1st week of 2009

I am posting this early because I always like for it to be up before the week it refers to, so here are the assignments for the first week in 2009!

7th grade:
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: L. 45
Wed.: L. 46 odds
Thurs.: L. 47
Fri.: L. 49 (calculator allowed)
You will be taking a quiz over fractions, decimals, & percents on Fri., 1/9/09!

8th grade:
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: L. 61
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 62
Fri.: no homework
You will be taking a test on Fri., 1/9/09!

Again, have a great time during your Christmas vacation! :-)

Mrs. Buescher

Week of Christmas

Hello! Wow - was last week crazy! I was out on Mon. & Tues. with a sick child and then school was cancelled Wed. - Friday. This week we just have 2 days of attendance, with an early dismissal at 2:20 p.m. on Tuesday. This week there will be no homework. I just ask that you all enjoy your time off of school, be safe, and have a Merry Christmas!

Mrs. Buescher

Week of December 15-19, 2008

First of all I want to say that we are close to the mid-way point of our school year and the students are doing a great job. For the most part, they are well-behaved and they are completing their school work! Good job & keep up the good work! :-)

7th grade assignments:
Mon.: L. 43
Tues.: L. 48 supplemental practice
Wed.: L. 44
Thurs.: L. 45
Fri.: quiz; no homework

We are doing a mini-unit on fractions, decimals and percents. That is why we are going out of order this week. Lessons 43 & 48 pertain to this topic so we are going to cover them at the same time. We will also be playing games and using the Versa Tiles in class to help us learn our fraction-decimal-percent equivalencies. Do you know what 3/8 is as a decimal? Do you have it memorized? You will by next Friday!

8th grade assignments:
Mon.: worksheet
Tues.: pretest in class; no homework
Wed.: test; no homework
Thurs.: L. 60
Fri.: no homework

Parents: When you see "no homework," that is when we are working the hardest in class! When we fill the entire period with activities, notes, and practice problems, and there's no time left to begin their homework, those are the nights I do not assign any work to be done outside of the classroom!

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season. Remember we attend school through the 23rd (early dismissal at 2:20 p.m.). The students return on January 5, 2009!!

Have a great week!
Mrs. Buescher

December 8-12, 2008

7th grade:
Mon.: pretest in class; no homework
Tues.: test; no homework
Wed.: L. 41
Thurs.: L. 42
Fri.: supplemental practice for L. 43

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 54
Tues.: L. 56
Wed.: L. 57
Thurs.: L. 58
Fri.: no homework

Study sessions are scheduled for every Thursday this month at 7:45 a.m. You can come in for extra help ANY time I am in my room, but these times are set aside specifically for extra help.

Wed., 12/10 is an early dismissal day - at 2:20 p.m.

Tues., 12/23 is an early dismissal day - at 2:20 p.m.

Christmas break from 12/24 - Jan. 4. Return to school on January 5, 2008.

Week of December 1-5, 2008

7th grade
Mon.: L. 38
Tues.: L. 39
Wed.: L. 40
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: no homework

8th grade
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: no homework
Wed.: L. 50
Thurs.: L. 51
Fri.: no homework

Week of Thanksgiving

Hello everyone!
This is a short week with no school on Thursday or Friday. Please note we dismiss early on Wed. at 2:20 p.m.

7th grade homework assignments:
Mon.: L. 36
Tues.: L. 37

8th grade homework assignments:
Mon.: L. 48
Tues.: L. 49

Have you ever completed a sodoku? We will work on these puzzles on Wednesday. If we have extra time we might get in a game or two of Blokus or Blink! Parents: Ask your child if they enjoy the math games we play. If so, they would make great Christmas gift ideas! Blink is around $5 at Wal-Mart. Blokus is more expensive; I've found it at Target for $30, but it is great for what I call their "math brains"!!

Have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your time off of school!

Mrs. Buescher

Week of November 17-21, 2008

Announcements first...

• Mathcounts Team Test: Tuesday, 11/18 @11:35 a.m.
• Study Session: Friday, 11/21 @ 7:45 a.m.
• Next test: Friday, 11/21
• Dismiss early on 11/26: 2:20 p.m.
• No school on 11/27 & 11/28
• Bring in donations for our food drive by 11/24

7th grade assignments

Mon.: Project due!

Tues.: Supplemental practice for L. 33, p. 769 #1-12

Wed.: L. 34

Thurs.: no homework

Fri.: test; no homework

8th grade assignments:

Mon.: L. 44

Tues.: L. 45

Wed.: L. 46

Thurs.: L. 47

Fri.: test; no homework

Week of November 10-14, 2008

Hello everyone! I'll start with some reminders first...

