1/4th

We are creating so many wonderful things in my room that it’s hard to focus my thoughts for this post. As a CTE (Career and Technical Education) teacher, I have MANY diverse classes. I teach Scratch 6 and 7, Keyboarding 6, Computer Solutions 7, Entrepreneurship 8, 3 levels of Technology/Engineering, Media Tech 8, and even get to be in the studio for our morning video announcements, called WLHW. Every one of my classes is making something cool!

In my Scratch classes, we are participating in a “Hacker Challenge” that is open to all Albemarle County students.  I have dozens of games that have to do with Walton and Wildcats and our school … in some, the Wildcat is fighting bullies or hornets or bears … while some are more teacher-centric, with Mr. Vrhovac or even me running around the screen.

My Media class is participating in the Walton Film Festival, based on the Virginia Film Festival’s guidelines. They have interviewed new teachers, added a streaming flag for use when WLHW leads the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, and plan to start creating new Intros for our video announcements.

James Socol

My Keyboarding, Computer Solutions, and Entrepreneurship classes are researching the founders of modern startups, like Yahoo! or Firefox or gmail … my Entrepreneurship class got a special treat when James Socol, inventor of Today’s Meet, stopped by to discuss his experiences with Mozilla, bit.ly, and of course, Today’s Meet.

Caption: We’re still in the planning stages, but Dan Brown up at Monticello HS has been a huge help!

My Technology/Engineering classes are the most exciting for me right now.  In the 8th Grade, we have partnered with the S.P.C.A. with their H.O.W.S. program to build 5 doghouses to help friendly canines survive the cold winter! In the 6th grade, we’re staying more “local” and working to help improve our building, fixing and making things for teachers and for school use.  One group is planning to build an authentic New York Subway-style bench for our pickup loop!

Caption: image from http://www.wnyc.org/story/286491-buy-your-own-authentic-wooden-subway-benches/

Finally, I’m hoping that my WLHW crew will begin uploading some archive “episodes” of our show on YouTube soon!

It’s been a great quarter in my Technology Lab … looking forward to 3 more!

-Jon Barber
CTE (Career/Technical Education) Grades 6-8 
Follow my Blog at http://hoosjon.blogspot.com
Follow my Twitter at twitter.com/hoosjon

The Payoff is Worth It!

           Teaching Read 180 to sixth, seventh, and eighth graders has taught me so much more than I’d expected.  These students are working hard to become grade level readers.  They want to succeed and have to work hard to do it.  Trying to meet their needs pushes me to provide engaging lessons that build background knowledge and give them time to practice essential skills.  Since I teach five classes, there’s added pressure to keep things fresh and new for me, too!

We follow a daily routine that doesn’t change much.  At this point, the students can run the class themselves—updating the time on task reports, logging onto Blackboard without help, and retaking quizzes when needed.  If you ask the students, we’re “always on the computer” or “always have to take a quiz.”  To spice things up, we’ll read debates and post blogs about controversial issues.  We’ve learned about school districts that have banned hugging in schools, districts that require school uniforms and districts in Texas that use RFID chips to track student attendance.  The goal is to read non-fiction texts; the challenge is to share your ideas on the topic in a clear and coherent way.  This can be a stretch for students who are used to taking quizzes and it provides a nice change of pace for everyone.

When we need a break from non-fiction articles, we’ll read plays for upcoming Hollywood hits.  Recently, we read Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, an adaptation of the movie (based on the novel by Rick Riordan).  Before reading the play aloud, we watched the movie trailer to get a sense of the characters’ names and personalities.  I like to have articles and plays that support the core curriculum (7^th graders learn about Greek mythology) and I try to find new reading passages that will draw of topics from previous years.  In Percy Jackson,” the action takes place in “the Sea of Monsters,” commonly known as the Bermuda Triangle.  Arianna, an 8^th grader, said, “I remember that from last year when we read about it.  That’s where planes go down and they don’t know why, right?”  This connection may have seemed small, but she was remembering one short article from eight months ago!  This casual connection made me aware of how well these students internalize the material we cover and revitalized my efforts to find interesting and compelling materials for class.

