English Class News

Don't forget to come to English class on January 3, with your copy of Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief!

PICTURE DAY...JANUARY 13

1-2-3..SMILE! 

School pictures are part of the annual tradition of being a student, and, at Mrs. A's Academy, I want to honor that tradition. On January 13, at 2:00 p.m., we will all meet at Landa Park in the train depot parking lot by the pool. Students should dress in jeans and a white button down shirt. No t-shirts please. Jeans may not be torn or overly embellished. Using a digital camera, I will take an individual photo of each student and a class photo. Photos will be emailed to you directly and you may order them as you wish. Walgreens offers one of the easiest online ordering systems around. Everything is done via your computer, and all you need to do is pick up your pictures when they're done (usually within 24 hours)!

Mark your calendars for this special day!

STUDENT LIFE...MRS. A'S ACADEMY 2010

Here are pictures of some of the activities at our school...

Ethan brought a very unwelcome visitor to school one day.  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Yikes!

A visit to the San Antonio Zoo, November 9

Look at the tongue on that thing!

These birds were aggressive, loud, and a lot of fun to feed! They landed on people's heads!

Inside the hippo exhibit at the SA Zoo.

Our Thanksgiving party included some hilarious fun! Here, Helana and Emily won the 3-legged race!

Austin dragged Kristin into the ground, literally!

Bobbing for apples in freezing cold water!

A day in Austin visiting the Scottish Rite Theater and viewing "A Christmas Carol"...sorry everyone.

The State Capital .

December Academic Calendar

Tis' the season to be jolly! And, we are definitely jolly at Mrs. A's Academy. Everyone has been smitten with the joy of the season! Hot apple cider, candy canes, and Christmas music are a plenty throughout our tiny school...but we still have work to do!

English: We finished up "A Christmas Carol" and students completed a character analysis for each character in the book, vocabulary enrichment, wrote a summary, analyzed at great length the message of the book, and more. A test was given on Monday, December 6, to finish off this novel unit.

As we proceed, students will write a memoir. This is a demanding assignment and excellence, as always, is expected. We will tackle the assignment in stages. The final draft is due on Wednesday, December 15.

Science: We are continuing to explore the world of volcanoes and will then forage our way through earthquakes! Students have been learning about plate tectonics, subduction, plate boundaries, the birth of the various types of volcanoes, the many types of earthquakes and their origins, and more. We will finish this unit before Christmas Break and students will have a unit exam on Thursday, December 16.  Did you know that 80% of the world's earthquakes occur in "The Ring of Fire" located on the Pacific Rim? 

History: Students have been exploring the Asian continent. We have been studying the Middle East and the origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Students have learned much about some of the original sites of Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Jewish temple as described in the Bible. They have learned about Middle Eastern customs, laws and government, and geography. It is an interesting place.  Students will share a power point about an Asian country of their choosing. They will create the power point and share it with their class next week on Tuesday and Thursday. Students will be given a quiz on the Middle East on Thursday, December 17.

Spanish: We continue onward with vocabulary building. Students have been learning the words for the months of the year, the seasons, types of weather, telling time, and more. We will continue having weekly quizzes to test for knowledge. Please practice vocabulary at home with your child. It can be fun!

Fine Arts: Students finished their mosaic masterpieces, and they are fabulous! We are currently working on creating stamps and making Christmas cards. Christmas cards will be brought home next week for you to share with family and friends!

Algebra 1: We are continuing to move through chapter 6 and are working with graphing ordered pairs. We will continue graphing relations and functions through next week. There will be a quiz on Wednesday, December 15.

YARD SALE NEWS

EVERYONE worked incredibly hard to make our first Yard Sale Event a HUGE success! Thank you to all who participated in this worthwhile event! We raised $1142.30! I appreciate each one of you for contributing your expertize, energy, and time! Your efforts paid off!

Time to brainstorm our next event...! Maybe you should enjoy the holidays first!

November is Here!

We have officially kicked off the month of November with enthusiasm, dedication, and hard work!

