August 31, 2005: Newsletter for September

Welcome back for another great year at Windsor Junior High School! I have a year full of exciting educational opportunities planned, and I hope eighth grade will be a great year for your child. Mrs. Wuttke and I are already planning a cool integrated-subject field trip for the 8th grade and are collaborating on many units. The first unit we will be studying will focus on Native Americans. 8th graders will be learning about various Native American tribes in U.S. History and will be reading the following books that focus on Native Americans: The Birchbark House, The Beaded Moccassin, Morning Girl and Two Old Women, as well as many Native American myths. I know you have a lot of forms to fill out and reading material, so I've made a short, bulleted list of things eighth grade parents and students should know:

The Website: The website is still up and running. You can check out the website at http://www.geocities.com/mscognato.

Spelling: Spelling will be done online this year. You can learn more about our unique and interactive spelling program online at www.weeklywords.com. Information sheets on our spelling program will also be available at the middle school open house.

Materials: Every student should come to class with a 3-ring binder and dividers (5). We will organize our binders in class on Friday, September 2nd. Please do not label the dividers yet. The binder should not have any other subject in it. Students are also expected to have a pen and their assignment book/planner. Being prepared each day is a part of their grade in 8th grade English.

Classroom Rules & Expectations: Students have been given a copy of the classroom rules & expectations. These are new and are very different from last years. Please review them with your 8th grader. You can also find a copy on the website. The 8th graders are Middle School veterans and the new 7th graders will look up to them. In addition to the standard list of classroom expectations, I expect the 8th graders to be helpful and to set a good example for the 7th graders.

How to Contact Me: The best way to contact me is via email. During school hours I can be reached at [email protected] and after school I can be reached at [email protected]. I highly encourage you to send any email to both addresses, especially if it is urgent. You can also reach me by phone at 802-674-6344 and leave a message on my voicemail (it works now!) I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Enclosed with this month�s letter you should find:
1. Copy of classroom rules and expectations. This is yours to keep at home.

Announcements:
1. The signature part of this letter needs to be signed and returned to me by Friday, September 2nd. It is worth 10 points! Feel free to write comments on the back if you have any questions or concerns for me.

If you have any questions, please write them on the back of this sheet or email me at [email protected].

Sincerely,
Lauren Cognato

__________________________________________________________
I have read the September newsletter for English 8:

Student Name (please print): ______________________________________________

Parent Signature: _____________________________________________

Student Email address: ___________________________________