We are hosting our first round table discussion. It is open to the public and we will be exploring the important issue of food security. Come join us to support our community and our students.
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It was great to see our school filled with students after the quiet summer. I have been working with PHS Botany garden manager, Eva Reidlecker Wolfe over the summer. She has been doing a great job with our garden with the help of two hard working students. The garden looks great and much of the produce has been going to the lunch program and the local food bank. Good work team! I am looking forward to a productive fall season.
In Botany we are designing several experiments this fall around soil components, macronutrients and drainage. The students are exploring ideas and coming up with experiments to explore. We also just made some delicious grape juice. Apple pressing is next. Biology is moving right along. Already 3 labs deep and students are engaged. I love teaching Biology. It's fascinating to learn how your body works. The days are shortening and the temperatures are dropping. The garden has gone dormant except for the garlic bulbs we planted in late October. My fall classes have been replaced with new ones for the winter term.
I often find myself reflecting upon my job as a teacher during this season. I am so thankful to be part of Philomath. I look around at my colleagues and am so impressed with their dedication, work ethic, compassion and intelligence. It really is a great school and community. I've included a link for a fiction contest that is for young people 18-30years.
Narrative Magazine Contest Link Here we go again. Soon the halls will be filled with students. I am exited to see those faces again. I am teaching Botany and Forensics this fall. I have not taught Forensics for a few years and am looking forward to returning to the curriculum. I also have a stellar group of students in Forensics. Botany is always wonderful because our garden is beautiful and we spend a lot of time outdoors. Some students just thrive out there.
A new term has begun. I have relatively small classes. A small class creates such a good learning environment and allows us to move much more quickly through the content. I am teaching one Integrated B class and one Biology A class. I have several students for the first time. I am enjoying getting to know these new students as well as reconnecting with students I've had in the past.Students are preparing their final Lettuce Project papers for Wild Garden Seed Company. They've been working hard maintaining their gardens and this Friday is our final harvest. I'm looking forward to reading which varieties they selected as the best to grow in this area. There will be a lot of lettuce left in the garden so request your student to bring some home for Thanksgiving salad.
I love this time of year. Beginning school is always a lot of work for teachers, but it is also a time for new beginnings. I look forward to meeting new students, building relationships, watching students grow and hearing stories of summertime fun. I am again returning half time to better balance my work and family time. I'll be at school in the afternoons. I am teaching two Botany classes 4th and 5th periods. I also have a freshman advisory class. Whoo hoo! I can't tell you how pleased I am. We're off to a good start.
This time of year is also harvest time. The first week of Botany will involve harvesting what the previous students planted last spring. The garden looks beautiful and is full of tomatoes, zucchini, apples, basil... mmm. Come check it out. I have been enjoying my two Integrated Science classes this term. They are full of kind, curious and hard working students. We have been working hard on doing labs every week. The students are adding many lab skills to their knowledge base.
The recent lab we are working on is the Iodine Clock Reaction Lab. We are studying ways to affect the rates of chemical reactions. Students are varying the temperature or the concentration of chemicals to see the effects on the time for a reaction to occur. I'll try to post some pictures of the students at work. |
Ms. Sloat's BlogWelcome to my blog page. I hope to put news, important dates, stories and science info here. My favorite part of teaching is getting to know our students here at Philomath High School. Archives
October 2016
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