September Newsletter

Vol. IV Issue12013
DATES TO REMEMBER
  • Tues. 10/1, 9:45 a.m. International Thespian Society Induction
  • Wed. 10/2, 10 a.m. Romeo & Juliet Neel PAC
  • Fri. 10/4 & Sat. 10/5
    8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
    Senior Pictures
  • Wed. 10/9, grades 6-10 Picture Day

  • Thurs. 10/10 6 p.m. Skate Night

  • Fri. 10/11 No School

  • Fri. 10/4 Hispanic Heritage Celebration
  • Tue. 10/15, 5:15 p.m. PTO, 6:30 p.m. SAC

  • Fri. 10/18 End of 1st Quarter

  • Sat. 10/19, 8 a.m. PSAT, SCFCS Cafe'

  • Mon. 10/21 Record Day, No School

  • Fri. 10/25 Fall Festival

  • Thurs. 10/31 Ringling Museum field trip

       

       

 

AUDITIONS

High School Students 

Thursday, November 7 8:30-10:30 a.m.

 

CALLBACKS

Friday, November 8
8:30-10:30 a.m.

 

Middle school students will be able to audition in their Performing Arts wheel classes for roles not cast by 9-12 grades, understudies and or additional chorus roles. Sign up to audition in the Movement Lab, Rm. 101 or  email Ms. Randazzo  

randazc@scf.edu.
  
Audition requirements will be posted in BlackBoard under Whell 2 and International Thespian Society.
  
Technical Help
Students interested in scenic design, building, lighting, costuming, sound or any technical aspect should attend auditions to get information. 
 
Collection is Underway
Box Tops are worth cash
10 cents each!
  
Box Tops collection bags were sent home earlier this month. Remember to save Box Tops all year and return them to your coach the end of October and March. The coaching class that collects the most Box Tops will get a dress down day!
 
Thank you to everyone who supported SCFCS with a click on the Target link for schools and  PTO's Annual Walk-a-Thon!

At last count we had more than 300 votes on the Target website = $300+ and more than $2500 collected for the Walk-a-Thon.

 

Thank you for supporting our school!

  
First Annual Constitution Day Winners  
Irene, TJ, Alexis and Sebastian with
Coaches Mr. Western and Ms. McNeil
SCFCS Yearbook Cover Contest

The SCFCS yearbook needs your artistic talent! Students are asked to submit design  suggestions for the cover of the 2013-14 Collegiate Compendium.

 

This year's theme is "Different by Design." The cover design should interpret the theme and include the phrase. Designs must be 8 �" x 11" and submitted to Ms. Steen by October 10.

 

If your entry is selected, your 2013-14 yearbook will be free!

Class of 2014
Leadership Techniques

It's hard to believe our first senior class is working on their college applications! Students are continuing to learn essential life skills to prepare them for the college experience and beyond. Recently, the SCF Career Resource Center staff presented a workshop to teach students how to assemble a professional e-portfolio.

Senior Pictures 
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4 & 5, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. 

You must call Prestige Portraits to schedule an appointment 800-361-8694 or 813-402-3500.

Class of 2015
Leadership Skills Deveopment

This year we have welcomed a new junior class to SCFCS. Students are learning to navigate the college experience through organization and planning workshops. A time management lesson was recently held to help students learn to manage their new schedule. It's been a pleasure to welcome and work with our new juniors as they grow and develop as students in the Accelerated College Program.-Mr. Bowman

Language Arts
Sixth Grade

Students have perfected proofreading marks, to use when self and peer-editing. TeenBiz 3000, textbook scavenger hunts and newspaper articles have been used to review fiction writing. Our iPads are used in class daily as we navigate through Blackboard Learn to view assignments and mastery projects. We took a trip to the SCF Library to learn the book check-out procedures and have been brushing up on grammar and parts of a paragraph. Thesis statements for our History Fair topic is next.-Ms. Simmons

 

Seventh Grade

Students have been working on Academic Writing and Reading, learning how to respond to short and long essay questions and how to tackle reading difficult texts such as the Declaration of Independence. Mastery of this step will be shown by answering short and long essay questions, providing support from different texts. Next we will cover Vocabulary Building Techniques, Spelling Rules and Grammar Rules of English. The mastery will be a comprehensive test and editing an example of poor writing. Chilling poems and tales by Edgar Allen Poe are coming in October.-Ms. Cole

