December 16, 2013

Dear Parents,

It's here.... the last week of school of the year... ok at least for 2013!  :)

Quick look at the week:

Monday:  Advent prayer service @ 8:45 in church

Tuesday: orders due for SCRIP by 10:00am

Wednesday:  Santa's workshop shopping:  PLEASE send some $ for your child to buy some presents from the 8th grade sponsored wonderful shopping experience!  We go right after lunch from 12:40-1:30.  This is a great opportunity for your child to shop for younger siblings, etc...

Thursday:  Dress rehearsal for the Christmas program

Friday:  lunch is early (not sure on exact time, yet); program starts at noon in the church; when the program is over, CHRISTMAS BREAK IS HERE!  :)

Please know that I sure appreciate all your support and kindness this year!  Hopefully this will be a great last week of 2013!  Remember, if all 7 news articles are in by Friday there is an extra 5 points added to the student's grade.

Many blessings,
Kim

December 9, 2013

Dear Parents,

Happy Advent!  So far for us, Advent has been filled with anticipation and excitement!  A HUGE THANK YOU goes out to MARY BANOVETZ AND HER LITTLE ELVES who pulled off yet another very successful Craft Day!  I know the kids love this yearly event and we wouldn't have it if it weren't for you all and your dedication!

This week is calm compared to what we have to look forward to next week!  Our Advent prayer will be at 8:45am on Monday morning in church.  Feel free to join us for the short time of reflection on the 2nd week of Advent.  We also have Reconciliation scheduled for Thursday morning from 10:00-10:35 in the church.

Keep an eye out for next week's schedule.  I will post it as soon as I get it.

Many blessings,
Kim

November 11, 2013

Dear Parents,

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY!  A huge THANK YOU goes out to all who have served to keep us safe and free!

I hope everyone enjoyed the windy weekend!  The leaves are almost all on the ground and I've seen lots of frost on the ground early in the morning.  The kids shouldn't be wearing their coats in the classrooms.  I would recommend sending in an extra sweatshirt that they can leave in their locker when it isn't on him/her.

Thank you to all the parents who helped pull off yet another great prize fest!  :)  I know that the kids sure appreciate that fun event.

PLEASE send in some non-perishable items to help support our local food pantry.  We are collecting food during the month of November to help stock the pantry for Thanksgiving.  Students are allowed to wear hats on Friday if they bring in .50 to donate towards the collection.  They can also just donate money to help us earn feathers to put on our turkey in the hall.  Please check the principal's update for all the details.

November 25 AND December 2 (all in one this time)

Dear Parents,

I made an executive decision tonight and decided to combine this week and next week's posts.  I thought it might be helpful as the weeks after Christmas break are going to be crazy busy!

Science genetics projects will be returned on Monday, November 25th.  I am really impressed with the quality of the work.  Please take a look at the projects we hung up on the windows of the science lab.  I will get those grades posted on mystudentsprogress early this week.

Tuesday is a very full day.  We will be eating in the gym as an entire school.  PLEASE, if you plan to join your child (ren) and plan to eat, email Mr. Bill for a head count.  (stdhotlunch@gmail.com) After eating and a short break for recess the students will be rewarded by getting to watch a movie.  We have not chosen our movie, yet.  Any good ideas?

The following week we jump into Advent by having a short prayer service each Monday morning.  I have not heard details yet, but if and when I do, I will add a post here.   We have careers scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.  BINGO is on Thursday night.  (We had a great turn out on this past Saturday night for turkey bingo!)  Please feel free to join us at 5:30 for our first round of 8 games!  The morning of Friday, December 6th the students will have a guest speaker/teacher for business ed class.  His name is Jim Weber and he is a parish member.  He will work with us for several weeks on the beginnings of starting a business and general accounting concepts.

Friday, December 6th is Craft Day.  Our very own, Mary Banovetz is in charge of the whole production.  THANK YOU for all your efforts and thanks also go out to all who helped in any way to pull off this great afternoon for the kids.

Reminders:
*Sounds like last Friday was a great day for all.  The Kalahari trip went well and the Chazen art museum was enjoyed by those who attended.  Thank you to Mr. Beisser for organizing the Kalahari trip and Mrs. Brochtrup for organizing the art museum trip.  Special thanks to Ms. Polzer who accompanied on the Kalahari trip and Ms. Pitz who went on the art museum trip.  Congrats to MG on their football win at State!  Also, Ms. Salwedel (Sam's older sister) will be married on Thanksgiving day, so we wish her well as they all left on Friday to prepare for the wedding festivities.

*Eligibility will begin Monday, December 6th.  Teachers will check in with me about eligibility each Monday and coaches/parents/principal will be notified no later than 3:30pm each Monday of any eligibility issues.  Ineligibility will last from Monday to Monday.  The student will be encouraged to watch practice and attend games to support their teammates.

