Dear Friends,
As you have probably heard by now, yesterday was my last day at the Avalon School. Unfortunate, but I believe providential, circumstances have led me to accept a position on the staff of United States Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.
I am happy to have been able to say goodbye to so many of you in person over the last few days though I am sorry the news has come so suddenly (the one and only drawback to this week's blissful snowdays).
Anyway, as I've been saying, I will stay present in the Avalon community, and the administration has agreed to let me keep my email address mconnolly@avalonschools.org. I will still be available to all of you, especially you students. Any problem, any essay glitch, any question about Black Knight Style, just drop me a line, and I will help however I can.
Thank you for two and a half wonderful years. Teaching you Hoopers has been the most fun and most rewarding work I'll ever do. Please stay in touch; I will see you all soon. I promise.
Go Avalon. Beat The Heights.
Mr. C.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, January 23
Gentlemen,
Last day of the quarter coming along nicely. All 8th grade work is due Monday at 3:15. Anything handed in later will not be accepted.
No homework this weekend due to the basketball games tonight. Enjoy your weekend. Hooper Project will kick off again with a bang next week.
MC
Last day of the quarter coming along nicely. All 8th grade work is due Monday at 3:15. Anything handed in later will not be accepted.
No homework this weekend due to the basketball games tonight. Enjoy your weekend. Hooper Project will kick off again with a bang next week.
MC
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Tuesday, January 20
Whew, that was a long layoff. Sorry about that. Big news is that the second quarter is over for all intents and purposes. No new assignments between now and Friday, but I will accept late work as late as Friday. On to the update:
7th Grade/2nd Period: No class Wednesday, floater two.
7th Grade/3rd Period: Quiz Wednesday on the relative clause punctuation templates. You should finish the RC review exercises during class.
8th Grade/4th & 6th Period: Tomorrow I won't be in, so you can have a period to start getting caught up on missed assignments. I will fill everyone in on what they owe me by Thursday.
7th Grade/2nd Period: No class Wednesday, floater two.
7th Grade/3rd Period: Quiz Wednesday on the relative clause punctuation templates. You should finish the RC review exercises during class.
8th Grade/4th & 6th Period: Tomorrow I won't be in, so you can have a period to start getting caught up on missed assignments. I will fill everyone in on what they owe me by Thursday.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Wednesday, January 7
First of all, of course, Happy Birthday to Mr. Connolly's sister, awesome mother of five, expert in ninjutsu. And now, on to the update...
7th Grade/2nd Period: No class today, floater two. Tomorrow is the quiz on relative clause identification.
7th Grade/3rd Period: Today we did the quiz on relative clause identification; then, we moved onward and upward into the world of RC's. No class tomorrow -- floater three.
8th Grade/4th & 6th Period: Five-paragraph essays on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are due tomorrow. Next up is the five-graph essay on To Kill a Mockingbird. And soon thereafter, essays on "How It Works" and "Who Shall Rule?"
HOOPER PROJECT: Congrats to Whittington for rocking Monday night's innuagural Hooper. Indeed, Barack Obama will be our 44th president, he will be sworn in at noon on January 20th, and he will work with the newly-sworn-in 111th Congress.
Today, an appropos Hooper on the economy. Two points to any Comper who can tell me differences between the following things: the national debt, the federal deficit, and the trade deficit? Good luck.
7th Grade/2nd Period: No class today, floater two. Tomorrow is the quiz on relative clause identification.
7th Grade/3rd Period: Today we did the quiz on relative clause identification; then, we moved onward and upward into the world of RC's. No class tomorrow -- floater three.
8th Grade/4th & 6th Period: Five-paragraph essays on "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are due tomorrow. Next up is the five-graph essay on To Kill a Mockingbird. And soon thereafter, essays on "How It Works" and "Who Shall Rule?"
HOOPER PROJECT: Congrats to Whittington for rocking Monday night's innuagural Hooper. Indeed, Barack Obama will be our 44th president, he will be sworn in at noon on January 20th, and he will work with the newly-sworn-in 111th Congress.
