August 2023

This newsletter is to provide an insight to what is happening in our High School classes each month. To introduce staff and to provide their background as well in hopes to become more familiar with everyone in our Panther Family!

*Any/All Athletic Information can be found at https://www.mndcty.k12.mo.us/documents/athletics/257158

or on our APP under Athletic Newsletter

FOODS:

We will be making 3 different kinds of homemade salsa starting next week. I asked for donations of fresh tomatoes and had a few bring some to school from the community. I was also donated jalapenos for one recipe. Each of the 3 kitchens will use a different recipe. If we aren’t in the kitchen during the week, we plan to set Friday’s as breakfast day. Each student will plan a breakfast throughout the semester.

7th/8th Grade FACS:

We will be diving into the meaning of FACS and what all FCCLA entails. We will spend the first couple of weeks of school learning about the organization, STAR events (I will have those who competed in National Contest come and present to these classes what all they did for their projects.) 7th will go over kitchen safety, how to measure different ingredients and start with basic cooking. After learning about FCCLA, 8th grade will learn about friendships and how to decode the qualities of strong friendships. They will also learn the importance of goal setting and different strategies on setting those goals.

Housing:

We discussed Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (self-actualization, self-esteem, love/belonging, safety/security, physical needs). We will start on a Universal Need for Housing project. Students will decide what kind of housing they imagine themselves in at different stages of their life. They will image themselves at age 21, 40, and 80. They will find exterior and interior pictures of the kind of housing they see themselves in at each of these stages. Then they will explain how the housing will meet their needs for that specific age.

Health:

Beginning with the introduction to health and wellness will include learning the four dimensions of Health through scenarios (Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, and Social). Students will learn to find websites online that are reliable sources of information. This will help students learn that you can’t believe everything you read online. Information must be reliable and credible. We will do an activity where we will set a SMART (realistic) goal for improving our health. They will list steps they can take to reach that goal and will monitor their progress throughout the week. Sometimes writing out your goals and documenting them, will help you stay on track and really see how good or not so good your health choices are. We will discuss the importance of doctor appointments and regular checkups.

9th grade Nutrition & Wellness:

We will be diving into the meaning of FACS and what all FCCLA entails. We will spend the first couple of weeks of school learning about the organization, STAR events (I will have those who competed in National Contest come and present to these classes what all they did for their projects.) We will discuss the importance of food fueling our bodies, how the environment we live in can influence our eating habits. Students will be able to list food sources of each nutrient after learning what nutrients do for our bodies.

Child Development:

Unit 1 will be all about children and parenting. Students will dive into the three areas of childhood that researchers have studied and will be able to summarize how children learn and develop important skills. They will learn the five areas of responsibilities for parents, and the importance/benefits of abstinence. We will end the unit with learning how to build strong families. Something this class is looking forward to, is being able to push in to the lower elementary classrooms for observations and activities. We also will be observing a local daycare close to our school building.

SLOGANS: I introduced the ELA class slogans: Freshmen - Start Strong, Sophomores - Be Strong, Juniors - Stay Strong, and Seniors - Finish Strong. We had discussions and are ready to have a strong year.

BOOK STUDY: I introduced the 2023-2024 Book Study for all my classes: The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Teens by Sean Covey. We will spend a few minutes each week going through this International Best Seller. My long-term goal is to empower the students by sharing a common text for deeper study each year.

READING: I'll introduce the texts for each class, do a quick author study, activate background knowledge, and begin reading next week: Freshmen - The Hunger Games, Sophomores - Of Mice and Men, Juniors - The Call of the Wild, and Seniors - Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. I am planning to have guest speakers come in periodically throughout the first quarter to talk to my seniors about what it takes to be successful after high school. All classes will begin with close reading strategies, literary devices, and literary analysis based on their grade level.

WRITING Emphasis:

Freshmen - Narrative

Sophomores - Persuasive

Juniors - Argumentative

Seniors - Literary/Rhetorical Analysis

Elementary P.E. - Cooperative Games

5th & 6th Grade P.E. - Cooperative Games

JH P.E. - Volleyball

9th Grade P.E. & Lifetime Sports - Volleyball

Elementary: I am starting the year with an elementary wide (K-4) project that will hang outside the art room when it is finished. Following this, elementary and middle school classes will be creating artworks for the Art to Remember fundraiser we do each year.

