Week of January 4-8, 2010

7th grade assignments are as follows:
Mon. - supplemental practice for lesson 43
Tues. & Wed. - no homework
Thurs. - lesson 46
Fri. - no homework
*There will be a quiz over fractions/decimals/percents on Friday, 1/8.

8th grade:
Mon. - lesson 54
Tues. - no homework
Wed. - lesson 57
Thurs. - no homework
Fri. - TEST; no homework

December 14-18, 2009

In our last week before Christmas break, the 7th graders' assignments are as follows:

Mon. - L. 42
All other work will be completed in class this week.

8th grade:
Mon. - L. 50
Tues. - L. 51
All other work will also be completed in class this week.

Other things to be aware of...

• Early dismissal on Fri., 12/18 at 2:20 p.m. School will resume on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010.
• Students will be given an opportunity to try out for the Mathcounts Team on Tuesday at 11:35 a.m. (during recess).
• On Fri., 12/18, the students will be allowed to select an educational movie to watch for the afternoon. They may bring snacks or drinks to share with their peers if they would like to.

December 7-11, 2009

7th grade assignments are as follows.
Mon.: L. 40 #1-15
Tues.: L. 40 #16-30
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: test; no homework
Fri.: no homework

8th grade
Mon.: L. 47
Tues.: L. 48
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: test; no homework
Fri.: no homework

Note: Wed., 12/9 is an early dismissal day - at 2:20 p.m.

Week of November 30-December 4, 2009

The year sure is moving along quickly! 2009 will be over before we know it!

The students of Neoga Jr. High continue to work hard and their behavior is great! It is a privilege to work with them.

Here are the assignments for the week.

7th grade
Mon.: L. 37
Tues.: L. 38
Wed.: L. 39
Thurs. & Fri.: no homework

8th grade
Mon.: L. 44
Tues.: L. 45
Wed.: L. 46
Thurs. & Fri.: no homework

November 23-25, 2009

On Wed., 11/25 students will have an early dismissal at 2:20 p.m.
There will be no school on 11/26 or 11/27. Happy Thanksgiving!

There will not be homework in math this week.
On Monday, we will do an activity that will help the students prepare for Tuesday's test.
On Tuesday, we will take our 2nd test of the 2nd quarter.
On Wednesday, we will cover a new lesson, but I will not assign the problem set as homework.

2nd quarter is going very well. Keep encouraging the students to work hard and do their very best!

Food Drive

Parents: Did you child tell you that the Jr. High is participating in a food drive? He/she should know which food item is supposed to be brought in! Thanks for your help!! Donations are due by this Friday.

Week of November 16-20, 2009

Important dates:
11/25: 2:20 p.m. dismissal
11/26 & 11/27: no school - Happy Thanksgiving!

7th grade assignments are as follows...
Mon.: L. 32
Tues.: supplemental practice for L. 33, p. 769
Wed.: L. 34
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: no homework

8th grade...
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: L. 40
Wed.: L. 41
Thurs.: L. 42
Fri.: no homework

I will be introducing a new extra credit opportunity next week!

Week of Nov. 9-13, 2009

The 2nd quarter is already moving right along and the students are doing a terrific job!

During the week of November 9, the 7th graders will be working on a project in class, so as long as they use their class time wisely, they should not have any homework. On Friday, they will complete L. 31.

8th grade assignments are as follows...
Mon.: L. 37
Tues. and Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 38
Fri.: L. 39
*8th grade test on Wednesday

Week of November 2-6, 2009

Hello! The week of November 2nd will be "back to normal" after IOWA testing and Parent/Teacher Conferences the previous week. The assingnments are as follows:

7th grade
Mon.: L. 28
Tues.: L. 29
Wed.: L. 30
Thurs. & Fri.: no homework
*Test Friday

8th grade
Mon.: L. 31
Tues.: L. 32
Wed.: L. 33
Thurs.: L. 34
Fri.: no homework

Week of October 26-30, 2009

October 26 & 30 are no school days for the students. Parent/teacher conferences will be held on those days. Parents who did not receive a phone call, but would like to meet with the Jr. High staff should call the school at 895-2205.

IOWA standardized testing will be held on Tues., Wed., & Thurs.

7th graders will be assigned L. 27 in math.
8th graders will be assigned L. 30. That's all! (Due to IOWA testing)

Report cards will be distributed to the students on Thursday.

