YOU ALL ARE SHINING STARS!

Of my 102 students who took the FCAT Writes, 100 of you passed! That is 98%!!! YOU ALL ARE AMAZING!

I want to give a special shout out to my Regular English Class...100% of you passed! That goes to show that honors or not, success is possible! With hard work, success is the end result! In the history of me teaching tenth grade, this is the FIRST regular class that had a 100% success rate! I AM BEAMING WITH PRIDE!

The state average of passing students was 77%; you all were 98%. The state average of students earning a score of 4 or higher was 60%; you all were 87%. The state's mean score was 3.8; your mean score was 4.4!!! That's AMAZING! My hat's off to you!

Here are my TOP DOGS:

Level 6 - Heather, Adrian, Michael L., Jessica Mart. (The only four in our school to earn a 6)

Level 5.5 - Yovanni T., Blanca R., Maite, Angel V., Marvin M.,

Level 5 - Fanny, Kassandra, David, Javier, Ivana, Michelle G., Karina, Carel, Jennifer M., Gina, Pablo, Jessica Men., Nelson M., Richard P., Nahobi, Katherine

There were 30 4.5's; and 34 4.0's, which is INCREDIBLE!

Be ready for your rewards and recognition - YOU ALL DESERVE IT!

Pinwheels for Peace

Thanks to Mr. Binder, our trust counselor, for gathering all of us to show that peace reigns at HGHS. Now, lets take that out into our homes and community! Many of you wrote amazing haikus! I am so impressed with your talent, enthusiasm, and kindness! Keep up the good work!

A special thanks to Mrs. Davis for arranging for Mr. Louis Schneider, a Holocaust survivor, to come and speak to the tenth graders. This week our classes have been reading Night, which recounts Elie Wiesel's ordeal in Auschwitz. All of these wonderful activities have made this week a vital learning experience to remember! I hope my students will always use this experience as a guide for how to be instruments of peace throughout their lives!

Shakespeare Day Slideshow

I wanted to thank those of you who made our Shakespeare Day/Renaissance Fair so special! I had a wonderful time, and it looked like you all did, too! A special shout out to Mrs. Davis and her crew for a JOB WELL DONE! We look forward to our school-wide fair next year!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pinwheels for Peace

Next week, we will be doing Pinwheels for Peace. Please see below for a sneak peak. I look forward to doing this activity with you in class. Peace be with you and your family now and always :o) Love you guys

FINAL DRAFTS

Your final drafts will be due a couple days after I return your papers. I have not returned all of the rough drafts yet, but when I do, I will announce the due date. I was trying to meet with each of you, but with my large class sizes, it's been a challenge. I am actually up grading right now :o) It's 4:30 a.m. haha!

SMILE!

Hear ye, hear ye!

We're celebrating Shakespeare on April 23rd! During class that day, we will have our "Ye Olde Renaissance Faire." In preparation for our celebration, you will need to select a committee. I am asking that you look at the categories below, ponder on them, and choose one based on your abilities, interests, and schedule.

We will need Fortune Tellers, Bards & Actors, Musicians, Craft and Game Supervisors, Food Folks, a Decorations/Banner Crew, and a Shakespeare History table.

Check out the sites below for some help:

http://www.renfaire.com/
http://www.party411.com/theme127.html

http://www.42explore2.com/renaissance.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/shakespeare_william.shtml

Wear your toga in honor of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar! Below are sites to help you form your toga Remember, you have to wear your uniform under your toga, no exceptions :o)

http://www.howtomakeatoga.info/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPaFtZIZmfk

http://how-to-make-a-toga.blogspot.com/

Questions About Critical Response Papers

Hey! Happy Spring Break!

If you have any questions about the paper, post them here. I will check this daily and offer some help if you need it.

SMILE! I miss you already!

LITERARY TOOLS TEST

Remember, there is a literary tools test this Thursday (periods 1 & 3) and Friday (period 6). BE READY! The list of lit tools is posted on the column on the left about half way down! Study, and you will do great!