Middle school: Following their art to remember pieces, 5th grade will be learning about Op art and contour lines. This year 6th grade is learning about art and cultures from around the world. We will begin in North America and will learn about Alaskan totems. My 7th graders will start with a project on the elements of design and will follow with a project about graffiti art.

High school: Art design students are beginning the school year with an accordion book that is double sided. Each fold will include a different element or principle of design. They will move on to a project that involves altering a book to create a sculpture. Visual Design students are starting the year off with learning about line and how it is used to create contour drawings and gestures. They will work their way into learning about shape and how artists use shapes to create artworks.

Integrated Science- We will review the Scientific Method and related vocabulary. We will then learn about the similarities and differences of chemical and physical properties, followed by a chemical and physical property lab.

Biology- We will learn about characteristics of life, properties of water, and chemistry of life, including macromolecules.

Human Anatomy- We will learn anatomical terminology and correct names for parts of the human body. We will be creating paper bodies to label and practice naming parts with the correct terminology. Students will also have to create a song using parts of the body.

Chemistry- We will review SI units (base units and derived units), temperature conversions, and scientific notation. We will learn about significant figures and dimensional analysis.

Students involved in Agricultural Science 1 will be starting the year by learning about FFA History along with learning the FFA Creed which is a tradition for Ag Science 1 students across the nation.

Ag Science 2 students will start the year off talking about Supervised Agricultural Experience Programs along with learning Parliamentary Procedure more in depth than last year.

My Greenhouse students are starting the year learning about proper watering techniques in the greenhouse along with learning the basics of greenhouse management.

Ag Construction starts each year learning about safety in an agricultural shop including emphasizing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) along which teaching proper techniques that will be used in the shop

My Plant Science class will start by learning about the basics of crop science and the economic importance of them on our area, the state of Missouri, and the Nation.

The Social Studies Department is jumping right in at the start of the school year. The Freshmen in Government are beginning their year examining examples of early democracy and how our government in the United States was influenced by some of the earliest forms of democratic government. The Sophomores in World History will begin looking at the causes, events, and effects of the Renaissance to kick off the modern era of World History. In the brand new Sophomore Leadership class we have been discussing what true leadership means and how each of us has a sphere of influence that we have an impact on. Lastly, Current Events has started the year by receiving some training on what a reliable source looks like as well as understanding bias in news stories.

Computer Programming: Students are learning about the basics of programming. Students are studying about algorithms and completing various algorithm assignments.

Dual Credit Computers and Information Systems: Students are accessing their Northwest Missouri State University online course. Students are learning how to navigate through the Canvas software. Students will also be learning about File Management in the next few weeks. File management will teach students the basic principles related to managing files on computing devices. Students will mainly focus on using File Explorer in Microsoft Windows.

Personal Finance: Students are being introduced to Personal Finance. Chapter One will introduce the topic of personal finance, explores the evolution of credit and consumerism in America, and also highlights the importance of both knowledge and behavior when it comes to managing money.

Mass Media: Students are reviewing the 2022-2023 yearbook. Students are critiquing the pages looking for things they like or could improve for this year. Staff members will be determining a theme for the 2023-2024 yearbook within the next few weeks.

Algebra 1 - We start off the year by going over solving equations with one variable.

Geometry - We talk about proofs and how in geometry we can’t go by the way things look. We have to be able to prove it.

Pre-Calc/Trig - We are working on the number systems and classification of numbers and classifications of equations.

Greetings!

For those of you who do not know me, I'm Jake Shipman High School Principal at MCR2. This is my 4th year in the position and 12th overall in education. We are so excited to be back in school with our students! I know after meeting with our staff we all have missed them very much! We had a great turn out for back to school night. We know that it is something new and it never fails when trying new stuff there will always be bumps and bruises along the way. We had over 64% of our students registered after that night. Thats the most High School students and parents attend Back to School night during my time here at Mound City! We do have somewhat of a new face in the HS building. Mrs. Shawna Farr has joined our staff and will be our FACS teacher along with our FCCLA coordinator. So far I have seen nothing but great things in her classroom! Picture day was this past Friday. We will have retakes on October 17th for whoever needs them or may have missed Friday. Our Juniors and Seniors just met with our Jostens rep on Friday to discuss graduation invitations, cap/gowns, etc. Along with class rings. They will be back tomorrow Wednesday August 29th from 7:40-8 am to collect orders in the Multi purpose entrance. The first week with students has flown by. We have gotten all our students set with solid schedules and look forward to a great 1st semester. My office is always open and all are welcome to come up and visit. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to call or email. Thank you! Go Panthers!