1. Every year I take a team of students to a Mathcounts Competition. A test will be given on Wed., 11/12 at 11:35 a.m. for anyone who is interested in being on the team.
2. My study session for this week will be Friday, November 14 at 7:45 a.m.
3. Looking ahead: We get out early on Wed., 11/26 at 2:20 p.m.
4. There is NO SCHOOL on November 27th-28th for Thanksgiving.

Homework assignments this week:

7th grade:

Mon.: You will be assigned a project that will be due on Friday.

Tues. & Wed.: We'll have time in class to work on the project.

Thurs.: L. 32

Fri.: We'll check out each other's projects in class & there will be no homework.

8th grade:

Mon.: L. 40

Tues.: L. 41

Wed.: L. 42

Thurs.: no homework

Fri.: Math Game Day! No homework

Week of November 4-6, 2008

Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for Mon., 11/3 and Fr., 11/7, so there is no student attendance on those days. We have IOWA testing on Tues., Wed., and Thurs. There will be no math homework assigned on those days. Students: please be sure you have multiple No. 2 lead pencils and extra reading material for testing days.

October is quickly wrapping up! The 1st quarter ends on Tuesday, October 28. Parent/teacher conferences will be held on Mon., 11/3 (from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.) and Fri., 11/7 (8 a.m. - noon). Letters have been mailed out to parents that the Jr. High Staff feels like they need to see. If you did not receive a letter and yet would still like to set up a conference, please e-mail me. I am scheduling them for the entire Jr. High. We will obviously not have school on these 2 days.

The plan for October 27 - 31 in math is as follows:
7th grade:
Mon.: L. 28
Tues.: L. 29
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 31
Fri.: Test (no homework)

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 33
Tues.: L. 36
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 38
Fri.: Test (no homework)

I will host a study session on Thursday at 7:45 a.m.

Mrs. Buescher

Week of October 20-24, 2008

Hello students & families:

The assignments for the week of October 20 are posted below.
7th grade:
Mon.: L. 25
Tues.: review game in class; no homework
Wed.: test; no homework
Thurs.: L. 26
Fri.: L. 27

8th grade:
Mon.: musical pretest in class; no homework
Tues.: test
Wed.: L. 30
Thurs.: L. 31
Fri.: L. 32

There will not be any scheduled study sessions this week because we are having a review/catch-up day in each class. If you need extra help, see me any day before or after school, at lunch or during your study hall (if I'm available).

Have a great day. Enjoy this beautiful fall weather!
Mrs. Buescher

Week of October 14-17, 2008

Hello! I am entering this early for those of you who like to plan WAAAYYY out!!

7th grade assignments:

Tues., October 14: L. 21 - We will start with #1 in class and work in rotating groups. Even if you begin ahead of time, you will be expected to work with your group. (If you want to work ahead, a better use of your time would be to start with #15 on your own since we will probably get several of these completed in class.)
Wed., October 15: L. 22
Thurs., October 16: L. 23
Fri., October 17: L. 24

8th grade assignments:

Tues.: L. 27 - due Thursday
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: L. 28
*8th grade gets to work in the computer lab on Tuesday & Thursday of this week!

The study session will be Wednesday, October 15 at 7:45 a.m. The 7th graders who attended this week earned scores of 84%, 98%, and 99%!! Sometimes just having a few things clarified makes a BIG difference!

Mrs. Buescher

P.S. Have a great 4 day weekend (October 10-13)!

Study Session

My study session for the week of October 6th will be Wednesday, the 8th from 7:45 - 8:11 a.m. Students earn 2 extra credit points for attending and they get the opportunity to work in a small group to ask me any math questions they may be struggling with.

Week of October 6-9, 2008

Hello everyone! Here's the plan for the week of October 6th.
7th grade:
Mon.: L. 19
Tues.: L. 20, due Thursday
Wed.: Test
Thurs.: We'll do an investigation in class, so no homework!

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 24
Tues.: L. 25
Wed.: worksheet
Thurs.: no homework

Thursday we dismiss at 2:20 p.m. and there is no school on Friday, the 10th or Monday, the 13th.

Thanks for checking in!

