you all so much. If we were on campus you'd have finals starting on Friday. I'm not giving you a final exam, but there are a few things you need to do THIS WEEK.

  1. Read the news: Don't just watch it. Find an article to read. Better yet, read several from different sources. All media has bias, so you often need to read more than one source to compare the facts. Then write about it in your English Journal. Think of it as your last "article of the week" assignment, but really I just want you to know what is going on. Consider ways you can help. 
  2. Attendance Form: Be sure you do it before noon on Friday 6/5. It includes some trivia questions. You can Google them.
  3. Suspenseful Narrative: It's a story. There is an assignment for it in Google Classroom. Get it done well and on time. There won't be time for regrades and if you turn it in late I may not have enough time to get it graded. 
  4. Regrade Requests and Late Work: Everything needs to be in by Friday 6/5. If your score was low on your Poe/Laughton Essay you can revise that and request a regrade. If you still need to turn in your Suspenseful Moments Project or your Famous Person Project, finish those by Friday 6/5. Be sure to click "TURN IN" in Google Classroom or I won't know you did the work. 
  5. Attend a Zoom call: Mrs. R will be on Zoom at 3:00 PM on Tuesday and Thursday. Join one of those calls to check in, especially if you have questions. (Link in Google Classroom.)
GET FREE AUDIO BOOKS: Check out https://www.audiobooksync.com/ for two free teen audio books each week. New books each Thursday, so get the ones for this week before they are gone. (Note: I've appreciated and used this service for years. It's safe and they don't steal or misuse your info. I'm currently listening to Serpent&Dove. It's good so far.)
  • Register on their site by entering your email and then read the directions for activating your SORA app. (Use the set up code not find my school.)
  • Once you get the books you have them. They don't expire. 
  • Get the SORA app SORA for ios, SORA for Android
  • You can also go to https://soraapp.com/welcome and use your computer to listen to the books. 
Returning classroom library books: A lot of you have asked me how you can bring back books you've borrowed from our classroom and I've been trying to figure out a safe way for you to do that. I'll keep you posted. If you are moving, try to give any books you have to a friend who will be at PL in the fall. 

Remember Monday and Tuesday next week are still school days. I'll probably have to enter attendance by noon on Tuesday, so be ready to check in fast next week.