Hello and Welcome to my website! From here you can click on individual class page links to check for updates, assignments, and due dates.
March 30-May
I have moved all of our class assignments, announcements and links to resources to Google Classroom! Please use that forum for the rest of the school year. I will keep this website active through the end of the school year, so feel free to check photos or use any links you may need here!
Becky
Week of March 16, 2020
March 17, 2020
Hello Parents and Students,
Hope you’re finding some time to get out and enjoy this wonderful warming weather. We know this is a difficult time, especially for those struggling to find child care and those with health conditions that put them at elevated risks for this pandemic. Lisa and I are working with the Watershed staff and the FNSB school district this week to find ways to best implement curriculum in the coming weeks. As of now, we are following the same procedures as everyone else in the school district, as outlined below.
Governor Dunleavy has mandated school closures for the next two weeks and that this time is not to be counted as student-contact days. What does this mean for Watershed?
- The school building will be closed to students and the public. Please call the school (374-9350) if you need to pick up winter gear, skis, etc. and we’ll set up a curbside drop-off at the school for you.
- NO academic work can or will be assigned and graded during the next two weeks. The third quarter came to an end on Friday, March 6 and the fourth quarter is scheduled to begin on Monday, March 30. Third quarter report cards and narratives are being finalized and should be available through PowerSchool at some point next week.
- All field trips have been cancelled through April.
- Our scheduled artist-in-residency with Maite Agopian has been cancelled.
- Our school district is trying to centralize communications at this time, so please check your email or the FNSBSD website for updates and information regarding the school closure.
Engagement activities during the school closure
In addition to school district suggested enrichment activities, the Watershed staff would like to offer the following screenless options for your child:
- Go outside and practice making fires!
- Go skiing, running, snowshoeing! (Make a new trail around your house-try bush-wacking for some fun!)
- Make your parents an OUTSTANDING meal or baked good.
- Go outside and build a snow fort.
- Read a book for FUN!
Expect a phone call!
Within the next couple days teachers will be calling families to check in and assess how we can best resume instruction and support student learning (i.e. access to internet access and computers) if the school closure extends beyond March 27.
Hope you’re all well, and we miss you-it’s lonely and too quiet in the classroom!
Take care,
Becky and Lisa
Week of March 2, 2020
This is the last week of Quarter Three! Friday is an early out (1:30) and next week is Spring Break!
Students have unit tests in English (vocabulary) and Social Studies (map and foreign policy). Students are also delivering their IRP book talks.
NO ALL SCHOOL SKI this week. It will be rescheduled after break.
Debate Club: If you child is interested in practicing for the upcoming Debate March 28th at West Valley, we will be practicing this week in my classroom during lunch/recess. We will review the topics, review rubrics from the last debates, and discuss strategies for the upcoming debate in March!
The topics are:
- The federal minimum wage should be raised to $15.00 per hour.
- The use of illegal drugs should be treated as a mental health issue and not as a criminal justice issue.
Have a wonderful week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- March 6: End of Quarter 3!
- March 3: Watershed Science Fair
- March 9-13: Spring Break!
- March 20: Effie Kokraine Tea Race
- March 28: Interior Debate Tournament-West Valley
- April 1-3: 7th Grade White Mountain Ski/Camping Trip
- April 3: 8th Grade CPR/First Aid at Watershed
Week of February 24, 2020
What a terrific ski we had Friday! The sun was out, the river was in excellent shape, and we finally made a few fires, after much effort. Next time we’ll bring the dry birch back from my classroom to help us speed up our efforts! We will try to get out again this week, even thought the temperatures are lower and practice making fires again.
As you can see above, Friday’s glow in the dark dance was fun too! Student Council is hoping to plan one more dance before the end of the year. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Corrick, Mrs. Sepulveda, and Mrs. Haas for chaperoning!
Effie Kokrine snowshoe, fire, tea race is March 20th at Effie Kokraine school. We will try to get some practice in!
Debate club is meeting again during lunch today and Wednesday. Please review the questions, and their arguments with your kiddos…these are some tough questions! Our next debate tournament is Saturday, March 28th at West Valley.
The topics are:
- The federal minimum wage should be raised to $15.00 per hour.
- The use of illegal drugs should be treated as a mental health issue and not as a criminal justice issue.