Mrs. Buescher

Week of September 29-October 3, 2008

Hello! Please remember that Monday is an early dismissal at 1:20 p.m. Also, I will offer a study session Wednesday from 7:45 - 8:11 a.m. The students who have attended have earned great test scores! Your extra work will pay off! :-)

7th grade assignments:
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: no homework
Wed.: L. 16
Thurs.: L. 17
Fri.: L. 18

8th grade assignments:
Mon.: L. 20
Tues.: L. 21 evens
Wed.: L. 22
Thurs.: L. 23
Fri.: TEST, so no homework

Just a note on my thoughts on homework... I had someone look at my lesson plans and comment that I did not assign homework every night. This is intentional. If we fill our class time with instruction, games, practice work, & cooperative learning (which we do!), homework is not always necessary. Furthermore, when I do assign homework, I give my students class time to work on it. Because I do not feel that I overload my students, then when they do have work to be completed outside of the classroom, I expect it to be completed! Just thought I'd take a minute to explain my homework philosophy!!

Have a great week!
Mrs. Buescher

Week of September 22-26, 2008

7th grade homework will be...
Mon.: be prepared for Tuesday's test
Tues.: test - no homework
Wed.: L. 15 - due Friday
Thurs.: field trip - no homework
Fri.: L. 15 supplemental practice, page 766 #1-12
7th graders will have a binder check on Monday. Be sure yours is organized!
7th graders will get to play a game called "Fraction Empire" on Friday!

8th grade homework will be...
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: L. 17
Wed.: L. 19 - due Friday
Thurs.: test - no homework
Fri.: no homework
8th graders will get to play games called "Battle" and "Recall" on Monday!

Study Session

7th graders will have a math test on Tuesday, September 23, and 8th graders will have a math test on Thursday, September 25.

The next study sessions will be Monday from 3:20 - 4:00 p.m. and Tuesday from 7:45 - 8:11 a.m. These are times for you to receive extra help in math.

Other details for you to remember:

• Mid-term is September 24th.
• 7th grade field trip is on September 25th.
• Early dismissal at 1:20 p.m. on September 29th

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

Mrs. Buescher

Study Session

I will have a study session this Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. If your grade on our 1st test was not what you'd hoped for, you need to attend! This is an opportunity for you to receive extra help.

September 15-19, 2008

Homework for 7th grade:
Mon.: L. 7
Tues.: L. 8 odds
Wed.: L. 9
Thurs.: L. 10
Fri.: no homework

Homework for 8th grade:
Mon.: L. 9
Tues.: L. 11 odds
Wed.: L. 12
Thurs.: L. 13
Fri.: no homework

I gave you "odds only" on Tuesday so that you would have time in the evening to attend the Open House. Hope to see you there!

Extra Credit - Number Riddle

The following extra credit problem can be submitted Tuesday, Sept. 16 at the open house, which is scheduled from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. If you are unable to attend, I will also accept solutions on Wednesday.

I am a number between 212 and 770. The digits in me descend, like the number 4,321. My digits add up to 12. What number am I?

The correct solution will earn you 2 extra credit points. I need to see some work or a paragraph explaining how you arrived at your answer. A number is not enough. Fee free to ask your family for help. Remember, I will also have other activities available that evening for extra credit.

math websites

Check out www.aaamath.com sometime to work on your math skills. You can search by subject or by grade level. Have fun working on your math skills online!

September 8-12, 2008

Hello! The assignments this week are as follows...
7th grade:
Mon.: L. 4
Tues.: L. 5
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 6
Fri.: no homework

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 5 odds
Tues.: L. 6
Wed.: L. 7 odds
Thurs.: L. 8
Fri.: no homework

Both grades are going to get to work with a new "math game" this week: Versa Tiles. I hope you enjoy it! Speaking of games, several students checked out games over the weekend of Sept. 5th. I will allow you to take Blokus or Blink home over the weekend. Let me know if you are interested!

Have a great week!
Mrs. Buescher

Study Sessions

I am available every day from 7:45 - 8:11 a.m. to answer questions about your homework. You can also ask me questions during lunch or from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (if you have a study hall during that time). A final time I am available for extra help is after school. Feel free to see me at any of those times.

I do, however, set up certain times as "study sessions" - times that are set aside for you to come in and receive extra help. Those times before our first test are:

Mon., 9/8 from 3:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Fri., 9/12 from 7:45 - 8:11 a.m.

Feel free to stop in if you have questions!

Week of September 2-5, 2008

Students: Good job learning Blokus last week. That game is available online at http://www.amazon.com or at Target stores if you are interested in asking for it for a birthday or Christmas gift! You also worked hard on problem solving on Friday - GOOD WORK!

This week your assignments are as follows:
Tues.: Lesson 1
Wed.: Lesson 2
Thurs.: Lesson 3
Fri.: No homework

I will begin offering "study sessions" next week for anyone who feels like they need extra help. Also, your first test is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 12.

Welcome back!

Hello students and welcome back to school. As you know, we simply went over rules today. Please have your parents sign and date your packet of information. I look forward to teaching you how to play "Blokus" tomorrow.