Summer 2020
Who’s ready for this year to be over? 2020 has not been good to the world, but we are only half way through, so we must persevere. I haven’t updated this blog in over a year – it’s always the last on my list of things to do. To be fair, not even on the list. But I was updating my website, and I thought I should really make an effort to blog this month.
Spring semester ended with a whimper, definitely not a bang. I did get by to see the majority of my homeroom students, and a number of students when they came to pick up their belongings from the school. I am spending time this summer checking on our house that’s under construction, helping my children get ready for return to college (well a beginning for one), and preparing for what I sincerely hope is a return to the regular school day in August. I will be adding some new seating and arrangements, and letters will be going home to homeroom students next week. I don’t want to write too much, or I might get into the woe is me and woe is this stupid COVID virus, and as we continue to struggle for racial justice in our society, it’s easy to get bogged down in negativity. However, as a child of God, I believe the hope and salvation of Christ.
From Psalm 37:
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.
As I prepare for a new academic year, my prayers are for healing both physical and spiritual, for peace in our communities, and love in our hearts.
Welcome to St. Luke Parent Association Open House
New Year, crazy days
The 2017 school year has begun with some routine expectations, but some unexpected occurrences too. We had the Great Solar Eclipse with an early dismissal day, followed by Labor Day weekend, followed by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irma blowing through the Valley causing some damage and power outages. Things are beginning to normalize, and we are gearing up for Grandparents Day and the end of the first nine weeks. Whew!
My new seventh graders are awesome and really working hard on their assignments so far. I am posting some new “Where I’m From” poems under the Student Work section of this blog – enjoy! 
Second Semester Shenanigans
Obviously, I have not done a decent job of blogging about classroom activities this year. With our new RenWeb, I have busy keeping up with announcements through the web items and entering grades differently. But excuses, excuses – I’ll stop now.
We finished The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle with our book floats. Yesterday, we did a pre-reading activity for The Wednesday Wars. We utilized the new breakout boxes purchased by the school. Students competed in teams to find information relating to the novel. It was a big success. Check out the photos!
Halfway through the 1st nine weeks
I can’t believe we are actually more than halfway through our first nine weeks at St. Luke. I am loving my new seventh graders. I started the school year meeting new students and parents and grading summer reading assignments. We did away with Accelerated Reader (AR) in the middle school last year, and replaced the AR tests with a Google assignment of critical thinking questions about the selected books.
We have written letters, poems, and now are working on mini-biographies of someone the students know first-hand. My favorite comment today was “My dad was more interesting than I thought.” A few weeks ago a student said, “I’m going to give my grandmother another chance.” I think she meant another chance to have something important to say, and I’m happy to report she was glad she did. I love when learning continues past the classroom.
We just started our first class novel, Moon Over Manifest, on Friday. I can’t wait to watch my students as they discover Abilene, Gideon, Shady, Ned, Sadie and other characters of Manifest, Kansas and the secrets they are hiding.
We are also learning grammar, sentence correction, and new vocabulary words. My aspiration is that they will begin incorporating all of these skills into their writing, making it more enthralling and less vapid. Coming soon are the essays that will be submitted to the local George Walton Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). St. Luke has had winners on the seventh grade level for the last several years at least. Some have become regional and even state winners!
The independent reading assignments that are replacing AR goals are due on October 3rd. I’m looking forward to seeing the myriad choices the students have made in both book selection and presentation of information.
This month is our 7th grade mission JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Our seventh graders have been so generous. Thank you families for sending in your dollars! Pantry items this month are cereal bags or boxes. Thanks for supporting our local food pantry. The JDRF One Walk is October 1st. We would love to have a large St. Luke group come walk with us. Grandparents Day is also fast approaching, and we have a cool song to share at this event. It’s been a great six weeks, and I’m looking forward to more!
Time to Write
I always have great intentions in regards to my class blogging, but keeping up with other means of communication and daily teacher tasks usually take precedence. So my first year at St. Luke School has ended, and I couldn’t be happier about my decision to change schools. Even though this group of 7th graders was a bit challenging in comparison to other groups at SLS, I had a great year. I am blessed to be able to teach in a Christian setting with the ability to celebrate wonderful traditions and share our faith with one another.
