Updated 5/15/08 The Young Eagle Program is this Saturday. Direction are here and under Aviation Field Trips. We will meet at the airport between 8:00 and 8:30. I have been told by the director that they anticipate a lot of children flying on Saturday. The take children up in the order they sign up. So you want to be there early to get on the list. Flights begin after a quick briefing and last about 20 minutes. I will need to leave by 11:00 to attend a marina function. If I am not there just sign up for the flight and wait. They fly until all the first time Young Eagles have a flight. You should be there no later 11:00 if you want a flight. It should take about 45 minutes to get to the airport. The directions are below. If you have any trouble please give me a call - 404-502-3953. Directions to Gwinnett Co. Airport, Briscoe Field, Lawrenceville: Take 85 N to 316 towards Athens – This is still under repair so watch closely for the signs. Drive several miles on 316. After crossing Highway 20 turn right at the next intersection - Hi Hope Road. After a Block or two turn left at a Y in the road on to Airport Road After a Block or two turn right on to a dirt road There may be a Young Eagles sign at this turn. Turn left into an open grass field where you should park. If you see my silver Camero you know you are in the right place. Walk to the Taxi Way and turn left and walk a Block to the Hanger Enter Hanger. I will keep checking so I will be some where between the parking and in the hangar Updated 5/12/08 We had a fabulous trip to Aviation Camp with a few unexpected activities. The children were great and learned a lot. Thank you to all the parents that took on the challenge of herding children, sleeping in bunks, eating camp food quickly, getting little sleep, and having fun training. I could not have done this without you! We have one more weekend event this Saturday. The Young Eagle Program airplane flight is this coming Saturday, May 17. The note home had the wrong date but the correct day. Please send me a note today or no later than tomorrow if you plan on taking advantage of this program. I am calling the director today to give a preliminary count. Remember siblings between the age of 8 and 17 can also get a ride. I will send home directions at the end of the week as well as post them on the website under Aviation field trip. I will leave the address posted so that you can take advantage of the program another Saturday if you cannot go this Saturday. It is the third Saturday each month. Updated 5/7/08 Don't forget that Friday is the aviation camp trip. If you have misplaced the packing list it is listed below. All children will bring their suitcases, sleeping bags, etc. to the auditorium and put them with their team letter. Students should then report to their classrooms until announcements and attendance are complete. While students are in the rooms, all chaperones will help load the buses. We should leave campus by 8:15. We are down to the last three classes for Challenge. We will be building and launching rockets. If anyone was absent on Wednesday, 5/7, I will give the makeup aviation test on Wednesday afternoon, 5/14 at 12:30. If absent that day then the test will not be counted as a grade. Updated 4/29/08 I could not get the aviation camp info to paste under Aviation Camp. The following is all the information I sent home. The medical form is not here. IF you need another one please send amail. It is hard to believe we are only three weeks from our aviation camp trip. Everyone is going to have a great weekend. We had a tremendous time last year. Plan to be very busy. We start early in the morning- breakfast by 7:30/8:00 and usually do not return to the dorms until 9:30/10:00 at night. Part of the program is military training. It is outside in the grass and woods area. This activity is done rain or shine unless there is thunder and lighting. Therefore the area could be very muddy. The temperature may also be an issue. We were outside until 10:00 at night and it got cold. Here are some last minute details for the Aviation Camp trip: Baggage: Please make sure your child can handle the bag as well as sleeping bag, etc. There is an elevator but it is easier to get 88 people in rooms by using the stairs. All bags, sleeping bags, etc. will be put in the auditorium upon arrival at school. Parents will load it on buses from there. Departure from School: 8:15 8:00 Parents will load the buses while the students check in with their teachers. Students will come to the buses after announcements. Return to School: Sunday at 5:00. Please be on time/waiting for us. Last year I had two students that were picked up after 6:00. By the time we return I am very ready to get home myself. Things to bring: I have included a list of items from Aviation Camp. Make sure your child brings a sleeping bag or sheets. We will be in the same facility as last year – 7 bunks in a room. There will be a least one chaperone in every room. In some cases there are two. Here is a listed of “must haves” for the weekend: Long pants – several pairs – one may get muddy Pair of shoes you don’t mind getting muddy – not sandals Extra pair of shoes if the other pair gets wet – not sandals Jacket - weather and wind protection, warmth at night Older clothes that you don’t mind