Homework assignments for the week of 10/19-10/23

7th grade
Mon.: L. 24
Tues.: L. 25
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 26 #1-15
Fri.: L. 26 #16-30
*Test Thurs.

8th grade
Mon.: L. 27
Tues.: L. 28
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 29 #1-15
Fri.: L. 29 #16-30
*Test Thurs.

October 12-16, 2009

Mon., Oct. 12: no school

7th grade assignments:
Tues.: 1st hour will be assigned L. 21; 7th & 8th hours will be assigned the supplemental practice for L. 21
Wed.: L. 22
Thurs.: L. 23
Fri.: no homework

8th grade assignments:
Tues.: L. 25
Wed.: worksheet
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: L. 27

Our service learning activities have been postponed to Friday, October 16 due to the weather.

Week of October 5-8, 2009

Homework assignments...

7th grade:
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: L. 21
Wed.: Test; no homework
Thurs.: no homework

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 23
Tues.: L. 24 odds
Wed.: L. 25
Thurs.: no homework

Things to know...

• 10/8: early dismissal at 2:20 p.m.
• 10/9 & 10/12: no school
• 10/23: end of 1st quarter
• 10/26 & 10/30: Parent/teacher conferences - No School; We (the Jr. High staff) will contact parents we would like to meet with. If you would like to schedule a conference, call us at school.
• I am offering a math enrichment program on Wednesdays during lunch. All students are welcome to attend and receive supplemental instruction in math. We will celebrate at the end of the 8-week program with pizza from Casey's!
• The Service Learning portion of our CEASL Project has begun! Please see a previous post for more information.

C.E.A.S.L. Project

Neoga Jr. High students are starting the service learning portion of the C.E.A.S.L. (Character Education And Service Learning) Project on Thursday, October 8. The students will be taking part in many activities in the community from trash pick-up around town to assisting with the NES Sports Day at Jennings Park. Over 120 students plus several teachers will be donating 2 hours of their time to serving the Neoga community on that day!

Students are encouraged to get 12 hours of service learning throughout the school year. We will provide other opportunities for students to work on those hours as the year progresses. Students have been instructed on how to keep track of these hours (service learning log) and what will/will not count. In general, they can not count activities that they are expected to do at home, and they can not count activities that they are paid for. Their service learning needs to be "above and beyond!" Ideas include: raking leaves for an elderly neighbor, serving in the church nursery, helping at a fundraiser, picking up trash around town, etc. The program is optional, but the Jr. High Staff encourages all students to participate. A celebration will be held in the spring for all students who earned their service learning hours! Be creative and have fun with it!

Week of September 28, 2009

Homework assignments for 7th grade...

Mon.: no homework
Tues.: L. 17
Wed.: L. 18
Thurs.: L. 19
Fri.: no homework

8th grade...
Mon.: no homework
Tues.: no homework
Wed.: L. 21
Thurs.: L. 22
Fri.: TEST; no homework

*We will be getting an EIU student who will be in the classroom for 4 weeks. This is her first time working so closely with students. Working with the Neoga Jr. High students will be a great opportunity for her! We are excited to have Miss Yamamoto with us!

*Remember Monday, Sept. 28 we have an early dismissal at 1:20 p.m.

Week of September 21, 2009

7th graders will be playing a fraction game, working on problem solving, and reviewing for a test this week. No homework! There will be a test on Friday.

8th graders will be working on a flooring project. They will be picking a floor plan, figuring the square footage of the home, and selecting flooring. Then, they will determine the costs to purchase all of their flooring. The project will be completed in class and will be due at the end of the hour on Thursday. Friday, we will cover lessons 18 & 19 and I will assign lesson 19.

7th graders have a field trip on Thursday.
Mid-term is Wed., Sept. 23. Mid-terms reports will be mailed home.

Homework assignment for the week of 9/14-9/18

7th grade
Mon.: L. 8 # 1-16
Tues.: L. 9
Wed.: L. 10 #8-30
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: no homework

8th grade
Mon.: L. 14 #1-22
Tues.: L. 15
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 17
Fri.: TEST; no homework

OPEN HOUSE EXTRA CREDIT PROBLEMS

Solve the following problems and bring the solutions (with any work that you did shown on the same piece of paper) to open house on Monday, September 14 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Each problem is worth 2 extra credit points. Your family may help you!

1. Use the digits 1-9 to solve the following number riddle. You cannot repeat digits within the number.

I am the largest 4-digit odd number you can make (while following the rules above). What number am I?