End of Year Convocation
Sweet smiles
Several traditions occurred at the end of the school year; I always try to take pictures of my students in various situations. We went hiking at Pine Mountain, and we had a few small obstacles to overcome. The bus Mrs. Oliver was driving had a flat tire – yikes, glad it was not me – I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been as calm.
Photo Op
7th Grade Teacher Team
Then, we al
so had several encounters with sunning snakes – thank goodness for Libby Hudson! Thanks for interceding and making sure we didn’t have a close, personal experience with them.
The annual St. Luke Middle School Musical is always a treat, and this year was especially exciting for me. I was able to watch my students in various roles, in addition to my son who portrayed Scar in The Lion King, Jr. 
These students spend six months on this production, giving up sleep time in the morning for the 7:15 rehearsals. Great job Mrs. Eysel, Mrs. LaRoy, and many other parent and teacher volunteers. The costumes and makeup were phenomenal, and it was another wonderful, well-attended production. FYI – if you don’t want to sit in the back row of the Ministry Center, arrive early before the doors open. Bring a chair or sit on the floor while waiting to grab a seat close to the stage. 
I experienced my first real Teacher Appreciation Week as an educator. I am so appreciative of the outpouring of thanks we received during the week from parent volunteers who sat with the class while we attended a luncheon, to numerous homemade gifts and gift cards from parents. I haven’t wasted time utilizing them! I still don’t know how Kristal Renner, a teacher herself, made special gifts for each of Caroline Grace’s teachers for each day of the week. I am in awe! And a special recognition to Kimberly Voltz who did an outstanding job as room parent this year while beginning a new business, Sylvan Learning Center. Thank you for organizing, calling, choosing gifts, and being at events – you are an inspiration!
Speaking of parent involvement, Soul Survivor would not be possible without the parents. By this point in the year, you may have noticed, teachers are functioning, but just barely. Put one foot in front of the other is our motto by mid-May. This was my first field day at St. Luke, and despite the challenges of the rain, I think we had a great time. I think we threw the points out of the window and just enjoyed each other’s company for the last time as 7th graders, and especially took advantage of the giant water slide. Thanks for leading us into the summer on a high note!
7th grade!
St. Luke School is a special place, and I only wish we had discovered it sooner. Jackson had two years here, while Cydney missed out completely. I am looking forward to many more years of teaching and involvement. Next year, I’ll be helping with Student Council – can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to meeting my new 7th graders who will be moving down the hall this year. 2016-17 will be magnificent!
Winter Break
Winter Break is a new concept for me coming from the Phenix City Schools, but I must say I love it! Time to regroup, catch up, and do some planning and of course relaxing. This weekend has been particularly challenging for our church family with the loss of a dear child. Shaw High School is mourning as well. But in this time of grief and struggle, we are reminded that we put our trust in the Lord who will see us through the wilderness of grief. I do want to mention that as a teacher I love and care for my students, and if any of you is feeling lost, please come to me and let me help you get the help you need.
I wanted to share a few pictures of class work. These were taken while writing summaries for Charlotte Doyle and while reviewing for a test via Quizizz.com. 
Blog Assignment – Charlotte Doyle
Respond to one of the following questions in the comment section below. Identify yourself with your first name, last initial, question # and class color.
- In chapter six, Mr. Barlow speaks to Charlotte and suggests that Captain Jaggery’s ordering the men to do all those things with sails, ropes, and rigging was for no reason. Why would Captain Jaggery do that?
- What does Charlotte mean when she says both Captain Jaggery and Zachariah are courting her? What are their motives for doing so?
Welcome back to school…3 weeks ago
Before the latest news, I just want to say again how appreciative I am of all the gifts and cards I received for Christmas. Teaching at St. Luke has been a blessing to me and my family. I am enjoying getting to know St. Luke students and parents better. Before breaking for the holidays, we finished our Scrooge and Marley packets and enjoyed some Victorian treats like crackers, scones, hot chocolate, and eggnog. 
We just completed our third week back after Christmas holidays, and a busy time it has been. Homecoming week just ended, and both teams came away with a victory Friday evening. We just started our next novel, The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi. We will be trying to blog and fake tweet to respond to the novel. We will have our first reading quiz on Thursday including vocabulary. It will likely cover chapters 1-8.
landreaulanguage 