Pi Day Party

Turn Off Today For Earth Hour

Earth Hour is tonight, March 29, from 8 to 9 pm local time! Get ready to make it a great celebration for the planet.

Wondering what to do after you turn the lights out? Here are 10 fun ideas to help you, your family and your friends make a change and make a difference today.


Time to switch to CFLs!
1. Host a Green Party
Get your friends together for an Earth Hour eco-party. Fire up the flashlights and battery lanterns, serve organic food, avoid the disposable utensils, use natural décor (like flowers and hanging plants) and have a friend provide acoustic music. Talk to your guests about how you're each reducing your environmental footprint and share ideas and solutions for saving more energy, money and carbon dioxide.

2. Give Yourself an Energy Makeover
Use Earth Hour to make your home more energy efficient: Replace your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs; install power strips (so you can turn computers and electronics on and off more easily); and change your air conditioner filters. Or go one step farther and install one new energy-efficient item, like an EnergyStar qualified DVD player. And on Monday, call your local utility and sign up for green power-like wind, hydro or solar.

3. Go Green with Your Kids
Earth Hour is a perfect time to talk to your kids about the environment and why we need to protect our planet from the dangers of climate change. Check out books on the environment from the library and read by flashlight, or head into the yard and have a night picnic. Or how about a night of board games? Check out our downloadable Earth Hour kids' activities.


Don't forget your reusable
bags when you shop!
4. Do a Recyclables Scavenger Hunt
Get your flashlights and scour your cabinets and shelves for cans, bottles and cardboard (like cereal boxes) that you don't normally recycle. Make a list of all the non-recyclable containers you're using now (like plastic shopping bags and butter tubs), and figure out ways to reduce your consumption of items that end up in landfills. One easy tip: get reusable grocery bags... and reuse them!

5. Green That Workspace!
Working the night shift? Even if you can't turn off all the lights at work, look around and see what you can unplug, turn down or use less of (like consuming less paper by printing double-sided). Every day millions of computer screens and speakers are left on overnight--shut 'em off! And talk to your coworkers about what they can do to help make a difference, too.

6. Involve Your Local Leaders
If your city or town isn't hosting an Earth Hour event, ask your local government to set up a community "green" discussion this spring. Help organize attendance by reaching out to local environmental and community groups, and come prepared to ask your leaders what they're doing to make your city greener.

7. Clean Up Your Neighborhood
Grab a flashlight and take a long walk through your neighborhood, picking up trash and recyclables as you go. It's a great chance to do some stargazing, too!


Turn off the television.
© WWF-Canon/John Daniels
8. Unplug and Chill Out
Most of our daily activities--like watching TV, shopping online and texting friends--require loads of electricity, but do we really need to do so much stuff all the time? Take one hour for yourself to just chill... turn off the screens, put down the handheld devices and just take some "you" time to reflect, read or talk to your family. After all, why do more when you can do less?

9. Take Your Temperature
Your thermostat and your refrigerator are responsible for a huge portion of your carbon footprint. If you lower your thermostat by just 2 degrees and set your fridge to 37 degrees F. and the freezer at 0 degrees F., you'll make a big difference.

10. Make a Pledge for the Planet
Earth Hour shouldn't end at 9:01 pm--it's a chance to take a first step toward lowering your overall impact on the environment. So use part of that hour to make a personal pledge to do more--recycle, drive less often, turn off or unplug electronics, and beyond. The only way we're going to stabilize our climate is if we make real changes in our everyday lives. That change begins with Earth Hour, and ends with a healthy planet.

Of course, there are more than 10 ways to make a difference. Visit WWF's website for additional ideas on things you can do every day to help the Earth and reduce your environmental footprint.

Thank you for being a part of Earth Hour and committing to lowering your impact on the planet.

Switching off,


Richard Moss
Managing Director and Vice President, Climate Change


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It's A Boy...

Hunter Reed Reynolds arrived on March 24, 2008 weighing in at 9 lbs 1 oz and measuring 21 inches.

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Pi Day

Celebrate Pi Day with our class!!!


