Hello, Grammarland!
That is a picture of the 359 OCC shoeboxes waiting to be packed up by my 6th graders. I'm still crossing my fingers...there's an hour to go. We've never reached 400 boxes before, but I'm hopeful!
I have been so impressed with your kids. My 8th graders have helped me immeasurably with sorting, packing, counting, and so much more. Mrs. Stone's guided studies class and Mrs. McCusker's drama class have helped a lot as well. Ms. Bostic and Mr. Teeter offered incentives; Mrs. Deese's homeroom had a packing party. I am overwhelmed by the participation from our students and our staff. This is my favorite time of the year, because these little boxes help our students to become missionaries. Today my students placed their hands on the boxes and prayed over them every hour. I may have cried a little. Check the LCS Facebook page for our final total!

6th and 7th:  new poems assigned on Monday

8th grade: no SAT quiz next week; "If", by Rudyard Kipling, due January 15

Next week: No School Wednesday-Friday

Week of December 2-6: SPIRIT WEEK! 

May you be richly blessed during Thanksgiving. Your children are precious gifts, and I love the time I spend with them each day.

Here are beautiful verses to close out the school week:

"Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness." 1 Chronicles 16: 28-29

Blessings,

KD

The Power of a Simple Gift

It's time we thought about being thankful. My students are studying gratefulness these days. The 7th graders are getting ready to read A Christmas Carol, and the study of London's Victorian age would make anyone grateful that we aren't living then! We are discussing the biblical reasons to be thankful, and my students are using their own reasons to adorn our bulletin board.

These are part of the 70-odd OCC Shoeboxes residing in my classroom right now. I love this beautiful ministry. It allows us to think outside our own circumstances, and it helps us to increase our sphere of influence in the name of Christ. Each box will go to a child  who lives in an orphanage or in another poverty-stricken situation.  Shoeboxes are due next Friday,  November 22, so please consider sending a box or an item to go in a box any time next week. Boxes will go to Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church during 7th period next Friday. From there they go to Charlotte, and then they go all over the world. One of these boxes can help lead a child to Christ. These little gifts help bring God's Kingdom down to earth. 

Upcoming Dates

7th grade : Christmas Carol field trip coming soon

6th grade: "The New Colossus", due Nov. 21; Vocab test the same day. Say your poem early!

8th grade: "If", by Rudyard Kipling, due November 21

I am so thankful for my students and for our school. I love that we get the chance to speak life into our kids every day, and to show them the importance of scripture. May God bless your family as we approach the Thanksgiving season, and as we prepare our hearts for Christmas.

Here are some beautiful verses for your weekend:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” - Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV)

And here's an interesting new word for you:

Ataraxy : noun: 1. a state of calmness or tranquility;  2. freedom from mental disturbance or anxiety ADD-uh-rack-see May this weekend provide you with ataraxy!

Well. It's been pretty busy in Grammarland!

First, a huge thank you to my 8th grade parents who contributed to our Fall Festival basket! I think it auctioned for around $450!!! Y'all did a great job! As well, thank you to the parents who helped Ms. Bostic and me with the game at the Fall Festival. It was such a great day!

Thank you to the parents who stopped by on Monday for conferences. I loved meeting with you and discussing my favorite subject: my students!

Here are a few pictures from our many projects. Your kids did an amazing job; Hobby Lobby is sending me a thank you note. (Ha!) To get the full effect, you’d have to wander around my room. 

Some of our 7th grade projects

 Nathan "sells" Narnia to us.

Triton' s clay Eustace

Meredith McLean's Dawn Treader scene

Angel's sea serpent scene

Danny's albatross scene

The top of Julian's time capsule

Julie's albatross scene

Some of our 6th Grade Castles

Grayson

Greyson

Hunter

Khaleb

Jorden

Next week, 6th grade will get started on The Hobbit.
7th grade will start foundational work on A Christmas Carol.
8th grade will continue A Secret Garden. There will be a small research project soon. Don’t worry. No trips to craft stores needed for this one.

Remember, no school on Monday, as we honor our Veterans.

Enjoy these middle school days. I’m off this weekend for a college visit with my son, who is a senior.  It gets pretty real pretty fast.

May God bless you! I love being a part of your child’s middle school story.

Here’s a word for your weekend!
winsome: charming and engaging; cheery and good natured.

Blessings,
KD

Happy October!

 There's so much going on in middle school!

Come to our Fabulous Fall Festival! It's this Saturday at the Lee County Fairgrounds. You can enjoy food, games, and fun, and you can be a part of our almost-famous class basket auction! Come bid on the coffee-tastic 8th grade basket! Below, you will find: a Keurig, about $130 in gift cards, many coffee cups, bags of ground coffee, decorations, and so much more!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084EAFA822A7F58-fall - 8th grade parents, please sign up to work our game at the fall festival, if you can. Thank you to all who have signed up already!

I'm so excited about OCC! I will bring these boxes to the Fall Festival, so if you'd like one, or if you have any other questions, please let me know!


CONFERENCES: NOV. 4: If you'd like to meet with me about your wonderful middle schooler, stop by my room on Monday, November 4. It's not a school day for the kiddos, but teachers will be here to meet with you as needed.  Please click on the link to sign up for a specific time:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084EAFA822A7F58-conferences

Projects are all over my classroom!
Here are some of the 8th grade projects for The Last Battle. I'll post some more next week.

6th grade castle pictures coming soon!

7th grade: Narnia projects due Tuesday, Nov. 5
8th grade: first half of "The Raven", Thursday, November 7

6th grade: "The New Colossus" due November 15

See you at the Fall Festival tomorrow!

Word of the day: (hint: it ties in with the 6th grade castles!)

Crenellations: Architectural features at the top of a wall of a castle May God richly bless you and your family. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child's middle school years! Mrs. Desjarlais