Mrs. Law's Lexington Junior High Blog

Is it Spring yet?   Are you enjoying our long weekend?  I do not know about you, but these few days have been a huge asset for me to be able to get caught up on some of the work that I needed to do.  I hope that you have also made use of these days and were able to get caught up on anything you were behind on and prepared for the weeks ahead.   Obviously, one challenge of the cold days is that it impacted the PARCC testing schedules.  On Tuesday we will begin the Geometry test. We will also make-up any students that missed a portion of the Algebra test.  A reminder for the 8th grade students, your English testing will begin this week also. There will be three sessions: February 27th, March 3rd and March 5th.  Next week the 7th graders will begin their English testing on March 2nd, March 4th and March 6th. These days are really sneaking up on us! Hopefully you are all making every possible effort to be in school for the testing each day, but if you were sick and had to mis

PARCC Today was the first day of PARCC testing. It went incredibly smooth and we had very few issues. We will finish up Algebra I tomorrow and Geometry will start on Thursday. This has been a year of great change and I am constantly reminded of what great kids we have. I just want to thank the staff, parents, and mostly the students for their hard work and patience through all of the changes this year. We could not do it without you!

HIGH SCHOOL Tomorrow is the big day! Scheduling for High School! It probably seems like we just started this school year, and we are already talking about the next! I will be in 8th grade Science classes all day tomorrow. We will discuss course requirements and electives for next year's Freshman class! Your student will come home with a High School Registration form, Curriculum guide, a letter from the High School counselors, and possibly, a summer PE form. I realize this is a lot of information! Do not be overwhelmed - most likely, everything you need to know can be found in the curriculum guide. I have also attached the PowerPoint I use in my presentation with the students. The registration forms will require signatures from any music teachers and possibly math, if your student is in the Enriched track. The High School counselors will meet with each student individually to go over their course selections. This will take place in History classes (Mr. Morton on

Test Anxiety Are you feeling anxious? Test Anxiety can be common for students. This is especially true right now with the new PARCC tests. There are a wide range of strategies you can use to help deal with anxiety: Research has indicated that spending several minutes before a test to write about your feelings will help decrease test anxiety and improve test scores. The University of Chicago researchers “believe worrying competes for computing power in the brain’s ‘working,’ or short-term memory.” Practice putting yourself in testing situations when studying or taking practice tests. The more you get used to the experience and feelings of testing the less anxious you will feel when in the actual test. Just before the test, avoid talking about the test material with your friends. Chances are fixating on the test material and talking about it with your friends right before the test will only make you more anxious. Approach the test with a positive attitude. Don’t go into the

Snow Days Not sure how many of you are keeping track, but Monday was our 6th snow day! Per our board policy, we will begin making days up after 5. And we will not make up any more than 5. For all of you planners out there, here are some make-up dates to keep in mind. Our first make-up day will be President’s day, February 16, 2015. School will be in session Monday, February 16 th . In the event that we have more snow days, those will be take place in June. June 1-4 th will be used as make-up days, as needed. We will not make up any more than 5 days.  This may lead to questions regarding testing. If we have to miss a day of testing, we will pick up right where we left off upon our return to school. Have a great Wednesday!    Snow Day Calculator Snow Day Activities Snow Day Superstitions

Requirements to Pass We are now in week two of the 4 th six week grading period. The fourth is special. The 4 th six weeks determines if a student is in danger of failing, or not. All of these requirements can be found in the handbook, but I thought now was the perfect time to review them. Minimum grades required to pass any course: To pass any full year course:   At least 3 points must be earned for the entire year, and   At least 2 points must be earned the second semester. To pass any semester course: A passing grade must be earned in at least two of the three marking periods. Points are earned using the following scale: A = 4 points B = 3 points C = 2 points D = 1 point F = 0 points It is worth noting that Lexington High School standards are more rigid than these. Five points are required, with at least three in the second semester, to pass high school courses.  If you are concerned about your student, please contact the schoo