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December

8th Grade Advisories Collect Cans

    Through the month of December, all students in the 8th grade will be going full force to collect canned food for local pantries.  The food drive will be conducted through advisories, and the group which collects the most cans will be rewarded with a popcorn party.--- Written by C.B.

December Units to focus on Short Stories

    Students in 8th grade Balanced Literature will be studying the elements of fiction during the month of December.

Elements of fiction are found in all types of literature: novels, short stories, plays, and even film. Science Fiction, historical fiction, and classic stories will be studied.  Students will be reading a variety of short stories, such as "Stop the Sun," by Gary Paulsen, "Harrison Bergeron," by Ray Bradbury, and  Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon" are just

few of the selections.--written by S.E.

January

Taylor Advisory to Make Donation to Needy

    The students in Mrs. Taylor's advisory decided to scrounge for change! All through December, students in the advisory collected loose change, and then Mrs. Taylor matched the amount. The total amount donated was $36.00.

     The collected funds will be used to buy a needy family in a developing country something much needed. Students will decided that their money should be used to buy ducks for a family who raises the. Ducks can be used for their eggs, meat, and to sell other ducks at the market. ---written by P.G.

Mrs. Taylor to Travel to Faraway Land

    Mrs. Taylor has been awarded a grant by the U.S, Dept. of State. She will be exploring education with teachers from a foreign country, but she doesn't know exactly where she will be going yet. She received notice on Friday, Jan. 29. She will be traveling to one of three countries: Thailand, Cambodia, or India. The travel will take place in summer of 2011. --written by J.G.

February

Students Begin College and Career Exploration

     Mrs. Steinhauff, transition counselor, will spend each Friday in February visiting with the 8th grade students. Her presentations include information on different career paths and the coursework that relates to a variety of fields. In addition, the students take career-interest inventories which indicate careers that each student may possibly want to pursue.

     Mrs. Steinhauff will also be escorting the students on field trips to local colleges. The first field trip will be to St. Louis Community College Meramec Campus on March 5. The second field trip will be to University of Missouri-Columbia on March 19.