Volunteer Link: Please check with me on your volunteer status, some of you are going to expire this spring. Here is the district link to renew your status:District volunteer link
Have a wonderful week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- February 28: Quarter 3 IRP Due!
- March 3: End of Quarter 3!
- March 3: Watershed Science Fair
- March 9-13: Spring Break!
- March 20: Effie Kokraine Tea Race
- March 28: Interior Debate Tournament-West Valley
- April 1-3: 7th Grade White Mountain Ski/Camping Trip
- April 3: 8th Grade CPR/First Aid at Watershed
Week of February 17, 2020
It was good seeing many of you last week at conferences! If you couldn’t make it in, please contact me if you have any concerns.
SKI and Fire Making 101: This week we are skiing on Friday. We will be doing our version of the confluence ski from the Tanana River boat launch to Watershed with a stop at Anderson Pond area to practice making fires and have lunch! Students should have hand warmers, a sack lunch, snacks, and water in a small pack with them. If you want to join us, please contact me. If you want to make some treats for the kids or come join us for fire making activities, please contact me.
Debate Club: If you child is interested in practicing for the upcoming Debate March 28th at West Valley, we will be practicing this week in my classroom during lunch/recess on Wednesday. We will review the topics, review rubrics from the last debates, and discuss strategies for the upcoming debate in March!
The topics are:
- The federal minimum wage should be raised to $15.00 per hour.
- The use of illegal drugs should be treated as a mental health issue and not as a criminal justice issue.
Volunteer Link: Please check with me on your volunteer status, some of you are going to expire this spring. Here is the district link to renew your status:District volunteer link
Have a wonderful week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- February 17: No school for students! Teacher Professional Development Day
- March 3: Watershed Science Fair
- April 1-3: 7th Grade White Mountain Ski trip
Week of February 10, 2020
With positive temperatures, we made it out skiing again…and no concussions this time! We had a fun ski in Goldstream.
This week is Parent/Teacher Conferences after school and all day Friday. Looking forward to seeing you.
Students are delivering their speeches starting on Wednesday. We will be picking names out of a can to see who goes when! We are also starting new book group novels in 8th grade and a new short story unit in 7th grade. Please see individual class pages for more information on what we’re up to.
Congratulations to Watershed’s Math Counts and Battle Books teams. Both did fantastic at the regional competitions last weekend. The Watershed Math Counts team won 2nd overall!
Have a wonderful week and 4-day weekend!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- February 10-13: After school parent/teacher conferences
- February 14: No school for students! All day parent/teacher conferences
- February 17: No school for students! Teacher Professional Development Day
- March 3: Watershed Science Fair
- April 1-3: 7th Grade White Mountain Ski trip
Week of February 3, 2020
Hurray for the Watershed Debate Team! With little practice, and a brand new format, our kiddos did wonderful on Saturday. As the day went on, kids progressively improved as they saw what the debate structure entailed and how to deliver a solid argument. Our students received some really good feedback from judges and are excited to practice for the March 28th debate at West Valley! I am thinking of starting an after school debate club/practice with students on Thursdays or Fridays from 3:00-4:30. I’ll send out more information later this week.
Skiing on Friday! Students should be ready to ski on Friday! We will be taking a bus to Goldstream for a fun ski day! We will have lunch at school.
This week both classes will practice extemporaneous speeches. We will be selecting topics tomorrow, and delivering speeches on Friday!
8th Grade High School visits: West Valley was here today, Lathrop will be here tomorrow 9-10am. If you are wanted your child to attend a high school that is out of your attendance area, students received information for you to sign them up for their/your school of choice today. If your child entered the Hutchison lottery, they must still fill out their class schedule information for their “home school” area high school. Stop in and see me if you have questions about this!
Next week is parent/teacher conferences after school, and all day Friday. If you haven’t signed up already, please use the Watershed school daily announcement’s links to do so.
Have a wonderful week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- February 4: Lathrop visits 8th graders 9-10am
- February 8: Math Counts and Battle of the Books District Competitions!