*Emma made it through surgery and sounds like things went well and are healing up quickly.

*Christian will be going to Mayo for a month long treatment.  This will begin in early January.  Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.  Also, please pray that the doctors are able to figure out what is wrong and are able to correct it.

*Thank you all so much for sharing your children with me.  I am truly blest beyond imagination by the St. Dennis family.  Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you always!

Many blessings!
Kim

November 18, 2013

Dear Parents,

Thank you to those who have sent in items to be donated towards our food drive and our collection for the Philippines.  I am challenging each child to look through their closets and come up with 5 pieces of clothing they would be willing to donate.  Please have them bring them in early in the week.  Having two students in our class who have direct ties to that country, I would hope the 7th graders might take a little more interest in this collection.

The genetics project (including the self assessment) is due on Thursday at the end of class.  So far I have seen most students working on the project, but they are not very far.  I hope to see some creative projects ready to be turned in on Thursday!

We have a pretty normal week until Friday.  There were permission slips, that went home last Friday, for the Kalahari award trip.  Many students earned this trip.  Be sure to get the slips signed and brought back to school.

There is talk of an art field trip on Friday, as well, but I am unsure of details.  Please keep a close eye out for more information on the possibility of this trip!  (Mrs. Brochtrup is in charge of the planning, so truly I can't answer questions about it.)

Next Saturday night after church is TURKEY bingo!  We would love to see you there.  First game begins at 6:45pm in the upstairs of the Parish Center.  Hope you can make it!

Many blessings,
Kim

November 4, 2013

Dear Parents,

AAAHHHHHH, it is NOVEMBER!  I can hardly believe we are into our 2nd quarter already.  It seems your kiddos just came for Gear Up Day and now we are almost to Thanksgiving!  Crazy!  Guess time flies when you are having fun!  :)

This week:

Monday:  We will continue our learning about genetics.  The next project will be an individual project.  It will be assigned by the beginning of next week.

Tuesday:  Edgewood students will visit at 10:00 to talk about their experiences at Edgewood.  Some former St. Dennis kids will talk with our students about the choice to possibly attend Edgewood.

Wednesday:  Mass at 8:45.  Families in the afternoon.

Thursday:  BINGO starts at 6:30.  This is always a night of great fun!  It would be wonderful to see your family there.

Friday:  I believe the magazine sale Prize Fest is in the afternoon.

Many blessings for a great week!
Kim

October 28, 2013

Dear Parents,

Short and sweet note this week!  Happy Halloween!

I hope to see you at conferences this week on Tuesday afternoon or throughout the day on Wednesday! This is the only way to receive your child's report card, so please stop in the gym and say hi!

We are out of school on Tuesday at 11:30.

No school Wednesday, Thursday or Friday!  Enjoy your days off!

GIFT is next Sunday and Monday nights.  I hope you have signed up for this event!  It is one you won't want to miss!

Many blessings!

Kim

ps.  News articles for 2nd quarter are due on January 7th for 7th grade.

October 21, 2013

Dear Parents

This is the last week of the quarter.  Please check with your child to make sure they are caught up on all of his/her work.  You can also check mystudentsprogress.com and see how the grades look.  For the 1st quarter, I am overall very impressed with this class.   I appreciate their effort and abilities!

The mitosis project is due on Wednesday, with the performances beginning during study hall.  I hope the we are able to get through all of the performances on Wednesday, due to the end of the quarter is Friday.  Students will turn in self assessments on Thursday.  I can't wait to see what they have cooked up to teach us about mitosis.  Have them send me a link to their performance (if it is on youtube) via his/her st-dennisschool.org email to my ms.maxson@st-dennisschool.org email.

Looking forward to seeing you all next week at conferences!

Many blessings,
Kim

October 14, 2013

Hello Parents!

What an absolutely beautiful weekend we had!  I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the crisp air. The leaves are changing and the mornings and evenings are cooler.

ITBS testing is DONE for another year!  The kids seemed relieved and I really appreciate their continuous focus throughout the week.

This week is back to being pretty normal.  Here are some reminders:

All 7 news articles are due on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16th.  This is an all or nothing grade.  They have had all quarter to complete this assignment.  Please check to see if your child has completed the 7 required reviews.

Wednesday morning we have mass and Wednesday afternoon we have families.  Mr. Salzwedel gave a very interesting experience last week during our careers time.  Thank you for sharing your story with us!  The students really enjoyed it.

The mitosis projects will be "preformed" on October 23rd at the beginning of class.  If your child is video taping their project, please have them upload it to youtube so that it will be easy access for us.  They can email me the web address at Ms.Maxson@st-dennisschool.org

I am working with grades 2-5 on stepping stones for the north end of the school's new sitting area.  If  you might be available to help me on Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon, Thursday or Friday afternoons, I sure could use your help.  Please let me know if you are available.  There is no talent needed, just some extra hands and guidance.

