Week 6

This is the last week of the 1st Six Weeks grading period. Several of you are in danger of failing because of zeros. My class policy is not to accept late work. I will have a make-up day on Wednesday of this week, so that you can make up any zeros that you may have. The highest grade you can receive on this work is a 50, but that is fifty points higher than a zero.

I am quite concerned about some of you and your lack of concern about your quality of work, your classroom behavior, and your contagious "I don't care" attitude. If you don't care about your grades in 8th grade, I worry about your progress in high school. You cannot go through life thinking that rules are stupid, that grades don't matter, and that being the center of attention is all that matters. If you have given up because you are not interested in the subject or don't understand the subject, then ask for help. I am at school every morning before 8:00am and I will stay after school to tutor if necessary.
Regarding the behavior in class, a few of you seem to think that you don't have to behave or be respectful in my class. I have spoken to some of your parents and Mr. Lockett about your behavior and have been told to send you to the office if I feel that you are disrupting my class or not doing your work.

As for the rest of you that give your best effort, that are respectful to your classmates and to me, and who get tired of receiving lectures because of your classmates that refuse to behave, I suggest you start encouraging your classmates to behave. I appreciate those students who want to learn, excel, and who behave appropriately in class.

Frost Junior High suffered some losses this week to Cross Roads and Cayuga.
Whatever the reason, we have to be careful not to make our reasons for losing an excuse. At the end of the season, even if we lose the rest of the games, you should be a team that never whines or complains about officials, the coaches, the size of the teams, cheating or the performance of the your teammates. If you keep working, realize that playing a game is supposed to be fun, perform your job on the team to the best of your ability 100% of the time, and keep a winning attitude, you will earn the respect of other teams, your coaches, teammates, fans and yourself. Do not ever make losing okay in your own mind by making up excuses for it. Just do your best individually so that your team can depend on your performance to help pull each other out of this slump. Practice well, think clearly, be dependable, and realize that each player on a team has a contribution to make. Help each other realize their importance and encourage your teammates to perform to the best of their ability. Play together, play smart and give 100% of yourself 100% of the time.

Activities for the week:

Monday: J.H. Volleyball vs Kerens - Here - 5:00

Tuesday: H.S. Volleyball vs Trinidad - There -5:00 - J.H. One Act Play Try-outs after school - FPAC

Wednesday: Team Kids/Youth Church Service @5:30 Frost Baptist Church

Thursday: No J.H. Football Game

Friday: No H.S. Football Game, H.S. Volleyball vs Rice - Here @ 4:30

Saturday: Frost Methodist Church Lord's Acre BBQ and Auction 11:00am

Week at a Glance

Monday: Finish Open Book Test - Making Tracks

Tuesday: Selection Test - Making Tracks

Wednesday: Journal Check - Make-up Day - Vocab Review

Thursday: Vocab Review for Poetry and Non-fiction selections

Friday: Vocab Test over all vocab of the six weeks - Turn in Reading Cards

Vickery's Vit and Visdom

Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm~
Winston Churchill

What Mr. Churchill does not say in his wise quote is that showing enthusiasm can reverse the failure simply by creating a winning attitude. Also, learning from each failure will give you courage and experience to face whatever obstacles you face. Looking at life through the eyes of a pessimist can disCOURAGE a person from trying new things or doing their best. Looking through the eyes of an enthusiastically positive person (optimist) will enCOURAGE yourself and everyone around you.

Have a great week and stay courageous in all of your endeavors.

Week 5/ English 8

Week 5

It was a tough week for the Polar Bears and Lady Polar Bears. The Polar Bears suffered losses to very tough Meridian junior high and high school football teams on Thursday and Friday. Injuries affected the varsity with the loss of our two senior linemen, but the Bears gave their best effort to make up for their absence on the line. The boys are working hard in practice to get ready for Cross Roads on Friday.

The Lady Bears lost to Milford on Tuesday in three games and Avalon on Saturday morning in four close games. We are gearing up for a better week with Junior High games in Cayuga and High School games in Kerens on Tuesday and back home on Sat. against Cross Roads.

Activities for this week:

Monday - Junior High Volleyball Game @ Cayuga - 5:00pm

Tuesday - Varsity Volleyball Game @ Kerens - 5:00 pm JV & V

District FFA Meeting @ Midway H.S. 6:30 pm

Wednesday - Fall School Portraits

Thursday - Junior High Football vs. Cross Roads (Here) beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Jostens meets with Juniors @ 1:00 pm

Friday - Varsity Football @ Cross Roads 7:30pm

Saturday - JV & Varsity Volleyball vs Crossroads (Here) at 10:00am

Remember that this is the fifth week of the the 1st Six Week Period. If you are in danger of failing a class, this is the week to buckle down to raise your grades. Your teachers are here to help you, but you have to make your best effort as well.

Week At A Glance

Monday - Selection Test - Poetry Collection 1 over "Cat", "Silver" & "Your World".

Tuesday - Introduce Non-fiction - The Big Question - How much info is enough?
Before You Read Handout -

Wednesday - Discuss Types of Non-fiction, Elements of Non-fiction Vocab -
Text Vocab in spiral. pg 460-465

Thursday - Discuss Types of Informational Text - Vocab in Spiral, Vocab Warm-
Up list and Exercises/Vocab Builder Worksheets

Friday - Read Model Selection: Making Tracks on Mars Diary - pg 467-472


Vickery's Vit and Visdom:

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."
~Oscar Wilde~

" The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." ~Mahatma Gandhi~

Progress Reports will go out this week.

