Welcome back to a new school year and to our new blog for 2010. I know the first question you may have is why I named the blog MHSCOTW. I believe that all of us should start viewing ourselves as “Citizens of the World.” If we thought of ourselves as parts of a bigger community than Middletown, or Rhode Island, or even America itself, our world would benefit. I think this global thinking would lead to less strife and more cooperation. This idea truly hit home when my son graduated from an American university and was hired by a German bank that immediately sent him to London, then on to New York City, India and Tokyo. His story is not that unusual for recent college graduates as more businesses have an international presence. History also shows that in this age of globalization problems in one part of the world have a way of spreading far beyond their original boundaries, affecting other nations and people in unpredictable ways. The events of September 11, 2001, whose victims we commemorate this weekend, are a tragic reminder of that fact.
The blog is a way for us to review what we worked on during the week and to provide additional information on a variety of topics through links. You will notice that the entries include highlighted words which are active links to other sites where you can read further about a particular topic. For reasons of time and space, the blog is not an all inclusive wrap-up of the week, and because five different classes will be using the blog, it cannot provide detailed information about homework.
I hope you enjoy reading the blog. Please feel free to offer recommendations.
Contemporary World Issues (CWI)
This week we spoke about how all of our lives are affected by events in other countries. As advances in technology make our world grow smaller, our economies are more and more linked together and it is important for all of us to understand global issues.
You have been given the current events assignment and rubric. We practiced finding articles about international issues and we spoke about writing the first paragraph to summarize key facts and the second paragraph to offer your own thoughts on the subject. Keep in mind that you have several days to do this assignment so you have time to solve any problems that may occur. Maybe you don’t have a paper at home... maybe you don’t have a computer or printer... maybe you work on the weekends... these are all potential obstacles, but you can surmount them. Make sure to take advantage of the school library or the public library on West Main Road. You can use this assignment to start the school year off with a great success! Your assignment is due Wednesday or Thursday (depending on class period)
You will find that your understanding of the issues we discuss in class will be greatly enhanced by watching the news or reading a daily paper. Next week we are scheduled to start receiving UpFront, a magazine produced by The New York Times for high school students. This is a major investment on the part of the District and I know you will appreciate having this opportunity to read a world class publication. As good thinkers and policy makers, we will also be consulting other sources, such as The Wall Street Journal, the international press, and news web sites. If you have a favorite, please bring it in and we will add it to our list of resources.
Room Management Plan
Please make sure you have read over the room management plan. The signed plan (by both student and parent/guardian) is due on Monday or Wednesday of next week (depending on class period). This is considered a homework assignment so make a good impression by being on time.
Supplies
Each student needs to have a 3-ring binder, a pocket folder, a small box of colored pencils and pens/pencils for daily use. Please be ready with your supplies next week as we all want to work on staying organized.
Pell Center
We are fortunate to have a world class university, Salve Regina, right in our own backyard. From time to time they have guest speakers and many of these events are open to the public. On September 15, the Ambassador from Syria, Imad Moustopha, will speak about the US and the Middle East. The lecture starts at 6:00. You need to call or email the Pell Center to reserve a seat. If you attend, please pick up the brochure from the event and bring it to class. You will earn extra credit for this event.
US Senate Scholarship Program
Each year, two students from every state are selected to participate in the US Senate Scholarship program. To be eligible for this event, you must be a Junior or Senior and serve in some leadership position, such as Student Council, class officer or the SITE council. Students selected to represent Rhode Island earn a trip to Washington DC and a $5,000 scholarship. If you are interested in learning more about this program, please let me know.
Calling all Future Journalists
Sheila Mullowney, Executive Editor of The Newport Daily News, will be meeting with students on Wednesday September 15 at 4:00 in room 212 to discuss careers in journalism. If you would like more information about this event, please speak with Ms. Clark.
Extra Credit
After reading this blog, email me with a comment or a question (using your MHS account) and earn extra credit. If you do not have a school email, please write out a comment or a question and hand it in during class time. All comments/questions are due on Monday.
A Time to Pause
Please take a few minutes on September 11 to remember the people who lost their lives on that day in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. Think about what each of us can do in our day to day lives and interactions with others to make this a more peaceful, compassionate world and get beyond the forces of hate and intolerance that divide us. Learning all you can about other nations, peoples and cultures and why they think and act as they do is an excellent way to start.
