Welcome back to school! I’m looking forward to an engaging year with thought-provoking discussions and assignments. In ELA this year, we will focus on communities and the individuals that build them. To start, we began by looking at ourselves and the goals we have for the academic year. Students were asked to identify and explain three academic goals, one of which needed to be an ELA-specific goal, as well as how they will measure success, one challenge they anticipate in reaching their goals, and how they think I can best support them in reaching their individual goals. They were also asked to come up with one adjective or characteristic they will need to practice in order to achieve their goals this year.

Students practiced professional email etiquette – a word we took time to define and discuss – and wrote block paragraphs about their goals and challenges in an email they either have sent or will send to me (CC’ing themselves) by the end of school on Friday. 

To engage with your student, you might:

• Ask them about their goals/challenges;
• Ask them what their one-word intention is; 
• The definition of etiquette; and/or
• What etiquette looks like in different situations (classroom etiquette, dinner etiquette, hallway etiquette, etc.).

Next week, sixth and seventh grades will begin our first book study, so students will bring home Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story, a reading schedule, and a reading journal. Eighth grade will also be given a reading journal to record responses to assigned short stories and poems about 9-11.