ALOHA – WELCOME!

1. ALOHA – WELCOME! Open House 2019 - 2020

2. First Things First… • Thank you all so much for coming! Unfortunately, I had a medical procedure this afternoon that prevented me from being here this evening. Please accept my sincere apology! I look forward to meeting you all soon! • This summer I married a really GREAT guy – John Kuran! My former name was Julie Going or Miss Going. I legally changed my name to Julie Kuran after we were married. Please bear with me as the Hawaii DOE goes through the process of changing my name and hence, my email address. Whew! It’s been an arduous process! Even I still get confused about my new last name !

3. Please welcome Ms. Alyssa Bruhnsen, AKA…Miss B. • Miss. B and Mrs. Kuran co-teach Humanities 1 & 2. • Mrs. Kuran teaches 7th grade Advisory, Humanities 3 & 4, and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) 6th Grade Wheel. What is co-teaching? “Co-teaching is the practice of pairing teachers together in a classroom to share the responsibilities of planning, instructing, and assessing students. In a co-teaching setting, the teachers are considered equally responsible and accountable for the classroom. ” (http://castpublishing.org/introduction-co-teaching-inclusion/)

4. Attendance Policy • FIVE or less is best! • Scholars are more likely to succeed in academics when they attend school consistently. • It is difficult for students to build their skills when they are absent. • If your scholar is absent and we have a scheduled test the day they return, they must be prepared to take the test that day. Exceptions are made to this policy if your student was too sick to study; however, it is their responsibility to make up any missed work in a timely manner = one day for each day they are absent!

5. Grading Policy • I do NOT average your scholar’s grades! Grades are given based on proficiency of the Hawaii State Standards and Benchmarks and Common Core standards for Literacy. • Scholars will receive a “B” when they demonstrate knowledge, understanding, and application of a content standard or benchmark. • Scholars will receive an “A” for work that is exemplary and goes beyond grade level expectations. • Scholars will receive a “C” when they have not yet met the standard or benchmark. • Any work that is not completed will result in a ZERO! • PLEASE CHECK TEACHER EASE FOR UPDATES ON A DAILY/WEEKLY BASIS!

6. Behavior Policy/Dress Code • Please be sure that you scholar is dressed for success! This means that they are following the school dress code! Thanks ! • Read the Student Handbook BEFORE you sign the last page! This will prevent any misunderstandings and allow us to work together as a team! • We are anticipating academic and personal student growth and success! If you have any questions or concerns, please call or email us.

7. 7TH GRADE ADVISORY • Why does your student have an Advisory period? • Research shows that when students have meaningful relationships with adults at school, they are more likely to have greater academic success. Unfortunately, traditional academic classes leave little time to make these kinds of connections with our students. • What is our focus? “HĀ”is a framework of outcomes that reflects the Department of Education’s core values and beliefs in action throughout the public educational system of Hawaii. HĀ focuses on six outcomes that we are trying to strengthen in every student over the course of their K-12 learning journey. “The outcomes include a sense of Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total Wellbeing and Hawai‘i. When taken together, these outcomes become the core BREATH that can be drawn on for strength and stability through out school and beyond.”

8. 7TH GRADE ADVISORY • With HĀ as our focus, we are using a variety of curricular options such as ClipShout to help instill these core principals in our students. • It is imperative that our students demonstrate these 6 core principals throughout their academic journey so that they can achieve their goals and be successful in the learning environment and beyond. • I will be sharing more information with you about HĀ in the near future! Look for it in your student’s Thursday envelope! • My request…please talk to your child about their behavior in Advisory. Are they demonstrating all aspects of HĀ? This is one of my biggest concerns for this group of scholars!

9. Humanities • What is Humanities and why are we using this model? • Humanities is an integration of English Language Arts and Social Studies. Most days your student comes to this class for two periods. This allows us time to accomplish more cooperative learning activities during a class period. Less time is wasted moving between classes and attending to administrative chores such as taking attendance, etc. • The integration of the two subjects is a good fit as scholars are learning how to apply the concepts they are learning in Social Studies using the ELA Common Core Standards and Benchmarks.

10. Humanities • What are we studying? We will be looking at the timeframe from Early Civilization through the Renaissance. • We will also be doing several literature studies including present day novels that incorporate the themes we will be studying. Our first novel study is “The Egypt Game.” • Our writing focus will include short constructed responses as well as five paragraph essays. Additionally, we will be working on our grammar and usage skills. Each week your scholar will have focused vocabulary to learn, spelling to memorize, and grammar skills to procure. At the end of the week, they will be given an opportunity to demonstrate and apply what they have learned during a short quiz.

11. Humanities • DWL/Weekly Homework – Follows a format. • Monday’s Homework – Write student friendly definition of vocabulary words and study! • Tuesday’s Homework – Spelling homework and study! • Wednesday’s Homework – Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle or something similar to reinforce what they have learned! Study! • Thursday’s Homework – STUDY, STUDY, STUDY • What your scholar needs to do if they are absent from school… • Questions???

12. Humanities • I try not to give more than 10 to 20 minutes of homework each night; however, if you scholar does not finish an assignment during class, it becomes work they must complete at home! • THANK YOU FOR COMING!

13. AVID – Advancement Via Individual Determination • AVID is an academic 6th grade wheel course that prepares students for college readiness and success. • Scheduled during the regular school day as a quarter-long course. • Students receive instruction that utilizes a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum provided by AVID Center, motivational activities, and academic success skills. • Students will participate in activities that incorporate strategies focused on writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading to support their academic growth. • Additionally, students engage in activities centered around exploring college and career opportunities and their own agency.

14. AVID – Advancement Via Individual Determination • AVID is FUN and MEANINGFUL! Your scholar will learn how to work in small groups, attain good organizational skills, and learn how to develop, use, and apply Focused Note Taking Skills. • They will also interact with professionals in our community and hear all aspects of their story – How did they get where they are today? What education did they need for this profession? What were some of the obstacles they faced in life? How did they overcome those obstacles?

15. AVID – Advancement Via Individual Determination • Volunteer Opportunity!!! • I am looking for parents/guardians/grandparents/friends who would be willing to share their professional “story” with our students! • If you have 20 to 30 minutes to give to our class on a Friday around 1:00 p.m., please sign up! • WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR PROFESSIONAL STORY! • THANK YOU FOR COMING!