8th AVID 2017-2018 Archive Page

By Kyle Kordon
19/07/18 at 14:30
0 Comments

This is the archive page for the AVID 8 Newsletters from 2017-2018.

Week of 6/11/2018 – 6/15/2018: Concluding AVID 8

Monday 6/11: Trimester Team Building Activity

Tuesday 6/12: Last day of AVID

Wednesday 6/13: 8th Grade Field Trip

Thursday 6/14: Promotion Practice & Ceremony

Friday 6/15: No School for 8th Grade

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Last day of AVID Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: Last day for make-up work is Wednesday 6/13 at 4:00 PM.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to the last week of 8th Grade AVID. Just like with the science newsletter, I want to keep this brief. I have found tremendous joy in working with this group of students in my AVID class these past two years. Teaching AVID has really shaped the type of teacher that I have become, and I will look back fondly on our time together. Next year one of my goals is to AVIDize 7th grade science and my 6th grade math class. You should be able to walk into either of my classes and see an AVID class working specifically on math or science content. This is being done in an effort to bring AVID school-wide. While it does mean that I won’t be teaching the AVID elective, it does present a unique opportunity, and is one that I am certainly excited about. I will be giving students their hardcopy of the career project early this week at which time I will also send you all a digital copy of it. Over the summer I have one last project that I am working on for this group, but that probably won’t be sent to you until August. I have saved all of your email addresses so I can send it to you, but it will take me time to finish what I have started. Thank you for placing your trust in me these past two years to help set this group of students up in their futures. This has been my favorite class that I have taught in my career, and that’s why it is so hard to see this chapter in their educational careers come to a close. When your students need advice on anything in the future, please consider sending them my way either by email or in person. Thank you, and goodbye.

_____

Week of 5/28/2018 – 6/1/2018: Tutorial #7 (Non-Academic Option) AVID Video Diaries

Monday 5/28: Memorial Day – No School

Tuesday 5/29: Grades Conference, AVID Video Diary, AVID Awards Program Art

Wednesday 5/30: Tutorial #7 – Group A

Thursday 5/31: AVID Video Diary

Friday 6/1: AVID Video Diary

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, AVID Awards Celebration Monday 6/4 6:00-8:00 PM in Kelly Cafeteria, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Last day of AVID Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #7 due Friday 6/8,

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will start our final tutorial of the school year, and will complete it next week. We will also be finishing up the AVID Video Diary that students will show at AVID Awards on Monday 6/4. I also need an accurate head count for those attending and if anyone has any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, etc.). I will be asking students early this week about how many in their family are planning to attend so that I can get an accurate idea of how much food I need to order. I finished compiling the Career Project over the weekend, and it ended up being over 300 pages. I’m very proud of the work that the students put in on this over the past couple of months. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 5/21/2018 – 5/25/2018: Career Project Part 7, AVID Video Diaries

Monday 5/21: Career Project Part 7

Tuesday 5/22: Grades Conference, Career Project Part 7, AVID Video Diary

Wednesday 5/23: Career Project Part 7

Thursday 5/24: Career Project Part 7, AVID Video Diary

Friday 5/25: FINAL CAREER PROJECT IS DUE

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #6 due Friday 5/25, Career Project Part 6 due ASAP, Career Project Part 7 (FINAL SUBMISSION) due Friday 5/25.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we are going to be finishing the career project. I still only have about half of the submissions for Part 6 – this should take students less than 30-40 minutes to do if they sit down and do it. I sent a separate email yesterday reminding students that I need it so that I can assign projects for part 7. The longer they delay, the less time they will have to do part 7. I have to have it by next weekend so I give Instaprint enough time to get them printed and bound. The AVID Awards Celebration will be on Monday, June 4 from 6:00-8:00 in the Cafeteria. We’ll have dinner, cake, the students will have some videos to present, and finally Miller and I will have some awards to give out. I will be asking students over the next week to give me an idea of how many people they will be bringing so I can get enough food ordered. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 5/14/2018 – 5/18/2018: Tutorial #6, Career Project Part 6, Introduce Video Diaries

Monday 5/14: Tutorial 6 – Group A

Tuesday 5/15: AVID Video Diary, Career Project Part 6

Wednesday 5/16: Tutorial 6 – Group B

Thursday 5/17: Career Project Part 6, AVID Video Diary

Friday 5/18: Early Release 1-3 (AVID Does Not Meet)

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, AVID Awards Celebration Monday 6/4, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Last day of AVID Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #6 due Friday 5/25, Career Project Part 6 due Friday 5/18.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th grade AVID! This week we will be completing our second to last tutorial (we will still be meeting with our tutors in our groups, but will be doing some other lessons with them prior to their final tutorial the week of 6/5-6/9. Students are also completing their initial editing and compilation of their career project parts (the focus of part 6) before final peer editing for part 7. Part 6 has a hard deadline of Friday 5/18 to give me time over the weekend to sort who is going to be editing whose project the following week. Part 6 is the only one so far that I need both the digital and physical copies of. I have to have the project 100% complete by Friday 5/25 so that I have time to edit all of their work together, and to get it to the printer. We will also start the preliminary work on the AVID Video Diary which students will be filming as their “goodbye” to the Kelly AVID Program – these will be shown at the AVID Awards on Monday, June 4. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 5/7/2018 – 5/11/2018: Mid-Trimester Grades, Tutorial #5, Career Project Part 6

