Hungary Update #6

Haliho! We have arrived back from our day trip to Esztergom. Here we were able to see some very historical places as well as play and have some fun. We first visited the castle of Visegrad. Here we saw very beautiful views of Hungary and the Danube River. We then had some fun at a park where all of our children went bobsledding. The kids really had a blast. We also gave them some play time at a nearby park where they ran around and most made an obstacle course on their own and competed against one another. At lunchtime we traveled to Esztergom where we saw the beautiful city and amazing Basilica. Here not only did we view the enormous inside, but we were allowed to walk up over 400 steps, most in a spiral staircase, to walk around the large dome on top of the Basilica. We could see a great deal of Hungary, along with Slovakia and the Danube River. The kids enjoyed this and took some great pictures. We were able to eat lunch and do some shopping in the city before heading back for the evening. Tomorrow we will go back to school in the morning and then in the afternoon we will hike back to Turul (the giant bird from last Monday) to play some games and make Gulyas over the fire. I have attached some pictures from the Basilica for you to see. The picture with the Maria Valeria Bridge shows Slovakia on the other side of the Danube. The views were breathtaking...I hope you like them! We will be home before you know it! See you then! Stefanie and Dave

Hungary Update #5

Hi! We wanted to give an update again to let you know of our activities and learning while here in Hungary. This weekend we went to Lake Balaton which is the largest lake in Hungary. While there we visited Tihany which is an Abbey. It was beautiful. We also walked around the village and saw different sights. There was a place where we could stand and yell and then could hear an echo. The kids thought this was very cool. We all tried it and then heard our echo. We then traveled to Keszthely and saw the Festetics Castle or Palace. In there we saw a huge library that was very interesting. We also visited a museum with different carriages and buggies that horses pulled.. After that we went to the museum where there were animals on display that people had hunted and stuffed. There were several animals of all types. There was even a huge polar bear that was on display. It was amazing to think that these were all hunted and of course the girls didn't like this very much. Upstairs in the museum was a huge model train display. They really enjoyed this part of the museum. After a long day of sight seeing we went to our cabin for the evening. We had dinner and then played games. They had organized mixed teams to participate in different events together. It was very similar to nativity's Spirit day. The students (and teachers) really enjoyed these activities. After an even longer night at the cabin we went to a water park in Hévíz on Sunday. This was an indoor and outdoor facility with heated pools and spas. It had a water slide that the kids loved. It also had a whirlpool that was different for our children, but they thought it was pretty cool. The students had a blast swimming and were very tired after. We went to lunch at a restaurant in Hévíz where we sat outside with a beautiful view of the countryside with villages and vineyards. The meal was delicious.. They played at the playground for a few minutes before continuing to Lake Balaton to walk around the pier. The kids were exhausted after the long bus ride home. We felt they needed to rest so they did not have to come to school this morning. They are coming to school for some programs in the afternoon. Dave and I taught our lessons today and are beginning to get a lot of interesting questions regarding politics and about life in America. I have attached two photos of the whole group at the Festetics Castle and the fountain. Hopefully all is well in Cincinnati. We have a field trip tomorrow and will return to school on Wednesday for the students to continue with their lessons. We will continue to update you with our activities. Everyone is relaxed and still having a wonderful time. It won't be long before we are back in Cincinnati! Take care! Dave and Stefanie

