Ms. Filanoski's Humanities Classes at McMurray Middle School

Friday, November 30, 2012

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Better late than never, right?!

Grades come out next week, so be sure you're keeping

yourself on track for an A grade until the very end!

You're all such amazing kids, and I feel so lucky

to get to work with you each day. YOU RULE!!!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

The Gobble Gobble Week

Don't forget, Wednesday is an early release day! Have a marvelous holiday.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

This week is the canned food drive competition! We're in a heated duel with the 4 other middle schools in our district to collect the most canned food for the Second Harvest food bank. Let's win this thing people! Bring your canned food to your first period class.

Friday, November 02, 2012

November 5-9

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

HaLLoWEen fUN!

I love seeing all the kiddos dressed up for Halloween!

Friday, October 19, 2012

Conference week October 22-26

Friday, October 12, 2012

October 15-19

Don't forget to click on the picture to enlarge it for better reading!

Friday, September 28, 2012

October 1-5, 2012

Amazing work last week guys! Looking forward to seeing what you produce THIS week!

(please remember to click on the photo to enlarge it)

Monday, September 24, 2012

September 24-28 Last week of September!

Lots of writing this week kids! Get those pencils handy!

Please remember that if you click on the image it will show up larger in another window.

Friday, September 14, 2012

September 17-21

Please click on the image to increase size and readability.

Friday, September 07, 2012

September 10-14

WOW! What a great start to the school year! I'm so stoked to have such an amazing bunch of kids in both 6th and 8th grades. I feel so lucky- really I do!
This week there will be projects introduced in both classes in both grades. We're off and running!

Usually all grades are posted online for parents to see as soon as they are entered, however with the new software system the district adopted this may not be possible. So I will be sending classroom progress reports quite a bit more often than I usually do.

Let's have another stellar week Hawks!

(if you click on any pictures they become larger)

Tuesday, September 04, 2012

September 6-8 FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

Please be sure to bookmark this blog and check it each week for upcoming projects, assignments, and possibly EXTRA CREDIT!

How exciting this year will be! I’m teaching sixth, seventh, AND eighth grade this year and couldn’t be happier.

Some of you may be a little curious about what life will be like in my class. I promise you that I am pretty easy-going, and I don’t assign homework for homework's sake. Really! (However, you’ll probably still have class work to take home, so don’t start cheering yet.) My homework policy is below, so be sure to read it. My room is usually pretty colorful and bright. I like books, so the walls are covered with bookshelves; feel free to sign out on any book that floats your boat!

Okay, a little about me: This is my 12th year teaching and 7th year at HMS. I LOVE teaching- and I especially love middle school aged kids. You're my favorite! I like to sing, and I enjoy hiking. I have four kids, two of whom are covered in fur. I suppose you’ll learn more once you’re happily ensconced in our classroom!

Please be prepared for my class each day. I tend to get a little huffy if you forget basic items like paper, pencils, and books. Come in with a happy attitude and I will return it!

HOMEWORK POLICY
Parents and Students,I’ve been reading a lot lately about the benefits and consequences of homework for middle level students. I had been thinking that perhaps our kids have been overwhelmed by the amount of work that has been given to them and I have a plan to perhaps change this.

A few years ago a lovely student named Trevin brought me an article written for the September 2007 issue of Time magazine by Claudia Wallis. This essay discusses several different viewpoints about the benefits of homework. Since the topic had already been on my mind, and then it was presented in such a concise little package by a student, I mulled it over and I’ve decided to implement a new plan: No more assigned homework. I will still be assigning essays and readings and projects, but I will not assign additional work specifically as “homework.”

Studies have shown that “students who feel overworked tend to lose interest in the topics and it may damage their interest in learning and natural curiosity.” (Wallis, 2006) While I do feel that it is important to instill a love of reading and writing in our kids, I don’t want to squash the current interest that they have.So, for the next trimester I am going to test my hypothesis. Your students will still have work to complete at home but it will be work that we began in class and didn’t get finished, or longer projects that need additional time.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please call me at 509-228-4994 or email me at sfilanoski@cvsd.org, OR feel free to drop by, introduce yourself and talk to me in person!

Sara Filanoski