getting muddy – pants/shirt Blonde haired – covering for hair – so you can’t be seen at night No flip flops, sandals, etc. can be worn during camp. Make sure your child has good sturdy shoes. Snacks – Change for the snack machine. They will have time after meals or during their shopping time to purchase snacks. No snacks or drinks will be allowed in the dorm rooms. Money for the gift shop/snacks – The gift shop has a lot of unusual items not found in other places – great aviation and space “stuff”. Do not send large amounts of cash. Perhaps traveler checks or a Simon Card (if possible at their age).I am sure the chaperones will hold on to any money until it is needed. Please put it in an envelope with the child’s name on it. For the dorm: (in addition to the list from camp) Shower shoes or flip flops – you cannot go barefoot in the bathroom Towel – some did not bring thinking they would not shower –After the evening mission everyone must shower! Bottled water – no drinks allowed from snack machines At least 1-2 hair dryers for the boys and the girls - We got back to the dorms at 10:30 after the mission. Hair dryers helped to dry hair before bed. Things not to bring: Expensive items that cannot be replaced. The dorm is not secure, Ipods, gameboys, etc. cannot be used during the camp activities. Students can bring padlocks for the lockers in the dorm to secure items. I cannot guarantee the security of expensive items due to the fact the rooms are not locked. Contact while at Camp: I am your best contact at camp. I will be with the students during all the activities. I will be the first to see them in the morning and last at night. My cell phone number is 404-505-3953. If I don’t answer, leave a message. I will turn it off during certain activities. There is a 24 hour operator at the camp – 1-256-837-3400 - press 0 for operator Information Form: I do not anticipate any problems. However, I would like medical and contact information in case I need to get in touch with you. Please return the form by Friday, 5/2. Medications: If your child takes prescription medication please make sure there are directions. There is a nurse’s station or one of the chaperones can help with the administration of the medication. Please include any appropriate emergency medication such as bee sting medication. Make sure you indicate any food allergy on the information form. Bus Ride: We will be on the bus approximately four hours. I will show a movie for about two hours. Please sign the movie form to give permission for your child to see the movies. Students may bring activities to do on the bus. Just remember there is no way to secure expensive items. We will not be stopping. We are on a tight schedule to get to the center for lunch at 11:00. Children can bring a snack for the bus. Please nothing messy including small candy items that can spill. Do not send any beverage except water. We have had a big mess with spilled drinks, candy, and garbage. Pathfinder Packing List Combination padlock toothbrush/toothpaste Bath Soap Deodorant Shampoo Hairbrush/comb Sleepwear Casual Clothes Climate outerwear socks and athletic shoes (closed toed shoes) zip lock bags for soiled clothing towels and washcloths sheets, blanket, pillowcases or a sleeping bag CHALLENGE AVIATION CAMP MOVIE VIEWING PERMISSION On the bus trip to Huntsville and back I will be showing two movies that are rated PG. There is some language that might be considered inappropriate. It is not bad and only one or two incidents. The movies are well worth seeing and I highly recommend them. The first movie is October Sky. It is based on the book Rocket Boys. It is about a group of high school boys from West Virginia who build model rockets. It is a wonderful, inspirational story. The second movie is Space Camp the Movie. It is pure fantasy and fun. It is about a group of children that go to space camp and get launched to space. Some of it is filmed at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. Please complete the form below so that your child can view the movies. The children that cannot view the movies will be given headphones to listen to music during the movies. _____________________________________________________________ _______ I give permission for my child to watch the movies. _______ I would prefer that my child does not view the movies. __________________________ ____________________ Parent Signature Child’s name Updated 4/28/08 Sorry for the delay in updates. I just can't seem to catch-up. Aviation Camp information went home last week. It has all the information on what to bring and how to contact me. It also had two forms to complete and send back by this Friday. I will post all the information on this site under the Aviation Field trip by tomorrow. The trip is May 9-11, one week from Friday. You will want to read the supply list from Aviation Camp and start putting that together. If you want to secure any item a padlock is a needed. If it is a combination, practice is needed before camp. Updated 4/6/08 I hope everyone has a very restful spring break. I still have several children that did not make up tests, even with constant reminders. Please check the progress report for missing tests. It has been over three weeks on some of these tests. Wednesday will be the last day to make these