Today, an appropos Hooper on the economy. Two points to any Comper who can tell me differences between the following things: the national debt, the federal deficit, and the trade deficit? Good luck.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Monday, January 5
Welcome back, boyos. As you may have noticed, we're hitting the ground running.
7th Grade/2nd & 3rd Periods: Today we began Part V of the book, relative clauses. Tomorrow will be the first quiz on them, a vocab quiz that will look an awful lot like exercise 53 in the Gold Book. Enjoy...
8th Grade/4th & 6th Periods: Today we discussed Scott Fitzgerald's story, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." A five-graph essay about the story will be due in class Thursday. Enjoy.
HOOPER PROJECT: No more Christmas gimmes... Tonight, Hooper returns with a vengeance. Three points to the first and one to each additional Comper who can tell me: (a) What number president will Barack Obama be?, (b) What time will he become president?, and (c) What number Congress is being sworn in this week?
7th Grade/2nd & 3rd Periods: Today we began Part V of the book, relative clauses. Tomorrow will be the first quiz on them, a vocab quiz that will look an awful lot like exercise 53 in the Gold Book. Enjoy...
8th Grade/4th & 6th Periods: Today we discussed Scott Fitzgerald's story, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." A five-graph essay about the story will be due in class Thursday. Enjoy.
HOOPER PROJECT: No more Christmas gimmes... Tonight, Hooper returns with a vengeance. Three points to the first and one to each additional Comper who can tell me: (a) What number president will Barack Obama be?, (b) What time will he become president?, and (c) What number Congress is being sworn in this week?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thursday, December 18
Big day, big news.
7th Grade -- your test on dependent clauses is tomorrow. Be ready.
8th Grade -- you guys are done for the year. Congrats.
HOOPER PROJECT -- Twelve guys got last night's Hooper about the origins of several Christmas traditions. Well done. And now, for the finale...
Four points to every Comper who can tell me the first sentence of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Go to it!
7th Grade -- your test on dependent clauses is tomorrow. Be ready.
8th Grade -- you guys are done for the year. Congrats.
HOOPER PROJECT -- Twelve guys got last night's Hooper about the origins of several Christmas traditions. Well done. And now, for the finale...
Four points to every Comper who can tell me the first sentence of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Go to it!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wednesday, December 17
Good morning, gentlemen. How ready am I for Christmas? It's not even 8:50, and I'm already posting today's update. That's how confident I am about what's going to happen today. So, on with the show...
7th Grade/2nd & 3rd Period: Today we will do the quiz on minimizing dependent clauses, and then we will review for the test. The test will be Friday, unless there is overwhelming support for a Thursday test.
8th Grade/4th & 6th Period: Today we handed in -- er, some of us handed in -- the Michael Lewis zinger. Those who didn't do it, the assignments will only continue to pile up -- get them in! Then we did an in-class conclusion about Charles Kingsley's "Young and Old."
HOOPER PROJECT: Congrats to the most winners ever of a Hooper -- eleven guys snagged their three points by rattling off the names of the three Wise Men: Melchior, Balthazar , and Caspar. Well done.
Tonight, continuing with the theme of the week, another nativity Hooper. Five points to any Comper who can tell me: (a) where was the real Saint Nicholas from, (b) where did Christmas trees first become a tradition, and (c) in what city did A Christmas Carol take place? Good luck!
7th Grade/2nd & 3rd Period: Today we will do the quiz on minimizing dependent clauses, and then we will review for the test. The test will be Friday, unless there is overwhelming support for a Thursday test.
8th Grade/4th & 6th Period: Today we handed in -- er, some of us handed in -- the Michael Lewis zinger. Those who didn't do it, the assignments will only continue to pile up -- get them in! Then we did an in-class conclusion about Charles Kingsley's "Young and Old."
HOOPER PROJECT: Congrats to the most winners ever of a Hooper -- eleven guys snagged their three points by rattling off the names of the three Wise Men: Melchior, Balthazar , and Caspar. Well done.
Tonight, continuing with the theme of the week, another nativity Hooper. Five points to any Comper who can tell me: (a) where was the real Saint Nicholas from, (b) where did Christmas trees first become a tradition, and (c) in what city did A Christmas Carol take place? Good luck!