Monday 5/7: Tutorial 5 – Group A

Tuesday 5/8: Mid-Trimester Grades Reflection, Finish Argumentative Essays

Wednesday 5/9: Tutorial 5 – Group B

Thursday 5/10: (Kordon Gone: Districts) Career Project Part 6, TRF Support #6

Friday 5/11: Career Project Part 6

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, AVID Awards Celebration Monday 6/4, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Last day of AVID Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: Argumentative Essays due Tuesday 5/8, AVID Weekly Packet #5 due Friday 5/11, Career Project Part 6 due Tuesday 5/15.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we get back into tutorials, and move to the editing stage of the career project. For Part 6 students will be combining all parts of their project together into one document, and editing them. Some students started working on this last week, and many are finding that their end product is around 10-12 pages in length. They’ve put a lot of work into these over the course of the year, and we’re going to put the finishing touches on them over the next couple of weeks so I can combine all projects together and publish them for the students. Students, please be prepared for tutorials on Monday! I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend. Have a fantastic week, and let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 4/30/2018 – 5/4/2018: Argumentative Essays, Finish Career Project Part 5

Monday 4/30: Argumentative Essays, Career Project Part 5

Tuesday 5/1: Career Project Part 5

Wednesday 5/2: Socrative Seminar: Argumentative Essays, Public Speaking Practice

Thursday 5/3: (Kordon Gone: Sub-Districts) Career Project Part 5, TRF Support #5

Friday 5/4: No School – Mid-Trimester Grading

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, AVID Awards Celebration Monday 6/4, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Last day of AVID Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: Argumentative Essays due Tuesday 5/8, Career Project Part 5 due Thursday 5/3.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will not be doing tutorials due to mid-trimester grading, and finishing up a couple of projects. Tutors will still be coming in to help students stay focused & caught up on their work. Students will still be able to turn in work for me after mid-trimester grading, but it will not change the mid-term grade if submitted after Thursday. Students who have finished their career projects early have been already working on part 6 – combining their projects together and finishing the edits that I have suggested on them. Career Project Part 6 will be due Tuesday, May 15, and Part 7 (peer editing & finalizing) will be due Friday, May 25. This will give me about two weeks to combine all of their projects together and get them printed for the students to have. Details to come soon about the AVID Awards Celebration. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 4/23/2018 – 4/27/2018: Tutorial #4, Start Career Project Part 5

Monday 4/23: Tutorial 4 – Group A

Tuesday 4/24: Binder Check, Career Project Part 5

Wednesday 4/25: Tutorial 4 – Group B

Thursday 4/26: TRF Support #5, Career Project Part 5

Friday 4/27: (Early Release 4-6) Team Building with 7th Grade

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release 4-6 Friday 4/27, Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, AVID Awards Celebration Monday 6/4, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, Last day of AVID Tuesday 6/12, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #4 due Friday 4/27, Career Project Part 5 due Thursday 5/3.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week students will come close to finishing the main part of the career project. Part 5 is the last major writing portion of the project. Part 6 will be to write the intro & conclusion of the entire project and to combine all parts into one document for each student, and Part 7 will be a peer-editing assignment where they will edit & proofread each other’s work before I publish & print them for the students. We need to be completely done with the career project by the end of May so that I can get them their copies by the time the school year is over. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 4/16/2018 – 4/20/2018: Tutorial #3, Finish Career Project Part 4, Start Career Project Part 5

Monday 4/16: Tutorial 3 – Group A

Tuesday 4/17: Grades Conference, Career Project Part 4

Wednesday 4/18: Tutorial 3 – Group B

Thursday 4/19: TRF Support #4, Finish Career Project Part 4

Friday 4/20: Introduce Career Project Part 5

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #3 due Friday 4/20, Career Project Part 4 due Friday 4/20.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will get started on Career Project Part 5, and also have a grades conference so that students know where they need to be focusing their energy before we get to mid-trimester grading in a couple weeks. When we finish with Career Project Part 5 we will spend time working on editing them with partners before I combine them and get them printed for everyone. I hope you have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 4/9/2018 – 4/13/2018: Career Project Part 4, Tutorial #2, LCC Field Trip

Monday 4/9: Tutorial 2 – Group A

Tuesday 4/10: Classroom Circle: Moving Forward, Career Project Part 4

Wednesday 4/11: Tutorial 2 – Group B

Thursday 4/12: TRF Support #3, Finish Career Project Part 4

Friday 4/13: (Early Release, 1-3) Class does not meet, AVID Field Trip 12:45-3:30 to LCC

