SMS Room 402
Mrs. Manes
This week in Room 402! (Nov. 16-20)
-Model UN students will resume meeting Dec. 1st, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Students should come to this meeting with a draft of their position papers. All students have received a Model UN research packet to help guide their research and their paper writing.
-Independent Study Projects are coming to a close! Students are working this week to put final touches on presentations and final products. Students must be prepared to present to their class on Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 23rd and 24th. B-day students will present on Monday and A-day students will present on Tuesday. Can't wait to see what the students' learning has culminated into!
-Community Activism will be the focus of our second semester here in Room 402! I'm really excited about the direction of guided studies for the rest of the school year. According to grade level, students will research and select a problem or need they see in their school (6th grade), district or neighborhood (7th grade), or the Lawrence community (8th grade). Students will use the Creative Problem Solving model to develop possible solutions to the issue they've selected, and we will carefully design and implement the research solution chosen by the students. The goal is to make a real difference at South Middle School, Lawrence Public Schools, and in the greater Lawrence community. Such a project will require the talents of ALL of our students, and my hope is that such an intimate and powerful project will help to address both the academic and social/emotional needs of my students. I plan to build on the successes of this first attempt to make activism a permanent but evolving element of our program.
Additionally, community activism and self-concept are the topics I've chosen for my doctoral dissertation. I will be seeking your support as parents of students in this program, and I will greatly appreciate your willingness to allow me to document my observations and data collection as we implement our activism efforts for the first time. I will be in touch with more information about the research as it draws nearer, but you can rest assured that students' identities will absolutely remain confidential. Your consent in allowing me to work with your minor students in a research capacity will be so very helpful to me. As I said, more information to come!
-Thursdays continue to be Chess Club day after school. Encourage your child to attend if he or she has any interest in playing chess. Tournaments take place in Lawrence on many weekends, and we are proud to announce that our three-student South Chess Team returned home with a 3rd place trophy last week!
Stars are Born!
Room 402
Email: abeasonm@usd497.org
Website: mrsmanessms.wordpress.com
Location: 2734 Louisiana Street, Lawrence, KS, United States
Phone: 785.330.1957
Twitter: @mrsmanes_sms