China Launches Space Walk Mission

By DAVID BARBOZA

SHANGHAI — The Chinese Shenzhou VII spacecraft blasted off at 9:07 p.m. Thursday, carrying three Chinese astronauts into space on this country’s third manned space mission in five years. The launching of Shenzhou VII from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province, which is in western China, was shown live on state television. At a ceremony before the launching, President Hu Jintao praised the space project’s effort. “You will definitely accomplish this glorious and sacred mission,” he told the astronauts before the launching. “The motherland and the people are looking forward to your triumphant return.” China sent into space three experienced fighter pilots, all of them 42-year-old men. One is expected to walk in space for 30 minutes on Friday or Saturday, according to the state media. The three taikonauts — the Chinese term for astronauts — plan to run tests in space and launch a small satellite monitoring station. They are carrying traditional Chinese medicine on board, in case of sickness, and their diet includes shredded pork sautéed with garlic and grilled beef with spicy sauce. One astronaut is wearing what the state-run news media has dubbed “the most complicated, advanced and expensive suit in the world,” a $4.4 million space suit designed and produced in China. The spacecraft was launched by what the Chinese space agency calls the Long March II-F carrier rocket, which took the spacecraft into a low orbit, about 210 miles above Earth. The mission, which is being covered extensively in the Chinese media, is another milestone for a country that got a late start in space exploration but is now aggressively launching commercial satellites, putting humans in space and even shooting down aging satellites. “They have joined a very exclusive club; only the U.S. and Russians are members,” said Roger D. Launius, a senior curator and expert on space history at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, referring generally to China’s space program. “It’s a great start, even though it’s nowhere near what the Russians and the U.S. have accomplished with space flight.” Russia and the United States conducted their first spacewalks in 1965, and in 1969 the United States became the first country to put a person on the moon. But Michael D. Griffin, the administrator of NASA, has repeatedly warned that despite the head start by other nations, the Chinese program is moving swiftly and could overtake American efforts to return to the moon by 2020. In testimony to the Senate last year, Mr. Griffin said it was likely that “China will be able to put people on the Moon before we will be able to get back.” He added: “I admire what they have done, but I am concerned that it will leave the United States in its wake.” The Chinese government also hopes the national space program will aid the nation economically by helping to create technological breakthroughs that may someday be applied to computers or other digital equipment. India and Japan are now aggressively developing their own space programs, creating some competition in Asia for space flight, and the Europeans have joined forces to explore space. But China says its space program is speeding along, often with Chinese technology, helping establish the country as a technological power and bringing another dose of pride to the nation after the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer. Because spaceflight requires large booster rockets and other sophisticated technology that often has military applications, national space programs are often veiled in secrecy, and cooperation among nations is complicated. Indeed, on Wednesday, the F.B.I. arrested a Chinese-born physicist in Newport News, Va., on charges of illegally exporting space launching technical data and services to China beginning in January 2003. The physicist, Shu Quan-Sheng, 68, was born in China but was a naturalized American citizen. He has a doctorate in physics. Mr. Shu was also accused of offering bribes to Chinese government officials in exchange for a business contract, according to an F.B.I. statement.

John Schwartz contributed reporting from New York.

Hungary Update #4

Hello! There is not too much to report today. The weather is a little better here today. The sun is shining. We had school all morning and have "free time" with our host families this afternoon and evening. Some students are going back to Budapest and other villages around Tatábanya. We will leave tomorrow morning for Lake Balaton and stay there all weekend. There are cabins there that we will stay in overnight. There are hot springs for the kids to swim in while there and plenty of sights to see. Yesterday we went to a castle and saw some art displays. We made rock creatures. The students are very talented and artistic. All the children are having a great time and really learning a lot, as we are too! This has been a wonderful experience so far! We will probably not be able to write this weeked since we are at the Lake. We will give you another update when we get back Monday! Have a great weekend! Stefanie and Dave

Hungary Update #3

Hello! We have been very busy with plenty to see and do while we are here in Hungary. Today is Thursday morning and the children are in gym class. After they are finished completing gym, they will be going to English classes. Dave and I will be teaching all day with grades 10, 11, and 12. This proves to be a challenge as each of us are replacing the regular classroom teacher who is not present in the room. In the afternoon we are traveling to Tata to see the city and a famous castle. Yesterday we went to Hungary's capital Budapest all day. We started our tour on the Buda side of the Danube and visited a fortress which also included their version of the statue of liberty which symbolizes their freedom from all the countries they have had wars with in the past. We then traveled across the famous "chain bridge" to the Pest side. While in Pest we visited the Parliament, Hero's Square, the President's House, the Basilica of St. Stephen, and walked around looking at several other buildings and landmarks from Hungary's History. The children also had the opportunity to jump on a giant tramoline in the city park. They also had time to walk around to shop and eat. (Burger King) : ) Be assured that we have taken many pictures of what we have seen and will place them on a CD for each student. Yesterday alone we took over 250 pictures between us. We have noticed especially this morning that the kids seem to be VERY upbeat and more relaxed and secure in their surroundings. On the busride home from Budapest, the Hungarian students and Nativity students were as one, singing, playing, taking pictures and talking together. We have attached a few group pictures from some of the places that we have visited in Budapest and "the bird" (Turul) in Tatábanya. We hope you enjoy! Talk to you later! Have a wonderful day! Dave and Stefanie

Elevation Maps

We're working to learn about the geography of North America and the Caribbean. As students explore the impacts of geography on development and events in the modern age in these places, one project we've worked on is creating elevation maps using clay. This is a process that makes the pages from the atlas come to life as students actually build up the relief features represented on the flat atlas page.

