Speech and Debate

Speech has come to an end for the semester.  Some students may be continuing Speech II next semester or next Fall.  I am looking forward to the holidays with my family and a new group of students next semester. 

Enjoy your time and have a safe and happy holiday!

Speech and Debate

To make space for the Snowflake Shop, my classes will be held in various rooms in the building.
Period 1 will be in Mr. DeMeyer's band room.
Period 2 will be in Mr. Seymour's room.
Period 3 will be in Mrs. Frazier's room.
Period 4 will be in Mr. Ripko's room.
Period 5 will be in Mrs. Rayon's room.
Period 8 will be in Ms. Ashley West's room.

Thanks to everyone for being flexible, those teachers who have given us access to their classes during their planning period, and students for making an extra effort to be in a new place on time and ready to learn.

We are still working on debate.  Periods 1-5 are starting impromptu debate and period 8 is finishing CX debate.

Speech and Debate

Periods 1-5 are continuing debate for the rest of the semester.  We have completed our first full formal debate.  This coming Monday we will vote on our next debate topics and review our first formal debate.  Keep thinking of what you would like to debate in class. 

Period 8 will review our first mini-debate and start researching and writing for the first formal practice debate. 

Kuddles for Kids

Thanks to everyone, especially the office staff, for making Kuddles for Kids such a great success.  More stuffed animals were collected than anticipated.  Thanks to our wonderful school community for all of your support!

Speech and Debate

Periods 1-5 are continuing our debate unit and researching North Korea and US support for a debate.  This is a hot current topic that should have everyone talking. 

Period 8 has completed persuasive speeches and is now reviewing.  We will start our debate unit on Thursday.

Speech and Debate

Periods 1-5 have finished persuasive speaking and are now moving on to the debate unit.  Discuss with your family what a debate is and what careers use debate skills and practices. 

Period 8 has finished writing the Vaccine War persuasive speech and will present speeches starting Friday November 19th.   Students should have their outline, rough draft, final draft, and presentation cards to turn in when they present. 

If you know in advance that you are going to be absent for the upcoming holidays, it is your responsibility to inform me so arrangements can be made for your presentation.

Speech and Debate

We are working diligently on persuasive speeches.  Periods 1-5 should have their final draft finished and copied onto note cards for Monday, November 15th.  Period 8 should start their 2nd draft of the "Vaccine War" speech.

Halloween Dance November 5th

Thanks to everyone that made the dance such a great time.
Mrs. Rayon and Ms. Ashley West and Mrs. Isham and Mrs. Drake and Mrs. Harroll all helped out and we greatly appreciate it.

Kuddles for Kids

Student Council is sponsoring a stuffed animal drive to help out underprivileged kids in our area. Kuddles for Kids is our effort to give those kids something soft and cuddly for the holidays. If you would like to help out with this, please bring in a new or good condition stuffed animal to the front office and say it is for Kuddles for Kids. We will be collecting from now till December 1st.

Speech and Debate

We have started working on persuasive speeches.  Students are all writing to persuade one side or the other about the "Vaccine War".  It is an interesting topic and should spark some great conversations.  Parents talk to your children about how hard it is to make those decisions.  Kids talk with your parents about your thoughts and feelings on the subject.  Check out the video and interviews at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/.

Periods 1-5 are wrapping up the last few speech presentations and will review them Thursday November 4th.  On November 5th we will research for our next persuasive speech, so come ready with your approved topic.
Period 8 final drafts of Vaccine War persuasive speeches are due Wednesday November 10, 2010.

PORTRAIT FUNDRAISER!!

We are very fortunate to have nataliebeckphotography helping us out with a fundraiser donation.  Call and make an appointment at 720.837.5378 or e-mail natalie@nataliebeckphotography.com.  The dates are coming up very soon.  She has greatly discounted the packages and sitting fee, making this a great value and a great help for our students.  You can check out her work and company at http://www.nataliebeckphotography.com/.

Thanks to Natalie Beck for doing this for our students!

PINK THURSDAY!!!

Pink Thursday was a huge success. Thanks to everyone who participated and donated for breast cancer. One of our students, who is a Student Council Homeroom Representative from Mr. Tate's class, was featured on Fox 31 News for coming up with such a great idea for Student Council to sponsor. We are so proud of everyone for being so supportive and helping out.  Check out the video of Mrs. Harrell and his interview using the link below.

http://www.kdvr.com/videobeta/2c9a191e-1f02-45ac-887b-5f1e6ab76172/News/Students-ditch-uniforms-and-wear-pink

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Student Council is sponsoring a fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Thursday Oct. 14th. Students and faculty may wear dress code bottoms and a pink shirt by donating $1 to support breast cancer awareness and research. All proceeds will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Please help us to support this worthy cause.

Informative Speeches

In Speech class we are starting our Informative Speeches. We have started researching and writing informative speeches. Many students are choosing to use a PowerPoint as their visual aide and doing a great job. Speeches are due on Thursday Oct. 14th. Students should also be sure to cite all sources used for their speeches.

Thanks!!

Thanks to everyone who made the 7th and 8th grade dance on Friday such a success. Everyone had such a great time. Special thanks to Mrs. Aramburo, Mrs. Rayon, and Mr. "Bust-a-move" Tate for their help chaperoning and having fun with the kids.

