6 Steps to Solve an Information Problem

It's no secret that I am a big fan of the Big 6 and I wanted a fresh, new way to show students this easy way to solve information problems.  In comes PowToon. You may remember my previous blog post about PowToon here. This was my first attempt at using this online presentation software tool. I used a pre-made template and tailored it to my needs. What do you think? Would you use a tool like this for your next presentation?

Look who got caught reading!

Mr. Patten got caught reading Frank McCourt's Teacher Man. 

Who will catch you reading?

Librarian of the Year - A Personal Post

From left: Principal, Michael Harrington; Librarian, Shari Stack; English Department Chairperson, Marie Netto; Superintendent of Bellmore-Merrick CHSD, John DeTommaso    

Recently, I (Shari Stack, Your School Librarian!) was recognized as the 2013 Nassau BOCES School Library System’s School Librarian of the Year. The NBSLS award is granted annually to a New York State-certified library media specialist whose work, with and for students, serves as a model for his or her peers and an inspiration to those entering the profession.

I am so humbled to have been chosen for this award knowing that there were so many qualified applicants. Joining this list of past recipients, who I have long admired and respected, reveals the significance of this award. The plaque now hangs next to “The Jolly Roger,” our life-size pirate statue in the William S. Christy Memorial Library, welcoming students and reminding me of the many opportunities we have to make an impact.

On behalf of the Bellmore-Merrick community, thank you to NBSLS for continuing to support and encourage our library programs. 

Fresh Prep

An Urban Arts Partnership Project

The New York State Regents Exams are right around the corner and teachers and students have begun to review. Want to try a new, fun way to study? "Fresh Prep is an innovative student-centered curriculum that uses Hip-Hop music to help students review the key content and skills tested on the New York State Regents Exams. Harnessing the appeal and mnemonic power of music and youth culture, Fresh Prep’s standards-aligned instruction helps teens build the confidence, critical-thinking, and writing skills they need to succeed on the Regents." Click on Sample Units, which includes; Global History, US History and English. Click here to hear the mp3 of the English unit.

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!

Seniors, Meghan Corless and Andrew Montalti from Ms. Sirof's class are the victors!

Update: Thank you so much for attending Mepham’s first Poetry Games. The sixteen students who participated as tributes and the modest and dedicated audience made yesterday’s ELITE event an enjoyable one. We had an opportunity to showcase the talents of students who may not always be recognized, and for that, we should be incredibly proud. Additionally, we were able to raise over 600 books for the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization!

Without further ado, below are the results of the first Pirates Poetry Games:

3rd Place = District F. Cooney – Melissa Ponton & Matthew Brown (Freshmen)

2nd Place = District Atkins – Laiba Qurashi (Junior)

AND … DRUM ROLL …….

1st Place = District Sirof – Meghan Corless & Andrew Montalti (Seniors)

Please congratulate all the tributes – we had some incredibly powerful original poems read yesterday!

__________________________________________________________

In honor of National Poetry Month, Mepham High School and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District will be hosting its first annual Poetry Games. Inspired by the novel, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Poetry Games is an event meant to encourage students to appreciate their love of the spoken word and to prove their district’s poetic prowess to the Capitol.

The Poetry Games will take place in two stages:

Stage one:  School-wide Poetry Games. This competition will determine the male and female tributes who will represent Mepham High School in Bellmore-Merrick’s district-wide Poetry Games. The Pirates Poetry Games will be held after school on Thursday, April 24, 2014 from approximately 2:30-3:30 pm in the auditorium.

 Opening Ceremony:

•  Parading of tributes
• A brief interview will take place to introduce the tributes partaking in the event – includes discussion of literary attire/influences
• Judges will score the opening ceremony on a 0 – 5 point scale based on originality, content, and presentation

1^st Round of the Games: Expression of Knowledge Competition

• Students will take their mark on stage behind desks, tables, or podiums
• Students will respond via a tech tool to five (5) questions that test their prowess with poetry (ex. application, style, definition, poets, etc.)

2^nd Round of the Games: Prepared Poetry Battle

• Students will read an original poem to the audience
• In preparation for this round, students will randomly select an envelope which contains 15 words and a “weapon” of choice, or a poetic technique, to apply in their poem
•   Judges will score the poems on a 0 – 5 point scale based on originality, content, and presentation

3^rd Round of the Games: Book Wars

•  The district which collects the largest number of books to donate to First Book or World Book Night will be awarded points
•  Sponsors:  the audience will act as “sponsors” who will vote via Twitter to give their favorite tributes points toward the final score
• Closing Ceremony: the victors of The Pirates Poetry Games will be announced and awards will be granted (donated by the National English Honor Society)  

 

Readbox

Our latest bulletin board was inspired by others from Pinterest.com.

Lunch & Learn

The Mepham Tech Mentors (Mr. Leacock, Ms. Stack and Ms. Tschan) recently started offering classes to our faculty on all things tech-related, such as SMART Boards, SMART Notebook, Google Drive, etc. The basic concept of the Lunch & Learn is to offer training to teachers during their lunch periods. We are all so pressed for time, with after school activities, extra-help, clubs, sports, ELITE and many other events. This is a way to bring professional development to the masses in a short period of time (40 minutes), crash-course style, during the school day. The plan is to offer one class a month, usually in Room 303, the Learning Center, or the library.

Image Source: Brittannica ImageQuest

But what about our students? Don't they want to be trained on technology too? You tell us. Take this poll and tell us what type of training you would like during the school day.