2. Edgar does sit-ups daily. On Monday, he did 20 sit-ups. On Tuesday, he did 30. He did 50 sit-ups on Wednesday, and 90 on Thursday. If he continues this pattern, Edgar will do an impressive number of sit-ups on Saturday. What number of sit-ups will he do on Saturday?

September 8-11, 2009

Hello! School is off to a great start! The students are working hard and adjusting well, and the weather is cooperating with us! What more could we ask for?!

A few dates for your calendar...

• Mon., Sept. 7: No school
• Pictures for all students, Boys Baseball & Girls Basketball: Wed., Sept. 9
• Open House: Mon., Sept. 14 from 6 - 8 p.m.
• Wed., Sept. 23: mid-term
• Thurs., Sept. 24: 7th grade Science field trip
• Mon., Sept. 28: early dismissal at 1:20 p.m.

Homework assignments for the week are posted below.

7th grade

Tues.: L. 6

Wed.: no homework

Thurs.: L. 7

Fri.: TEST; no homework

8th grade

Tues.: L. 8

Wed.: L. 9

Thurs.: L. 11

Fri.: no homework

Week of August 31, 209

Homework assignments for 7th grade
Mon.: L. 3
Tues.: no homework
Wed.: L. 4
Thurs.: L. 5
Fri.: no homework

8th grade
Mon.: L. 4
Tues.: L. 5
Wed.: L. 6
Thurs.: L. 7
Fri.: Test! No homework

Welcome back!

Welcome back to school! The 2009-2010 school year is off to a good start and we teachers anticipate another successful year!

For those of you who have not visited this blog before, it simply offers a way for parents to stay caught up on what is going on in the math classroom. If a student is absent, he or she can obtain the homework assignment from this blog. I also post calendar information (early dismissals, no school days, etc.) that you may want to be aware/reminded of.

For the first full week of school, the math assignments are as follows.

Mon. & Tues.: no homework
Wed.: Lesson 1
Thurs.: Lesson 2
Fri.: no homework

Please note: Open House will be Mon., Sept. 14 from 6 - 8 p.m.

Have a great week!

Fundraisers for Camp New Hope

The 2 fundraisers the Neoga Jr. High students participated in resulted in a check for over $500 being presented to Camp New Hope! Way to go, students!!

End of the school year

Hello to all! While we will be very busy over the next couple of weeks in the math classroom with lessons I still want to get to, projects, and tests, we will not have any more assignments to be completed outside of class. I will focus today's post on the end-of-the year activities...

Fri., May 8 from 7 - 9 p.m.: Jr. High Dance
Mon., May 18 at nooon: Awards Program, followed by 8th grade promotion practice and a band concert at 2:30 p.m.
Fri., May 22 at 7 p.m.: 8th grade promotion
Mon., May 25: No School
Tues., May 26: Jr. High Band to Holiday World
Thurs., May 28: Good Behavior Bowling Trip; 1:20 p.m. dismissal
Fri., May 29: No School/Teacher's Institute
Mon., June 1: Dismiss at 10:20 a.m.

The students are going to be participating in a couple of fundraisers to raise funds for Camp New Hope. One is a Rock Band Tournament, with each participant paying $2. The other is a booth at Neoga Days. Watch for more information coming home about those 2 activities!

Week of May 4-8, 2009

The school year is quickly coming to an end...here are some important dates:
Fri., 5/8 from 7-9 p.m.: Jr. High Dance
Mon., 5/18 at noon: Awards Program; at 2:30: Band Concert
Fri., 5/22 at 7 p.m.: 8th grade promotion
Mon., 5/25: no school
Thurs., 5/28: dismiss at 1:20 p.m.
Fri., 5/29: Teacher's Institute/no school
Mon., 6/1: dismiss at 10:20 a.m. School's out for the summer!

These are the homework assignments for the week of May 4.

7th grade:
Mon. - L. 83
Tues. - L. 84 odds
Wed. - no homework
Thurs. - L. 86
Fri. - no homework

8th grade:
Mon. - L. 106
Tues. - L. 107
Wed. - no homework
Thurs. - L. 108
Fri. - TEST; no homework

Week of April 27-May 1, 2009

Hello! Mid-term of the 4th quarter is Wednesday, April 29.

These will be the assignments for 7th grade...

Mon.: no homework
Tues.: no homework
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 82
Fri.: no homework

There will be a test on Friday.