To view our ecard...
Click on the following Internet address or copy & paste it into your browser's address box. http://www.123greetings.com/view/7MY30313181725238


Pi, Greek letter ( ), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 3.1415926535... Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th.
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Learn About Pi
With the use of computers, Pi has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits past the decimal. Pi is an irrational number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating. The symbol for pi was first used in 1737 by William Jones, but was popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737. Learn More »
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Our Lives...Our Stories

Our Lives...Our Stories is an online magazine for Mathematics and Geography students in Mrs Keck, Mrs Dilmore and Mrs Abrams classes. This year our students will participate in exciting activities that address the Sunshine State Standards in the Mathematics and Geography classrooms. Students have been chosen to form the first Math/Geography Ezine for Greenwood Lakes Middle School for teens! We all know how exciting Mathematics and Geography can be and we want to share this excitement with the whole world! You will be creating exciting articles, puzzles, challenge problems, cartoons, cover pages, editorials, your own columns (advice) and advertisements. You will have the opportunity to address each theme and engage in activities and discussions that provide insight into their importance. Through the completion of the activities, hopefully students will gain an understanding of their ability to make a lasting positive impact and experience a rewarding year in our Math and Geography classes. So how excited can YOU get about Math and Geography? Take an interest in the topics that you pick. Hand in a quality piece of work. Feel proud to be pioneers of the first GLMS Math/Geography Ezine for teens!

Visit our site…
http://nancykeck.presspublisher.us

Share the Gift...Change a Life Photo Album

We hope that you all enjoyed our "Share the Gift...Change a Life" project this year. Here is a collection of some of those special moments. We wish each and everyone of you a very properous life.

Love
Mrs Abrams, Mrs Dilmore, and Mrs Keck

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Our Share the Gift...Change a Life project is based on the book by Jim Stovall, "The Ultimate Gift". It tells the story of twenty-four-year-old Jason Stevens. When Jason learns of the death of his billionaire great uncle, Red Stevens, he is eager to receive his portion of the fortune. Like his other greedy, ungrateful relatives, Jason only cares about monetary gain. Red recorded a series of video messages that Jason must follow in order to receive his eventual inheritance. Through a year long journey, Jason discovers the importance of many life-changing gifts, forges meaningful relationships that he never knew could exist, and learns to give back to others in need.

This year our students will participate in exciting activities that address the 12 gifts of the story. Students will be exposed to each of the twelve gifts that Jason experiences. They will have the opportunity to address each theme and engage in activities and discussions that provide insight into their importance. Through the completion of the activities, hopefully students will gain an understanding of their ability to make a lasting positive impact and experience a rewarding year in our Math/Geography classes.

These include:

★ The Gift of Self/Gratitude
★ The Gift of Friends
★ The Gift of Giving (Service Project Component)
★ The Gift of a Day
★ The Gift of Learning
★ The Gift of Laughter
★ The Gift of Problems
★ The Gift of Family
★ The Gift of Money
★ The Gift of Work
★ The Gift of Dreams
★ The Gift of Love

Gift 1… "Gift of Self/Gratitude"

This lesson is designed to take our student’s experiences and frame them in such a way that they can begin to make their lives what they know they should be in order to create their own versions of “The Ultimate Gift”. In this way, we can all begin to Share the gift and Change our lives. Students created Gift bags, boxes, or baskets full of items that reflected their unique characteristics.

Gift 2…"The Gift of Friends" Freedom Walk

We have connected with "America Supports You" On Sept. 11, Greenwood Lakes Middle School faculty, staff, administration, JRROTC, and students joined with America Supports You, a Department of Defense program recognizing citizens support for our military and communicating that support to members of our Armed Forces and their families.

We received recognition from Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. Students also wrote letters of encouragement to be sent to our military. Student designed a "postage stamp" to be affixed to the letters.

We also celebrated “Constitution Day” and “Veterans Day” with programs and lessons from the “History Channel”.

Gift #3… "Take the Lead To Help Others" Community Service Component

Using examples of the generosity demonstrated by the story's lead character, Jason Stevens, students are urged to learn to take on responsibility by designing and conducting a service project that allows them to give away
part of themselves to others in need.

Today...We have connected with local daycare centers and elementary schools to promote "Firstbook". We participated in Jumpstart "Read for the Record" and Dr Seuss's 50th birthday. Our participation in the Seuss celebration included making 1,100 birthday cards for the "Cat" to send to Random House Inc. as part of Project 236, a nationwide initiative to get books to disenfranchised students through the First Book project.