What you can expect your child to learn this month:

English: We will complete our unit study on annotating, analyzing, and writing poetry on Monday, November 8, with a timed writing test. The students have studied Shakespeare, Frost, Wordsworth, and many others! This unit aligned with state and national standards and aligned with the Advanced Placement requirements which prepares students to compete in college level courses during high school.

Coming up this month, students will read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. We will discuss the metaphorical components, similes, theme, purpose, and more while annotating and analyzing this classic piece of literature. Students will also write a memoir this month. We will work on personal voice in writing and we will work on quality writing to draw in an audience. Students will continue their quest towards punctuation accuracy and they will review parts of speech.  This unit aligned with state and national standards and aligned with the Advanced Placement requirements which prepares students to compete in college level courses during high school.

Science: Students recently finished studying our solar system. Students were exposed to Newton's Third Law and its relationship to the sun, moon, and earth tide relationships; they learned about nuclear fusion, a star's life cycle, the sun's chemical and physical make-up (including solar flares, sunspots, prominence, and more), craters, and so much more. We finished our unit with a 6-page test reviewing all information learned!  This unit aligned with both state and national standards.
Coming up this month, we are beginning a unit study on plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, and the rock cycle. Students will learn about divergent, convergent, and transform boundaries; subduction zones and what occurs when plates meet; life cycle of a volcano including the ring of fire; the birth place of the ocean floor and the largest mountain range in the world (which is located in the Atlantic Ocean); earthquakes, and the rock cycle. Students will conduct experiments, watch video footage, take notes, and read and answer questions. They will also have a big project assigned to them to finish off our unit. This  unit aligns with both state and national standards.
History: We are continuing to visit the world through the 5-themes of geography (location, place, region, movement, and human environment interaction). Specifically, we are traveling around the African continent learning about religions, languages, physical characteristics, culture, and so much more. We will continue to visit Africa and then we will travel to the Asian Continent. We will review longitude and latitude in relationship to absolute location, map reading, and more. We will learn about the many diverse cultures of the people of the Asian Continent. Students will research a chosen Asian country and then take their classmates on a detailed tour of that particular country through a powerpoint presentation.
Spanish: Student are continuing to build and review their vocabulary through listening, speaking, and writing in Spanish. We are currently working on telling time in Spanish and soon we will move into the months of the year, weather, seasons, and more. We review vocabulary daily which is key to learning any second language. We will continue to have weekly quizzes as a way to test knowledge. Aligns with state standards for foreign language integration.
Fine Arts: Students are currently working on completing a mosaic masterpiece. And, they are masterpieces! We will then embark on print design and designs will be used to make Christmas greeting cards.
Algebra 1: We are finishing up word problems related to motion and mixture. We will then move into inequalities and graphing.

AFRICA LIVE AT THE SAN ANTONIO ZOO!

Our school year is just zooming along! We are in the middle of studying the amazing continent of Africa, and our next field-trip will take us to the San Antonio Zoo where we can explore the Africa Live and Africa Plains exhibits they have available. Both of these exhibits are new additions to the zoo, and animal handlers are on hand to feed, show, and discuss the amazing African animals living in the zoo. We will visit the zoo on Thursday, November 11. The cost is $7 per student. We will leave our school at 9:30a.m. and arrive at the zoo no later than 10:30a.m.. We will explore the zoo for 2-3 hours. Please send your child with extra spending money for lunch, concessions, and the amazing African Market gift shop.

Hubble 3D

Our next field-trip is planned for October 19! We will visit the Imax theater in Austin and view Hubble 3D. This is an amazing film documenting many astronauts visits into outer space. Cost is $5 per child. We will leave New Braunfels at 9:30a.m., and arrive in Austin just in time to secure the best seating available! Our movie begins at 11:30a.m.. We will enjoy lunch at a restaurant of the children's choosing in South Park Meadows, Austin. Please send your child with $10 for lunch.

The Happenings for October

Students will embark on many academic adventures this month!

English: Students will work on creating a narrative poem; they will begin analyzing Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and many other famous poets; we will conclude our poetry unit this month with an exam where students will annotate and analyze a final piece of classical poetry.

