March 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

My favorite things to do vary depending on the time of year. In nice weather, I enjoy road tripping with my husband, Scott. We love going off the beaten path and trying out new restaurants, visiting interesting architectural structures, and walking through old towns. When it’s colder, I love to curl up with a good book, jazz music playing in the background, and a heavy quilt. I can easily be transported into another time and place all through the pages of a good book. Last but certainly not least is the time spent with my children and grandchildren. That’s a win no matter when it happens.

Every summer looks about the same for me. I love push mowing and working in my flower and vegetable gardens. I always drive to Kentucky and take my Mom on a trip to the Smoky Mountains. This year was no different. Scott and I went to Disney, drove up the coast to St Augustine, spent some time in Savannah, Georgia, and then went back through Nashville, Tennessee before returning home. What an amazing summer!

I’ve known I was a teacher since I was a child. My earliest memory was teaching my younger brother the fabulous world of science. I would walk him around all over the yard and feed him total nonsense. He lapped it up. I’m sure he went through quite a transition when he actually went to school and found out I was a fraud. As for teaching, I’ve been teaching in some way since I graduated high school in 1979. Most of the years were spent in Christian Schools in Louisiana and Kentucky. I’ve taught everything from Pre-School to High School. After Scott and I married, I decided it was time to get my degree. I started college as a forty year old freshman. I was intimidated until I started my first class. As a life-long learner, I loved my classes and pushed myself to do my very best each year. I graduated from Missouri Western Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Education degree in English. I was hired during my student teaching to teach at Lafayette High School in St. Joseph. I spent some time on the curriculum writing team for the St Joseph School District before finishing out my fifth year as the Department Chair of the English Department. I completely loved teaching but felt I needed to decline the contract for another year. I was ready to immerse myself more completely in our church work.

I didn’t know if I would ever return to the classroom. I can’t tell you when it happened, but one day I woke up and decided I would see if anything was available in this area. One thing led to another, and I found myself spending a big part of my summer sitting in my classroom dreaming. I planned everything out–way beyond the lesson planning. Where I would stand, how the desks should be arranged for maximum effect, what decorations were needed to create an inviting space that represented who I am as a person and teacher. With the generosity of the community, family, and friends, it all started coming together. Oh what an amazing adventure it’s been. I am home. Not even a full year under my belt, and I feel that I’m where I should be.

My classroom is full of fabulous moments. I get bored easily, so I’m always looking for ways to make the classes engaging and interesting. The Diorama Project for the Freshmen, their Hexagonal Connections, and their Expository Papers were highlights of this quarter. The Sophomores blew me away with their ability to articulate their deep held feelings about real world issues that concern them. The Juniors did an amazing job of merging two characters from two different plays to create a character analysis and are now working through rhetorical analysis. The Seniors, using film as literature, are continuing the process of working through the wonderful world of major literary themes.

For my husband, this school is home. For my son Seth, this school is home. Now I am a Panther as well. Blessed beyond measure and I know it.

As we approach spring and the home stretch of the school year, we are busy as ever in the high school social studies department. The World History class is about to dive into the start of World War II and all of the complex dynamics and events that come with that time in history. Government is diving into the structure of the Constitution and how that plays out in the creation and functions of our nation’s government. The Economics students have began learning about the early history of the American Economy, specifically during the Colonial Period. We will take the economic concepts we have learned up to this point and connect them to the economic history of our nation. Finally, Current Events continues to investigate a myriad of topics and news stories from all over the World, focusing on discerning trustworthy sources and synthesizing lots of information into a presentation.

This month the majority of my classes will begin using clay. Kindergarten is learning how to make texture in clay. Second graders are learning how to attach coils to a slab of clay while 8th graders will be combining a clay slab build with a printmaking process. High school classes will be using oven baked clay to create a project that includes a wire armature.

For the Month of March the Elementary P.E. classes will be playing invasion games focusing on chasing, evading, and trapping. They will also be doing scooter activities, working on coordination and body awareness.

The Middle School P.E. classes will be working on soccer skills as well as completing the Spring portion of Fitness Testing. During Fitness Testing they will be tested in cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength/endurance, and flexibility. Students will get a chance to compare their scores from the Fall portion to Spring and see if they have made improvements.

