Calendar Update

It's hard to believe, but the end of the second quarter is right around the corner.  I wanted to take this time to update everyone on January's calendar.

First, school resumes on Monday, January 3.  There is no school on Monday, January 17 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. 

For all JVS classes, we will have semester exams for year-long courses and final exams for semester courses at the end of the second quarter.  For my classes, these exams will be given on Monday, January 24 and Tuesday, January 25.  Please check the individual class websites for more information.

 At JVS, we host sophomores from around Lorain County for Sophomore Career Days.  This year, they will be held on Wednesday, January 26 and Thursday, January 27.  Students will not have academic classes either day.  Please check with individual lab teachers for schedules for these two days.  It is possible for students to have one of these days off or to have two half days.

Finally, there is no school on Friday, January 28.  This is an inservice day for teachers.  We will be computing 2nd Quarter and Semester/Final Exam grades and participating in some scheduled activities.

Almost Break Time!

As we get closer to the end of December, it seems to be more difficult to keep up.   Maybe it's due to the lack of sunshine or daytime.  Winter Break starts at the end of school on Tuesday, December 21st.  It's just around the corner.

All of the classes will still be busy.  Civics will be starting a unit on the Judicial Branch and the 1920s, Psychology will finish up our unit on Psychological Disorders, and Computers will explore some templates in Word.  No one will have work to do over break though!

Please remember we are still conducting the toy drive for The Chronicle Telegram and their Not Forgotten Box.  Students have the chance to earn ten bonus points by donating a new toy to this worthwhile cause.

This kitty is having a lot of trouble staying away.  Hopefully we won't be like her as we try to make it through the next seven school days.  Interim grades are due this Friday.  Once we return from Break, we will only have a few weeks left in the second quarter!

Compulsive Hoarding

We are in the midst of discussing psychological disorders in Psychology class.  One disorder we recently discussed was Compulsive Hoarding.  This disorder is a specific type of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, which is an Anxiety Disorder. 

People suffering from Compulsive Hoarding have an intense desire to keep everything, despite its lack of value.  In addition to learning about the disorder, students also watched an episode of Hoarders from A&E TV.  There are several episodes available at their website. 



A house before intervention.

 For five bonus points, post a comment below about Compulsive Hoarding.  If you're unable to post, you can write a five sentence response.  Extra credit must be completed by Friday, December 10.

Snow Days

Just a few notes about snow days.  On Tuesday, we had four schools that were closed because of the weather. 

If your home school is closed and the bus is not running and you have no alternate form of transportation, it would be an excused absence. 

Remember, this year we only have three days that will be excused as snow days.  After that, any additional snow days will have to be made up.

Enjoy a Little Laugh

I came across this video today and thought I would pass it along to all of you. 

There are some days that I feel like the penguin going down through that ice.  Then there are the days I wish I could be that other penguin and let somebody have it.  Hopefully we can make it through the rest of December without being either one.  Enjoy!

Toys for Tots

Every year, the JVS has a Toys for Tots donation drive.  This year if students would like to participate, they can earn bonus points for my class.  With a one-time donation of a new toy, students will earn 10 extra credit points.  Toys may be donated until December 21st.  All collected toys are donated to The Chronicle Telegram's Not Forgotten Box.

A Short Week

I think we will all make it through our two-day week.  Enjoy the time off and eat plenty of turkey and pumpkin pie.  Happy Thanksgiving!

JVS Food Drive

Every November, the JVS holds a food drive to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.  Students have the opportunity to earn extra credit in my class by participating in the drive.  For every item brought to class, between now and November 23, students will earn one point.  There is a maximum of ten bonus points that can be earned!

It's time to wake up!

Listen everyone.  The second quarter has started and now is as good a time as any to get busy.  It is so easy to get behind with school work (even me), so make the decision to stay on top of your assignments this quarter.  Usually we have some class time to complete assignments--make sure you're using this time wisely.  And, as always, if you have any questions or concerns let me know. 

Hypnobirth on Chanel 3 News

On Monday, November 8, Chanel 3 News had a spot on hypnobirth.  We recently discussed using hypnosis as an effective pain management technique in psychology.

Visit the Chanel 3 Webpage to read about the story and watch a short video.

There's a link at the website to learn more information on the Mongan Method of hypnobirth.

Dr. Phillip Zimbardo

Dr. Zimbardo is a professor emeritus at Stanford University in California.  In psychology, we discussed Dr. Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment.  The experiment has its own website, Stanford Prison Experiment, if you'd like to learn more about it.

Dr. Zimbardo was a guest on Monday's episode of The Dr. Phil Show.  You can view a portion of the episode and read about his appearance at Dr. Phil's website.  Dr. Zimbardo has consistently studied why good people do bad things since his early research.