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release 1-3 Friday 4/13, LCC Field Trip Friday, 4/13 (after the school day from 1:00-3:30 as it is an early release day students will need to obtain transportation home after we return to KMS). Early Release 4-6 Friday 4/27, Sub-Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/3, Mid-Trimester Grading Day (No School) Friday 5/4, Districts Track Meet (Kordon Gone) Thursday 5/10, Early Release 1-3 Friday 5/18, Memorial Day (No School) Monday 5/28, AVID Awards Celebration Monday 6/4, Student-Led Conferences Thursday 6/7 at 5:00 PM, Make-up Conferences (No School) Friday 6/8, 8th Grade Field Trip Wednesday 6/13, Last Day of School for 8th Graders Thursday 6/14, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony & Party Thursday 6/14 at 6:30 PM.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #2 due Thursday 4/12, LCC Permission Slip due Thursday 4/12, Career Project Part 4 due Thursday 4/12.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will start to settle into our tutorial routine as well as finish up part 4 of the career project. Those who finish part 4 a bit ahead of others will be able to start on part 5 which has to do with the impact of the AVID program on them since entering my class, and how they can continue to use the things they have learned in the future – even if they don’t take AVID in high school. Friday 4/13 is our field trip to LCC. I have attached the permission slip to this email. We would love for anyone who would be willing to chaperone the trip. It is not an overly long trip, and we should be back to Kelly by around 3:30. As it is an early release day there will be no bus transportation after we return to Kelly. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 4/2/2018 – 4/6/2018: Career Project Part 4, Winter Trimester Team Building Challenge

Monday 4/2: Philosophical Chairs

Tuesday 4/3: Binder Check #1

Wednesday 4/4: TRF Support #2

Thursday 4/5: Trimester Team Building Challenge

Friday 4/6: Career Project Part 4

Homework: None Assigned

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will not be doing tutorials. It seemed cruel and unusual to have tutorials the day after a week-long break. Next Friday, 4/13, we will be going on our last college field trip of the school year. We will be going to LCC, and we will be going after the end of the school day. It is an early release that day, so we will be going from 1:00 about 3:30. Please either plan to have your student picked up/walking home from Kelly after we return to school. Permission slips to come as soon as the AVID Site Coordinator gets them to me. Also, I expect that students will be notified within the next week if they were accepted into AVID 9 or not. Regardless of the result, we will continue to move forward to prepare them for high school and beyond over these last 10 weeks of school. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 3/19/2018 – 3/23/2018: Career Project Part 4, AVID 9 Interviews

Monday 3/19: Philosophical Chairs

Tuesday 3/20: Career Project Part 4

Wednesday 3/21: Interview Prep

Thursday 3/22: Career Project Part 4

Friday 3/23: Early Release 4-6

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release (4-6) Friday 3/23, Spring Break 3/26-3/30, LCC Field Trip Friday, 4/13 (after the school day from 1:00-3:00 as it is an early release day).

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #9 (1) due Wednesday 3/21.

Announcements:

_____

Week of 3/12/2018 – 3/16/2018: Finish Tutorial #9 (1), Guided Work Time, Introducing Career Project Part 4

Monday 3/12: Tutorial #9 Group B, Grade Reports

Tuesday 3/13: Guided Work Time

Wednesday 3/14: Introducing Career Project Part 4, Guided Work Time

Thursday 3/15: No School – Winter Trimester Grading Day

Friday 3/16: No School – Teacher Inservice

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Last day of the Winter Trimester Wednesday 3/14. No School 3/15-3/16 for End-of-Trimester Grading, Early Release (4-6) Friday 3/23, Spring Break 3/26-3/30, LCC Field Trip Friday, 4/13 (after the school day from 1:00-3:00 as it is an early release day).

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #9 (1) due Wednesday 3/21.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This is the last week of the winter trimester, and as a result, students will get a pair of days to make improvements in their classes. I will also be introducing Career Project Part 4: Scholarship Research this week so that if students get things taken care of early, they can have some extra time to work on it. Career Project Part 4 will be due on Friday 4/6. Grades are updated, and students have until the end of track practice on Wednesday 3/14 to turn in any make-up work for me. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 3/5/2018 – 3/9/2018: Finish Tutorial #8, Paying for College

Monday 3/5: Tutorial #8 Group B, Grade Reports

Tuesday 3/6: Paying for College

Wednesday 3/7: Tutorial #9 Group A

Thursday 3/8: Guided Work Time

Friday 3/9: Team Building Activity

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Last day of the Winter Trimester Wednesday 3/14. No School 3/15-3/16 for End-of-Trimester Grading LCC Field Trip Friday, 4/13 (after the school day from 1:00-3:00 as it is an early release day).

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #8 due Friday 3/9, AVID Weekly Packet #9(1) due Wednesday 3/21 (1st packet of spring trimester).

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will be finishing the final AVID Weekly Packet of the trimester. AVID Weekly #9 is going to be the first for the spring trimester – this will also let students really concentrate on finishing strong for this trimester by allowing a couple of extra days for #9. We will also spend some time this week starting to talk about ways to pay for college. We start by talking about the different types of aid that are out there (scholarships, grants, and student loans), and then we get more specific with scholarship research for Career Project Part 4. I will be giving students Career Project Part 4 to start next week, but it will not be due until the week after spring break so as to give students the full two weeks of class to complete it. For this part of the project, students will research 3 different scholarships that they think they might end up qualifying for. Just like in science, I will be giving students until Wednesday 3/14 to turn in any make-up work from this trimester for AVID. I will also give students a print out progress report on Monday of this week, and next week so they know exactly where they stand in all of their classes, and where to focus their attention over the final few work days. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 2/19/2018 – 2/23/2018: Start Tutorial #7, Finish Career Project Part 3

Monday 2/19: No School – President’s Day

Tuesday 2/20: Grades Conferences, Career Project Part 3 Writing

Wednesday 2/21: Tutorial #7 Group A

Thursday 2/22: TRF Support #8, Career Project Part 3 Writing

Friday 2/23: (Kordon Gone) Finish Career Project Part 3 Writing

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Friday 2/23 Kordon gone for a conference, LCC Field Trip Friday, 4/13 (after the school day from 1:00-3:00 as it is an early release day).