 

Eighth Grade

Students began the year by writing and presenting an autobiography about their lives. We reviewed proper procedures for proofreading and e-mail netiquette, and evaluating both informal and formal forms of communication, and target audiences. A trip to the SCF library and visit with a librarian, to review scholarly research techniques, has started History Fair projects. Students will be presenting research in the form of an annotated bibliography on their topic. A mastery project on Formal and Informal Language was due Friday September 27.-Ms. Simmons

 

Students are working daily on grammar and writing strategies in preparation for FCAT Writing in February.  The class recently began a step focused on public speaking in which students will analyze, practice and give a persuasive speech. They will choose topics and develop an accompanying Keynote presentation over the next week.-Ms. Olson

 

Freshman Class

Students have spent the first month strengthening their reading and writing skills  preparation of ninth grade curriculum. They have practiced close reading of complex texts and proper writing for a variety of writing situations. Next they will be working on a topic for the History Fair research paper.-Ms. Steen

 

Sophmore Class  

Students recently completed a study of Old English literature and submitted projects based on the Anglo-Saxon work "Beowulf" on Friday, September 27. In addition to this literary analysis, students have been practicing their close reading skills with both fiction and non-fiction texts. Close reading involves pulling abstract inferences from text and making connections about deeper meanings. These skills are imperative to success on both the PERT and SAT exams, as well as in ENC 1101.-Ms. Olson

Reading Class
Reading students are off to a great start by reading information texts using Scholastic Action News Magazine. The articles are informative and interactive, and allow students to practice new vocabulary and reading strategies. Students also are using our school-wide reading program Teenbiz3000 where they enjoy monitoring their reading progress and earning points by reading articles and completing activities. Parents please encourage your students to read for 30 minutes a night.-Ms. Hayes
Social Sciences
World History

The National History Fair is an exciting project that incorporates researching, writing and history. Students have selected their topics and turned in their thesis statements. Now it is time for research! The next few weeks will be used to research their topic and prepare an annotated bibliography. We will discuss their plan for this process paper and final project.-Ms. Ayling & Ms. McNeil

 

After students turn in their mastery projects on Mesopotamia we are moving to Egypt. The exciting world of mummies and pharaohs should have them coming home with interesting stories.-Ms. Ayling

  

Civics

We have determined that everyone has the right to life, liberty and property. Now, will Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers explain why we need happiness too?  We will explore why creating our country took courage, ingenuity and a lot of political savvy.-Ms. Lacey

 

U.S. History 

What would make the colonists so unhappy that they would start a revolution? That is what students will discover this month.  It's a great way to learn about political methods and propaganda, which still occurs today.-Ms. Lacey & Mr. Western

 

Government 

We have covered the Constitution and the Amendments, establishing a baseline understanding of the federal government, the separation of powers and its checks and balances. Next we will delve deeper into court cases that have significantly shaped our laws. Students are working on three major projects concurrently; Writing a Law, Message to Congress documentary, and the History Fair project.  All three are due in early December so students are strongly advised to plan their milestones and work accordingly.-Mr. Western 

  
Mathematics
Sixth Grade

We sailed right through our review steps of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and are off to bigger and better things. Fractions and decimals are boggling our brains right now and powers of 10 are on the horizon. Stay tuned for where we'll be sailing next.-Ms. Cochrane

 

Seventh Grade

Welcome to Algebra! Students are learning to work with the fundamentals of Algebra-linear equations and properties of equality. Parents can follow what is being covered in class daily, by visiting our class calendar found in the step resources tab in BlackBoard.-Ms. Cochrane & Ms. Lewellen

 

Eighth Grade

Students are translating expressions, comparing linear and non-linear functions and interpreting data in order to make predictions. Students should be working nightly on assigned problems in order to prepare for the mastery test on Thursday, October 3.-Ms. Lewellen

 

Ninth Grade 

We have completed expressions and functions and are currently working on linear functions and systems of equations.

