Announcements (Important – please read):
- 1. Friday is aminimum day
- The Yearbook Elective (MS students) is selling Candy Grams for Valentine’s Day! These Candy Grams will be delivered on Tuesday, February 14th. See attached document for details on how to order. Orders & payment are due by February 10th.
- MS Internshipsare March 15, 16, 17. Email going home today with details.
- Class Pet! The middle school class used their agenda to convince us to get them a class pet. With the help of Mr. Fuller finding us a grant, we are now the proud owners of a Corn Snake! If you would like to donate $ for food & bedding, please give it to Mrs. Wunderly. “Ty” will also need to go home over breaks, so if you would like to snake sit him/her(?), let us know!
Week 3: Human Centered Design
Students are creating a Multimedia project which is based on a “problem” and their “solution” for the problem. Presentations are next week, February 14 & 16, with the unit final on the 17th. Students will be required to create a prototype or model as part of their project. See attached requirements/rubric
.
This Week’s Assignments/Homework: not inclusive – assignments may be added. Class assignments not finished during class become homework.
- Vocabulary: 8 words from your literature book; assignment due Wednesday, quiz & reflection on Friday
- Literature Book: read assigned pages (pacing guide); due Thursday; reflection due Friday
- Literature Book Quiz: design your own (week 5) – due Thursday; take quiz someone else’s quiz Friday
- Workshop: in class; Due on Workshop day
- HCD Journal: daily journal entries/assignments required
- Writing Assignment: Cover letter & Resume; due Thursday
- Math: CPM, Khan, POD, pacing guide with due dates, assessments on Fridays
- Science: participation, journal, assignments; due on Science day
- Human Centered Design (HCD) Project: working through requirements (in class and at home); creating prototype/model, and presentation. Presentations start next Tuesday, February 14th.
Dear MS Parents,
After our February break we begin our unit on Business (Social Entrepreneurs). In many ways this theme will be different from the other themes. Students will work in groups of 4 students researching and creating their own businesses based on their Human-Centered Design Challenge groups from the last six week unit. They will write business plans, reports, create movies, and storyboards and we will hold a Social Entrepreneur Shark Tank presentation in April. They will use their letter of intent and resumes, to approach businesses to seek out internships. They will participate in mock interviews and work for three days (4 hours/day) instead of coming to school.
Last year students spent 3 days working at internships (also called Job Shadows) with businesses all over town, and some out of town. Afterwards we discussed the internships and heard again that students felt it was one of the most valuable learning experiences. During Middle School, students participate in the intern program during both years, once during the Career unit and once during the Entrepreneur unit.
It is the time to start thinking about and discussing places of business that your child could approach for an internship. It is also a good time to start discussing how your student might get to their “jobs”, and if it will be necessary for you to seek out help in this area. They will need to complete 3 days working at the internships. We have set aside three days for students to go to their “jobs”- March 15, 16, & 17.
We created a brainstorming page for middle school students to list all the possible businesses they could approach. We plan on sending out that list to you, soon. We realize that they may not get their dream “internship”, but we are seeking out any parents who are supervisors or in a position who would be willing to offer “jobs” to ACA students. Please let Mrs. Wunderly know if you, or someone you know, would be willing to go through our process (reading a resume, conducting a mock interview, having a student work for a minimum of 4 hours/day, and filling out a short questionnaire). We want them to get a location that excites them, so please think of friends and family who may be persuaded to let a student intern with them.
We are extremely excited to have students intern again this year. We know students at this age desire more information about what it takes to start a business, and they want to work real jobs. Marie Montessori noted this kind of behavior in her observations many, many years ago, and we also noticed our students getting excited when thinking of their futures. Our expectation is that students will at first be nervous and then will participate in one of the most meaningful experiences of their middle school career.
Having said all of that, we also are aware of how nervous and excited you, our wonderful parents, might be about this adventure. Please know that our goal is not to make your life more difficult. Our hope is for parents to let us know if they have something to offer this program (internships, rides to internships, etc) and for all of us to work together to make this program a success. Please feel free to contact us with your offers of help and your questions. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Middle School Team