In Closing
We are fortunate to be members of the Middletown school community. We have a great school with wonderful students and a supportive faculty and administration. I know we are going to have a great year. Please do not hesitate to see me if there is anything I can do to help you make it as much fun, as safe and as productive as possible.
The blog is a way for us to review what we worked on during the week and to provide additional information on a variety of topics through links. You will notice that the entries include highlighted words which are active links to other sites where you can read further about a particular topic. For reasons of time and space, the blog is not an all inclusive wrap-up of the week, and because five different classes will be using the blog, it cannot provide detailed information about homework.
I hope you enjoy reading the blog. Please feel free to offer recommendations.
Contemporary World Issues (CWI)
This week we spoke about how all of our lives are affected by events in other countries. As advances in technology make our world grow smaller, our economies are more and more linked together and it is important for all of us to understand global issues.
You have been given the current events assignment and rubric. We practiced finding articles about international issues and we spoke about writing the first paragraph to summarize key facts and the second paragraph to offer your own thoughts on the subject. Keep in mind that you have several days to do this assignment so you have time to solve any problems that may occur. Maybe you don’t have a paper at home... maybe you don’t have a computer or printer... maybe you work on the weekends... these are all potential obstacles, but you can surmount them. Make sure to take advantage of the school library or the public library on West Main Road. You can use this assignment to start the school year off with a great success! Your assignment is due Wednesday or Thursday (depending on class period)
You will find that your understanding of the issues we discuss in class will be greatly enhanced by watching the news or reading a daily paper. Next week we are scheduled to start receiving UpFront, a magazine produced by The New York Times for high school students. This is a major investment on the part of the District and I know you will appreciate having this opportunity to read a world class publication. As good thinkers and policy makers, we will also be consulting other sources, such as The Wall Street Journal, the international press, and news web sites. If you have a favorite, please bring it in and we will add it to our list of resources.
Room Management Plan
Please make sure you have read over the room management plan. The signed plan (by both student and parent/guardian) is due on Monday or Wednesday of next week (depending on class period). This is considered a homework assignment so make a good impression by being on time.
Supplies
Each student needs to have a 3-ring binder, a pocket folder, a small box of colored pencils and pens/pencils for daily use. Please be ready with your supplies next week as we all want to work on staying organized.
Pell Center
We are fortunate to have a world class university, Salve Regina, right in our own backyard. From time to time they have guest speakers and many of these events are open to the public. On September 15, the Ambassador from Syria, Imad Moustopha, will speak about the US and the Middle East. The lecture starts at 6:00. You need to call or email the Pell Center to reserve a seat. If you attend, please pick up the brochure from the event and bring it to class. You will earn extra credit for this event.
US Senate Scholarship Program
Each year, two students from every state are selected to participate in the US Senate Scholarship program. To be eligible for this event, you must be a Junior or Senior and serve in some leadership position, such as Student Council, class officer or the SITE council. Students selected to represent Rhode Island earn a trip to Washington DC and a $5,000 scholarship. If you are interested in learning more about this program, please let me know.
Calling all Future Journalists
Sheila Mullowney, Executive Editor of The Newport Daily News, will be meeting with students on Wednesday September 15 at 4:00 in room 212 to discuss careers in journalism. If you would like more information about this event, please speak with Ms. Clark.
Extra Credit
After reading this blog, email me with a comment or a question (using your MHS account) and earn extra credit. If you do not have a school email, please write out a comment or a question and hand it in during class time. All comments/questions are due on Monday.
A Time to Pause
Please take a few minutes on September 11 to remember the people who lost their lives on that day in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. Think about what each of us can do in our day to day lives and interactions with others to make this a more peaceful, compassionate world and get beyond the forces of hate and intolerance that divide us. Learning all you can about other nations, peoples and cultures and why they think and act as they do is an excellent way to start.
In Closing
We are fortunate to be members of the Middletown school community. We have a great school with wonderful students and a supportive faculty and administration. I know we are going to have a great year. Please do not hesitate to see me if there is anything I can do to help you make it as much fun, as safe and as productive as possible.
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