up. Please check the calendar for test days. If your child was absent on one of these days, please arrange to make them up after school. Updated 3/26/08 We are slightly off schedule in some classes due to HTHT. Everyone should be caught up by Thursday. All makeup work should be completed by Thursday - Jr. Great Book markings, and two practice tests. I am here both Wednesday and Thursday until 5:00. Monday is the last day to request a copy of the scenarios. I will be printing and putting them together to give out on Thursday. I will only make enough copies for those that ordered them. We will begin our Aviation and Space Unit next week. To keep all the papers organized I am asking for the students to bring in a pocket folder with brads/fasteners. I have some but not enough for 75 students. You can usually get them at Publix or Krogers. Don't forget to send in the bus money for the aviation camp. It is due Thursday. Updated 3/19/08 We have a change in our JGB schedule again. Many students forgot to reread the JGB story Oliver Hyde's Dishcloth Concert. It has been over two weeks since we first read the story so our discussion would not have been very good. If we delayed the discussion and then the test we would impact another week. Therefore, I decided we would not discuss the story or have a test. I will check the markings and the answer to one interpretive question. This is due Friday. We will finish our review/instruction of the Georgia Standards next week with a review of poetry on Monday. The students will take a poetry test on Tuesday and practice test on Wednesday. We will begin the aviation and space Unit on Thursday. Updated 3/6/08 Another slight change in schedule due to a field trip. The JGB discussion will now be on Wednesday, 3/19 and the test on 3/21. Updated 3/5/08 Our schedule is impossible this week and next. Instead of pushing and trying to fit things in I have decided to relax and go with the flow. Therefore, I have moved the JGB discussion to Thursday, 3/20 and the test to 3/21. With testing next week and an abbreviated schedule I did not want to give them a test. I will be presenting at and attending the Georgia Gifted conference on 3/17 and 3/18 so we will not have class. That left Tuesday to remind them. Most have already finished the story so it will be a matter of rereading it on Monday or Tuesday evening. Updated 3/3 We will have many changes in our schedule the next two weeks. The writing test and ITBS will take a chunk out of class as well as Grandparents' Day on Friday. The JGB schedule is designed to complete the story before ITBS next week. Unfortunately, many children will miss the test Friday because of Grandparents' Day. If I reschedule it for next week they will take it after a long testing period. So I am going to keep it on Friday and bring the children that miss it in during the first specials time on Friday. Friday is the end of the grading period. All missing work needs to be completed by Thursday. I am in my room at 7:30 and will be after school until 5:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Any test that is not made up will be the grade I drop. I can only drop one. If any other work is not completed it will be a zero. I have tried very hard to accommodate all the make-up work. At one point there were 50 tests that needed to be made up. Shadowing, SSAT testing, and illness have resulted in a lot of absences in January and February. Updated 2/20 The students are beginning the presentation project for JGBs. They will work on this through Friday, 2/29. After this they will read the last JGB story The Bat Poet. I am trying to finish up the scenario project. Please send back a note if you want to order a copy of the scenarios. Please reformat to single space and resubmit the scenario to save copies. Deadline for this is March 1. Updated 2/12/08 Tutoring on Wednesday is on answering essay questions and reading test questions. This is in preparation for Friday's test. Any student attending should bring the test from Turquoise Horse to review any problems. Updated 2/9/08 The children have suggested publishing the scenarios. I think this is a great idea. They will love reading each other stories. They were all fun! I am suggesting for each student that wants to publish the scenario to reformat it to single space and resubmit it to me. This will cut the cost of printing in half. Here is the order form. Remember, do not send any money at this time. I will let you know the cost after I print them. It should be somewhere in the range of $8.00. Several students have asked if we could publish the scenarios. I think it is a great idea. I know they will enjoy reading each of the stories. Unfortunately, the cost of printing would need to be covered. At 3-4 cents a copy it would be about $7.00 - $10.00 depending on the number of children that want to publish their story. If you are interested in having a copy of the scenarios please complete the form below. Do not send any money at this time. I will let you know the results and the cost later. ___________ I would like a copy of all the scenarios from Challenge. ___________ I would like a copy of only my class scenarios. Student’s name ________________________________________ Updated 1/29/08 Don't forget to send in the next payment for the Aviation Camp by