The high school Lifetime Sports class will be attending a field trip to Bode Ice Arena to go ice skating, and then they will begin Ping Pong.

The 9th Grade P.E. class will be learning how to play soccer and also completing Fitness Testing.

Biology: Students will be learning about DNA, RNA and protein synthesis. They will also begin working on their current event projects.

Integrated Science: Students will be learning about types of energy, energy conversions, and energy conservation.

Chemistry: Students are finishing up learning how to name covalent compounds. We will then move on, learning how to balance and classify chemical equations (synthesis, combustion, decomposition, single-replacement, or double-replacement).

Human Anatomy: Students will be learning about the nervous system and participate in dissecting a sheep brain.

Foods- Budget friendly meals

7th Grade- Just finished up learning different sourdough recipes

Child Development-Planning their snack and activity for the preschool

Health- Will be working on a project over medications and drugs

Nutrition & Wellness- We learned the science behind sourdough bread and have been using them in different ingredients

Housing- Learning about the process of buying and selling a home.

FCCLA State STAR Events will be March 12th-14th

Business Skills: Students are learning how to use Microsoft Powerpoint. They are learning different features within the software that google slides doesn't provide. Students were assigned a technology topic and they will create a presentation using text, video, and images.

Dual Credit Computers and Information Technology- Students are learning how to use Microsoft Access. Access is a relational database management system which allows for the storage of large amounts of data. The students are being introduced to the basic concepts of how to create an Access Database file from scratch and how to find information from the data stored within.

Personal Finance: Students will be learning about Consumer Awareness. This unit highlights the importance of being a smart consumer as part of a healthy financial plan, explains strategies to manage spending behavior, exposes common consumer scams, and identifies consumer rights.

Future Business Leaders of America: Sydney Meadows, Abby Gibson, Elizabeth Laukemper, Shailea Panning and Kenzie Brown are preparing for state contests.

Algebra 1 - We are using what we learned in February to solve quadratic equations.

Algebra 2 - We are working on trigonometric functions. This is the first that they have seen these so we are working on memorizing the ratios.

Pre/Calc Trig - We will start working with limits and using them to evaluate different scenarios which will lead into finding derivatives.

Ag Science 1- Students have been working on Career Development and Leadership Development Events. Areas studied have included horse judging and selection, Dairy cattle judging and selection, Poultry judging and selection, along with FFA Knowledge.

Ag Science 2- Students have been working on shop safety and certification. They have also been working on Career Development Events that include Poultry judging and selection, dairy foods and milk evaluation, along with entomology.

Ag Constructions- Students have been working on individual projects along with learning how to use the computerized plasma cutter (PlasmaCam). Many signs have been made in the class. We are also starting the unit of how to make there own ink pen on the lathe.

Greenhouse- Students are working on plant identification, flower identification, along with some tree identification.

Wildlife Management- Students are currently learning about the economic impact and value of wildlife along with their products. Some of this value includes taxes, hunting leases, along with hunting licenses. They are also learning about how areas like Mound City that are hunting destinations can impact the local economy in a positive manner.

8th Grade- Students are learning about the Myths of Animal agriculture along with the proper care and handling of livestock.

Good Morning,

I hope everyone is having a great Friday. We are very busy at the High School with spring sports practices starting along with all our organizations preparing for District or State competitions. We have multiple students representing us at State FCCLA and FBLA. We are approaching the end of 3rd quarter, I highly encourage all parents to check their students grades on Lumen and please reach out to any teachers with questions. We are all in this together and only want what is best for our kids. March and April are both very busy months we are sending out students to multiple activites off campus: College/Career Fairs, Vo-Tech Tours, NHS trip, Math Competitions, District Contests. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by phone, email, or setting up an appointment to come in and meet. I look forward to a busy but great spring!

Opening Minds, Educating Lifelong Learners!

Email: jake.shipman@mndcty.org
Website: https://www.mndcty.k12.mo.us/
Location: 708 Nebraska Street, Mound City, MO, USA
Phone: (660)442-5429
Facebook: facebook.com/MoundCityR-2
Twitter: @MC_Panthers