December 2023

This newsletter is to provide an insight to what is happening in our High School classes each month. To introduce staff and to provide their background as well in hopes to become more familiar with everyone in our Panther Family!

*Any/All Athletic Information can be found at https://www.mndcty.k12.mo.us/documents/athletics/257158

or on our APP under Athletic Newsletter

Foods Class:

We are constructing a graham cracker house during class. Students had to design and construct it. Some chose a barn, log cabin, hotel, and others chose a house. The community has donated some candy for the students to use. We will set these up in the mezzanine before the Christmas concert and have a place for visitors to vote on their favorite graham cracker house. We will also be making Christmas cookies and goodies after the graham cracker house project. We will enjoy some of them, and the rest will be donated to businesses in town or classrooms.

7th & 8th grade:

The students will learn all about kitchen tools and their uses. They will also learn how to measure different kinds of foods with different measuring tools. In 8th grade we are making homemade dough and turning that into pizzas. Then both classes are making Christmas cookies and treats. We will enjoy some of them, and the rest will be donated to businesses in town or classrooms.

Housing:

We are also constructing a graham cracker house in this class. Instead of setting these up in the mezzanine like our foods class, we will be setting these up in the High School hallway. The class will make a google form for the students to vote on their favorite house. The winner will be announced 4th hour on Dec. 12th!

Health:

We are finishing off this semester class with a chapter on mental and emotional health.

Nutrition and Wellness:

We are finishing up on Chapter 7 The Cook’s Tools. They are learning all about the uses of kitchen equipment and tools. We will be making Christmas cookies and treats in this class as well. There are two Friday’s where we will have Mrs Drewes’ second grade class come in and we will decorate some Christmas ornaments and also have a book buddy time with them. We will get to enjoy some elementary classes every Friday during this class period throughout the rest of the school year. I look forward to collaborating with the teachers and having this great class work with the younger kids.

Child Development:

We are closing out Chapter 3 Building Strong Families. We will be watching the movie “ The Martian Child” and filling out worksheets while watching.

FCCLA:

We adopted a red rock from downtown mainstreet this Christmas. Joslin, Kiley and Destiny helped decorate it. We will have a Christmas party with Mr Dignan and his FFA organization in our building on December 5th. Those participating in a STAR event will enter their event at the beginning of the month. We also have a couple officers that are going to audition for a Regional FCCLA office.

Our freshmen finished Night and will be wrapping up their unit on characterization. Their culminating project was to create a characterization mask of themselves. They will write their expository paper over the finished product.

The sophomores finished their To Kill a Mockingbird Unit and will begin the process of writing their final persuasive essay of the quarter. They will write about a serious topic that affects today's generation. They must mimic the style of Harper Lee by presenting the initial information from the eyes of the innocent (Scout Finch). They will then elaborate in their responses about the difficulties of the topic and why it's such a major issue for their generation. We will end with a Socratic discussing the different topics presented.

The juniors finished A Raisin in the Sun Unit. They are now writing an argumentative essay about the mental health crisis in our schools. They will end with a presentation introducing three possible solutions they believe could help fight this crisis.

The seniors are finishing their Major Conflicts in Literature Unit. Their culminating project will be to write a literary analysis over three of the texts we've had this quarter.

Elementary/Middle School: Students are still working on the jump rope challenge. If they can jump rope continuously without messing up for 1, 2, or 3 minutes they get to write their name on the wall.

Elementary: Christmas activities/stations

Middle School: Reaction time activities

High School: Hockey

K-4: Students have finished projects for the art show and are continuing to work on winter based projects. These projects include winter animals, landscapes, and a lot of snowmen.

5-7: Fifth graders are working on a picasso project that involves snowmen for their final project this semester. Sixth graders just finished a research project. Their final project for the semester will include an animal and a silhouette. Seventh graders will finish a four-part self-portrait for their final.

HS: High school classes are working hard to complete a final project and art journal prompts.

Biology- We will wind down the semester learning about cell structures and their functions.

Integrated Science- We are finishing up their Newton's Laws video project and then start our unit on pressure.

Human Anatomy- We are continuing to learn about the bones of the body and properly labeling the parts of each bone.

Chemistry- We will finish up our unit on electron configurations and Lewis Dot structures.