Have a wonderful week!  Many blessings,
Kim

October 7, 2013

Dear Parents,

It is that time of year again!  ITBS testing is this week!  We (the middle school) hope to finish up testing by Thursday.  Wish us luck!

Monday:  testing throughout the morning; regular classes in the afternoon

Tuesday:  testing until 10:30; regular classes for the rest of the day

Wednesday:  church at 8:45; testing in the afternoon

Thursday:  testing until 10:30; regular classes for the rest of the day

Friday:  9:40-11:10 testing (only if needed); regular classes the rest of the day

The mitosis project seems to be coming along.  I am anticipating the projects due around the 23rd or 24th.  We won't have science this week due to testing, but there is plenty of class time to complete the project.  I hope that there won't have to be a lot of meeting outside of the class time.  I will do my best to allow the students to separate into other areas to ensure they are getting time to work in a quieter environment.  I try to be fair in letting the kids go out of the room, but there is a big push to keep the hallways quieter and it becomes difficult to find space for them to go.

Just a reminder...  Sr. Marie's 90th birthday is on Thursday!  She is finally on the road to recovery and things seem to be going well.

Jack Salzwedel (Sam's dad) will be coming in for careers class this week.  We look forward to hearing his pathway to his current employment.  If you would ever want to come share your story, give Mr. Beisser a call and let him know.

Looking at my grade book, I am noticing that MANY students have not turned in any news article reviews yet this year.  All 7 are due next week.  I hope to see many of them turned in this week so that I am not flooded with them all next week.

If you ever have comments or concerns please email or call me.  I want this to be the best year for your child and I will do all I can to help that goal.

Many blessings and I hope you have a wonderful week!

September 30, 2013

Dear Parents,

The class is currently suffering from LOTS of sniffling and coughing.  Some students say it is allergies and others just have a cold.  Be sure to remind them to wash their hands and cover their mouths.  We "live" in pretty tight corridors so it can be a germ's heaven if we let it.

The mitosis project begins Monday morning.  This is one of my most favorite projects the 7th graders complete.  They will have a choice to work alone or with a small group.  In the past performance types have included a cheerleading routine, a dance, skits, poetry reading, karate routine and much much more.  It is with great anticipation that I give this project to the 7th graders.  There are so many creative minds in this class, who knows what we might find!

We have families this week.  So far, I have heard nothing but great things about the 7th graders and how helpful they are in their family settings.  I know they will continue to help the 8th graders make it a great year.

BINGO is Thursday night.  It begins at 6:30 upstairs in the Parish Center.   Coming from a person who has worked almost every BINGO evening since it began, I can tell you that it is a very good night of fun, food and fellowship.  Please join us if you are able.

Next week is the beginning of ITBS testing.  The schedule looks like this:
Monday: 8:30-12:00
Tuesday:  8:30-10:30
Wednesday: 12:40-2:30
Thursday: 8:30-10:30
Friday:  9:40-11:10

PLEASE (I cannot stress this enough) try and have your child there every day (at least during the listed times).  It makes the whole process easier on everyone.  I hope giving you the schedule now will give you enough time to change any appointments that can be changed.  Heading to bed at an early hour and breakfast each morning are good ideas, as well.  If your child is sick, please keep them home.  We will make arrangements to make up the tests when he/she returns.

Many blessings on a wonderful fall week!
Kim

September 23, 2013

Dear Parents,

I hope that this post finds all of you enjoying the weather on the first day of Autumn!  This is one of my most favorite times of year, with FOOTBALL (sorry Packers), changing leaves and warm drinks like a chai tea latte!

The students will get their cell project grades back on Monday.  Overall, spectacular work!  I am very impressed with their creativity and quality making connections from cell organelle and a theme; we even had a Harry Potter theme!  Congrats to all of the students and know that I am proud of their hard work.  Our next topic is MITOSIS!  The students will work in groups or individually to create some type of performance to explain the process of cell reproduction.  With the awesomeness of the cell project, I anticipate some fantastic projects!

We have a prayer service on Wednesday morning, as the priests have an annual meeting in the Dells this week.  Please feel free to join us if you would like, same time and place!  (8:45 in the church)

We have careers on Wednesday afternoon.  I believe we will have a parent coming to talk to us about her job as a nurse on one of the medical helicopters in the area.  It should be a great opportunity to hear some insight to that side of a job.

Have a wonderful week!

Many blessings,
Kim

September 16, 2013

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful weekend!  The weather was sure beautiful on Saturday and Sunday was a perfect day to stay in and watch the Packer game or ANY football for that matter!