Reader's Theatre

We have started practicing our reader's theatre pieces. We will be performing from 6 different plays of classic literature. Students will get a copy of the script and should practice their lines. Students should also make sure to use the elements of good interpretation as they practice. (Voice, Pitch, Body Movements, Inflection, Volume, and Pauses)

I would like to record these but the camera I have makes their voices sound very high. If anyone has a digital camcorder with an external microphone jack, and would let us borrow it, that would be greatly appreciated.

The Student Council REVENGE OF THE NERDS dance is on Friday Oct. 1st from 4:30-6:30 in the cafeteria.

Contest for the best theme dressed boy and girl!

Food, sodas, candy, and glow stuff will be sold.

Complimentary chips and lemonade.

Only $2 to get in.

Only $1 if dressed in the REVENGE OF THE NERDS theme.

Join us to dance and have a great time!

Car Wash to be rescheduled

Due to the cold and damp weather we will be rescheduling the car wash for a later date.

7th grade Sponsorship Fundraiser

The Sponsorship Letter Fundraiser is a no sell fundraiser that could help you earn a great deal of money for your trip.
-First, write a letter asking friends, family, and local businesses to help sponsor your trip by donating money. (See example in Friday Folders or on Explorica.com)
-Next, send out the letters or e-mails to as many family friends, family, and local businesses as you can. Get your parents help to gather addresses and e-mail addresses.
-Finally, follow up on the letters and e-mails with a call or e-mail.

Good luck!

ESPN the Magazine Fundraiser

We are running a fundraiser with ESPN magazine. It is a great deal for the kids and each subscription sold earns them $30 toward their trip. Please see Mr. Staatz in room 221 for sales sheets and turn in your sales and money on Mondays so we can be sure to get the subscribers their magazines.

Speech and Debate

We have been working on oral interpretation. Students should have brought in their favorite piece to cut and write an introduction for. We are practicing Monday and will perform on Tuesday September 14.

MAP TESTING

My 8th grade homeroom has MAP testing starting Thursday Sept. 9, 2010. It is very important that everyone tries their best on MAP tests so we have the best data to improve instruction. Please make sure to get a good night's rest, a good breakfast, and a good attitude. :)

Speech and Debate

Please remember to bring in your favorite book, poem, lyrics, film scene, or other interp material for Wednesday.

Thanks to all of the parents that came to the Washington DC information meeting for 7th graders. If you would like more information please contact me or have your child get the packet from me.
The new discount code for signing up is Fall100. Sorry for any confusion the erroneous code may have caused.
Another great fundraiser that requires no selling is the "Sponsor" letter/e-mail.
Basically you and your child write a letter to friends and relatives asking them to help by sponsoring the child and donating some money. If they make the donation out to the school it will be put in the child's trip account and will also be tax deductible. I will have an example letter for students tomorrow. It is recommended that they hand write the letter and put it in their own words.

Here's to a great year and a great trip.

Washington DC trip informational meeting will be held Tuesday August 31, 2010 in the cafeteria from 6-7 PM. If your child is in 7th grade and would like to go on the trip, please attend or contact myself or Mrs. Sheldon.

Speech and Debate class will be learning the elements of speech today and tomorrow. My Infinite Campus is fixed now and I will be updating grades over the next day or two.

I am very excited. Our new speech textbooks have arrived and we will be able to start using them. The introductory speeches were a lot of fun to watch and it was great to learn more about each other.

Student Council elections are going to be held on Friday September 3, 2010. If anyone is interested in running for Homeroom Representative or an officer position please let me know, and get the information and permission form ASAP.

We are going to start learning about the different forms of communication this week, and getting to know each other better.

Thanks to everyone that came to see what is going on in Speech and Debate. I am very glad to have met everyone. Don't forget that we are having an informational meeting about the 7th grade DC trip on Tuesday 8/31 from 6-7 pm in the cafeteria.

Students may be coming home with ESPN the Magazine fundraising materials for the Sea Camp and DC trips. Please help your child sell as many of these as possible, because your child will receive 75% of the money earned for their trip. Please have checks made out to the school and turn in all orders on Mondays until April. This is an on-going fundraiser so it is important that we get the orders as soon as we can to keep the subscribers happy with their decision to help out your child and our school. I hope that everyone takes advantage of this wonderful educational opportunity.

Informational Meeting Wednesday August 31, 2010 from 6-7PM in the cafeteria.

The first week of school was great. I really enjoyed meeting all of the new students. In speech class, we are starting our introductory speeches. We are doing the writing in class. If you don't finish on Tuesday 8-17, you will need to finish it for homework. We will be revising and re-writing them Wednesday. We will practice on Friday and present on Monday 8/23. Make sure that you bring a good attitude and do your best.

Speech

We have had an exciting first couple of days. We are learning about and practicing impromptu and creative storytelling.

7th Grade Washington DC Trip

We will be holding an informational meeting on Tuesday August 31, 2010 from 6-7 PM in the school cafeteria. All parents of 7th grade students are encouraged to attend. We will discuss the itinerary for the trip, costs, fundraising, and any questions that you may have. Hope to see you there!

Welcome

Welcome to my class website. I am very excited about the upcoming school year. The 7th grade will be taking a class trip to Washington, D.C. in the spring. We will be holding an informational meeting soon so look for more information coming soon. I hope that you had a wonderful summer and are energized to have a fantastic year!

Thanks

Mr. Gerald Staatz