Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Industrial Age

HellO!

This week your students have been and will continue to discuss the Industrial Age. We will examine major events that changed labor and legislation in the United States related to safe working conditions. We will also look at the effects of these events and pieces of legislation on the economy and development of the United States. Specifically, we will look at Sweatshops, the Haymarket Riot, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, etc.

Just a reminder, the next payment for students going on the Washington, D.C. trip will be due the 30th of April. The amount of the payment is $71.00. In order to help offset this payment, the students will be having a yard sale fundraiser (tentatively scheduled for the 28th of April). Please let me know if you are interested in helping out with this event or if your child will be able to attend the event. Proceeds for the fundraiser will go to those students who are able to attend the fundraiser.

Please let me know if you have any questions!
Keshia Seitz

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Spring Break!!

I hope you are enjoying your spring break! I am missing your students already!

When we come back from Spring Break, your students will begin a unit of study related to immigration. We will be looking at a variety of primary and secondary sources related to immigration, including political cartoons. Your child will then have an opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of this content by creating his/her own political cartoon.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know :)

Keshia Seitz

Monday, March 19, 2012

Rwanda

This week we will be talking about the tragedies of various genocides that have occured in recent decades. Specifically we will be focusing on the role of the government and individual citizens in ending these conflicts. Students will be asked to brainstorm about how the United States and the United Nations could have acted differently to stop/prevent these crises from happening.

Announcements for this week:
•On Thursday, March 22nd, the yearbook club will be hosting a picture day for all 8th grade students to have their photos professionally taken to be included in the yearbook. 6th and 7th grade students who were not here for picture day earlier in the year will also have their picture taken on this day as well. You will be notified Tuesday March 20th if you fit into this category.

•Would you like to see your art piece on the cover of our yearbook this year? Yearbook club will be hosting a yearbook cover competition. We are looking for creative yearbook cover designs that represents McGary and who we are. Submissions will be collected now until March 20th. Please turn in all submisisons to Ms. Dorsey in room 18!

•U of E is offering a summer day camp, "OPTIONS for Middle School Boys, June 25th-29th from 8:00am to 4:00pm. We have more information in the office.

•The Boys and Girls Club is offering activities during spring break. If you are looking for something to do during that week, stop by the office for a flier for more information.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

KONY 2012

Hey McGary Families!

This week we are examining the social and political issues that are behind the movement known as Kony 2012. Your students were extremely interested in this topic, so I decided to explore it a little more and challenge the students to think deeper and more critically about the video and the larger movement behind it. This week we will be learning about and discussing the role of the global citizen and the hotly contested issue about whose responsibility it is to protect the people of the world. We will be discussing issues of race, class, gender, governmental policy, and social justice.

Thanks!
Keshia

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

ISTEP

Hey McGary Families!

As I'm sure that you already know, it is ISTEP week! I know that our students will be pretty burned out from all of the testing, etc., so there will be no lectures and TIPS assignments from me this week :)

This week, your students will be presenting their digital presentations using Web 2.0 tools to the class. Students will be required to listen to each others' presentations and take notes over the material being presented. We will finish out the week by watching a video about environmentalism and the role of the government in determining policies and legislation.

If your students are still interested in going on the Washington, D.C. trip in Spring 2013, this is a reminder that their deposits are due to me NO LATER THAN MARCH 15!!! The deposit is $99.00. Please make out all checks to McGary Middle School. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me :)

Keshia Seitz

Monday, February 20, 2012

This Week

Good morning!

This week, your students will be learning about Jacksonian Democracy! We are currently studying content that is supported by Chapter 10 in their U.S. History textbooks. Here is the schedule for the week:

Tuesday - 2/21 - Lecture in class over Jacksonian Democracy - Students will have a guided notes organizer to fill out as we are going through the lecture together in class. This lecture will also be recorded and uploaded to Angel so that students who are absent can view it and get caught up :)

Wednesday - 2/22 - Students will watch a video lecture over Jackson's Administration. This will be done independently on their netbooks and students will be asked to complete a Check Your Understanding Question Set on their netbooks.

Thursday - 2/23 - I will be out of the building for half of the day. Students will be assigned to a group and will rotate through 4 stations. At each learning station, they will read a section of text and answer the questions listed as a group at each station. This activity will focus on the Indian Removal that occurred in the United States under the Presidency of Andew Jackson.

Friday- 2/24 - Students will take a scrimmage and will have a TeenBiz Article with Activities assigned for them to complete. We will focus on learning how to make connections to text (fix-up strategy for reading comprehension breakdowns).

Announcements for this week:
•McGary School will be having a Talent Night on April 13th. Auditions will take place February 28th and March 1st from 3:00-5:00. Please see Mrs. Schweizer, Mrs. Patchin, Miss Schmidt, Miss Henderson, Mrs. Mullen or Mrs. Ennis if you have any questions.

•If you are interested in playing baseball this spring and summer, there are informational sheets in the office for both Harrison Youth Sports League and Evansville Youth Baseball.


As always, please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, comments, or suggestions! Let's make this a great week!

Keshia Seitz

Monday, February 6, 2012

American Foreign Policy and Culture

Hello parents!

Last week we discussed the trends of American Nationalism, Sectionalism, and Foreign Policy. This week we will be talking about the development of American culture. Next week, we will be reading segments of American writing about the culture of America during this time period. We will look at classics by James Fennimore Cooper and Washington Irving. Next week, we will also be viewing the short film, Rip Van Winkle and analyzing it for trends and insights into American nationalism and culture. We will refine our skills of comparing and contrasting using a Venn diagram to explain the differences between what we read about American culture and what we observed by watching the video. On Friday, we will also be taking the 8th Graders (who returned permission slips) on a field trip for Junior Achievement (February 17). That is also the day of our Spaghetti Dinner for the Washington, D.C. trip :)

As always, contact me if you have any questions or concerns!! :)

Recent Announcements:
•PTSA will be hosting a Valentine's Day Dance Friday, Feb. 10th from 2:40-4:30pm. Admission will be $3.00 without a PTSA membership card or $1.00 with the card. The PTSA membership card is not the same as a Blue Card. Refreshments will be sold.

•Students interested in TEENPOWER should pick up an application in the office. Applications are due to Mrs. Seitz or Ms. Schmidt by Friday, Feb. 10th. See either of them if you have any questions.

•This is a reminder for students going on the Washington, D.C. trip over Spring Break 2013-Sell those Spaghetti Dinner tickets!!! Money is due to Mrs. Seitz in room 5 by Friday, Feb. 10th. See Mrs. Seitz if you have any questions.

•As another fundraiser for the Washington, D.C. trip, silk flowers will be sold before and during the Valentine's Day dance on Feb. 10th and before school and during lunch periods on Feb. 13th and 14th. You will have the opportunity to purchase a flower for that "special someone". Flowers will be delivered during 9th period on February 14th-Valentine's day. You can even send a flower anonymously as a "secret admirer".

Keshia Seitz