First Three Weeks Reporting Period LETTER to PARENTS/GUARDIANS
End of First Six Weeks Reporting Period LETTER to PARENTS/GUARDIANS
End of Second Six Weeks Reporting Period LETTER to PARENT/GUARDIANS
Third Six Weeks Reporting LETTER to PARENTS/GUARDIANS

FOURTH SIX WEEKS REPORTING PERIOD
PARENT UPDATE LETTER

February 6, 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians,
We are nearing the end of the fourth six weeks and the final deadline of our yearbook. Please refer to the AGENDA link and the POD link so you will know when your student needs to cover a game or event after school. The agenda also will indicate who needs to stay after school the week of February 6 and February 13. It is imperative that the yearbook staff understand that if they do not show up for deadline workdays after school--someone else must finish their spread. This may result in a failing grade.

If students are absent, please make sure they check the Agenda AND the ARCHIVED AGENDA. Most tests and participation (worksheets) are online and can be taken at home or during class.

The following students have deadlines for our final stretch and many are POD for games/events.

1. Catherine & Noah - Veterans’ Day & Intersection Dance
2. Holly & Bailey - Winter Section Divider - More or Less
3. Natalia & Aby & Mackenzie - report on FAC BB game, Souper Bowl of Caring, Giving Tree, Coats for Kids, After School field trip, FCA BB game, Partners in PE, Jag Java Joint, Dell Childrens’ Hospital Library Campaign/Chocolate Fountain
4. Jordan & Lauren - Pajama Day, Mr. Lankford/gorilla/get the story from Mackenzie, Cultural Fair, List of New Year’s Resolutions, Digital Learning Day, Breakfast with the Principal
5. Jenna & Anna K - BBB8 - enter scores, select photos, crop and edit photos before placing
6. Danielle & Alexa - BBB7 - enter scores, select photos, crop and edit photos before placing
7. Sabira & Breanne - GBB8 - enter scores, select photos, crop and edit photos before placing
8. Abby & Reilly - GBB7 - enter scores, select photos, crop and edit photos before placing
9. Taylor & Kaitlyn - Art & Soul - Chalk Walk & Empty Bowl (teachers will be creating bowls on February 28 after school)
10. Skylr, Brianna, Laura - Annie & sidebar (Talent Show)
11. Loren & Amy - take academic photos (add Track and Soccer once these sports begin)
12. Jackie T. Sydney & Holly - That’s Going on Facebook - plan an outing to Domain/Target/etc. and take friends (fashion/Charmin Charlies/Forever 21/ Lucky/Anthropologie/Macys, Starbucks/caffeine poll, electronics/ Apple store and music/movie/book favs/Barnes & Nobles)
13. Summer, Sonali & Reagan - use chalk font, photos of those with Biggest Regrets
14. Track - Taryn & Anna VZ

After we finish up the yearbook, we will celebrate by going out to dinner--it’s a tradition we began five years ago. More news will follow about the dinner. The newspaper staff will be going to a movie and writing a review for their staff party. After spring break we will go on a Saturday photojournalism field trip, provided I have drivers. We did this last year--and visited the Domain, Hey Cupcake, Town Lake/Stevie Ray Vaughn statue, Capitol, ate at Shady Grove, rode the Zephyr at Zilker Park and visited the UT campus--taking photos along the way on a Saturday. The students created photojournalism canvases. I will print these for the students as a keepsake. This field trip is not mandatory or for a grade--more news about this later.

We will learn more about photography and begin Photoshop activities that the students always enjoy--learning to type on a path, changing text to art, creating animated .gifs, placing images inside ot type and creating bumper stickers and trading cards.

We are finishing up our photo stories/videos this week and many will be shown during theJag News to spice up the regular news reports. Students learned to use Screen Capture and to add video clips with flip cameras. We also finished up our study of the Associated Press Style Guide with a style show. The students had fun illustrating how to write scores and stats and commas in a series and other scholastic journalism styles we must follow to write for the paper or yearbook.

The newspaper students are completing stories for the fourth edition. If you didn’t receive a copy of our fall edition, email me and I will mail one to you.

We will begin our 5th 6 weeks with the study of Supreme Court Cases that changed the first amendment rights for students in grades K - 12. We will study the Tinker versus Des Moines,  Bethel versus Frasier and  Hazelwood Case. The students will be allowed to wear black armbands to role play--showing the Tinker kids and why they won their case. We watch clips from Forrest Gump so the students understand the 60s--Have a Nice Day, Apple and the Vietnam War.

Let me know if you have concerns about grades and tutorials. I am very proud of the journalism students and the work they put forth during class and after class--covering the many events happening at Cedar Valley.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Dowd
Journalism Teacher 428.2385
nikki_dowd@roundrockisd.org

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