Here we go...

Well, here we are... twelve hours away from the start of the new school year. I don't know about all of you, but the summer just flew by for me. It seems like the time between August 1st and today was almost nonexistent but I am really excited to start off the year and get back into the swing of things. I spent my summer driving back and forth between home and Seattle to visit my father who spent several weeks in the hospital with complications due to cancer. He is out now and on our last trip over, my daughter and I spent the weekend with my parents at the beach and took a trip to the zoo. It was definitely one highlight of my summer. The other highlight of this summer was the completion of my Master's degree. I have been working for the past year and a half and getting that degree in the mail was the most satisfying feeling after all the long hours and hard work.

I have been fortunate enough this year to have two new employment opportunities - in addition to Language Arts, I will be teaching 7th grade Social Studies, which is something I have always wanted to do. I originally wanted to be a History major in college but didn't know what I would do with such a degree, but all of those classes will come in handy in the months ahead. I'm looking forward to learning along with the students and getting the opportunity to try something new in my job. In addition to teaching, I will also be coaching volleyball at the middle school. I coached a few years ago but took two years off after I had my daughter. I'm thrilled to be back in the athletics department and anxious to get started. Being around the students outside the classroom is such a rewarding experience.

If you are new to this blog, I will post weekly updates (usually on Monday by noon) for each class. I will briefly discuss the concepts being covered in class, the projects or assignments that students will be working on, and upcoming test dates and due dates. I am also working to complete the tabs at the top of this blog (7th Grade LA, 8th Grade LA, Social Studies, etc.) with links to downloadable files. These files will contain assignment guidelines, rubrics, worksheets, study guides, etc. and can be printed by students at home. If you ever have trouble accessing a portion of the site, please let me know so I can work on getting it fixed right away.

I am here to help your child in any way that I can - if there is every anything that you need from me please do not hesitate to ask. I will be happy to help, and if I can't I will do my best to point you in the right direction. Here's to a fantastic year!!

Warm Regards,

Stefani