- February 10-13: After school parent/teacher conferences
- February 14: No school for students! All day parent/teacher conferences
- February 17: No school for students! Teacher Professional Development Day
- March 3: Watershed Science Fair
- April 1-3: 7th Grade White Mountain Ski trip
Week of January 27, 2020
Kobe Bryant was a poet too! Below is a link to his basketball team’s (The LA Lakers) resignation poem/film, “Dear Basketball” which he turned into a stop animation short film. Many of our students are basketball players and athletes, and have looked to Kobe Bryant as a legend and hero. With the sad news of his devastating passing, we remembered him today and watched this excerpt: KobeBryant’s Dear Basketball
Potato Wednesday starts this week! Yeah! Thank you to all who were able to sign up and make this fundraiser possible including: Jami Rasmussen, Marita Bunch, Jenifer Chown, Tami Wilkerson, Paulette Buth, and Stephanie Rivet. If you didn’t get a form for this semester’s Potato Wednesday, it is $5 for each lunch, or buy all 13 lunches for $60 and save $5. There are extra slips outside my classroom door.
District High School/Middle School debate this Saturday at Hutchison High School from 8am-5pm, below is a link with specifics and times. Students have been preparing and debating in class the same topics and preparing to argue for either side of either issue. I am putting together the Watershed Debate Team this week. Please let me know if your child is able to attend Saturday by Wednesday so that I can complete our registration. . If you are interested, they can use a few judges and we are training on Friday at the School District’s office starting at 5pm. It should last about 45 minutes.
District Debate Times and information link: Interior Debate Tournament Invitation
Outside: We are hoping to get outside later this week as the temperatures look like they should warm up. We will keep you posted about any outings!
Upcoming Events:
- January 30: Hutchison Open house
- February 1 (Saturday): 8am-5pm Interior Debate Tournament
- February 3: West Valley High School visits 8th graders 10-11 in Hansen’s room
- February 4: Lathrop High School visits 8th graders 9-10 in Hansen’s room
- February 10-13: After school Parent/Teacher Conferences
- February 14: No School…All day Parent/Teacher Conferences
- February 17: No School-Teacher Professional Development Day
Have a great week!
Becky
Week of January 20, 2020:
Happy Birthday Dr. King! In remembrance of Dr. King’s legacy, here is a video we watched and discussed in class. We are also reading about some of his accomplishments like the March on Washington! Video Link: Dr. King’s Legacy
High School visits to Watershed start this week fo 8th graders! Hutchison will be visiting 8th graders on Tuesday from 9-10 and telling them about their lottery and school program. Parents are invited to attend if interested!
Debate Feb. 1 (Saturday) please let me know if your child is interested in attending!
Potato Wednesday 2020: …we can’t begin until we get all the slots filled! Please sign up to help for this semester’s Potato Wednesdays:Potato Wednesday Volunteer Sign UP
We will start once we get all the slots filled…
Have a great week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- January 20: Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday-No School!
- January 21: Hutchinson High School visits 8th graders-9-10am in Hansen’s room
- February 1: (Saturday) District Debate at Hutchison High School
Week of January 13, 2020:
Good Afternoon!
Skiing: We finally have some warm temperatures for the next couple of days, hurray! To make the most of it, we will be skiing tomorrow (Tuesday) around the woods by school! Students should be dressed with all ski gear, have hand/foot warmers, and a face mask or buff.
Grades: Quarter two grades were posted on PowerSchool Friday. Please let me know if you’re having trouble finding/viewing final Quarter Two Grades.
In middle school this quarter, we are working on getting in all assignments in on time. I won’t be accepting late work this quarter. If a student is absent, they have the amount of time they were gone to make up their work. In social studies this quarter, we have 12 lessons, I will drop the lowest grade at the end of the quarter. A few students didn’t turn in their assignments last week (we completed lessons 1 & 2), so I just wanted to keep you updated on my policy this quarter. They will see all the material from all 12 lessons on their final social studies test.
Debate: There is a district wide middle/high school debate competition at Hutch High School February 1st. We will be practicing with both debate topics in class, but feel free to practice at home too! The format for the competition will be teams of 3 and students will debate both sides of each of the following topics! Have fun coming up with BOTH sides! We will draw out of a hat for class debates, as well as for the district debates! Also, please contact me if you and/or your child can attend the Saturday Feb. 1st debate. They need judges, and there is a training January 31 at 5pm at the School District if you’re interested in judging!
- #1: College education should be free for academically-qualified students.
- #2: Public schools should collect cell phones from students at the start of the day and return them at the end.
Week of January 6, 2020:
Welcome Back and Happy New Year! I hope you had a restful, warm, wonderful break!
