Exploris Grade 8
Happy Friday! We made it through the week. Thank you for being so vigilant about monitoring symptoms and jumping through hoops to get students tested. We appreciate it and are ALL looking forward to a long weekend. Stay healthy and keep us updated on illnesses, quarantines, and test results. We are truly hopeful this Omicron wave is moving us towards a more “normal” spring. Despite it all, we had a very productive week! Students kicked off their Map my Microbes projects, started reading Crow, and started their Tipping Points project, with work in Expedition and Crew, looking at major events in the Civil Rights movements and other important times of change in our country. Feel free to ask your child what they think the most important tipping point in recent history was!
Crow: We have started our novel Crow; remind your student to bring it home each day! They should be reading one chapter each night. It’s about the coup d’etat in Wilmington in 1898. If you’d like to follow along, check out Wilmington’s Lie.
Tuesday, January 18 is an asynchronous flex day. Students are working from home on the following assignments. We will be back at school on Wednesday, January 19.
- Crew: Watch CNN10
- Humanities: 9A word pics, read chapter 3 in Crow, do your Chapter 3 Netflix style summary
- Math: See Google Classroom
- Expedition: Map My Microbes – Make sure your Week 1 notes are complete through Day 4.
- Expedition: Tipping Points – Complete your timeline, if you were absent Friday
- Global Arts: See Google Classroom for those assignments
Covid Testing Update: We have been seeing slowdowns in getting our test results back. As our partner, Mako Medical, tweaks its intake process to accommodate the influx of COVID testing sites it services, you may want to seek out other community testing sites if you are in need of a quick turnaround. It is taking the on-site testing program 2-4 days to process. We hope this wait time decreases back to the 18-24 hour turnaround we were experiencing prior to the Winter Break.
OUTWARD BOUND:
- Parent Meeting for those who’ve committed to Outward Bound is Thursday, January 20 at 6:00 PM. Zoom Link We will record the meeting for those who cannot attend.
- The final total of $900 OR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION is due TODAY!. (pay online here) or Scholarship Application
- Outward Bound Course – Preparation Information This is an official OB page for Exploris. Their official packing list is posted on this page. We have found students DO NOT need everything on this list. Our version of the packing list.
- 2018 Outward Bound Pics
- The Exploris School Outward Bound Portal – Many of you still have paperwork to complete, so please get that in ASAP so that we can ensure your child’s participation.
- Covid Protocols for OB
High School Corner: Parents please update us if you have new information
- Exploris counselors@exploris.org
- Wake County Early Colleges, Magnets, & Year Round
- Charter and Private Schools
WCPSS Base – Directly through the base school’s Student Services
- Most do not start enrollment in Spring – No action needed now. Orientations in spring and summer. We will get you connected to other 8th grade families attending the same base so you can coordinate a session with their student services.
Exploris Support for High School Transition:
- Counselor Corner Website: Transition to HS
- Transition to HS: Google Drive Resources
- Letters of Recommendation: Please email teachers/counselors what you need asap (even if you add name to the application)
Updates from Admin:
- Buy your yearbook today at Yearbook at Jostens.
- Dear Exploris Families, our best advertisement is YOU! Please share with your networks and any interested families this information about Exploris’s open houses and lottery: Looking for a free, public k-8 school with a hands-on approach, strong academics, values of social & environmental justice, and firm belief that kids can change the world? Check out www.Exploris.org ! Applications for the 2022-2023 school year are open!
- If you have a student in our aftercare program, please pack an extra snack or two for them to have in the late afternoon! We do provide snacks for students who qualify for free and reduced priced lunches We also WELCOME donations of snacks to help all our kids make it through the longer day!
Club Updates:
- Magic the Gathering Club will continue to meet each Monday at 3:15 in 8S. Please email kelly@exploris.org if you would like to join.
- Run Club will continue to meet Thursday at 3:15 in 6E. Please email kelly@exploris.org if you would like to join.