The goal of Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign is to raise public awareness about significant disparities in early education.

How Jumpstart's Read for the Record Works...
Read the official campaign book, "The Story of Ferdinand".

We are members of Seminole County's Partners in Preservation...Students will participate in Air Potato Raid in January.

We also support Steve Irwin's Australian Zoo by wearing Wildlife Warriors bracelets.

We have donated animal supplies to our local Animal Services of Seminole County because of a fire to their building. Students collected 500 signatures on a petition to be sent to our Florida senators encouraging their vote on "Buck's Bill" the bill supports Pet Safety and Protection Act.

Students also adopted a child from Nambia.

Students knitted blankets and booties for newborns at the Winnie Arnold Hospital.

Gift #4… "Gift of a Day" World Space Week Balloon Launch
We joined educators and space enthusiasts around the world to celebrate World Space Week, Oct. 4-10, 2007. This year's celebration commemorates the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1, marking the beginning of the Space Age. World Space Week is the largest public space event in the world, with celebrations in more than 50 nations.

Gift #5… "Gift of Learning" Mathlincs Project
Project You Be The Teacher
Mrs Dilmore, Mrs Abrams and myself have joined a Math/Geography Collaboration project called MathLincs. We have posted links to our classroom blog on our class webpage.

We participated in classroom webinars with Discovery Education...Planet Earth, Discovery Science/Nasa Astronauts, Build it Bigger with Danny Forster, Meerkats and Mr Wizard.

Gift #6… “The Gift of Laughter”
Project “Our Gift of Laughter” Survey:
Our class designed a survey to be shared. We will take our results and make graphical representations of the data.

Gift #7...The Gift of Problems
Our classes have written letters to our Congressman and Senators about "Global Warming" and its effects. One student designed a "Protect the Environment postage stamp" to be affixed to the letters.

Gift #8...The Gift of Family
We have created tote bags with various games, books, and dvds. Bags are taken home and shared with their families. A journal is kept with each bag so families can share their observations.

Gift #9...The Gift of Money
Gift #10...The Gift of Work

Stock Market Project
How do stockbrokers and financial analysts determine what stocks to buy? Students will collect data about a company and use formulas to analyze the data. Activities will help them better understand how stockbrokers and financial analysts track stock performance to determine what stocks to buy.

Gift #11...The Gift of Love
Gift #12...The Gift of Dreams

Dear Sweet Parent/Grandparent Gift Bag filled with photos, letters of love, and dreams.

100 acts of kindness from Martin Luthor King’s birthday to Valentines Day…students performed a 100 acts of kindness to represent the beliefs and philosophy of Martin Luthor King.

I have a Dream Speech authored by our students

Final outcome..."Life lived to its fullest is its own Ultimate Gift.”

World Maths Day...March 5, 2008

World Maths Day...March 5, 2008

Uniting the World in Numbers!!

Students can practice for the event straight away!
It is all about participation! This is a truly international event with students participating from all across the world. Remember that all of these games will be played in real-time - that is your students will play live with students from all corners of the globe! Your students will learn more about world time zones and will discover that at certain times during the day they are more likely to play students from particular countries.

View website...

http://www.worldmathsday.com/

NEA's Read Across America Grab Your Hat and Read With the Cat!

Mrs Keck, Mrs Dilmore, and Mrs Abrams have decided to go LIVE with their own online classroom magazine. To view our Ezine online site...

http://nancykeck.presspublisher.us/



This issue will support our Month of March Activities and Projects in our classes. We will begin with the first major article in support of Literacy and Dr Seuss. NEA's Read Across America Grab Your Hat and Read With the Cat! NEA's Read Across America Day is almost here, and millions of kids, teens, and adults are busy making plans to join the nation's largest reading celebration on March 3, 2008. What can you do? Students can go to a Book Reading at Barnes and Noble...Sunday, March 2 at 2:00 Altamonte Springs Store to hear...Horton Hears A Who! They can read to younger brothers and sisters or other family members. View Dr Seuss videos Bring in Children’s Books, Coloring Books, Crayons, and Children’s Toys To be donated to Wee The People in Sanford

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