With the new year and new semester, we will be switching our focus from Alaska to the World and to new topics and themes for English and Social Studies. Our theme for this semester is: America and Foreign Policy. We will focus our studies on the Essential Question: Under what circumstances should the United States intervene in world events? Please see individual class pages for this semester’s units and assignments. Our Quarter Three IRP will be a choice book, and each class will have different IRP assignments for their books. New assignments will be coming home with students tomorrow and throughout the week. I will also post these on individual class pages this week!
Skiing: With the cold temperatures, we will not be skiing this week. We hope to get out next week though, so it would be good to get all gear back into school by the end of this week!
Grades: Quarter Two report cards will be posted on PowerSchool Friday. The district no longer sends home a paper copy, so please let me know if you have any trouble accessing these!
Potato Wednesday 2020: Please sign up to help for this semester’s Potato Wednesdays:Potato Wednesday Volunteer Sign UP
We will start once we get all the slots filled…hopefully next Wednesday!
Week of December 16:
If you have any extra fire making kindling, we could use some for Friday’s fire making contest! Also, students can bring their own flint & steel for this, but have them check it in with me once they get to school!
Looking for some fun topics to discuss over Christmas Break? Read below for 2 fun topics!
DEBATE Club: I will be practicing debates with students in January. There is a school district competition Feb. 1st. that we will get ready for. Students that are interested after our class debates, can join our school’s team for the competition. We will create team’s of 3 and will debate both sides of each of the following topics! Have fun coming up with BOTH sides! We will draw out of a hat for class debates, as well as for the district debates!
- #1: College education should be free for academically-qualified students.
- #2: Public schools should collect cell phones from students at the start of the day and return them at the end.
Christmas Stocking stuffers: Students are in desperate need of the following for Middle School: (maybe they have these at home?)
- pencils
- lined paper
- rulers
- erasers
- calculators
- hand warmers
This week’s schedule:
12/16 Monday and Tuesday regular days-we will be taking our “2019 Expedition Trips”! Students will be writing journal entries for each day.
Wednesday
- 8:30-10:30
- English 8 final test (essay)
- Math 7 final test
- 10:30-12:10
- English 7 Final Test (essay)/finish IRP Presentations
- Math 8 final test
- Algebra final test
- 12:10-1:15 Lunch/Recess
- 1:15-1:30 Clean up and dismissal-Early out
Thursday
- 8:30-10:30
- Social Studies 8: present final Alaska Expedition 2019 Websites & project reflections
- Science 7: final test
- 10:30-12:10
- Social Studies 7: present final Alaska Expedition 2019 Websites & project reflections
- Science 8: final test
- 12:10-1:15
- Recess/lunch
- 1:15-1:30
- Cleanup/early dismissal
Friday
- 8:30-9:30
- Art activity
- 9:30-10:30
- 8th and Kindergarten buddies pancake fiesta!
- 7th math games!
- 10:30-12:10
- Outdoor final exam: Fire making contest: hot cocoa, s’mores!
- dress warm for this!
- snowshoe practice rounds
- Outdoor final exam: Fire making contest: hot cocoa, s’mores!
- 12:10-1:15: Recess/Lunch
- 1:15-1:30: Clean up/early dismissal!
Happy Holidays-enjoy the break! Becky
First day back is January 7th (Tuesday) for students.
Upcoming Events:
- December 16: 8th grade ADF&G Wolf Biologist visit 1:15-?
- December 18-20: Early Out days (1:30)
- December 23: January 6 Christmas Break
- January 7: (Tuesday) Students first day back
Week of December 9:
Warm week, we will be going to Goldstream for a ski trip!
Students are beginning to wrap up final projects this week. IRPs are due Friday!
This week is Spirit Week:
- Monday: Crazy hair/sock day
- Tuesday: Sports Day
- Wednesday: Twin Day
- Thursday: Christmas Day
- Friday: Pajama Day
Friday is also a movie night put on by Student Council: ELF (PG). 6-8pm
If you can help make popcorn and/or chaperone, please contact me!
This week is also Secret Santa week. Students are leaving daily clues for their person in lockers and possibly a little treat! Friday we will guess who Secret Santas are and give gifts! (no more than $20 total for the week)
Week of December 2:
Welcome back! Hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving break, hard to believe it’s already December!
This week we will be MAP testing, getting back into school, and skiing! Please make sure students have their ski gear back at school.