           I’ve seen the impact that daily readings can have for my Read 180 students, and I’ve used current articles in my Honors Language Arts class to supplement books we’re reading.  I wanted to share these materials with others. To that effect, I’ve started the “Walton Student Resources” page on Blackboard.  All students have access to this page, which houses a collection of articles for all subject areas.  Teachers are already sending students to the site to build skills or to provide a challenge.  As the year continues, we’ll add more in each content area.  Soon, we’ll have a wealth of materials for all levels in all classes.

As we hit the second nine weeks, it’s easy to become bogged down in the daily routine.  With teacher work days and then the holidays scheduled, it’s comforting to stick with the standard schedule when we can.  Familiar routines can quickly become monotonous, however, and that makes the day drag for our kids.  Taking time to find new materials, to present them in engaging ways, and to draw connections between my class and the other classes involves a lot of time and coordinating with others.  The payoff—I remember that!—is so worth it in the end!

Natalie M. Capps
Read 180 and Honors Language Arts 8

 

This week, all 7^th graders went on a field trip to the annual career expo at the John Paul Jones Arena. After an early lunch, students and teachers boarded the busses and headed off to our destination. Upon arrival, we sat down and listened to an assembly about career readiness. Three speakers picked volunteers from the audience to complete exercises that entertained the rest of the crowd. After each demonstration, the speakers explained to the Walton and Burley students why communication and analytical skills are essential in any workplace.

Our students were anxious to enter into the exhibit area to talk with the local professionals who were presenting information about their careers. Students had previously made plans about the booths that they wanted to visit and questions they intended to ask the professionals. Some students diligently asked questions to a few chosen professionals, while others floated around to learn more about a variety of exciting career options.

Careers that were represented at the fair included veterinary medicine and animal care, healthcare careers, and physical therapy. Students enjoyed dressing up as judges and lawyers at the law exhibit. Masons and carpenters offered hands-on activities that showed our students how to build things out of wood and bricks. Police officers and firefighters enlightened students with thrilling stories from their daily lives. TV production crews even put our kids on TV! Students were able to spend nearly an hour talking to these professionals and others in many different career fields.

All of our 7^th graders were exceptionally behaved. The students asked the professionals thoughtful and relevant questions and they exhibited a high level of professionalism. While watching the students visit the different booths, I was extremely impressed. After Wednesday, I have another reason to say that I am proud to be an intern at Walton Middle School!

The library’s Teen Read Week here at Walton was a big success! The theme this year was, “Seek the Unknown.” Students received prizes for checking out mystery or horror books and watched book trailers during the morning announcements on WLHW.  They also entered stories with an “unknown” element during the scary story contest. You can read stories submitted by students by going to   www.issuu.com/waltonwildcats.    Students will vote on a winner October 31^st.  

Mark your calendars for Walton’s Book Fair which will begin on December 16^th and end at noon on Friday, December 20th. It will also be open before the band concert on Thursday, December 19^th   from 4:45-5:45. Parent volunteers are needed during the day and during the concert. You can sign up to volunteer by going to the following link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/60B0B4CA8A92B0-walton

Thanks for your continued support of Walton’s library!

Boys Basketball Coming to an End. . . .

Tonight was the last of the regular season games for our boys' basketball program.  The wildcats claimed victory over Sutherland in 2 out of 3 games, dominating in the last game with a score of 43-25.  The girls play their last regular season games tomorrow against Jouett.  Tournament play will begin next week (Tue & Wed) at Burley for the girls and boys, respectively.  Go Wildcats!!

CJ Baber

 

It’s Here!!
 

All of us waited patiently for the end of last week  – some of us checking the weather multiple times during the week, some of us shopping for delicious ingredients, all of us  planning for the perfect time together – Activity Period! None of us – kids or staff – were disappointed. 

Friday’s weather was perfect.  A bunch of us were outside – walking the track or Nature Trail, talking with friends and adults, playing football, basketball  or kickball.  Others of us were in the building involved in activities with food, computers, indoor sports,  competitive games, or engaged in Random Acts of Kindness.  With 18 activities to choose from, a good time was had by all!

Ask your student what the best part of Activity Period was for him or her.

FYI à Our next Activity Period is scheduled for Friday, November 15.

Paula Hoffman

8^th grade and more.