Ag Science 1 Students will be finished the semester talking about budgeting and money management. They will apply these principles through the Missouri FFA Recordbook. after mastering the recordbook, they will start their own personal recordbook for their Agricultural receipts and expenses.

Ag Science 2 student will finish 2023 learning about soil. More specifically they are learning about Soil Horizons, texture, structure, and uses for agricultural applications.

Greenhouse students have been discussing different energy saving methods in the greenhouse including automated systems and heating and cooling systems. They will also be discussing which plants will be grown in the fall.

Ag Construction students are currently working on personal projects in the shop including furniture refurbishing, deer mounts, furniture building, and many more.

Plant science will finish the semester with learning about fruit and vegetable production and the many career possibilities through this industry.

This month we are preparing to wrap up our semester and take finals in the high school social studies department. In World History, sophomores have just learned about the Industrial Revolution and its impacts, both positive and negative. The freshmen in Government class are diligently preparing for their Missouri Constitution Test which we will take prior to the end of the semester. Sophomore Leadership has been planning and preparing for their service project. They will be putting on a talent competition for grades K-6 which they are very excited for!

Coding- Students are diving into the world of coding and creating their own programs, games, and applications. From simple projects like building a calculator or a guessing game, to more complex coding. Python provides a solid foundation for students to express their creativity and problem-solving abilities. By learning Python, students can unleash their imaginations and bring their ideas to life through the power of code.

Dual Credit Computers and Information Systems- Students are learning Microsoft Word Access. Access is a powerful database management system that allows students to organize, store, and retrieve data efficiently. It provides a user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of creating and managing databases. Students are learning to create tables to store data, design forms to input and view information, and generate reports for data analysis.

Personal Finance-Students are learning the role of insurance. Students will learn the purpose of insurance, how it works, and will learn how insurance protects your assets. Students will learn eight basic types of insurance everyone needs to have in place.

Mass Media- Students are working on creating yearbook pages and they have a few deadlines before the end of first semester.

FBLA News:-FBLA members are gearing up for contests and events. Preparing for contests not only showcases the skills and knowledge of the members but also fosters healthy competition and personal growth. It’s a great opportunity for individuals to challenge themselves and put their abilities to the test.

The members will celebrate the holiday season with a festive FBLA Christmas party on December 11th. Members will have a chance to unwind, enjoy each other’s company, and create lasting memories.

Algebra 1 - We will be solving equations with exponents. Right before break we will discuss how exponents are used in finance and how interest rates on loans, credit cards, and bank accounts work.

Geometry - We will be working to prove triangles congruent and how this helps us with construction, especially with roofs.

Pre/Calc-Trig - We will be working with Sine, Cosine, and Tangent. We will also discuss angular and linear motions and how they are used.

Criminal Justice - terrorism, cybercrime, & project over encryption

Psychology - altered states of consciousness (sleep, dreams, hypnosis, biofeedback, & mind-altering drugs)

Stats - normal distribution, t-distribution, confidence levels, margin of error, & confidence intervals

Composition - autobiographies, family history, & genealogy

English Presentations - autobiographical project

Happy December! We are still very busy in the High School. Our Panther band will be performing during our Music Concert on December 6th. Elementary will start at 6:30 with JH/HS beginning at 7:45 pm. We are all preparing for Finals. Our Finals schedule will be 12/13 (3rd, 5th, 7th hours), 12/14 (4th, 6th, 8th hours), 12/15 (1st, 2nd hours). On the 12/15 we will be having students fill our surveys on their teachers for 1st semester during 3rd/4th hour along with spending time with their classmates. In the afternoon on the 15th, our entire HS student body and staff will be in the Multi purpose. We will have multiple activities: Volleyball Tournament, Cornhole Tournament, Cards, etc. And Mrs. Hux will be opening up our concession stand as well. This is a stressful time for students with Finals but we try and find ways to make it fun as well. Our Finals opt out policy consist of all students who meet the following: 95% attendence, No ISS/OSS, A/Bs in all classes. Students who meet these requirements may still take their Final but it can only help their semester grade. This time is always exciting for all of us as we look forward to celebrate the holidays and bring in the New Year. We will not be sending out 2nd quarter and 1st semester grade cards till January 5th. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. You can email me at jake.shipman@mndcty.org or call the HS office at 660.442.5429. Go Panthers!!