Silent Auction went really well! Thanks to Tammy Wilkerson, Miranda Wilkerson, Ellen Lyons, Liam Irish, Jami, Rassmussen, Maya Hill, Kathy Petersen, and Amy Larsen for helping run the auction this year! We will be calling the winners and tallying up our total profit this week.
Have a great week!
Becky
Week of November 18:
Hope you had a great weekend! It was my daughter’s birthday last week, so we hiked into Tolovana Hot Springs on Friday for the weekend to celebrate with two of her friends. It was a cold windy trip, but the springs were hot and comforting!
7th and 8th graders are going skiing on Friday. We’ll take a bus to Goldstream Valley for a classic ski trip. Students need their classic ski gear, water, snack and warm layers!
The Middle School Silent Auction is Saturday from 10-4pm. 8th grade students need to bring in their donations by Friday! Please contact me if you are interested in helping us and/or sign up on the link here: Silent Auction Sign UP Link.
Both 7th and 8th graders are working on new academic projects-please check their individual class webpages for information and due dates!
Have a fantastic week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- November 22: Ski Trip to Goldstream
- November 23: Silent Auction/Watershed Holiday Market: 10-4
- November 27-29: Thanksgiving Break!
- Week of December 2: Middle School MAPS testing
Week of November 11:
UAF Field Trip: Future City Project Students learned about UAF’s greenhouses and water management last week. Math 8 reviewed our Winterberry project data from this year, wrote stories using the data, and learned about water management. We were on the news and in the newspaper too! Below are links for the news stories:
Skiing this week! Please bring in skis and gear by Wednesday!
Middle School Silent Auction: Still need more people to sign up! Also, please email me if your child is coming to help too!
One of our largest fundraisers is coming up soon-Silent Auction! It will be on Saturday November 23 from 10-4. Please sign up to help run the silent auction tables. I will also need help marking items and creating bid sheets after school Friday November 22 from 3-345, and early on Saturday morning from 9:15-10:00am. 8th graders will begin writing letters to prospective local businesses this week and will need to deliver them. If you know of anyone who might want to donate an item, or gift card, please let me know! I do ask students to also show up for this event and help run the table, as well as ask some of the Holiday Market vendors for donations on Saturday morning.
Week November 4:
Halloween Fun! Middle Schoolers and our student council did a great job putting on the Halloween Carnival and costume contest last week.
It has been fun meeting with you and talking about your child’s progress. Looking forward to seeing more people this week.
UAF Field Trip: This week both 7th and 8th graders will be taking a field trip to UAF on Friday from 9-1:15. We are doing a few activities. First, special projects will separate from the group and take a tour of the green houses and learn about how and what they grow year round, as well as get a chance to ask botanists questions for their future city projects. The other students who aren’t in special projects will go with Ms. Beattie and participate in a “Data Jam” where they will meet with some of our Winterberry project scientists and learn what they do with our data. We will then all gather together and eat lunch (students need a sack lunch), and participate in a Watershed Water Day! The activities are set up and run by the UAF Introduction to Water Management class to teach students more about Watersheds, Water management, and water quality issues. We would love to have a few parent chaperones join us, it should be fun and interesting! Contact me if you’re interested in joining us! Here is the flyer for this event! WaterDay110819_IARC[1]
Potato Wednesday: We still need next week and a few weeks after that covered! Please help raise money for our middle school trips by helping with Potato Wednesday by going to the sign up link: 2019 Potato Wednesday Link.
Week of October 28th:
Hunter’s Education Day and 8th Grade Sit Spots this week-first snow!
Looking forward to seeing you at conferences this Friday or next week! If you haven’t signed up yet, the link is in the Watershed bulletin.
This week students will begin planning their Alaskan Expedition! Feel free to give your child ideas of cities they might want to visit on their trip. This will be our next Social Studies unit for both 7th and 8th grades. It is an integrated project based unit for them to learn about their great state, without me lecturing about it! Should be fun!
In English this week, we will read and write some spooky stories!
Halloween: The Halloween Carnival is back! Student Council led the charge, and teachers agreed to bring it back this Thursday starting at 1:15. Middle school students will be helping in their mentor teacher’s rooms set up and clean up actives, as well as have time to enjoy the carnival themselves. For the middle school room, we will have face painting stations led by middle school students. If you’re interested in helping, feel free to contact me. At 2:15 we will clean up, head to the gym for the costume contest that begins at 2:30. Students are encouraged to join the school wide costume contest. Students need to have a costume they can either put on for the contest, or one they can wear all day that won’t get in the way of academics. They should be able to sit in their seat with it on. No weapons or masks please. Please contact me if you have questions about a costume! If you would like to help judge, bring in some candy or Halloween goodies, please contact me.