If your child forgot to turn in their magazine sales, they can bring them in on Monday.  Please be sure that they are turned in no later than lunch on Monday.  Thank you and hopefully this fundraiser will provide us with lots of funds to do fun things!

The cell projects, including their self assessments, are due at the end of class on Thursday.  I am so impressed by the projects I have seen.  There are a few students' projects I have not seen at all, I hope they are getting done at home and will be at school Thursday morning ready to hand in to me.

Please keep a close eye on your students' grades online.  It is mid-quarter... crazy, I know and the last part of the quarter will coming quickly!

Have a wonderful week!

Many blessings,
Kim

September 9, 2013

Dear Parents,

We are just about ready to start our 1st full week of school.  I am having a difficult time believing it is the 3rd week of school, already.  With that thought, comes grades...  I know that my cohorts and I are putting grades into mystudentsprogress.com on a regular basis.  Please make that website a regular place you visit.  It is a wonderful tool for you to help me keep up with your child's missing work!  It is also a place to find great things going on in your child's grades!  I am really proud of some of the kids who are starting off really, really well!!!!

This week is just a regular week.  Few reminders below:

*Great job with uniforms on Wednesday!  Keep that up!
*We have mass EVERY Wednesday now!  :)  It is at 8:45 and you are more than welcome to join us if you can.
*Families met for the first time last week.  I heard lots of great things from the 8th graders and how the 7th graders helped out a lot to make the time go better!
*The cell project is under way.  I am thinking the project and the self-assessment will be due at the end of class on Thursday, September 19th.

Please remember to email me asap with any questions or concerns!
Many blessings,
Kim

September 2

Dear Parents,

WE did it!  We made the first week one of great success!  I am so proud of these young people and their determination to succeed!  I appreciate their kindness and patience as I continue to heal.  They have been wonderful!

This week...

Tuesday:  "regular" day

Wednesday:  First day of full uniform!  We have church at 8:45 and have been asked that students, if they get cold in church, to put a long sleeve shirt under their uniform shirt (they can take it off after church) or they can wear the long sleeve St. Dennis uniform shirt.  They are no longer able to just throw on a sweatshirt or jacket.  We also have our first family gathering in the afternoon.  I know the 8th graders are excited and hope that the 7th graders jump in and become great helpers.

Thursday:  "regular" day; BINGO in the evening!

Friday:  We have our first "business education" class.  The whole middle school will be participating in a DECA type class that the middle school teachers are developing.  The 1st 6 weeks will be a Junior Achievement unit.  We are hoping that our final project at the end of the year will be for the students to have learned enough to create a type of business and have a showing of some of the prototypes of products.  It is a work in process and are very excited about its future.

Couple friendly reminders:

IF birthday treats must be shared they MUST be something that the student can hand out at the very end of the day as the students are leaving the room.  I really work to NOT eat in the lab and we really don't have a lot of time during the day to set aside for celebration.  (I am sorry if that sounds "party pooper"ish.)  

News articles have been assigned.  Their due date for 7 articles is mid-October.

Have a wonderful week!

Many blessings,

Kim

It's the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Happy August 26th to one and all!

This week at a glance:

Monday:  half day-out at 11:40; students will meet briefly with their "core" teachers and have an assembly at 10:30

Tuesday:  We jump right into a "regular" day of school!  Ready or not!  :)

Wednesday:  Uniforms!!!!  Mass is at 8:45 and we hope that you can join us!

Thursday:  Don't forget this is the last day for the week...

Reminders:
*Please return the big manila folder you received in the gym last week.  We need the paper work back ASAP.
*Science news articles have been assigned, don't let them wait to the last minute!  :)
*Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Many blessings,
Kim

August 19

Hello Parents!

Don't forget that I hope to see all of you at Gear Up day on Friday!  I think it is truly helpful in calming nerves about the first day!

Have a great last week before the FIRST week of 7th grade is upon us!  :)

Many blessings,
Kim

August 12, 2013

Hello!

We are getting closer to the beginning days of school.  I hope that everyone is able to enjoy a little break from the craziness of prepping everything and spend some time with each other!

I found this article the other day and thought it might be worth sharing.  I really try hard to make our classroom a safe, fun place for all students.  I hope you might take the time to share at least the overall thoughts of the article with your student.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/letter-to-kids-before-school-starts_b_1828204.html?comm_crv


Have a great week!  See you at Gear Up day!  :)
Many blessings,
Ms. Maxson

August 5

Hello to the wonderful 7th grade homeroom students and parents!

Just trying to form a habit of posting on Mondays.  I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed the wonderful weather!

More soon!  Kim

This is the 1st post of the new school year!

Well, if you are reading this, you must have received the letter in the mail!

Remember to check back every Monday for an update on the upcoming week!

Many blessings, Kim