Science: We are continuing our study of the solar system. Students learned about nuclear fusion and the development of stars, convection, and the characteristics and chemical make-up of our sun, Newton's Third Law, crater formation, tides, and so much more. They will continue studying stars and their life cycles. Students will work on a two-week long constellation project that will be presented to the class during the second week of October. Our solar system unit will be completed this month and students will be given an exam to test their knowledge. It will benefit each student to review his/her notes on a regular basis. The exam is open to ask questions related to any material shared in class.

History: We are continuing our exploration of Europe! It has been an exciting adventure to learn about cultures, regions, religions, traditions, physical characteristics, and more! Students are working on familiarizing themselves with the four hemispheres and latitude and longitude. We will complete our tour of Europe during the first week of this month, and then we will explore the African continent. Students have successfully learned the 5 themes of geography: location, region, place, human interaction, and movement. Scientists worldwide use the 5 themes of geography for their own research, educational endeavors, explorations, and the like. Each continent studied will end with an exam regarding information shared during the study of that particular place in our world.

Spanish: Students are continuing to build their Spanish vocabulary daily. Students have become familiar with animals, numbers, colors, objects, and more. We will begin simple sentence structure this month and conversation in Spanish. Each vocabulary lesson ends with a quiz.

Fine Arts: Students have just finished their first masterpieces! They produced beautiful watercolor landscapes. Pictures will be brought home during the first week of this month for you to enjoy. Our next project will allow students to get familiar with the Italian art of mosaic design. Students will design and create their own mosaic creations.

Our first month of school has been amazing! I am enjoying our informal school environment. Students are conversing and sharing what they know, asking questions, solving problems, and they're doing it all based on their own desire to learn! We are definitely getting into a wonderful groove and the students are getting to know each other and learning to adapt to different personalities and they are adjusting well. Watching them skateboard has been highly entertaining during the two days each week we share lunch together!

Our first field-trip proved to be an exciting tour of space. My Mrs. A's Academy students blew away the college teacher who gave a lecture prior to the show. Our children were the only one's in the audience answering questions about our universe! The college students were quite intimidated I was told.

I am still waiting on the calendar for the Goliad war reenactment field-trip opportunity. I will keep you posted regarding information you will need to know about this upcoming field-trip.

Calendar Update:
We will have the whole week of Thanksgiving off.

FUNDRAISERS FOR WASHINGTON D.C.

Our tour of Washington D.C. has been planned and packets went home with your child on Thursday! I hope they were able to relay all important information to you. Everyone was extremely excited about the possibility of visiting our nation's capital and touring so many great and exciting places. 

Please visit the link here: schooltoursofamerica.com

Once there, click on "Our Tours" at the top of the home page to the right. Then, scroll along the right margin until you come to the section titled "Videos". Click on "Washington D.C." and enjoy viewing all of the wonderful places we have an opportunity to visit! 

It's very exciting!

As a class, we brainstormed many different ways we could raise money as a group to help pay for our tour. Suggestions: yard sale on large church property where we will serve breakfast burritos, drinks and BBQ! Dinner Theater: all students perform a play together and family and friends come for entertainment, silent auction, and a meal. We are open for other suggestions as well. 

In order for our fundraisers to work, I am going to need help from you! I would like to have a volunteer who is willing to coordinate the yard sale. And I would like to have two people (at least) who are ready and willing to coordinate the Dinner Theater. Are you game? Do you want your child's ticket covered by...not you? Then let's put our heads and our energies together and raise some Washington D.C. money! Please email me or come and visit me with your desire to help!

Washington D.C.

Just a few of the places we will see...

Your official Washington D.C. packet has arrived! 

Our trip is planned for the third week in April 2011! I am prayerful that all of my students will be able to attend and participate in this awesome opportunity...History Alive! After reading about it, studying it, and writing about it, it's time to see it right in front of our own eyes!