Week of October 21st:
National Writing Week: “Sharing Stories”
This week students will participate in National Writing Week put on by the National Writing Project and The National Parks Service. I will be taking students on some daily local field trips (around our school) to get them out there writing! Feel free to join in and do some writing this week by going to Writeout! NWP!
We will be starting new projects this week, so please check individual class pages on my website to see what we are up to!
Parent/Teacher…Student conferences November 1st and after school the week of November 4th. Please use the link in the daily bulletin to sign up to meet with Ms. Beattie and myself. You sign up for 1 slot, which will give you 15 minutes with Beattie, then another 15 minutes with me. Please bring your child if possible, they have started a writing/language arts portfolio that they can present, as well as should be taking more responsibility in their learning as a middle school student. We will continue to add into their portfolios this year, they are tracking their strengths/weaknesses as writers, learners, and peers. They are also adding in writing pieces, projects and assignments they are proud of!
Outdoor Gear: Please check in with your child and make sure he/she has proper winter gear for school. Many students are not wearing warm clothes and are getting cold during our outings, recess, and morning PE. Students should have the following to wear at school daily: Hat, gloves, warm winter boots, warm jacket, warm snow pants, warm socks (not ankle socks). In addition, students should also have indoor shoes to wear inside.
Week of October 7th:
Snow is here! Students need to bring their winter gear to school for the outdoors!
Potato Wednesday: Thanks to Mrs. Rassmussen for helping with Potato Wednesday last week! We had quite an eventful day!
Students are wrapping up their Quarter One IRPs this week and completing their projects. These are due Friday!
7th grade has completed their Hunter’s Ed workbook! We will review for the test Thursday and take the test next week. We are tentatively scheduled to go to the Fish and Game Hunter’s Ed building next Tuesday, but I will send out an email once I get confirmation!
Math Counts is on Tuesdays in Ms. Beattie’s room from 3-4:30. If you are interesting, contact Beattie.
Student’s elected this semester’s Watershed Student Council:
- President: Owen Merrill
- VP: Lilly Penn
- Treasurer: John Haas
- Secretary: Zarah
- 8th Class Representatives: Miranda and Ted
- 7th Class Representatives: Heidi and Cal
Students will meet in my room on Thursday’s at 12:10.
Have a great week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- Friday October 11-IRP DUE
- Week of October 14th-IRP Presentations
- October 18th-End of Quarter One!
- October 18th-Early Out Day and Gear Swap 1:30-5!
Week of September 30:
8th Grade Final “Source to Sea” Projects! Come in to see the rest-They are all wonderful!
Regular week this week!
Potato Wednesday: Wednesday is the first Potato Wednesday! Thanks to Mrs. Rasmussen, Mrs. Gagnon, Mrs. Irish, for signing up for the first 3 weeks! We still need 7 more Wednesdays filled! Please help raise money for our middle school trips by helping with Potato Wednesday by going to the sign up link: 2019 Potato Wednesday Link.
Grades: The end of Quarter One is Friday October 18th. There are many projects, tests, and essays due over the next 3 weeks. Please continue checking PowerSchool to see if your child is up to date with his/her assignments. If you ever see a “0” that means they didn’t do the assignment. The “MI” means missing, and “AB” means the student was absent. I also put in a few upcoming assignments, so the due dates may be for later this week or for the next 2 weeks. I updated grades this morning, however after students checked grades, a few more assignments were left in the basket for me to grade! I should have the late assignments graded tonight! I reminded students about my policy, once we take the test or write an essay for the unit/book, they can’t turn any late work in for that unit.
A gentle reminder, students need to have indoor and outdoor shoes here each day!
Please check individual class pages for what we’re up to, assignments and due dates!
Have a fantastic week!
