As teachers are setting up their classroom, there is a definite buzz about the 2019 school year. Personally, I am SO thrilled to have my Capstone kiddos and new electives kids turn a new leaf this year. There are going to be new opportunities and fresh challenges that will make you a stronger and better individual.
The most important news: I have switched classrooms. I am no longer located in the main building in room 219, but am now appropriately set up in the former weight room -- room D-104 -- across from the auditorium. In other news, I am no longer working part time, but am now here during mornings and afternoons. This year, I am teaching two electives. This is my third year teaching IGCSE Drama and my second year teaching Yearbook/Journalism. I am a writer for Phoenix Magazine, North Valley Magazine, and North Phoenix Mom's Blog and a columnist for The Moon Valley Tattler, so I'm PUMPED to get the kiddos involved in journalism and create the best yearbook ASU Prep has seen yet! Returning to drama is Ms. Turner and we are already planning our one-act plays along with a few other performances we'd like you to see. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing you in the classroom on July 30th! With gratitude, Mrs. Constable
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Can you believe it? Summer is here! And before you head off to relax, please take 10 minutes to review this survey.
Survey: https://goo.gl/forms/QS7BqlyF5fZKatMM2 For Capstone, you are sophomores now! Please complete all assigned reading from core classes that need to be completed before starting back in July. For everyone else, I can´t wait to have you in my class for the 2019 school year! Enjoy your summer, Mrs. Constable To apply for STUGO for next year, please click this link and fill out the application: http://mavilaasuprep.weebly.com/applications-and-forms.html
April rules testing month. You have Cambridge exams to master, and then AZMerit and AIMS tests to make sure our school gets a grade that represents what you've learned throughout the year.
As we went through the three tenants of ASU Prep: Be kind. Work hard. Be smart., I hope that you'll once again be reminded that "smart" doesn't mean "intelligent," but rather one who makes good choices. For Quarter 4, it's my hope that you not only make positive choices to set you aside from the rest, but that you'll always make the right choice after the school year ends. We only have a few more weeks until summer break! Let's make them count! With gratitude, Mrs. Constable For full credit during this holiday activity, please click this Google form and answer each question in complete sentences: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8VoYqB5VgPie8bQ7a_BGvDuX5SIvQa3CYumJTjuf46euf0g/viewform?usp=sf_link
Happy Holidays, Mrs. Constable Now that Quarter 1 has passed, you've quickly learned what is working and what isn't through your Q1 ILP meetings. Quarter 2 is going to get more difficult, so take this time to reflect on what was positive for you in Quarter 1 and how you may apply that in Quarter 2.
As always, I am here for you to succeed and do your very best. For Quarter 2, I'd like you to not only reflect on the positives, but learn how to respond to any "negatives." If you find that something isn't working for you, reach out to your teachers to learn how we can help you succeed. Hey, you know the saying: "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Let's thank Kelly Clarkson for that wonderful piece of wisdom, but also realize that things that ARE difficult DO make you stronger. Here's to building better brain muscle and making smarter choices this quarter. See you in class, Mrs. Constable Can you believe that the school year is already here? I can't!
The first quarter is going to focus on working hard. It's one of the three tenants of the ASU Prep Way. We all want to associate ourselves with people who are hard workers, who are kind, loving and compassionate, and who make good choices by being smart. Being a hard worker is being that person who makes the choice to go that extra mile by doing their best. This year is a clean slate from last. It's the decision you make to start the year by choosing to put in that hard work and keep it up. Pablo Picasso once said, "Inspiration exists, but it usually has to find you working." This quote is the inspiration for this quarter because if you choose to work hard, you will find that inspiration to do your best... It exists, but you have to work at it! This year, I'm also teaching two new classes: 9th grade Capstone and Yearbook! I can't wait to work with the students at ASU Prep this year to see what we'll create... It'll be hard, but rewarding work! Looking forward to seeing you in the classroom. With gratitude, Mrs. Constable My final day in the classroom before I head on maternity leave is on Friday, Feb. 17. I will be back in the classroom on Monday, April 10. If you have any questions or concerns, please be sure to email me.
Here's what's on the horizon for Quarter 3 and 4 in all classes: Computer Science ASU Prep is extremely grateful to have our Phoenix Campus IT Tech Priscilla Siquieros helping out in Computer Science for Semester 2. Quarter 3 will focus more on hardware and learning the basic structures of the programming language Python. Students have been involved with playing CodeCombat - a gaming system that revolves around learning Python. Ms. Siquieros will be making frequent updates to the Computer Science tab in order for students and parents to be in the know about what's happening within the classroom. IGCSE Drama Students are wrapping up their one-act plays, which were written by Christopher Durang. G1 produced "The Actor's Nightmare" and performed it to Capstone and the community on Friday, Jan. 30. M4 classes will be producing two of Durang's one-act plays: "Funeral Parlor" and "Naomi in the Living Room" on Friday, Feb. 10. to Capstone classes. G1 students are currently working on a short playwriting unit that will help segue into improv. When the long-term sub begins on Tuesday, Feb. 21, both classes will immediately begin an 8-week improv unit. Media & Technology Students are currently working on a magazine project with their assigned editorial teams. It is an intensive writing project that should be finished by Friday, Feb. 17. Upon the substitute teacher starting, students will begin working on a podcast unit within teams. All long-term plans have been updated on Planbook.Edu. If you click on each of the classroom's tabs, the planbooks are located at the bottom of the page so that students and parents can see what's on the horizon for electives classes. During my maternity leave, I will return all emails by the end of the week on Fridays during the mornings. If you have any questions, again, please feel free to reach out! With gratitude, Mrs. Constable As we head into a new quarter, it's almost like turning a new leaf. By this time, students now understand classroom procedures, expectations, software and computer navigation, so that this next quarter can head into some bigger projects.
For IGCSE Drama, students will be leading warmups and be graded on them as well. The school play will now be divided into one-act performances by each drama class. The rest of the quarter will focus on building community, advancing techniques in scenes, and learning the ropes behind a performance such as set design, lighting, sounds, and stage management. Computer Science has been learning Python coding through CodeCombat. This quarter will focus on influencers in computer engineering, rebuilding computer desktops, game development, and polishing Python, HTML, and CSS skills. Students are also teaching the class their personal tech interests with Teach Us projects. Click the Computer Science tab to learn more. Finally, Media & Tech will continue learning audio editing software and the literature behind radio commentaries and podcasts. Students will have enough video and audio material to begin creating their website portfolio on blogger, where they will begin picking up digital journalistic skills by writing reflective essays and personal branding. For every quarter, I will post two new quotes above the board that is reflective of the goals students would like to achieve in my class. The first is, "Do what is right. Not what is easy." The next is, "Progress takes place outside your comfort zone!" It's my hope that students will take these ideas, internalize them, and challenge themselves to be the best that they can be in every class. Looking forward to seeing student growth for Quarter 2! With gratitude, Mrs. Constable |