Friday 2/1. Our payment is due on 2/7 and I need to give PTA the money to cut a check. The amount is $115 for a child and $212 for both a chaperone and a child. I have added a section for field trips and will put all the information there. Updated 1/24/07 We had some changes in the JGB schedule stemming from the half-day and then the geo-bee and now the spelling bee. Discussion will be Thursday, 1/24 and the test will be Friday 1/25 for some and 1/28 for others. The spelling bee begins at 8:15 and continues until there is a winner. There is no way to tell when that will be. Because of the double classes on Friday the following classes may take their test on Monday - Riley, Conley, Montano, and Larkin. I have finished reading all the scenarios. I am so proud of the students for doing a remarkable job. Every story had the same topic but not one story was the same. I became so engrossed in the stories it took a long time to get through all 72 of them. The grades will be sent home with a progress report next week. Updated 1/18/07 I am creating a new section for the field trip information. All trip information will remain posted there. I will be removing all information from the first semester this weekend. I will be adding the turoting subjects to the calendar. There is a change in the JGB schedule. Check JGB section and calendar. Updated 1/15/07 There will be no tutoring this week due to auditorium duty until 3:00. I will send a new schedule home and post it here by the end of the week. I sent home information about the next Aviation Camp payment. I will post it here also. I have space for at least 5 more students. I hope our three new students will be able to join us. That leaves two spaces available to anyone who forgot to get me a deposit or someone whose plans have changed. Please send a note with a $50.00 deposit to hold the place. Or, add it to this payment and send it as soon as possible to secure the place. Udated 1/9/08 I hope everyone had a great holiday. We have finished class time on scenarios. I have found students at various states in the writing process. Several have already turned in the final draft. I have reduced the final word count to 600. This will not be a competitive scenario but it may help those that have waited to the last minute. The scenario can be over 1500 words but it will not qualify for competition. If it scores high the child can reduce it for competition. I am looking forward to reading them. I know it has been a difficult project. However, it is an advanced level appropriate for 5th grade Challenge. It will also help in all the future writing projects in middle and high school. Many students have asked me to pre-read their scenarios. I wish I could. I have 72 students. It would be impossible to pre-read every child's work, make helpful comments, and return them in a timely manner. If the directions are followed and the scoring rubric is used to check the work, it will be fine. We will return to Jr. Great Books on Friday. Please check under Jr. Great Books for the schedule. Please make sure if your child misses school they make up work/tests. I had a difficult time getting children to come in for tests that they missed during November/December school visits and illness. Test dates will be listed under Jr. Great Books and on the Calendar page. Makeup time is 7:30 - 8:30 most mornings or most afternoons after school. Updated 12/21/07 I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday filled with family and friends and a little rest. Updated 12/5/07 We are beginning the last step in the FPS process! The children are companies in 3025 selecting the neurotechnology advancement they should make. They have developed the criteria to select the right product for their company. Now as vice-presidents of the company they have to prepare the action plan to present to the president and stock-holders of the company. We should finish action plans this week but may get delayed until Monday because of Immigration Day on Friday. Next week will review the the whole process in a scholars bowl competition - competing for bonus points. A final test using all resources will follow. Students will then be given their future scene and begin the process of solving a complete problem with the process. They will have until the last class day to complete each step. I am continually amazed at the growth of the students. This program pushes them to think in new ways, analyze materials and content with new eyes, and make connections with very difficult and worldly topics. I hope you can see a difference in the level of their thinking and discussions. I am very proud of their attitudes, enthusiasm, perseverance, and progress! Updated 11/28/07 I want to update you on progress reports and scenario writing. Progress reports will not go home this week as anticipated. I have many book reports with no names. I am trying to put all the pieces and parts together to be fair to the students. Hopefully I will have everything sorted out by Friday. I will not have most of the classes again until Monday so I will wait until then to give out the reports. I sent home information today about the scenario writing assignment. I will follow this up with some suggestions and a timeline for getting the job done. There will be time in class after the