posted Jan 23, 2012 4:59 PM by Tracy Vining
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updated Jan 25, 2012 8:08 AM by Amy Owens
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After learning about the innovations of Roman architecture, like using arches to span doorways and concrete of varying densities, students worked in pairs to study photographs of ten different Roman buildings and Roman roads. They looked for and recorded ways the Romans used elements like Greek column styles, added to their own innovations, like the arch or the dome. They looked for ways the invention of concrete helped in building these large structures. Later, they used this information to explain how the Roman’s architecture illustrates their values of practicality, organization and a little showing off. Then, students hypothesized, discussed and wrote about how these structures assisted the Romans in conquering such a large empire. |
posted Jan 23, 2012 4:51 PM by Tracy Vining
During our unit on ancient Greece, all students were exposed to some common Greek word roots and the idea that much of our language comes from Greek and Latin roots. (When we study the Middle Ages, we will quickly follow the progression from Greek to Latin and how it was combined with Germanic, as the Normans conquered England, making English the only language stemming from both branches of the language tree—Latin and Germanic. This is why we have so many synonyms in English!) Students who were interested could earn extra credit by participating in the Vocabulympics--also a nod the the very competitive Greeks. :-) Students completed worksheets on English words that derived from Greek roots. They could earn either the bronze, silver or gold level, depending on how many worksheets they chose to do. Students who did 20 worksheets earned the gold medal of extra credit plus Greek food, prepared by Mrs. Barry and Mrs. Kirby. On the menu was: Greek olives, tzaziki dip with pita chips, Greek salad, chicken souvlaki and baklava. We talked briefly about what was in each dish and how it would be served in Greece and learned the Greek words used for celebrations, “Opa!” and a Greek toast, “Jamas!” Then we enjoyed our meal with Greek music.  |
posted Jan 17, 2012 7:45 AM by Amy Owens
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updated Jan 23, 2012 4:48 PM by Tracy Vining
]
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Know!
- Resolve To Strengthen Communication |
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Youth surveys
reveal that the number one reason young people give for choosing not to use
alcohol or other drugs is that they do not want to disappoint their parents. As
this new year
kicks off, we encourage you to resolve to increase conversations
with your children about the
dangers of drinking, smoking and using other
drugs.
In order to
take full advantage of our parent power, we must: be informed on the issues; be
clear on where we stand when it comes to underage drinking, smoking and using
other drugs;
and we must foster and strengthen communication with our
children.
Follow
these Ten Tips to Boost Parent/Child Communication:
1. Get in the
habit of chatting about the everyday stuff with your child before jumping
into
potentially intense conversations.
2. Demonstrate
your genuine interest in what your child has to say by listening with your
full attention.
3. Be
respectful of your child’s feelings and viewpoint, even when you do not
necessarily
agree. He/she will then be much more likely to return the
favor.
4. Choose your
words carefully and be aware of your body language. If you show shock or
disgust by what your child has shared, you will have ended the
conversation.
5. Be mindful
of your tone of voice. It’s not just what we say, but how we say it.
6. Avoid
interrupting and lecturing. These are also proven conversation
busters.
7. You must
know the facts about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs and share them
truthfully.
8. Skip the
scare tactics. According to prevention experts, they are not
effective.
9. Take
advantage of teachable moments: For example, you are in the car with your
child,
with the radio on. You’ve got a captive audience, so try talking
about that alcohol ad you
both just heard.
10. Last but
not least, control your emotions. If the talk gets heated and you display
anger,
your child is likely to go into fight or flight mode…neither of
which will benefit anyone.
It is
important to clearly communicate your love for your child and your desire for
him/her to
make healthy lifestyle choices. As you further establish and
strengthen the lines of
communication, your child will feel more comfortable to
share his/her feelings with you, to ask
questions, to seek your advice and
guidance and in the end, you will be helping your child to
make more positive
life decisions; like choosing not to use alcohol, tobacco or other
drugs.