Becky
Week of September 23:
Thanks to the hardy parents and students who ran this year’s Equinox “Out and Back” aid station: Sheldon Helms, By Valentine, Tammy Wilkerson, John Lyons, and Kathy, Kameron and Keith Petersen! Students who braved the cold temps included Emma Lyons, Adah Decker, Liam Irish, Charlie Schuldt, Kody Helms, Lilly Penn, Lucie Meyer, Zarah Laker-Morris, and Kassie Petersen! I helped set up in the rain and snow, then left to run leg #3! I heard there were many folks talking about the warm fire at our station! There were many Watershed staff teams and individual racers this year. Pretty muddy, chilly, wet, snowy, and fun! Thanks to Lynn Petersen, Mrs. Lyons, and Saddie Goddard who made some yummy treats for us. Congrats to everyone who was a part of making our station a success!
This week is a short week-no school on Friday. PowerSchool has been updated, and students have checked grades. We are working with Downtown IT to fix the Algebra and Special Projects grade pages which are inactive. These should be up soon! Students are seeing effects of using class time, studying and keeping up with reading, projects, and classwork reflected in their grades. Some students may need to utilize their class time better and use their planners. Please check individual webpages for this week’s assignments and due dates.
Potato Wednesday starts next week! Please sign up using the link below so we can get this going!
Please make sure your child has indoor and outdoor shoes at school, they also need to have rain jackets, pants, and boots here everyday!
Have a great week!
Becky
Week of September 16:
We made it back from Homer! What a fun trip we had. This year was an especially fun trip because of our fantastic chaperones and new adventures. Students kayaked around an island in Kachemak bay, hiked a fun trail to the Grewingk glacier, crossed a river via a hand tram, and learned about glaciers! We saw 46 invertebrates in Peterson Bay and studied plankton, algae, and saw some bioluminescence at night! Some students and chaperones even touched a Giant Pacific Red Octopus! Can’t wait to read their trip reflections this week and finish our final round of traveling trivia!
I have added a page for this year’s Homer trip to my website where I will post a link to google drive for all of us to add photos from this year’s trip. Thanks again to the wonderful chaperones and parents who helped make this a successful trip: Brandy Helms, Amy Larsen, Sarka Paragi, Kathy Petersen, Jennifer Young, Natalie Ott Schuldt, Anna Merrill, and the solo male: John Haas! Thanks to the wonderful cooks who made lasagna for us: Natalie Ott Schuldt, Tammy Wilkersson, Jen Babcock, and Jami Rasmussen. Thanks to Marita Bunch for the amazing Moose Chili-we ate all of it, every last bite! Also to all of those who made the wonderful homemade brownies and sweet treats-it was nice to have a little bite of home for us on the road!
Sounds like the 7th graders survived a Beattie trip! It has been fun hearing about their Donnely Dome adventures and the beautiful canoe trip!
Today we have been cleaning up, wrapping up and getting back into school. 8th graders will continue their studies of “Sustaining Our Oceans”, finalizing nature journals, downloading photos, and beginning their final invertebrate scientific posters. Students are also turning in IRP reading log #1 this week. We will be visiting our sit spots later this week, it may be raining, so students need all rain gear back at school!
7th graders will get back into Two Old Women, practicing skills to help with “What Great Readers Do”, Writer’s Notebooks, Alaska Geography Regional Projects, and Hunter’s Ed. On Friday I’ll collect Reader’s/Writer’s notebooks to grade. Students are turning in IRP Reading Log #1 this week!
Equinox is this Saturday: This year Mrs. Petersen and Mrs. Wilkerson will be in charge of our Equinox Aid Station. I’ll be confirming details with them and the Equinox director tomorrow, then emailing out final details for parents who are helping and dropping off kids to help. Ms. Beattie and I are on a team this year-she is running leg #2 and will be heading through the aid station! We have a few other Watershed teams in the race as well to look for. Students will be putting gear together and making a poster by Thursday!
Equinox: The Equinox Marathon is Saturday, September 21 this year. We will need a few parents to help students run our Watershed “Out and Back” aid station. Students are well know for all their positive encouragement and loud motivating music out in the woods! If you can help, we meet up at the top of Ester Dome at 7am, we are done around 2. The road closes at 730-8am and reopens around 1. We will need to get 6-8 5 gallon water jugs, two foldable tables and some food snacks for racers out there and set up by chaperones with ATVs as it is about 1.5-2 miles to our station. Here is a link to sign up to help bring in needed water jugs, speakers and gear as well as to volunteer to help run the station! Equinox Aid Station Sign UP
Middle School Dance this Friday!
