| Balloon Poppers | ||
| This week, Mr. C has introduced us to the exciting new project: Balloon Poppers! Many of us have been looking forward to this project since the beginning of the 7th grade! Well... now's the time to get to work! After speaking with some of he current 8th graders that went through the process of creating a contraption which will pop one or more balloons, I learned many tips and things to think about for this project that I would like to share with you: 1- IT IS HARDER TO POP A BALLOON THAN IT MAY SEEM! 2- have an adult help you with the construction if they are available because even though you may have had experience with those tools or you believe that you'll be fine, a small mistake could make a big difference. At least have a reasonable amount of parental guidance. 3. (More to come from the author) |
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| Extra! Extra! Read All About It! | ||
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Rarely does a middle school student get to oogle at their teachers living normal lives. This is often a shock for us teenagers, as it is a shock when we figure out our parents have normal friends and lives as well. To see a teacher outside the educational experience is much like seeing a cat talk- to say the least, extraordinary. But this is precisely what our science teacher- yes, OUR science teacher has offered us. On his website, tclauset.org, Mr. C has posted a gallery of his exciting Peruvian adventure; a total of 162 photos to be exact. Behold! The man who has taught you the way clouds are formed and the effect on river life in a polluted river wearing a Peruvian wool hat and feeding llamas!! Watching this exclusive slideshow of Mr. Clauset hiking the Andes makes me want to break out into "Climb Every Mountain", a song from the popular movie, "The Sound of Music". This is certainly bizarre. However, Mr. C seems to be having a lot of fun, which is satisfying to see, seeing as you know he's gone home and asked himself, "Why did so-and-so make up that lame excuse for not having their paper?!" or "Why don't I quit teaching because of people like so-and-so failing their chemical elements test!?" It's nice to see someone so deserving- in the line of the very MOST deserving (teachers) get a time to relax and climb the Dead Woman's Pass with family-- or at least enjoy the Peruvian air. So go to Mr. C's homepage and look at those pictures of your very favorite science teacher in South America - it's a once in a lifetime chance that will certainly change your perspective on teachers. From hiking 13, 700 feet to teaching middle school chemistry- Mr. C can do it all. |
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| Newspaper Club to Meet Wednesday, January 7th |
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| At long last, the Newspaper Club will meet this Wednesday, January 7th. Don't miss this first meeting of the 2009 school year. We need new articles. --- News! Sports! Guess Who! Dear Abby! Reviews! Comics! Rants & Raves! and, of course, Riddles! Get out your calendar. Jot down some ideas -- but BE THERE on Wednesday to update the NAVIGATOR NEWS! TIME: 3:00 to 4:00 pm |
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| Newspaper Club to Meet Wednesday, 12/10 | ||
| The Newspaper Club will have its last meeting for 2008 on Wednesday, December 10th from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. No meeting will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 17th as MrC will not be available that day. So, if you would like to see articles changed for the winter holiday -- this week is your only chance! See you Wednesday at 3:00 pm! |
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| Pop-Up Book Project | ||
| For the past week in Mrs. Purdee's class we have been working on making Pop-Up Books about different countries in Africa. We are enjoying working with a partner and designing this creative Pop-Up Book. When making the project we must include pop-ups and many different facts about our country. There is also a page reserved for a legend, folk tale, or fable from the specific country. Most people are still on their rough drafts and they are still researching different topics. Some people are getting ready to start their final copy. After looking at different pop-up books and learning to make them, we have discovered making pop-ups isn't that easy. It takes intense work, but it is totally worth it. Hopefully our Pop-Up books will turn out to be Fantastic. This project will certainly teach students about animals, life, and stories from different countries across Africa. |
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| Schools Battle for First Daughters | ||
| With the exciting news that there will be children again in the White House, many of Washington's top private schools are in a heated battle to get both Malia (10) and Sasha (7) Obama. There are three main schools that the Obamas have visited and are their top choices. There are people on Obama's staff that have children or grandchildren that attend each of the three schools. The first school is Georgetown Day which is very casual school. The children all address their teachers by first name. The next is Maret, a traditional school which is big on diversity and multi-cultures. The last school is the Sidwell Friends school, a Quaker run school which Chelsea Clinton attended. Teachers, students, and parents from the three schools are all excited about the prospect of the first daughters attending their school. The Obama daughters will have a big change though. They will come from the Chicago Labratory School right in the center of Chicago. At this time the Obamas have not shown any interest in Washington's public schools, mainly because of safety issues and poor education issues. Whatever school the family chooses, it is thrilling just to have children in the White House again. | ||
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| Lanes at Hanes Controversy | ||
| After several days of good-natured and often humorous protest, the "Lanes at Hanes" controversy has taken a new tact. As of Friday, news was released that most of the tape markings in the hallways would be removed with a few left in place to give a visual reference for where students should walk. No mention was made in the administration handout Friday afternoon of the silent lunch proposal or possible ISS consequence. As editor of the "Navigator News" I am requesting that students on the Navigator Team allow things to 'cool down' this week. I think you have made your point and guidelines have been modified. It's now time to take a step back and see how the new changes play out. |
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| The Election | ||
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Congratulations to Obama! The campaign lasted over 20 months. Each day was a struggle for all the candidates. The day came for voting, and everyone waited their turn to vote.