We will visit:

The White House

Supreme Court

Library of Congress

Smithsonian Complex

Arlington Cemetery

Mt. Vernon

Night Tour: Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center & Iwo Jima Memorial

Embassy Row

Washington Cathedral

National Zoo

The packet will outline your payment obligations, itinerary, and more. I have made arrangements through School Tours of America. They have set-up a payment plan for each family, so payments can be made directly to them over the course of the next 6 months. However, no family is under any obligation until you register. Please review the packet and determine whether or not you are interested in having your child participate in this near the end-of-the-school year adventure! If you have any concerns or inquiries, please email me at your convenience. I know this may be something you desperately want to do, but you are worried about the cost. I am worried about that too because I have to pay for myself (if ten reservations are made, the teacher-me-is able to go for free) and my daughter. Please email me or visit with me about your concerns. I am open to brainstorming fundraising ideas! The students enrolled in art might be able to put on a gallery showing for friends and FAMILY. Masterpieces could be sold and earnings would go towards that students ticket. We could also do a dinner theater event. Students sell tickets to friends and family and put on a show for their guests. Again, earnings go directly to the students.

A few of my students have shared with me that mom or dad might want to attend the trip with us. Parents are definitely welcome to join us.

Field-Trip This Week!

Tuesday's the day we experience space at the Scobee Planetarium at UTSA! Science students: please bring your $3 plus $10 for lunch at Chik-Fil-A!

We are really settling in to our school routine and much is going on in our little school! Students will spend this coming week touring the European continent, working with latitude and longitude, discovering the chemical make-up of the Sun, analyzing poetry, writing poetry, practicing numeros en espanol, creating artistic masterpieces with water color, and much more! Please ask your child to show you their student agenda to make sure they are staying on task with homework expectations. 

Progress Reports will be sent home during the fifth week of school.

HOMEWORK...

Homework, homework, homework seems to be the big topic of this week!

Rest assured I have heard your cries for "Help"! Homework will be modified beginning this week. 

My intent was not to overwhelm but to adequately prepare all of my students for the academic rigor of advanced placement courses when they enter high school. 

The reigns will be pulled back a bit and breathing room will again be felt amongst all!

However, homework will still be assigned, just not as much. It is necessary because our school day is shorter than the norm and we do not attend classes on Fridays. The students must fulfill and meet all of the academic goals and objectives as outlined by Texas' education system and the national standards.

Please keep in mind that I am always available to listen to your comments, questions, or concerns. I want there to be an open line of communication between us all. The only way this adventure will truly be successful is if we are in it together as a team!

FIRST FIELD-TRIP...UTSA PLANETARIUM...September 21

SCIENCE STUDENTS ONLY

Our first field-trip has been scheduled. We will be visiting the UTSA Scobee Planetarium this month. The show we have been invited to see was designed to entertain college students from the University of Texas, but the show's coordinator believes this would be a perfect experience for my students! The show's content fits in perfectly with some of the requirements for this year's science objectives.  We will sit in awe as the instructors treat us to a 3-D display of our universe!

 “ULTIMATE UNIVERSE”

"From the edge of space and time, through vast fields of wondrous galaxies, to the majesty of our solar system, this show takes our audience on a grand tour of the universe. Take a trip back into time to witness the creation of the cosmos.  Tour the galaxies and see how stars are born and the bizarre ways they eventually die. Plus, we will encounter each of the planets and a few of their astounding moons.  'Ultimate Universe' is a three dimensional journey through the cosmos in search of its most provocative secrets," Scobee Planetarium.

Cost: only $3 per student!

FIELD TRIPS

Field trips are a must for any educational experience! They allow for a hands-on visual approach to learning about what is taught in the classroom! This school year, I have a few things planned thus far and a few more up and coming trips in the works, too!

In the Fall, history students will visit an historical site to witness a war reenactment.

In December, English students will visit the Scottish Rite Theater in Austin to see "A Christmas Carol."

In the Spring, I have planned  a trip to Washington D.C.! This trip is a 4-day/3-night stay in one of the most exciting places in our country!  
All students are invited to attend.

Information regarding all field-trips will be sent home when school begins. The Washington D.C. trip involves a long process of budgeting, planning, and coordinating. Information regarding this awesome opportunity will be sent home in the beginning of our school year! Look for lots of information coming home with your child!

School is Just Around the Corner

The two-week countdown has officially begun! 