Homework: No AVID Weekly Packet due this week (Packet #7 will be due Friday 3/2)

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will be finishing the 3rd part of the career project that focused on having students build an academic resume. To start, I gave students one of mine (minus my personal information like address, phone number, etc.) so that they could simply take my information out, and put theirs in. Many students have already completed it, and were appreciative that they did not have to worry a lot about formatting it. Part 4 of the project will have students research the admission and application requirements for one of the colleges that they researched, and fill out an application on paper as if they were applying. Next, part 5 will be scholarship research, part 6 will be the scholarship application (much like part 4 was a paper application for a school of their choosing), part 7 will be a job interview with me, and the final part will be a reflective essay on how AVID has helped prepare students to reach these goals. I hope we can have the process complete by mid-spring so I can compile their work, print it, and bind it to give them at the end of the school year. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 2/5/2018 – 2/9/2018: Tutorial #5, Finish Career Project Part 2

Monday 2/5: Tutorial #5 Group A

Tuesday 2/6: TAG Reflection, Binder Check, Career Project Part 2 Writing

Wednesday 2/7: Tutorial #5 Group B

Thursday 2/8: TRF Support #6, Career Project Part 2 Writing

Friday 2/9: Finish Career Project Part 2 Writing

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Friday 2/23 Kordon gone for a conference, LCC Field Trip Friday, 4/13 (after the school day from 1:00-3:00 as it is an early release day).

Homework: AVID Weekly #5 due Friday 2/9.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! Believe it or not, we’re officially at the half-way mark of the school year. We are going to spend some time early this week examining our grades, will jump back into tutorial mode, and will be finishing up part 2 of the career project. I also have some preliminary dates for our field trips to LCC and Western Oregon listed above in the Upcoming Calendar Dates. These dates are fluid right now, and are subject to change. When they get set in stone, I will let you know, and will make sure that we get the permission slips out shortly thereafter. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 1/29/2018 – 2/2/2018: AVIDize, Guided Work Time, College & Career Project Part 2 Writing

Monday 1/29: AVIDize information, Updated Progress Reports, Guided Work Time

Tuesday 1/30: Guided Work Time

Wednesday 1/31: Guided Work Time

Thursday 2/1: Team Building Activity

Friday 2/2: No School – Mid-Trimester Grading

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 @ South Eugene HS (Kordon gone for PM classes), Friday 2/23 Kordon gone for a conference.

Homework: Wear new AVID t-shirt on Tuesday 1/30 for AVIDize, turn in permission slip for AVIDize.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will be getting a heavy dose of Guided Work Time where students can work on anything they are missing in AVID, their writing for the Career Project, or anything in their other classes. The students have been working very hard this month after they fell behind in many classes the first couple weeks of the trimester in December. On Tuesday, students will be going to AVIDize with me in the morning. We are meeting in the Library at 8:40 to take attendance and make any last-minute announcements prior to leaving for South Eugene. Students are required to wear their new AVID shirts to the event. Please help me remind the students of this requirement. There are also a few students who have yet to turn in their permission slip for AVIDize. If students do not have their shirt, are late, or have not turned in their permission slip, then they need to stay at school rather than go on the field trip. I updated Synergy over the weekend, and it is indicated if your student turned in the permission slip or not. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 1/22/2018 – 1/26/2018: Tutorial #4, College & Career Project Part 2: College Research

Monday 1/22: Tutorial #4 Group A

Tuesday 1/23: Grades Conference #2, Binder Check #2, Career Project Part 2

Wednesday 1/24: Tutorial #4 Group B

Thursday 1/25: TRF Support #5, Cornell Notes

Friday 1/26: College & Career Project Part 2: Colleges Research, OSU/UO Thank You Cards

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 @ South Eugene HS (Kordon gone for PM classes), Friday 2/23 Kordon gone for a conference.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #4 due by Friday 1/26.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will be finishing up the research for the 2nd part of the career project, and will start writing next week. Once we are completely done writing for the project, and students have edited their work, I will compile all of it into a single volume, get it printed, bound, and will be giving each student a copy so that they have an artifact from their time in my class that can also serve as a resource as they take their next steps towards a career long after they leave my room – regardless of where they go to high school, or what classes they take. I have also (finally) figured out what I want to do for the last day of school with my AVID class (I knew what I wanted to do for science a long time ago, but AVID has been a little tougher for me to decide what we’re doing for that last day). I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 1/15/2018 – 1/19/2018: Tutorial #3, College & Career Project Part 2: College Research