And, for 8th grade...
Mon.: L. 101
Tues.: L. 102
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 104
Fri.: no homework

Week of April 20-24, 2009

Homework assignments...
7th grade
Mon.: L. 77
Tues.: no homework
Wed.: L. 79
Thurs.: L. 80 odds
Fri.: no homework

8th grade
Mon.: L. 97
Tues.: L. 98
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 100
Fri.: test; no homework

Week of April 14-17, 2009

7th grade assignments...
Tues.: 4/14: supplemental practice for L. 75, p. 775
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 76
Fri.: no homework
*7th grade test on 4/17/09
*study session 4/17/09 at 7:50 a.m.

8th grade assignments...
Tues.: L. 93
Wed.: no homework
Thurs.: L. 95
Fri.: worksheet


Please note: early dismissal on Wed., 4/15/09 at 2:20 p.m.

Week of April 6-9, 2009

Good job to all of you for your participation in the Science Fair. I enjoyed seeing and hearing about all of your projects.

In math this week, we will have the following assignments.

7th grade:
Mon.: L. 72
Tues.: L. 73
Wed.: L. 74
Thurs.: no homework

8th grade:
Mon.: pretest in class; no homework
Tues.: L. 92
Wed.: test; no homework
Thurs.: no homework

We have an early dismissal on Thursday (1:20 p.m.), no school on Friday (the 10th) or Monday (the 13th). School will resume on Tuesday, April 14. Happy Easter!

Week of March 30

March 30th marks the beginning of the 4th quarter! Keep working hard throughout these last weeks of the year!

7th grade homework assignments:
Mon.: L. 68
Tues.: L. 69
Wed.: L. 70
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: L. 71 (calculator lesson)

8th grade homework assingnments:
Mon.: L. 89 #16-30
Tues.: L. 89 #1-15
Wed.: L. 90
Thurs.: no homework
Fri.: L. 91

*The Science Fair will be Thursday during 2nd, 3rd, and 4th class periods.
*Upcoming days to remember:
No School on 4/10 and 4/13
Dismiss at 1:20 on 4/9 and 2:20 on 4/15.
Mid-term: 4/29
Last day of school: 6/1 - dismiss at 10:20 a.m.

Week of March 23-27, 2009

Homework assignments for the week...
7th grade:
Mon.: L. 64
Tues.: L. 65
Wed.: pretest in class; no homework
Thurs.: test; no homework
Fri.: early dismissal; no homework

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 87
Tues.: L. 88
Wed.: pretest in class; no homework
Thurs.: test; no homework
Fri.: early dismissal; no homework

Week of March 16-20, 2009

Hello to all! You will find the homework assignments for the week of March 16th listed below.

7th
Mon.: project presentations (no homework)
Tues.: L. 62
Wed.: L. 63
Thurs.: L. 64
Fri.: quiz in class (no homework)

8th
Mon. & Tues.: work on projects in class (no homework)
Wed.: project presentations (no homework)
Thurs. & Fri.: We will work on L. 86 in rotating groups (no homework).

Have a great week!

Mrs. Buescher

Week of March 9-13, 2009

Hello to all! ISAT testing will be over this week and we will be happy to return to our regular schedule next week. These are the assignments for the week.

7th grade:
Mon.: worksheet
Tues.: investigation in class; no homework
Wed.: L. 61
Thurs.: We will begin working on a project that is due the following week.
Fri.: continue to work on project

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 82
Tues.: L. 83
Wed.: pretest in class; no homework
Thurs.: L. 84
Fri.: test; no homework

Keep up the good work! There are only 3 weeks left in the 3rd quarter!

Mrs. Buescher

1st week in March 2009

This week the students will be taking the ISAT test. There will be no assigned homework in math.

Please remember:

• get plenty of rest
• eat breakfast
• bring sharpened pencils to take the test
• do your very best!

Have a great week! :-)

Week of February 23-27, 2009

This week we will be doing in-class activities and a review for the ISAT test which will be next week. There will be no work assigned outside of class!

Dates to note:

• Mid-term is Wednesday, 2/25.
• Thursday, 2/28 is the Mathcounts Competition that 8 of our students will be competing in.
• Friday, 2/27 is 8th grade career day at LLC.

Have a wonderful week!

Mrs. Buescher

Week of Febrary 17-20, 2009

Mon.: No School
Tues.: Jr. High Skating Trip ** Early dismissal: 1:20 p.m.