winter break to work on this if needed. Updated 11/19/07 It was brought to my attention that the Aviation Camp information was not put on the website. I apologize for those of you who attempted to find it. If you did not get your deposit in by 11/20 you can still send in in on Monday 11/26. Just send me an email and let me know it is coming. I will release all unused spaces on Monday. At this time we have about 70 students and chaperones attending. The following is the information about the trip. CHALLENGE FIELD TRIP AVIATION CHALLENGE MAY 9 - 11 This year our overnight field trip will return us to Huntsville, Alabama and the fabulous US Space and Rocket Center Aviation Challenge facility. Aviation Challenge Mach I is non-stop aviation excitement! Participants become military pilots and learn how to fly jet fighters and survive in the wilderness. After training in flight simulators and learning ground maneuvers, all teams compete in air and ground missions. This is a high action, hands-on experience. The cost is $280 for students (chaperones will be discounted) for 2 nights and three days at Aviation Camp. (This week long program in the summer is $999). We get everything from the week long program compacted into 3 days. It includes room, meals, and all activities. Included in the cost are two extra meals – lunch on Friday when we arrive and lunch on Sunday before we depart. Transportation is extra and will run $40-$50 depending on the number of buses needed. Both students and chaperones take part in the activities. I encourage both fathers and mothers to go on this trip. We will leave Friday at 8:00 arriving at camp around 11:00. We start with lunch and then a scavenger hunt through the museum. Camp activities begin at 1:00. We will finish on Sunday around noon and be back in Atlanta around 5:00 p.m. I have made a reservation for 90 people, students and chaperones. At this time I need to get a firm number to Space Camp. Please send a $50.00 deposit along with the form below for each participant, including chaperones. Chaperones will receive a discount depending on the number of students attending. This is the only weekend available. I am sure if we do not reserve all the available places they will be filled by another school. Therefore, check your calendar and reserve your place now. Once the space is released it may not be available later. The next payment of $115 will be due February 1 and the last payment of $115 on March 1. The bus payment will also be due in March. I will confirm the buses once I have an accurate count. Please reserve ______________ place(s) for Aviation Challenge for the following people:_________________________________________________________________. Attached is a check for ________________________ ($50 per person). Please make checks payable to Sarah Smith PTA. Updated 11/7/07 Progress reports went home today. There was a delay so that the children could finish up their class projects for a grade instead of an incomplete. Updated 11/5/07 We have just completed the research phase of FPS. You should be hearing about neurotechnology. If not ask about it. The children have learned a lot and are considering the future - the tremendous medical benefits and the issues concerned with non-medical applications. We will be working through the steps for the next three weeks. Challenge classes will not meet every day due to the Time Travelers program. After Thanksgiving we should all be back on track and finishing up the steps. I am always impressed with the level of discussion and work the children do with the FPS program. It is amazing to hear them discuss this topic and work through the problem solving process. I believe they have a great sense of pride in their accomplishments also. Don't forget to send back the Aviation Camp deposit before the holidays. I will call the camp to release the space on Monday, 11/26. A reminder that book reports can be turned in any time up until 11/16. I will put all dates on the calendar from this point so you can keep up with Challenge deadlines. Progress reports will go home on Thursday. I will update the announcements after the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope everyone has a wonderful family event with a little time to rest up and enjoy the time off. If you have any questions or would like to meet in person to discuss the Challenge program or grades, please send me an email. I am always willing to sit down and talk about the program and your child's progress. Updated 10/23/07 I have extended the deadline for the book report due to the work on the science fair project. Students can now turn in the report beginning 11/1 up to 11/16. They can turn it in any day up to 11/16. Updated 10/8/07 I apologize for the delay in updating this site. I am quite behind from my trip and still feeling the effects of traveling half way around the world in such a short period of time. Thanks for your patience. It is hard to believe we are at the end of the first grading period. The grades were very good so I did not need to use a participation grade in order to drop one grade. Grade Reports will go home on Thursday. We will begin the Future Problem Solving process on Monday, 11/15 and finish just before the Winter Break. This month the children will be doing a book report for me. I