Hello, Walton!!

As the third week of school came to a close, I felt a new and welcome sense of familiarity and routine in my day. The school year is officially underway! It’s been two years since I’ve been a classroom teacher and I can’t say how much I’m enjoying being back in school. It’s nice to be part of something larger than myself and to feel excited about a shared vision. The hallways are vibrant and constantly changing from one day to the next. I like spending my time a place that feels alive with movement and sound.

Coming into the year, I was appropriately anxious to teach two very separate classes. Now that my anticipation of the year has given way to activity, I can honestly say that AVID and Drama are each such a joy to teach that I wouldn’t have it any other way. AVID is rolling with AVID binders becoming routine and students mastering the basics of Cornell note taking skills. Students are working hard to build their AVID infrastructure for the year. Once the basics are covered there are many fun AVID opportunities ahead this year.

Every day in Drama class I watch students play and explore with one another. It is fun to watch them gain confidence and poise, and with each activity, watch students develop their ability to lead and stand out in the crowd.  

I am excited to see what the school year will bring.            

Tommy McElroy

AVID & Drama

8^th graders: Are you ready for the next big challenge?

Greetings from the Mr. Bloor, school counselor. On Friday I had the opportunity to visit all 8^th graders to discuss how they can utilize the guidance department. 8^th grade is a huge transition year as they move on to MHS. There is a lot to learn about high school. Have you ever heard of GPA or an Advanced Diploma? Do you know how many credits it takes to graduate? Have you heard of CATEC? Hopefully by the end of January 2014 all 8^th graders will know the answers to these questions and many more. There will be many opportunities for 8^th graders to learn about high school transition throughout the year. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me (977-6533 or dbloor@k12albemarle.org) if you or your student have any questions about moving on the Monticello.

Doug Bloor

School Counselor

  

Time to get moving in PE!!

HELLO THERE WILDCATS!!!


We have gotten all of our lockers assigned, we have been dressing out for a full week, and PE classes are out and GETTING IT DONE!!  This year has gotten off to a great start and we are SO EXCITED about our school year.

This week we started our Fitness Testing and Fitness Unit in all of our classes!! We also have been working out on our newly resurfaced track and BOY is it nice!!  Lots of students and faculty have asked about using the track for bikes, roller-blading, and what -not, and I say COME ON OUT!! The track is for school use during school hours but after that, get out there and have some fun! ( I always wanted to race RC cars around it :))

Coming up for the next week or so we will be finishing up our Fitness Units and Tests  and be getting ready for our first Health Unit and PE Activity Unit (Softball). We can not wait!!! Come on out and join us any time on any day we would LOVE to have you out there!

Movin On!!

Mr. Steger
PE Dept

First Full Week of Math Classes

Wow – what an exciting start to the year!  I’m fortunate enough to teach 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders this year.  As you know, middle school is a time of great change both academically and socially, and I get to see a cross section of grade levels daily! 

          My goal with all of my classes is problem solving.  I want my students to see the relevance of the math they’re using in my class to real world situations.  I want them to see math in situations that don’t always scream “Use your math here!” 

 

 

 

 

         With that in mind, the 8^th graders completed a task last week that had them use the order of operations to “shop” for a Thanksgiving dinner.   They used a shopping list, store advertisement, and coupons to create a mathematical expression, solved their expression to see if they had enough money, and made well-thought out recommendations about what to do when they found themselves short of money.  

 

My 7^th graders are in Integer Operations World!  Using a variety of models, they are in the process of looking for patterns and developing the rules for adding and subtracting signed numbers.  It’s so exciting for me when I hear their “Aha!” moments as they are working and talking within their groups.

 

Lastly, my 6^th graders are beginning their study of fractions, decimals and percents.  The students have an upcoming project that has them design a store or a restaurant complete with a catalogue or a menu.  These stores and restaurants will have “shoppers” visit and place orders, and our “merchants” will create accurate sales tickets for the shoppers.  I can’t wait to see their creations!

Each day is a whirlwind of activity, but I have so many great moments to reflect on each evening!  I find myself constantly recreating ways for my learners to learn using the great tools with which they’ve been provided.  It’s a terrific learning experience for me as well.  In the words of Albert Einstein:    “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”

Debbi Skolnick

Math 6^th, 7^th and 8^th J

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday to the Walton Middle School Family!!

We have had another terrific week at WMS.This week all students finally received their 1:1 laptops J!!Tuesday night we hosted a technology meeting with parents to discuss the 1:1 rollout, Internet safety protocols and expectations for using the new computers. One of the highlights of the week has to be how quickly students have gotten themselves into a routine of using their locker and getting to class on time!!

