Page 5
Terrier News
Guidance News – Cathy Morris
The 8th graders have worked the second half of the year on their MAP (My Academic Plan) binders which has included many
high school transition and career inventory activities. The MAP binder will follow them to BFUHS where they will continue to
work on these activities.
As part of the MAP binder, the 8th graders completed a PLP (Personal Learning Plan). PLP’s are being mandated by the state
of Vermont for all 7th & 9th graders by 2015. The PLP is a student dictated planning and monitoring tool that customizes learning opportunities throughout their secondary school experience, broadens their perspectives and supports attainment of goals. In
collaboration with the 8th grade team and BFUHS the PLP has been transferred electronically and the 8th grade students have
begun working on their PLP’s. These electronic PLP’s have been sent to the Freshman Academy to assist with high school transitions.
The 7th graders have been working with VSAC (Vermont Student Assistance Corporation) doing interest and value inventories
to introduce career exploration. This information will be used next year for their 8th grade MAP binders and high school transition activities.
There is summer camp information available in the guidance office, please call or email me [email protected] if you are
interested.
From The SAP with Jamie Card
On Tuesday May 20th, Skip Gates, former Math Teacher and James
Leene, Assistant to VT US District Attorney visited our school to
chat with our 7th and 8th graders about the dangers of opiate/heroin
addiction. Students were engaged, asked great questions, and
thanked them for sharing this important message with us. It was
wonderful! We look forward to more prevention presentations in
the future.
Above the Influence students continue to deliver their prevention
message during the school assembly every month and are looking
forward to their end of the year meeting; going bowling to Yankee
Lanes in Keene, NH on Wednesday June 4th, 2014.
“Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE, the world itself says, I’M POSSIBLE.”
Audrey Hepburn
On the Rise, with Mr. Des Marais
You’ll have to forgive my puns for this one, but May and June bring grade 8 reading classes into the heat as we continue our real world reading.
What began with interest driven real world reading inquiries, concludes this month with some much “kneaded” real-world technical reading for
our class. Wait, you don’t get it? Yes, of course. We should explain. Our class has been reading about each ingredient that goes into traditional
breads. We have learned about the importance and details of each ingredient in making REALLY good food, and we’ve talked about the
different ways in which food is produced in the United States. Our first real-world reading test put the students “nose to the grind-stone” making
real flour out of organic wheat-berries. Grades ranged significantly based on our ability to read and follow technical writing (cooking and
milling directions), however the ENTIRE CLASS passed this quiz with proficiency! Our next step is to use the flour that we made to cook
loaves of traditional sourdough bread as a class. Doesn’t life taste better when you understand all of
the right ingredients?
Grade 8 social studies continues our study of the history of American involvement in foreign
conflicts with our survey of the Cold War. Our class will aim for exposure to events such as the
Atomic age, the Korean War, the Vietnam conflict(s) and other foreign intervention resulting from
the stalemate between the United States and the U.S.S.R. Our young scholars will continue to seek
understanding of our complex relationship with the world as we begin to discuss how our role in the
world has evolved in the last half century. We wrap up with current events connections which brings
our weekly current events discussions together with our cold-war background to discuss and debate
the NSA leaker Edward Snowden and his effect on American foreign intervention. In addition to
continuing our integrated studies by working towards common core standards across language arts
and social studies, our eighth graders begin the process of reflecting on their middle school
experiences as we work on first person non-fiction writing. Enjoy the rest of your eighth grade time
students and families! We will miss you!