Triple C field trip

This post comes a week late, but seems appropriate since we are still seeing the results from the 7th grade field trip to Triple C Camp. The idea behind the trip was to have an event that brought our seventh grade class together as one group. We started the day as one large group and then broke off into smaller sets that went from challenge course to challenge course. High ropes, invasive species, rope swings, pirate ships, carnivore chases...the students got an opportunity to experience a number of science-based team activities. As one of the floaters for the day, I got a chance to see each group work together. I saw students take on leadership roles for various obstacles. I saw students cheer on their peers when they were faced with a challenge that took them out of their comfort zone. I watched as students helped other students when they were faced with failure. Most of all, I saw groups of students working together in a cohesive, friendly routine. This was a terrific trip and we would be remiss if we did not take a second to thank all the staff at Triple C that created a terrific day for our students and staff.

 

 

 

Today is Activity Day…another chance for our students to work together across all grade levels. A reminder that next week is the final week of this grading period. Keep an eye on Parent Portal as grades start to roll in and a reminder to check agendas. Chances are there will be a number of projects and tests coming at our students as the final countdown for grades this 9-weeks kicks in. Have a great weekend, Wildcats!



Mr. Guy

Wildcat Tennis Update

Greeting Wildcat Family!

The 2013 - 2014 is just about over but we've had a great run over the past 6 weeks.  Today the Wildcats travelled to Albemarle High School for the annual district tournament and every doubles pairing was victorious in at least one game!  It was a great sight, there were over 100 ACPS students playing - with 6 weeks to 10 years of experience.  The competition was fierce but definitely friendly.  As a coach, I am proud to say the Wildcats displayed GREAT sportsmanship whether they were winning or losing.  Next week we will hold our last practice of the season and last match at home vs. Burley on Wednesday.  Come out and support the Wildcats!

Cooking is Chemistry

            Without fail, students always rush into science class each new year asking, “Are we going to work with chemicals, like acid, and blow things up?” The response I’ve honed over the years is, “Well, water is a chemical and we always use that.” Then, students look at me like I just drained all hope from their lives. But I do have some fun up my sleeves.

            Chemistry is a small unit where I have a ton of cool things I can do to show off how awesome science is. This year I’m choosing to base it in cooking and baking. I developed a week of Project Based Learning in which students will learn new chemistry concepts and then ground them in their own cooking. All week students are focusing on seemingly easy tasks such as making grilled cheese sandwiches or flavored whipped cream but they are diving into the science behind all of it. What compounds are actually in heavy cream? What are all those weird ingredients in American cheese? What chemical changes are occurring on the edges of the bread to toast them? What physical changes are happening within the whipped cream? Their heads began to spin the very first day, but in the good way that makes teachers smile because it shows they are learning and applying their knowledge.

            Learning new concepts every day is enough to stress out even the best students, but by anchoring it into the same cooking example everyday helps to ground the information into their world and help them make sense of all the science.

            Here’s what some students have to say about the project work they have been doing this week:

“The project is really, really fun. It is my favorite project yet!!” Cynthea

“This project is fun because the format makes it a lot easier.” Kyle

“It’s good that we’re learning something new each day and making progress on our project.” Kayleigh

“This project is going really good because we’re learning a ton of new things every day, but keeping up with it and it’s fun.” Brandon

Here's to much for fun in 6th Grade Science!

Ms. Lauren Cabrera

Book Whisperer

Exciting things are happening in eighth grade Language Arts!  My classes have been challenged to read 40 self-selected books this year.  We set aside time during each class to read and the students take their books home to read at night.  The excitement has taken off as students are free to choose books they want to read, rather than one book I select for the class.  We use their books as a basis for class discussions and assessments.

It warms my heart to hear comments like, "Mrs. Fields, I just had to hug my book when I finished it because I'm going to miss it."  Or another student who asked if she could have the book she was reading because it was the best book she had ever read.  I had to apologize to a teacher of another discipline who had to ask a student to stop reading in her class, but secretly I was smiling.

Creating lifelong readers is a beautiful thing.  Won't you join in our challenge?  You will be glad you did!

Teresa Fields
8th Grade Language Arts

Teen Read Week:Scary Story Contest

I am looking forward to some great scary stories by WMS students!  More information can be found on the Walton Home page.  Mr. Lacy

 





Good afternoon Wildcats!

     Today, we are celebrating Unity Day and taking a stand against bullying!  By wearing orange, we are making a choice to prevent bullying in our schools, community and on-line.  October is National Prevention Bullying Month.  Yesterday's guest speaker, Mr. MOJO, gave our students some tips to help prevent bullying:
~ Believe in yourself and be proud of who you are.
~ Find the good in others and if you're posting on-line, post only positive comments.
~ When you see bullying occur, MOJO UP and take a stand!
~ If you cannot solve the problem, tell someone who can.
~ Be willing to reach out and help others.  Don't be a bystander and let bullying happen. 