Each week, your child will bring home a Mrs. A's Academy Newsletter. Look for it! It will be on lime green paper! The weekly newsletter is intended to keep you informed about what your child is learning and accomplishing at school. Projects will be posted. Expectations for the week listed. And more! 

What's Ahead...

English:

Our first focus of study for English, will be poetry. Students will learn how to analyze and critique the writings of authors and the author's purpose for writing. Through analyzing literature, students will open up their understanding of the written word and how it is used to share experiences, feelings, ambitions, and more. Students will also be engaged in writing poetry. In addition to the poetry unit, students will receive an SAT vocabulary word each day. At the end of each 4 weeks, they will be tested on the SAT vocabulary words. Specifics regarding expectations and studying guidelines will be given in class. Students will be given a benchmark assessment to determine strengths and weaknesses. Based on assessment results, the Pre-AP curriculum will be molded to fit the needs of the students.

History:

Our first adventure will take us around the world! Students will be involved in a World Geography unit for the first six weeks of school. Why? It is a known and proven fact that public school students today do not possess common knowledge of the world's geography. With the world opening up to involve global networking and access and with the expectation that most children today will be involved in global communities in their professional future, it is of tantamount importance that they understand the locations and cultures of countries around the world! Look for a big project assignment coming home the first week of school!

More information will be included in the Mrs. A's Academy Newsletter...look for it the first day of school!

It's Official...Our Schoolroom is Complete!

Our small but mighty school is officially up and running! I am excited for all of you to visit where your child will be hanging out and learning this year! It actually looks like a school! Well, sort of, it's more like Pottery Barn's take on school design. I am enjoying sitting in there and praying for what's to come. This upcoming school year will be exciting!

Collaboration Station...student work area (chairs hidden).

Thought Spot...student lounge.

SAT Vocabulary Prep. Word of the Day Wall

Photographs by: Helana Anzures

Pray for my university connections to come through for us and offer some out of sight experiences on university campuses. I have recently put in a request to the Texas State Drama Department to host a one-day fine arts workshop for Mrs. A's Academy fine arts students. I am also interested in visiting the amazing Texas Historical Cultural Museum on the Texas State University's campus as well with my social studies students. It is a phenomenal collection of artifacts that aren't widely seen by hordes of people. I'm hoping to have my students receive the blessing of a personal tour. I'll keep you posted.

Please continue to visit the page links in the right column of this blog for other information you may need. For example: the Build a Bookstore page will describe my wishes to embark on a service project for my students. It will be a year long project and students in my social studies and English courses will work on projects dealing with economics, projections, marketing, and more! This will involve students tapping into academic objectives and goals through bookraising!

I am looking forward to designing our curriculum during the month of August. I have lots of ideas and plenty of time to put those ideas into action for my students! In addition to my own personal planning, I will be participating in a home school sign-up event on August 12. Please pray for blessings and more student enrollment! I want our school to be a bountiful success!

Blessings to all of you! Enjoy your summer!

Welcome!

This blog site is developed just for you so that you will be able to keep up with the happenings of Mrs. A's Academy! There is so much to look forward to this coming school year, and I am incredibly excited to see what God has in store for all of us! Aren't you?

To begin with, August is right around the corner and the supply fee for each student is due by August 15. If you need to mail your supply fee, please contact me via email at: mrsasacademy@gmail.com for my address. Fees are dependent upon the number of subjects you have registered your child for. Please refer to your registration form for cost information.

Much is going on to prepare for our small but mighty school! Painting, designing, decorating, organizing, planning, and so much more. So far, I have one field-trip planned for December! Students will study a piece of classic literature in the fall, and we will see that literature in action when we visit the Scottish Rite Theatre in Austin to watch A Christmas Carol.

Please explore this blog site...there is much to see. On the sidebar, you will see a monthly calendar. Each month the calendar will be updated with specifics that will interest you. Homework will not be posted to this blog. Students will be completely responsible for their successes academically. As the school year begins, I will post pictures, share field-trip news, and more. Please click on "comment" at the end of any post if you have questions, comments, or concerns.