Next week we will begin our Walton Wrap Up time at the end of the day.It will be nice to have this extra opportunity to extend and enrich opportunities from our classrooms.

Kudos to all WMS students and staff for making this first full week a great one!!

Keep up the good work!

Mr. Vrhovac

"It's about the future, Madame Chancellor. Some people think the future means the end of history. Well, we haven't run out of history quite yet. Your father called the future - "the undiscovered country". People can be very frightened of change."- James T. Kirk

I spent the summer woodworking, going to the Mechanical Aerospace Engineering building at UVA, attending meetings like Design 2015 and CAI, which focus on the future, and Climate Improvement Meetings, focusing on improving Walton's past. I went to several meetings with some very knowledgeable people, focusing on "turning CTE upside down" (phrase by Chad Ratliff). People who think teachers get the summer 'off' should really have hung out with me, as I struggled to learn everything I could to prepare for this year!

 

At the end of the summer, I still worried. I had a plan, but this was unlike any other school year. My plan was NOT to know everything and simply impart knowledge on my students. I had received all sorts of cutting edge technology from a Design 2015 grant. I have Arduinos, Raspberry Pis, a 3D printer, and all sorts of new programs (at least to me), like Solidworks, FabLab, Scratch to Arduino, and enough others to make the head spin. My plan is to learn alongside my students.... but. It's hard to let go of the reins like that. Especially with ten 'preps' in just the first semester.
 
My first day was a transforming experience. My homeroom is fourteen 7th and 8th graders (and we'll add 7-8 more 6th graders soon) that run the video morning announcements called WLHW (for the full name of our school, Leslie H. Walton). Julie Lederman (Instructional Coach turned Gifted/Talented Teacher) and I had prepared in every way we could imagine to troubleshoot for the previous week and a half, but within 5 minutes, these impressive students had found three things and fixed problems that I didn't even know we had. The teachers and DART staff had converted to a digital streaming show with the help of technology gurus from all over the county, and all three shows that we've shot so far have gone off without a hitch, almost completely because of my WLHW staff.

My classes, all different across the first two days, were all like this, inspiring and eye-opening. I had kids on the first day that begged to be able to dig into wires, breadboards and LED lights, rather than just sit and talk during the last seven minutes of the first class. I had students today that were geeking out about the new things they were discovering on their own, with no real 'guidance' from me, on Scratch. Everyone was so happy and positive to just 'play' ... while really they were actually using logic, reasoning, and great attitudes to create their first projects in the fields of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Media Technology.

 

In a day of high points, perhaps my best moments were while creating a special presentation set to air on WLHW next Wednesday on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, DC. My media class is helping to find backgrounds from across the United States for our green screen and helping shoot footage for 83 student volunteers from all over the school to deliver 83 separate 'lines' of Dr. King's famous "I have a dream" speech.

 

I'm not saying that I don't continue to squirm with how uncomfortable it makes me to not be 'prepared' and 'know-it-all' .... but it helps to have such great reactions from all the kids that I've come into contact with during our first week. I look forward to continuing the fun next week and so on, into the "Undiscovered Country" of the future! Follow our adventures on Twitter and my blog!

 Thanks for reading!

-Jon Barber / CTE Exploratory / Walton Middle School

Collaboration—Success is a Team Effort!

The longer I teach; the more I realize how much I rely on my colleagues to be successful in the classroom.  Even the best teacher is better with a partner, because as trite as it sounds… two heads are better than one. In my ten years in the classroom, I learn as much from other teachers as my students learn from me. I’ve been lucky to have many types of collaborations… PLC (Professional Learning Communities), gifted resource, special education, and UVA student teachers, are just a few examples of partners I’ve worked with over the years. I am thankful for the strategies I’ve learned from working with others that have made me a better teacher.

 

Today, I had the fortune of following the lead of my collaborative partner, Brandon Isaiah. He suggested we create centers that were multi-sensory, utilizing computers, expo markers, and a game with dice. We reviewed the material covered so far this year in an engaging lesson that was enjoyable for the kids and adults. Students “counted off” to get a station, creating a situation that allowed everyone to partner with new classmates. Collaboratively students worked together, making learning pleasurable, and preparing them to get along in ways they will be expected to in their future fields.

Trying new things can be scary… especially when you are the one in front of a room full of people waiting to follow your lead. Taking risks is easier with a team. As I watched my classes giggle and laugh during today’s “quiz review,” I was thankful that Mr. Isaiah showed me new ways to work with students in the classroom. When I complimented his work, he sheepishly said, “I got it all from watching other people.” But that’s what great teachers do, observe, model, and make things their own. Together, we improve each other, making education better for all the children in our schools.

Ms. Jennifer Graham
6th grade LA