Remember to be a leader, not a hater!  Take pride in being a Walton Wildcat and help put a stop to bullying!

Ms. Page
7th Grade
Language Arts

Hello Wildcats!

This morning the halls echoed with cries of “MOJO UP! MOJO UP! MOJO UP!” as students took a stand against bullying. This increase in enthusiasm is due to a visit from Mr. MOJO himself, Travis Brown, a motivational speaker from Indiana. He captivated students with a game of “Mr. MOJO SAYS” that started as innocent fun but showed how easily joking around can turn serious and hurt another person. Students were challenged to respond to negativity with a positive comment, and learned that a bully is anyone who repeatedly uses physical, verbal (including spoken and written language), and/or cyber forces in a negative manner toward or in regard to another person. We had a great time coming together as a school and making the commitment to stand up for one another.

Go Wildcats,

Mrs. McElroy

Some Big (and Small) Things at WMS

       I just want to take a moment to give a few shout outs to my amazing students this year. I am so grateful to have a strong, dedicated crop of young adults who constantly push themselves (and me) towards success. They make the work I do enjoyable every day.

       It doesn’t hurt that it’s easy to be excited at this time of year. The weather’s cooling down and the leaves are starting to turn. That signals to me that it’s time to begin my favorite project of the year.

One of the hardest things to cope with in math is the fact our number system is incredibly large. Not only does it span from infinitely positive to infinitely negative, but there are infinitely many conceivable numbers between any two numbers you can name. Trying to put all of that into a mental picture is tough work! It’s exactly that work that my students will be focusing on over the next two weeks. 

       Using the work of Cary Huang as a starting point my students will work together to create a graphic organizer depicting the sizes of important objects in the universe. We’ll work with things that are immeasurably small, like a quantum string (which is trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of a meter). We’ll then work our way up to the size of the universe, which is just under a trillion trillion trillion meters wide. 

       Digesting all of these huge (and small) numbers is tough, and if you’re interested on giving it a shot feel free to start small (http://www.kokogiak.com/megapenny/) and work your way up to the real deal (http://scaleofuniverse.com/). I hope you enjoy. I know my kids (and I) will.

Mike Remchuk

Happy Rainy Monday@WMS

I have been away from WMS for two days now while attending the EDLeader21 Conference in Chicago.  It has been a great conference and I have had the opportunity to gather many takeaways!  I know WMS has had a busy schedule with parent/teacher conferences, clubs, sports and other activities.  This upcoming week will be filled with many more activities.  The classrooms have been filled with many interesting activities.  Just to mention a few items: 7^th grade Math creating the Solar system down the hallway, Language Arts interpreting Poetry, Science investigating the Atom and Energy, and Health/Guidance discussing Conflict/Anger Management.  Our teachers continue to challenge students with RIGOR each and everyday.  WMS is a great place made that way by the people that enter the doors each and everyday!!

Keep up the great work Walton!

Go Wildcats

Mr. Vrhovac

Ripped From the Headlines

DC TRIP IS OFF - I wish I could report all good news in today’s blog, but unfortunately we had to cancel the 8th grade’s annual Washington, DC trip on October 10^th.  It was a tough decision and one that required a lot of deliberation on our part.  We held out as long as we could to wait and see if some sort of funding would be passed by Congress.  Finally, we had to cancel because we were holding on to payment checks and the bus company had to know if we were going sign a contract or not.

On the positive side, the students had real life experience with the budgetary process and the lawmaking process which are part of the 8^th grade Civics & Economics curriculum.  Several have also exercised their First Amendment right to petition their government in order to let them know how they feel about this situation.  We are in the midst of our Constitution unit, so the daily headlines become part of our instruction each class.

Coming Soon To Our Classroom:  Some of our upcoming events in Civics & Economics class are the Living Constitution Project, the lawmaking simulation where students get to write, debate, and vote on bills to submit for President Plumb’s signature, and a trip to the Virginia Capitol in November.  This is a highlight of our class because students get to tour the Capitol and have a legislative session where they will get to do the same thing in the House of Delegates chamber.