Helpful links:
Counselor Referral Form: Please use this link and complete the form.
Important Information regarding lunches:
- FAQ about Green Planet Lunch Program
- Exploris Online Ordering System Link
- Step By Step Guide: Create an account and how to order
Parent and Teacher Organization Resources:
- The Exploris Parent Teacher Organization is dedicated to supporting our teachers, supporting our students and building our school community. All parents and teachers are automatically members of the Exploris PTO. Please get involved!
- Please follow the PTO Blog to get weekly Exploris Updates: http://explorispto.org
- Link your grocery cards, use Amazon Smile, and support Exploris with these easy fundraisers: https://explorispto.org/fundraising/passivefundraising/
- Exploris School Directory: https://explorispto.org/directory/
THIS WEEK
| Monday 1/17 | MLK Holiday |
| Tuesday 1/18 | Flex Day – Asynchronous Work Crew: Watch CNN10 Humanities: 9A word pics, read chapter 3 in Crow, do your Chapter 3 Netflix style summary Math: See Google Classroom Expedition: Map My Microbes – Make sure your Week 1 notes are complete through Day 4. Expedition: Tipping Points – Complete your timeline, if you were absent Friday Global Arts: See Google Classroom for those assignments |
| Wednesday 1/19 | CNN10 Humanities: Read Chapter 4 in Crow, #9 paragraph, Quiz on Chapters 1-3 Expedition: Map My Microbe – Finalize Week 1 Notes Expedition: Tipping Points Essay Lunch @ Morgan Street Food Hall/Working Lunch Afterschool: Drama Club, and Ultimate Frisbee |
| Thursday 1/20 | CNN10 Humanities: Read Chapter 5 in Crow Expedition: Map my Microbe – Week 2 Notes Expedition: Tipping Points Essay Lunch @ Moore Square Afterschool: Run Club |
| Friday 1/21 | CNN 10 Quiz Humanities: Read Chapter 6 in Crow (Quiz on Monday) Elective I Elective II |
| Next Week | Wednesday, January 26 – Joe Holt Speaking 11AM Thursday, January 27 – Fossil Lesson with Science Museum (30 students) |
Important Dates (Exploris CALENDAR):
Friday, February 18 – Teacher Workday
Monday, Feb 21 – Teacher Workday – Portfolio Conferences
Thursday, March 10 – End of Second Trimester
Friday, March 11 and Monday March 14 – Teacher Workdays
Spring Break – Friday, April 8 (3:15pm) – Tuesday, April 19 (8am)
Monday, April 18 – Friday, April 22 – Outward Bound Trip
Monday, April 18 – Teacher Workday (we will be on Outward Bound)
Tuesday, May 3 – Eid al Fitr Holiday
Monday, May 30- Memorial Day Holiday
Friday, June 10 – Graduation (10:30 am), early dismissal
Friday, June 10 – End of Third Trimester, last day of school
8th Grade Contacts
Jessie Francese, Jfrancese@exploris.org
Cori Greer-Banks, cori@exploris.org
Paula Mancini, pmancini@exploris.org
Adrian Findlay, adrian@exploris.org
Kelly Fauth, kfauth@exploris.org
Who’s Who?
Adrian Findlay – Crew, Math, Expedition
Jessie Francese – Crew, Humanities, Expedition
Paula Mancini – Crew, Math, Expedition
Cori Greer-Banks – Crew, Humanities, Expedition
Kelly Fauth – Special Education
Jamie Butler – Art
Julius Debnam- Health and Wellness
Nikki Kovach – Digital Literacy
Aurelia Autman – World Cultures and Spanish Language
Michelle Duncan – School Counselor
Michelle Butterworth – Interventionist
Mary Margaret Moffitt – Development Coordinator, but mostly just about anything you need!
Josh Corbat – Directors of Resources
Deborah Brown – Middle School Director
Exploris 8th Grade 