If you would like ten bonus points, please check out these websites and write a half-page summary of what you learn or post a comment below.  Do you agree with Dr. Zimbardo's theory that it's possible for a good person to turn evil?  Extra credit is due on Friday, October 29.

Pictures from American Civics Field Trip

On October 18, my American Civics classes visited Cleveland.  We were able to have a one hour tour on Lolly the Trolley.  In addition, we visited four markets: La Borincana (Hispanic), Tink Holl (Asian), Gallucci's (Italian), and West Side Market.

Shopping at the West Side Market

at La Borincana



Awesome hats from Tink Holl

West Side Market



 

Hot Sauce

 
   

West Side Market



On Lolly the Trolley



Above the Market



We all loved shopping!



Our entire group!

 

Google Docs in Plain English

This is a great explanation for Google Docs, which we're using in Computer Applications.

Lolly the Trolley

On Monday, October 18th, Civics students will take a field trip to Cleveland to participate in a Lolly the Trolley tour. The purpose of the tour is to explore Cleveland's ethnic heritage as we explore the urbanization and immigration history of our great nation.

Students will have a one-hour, narrated tour of Cleveland. After, we will visit three ethnic markets (Asian/Chinese, Gallucci's Italian, and La Borincana Spanish) and finish at the West Side Market.

Students are asked to bring a $5 deposit by Tuesday, October 12th. Payment for the field trip will be made by JVS. This $5 will be returned to students the morning of the field trip to use as spending money. Additional money may be desired, however.

Our bus will depart the JVS by 8:10 and will return by 2:00. Dismissal will be at the regular time.

If you have any questions about the field trip, please give me a call or send an e-mail.  You may also be interested in checking out Lolly the Trolley for yourself.

What's Your Color Personality?

In Psychology class, we have spent a lot of time discussing different tests and whether they can tell us anything about our true personalities.  I recently came across this quiz, which tells what your favorite colors reveal about you.

Take the short quiz at the Real Simple website.  Write up a short description of your results by Friday, September 24th if you're interested in some extra credit!

Grades

Finally, I have caught up with my grading!  Today, all students have received an updated grade and any work was returned.  On Monday, October 4, students and parents will have the opportunity to access student grades through ProgressBook.  If you have not received any information about this, please contact the school office.

Back to Work

I know not many of us look forward to another week, but hopefully you've enjoyed your weekend and you're ready to get back to work.

Psychology can look forward to having our first test of the year.  Computer Applications will present the presentations we've been working on.  Civics will continue taking notes and discussing the American citizen and our rights and responsibilities.
~Mrs. Pluta

2011 Profiles in Courage Essay Contest

This is an essay contest open to any U.S. high school student in grades nine through twelve.  The first-place winner receives $5,000 cash and $5,000 in a college savings plan.  So if you don't mind writing an essay of 1,000 words or less, check this out!

The essay contest is a reflection of President Kennedy's book Profiles in Courage.  For more information, visit the Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation's website.

Good Start to the Week

Today was a great day.  Psychology students started working on chapter one by completing a crossword puzzle containing the chapter's key terms.  Hopefully those that didn't finish in class remember their homework!  Civics is continuing to work through the Citizenship Test.  We should finish that up Wednesday.  Students will need their Civics books on Wednesday and Thursday.  In Computer Applications, students continued to work on their personal biographies.  Part of the project includes a flyer.  No one is including a name, so we can see how well we know one another.

See everyone in class tomorrow!

1 Week Down, 39 to Go!

Well, hopefully none of you are too sick of school yet.  I think our first week together was great.  It has been nice getting to know all of my new students and to see their enthusiasm for school--especially for our first three-day weekend.

I have a lot planned for this week.

• American Civics: We will finish reviewing the citizenship test.  I have told students that it's important to hang on to this packet--it will be the basis for our final exam in May.  After that, we'll be moving on to our first unit, What is Government?
• Psychology: This week we will begin our first chapter, What is Psychology?  This chapter helps continue the course introduction we began last week.  If you have enjoyed the psychological tests, there are more to come!  This week we'll also discuss alternative sciences, including palm reading and horoscopes.
• Computer Applications: Students have gotten right to work using the computers.  Last week they began using PowerPoint to create a slide show about themselves.  This week, we'll add to this assignment to create a Personal Biography project.

I'm attaching this picture because we didn't have much sunshine over our long weekend.  Hopefully you were all able to relax and catch up on the sleep we're all missing out on.  I'm looking forward to getting back to school, and I hope you are too!

~Mrs. Pluta

tough day for mr. newman :-<

tough day for mr. newman :-
Originally uploaded by *christopher*

Hopefully none of us will feel like this!

Back to School

Welcome back to school!  I'm sure you all are super anxious to return and start another year.  This year, I'll be teaching American Civics, Practical Computer Applications, Psychology, and Sociology.  Check back often for information about the class, assignments, or great resources.

Remember to check the JVS website for additional school information: http://www.lcjvs.com/.