Hungary Update #2

Good afternoon to all! We are all doing well here at our second day at Arpad Gimnázium! We made the newspaper here yesterday when we were at the street festival supporting "a day with no cars". This event was celebrated all across Europe. Please go to www.kemma.hu to view pictures of our children. Click on Képgaléria and then click on Tatabánya. You will see the children engaged in various activity. They really had a blast. We were told that these pictures will only be on the web page for a couple of days. This is the address that they gave us so hopefully it works! Yesterday morning the students went to English lessons here at the school. They also learned Hungarian numbers which will be used in a competition later in the week. In the afternoon we hiked about 6 miles up a mountain side to see some caves and The Turul monument, which towers over the town from Gerecse mountain. We also climbed the observation tower that overlooks the city and surrounding valleys. It was breathtaking! There was no struggle whatsoever with the amount of walking and climbing that we did. The students also learned to do archery. They all shot a bow and arrow at targets in the woods. They were instructed by trained archers. We then walked back to the school...Some ran with one of the teachers. After we were back at school they met their host families and went home for the evening. This morning we are back in classes and working on various art projects. Dave and I will begin our instruction about the US and Nativity school in the classrooms today with the Hungarian students while our students are in English lessons. After school today they will be returning to their host student's homes for an evening of "free activity" with their family. Tomorrow is a big day as we will be spending the entire day in Budapest. We will give you an update on Thursday with pictures included. In the meantime if there are any concerns please feel free to email us. Have a great day! Halihó Dave and Stefanie

Hungary Update #1

Here is the first report from our delegation to Hungary --

The first day went well. The flights were long but smooth. Every stop went without a hitch. We were delayed a little in Amsterdam which made us late arriving in Budapest. The kids were hesitant at first to go to their host families, but the Hungarians were so nice and welcoming it ended up ok. We went on a bus from Budapest to Tatabanya where the children met the parents and went on to their homes. The Hungarian host students were on the bus with us so they got to talk to them altogether for about an hour during the ride. From the school the students went home with their families for dinner and relaxing evening. There was no group get together. Their thought was that since we had a long trip and it was late that everyone would want to relax. Much to our surprise there was no welcoming ceremony at the school either. We haven't heard of one that is planned either. They have a bulletin board dedicated to Nativity with pictures from when they were there for IPW in 2006. There was also a display from 2000. The mural is still there and Dave explained to me what part you painted between the lines HAHA Jon Deutsch lost his wallet on this bus and called us that night. We were able to get ahold of the driver and he found it. It will be returned Wednesday when we go to Budapest. Today is the first day at the school. The kids are attending English classes and everyone is excited for us to be here. There was a festival out in the street. The streets were closed for "a day with no cars". This is something they do all across Europe and there were very many activities for the kids to participate in along the lines of other transportation methods. i.e. stilts, bikes, foot pedals. This afternoon we are going hiking to the famous bird (some statue at the top of the hill) and the mines which have caves. It is a little cold and rainy, but we are hoping for more sun later this week. Tomorrow we will be making bags and bracelets as well as going to more classes. Wednesday we are going to Budapest for the day. They have a lot planned for us while we are here and the kids are excited and enjoying themselves. Dave reports that to his surprise the town (Tatabanya) is relatively unchanged from when you were here in 2000. It seems as if there is more capitalism but existing in the old communist style architecture. He has seen many of the same people and they say hello to you! Dave and I will be teaching several classes separately with no other teacher in the room starting tomorrow. This should be interesting. We will let you know how it goes. We will give you the next report tomorrow! Have a wonderful day! Hollié Ho! Dave and Stefanie

Dancin' With The Arc

I serve on the board of directors for an agency that advocates for and with people with developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc Hamilton County is the oldest Arc in the country with a sixty year history. Our Arc was started by three Cincinnati mothers who, six decades ago, made the decision to go against all the conventional thinking, and keep their children at home. Out of their determination and collaboration, a nationwide movement was born. Throughout all the intervening years, our agency has worked to create the sort of community that welcomes and values all its members -- where people with developmental disabilities can participate fully, and be assured of full rights.

On Friday, October 3, The Arc Hamilton County will hold a community gathering that we are calling "Dancin' With The Arc." It should be a delightful evening of fun and dance and coming together as the city of Cincinnati to declare that we share a common vision of our life here.

Everyone is invited to participate in Dancin' With The Arc. We'd all be thrilled to have a broad spectrum of the community take part in this event. Here's the information you will need if you are interested in attending. Consider yourselves invited!