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| All-County Auditions | ||
| On Monday, October 27, brass and percussion players went to All-County auditions. It was pretty amazing. When we got there at about 2:30, there were already people with their instruments playing their solos. Apparently, their band directors failed to warn them that their lips could get worn out. Many people were not even intellegent in this department, so when a certain 7th grade trumpet player (Dustin ) told a percussionist from another school that if you played the snare solo with your knuckles, you would get extra points. By the time she was ready to go into the audition room, her knuckles were red and she was confident that she would gain the extra points for her knuckles. Several other incidents occured like this, and it was generally a careless gesture by the band directors that didn't prepare their players. Overall, All-County was amazing!!! | ||
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| Halloween Pictures from MrC | ||
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| News - A Mysterious Appearance for Halloween | ||
| Early Wednesday afternoon, a mysterious spider appeared on Mr.C's front doorstep. No one could figure out who had left this huge gift and what their purpose was. The only evidence was a note reading "Happy Halloween Mr.C! We walk past your house everyday and thought we would leave you a little present. (A.K.A. Ernie) He requires one fresh rabbit every breakfast, lunch, and dinner." From serious investigations Agents Wallace and O'Brien have come to the conclusion that this was a mere prank from students, trying to dump their pet responsibilities onto an innocent teacher. If you would like to meet Ernie, Mr.C's new pet, Mr. Clauset does public walkings every second Friday of the month at 5:00 am. Please report any similar incidents to your local "prank security department". By: Rose O'Brien and Elizabeth Wallace * This article sponsered by ^Ghost*e* and sons^ * Note from MrC: If you visit MrC's house for Halloween, you'll get to see the "spider" sitting on the front steps. Boo! |
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| 2008 Presidential Election | ||
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| Bottle Rockets | ||
| This past Wednesday we have been launching bottle rockets. This project has taken us weeks for preparation. Many students have created impressive rockets. There are also quite some designers in this classroom, including the Wake Forest bottle and the Carolina bottle. One designed by Sammy Lachgar and the other by Tori Noles. There were only a few rockets with PVC pipes. It was very entertaining watching the rockets zoom high in the air. Ilana Spindel's zoomed high into the clouds. There were also some major crashes involved. Some student's entire bottle-nose was demolished. Our hard work making the rockets definately payed off. We all thank Mr. C. for the fabulous Wednesday. Not all of the bottle rockets were fired off on Wednesday, so a repeat performance will be given on Thursday and maybe even Friday! | ||
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| Welcome to Navigator News | ||
| Wednesday, October 8th begins the 4th year of the 7th grade on-line newspaper. MrC is the advisor and 7th grade Navigator students are encouraged to join the after-school club and write articles every Wednesday to fill up our newspaper with interesting stories, arguments, and news about what is happening on the team and in our city. Here are a few rules about posting articles and making comments: 1. Do NOT use bad language. 2. Do NOT "flame." 3. Be nice or your IP address will be blocked by MrC. 4. Comments may be edited by MrC if found unacceptable. |
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| Newspaper Shuts Down Publication for this School Year |
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| Since we have a holiday on Friday, the Newspaper Club will not meet this week. After Thursday, March 20th the newspaper page will be replaced by a one-page update. No further publications of the Newspaper will be made this school year. Reasons for this early "demise" of the Newspaper Club: 1) Lack of interest among current 7th grade students; 2) Roudy, loud, and unruly behavior of those who HAVE attended Newspaper meetings; and, 3) Your faculty sponsor needs a break. Without significant participation from considerate, well-behaved students, it is simply not possible to publish an 8 panel newspaper on a regular basis. As Douglas Adams said... So long and thanks for the fish! |
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