Mrs. Paluso

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SCIENCE Club:   After school club on Tuesday           
   &           
MATH Club:      After school club on Wednesday.
  
December 1, 2009

Dear parents and students,

Welcome back to the holiday season!  Information on costumes for the Christmas
program will be sent home in Wednesday envelope.  Seventh grade will wear all
Red & White!  Boys will be given red ties to wear with a collared shirt &
jeans.  Girls need to bring outfits in for approval before Dec. 11!

We have created assignment calendars for each of the junior high classes.  See
"Calendar" links on the left.  Come back often to check for any possible
changes.  This is an experiment on our part and a work in progress. Please use
with patience and allow time for adjustments of assignments. As soon as an
assignment is posted it is available for your viewing, but the teachers need
time to see the big picture and then adjust the assignments as needed. 
 
Seventh grade has started Chapter 5 on heredity.  I have included a LINK for
them to try their hand at Mendel's Pea garden to help them understand the
significance of his work.  Students also need to complete the Human Genetics
survey that was sent home over Thanksgiving!
Go to the bottom of my LINKS page or directly to:
http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/genproj/activity2.html

They also need to continue with their adopted Whooping Crane.  Continue to add
two events to your Time Line each week. Students should checkout the link on
the Whooping Cranes (under the LINKS).

Seventh Religion continues with Chapter 3, session 3 in class; no homework. 
Practice for the Christmas Program as well as Advent instruction also
occurring during this time.

My Pre-Algebra group is finishing Chapter 5.  They will now begin the review
process.  There will not be a Friday PreAlgebra class due to the Holy
Childhood assembly.  However, they will need to do the practice chapter test
over the weekend.  Test will be Monday, December 7.

Eighth Grade has finished studying ionic bonding, covalent bonding, and
bonding in metals.  We will have the test on Thursday, December 3.

If you are not receiving the NewsFlash in your email, please
subscribe by clicking on the link at the bottom of NewsFlash.

Remember to email me any concerns or questions at anytime.  I am also
available most mornings at 7:30AM.  Students may arrive early (7:30) but
between 7:30 and 7:45AM must be in either the 7th or 8th grade classrooms. 
They cannot go to lockers before 7:45 AM unless accompanied by their parent.

Also, I want to remind you that there are notes about online
Texts, Labstracts, Lab Rubrics, Study Guides, GradeLink, and Science Fair
Projects(voluntary) after the main body of this letter.  So scroll down past
my name!

In partnership,

Mrs. Pat Paluso

PS  
Remember, Science Textbooks are now available online FREE!  Before we had
quizzes and vocabulary flashcards or puzzles available.  NOW we have the full
textbooks so students do not have to carry books back and forth to school. 
You have to register (as we did for Pre-Algebra) so go to my LINKS page for
instructions on how to register.

Class/Group name: 7th Science
Class access code: A7A9F3681ABF40172F02

Class/Group name: 8th Science
Class access code: 9A94C84AF303971B3551

*  Remember to use the Points View when viewing the science grades under
GradeLink.  I record all science assignments as points and the most important
grade to watch is the class grade.  We want to keep test scores high, keep all
assignments turned in on time, and watch lab report grades increase each time.
Study Guides are required and there is no extra credit attached for the
remainder of the year.  Two oral Science in the News are required each term.

*  Remember science and math texts by Prentice Hall also have online quizzes
andtests, science vocabulary flash cards, as well as math homework tutoring. 
Go to Science texts or Math texts on my Science with Paluso homework page. 
Remind students that they should maintain their current Study Guide in their
science folder at all times, math is filed in their Notebooks.  They should be
able to show you completed homework at anytime.

******************************************************************************

LAB RUBRICS:  
Each of the science classes uses a rubric to help with the writing of a "Lab
Report" (copies are available in the classroom or may be downloaded from my
web page link).    This helps guide students through the scientific inquiry
and communication process.  They need to grade themselves BEFORE turning in
the lab and should correct it when it is returned to them.  There is a link on
the Science with Paluso homework page or SJA Paluso website LINKS that can
assist with each step.

LABSTRACT is a paragraph of 250 words or less that contains:
    # Problem Statement (Question). Identify the problem. 
    # Procedure summary. What was your approach for investigating the    
      problem? 
    # Results summary. What answer did you obtain? Be specific and use 
      numbers to describe your results. Do not use vague terms like "most"  
      or "some."
    # Conclusions. Answer your question!
  See my Labstract page:
    http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?ID=28919&page=27

A STUDY GUIDE of all the chapter work (which includes written answers to each
section's review, the chapter review, and lab write-ups) is an inventory by
your student and MUST BE SIGNED by a parent and turned in the day of a TEST. 
The TEST must be signed and returned to class after it is graded.  We store
past Study Guides and Tests in a classroom portfolio, which is open to your
viewing at any time.  During Chapter work, a current study guide is maintained
in their Science folder, which they bring to class each day.

SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS 
may be done voluntarily as part of the HONORS science program for 6th-8th
grade.  To receive HONORS, students must earn an A or B in the regular science
curriculum as well as the science fair project.  The rubric, the timeline, and
all instruction  is available online.  A contract must be downloaded and
signed by both student and a parent.  I support students through out the
process in study hall or after school.  Deadlines must be met or the student
will be dropped from the Honors program.  The 7th and 8th  grade projects may
be screened and invited into the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering
Fair in March.

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Mrs. Paluso

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