The Arc of Hamilton County presents Dancin’ with the Arc Friday, October 3 at the 20th Century Theater in Oakley (http://www.the20thcenturytheater.com/). With the seven-piece Airwave Band, heavy appetizers, a silent auction and an open beer/wine bar included (full bar available), Dancin’ with the Arc offers a fun and unique night out for couples and groups of friends while supporting the core mission of The Arc (http://www.archamilton.org/). The Arc is the premier umbrella agency providing targeted services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We believe in an inclusive society and full participation of self advocates in everyday life. The mission is to advocate for the rights and full participation of all people with intellectual or developmental disabilities through targeted services. The Arc provides many targeted programs and services to our constituency such as Self-Advocacy Education and Training, Public Policy Advocacy, Information and Referral/Individual Case Advocacy, Family Support Services, Covenants of Support groups, Quality of Life Monitoring and Community Building. Dancin’ with the Arc aligns with our mission and values apropos to the clients that we serve while offering an entertaining night out for all. The event will begin at 7:30PM and continue until 12:00AM. The Airwave Band (http://www.airwaveband.com/), Bob Herzog from Channel 12 as MC, heavy appetizers, elegant desserts, open wine and beer bar included, and the “Say Cheese” photo booth will be just some of the highlights of the night. A Silent Auction with memorable prizes such as a Spa Day, show tickets, art work and much more will take place. Valet parking will be available. Self advocate admission is $15 and the general public is $85 per person. Registration information can be found on the Hamilton County Arc web site: http://www.archamilton.org/. Dancin’ with The Arc will be a social evening of dance, inclusion, fun and celebration of the gifts that we all bring to the community, so mark your calendar now, and register on line or at the door. Corporate sponsors for the event include: the Pulse – Downtown and Around Town, Channel 12, Cincinnati Public Radio, Proteon Software, Cincinnati Bell, Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, Tim and Holly Freeman, Kroger Company, Luxottica Retail, Rippe and Kingston, City Beat, Butler County MRDD Board, Clermont County MRDD Board, Folkers Associates, Hamilton County MRDD Board, Huntington Bank, MicroPress, PHC Group, Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Blue Chip Mailing Services, Deloitte, Mutual of America, Paul Nidich - Attorney at Law, Richard Dusterberg - Attorney at Law, The Crowell Company, USI Midwest and UBS Financial Services. Joel Kaplan, Development Director, can be reached at 513.821.2113, ext.119 for questions or to discuss the various other levels of support and sponsorship for the evening’s festivities.

Time to Study for the Continents Test

Here are some links that can help you to prepare for the Continents test on 9/26: http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/worldquiz.html http://www.mrnussbaum.com/contquiz.htm http://www.iq.poquoson.org/continentsoceans.html http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/world/continents.html

Donate Your Old Magazines

We will have frequent "poster" projects this year to help students understand various topics and concepts. Often, we cut pictures out of magazines to create our posters. If you have old magazines around your house, and have no further use for them, I'd love to have them for our classroom collection. You can send them at anytime with your student.

Thanks!

Missing Work

Dear Moms and Dads--

The policy in 6th grade is that we do not accept "late" assignments. Obviously, if a student is ill, or there has been some sort of major interference with a child's ability to complete an assignment, I want to work with you to make sure your student has the ability to succeed -- so let me know about those kinds of circumstances.

There has been some confusion about the "missing assignment" form that we have students complete when they do not have the assignment to turn in when it is due. Let me explain how this works for my classes:

Students are required to either hand in the assignment at the expected time, OR they are to complete the form that indicates that they do not have the assignment. When I go through a set of student work, there should be work, or the missing work form for every student.

It is my feeling that giving "0's" for missing work creates great mathematical impact on student grades, and suggests that a student who is in class and actively participating gained nothing at all from the experience. I just do not believe that to be the case. Also, I want students to be responsible for filling in those "missing work" forms, so when the form is turned in appropriately, I will give the student some credit (rather than a "0") for the assignment. Either, the student will receive the lowest score of anyone who did turn in the work, or a 70% -- whichever is lower. The only time that a student is given a "0" on their work is when they DO NOT turn in the assignment, and DO NOT complete the "missing work" form. So, as parents, you may see some number of points indicated on the "missing work" form that students bring home with their weekly graded work. Please note that this is applicable to my classes only, and does not occur for the language arts and religion classes.

I do hope this helps to clarify how this works in my classes (math, science, and social studies).

The Benefits of Color as an Adaptation

Science classes discussed adaptations last week. We learned that there are lots of different kinds of adaptations that help species to survive. One is color. We learned how blending in can help an organism survive by making it less visible and therefore less vulnerable.

Here students participate in an activity designed to help them get some hands on experience of trying to "capture" small pieces of colored paper from a colored background.

Classification Acrostics?

