With a week remaining, Core students are trying to finish out the last of the unit on the Maya, Incas and Aztecs. They are also preparing for a fashion show where they must write descriptive paragraphs/scripts to read during the show for the designs they create. It should be a hoot!

Next year, there will be a school-wide emphasis on reading and Accelerated Reader. In order to motivate summer reading, I asked the Novato Teen public librarian to come and speak with the students about their summer program. There is an online site where students go to write book reviews for books they have read. For each review, students will obtain an e-raffle ticket towards weekly drawings and the final, grand prize…a voice activated shuffle. If you want your student to keep track of what books they have read, I have a Reading Record on my resources page.

The Technology/Exploratory class is viewing the projects they have created with iMovie. We are finishing out the year with a few fun art projects inspired by artists like Matisse and Escher. Students will be bringing their Technology portfolios home. I try to encourage the students to keep them, as they may want to create and adapt the projects at a future date.

In closing, I would like to say it has been a great year. I have enjoyed teaching all of your students and learning from them, also. Please, encourage them to read over the summer months. Share what you are reading with your students and ask them to share. Read a book together, as a family. On long trips, download audiobooks onto ipods or borrow audiobook CD’s from the library. The main Novato library has quite an extensive selection of teen books. I hope to have the opportunity to talk with the students in the fall about the novels they have read over the summer. Have a peaceful and relaxing summer.