Sources: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Association of School Nurses
(NASN), HealthyChildren.org. |
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posted Jan 6, 2012 2:00 PM by Tracy Vining
Before they headed back to college, ten KFHS alumni students
came to the middle school to talk to 7 th and 8 th grade
students about college. Each college
student had a group of approximately ten students. They shared what it was like to leave Kettle
Falls and their experiences at college.
The KFMS students were able to ask what it was like to live in a dorm,
what they would do differently in middle and high school, and how much money it
costs to go to college. We would like to
thank Shannon and Bridget Barry, Nathan Price, Kayla Eslick, Samantha Charlton,
Jordan Dugger, Justine Moss, Devon Stomley, Alexis Hall, and Taylor Smith!
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posted Jan 6, 2012 1:37 PM by Tracy Vining
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updated Jan 6, 2012 3:23 PM
]
On December 16, Mr. Price and Mrs. Vining took eighty-six 7 th
and 8 th students to Cheney to experience life on a college
campus. The students took a tour,
visited the Book Store, had dinner in a cafeteria, and watched an EWU
basketball game. Students really enjoyed
the trip and many stated that they wanted to go to college! Thank
you GEAR UP!
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posted Jan 6, 2012 12:45 PM by Tracy Vining
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updated Jan 6, 2012 12:46 PM
]
Mrs. Esvelt brought her high school Textiles Class to the middle school for a service learning project with Mrs. Rosen’s fifth graders. What do you get when you put seventy five students, cardboard, string, yarn, popsicle sticks and plastic forks together at the middle school? Delightful weaving! The high school students were patient, helpful teachers for their fifth graders, and the middle school students just loved it! The fifth grade curriculum includes the study of the Navajo Indians of the southwest. Learning to weave provided them with some appreciation of the beautiful rugs and blankets the Navajo have created. Mrs. Esvelt brought her class back to the middle school to teach the fifth graders how to “tie-off” their projects. Yarn was provided through generous donations from our community, and all other materials were provided by the Textiles Class, and enthusiasm was provided by ten and eleven year olds! |
posted Dec 1, 2011 6:19 AM by Tracy Vining
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updated Dec 1, 2011 7:49 AM
]
On Tuesday, November 29, Tracy Vining, Courtney Brunette, and Lisa Rosen traveled to the ESD101 office in Spokane to receive the school's "2011 School of Distinction Award." Thirteen schools located in the ESD 101 were honored. Only 99 schools statewide received this award. This award is based upon improvement in Reading and Math. Only the top 5% in the state were awarded. Students and staff will celebrate on Friday, December 2nd with cake to acknowledge all the hard work that went into this award! Got to ESD101 for more information. |
posted Nov 21, 2011 5:28 PM by Amy Owens
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updated Nov 30, 2011 11:27 AM
]
7th graders are immersed in
studying ancient Greece in both Language and
Social Studies. Since the
ancient Greeks were very competitive, the students
are participating in
several competitions. One contest involved drawing the
three types of Greek
columns as a tie-in to understanding that we see Greek
architecture on our
public building in in Washington DC because of our
common heritage as a
democracy. As another nod to Greek democracy, the
drawings were judged and
voted on by students. Another contest during this
unit is the Vocabu-lympics.
Students complete worksheets on English words
with Greek origins. Students
completing 10 worksheets earn the Bronze level
and some bonus points,
students completing 15 worksheets earn the Silver
level and more bonus
points, and those completing 20 worksheets earn the
Gold level and will enjoy
Greek food prepared by Mrs. Barry.
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posted Nov 3, 2011 7:27 PM by Amy Owens
Students at Kettle Falls Middle School were immersed in the
Wonders of Weird by award winning author, Kelly Milner Halls, on Friday, October 21. Kelly’s books present research on “weird topics.
The
students learned that some sources are reliable for research, but some
are not; being an author puts you in the driver’s seat and using
research makes
fiction writing exciting.
Kelly made presentations to all students at KFMS in the morning and conducted writers’ workshops in the afternoon.
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posted Nov 3, 2011 2:05 PM by Amy Owens
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updated Nov 30, 2011 11:40 AM
]
Dwight Morgan, a Vietnam Veteran shared his experience of Vietnam with Ms. Brunette’s 8th Grade classes on October 18.
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