Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween and Other Scary Stories...

"We are about to remove the spleen and place it on the table..." "We are about to hammer in this man's new knee joint..." Not quotes from a new horror movie, but rather two interactive lessons that our students were able to take part in thanks to the equipment in our Distance Learning classroom. High School students participated in a knee replacement surgery and full autopsy as part of a science class through Distance Learning. Students were able to watch the procedures from start to finish and were able to interact with the surgeons during the process. I made it through all of the knee replacement and most of the autopsy :) Interactive video conferencing is definitely part of "Textbook 2.0" for sure. It is so cool to know that this type of capability is available in each of our buildings, and that there over 1,000 topics to choose from K-12. Good stuff.

Please be checking the Neighbor's West next week for some great photography awards that some of our students received, as well as an announcement for a screening of a Veterans Remembrance that Wendy Cross (high school photography teacher) and some of her students from 2006-2009 put together. It is being shown at the Palace Theater on Veterans Day. Great work.

We have been told that we will be releasing a letter to parents regarding H1N1 vaccination clinics for our school age children. The best information that I have is that we will be one of the host sites (at the high school) and that the clinic will take place during one evening in the first part of December. I know that there will be a link on our web site to register, and that there will also be a phone number to call to register. The clinic will only be for school aged children who attend a school in our District. This whole operation is being run by the county and funded by the Federal Government, so I apologize for not having any additional information. As soon as I know all of the details, I will immediately pass them along.

Lastly, I am sad to report that the Pythagorean Theorem, yes, a2 + b2 = c2, will now be given to all students for their math assessments beginning in 7th grade :( In a recent poll of my friends and colleagues, most remember having to remember that! The dawn of a new era I suppose. Next thing you know the basic Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip recipe will be inlaid on all kitchen counter tops sold in the U.S.!

Be safe, be happy, and have a great Halloween weekend.

Chris