Week of October 13, 2008

End of the First Quarter
This is the final week of the first quarter. It is full of activity both inside and outside the classroom. District Benchmark exams will be given in core classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. These benchmarks will provide the student and teacher information on how well the standards are being met. These results will assist in guiding future instruction and creating opportunities for students who need extra help. Accurately understanding student performance can pinpoint areas of growth.

Fall sports’ playoffs also begin this week. The Volleyball and Football playoffs start Tuesday (time/location TBA). Winners will advance to a second round on Wednesday (time/location TBA). The final round of competition for volleyball will be held on Thursday in Woodlake at 4pm. The final round fro Football will also be on Thursday hosted by Los Tules in Tulare at 4pm. We have a good shot at making it to the finals in both volleyball (one loss this season) and football (undefeated). Our Cross-Country team will compete in its final meet Wednesday at Veterans Park.

Our Madden ’09 Video Tournament continues this week. The noontime class competition is exciting to watch and the students are loving it. Words like “awesome” and “fun” are frequently heard. Its great to watch these students interact and compete, get excited, shout, cheer for one another, and sometimes offer friendly advice. Some of the students know the game so well that they push buttons with barely looking at the screen, as if they already know what is coming and can’t wait to respond. Its as if the machine is slowing them down. It makes my head hurt sometimes just to watch it and keep up. All in all, the video tournament is part of our school culture because that’s what this generation does. Next up in our video lineup - Guitar Hero III. (If you haven’t heard of it, just ask any kid.) Based on last year’s intense competition, I’m in for another mind whirling event.