Monday 1/15: No School – MLK Jr. Holiday

Tuesday 1/16: Tutorial #3 Group A

Wednesday 1/17: Tutorial #3 Group B

Thursday 1/18: TRF Support #4, Cornell Notes

Friday 1/19: College & Career Project Part 2: Colleges Research, OSU/UO Thank You Cards

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 @ South Eugene HS (Kordon gone for PM classes), Friday 2/23 Kordon gone for a conference.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #3 due by Friday 1/19.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will complete Tutorial #3, and continue our work on the 2nd part of the AVID Career Project which is focused on those colleges or training centers that students would need to attend in order to achieve their career goal – which was the focus of the first part of the project. We have also been focusing a lot on improving our grades in AVID as well as our other academic classes after many students let their grades slide before & after winter break. There has been a lot of improvement across the board, but we are far from “there” just yet. We will continue to do weekly Grades Conferences in class so that students are aware of where they stand academically. Students know they need to be passing their classes to remain in AVID. That’s all for now, but I hope that you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 1/8/2018 – 1/12/2018: Tutorial #2, College & Career Project Part 2: College Research

Monday 1/8: Tutorial #2 Group A

Tuesday 1/9: OSU & UO Thank You Cards, Grades Conference #1

Wednesday 1/10: Tutorial #2 Group B

Thursday 1/11: TRF Support #3, Cornell Notes

Friday 1/12: College & Career Project Part 2: Colleges Research

Upcoming Calendar Dates: MLK Jr. Holiday Monday 1/15 (No School), AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 @ South Eugene HS (Kordon gone for PM classes), Friday 2/23 Kordon gone for a conference.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #2 due by Friday 1/12. Binder Check #1 due by Friday 1/12.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will be doing the first tutorials of the new year. Group A will present on Monday, and Group B will present on Wednesday. I informed the students of their new tutorial groups on Friday. We will also introduce part 2 of the college & career project. Over the next couple of months, I will be working with local businesses to bring in speakers every couple of weeks so that they kids can get even more exposure to what types of jobs and careers our area has to offer. If you would like to be part of the pool of speakers, please let me know so we can talk about what my expectations are, and what I hope the students will be able to get out of the visit. Also, this last week we had some hard conversations in class about grades. Students have until the mid-trimester to fix those items that are currently missing from part 1 of the career project and their 1st AVID Weekly Packet – both were due on 12/14, and the turn-in rate for the class, was, let’s say lower than expected. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 1/1/2018 – 1/5/2018: Welcome back from break, back into routines.

Monday 1/1: No School – New Year’s Day

Tuesday 1/2: No School – Teacher In-service

Wednesday 1/3: Classroom Circle, binder check #1, finish TRF Support #2

Thursday 1/4: Cornell Notes Practice, finish binder check #1, finish TRF Support #2

Friday 1/5: Team Building w/ 7th Grade & AVID Family Picture for AVIDize

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 @ South Eugene HS.

Homework: None assigned.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! I’m glad to be back from winter break, and back with the students. It was a weird break on my end, and I’m really happy to see the kids again. We will spend the very short week going back over some of our basic AVID routines, and checking in on how our classes are going. Even though we just had a 2+ week-long break, mid-trimester grades are only 4 weeks away. We will restart tutorials next week. I will be sure to let students know in the next couple of days who is in their tutorial group, and what day they are expected to present.

_____

Week of 12/11/2017 – 12/15/2017: Finishing Tutorial #1, College & Career Project Part 1: Career Interest

Monday 12/11: Tutorial #1 Group B

Tuesday 12/12: College & Career Project Part 1 – Research & Outline

Wednesday 12/13: College & Career Project Part 1 – Writing

Thursday 12/14: Winter Fest Lesson, College & Career Project Part 1 – Writing

Friday 12/15: Early Release (per. 1-3) AVID Does Not Meet

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Early Release (Per. 1-3) Friday 12/15. Winter Break Saturday 12/16 – Tuesday 1/2. First day back from break Wednesday 1/3, AVIDize Event Tuesday 1/30 @ South Eugene HS.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #1 Due Thursday 12/14, College & Career Project Part 1 Due Thursday 12/14.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we finish our first tutorial of the winter trimester, and will also be completing the first portion of our College & Career Project. This is just part 1 of about 12 that we will be completing. Most of the work on the project will be done in the winter trimester – with some major editing and piecing together of the individual sections to be completed towards the start of the spring trimester. My goal is to have the project 100% complete by mid-trimester grading of the spring trimester in order to have 4-6 weeks for printing and binding so that I can give it to the students as a major resource on different careers, colleges, grants, and scholarships before the end of the school year. I am excited to see what the students can do with this project, and hope that they will find the resource useful in high school and beyond. Anything that I can’t get to grading over the next couple of days will be graded over winter break. My next weekly email will be sent out a couple of days before winter break is over. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 12/4/2017 – 12/8/2017: Kicking off the Winter Trimester, Fall Trimester Team Building Challenge, Winter Tutorial #1

