FOR THE BIRDS...

The Eagles' game last night, that is! Enjoyed watching the Eagles/Giants game last night with my best friend Amy's family. Shout out to my pals Bryan and Katie (pictured below): I CHEERED AS HARD AS I COULD FOR YOU AFTER YOU BOTH FELL ASLEEP...BUT WE LOST :-(

GOOD TIMES WITH FRIENDS BEATS WINNING A GAME ANY DAY THOUGH....so thanks my friends for hosting the party!

Coach Smith, my high school basketball coach, kept saying "it's only a game Jen" every time his Giants did something great. GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR COACH...where was that frame of mind when I played basketball for you??? MUST COME WITH AGE :-) As does memory loss....remember, I'm on your side for baseball season!





Bryan, me, & Katie all geared up for the game!




My friend Tom, the "bookie", made up slips of paper that we each picked from a hat (these were mine). Each slip of paper was worth 25 cents from everyone if that play happened! We each also put $1 in at the beginning of each quarter of the game and whoever had that quarter's score won...that's how I left $17 richer!
NOTE TO TOM: NEXT TIME REMEMBER, 4-0 STAYS OUT OF THE FIRE :-)



I arrived home around 12:30 a.m. & got to bed around 1:00....working on 4.5 hours of sleep is not good! And to top it all off, Mr. McNeill showed up bright-eyed and all smiles this morning in my classroom. We bet on the game and of course, I lost! LOOK AT THIS HIDEOUS SWEATSHIRT HE MADE ME WEAR & TOLD EVERYBODY ABOUT...I MEAN REALLY...I WAS AFRAID TO EAT LUNCH AND SPILL SOMETHING ON THIS ANTIQUE:

I attached that blue sign I'm holding to the shirt.
It read:
U-G-L-Y
THIS SHIRT AIN'T GOT NO ALIBI
IT'S UGLY
HEY, HEY IT'S UGLY :-)
and that it was!!!

I BELIEVE IN YOU...

One of my friends sent me this YouTube clip. WATCH IT & know I BELIEVE IN YOU! Many times I know that you think I'm being "mean" or that I "don't like you"...NOT TRUE! The most frustrating part of being a teacher is seeing students make poor choices and waste their potential. Each of you has what it takes to succeed....I believe that with my whole heart! I will continue to push you to maximize your potential and refuse to allow you to accept anything less than the best for yourself. BELIEVE IT :-)

Here's the clip:

5th grader Dalton Sherman inspires Dallas teachers

Parent-Teacher Conferences...

THANK YOU to all parents who took the time to visit our school the past 2 days for conferences. I enjoyed meeting with parents and discussing what we can do to make school even better for you! We are truly a team that, like any team, needs to work together to win. As a team, we accomplish many victories along the path of your high school education. This team is made up of students, parents, teachers, administrators, counselors, school staff, coaches, and even your friends. Working together is the easiest way to accomplish these victories. Our championship victory comes the day our students walk across the stage to receive their high school diploma! On graduation night each year, as a school family, we are on top of the world and realize that all of the struggles are worth it. Nothing is better than seeing you in your cap & gown! THAT IS OUR GOAL! You see this every day at the front of our classroom for a reason:



SO KEEP AFTER THAT CHAMPIONSHIP! You must practice (do your homework, study outside of the school day, manage your time wisely, make smart decisions). THE CHAMPIONSHIP (DIPLOMA) IS ON THE LINE...IT'S WITHIN YOUR REACH...all you have to do is GO FOR IT WITH ALL YOU HAVE & I GUARANTEE SUCCESS! We're here to help...let us :-)

Thanks again PARENTS...keep in touch!

VOTING FOR A PRESIDENT...IN KEYBOARDING & CAREERS!

Mrs. Becker tallying the votes!

While visiting our classroom today, our freshman guidance counselors also conducted elections in the spirit of today's presidential election. Each student was asked to cast an anonymous vote by paper ballot & write WHY they felt that person was the best candidate. I am SO PROUD that regardless of which candidate students chose, the great majority had a valid reason for supporting that person. I urge each and every one of my students to register to vote when they are 18, vote in EVERY election, and to research each candidate's stance and voting record prior to going to the polls. As Americans, we are blessed to live in the United States of America where we have the freedom to vote; the least we can do is research each candidate to see which is the most closely aligned to our values and beliefs. We SHOULD NOT vote for a candidate just because they are a Republican or a Democrat, but because we feel they would do the best job for us!

A VERY important issue was brought to light during second period. We had one student who chose not to vote because he felt he didn't know enough about either candidate to cast a vote one way or another. That's honorable and I explained ABSTAINING from voting. At the end of class, Mrs. Becker announced that we had a 16-16 tie and that neither candidate could be declared a winner for second period. We discussed how this proves EVERY VOTE MATTERS & that once you choose to abstain from voting, you give up your right to do so and cannot go back to vote after the polls close just because you didn't like the results.

GREAT LESSONS LEARNED TODAY! HERE ARE THE RESULTS:

Period 1 = 23-9 OBAMA
Period 2 = 16-16 TIED
Period 3 = 20-9 OBAMA
Period 4 = 13-5 OBAMA
Period 5 = 13-7 OBAMA
Period 6 = 10-6 OBAMA
Period 7 = 23-8 OBAMA
--------------------------------
OVERALL = 118-60 OBAMA

TROLL FOR PRESIDENT DOLLS GIVEN AS PRIZES!

STAY TUNED TO ELECTION RESULTS TONIGHT & TOMORROW TO SEE HOW CLOSELY ALIGNED OUR FRESHMAN KEYBOARDING STUDENTS ARE WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY!

FRESHMAN GUIDANCE COUNSELORS VISIT OUR CLASS

Yesterday and today our freshman school counselors were in all of our Keyboarding & Careers classes. Yesterday they discussed the importance of passing 9th grade. THIS YEAR COUNTS & WILL APPEAR ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT FOREVER! It is a sad and proven statistic that if someone fails ninth grade, they are highly likely to drop out. With the end of the first marking period, it is a great time to reflect and ask yourself "am I doing all I can to pass ninth grade with 7 credits?"

Today Mrs. Becker & Mr. Roe were in again. This time they showed us some great websites for students to use to get live homework help, to research various things, to download books on tape, or to just find current events going on right here in Williamsport. Check them out:

www.lycolibrary.org

www.know-zone.org

PERFECT ATTENDANCE & GRADES

The first marking period is over! We're officially 1/4 of the way done with the school year. On Friday, I gave each student their grades and awarded some prizes.

GRADES:

2nd period had the best overall average as a class at 91.1%. They barely beat out 6th period who had 91.0%! I'm VERY PROUD to report that 103 out of 108 students received a C average or higher this marking period :-)

PERFECT ATTENDANCE:

The best class with perfect attendance was 6th period with 41.6% of the students having perfect attendance. 4th period, however, had the highest number of students with perfect attendance (7). Below are pictures of the students who had perfect attendance this marking period. THANK YOU TO THESE STUDENTS FOR BEING IN SCHOOL EVERY DAY!