Have a great week!
Becky
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday: REAP guest speakers for Future City Class (GVEA & REAP presentations)
- Thursday: Middle School Cross Country Race at Chena Lakes
- Friday: Middle School Dance
- September 29: No School-Teacher PD Day
- October 11-IRP Due
Week of September 2:
Hope you had a fabulous four day weekend! We are having a lovely fall. Please check individual class pages for assignments, projects and due dates!
8th Grade News: Last week the 8th graders and I had a beautiful hike up Moose Mountain. As you can see in the above photos, many students decided to roll instead of walk down! A few students were feeling sick, hopefully with four days of rest, everyone is back to normal. Last week 8th graders also met Dr. Spellman who is in charge of the Winterberry Project, and she had students act out “berry stories” which might explain what happens to berries in Alaska! Dr. Spellman gave students an overview of the project as well as she stressed the importance of their role as citizen scientists for this project! Thanks for filling out the parent surveys, it has been fun reading these! If you haven’t seen one yet, please contact me and I’ll get one to you.
8th Grade Homer Trip News:
- Gear checks are this Wednesday and Thursday
- A few students haven’t turned in forms yet. I need these by Wednesday!
- We are up to 8 chaperones! Thanks to Mr. Haas, Mrs. Larsen, Mrs. Petersen, Mrs. Merrill, Mrs. Meyer, Mrs. Young, Mrs. Helms, and Mrs. Schuldt for taking on the adventure!
- Please check the snack/dessert and Group Gear sign up links to help us get what we need to make this trip a success!
- Please bring in gear and food items by Friday so we can get things packed.
Group Gear Needed: Please sign up on the signup genius website for anything you can lend us for the trip! Here is the sign up link-Homer Group Gear Sign Up Link
Snacks and meals: If you would like to bake a treat or cook a meal for our trip, please sign up by using the following link- Homer Desserts/Snacks
HOMER GEAR LIST: Homergearlist
7th Grade News:
Sounds like students are staying afloat and are ready for their big canoe trip with Ms. Beattie next week! It had been fun to read the student and parent surveys. If you haven’t seen one yet, please contact me and I’ll get one to you!
Upcoming Events:
September 4 & 5: 8th Grade Gear Checks
September 8-14: 8th Grade Homer Trip
September 21: Equinox Marathon! (Aid station 7am-2pm)
September 27: No School! Teacher professional development day
Have a great week!
Becky
Week of August 26:
It was great meeting everyone on Thursday, I know it’s a lot of new information, so if you have any questions about how middle school works get in touch! If you couldn’t make it and I didn’t get to meet you, please stop in and say hi!
Potato Wednesday will begin after our middle school trips. The sign up should be up and linked here on the website by the end of the week!
8th Grade Homer Trip:If you missed the Homer trip meeting, please make sure you get the required forms to review with your child, sign and return. I need them, and the $200 fee by Thursday!
We have chaperones! This year we’ll have the following parents chaperoning this trip:
John Haas, Natalie Ott Schuldt, Brandy Helms, Amy Larsen, Jennifer Young, Kathy Petersen, and Anna Merrill!
Helpful documents!
FNSB Volunteer Packet Link: FNSB Volunteer Packet Link
2019-2020 Watershed School Calendar
Week of August 19:
Welcome Back to School!
Can you believe it’s already time for school on Monday? Hope you had a restful, adventuresome, and enjoyable summer break. I am excited to see you on Monday!
Ms. Beattie and I are excited for this year’s academic units and outdoor adventures we have planned for you. Starting on Monday, we will pass out class overviews/syllabi, upcoming trip plans/information, and other Watershed forms to sign and return. When you get to school we will help you find lockers, review the schedule, and get materials organized and ready for class.
Please remember to bring the following to school:
- School Supplies! (list is on Watershed website and in stores)
- Rain Gear-Jacket/Pants/Boots (Please plan on leaving these at school in your locker)
- Water bottle
- Indoor and Outdoor shoes (we will be running on Tuesdays and Thursdays)
Please feel free to contact either one of us with any questions or concerns you may have at any time.
2019 Fall Class Schedule:Middle School2018 SemesteroneScheduleClasses
Rebecca Hansen
Watershed Middle School
4975 Decathlon
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
(907) 374-9350
rebecca.hansen@k12northstar.org
Ms. Hansen's Homepage 