7th grade
Wed.: Pretest
Thurs.: L. 59
Fri.: Test

8th grade
Wed.: Pretest
Thurs.: L. 80
Fri.: Test

Week of February 9-13, 2009

Hello! Please check out the Notices/Reminders posting that goes over various upcoming dates. I also want to make you aware of the changes to the school schedule due to the days that school had to be cancelled.

3rd quarter mid-term is Feb. 25
3rd quarter ends on Mar. 27
April 9 will be an early dismissal (at 1:20 for the Jr. High)
4th quarter mid-term is April 29
The last day of school is June 1 with a dismissal at 10:20 that day.

Assignments for the week of Feb. 9th are as follows...

7th grade:
Mon.: L. 56
Tues.: L. 57
Wed.: L. 58
Thurs.: L. 59
Fri.: no homework

8th grade:
Mon.: L. 74
Tues.: L. 76
Wed.: L. 77
Thurs.: L. 79
Fri.: no homework

Usually in math class we stick to the topic of math and so my posts on here on usually just general math information. However, I read a newspaper article in the "Journal Gazette" yesterday that I felt I needed to share with my students. It referred to teenagers getting into trouble with the law due to what they were sending around on their text messages (inappropriate pictures of themselves or people they knew). I shared this with my students in the context that I know that good kids sometimes make really bad choices. I wanted them to be aware that this is going on and people do get in trouble for it. The students' responses were very interesting and led me to believe that it goes on in Neoga, too. Why do I post this on here? Because we are often asked for suggestions on how to deal with kids. I think one of the biggest things is to make sure that parents know what is going on with their kids. For example, is it okay for parents to check their child's cell phone, Facebook account, myspace account, etc.?? Just something to think about!

Have a good weekend!

We really do have good students here!

Study Session on Mon., Feb. 9

I have scheduled a study session on Mon., Feb. 9 from 3:20 - 4:00 p.m. to give students an opportunity to come in for some extra help in math.

Notices/Reminders

Hello to all! I had a parent e-mail me about the upcoming freshman parent meeting and that prompted me to post a few notices/reminders about various Jr. High happenings... Not that I think your kids would ever forget to tell you something! :-)

• Mon., Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. - Meeting for the parents of 8th graders regarding next year; information on freshman pre-registration will be presented

• The 8 students who are on the Mathcounts Team will meet at 7:45 a.m. on 2/10, 2/17, and 2/24 to prepare for the competition on 2/26 in Salem, IL.

• Mid-term is Feb. 18th.

• The 8th graders will participate in a career day at Lake Land College on 2/27.

• A fun website to check out sometime is www.mathforum.org/dr.math There are answers on there to hundreds of commonly asked math questions.

Hope you are having a great week!

Mrs. Buescher

Week of February 2-6, 2009

Here's the plan for February 2-6, 2009
7th grade
Mon.: L. 52
Tues.: Test
Wed.: L. 53
Thurs.: L. 54
Fri.: L. 55

8th grade
Mon.: L. 72
Tues.: Test
Wed.: worksheet will be assigned
Thurs.: L. 73
Fri.: L. 74

Week of January 26-30, 2009

This week will end with a test for both grades, so be sure you are asking me questions if you have them!!

7th grade
Mon.: We will do an investigation in class - no homework.
Tues.: L. 51
Wed.: We will work on a pretest in class & will check it before leaving.
Thurs.: L. 52
Fri.: Test

8th grade
Mon.: L. 70
Tues.: L. 71
Wed.: We will work on a pretest in class & will check it before leaving.
Thurs.: L. 72
Fri.: Test

January 20-23, 2009

Homework assignments for 7th grade...
Mon. - no school
Tues. - L. 46
Wed. - L. 47
Thurs. - L. 49
Fri. - no homework

8th grade...
Mon. - no school
Tues. - L. 63
Wed. - L. 64
Thurs. - L. 67
Fri. - no homework

Week of January 12-15, 2009

Hello! Next week will be another shortened week, with dismissal at 1:20 p.m. on Thursday, no school on Friday (the 16th) or Monday (the 19th). Thursday, January 15 marks the end of the 2nd quarter. Those who qualify will be going skating that day! Here's the "math plan" for the week...

7th grade:
Mon. - We will complete a pretest in class.
Tues. - Test (no homework)
Wed.- We will work on problem solving during class. No homework!
Thurs. - no math class due to skating trip

8th grade:
Mon. - We will continue to work on solving 2-step equations (L. 61) and will go to the computer lab to practice our new skills.
Tues. - L. 62
Wed. - We will work on problem solving during class. No homework!
Thurs. - no math class due to skating trip