Although you might not have ever heard the term "acrostic," you are familiar with its use. An acrostic is very similar to an acronym. However, instead of using the first letters to spell a single word, these letters are used to spell different words that form a sentence or memorable phrase. The classification scheme for living things can be remembered using a memorable acrostic, and that is your task tonight. Make up a great, interesting, maybe even funny acrostic to help you remember the scientific classification scheme, and then set it up nicely with cool colors and maybe even some clever illustrations or decorations. For example:

King

Philip

Came

Over

For

Great

Spaghetti

That's the sort of thing that makes us grin, and is easy to remember, so it can be a great tool for remembering: Kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

Graded Homework -- Parent Memo for this week...Since we have no power to copy anything

I did not return students' graded work today since there was no way to make copies of the usual memo that I provide so parents can know what is being included. Since it looks like the power could be off for awhile longer, I am going to put the "memo" here so that I can send students' work home tomorrow. I do realize that many of you don't have anyway to look at this at present, but I want it documented for the time when we hopefully all get back to something that looks more normal: August 15, 2008 Graded work this week includes: Math – Factor Rainbows (42 points) Math 64 – Divisibility Patterns Practice (63 points) Math 63 – Divisibility Patterns Practice (72 points) Social Studies – Culture Questions (10 points) Math – Daily Math Problem Solution Report (10 points) Science – Daily Science Problem Solution Report (10 points) The Continents Map Test will be given on Friday, September 26.

Sharing Our Family Stories

We begin our study of social studies with some work to help us all understand what we mean when we talk about "culture." While we are learning about other people and other cultures from around the world, and throughout time, it is important to understand that we are each the product of our own cultures -- learned from those who make up our families and our communities. Students shared family recipes, handmade quilts, timelines of important happenings in their families, lockets, war medals, and lots and lots of stories. Sharing our stories gives us an opportunity to know ourselves, and each other better.

Getting Started with Science

We began our study of science this year with some simple activities aimed at helping us to explore the subject of "classification," and "adaptation." We looked at how opposable thumbs allow a species to manipulate their environment in a way that is not possible without the ability to grip in this fashion. That activity asked that students wear gloves with the thumb tucked up against the palm rather than fitted into the thumb hole of the glove. As they attempted to play a game of checkers, catch a ball, and write their names, the value of being able to grip with the thumb was made clear. We also set up a selection of mushroom varieties to make spore prints. The hope was that we'd be able to use those spore prints to help us see how we might classify different mushrooms. Unfortunately, our mushrooms mostly just shriveled up and dried out. We think that it was the heat and humidity in our classroom that caused this. Whatever happened, our mushroom activity was the first thing that didn't go as we might have hoped this year. Science is like that sometimes. We may try the mushrooms again in a few weeks when it has cooled down a bit.

Writers For the Student Pages

Today, I've sent invitations to those of you who have given me email addresses so that you can write on the student pages here. You will get invitations to join each of the seven pages as a writer. This will allow you to put your written posts up on any of the pages. I am not entirely sure how the invitation will come to you, but if you have the option of entering your name for the page, please do only enter your first name. This will help to protect your privacy from those who can view the work you do there. If you have not yet given me an email address for use in this forum, I do still need that from you.

Ramadan Awareness

We will focus on cultures around the globe this year, and as our year draws to a close, we will hold the 6th grade International Festival with an intent emphasis on nations around the world that have large Islamic populations. With that in mind, I would offer for our consideration and awareness that the Islamic observance of Ramadan began on September 1, and will continue throughout the month. If you and your family are interested in knowing more about this Islamic religious observance, try this link: Ramadan Awareness As we come to the end of the month, we will also encounter the Jewish observance of Rosh Hashanah. It is a season during which we can encounter and appreciate elements of culture that are different from our own.

Thank You Very Much!!!

One of the parents in our class sent us a wonderful gift today. Knowing how really hot and miserable we are as these sweltering late summer days send the temperatures soaring in our classroom, she sent a can of a product called Splash Cool. It is a spray mister of purified water, and when sprayed on the skin, it provides a refreshing and hydrating dose of healthful, cooling water for our "melting" bodies.

Wonderful!

Thank you!

It is Hot!!!

Last week, as we started school, the weather was very cooperative and we stayed pretty cool and comfortable in the classrooms. This week -- it is a whole different situation. It is HOT!!! All of us are hanging on, but it is uncomfortable.

Many students are bringing water bottles, and that is a great idea. Keeping hydrated in this heat is really important. We have a drinking fountain outside the classroom and students are free to go get water as they feel the need, but it is really difficult to get enough water if they aren't drinking pretty regularly.

We'll get through this spell, and it will cool down, but for now -- anything that you can do to help your student stay well and healthy will help.