Monday 12/4: No School – Teacher In-Service

Tuesday 12/5: Fall Trimester Team Building Challenge in the Library

Wednesday 12/6: Tutorial #1 Group A

Thursday 12/7: Fall Trimester Tutorial Reflection, Tutorial Support #2

Friday 12/8: College & Career Project: Career Interest Research

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #1 Due Wednesday 12/13.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we kick off the Winter Trimester by completing our Fall Trimester Team Building Challenge, and doing the first tutorial of the term. We will most likely only get one tutorial in before Winter break. This trimester we will also be starting an ongoing project that will extend for most of the rest of the school year when we’re not actively working on our tutorials. In order to prepare students for their college & career searches during high school and beyond, we will be doing a college & career research project that will require students to research a career of their choosing, and will culminate in a 12-15 page paper by the end of the school year. Students will write about classes, colleges, trade schools, scholarships, grants, apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, licensure and entrance exams, etc. that will help them attain the college & career goals that they are setting for themselves. At the end of the year, and I will compile all of this work together, and give it to the students as a resource and artifact from the Kelly AVID program that they can use along with other resources they will gain in high school. We are also already in contact with Western Oregon & Lane Community College to schedule our next two college field trips. There probably won’t be a lot of information about these for a bit, but we’re looking at completing one of the trips in February/March (probably Western) and the other in April/May (probably Lane). More details to come in the coming weeks. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 11/27/2017 – 12/1/2017: End of Fall Trimester Wrap Up

Monday 11/27: Guided Work Time

Tuesday 11/28: Guided Work Time

Wednesday 11/29: Field Trip to OSU

Thursday 11/30: OSU Field Trip Reflection

Friday 12/1: No School – Fall Trimester Grading Day

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Field trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29, Last day for make-up work: Thursday, November 30 (last day of Fall Trimester). Possible Social Field Trip to University of Oregon Women’s Basketball Game, Saturday 12/2 @ 2:00 (still working this out with UO).

Homework: Rock your academic classes! Be at school by 8:00 on Wednesday for our field trip to OSU!

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! It’s hard to believe that we’re finishing the first trimester this week. During the last week of the trimester in AVID we put a heavy emphasis on getting final assignments and projects done for our other classes as I will not assign anything that is due this trimester. Early in the week this will be the focus before we go on our field trip on Wednesday. We will be going to Oregon State, and will be gone all day. I have attached the agenda to the resources page of the blog as well as attached it to the weekly email. I will let students know which group they are in during class on Tuesday. Students need to be at school by 8:00 on Wednesday so that we can take attendance and load the bus for an 8:10 departure. I also have some news on the UO Women’s Basketball game. I heard back from the athletic department today, and it sounds like they will be able to get us tickets for this Saturday’s game. I am supposed to get final word about this on Tuesday this week, and will send a supplemental email to everyone with details if they are able to make this happen. On a personal note, I was very reflective this last weekend as I got some schoolwork done, and tried to relax a little, and I just wanted to say that it has been a wonderful pleasure to have your students in my class, and that I am dreading the end of the school year when we have to say goodbye. There are two trimesters to go, I know that the students will accomplish great things, and I am happy to be one of the people who push them to help them get there. I hope you all are having a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 11/20/2017 – 11/24/2017: Conferences

Monday 11/20: Finish SLC Reflection

Tuesday 11/21: Team Building

Wednesday 11/22: No School – Make-up Conferences

Thursday 11/23: No School – Thanksgiving Break

Friday 11/24: No School – Thanksgiving Break

Upcoming Calendar Dates: Field trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29, Last day for make-up work: Thursday, November 30 (last day of Fall Trimester). Possible Social Field Trip to University of Oregon Women’s Basketball Game, Saturday 12/2 @ 2:00 (still working this out with UO).

Homework: None Assigned

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week is a short one, and as a result we are going to focus on finishing work for Student-Led Conferences, and then completing the team building that we were going to do this last Friday – we weren’t able to on Friday because we spent more time than expected with the 7th graders going over expectations for the field trip to Oregon State.

_____

Week of 11/13/2017 – 11/17/2017: Tutorial #6, SLC Prep, 1st College Field Trip Prep

Monday 11/13: AVID Field Trip Permission Slips, T-Shirt Sizes & Names, Tutorials – Group A

Tuesday 11/14: Tutorials – Group B (Kordon Gone)

Wednesday 11/15: TRF Support for TRF #7, SLC Reflection

Thursday 11/16: AVID Weekly 6 Reflections, Tutorials – Group C

Friday 11/17: Early Release (Advisory, Periods 4-6) Team Building with 7th Grade AVID

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon gone for the day) Tuesday, November 14, field trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29, Last day for make-up work: Thursday, November 30 (last day of Fall Trimester). Possible Social Field Trip to University of Oregon Women’s Basketball Game, Saturday 12/2 @ 2:00 (still working this out with UO).