sent home the instructions yesterday. Check the Homework section for a copy. I will be sending home information about the Aviation Camp trip next week. Please check your Calendar and send back your deposit by the date. I need to give the Camp a solid number. Updated 9/23/07 We will finish up our JGB story this week with two days of discussion in the classroom and a test on Wednesday. We will then switch gears and work on the Future Problem Solving process through November. Please look for the FPS Competition note. Please fill it out and return it by Wednesday, 10/3 if your child wants to compete. The Challenge students will be doing their October book report for Challenge instead of the regular class. Information about the book report will go home on Wednesday. You can also check the website on Wednesday for the details. Look under homework. I will be out of the country beginning Wednesday evening and will not be back until Tuesday, 10/2. I am going to the wedding of my "adopted" son in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I will not be checking email since I will be traveling 4 out of the seven days and very busy once I get to Almaty. I will check email on Wednesday and maybe even Tuesday evening upon my return. Updated 9/13/07 We will finish with our Future Trending timeline on Monday and return to Jr. Great Books on Tuesday. The children have learned a lot about researching, analyzing and evaluating text, and searching for trends. Predicting the future from the trends has been difficult but fun. They have all done a very good job with an extremely difficult assignment. I will send home the results next week. We will be reading the Game of Catch beginning Tuesday and will have discussions with all their classmates on Monday and Tuesday of the following week. Updated 8/31/07 We finished our first story in the Jr. Great Book. I was impressed with the level of discussion. Most students did very well on the essay test with the majority scoring in the 90-100 range. I had several students score 102. On Wednesday the tutoring session will review answering questions using text from the story. Tutoring begins at 2:30 and ends at 3:30. We have begun our introduction to Future Problem Solving by becoming futurists. We are using two tools - Trend Extrapolation and Impact Analysis. Students are researching a product's history and putting the development on a timeline. They will then look for trends and impact and extrapolate 10, 20, and 30 years into the future. They will also conduct interviews with family members to determine trends. The interview is to be done at home and is due on 9/10. All the information is included in the homework section. Don't forget the Challenge Open House on Thursday at 5:30. I will go over the fifth grade Challenge program. Updated 8/20/07 If your child had any problems with the annotations, do not worry at this time. The first time I work through the problems I see. Remember this is the third year for Jr. Great Books. We require the same basic annotations in all grades - commenting on characters, actions, plot, setting, etc. Notes are written in the text. The only differences each year will be the skill(GA Standard) that is required at the specific grade level. We also expect them to think at a higher level each year and for the comments to reflect this. In fifth grade I do not expect to see comments like - great; I like that; Wow; etc. I will put a full explanation under JGB for annotations. Updated 8/16/07 I am very impressed with the level of thinking in the Fifth Grade Challenge classes. I look forward to our first Great Book discussion. If you have not gotten supplies yet, don't worry. The Jr. Great Books will go home on Friday and come back on Wednesday. I would like everyone to have the binder in order by the time the book comes back. I have posted the homework and will post a copy of the annotations and directed notes under Jr. Great Books (JGB). Updated 8/1/07 Welcome to a new year in Challenge. It is going to be a great year. We will be very busy with Jr. Great Books, Future Problem Solving, Creative Problem Solving, and Aviation and Space. I am so excited about the Future Problem Solving Program. In just three years our competitive team and individual placed First in the State. We traveled to Fort Collins, CO for the International Bowl and our team placed Fourth in the World, 4th out of 80 trams! Challenge students in both 4th and 5th grade will all go through the FPS program and have the opportunity to compete for the State team and individual slots. 5th grade students can also compete in Senario writing and Community Problem Solving. I will send home an initial letter with the supply list the first week of school. After that I will only post announcements on this website. Check here weekly for updates on the program and homework. I will be sending home a letter the first part of September concerning the annual Sapce/Aviation Camp field trip we take at the end of the school year. I will be sending this home earlier so that we can reserve a weekend in May. Last year the camp was booked up early and we did not have a choice of weekends. If you need to contact me the best way is through email. There is a link here or on the Smith PTA site. My email address is www.amckinnon@atlanta.k12.ga.us