Congratulations to Marcie Hernandez - 2010 Homecoming Queen. Congrats to the rest of the court as well. You were all beautiful. The escorts were a little sweaty but still handsome.

It is always tough to play a volleyball game after a home game, and especially a Homecoming game and dance, but the Lady Bears didn't seem phased on Saturday morning. Congrats to the Lady Bears for their decisive win in 3 games over Covington. The score was 25-17, 25-22, 25-22. Great job girls!

The Bears suffered a tough loss on Friday to TCA, but, they never lose their spirit. Keep working Bears. District play is right around the corner.

Activities for the week:
Monday: J.H. Volleyball vs Rice (Here) 5:00

Tuesday: H.S. Volleyball vs Milford (Here) 5:00

Thursday: J.H. Football vs Meridian (Here) 6:00

Friday: H.S. Football vs Meridian (There) 7:30

Week at a Glance

Monday- Finish Poetry Collection 1 worksheets from Friday pg 27-30 HOMEWORK: ENRICHMENT WORKSHEET PG 31 DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON TUES.

Tuesday - Hand out and go over Reader's Notebook Review

Wednesday- Begin Open Book Test over Poetry Collection 1

Thursday - Continue Open Book Test

Friday - Selection Test pg 35-40

Vickery's Vit & Visdom:

Responsibility:
"Responsibility is the price of greatness."
WINSTON CHURCHILL

"Make it a point to do something every day that you don't want to do.
This is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without
pain."
MARK TWAIN

Week 3

Congratulations to the Polar Bears for their win over Lakehill Prep.
Final score was 21-12.
Check out the article at
http://corsicanadailysun.com/sports/x955427161/Frost-uses-big-first-half-tough-D-to-earn-second-win

This week is Homecoming Week. Don't forget to show your spirit by dressing up this week. You can find the spirit schedule on the bathroom doors.

Juniors will host the Homecoming Dance after the game. They are selling raffle tickets all week and at the game. Prizes will include a Polar Bear and Lady Polar Bear team autographed football and volleyball, a wooden standing drink cooler and many other prizes. More details on the dance will be posted in the hallways and announced during the week.

Lady Bears will have a week off this week and will resume play on Sat. Sept 11.

Speaking of Sept. 11. Most of you were only toddlers when the 9/11 bombings occurred, but even at that age, I'm sure you have some memory of the impact the tragedy had on our country. As we approach the ninth anniversary of 9/11, please keep in mind the people who lost their lives that day and our soldiers who continue to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are fighting for our way of life and our liberties. Justin Baldridge, 2006 Frost graduate and son of Coach Jerry and Teri Baldridge is part of the Marine company that is clearing out the Taliban extremists ahead of our troops. He is right in the thick of the danger and he, now more than ever needs our thoughts and prayers.

State Senator Brian Birdwell who survived the Pentagon bombing on 9/11 will speak at the Navarro County Courthouse on Sat. 9/11/2010 at 1:30pm. Senator Birdwell is a very good friend of our family and has quite a story of survival to tell. I urge you to attend the gathering in Corsicana if you can. I will let you know what time he will speak.

This is the third week of school and progress reports will go out next week.

Here is our week at a glance:

Tuesday - Finish Open Book Test - Review for Selection Test
Wednesday - Selection Test - Poetry Selection One Vocab Warm-up Word List & Exercise pg 23-24
Thursday - Writing About the Big Question, Reading : Meanings from Context pg 28
Homework: Literary Analysis: Sound Devices pg 28-29
Friday - Vocab Builder pg 30, Enrichment: Phases of the Moon pg 31


Vickery's Vit & Visdom
"Tell me a fact and I'll learn. Tell me a truth and I'll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever." --- Indian Proverb

This brings to mind, when my children were very small. I underestimated their intelligence, as many parents will. I got in the habit of saying "no" and using the reason, "Because I said so." After all, that is how I was raised. My children wanted reasons, justification and would negotiate their case whenever they could. I was exhausted trying to outwit them. Finally, I realized that they deserved an explanation to my decisions. Once I took the time and explained why they couldn't have something or do something, and used a story from my own childhood as an example (sometimes I had to make one up), they were more okay with the decision. Children are smart if we allow them to be. If we bully and intimidate them when they are small, they figure out very quickly, it is not worth it to question, which is sad on so many levels. Danny DeVito in the movie "Matilda" demonstrates his terrible parenting skills with this line,"I am smart, you are dumb, I am right, you are wrong and there is nothing you can do about it."
In class, I sometimes get off topic and share a story from my childhood to prove a point in a lesson. Years later, kids (now adults) come up to me and tell me, "I loved your stories". If it helps them to remember the point I'm trying to make, I will gladly get off topic for a minute to explain, not just state facts to be regurgitated on a test. My parenting advice to you, although I hope you don't have to use it for a while, is to correct your children early, often, but, always explain your correction. It makes them feel more valuable that you took the time to explain. The time you take to do this will help your child in the long run.

Here's the Vit....If you learn to laugh at yourself, you'll never run out of smiles.