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #6 due Friday 11/17.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we are completing our 2nd to last tutorial of the term. For #7, students have the option of completing a non-academic tutorial (a tutorial that does not have to be about content from one of their academic classes) provided, of course, they are 100% caught up on their AVID Weekly packets, and they are not failing any classes. I sent home the permission slip for the field trip to OSU today. These are due by back Friday 11/17 as there is not a lot of time to get them in between Friday and the field trip considering conferences and Thanksgiving break are next week. I included it in the email. Once OSU sends me the more detailed agenda for the trip, I will make sure to get that to you – they said that it would be sent to me about a week or so before the field trip. Also, I had an idea to have a social field trip after school/over a weekend before winter break, and I emailed the UO athletic to help out with tickets to a UO Women’s Basketball game. I heard back from them today, and the coach is going to email me in the next couple of days to let me know what they can do. I am optimistic that we’ll be able to do this on Saturday, December 2. If we are able to do this, more details will be forthcoming quite soon. Lastly, for conferences, students will be reflecting on how AVID has made an impact in their academic classes. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 11/6/2017 – 11/10/2017: College & Career Application Project, Tutorial #5

Monday 11/6: AVID Weekly Feedback, Progress Reports, Tutorials – Group A

Tuesday 11/7: Tutorials – Group B

Wednesday 11/8: TRF Support, Binder Checks, Introduce College & Career Application Project

Thursday 11/9: AVID Weekly 5 Reflections, Tutorials – Group C

Friday 11/10: No School – Veteran’s Day

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #5 due Thursday 11/9.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we are going to introduce a long-term project that students will be working on when we don’t have tutorials: the College Application project. Students are going to start researching careers, required majors/training, and colleges that will help them achieve these goals. I also have students write applications for scholarships to help them get there. In high school, AVID students get time to work on career, college, and scholarship applications, and I want to make sure that they are prepared for that – regardless if they are in the HS AVID program or not. I have completely updated Synergy after having been ill. Please be advised that the last day to turn any make-up work in will be Thursday, November 30 (the last day of the fall trimester). Students need to be passing all of their classes to be in AVID, so we will spend several days the last week of the trimester focusing on improving in our other classes. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Please let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 10/30/2017 – 11/3/2017: Honing Tutorial Skills, Tutorial #4

Monday 10/30: AVID Weekly Feedback, Tutorials – Group A

Tuesday 10/31: Tutorials – Group B

Wednesday 11/1: TRF Support, Asking Better Tutorial Questions

Thursday 11/2: AVID Weekly 4 Reflections, Tutorials – Group C

Friday 11/3: Team Building Activity

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon gone for the day) Tuesday, November 14, field trip to OSU Wednesday, November 29.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #4 due Friday 11/3.

Announcements:

_____

Week of 10/23/2017 – 10/27/2017: Honing Tutorial Skills, Tutorial #3

Monday 10/23: AVID Weekly Feedback, Tutorials – Group A

Tuesday 10/24: Asking Questions During Tutorials, Tutorials – Group B

Wednesday 10/25: TRF Support, Asking Better Tutorial Questions

Thursday 10/26: AVID Weekly 3 Reflections, Tutorials – Group C

Friday 10/27: Team Building Activity & Field Trip Expectations w/ 7th Grade

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon gone for the day) Tuesday, November 14, Tentative date of first college trip Friday 11/17.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #3 due Friday 10/27.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we are working towards our third full tutorial, and also trying to improve the questions that students are asking during tutorials. On Friday, I hope to have the permission slip for our field trip to Oregon State ready to go. We are going on Wednesday, November 29. If any parent/guardian would like to come, please let me know ASAP so that we can make sure to get you setup as a volunteer. We’re going to be leaving Kelly at about 8:30, and will be getting back right at the end of school 3:20-3:30. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 10/16/2017 – 10/20/2017: TAG Reflections, Honing Tutorial Skills

Monday 10/16: AVID Weekly Feedback, Tutorials – Group A

Tuesday 10/17: Asking Questions During Tutorials, Tutorials – Group B

Wednesday 10/18: TAG Reflection, TRF Support

Thursday 10/19: AVID Weekly 2 Reflections, Tutorials – Group C

Friday 10/20: (Early Release, Adv., Periods 1-3) AVID does not meet

Upcoming Calendar Dates: AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon gone for the day) Tuesday, November 14, Tentative date of first college trip Friday 11/17.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #2 due Friday 10/20.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will (finally) get into a routine with our tutorials. Because we were able to add an extra day for tutorials we only have a handful of students who present on a given day. This also allows us to divide the amount of instruction that I give on a day-to-day basis which helps with academic retention and performance. I am actively planning our first college field trip right now, and I think that we will be going to Oregon State. I would like this first field trip to be on the November early release on 11/17. If you are interested in being a chaperone on the trip, please let me know ASAP so that we can get you signed up as a volunteer – with as large a group as we have, we definitely need quite a few! It typically takes a few days to have the background check process completed after you fill the form out. We wouldn’t be able to go on these types of field trips without our volunteers, so many thanks in advance if you want to come with us. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 10/9/2017 – 10/13/2017: Completing first tutorials, proficiency improvement