 

The on-line Textbook tab in BlackBoard should be used as a resource for a Basic Math Review Card, handouts given out in class, and the online login usernames and passwords for the textbook. These resources are needed to strengthen the knowledge of basic mathematical principles (i.e. order of operations, operations with negative and positive numbers, operations with fractions, decimals, and integers, etc.) as we will continue to recall this information throughout the year.-Mr. Ciosici  

 

Algebra 1 

In Algebra 1, we have finished a very important part of this year's curriculum: Linear Equations.  Next we will cover Linear Functions.-Mr. Ciosici

  

Algebra 2

We are beginning the systems of equations. This is a review of Algebra one content, but we will be taking it a bit further and applying it to a greater number of situations.-Mr. Hale

 

Geometry 

We are getting into proofs.  At this point a little extra time will be needed each night in order to make sure this concept is understood, as it is a foundation of the geometry class.-Mr. Hale

 

Pre-Calculas

Precalculus is rolling right along. We are studying rational functions, and learning how to find the asymptotes, zeros, domain and range. By using these items the behavior of the function can be understood without the need for graphing.-Mr. Hale

Science
Sixth Grade
Students are working diligently on the Earth Science units. They have built some incredible terrariums that represent the systems of the Earth.-Ms. Santilli  
  
Seventh Grade

Students have been familarizing themselves with the tools used in science. We have concentrated on the metric system and the scientific method. They were very surprised to discover they were using mathematic skills in science class.-Ms. Rowland

 

Students are creating story lines and characters to help teach others about Earth Science. Pretty soon, students who demonstrate creativity, a srong work ethic,  and go above-and-beyond, will have the oportunity to publish a collaborative work about science.-Ms. Santilli

 

Eighth Grade
Students are studying the properties and changes of matter. The mastery project for this step is to demonstrate to the class a physical change and a chemical change of matter.-Ms. Boyer  
  
Biology
We have completed the biochemistry section and are now studying cell structure and function.-Ms. Brennen
  
Chemistry
The students started off the school year by learning the basics of being a chemist. They learned how to properly use lab equipment and successfully completed their first lab experiment.-Ms. Rowland   
Electives
Art
Students have learned basic cartooning and have created a cartoon telling a story. They are now learning about color and design theory. Next they will create art that compliments what they are learning in World History. We will shadow the art history for the time periods starting with cave paintings in Lascaux, France, which is the first documented art in the world.  Students are looking forward to a visit to the Ringling Museum, Thursday, October 31, where they will learn about Renaissance and Baroque art periods.-Ms. Cole
  
Communications

Students have learned the basics of public speaking, student congress and yearbook terminology. They are currently working on speeches for a mock congress session and writing their first feature stories about events at SCFCS.-Ms. Steen 

  
TSA

Students are continuing to practice building and leadership skills. They are  putting together bottle rockets which will be launched in October. Donations of paper towel holders, 2 liter bottles, masking tape, Elmer's school glue, flex-straws, bottle caps (any kind), old CD's or DVD's, film canisters, and empty thread spools can always be used.-Ms. Boyer

  

Robotics

Students are finishing the tutorial section of class and are preparing for an open robot challenges.-Ms. Brennan

 

Performing Arts

The first students will be inducted into the SCFCS Charter Troupe 7937 of the International Thespian Society, Tuesday, October 1, 9:30 a.m., Neel Performing Arts Center. Congratulations!

  

International Thespian Society Regional Competition

Cypress Lake Performing Arts Center,Ft. Myers

Saturday, October 19

This competition is for actors/singers/technicians/designers of theatrical events to be chosen and rehearsed in SCFCS Theatre 1 class. ITS students will compete for regional honors and if selected will move to State competition held March 2014, at the STRAZ Center for Performing Arts, Tampa. Monetary scholarship awards for winning theatre students attending the competitions, and acting and technical awards in multiple categories.

 

HOPE

Students are learning the benefits of physical activity, the importance of good nutrition and managing weight, and body composition. They are keeping a daily workout log with a minimum goal of six hours of physical activity each week. Lets keep moving!-Ms. Sepsey

  

PE/Fitness

Students are learning the rules and playing team handball. They are enjoying the athleticism and strategy associated of this sport. Next we will play tennis.

 

For their quarterly mastery project, students are creating their own fitness game. They may create a new game or use a variation of a game they already know.-Ms. Ayling & Ms. Sepsey