Monday 10/9: Tutorials – Group B

Tuesday 10/10: Tutorials – Group C

Wednesday 10/11: Binder Check #2, Proficiency Improvement Day

Thursday 10/12: No School – Mid-Trimester Grading

Friday 10/13: No School – Statewide Teacher In-Service

Upcoming Calendar Dates:Mid-Trimester Grading Thursday 10/12, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13, AVID Elective Teacher PD (Kordon gone for the day) Tuesday, November 14, Tentative date of first college trip Friday 11/17.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #1 due Wednesday 10/11.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! The mid-trimester grading period is here, and with it we’re starting our routines with tutorials. We were able to work it out with the district director so that we get to do tutorials 3 days a week rather than 2 in order to reduce our student:tutor ratio. I have split the class up into A, B, and C groups. A group members are typically required to present their tutorials on Mondays, B group presents on Tuesdays, and C group presents on Thursdays. What this does is it reduces the number of tutorials that need to be done in a single day from 3-4 down to 2-3. This gives us 15-20 minutes of instruction on tutorial days that we did not have otherwise. The end effect has been that tutorials are much richer and in greater detail than previously when we were pushing to complete as many as possible in the same amount of time. I’m excited to see what this format will do for us in the long run. The students know what groups they are in, and I will be sure to remind them as often as possible. We have also selected our shirt design, and will be ordering shirts very soon! I hope to have these by our first college field trip – which we are tentatively planning for Friday, November 17 at this point. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 10/2/2017 – 10/6/2017: Preparing for first tutorials

Monday 10/2: TRF Support & Grades Conferences

Tuesday 10/3: First Day with Tutors – Team Building/Icebreaker

Wednesday 10/4: Tutorial Support & Binder Check #2

Thursday 10/5: Tutorial #1 – Group A

Friday 10/6: Riverwalk

Upcoming Calendar Dates: First Day with Tutors Tuesday 10/3, Riverwalk Friday 10/6, Mid-Trimester Grading Thursday 10/12, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13, Tentative date of first college trip Friday 11/17.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #1 due Wednesday 10/11.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we finally get to meet our tutors. Shawn was kind enough to come last week on Thursday to help out with our practice tutorials, but we start with the rest of the tutors this week. Typically, Group A will present their tutorials on Tuesdays, and Group B will present on Thursdays. Due to the schedule the next two weeks, this is flipped. Group A will present on Thursday 10/5, and Group B will present on Tuesday 10/10. Thereafter, Group A will present on Tuesdays, and Group B on Thursdays – unless directly stated otherwise. Also, we should have our T-shirt designs picked out soon, and will most likely go on our first AVID college trip on November 17 – details to come. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 9/25/2017 – 9/29/2017: Preparing for first tutorials

Monday 9/25: Grades Conferences, Annotating the Text

Tuesday 9/26: Practice TRF

Wednesday 9/27: Team-Building Activity with 7th Graders

Thursday 9/28: Practice Tutorials

Friday 9/29: (Early Release – Advisory, Periods 4-6) Practice Tutorials

Upcoming Calendar Dates: School Pictures Monday 9/25, Open House Wednesday 9/27 6:30 PM – 8:00 (Dinner starts at 5:30), Early Release Friday 9/29, First Day with Tutors Tuesday 10/3, Riverwalk Friday 10/6, Mid-Trimester Grading Thursday 10/12, Statewide Teacher In-Service (No School) Friday 10/13.

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet #Practice due Friday 9/29.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to another week of 8th Grade AVID! This week we will get a practice round of tutorials in before the tutors join us next week. I am moving our team building activity from the usual Friday to Wednesday this week so that the AVID classes can prepare for Open House that evening. After regular Open House concludes, please make your way to the library. During AVID Open House, Miller and I will have a presentation about the AVID program, as well as an example of a team building activity that we would run. The portion of Open House that takes place during 5th period of the short rotations will be more of the nuts and bolts about how the class works, grading policies, etc. I hope you all have a fantastic week! Let me know if you need anything.

_____

Week of 9/18/2017 – 9/22/2017: Practice TRF & Tutorial, Cornell Notes Review

Monday 9/18: Practice TRF

Tuesday 9/19: Practice Tutorial

Wednesday 9/20: AVID Impact

Thursday 9/21: Cornell Notes

Friday 9/22: Team Building

Homework: AVID Weekly Packet 0 due Friday 9/22.

Announcements: Hello, and welcome to 8th Grade AVID! Now that the school year is rolling, I am going to restart the weekly newsletter emails. This week we have been retraining on a number of the AVID systems that we introduced last year: TRFs, Tutorials, Cornell Notes, etc. It sounds like the tutors will be joining us sometime around the first week in October, so we’ll also start tutorials around the same time. Between now and then we’ll do a couple practice runs. Just a reminder that immediately following Open House next week that we also have AVID Open House which goes from 8:10-8:40 or so. This will be in the Library because we have a much larger group this year between 8th Grade AVID and 7th Grade AVID. If this changes, I will let you know. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone. I gave students a copy of the syllabus on the first day, but I will attach a copy of it to the email, and also post it on the resources tab of our website. Have a great week!

_____

Week of 9/11/2017 – 9/15/2017:

Monday 9/11: SLANT

Tuesday 9/12: Teacher Intros, Teacher Cheat Sheet

Wednesday 9/13: Bio Poems, Study Buddy Contracts, 1st Binder Check

Thursday 9/14: Revising Bio Poems, Study Buddy Contracts, Assignment Check-In

Friday 9/15: Bio Poem Presentations

Homework: AVID Student Agreement due Friday 9/15.

Announcements:

_____

Welcome to 8th Grade AVID! Use this page to keep up on what is going on in class. I will post assignments, resources, and helpful links on here so that you can have a successful year.

Mr. Kordon's Website

8th AVID 2017-2018 Archive Page

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta