Community Service Club

COMMUNITY SERVICE CLUB:

The community service club with make a visit to the orphanage, Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, on this upcoming Sunday, September 6th.  We will celebrate Children's Day with the orphans, by playing games. doing crafts, sharing lunch and cupcakes, and breaking open a pinata.   If you are interested in joining a group of Discovery students, families, and teachers for this visit, please contact Mrs. Christina Agurcia at cagurcia@discoveryschool.edu.hn or come to the meeting in her classroom (Secondary Building, Room 7) on Tuesday, September 1st at lunch (11:45 AM).  Participation in this club is open to Discovery families of any age group and Discovery Secondary School students.  For more information about Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos, please visit www.nph.org/hn.

Welcome To The New School Year

               Welcome to a great year of learning about the beautiful world that surrounds us!  I am excited for a new school year to begin and to join with you in educating your student about the wonders of the world.

                My name is Christina Agurcia, and I am originally from Illinois.  I graduated from Lincoln Christian College with a BS in Bible and from Illinois State University with a BS in Biology.  I am certified by the State of Illinois to teach a wide range of science subjects, including biology, chemistry, and physics.  As well, I have taken graduate education courses in zoology, botany, chemistry, physics, and AP Environmental Science.  To continue gaining knowledge about pedagogical technique, I also have participated in teacher workshop events, such as the ones offered by Discovery School and Escuela International Sampedrana in San Pedro Sula, and most recently, a workshop on environmental education hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society.  Starting this fall, I will be beginning a program to earn a Master’s of Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

I have over 10 years of teaching experience in the secondary science classroom, and this will be my seventh year at Discovery School.  Previously, I taught one year at a private school here in Tegucigalpa and three years at a public school in the United States of America. 

                This year our secondary students, from 7^th-11^th grade, will be participating in science fair.  This is a long term project that will span all of first semester and will involve components in language arts and science.   While this is a student-directed project, parents are asked to provide the necessary supplies (as directed by the student’s individual project) and to help their student keep on track with due dates.  A list of science fair due dates is provided on the science fair page of thus blog-  see the link in the right hand column.  

I am looking forward to developing an excellent working relationship with you.  Each week I will be updating the blog, which will have information about the material being covered in class, student activities and homework, as well, as upcoming dates for projects and tests.   From this home page, you will find a link specifically related to your course- see the right hand .  Students and parents should check the blog weekly.                 As well, you can follow your student’s progress through checking the online grading program, Engrade.  This program creates a personal, secure account by which you can access your student’s grade and list of outstanding work.  Personal access codes will be given to each student.  From that code, parents can create an account to review student’s scores.

Students will be given homework, as listed in class and on the blog.  Students are responsible for turning this homework into my classroom by 8:00 AM on the day the assignment is due.  Any work submitted after 8:00 AM will be considered late.  Only excused tardies will be accepted as a reason for turning in work after 8:00 AM.

Classtime is valuable, and therefore, a student should attempt be at school as much as possible.  However, if a student is absent, he/she is responsible to complete all make-up work.  Make-up work can be found in the “make-up” folder for his or her class.  Any missed notes can be copied from a fellow student.  If a student missed a test/quiz/lab, she/he will need make an appointment to complete the work.  For excused absences, students are given one day to make-up work per each absent day.  For one or two day excused absences, the students should be prepared to take any pre-scheduled test or quiz and submit any large project upon returning to school. For a longer absence, the student will not be required to take a test or quiz on the first two days after returning to school.  For preplanned absences, a student is to notify the teacher in writing previous to the absence (at least 3 days).  The teacher will assign work, giving a schedule for work to be complete.  No credit will be given for unexcused absences or absences due to suspension. 

If you need to contact me individually, the best way is through email.  My email address is cagurcia@discoveryschool.edu.hn.  The office will also take messages for me.  If you would like to meet with me, I would be happy to schedule an appointment with you. 

If your student has any concerns or does not understand a topic, please encourage him/her to see me.  I am available most days before school, during snack, and during lunch.

Thank you for entrusting me in joining you in the education of your student!

                                                 Sincerely,

                                               Mrs. Agurcia

RECUPERATION EXAMS

END OF THE YEAR RECUP EXAMS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL - Please take note of the following information:

·         There will be one (1) “recuperation week” at the end of the school year (June 15 – 19).

·         Passing grade is 70%.

·         “Retrasada” class – only 1 subject is allowed to be taken the following school year.

·         If the student fails 2 or more subjects at the end of his/her “recuperation” week, he/she will need to repeat the school year.

NPH Giving Tree

Nuestro Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) is an international organization that takes in abandoned and orphaned children, providing a home and education.  Here in Honduras, the NPH organization provides for over 500 children in at large ranch near La Venta and home in Tegucigalpa for severely handicapped children.   While many children at the ranch have aunts, uncles, or grandparents that come to visit them and can provide some Christmas gifts, some children at a ranch have no family to visit.  It is these children, whom we would like to provide for this Christmas.   On the second floor of the secondary building, a NPH Giving Tree will be set up.   If you wish to participate, choose a paper tree that has a child’s information about his/her size for shoes or socks.  Purchase the new item and return it to Mrs. Agurcia’s Room (Rm. 7) by Friday, December 5^th, with the tree tag taped to it.  As well, there are tree tags for basic food items that will be donated to the orphanage.  Cash donations will also be accepted to provide shoes and socks for children whose tags were not selected.  Thank you for giving this Christmas!

If more information about NPH’s work in Honduras, please visit http://www.nph-honduras.org/ and watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYC2A5njQTk .  

Pictures from previous year's NPH Christmas celebrations at Discovery School!  Thank you for your continual support!

Technology Surveys

TECH AUDIT VISIT – We thank our school community for the enthusiasm, good will and hospitality shown to the EmTech consultants during the technology audit last week. We are eager to see what the future holds for our school in terms of technological innovations!

We encourage all of you to fill out a survey by clicking on the appropriate link.  Please encourage your children to also fill out their surveys! The surveys will be available up to October 10, 2014.  

            PARENT SURVEY LINK:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/parents_discoveryschool

            STUDENT SURVEY LINK: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/students_discoveryschool

The resulting report--with all data, observations, focused interviews and benchmarks-- should come back to us sometime around November 15.  This document will be an important resource for launching a strategically sound initiative in the development of technology at our school. 

Midterm Reports

Midterm Reports

Last week, midterm reports were passed out to students.  Parents and students are encouraged to discuss the grades and comments, visiting Engrade for more details.  If there are any questions, please contact the teacher of the specific class for more detail.  Email addresses for all staff are found on the school website, as well, parents can also contact the office to set up an appointment for a conference. 

Parents should sign the report and have the student return it to his or her homeroom teacher as soon as possible.

Students and parents are reminded that this report gives an outlook into how the students is progressing up to this point of the quarter.  There is still time to change the grade, for the positive or negative, before the end of the quarter.  Students should strive to meet the recommendations of teachers to achieve the expectations for the quarter.  Parents are encouraged to support their students in this pursuit by providing the necessary time and supervision the student needs for reading, studying, and completing homework and projects.   If a parent or student is unsure of what steps to take to ensure positive progress, they are encouraged to contact the teacher.

Welcome!

                Welcome to a great year of learning about the beautiful world that surrounds us!  I am excited for a new school year to begin and to join with you in educating your student about the wonders of the world.

                My name is Christina Agurcia, and I am originally from Illinois.  I graduated from Lincoln Christian College with a BS in Bible and from Illinois State University with a BS in Biology.  I am certified by the State of Illinois to teach a wide range of science subjects, including biology, chemistry, and physics.  As well, I have taken graduate education courses in zoology, botany, chemistry, physics, and AP Environmental Science.  To continue gaining knowledge about pedagogical technique, I also have participated in teacher workshop events, such as the ones offered by Discovery School and Escuela International Sampedrana in San Pedro Sula, and most recently, a workshop on environmental education hosted by the Wildlife Conservation Society.

I have over 10 years of teaching experience in the secondary science classroom, and this will be my eighth year at Discovery School.  Previously, I taught one year at a private school here in Tegucigalpa and three years at a public school in the United States of America. 

I am looking forward to developing an excellent working relationship with you.  It is important that we keep in close contact about your student’s progress.  Each week I will be updating a blog, which will have information about the material being covered in class, student activities and homework, as well, as upcoming dates for projects and tests.  The blog address is www.dshighscience.blogspot.com, from this page you will find a link specifically related to physical science.  Students and parents should check the blog weekly.   As well, you can follow your student’s progress through checking the online grading program, Engrade.  This program creates a personal, secure account by which you can access your student’s grade and list of outstanding work.  Personal access codes will be given to each student.  From that code, parents can create an account to review student’s scores.

Students will be given homework, as listed in class and on the blog.  Students are responsible for turning this homework into my classroom by 8:00 AM on the day the assignment is due.  Any work submitted after 8:00 AM will be considered late.  Only excused tardies (for medical appointments or late bus) will be accepted as a reason for turning in work after 8:00 AM.  Late assignments will be graded at 70% of the value, if one day late, or 50% of the value, if two days late.  Work after two days late will not be accepted.  Students will be required to stay in at snack and/or lunch to make up late work.

Classtime is valuable, and therefore, a student should attempt be at school as much as possible.  However, if a student is absent, he/she is responsible to complete all make-up work.  Make-up work can be found in the “make-up” folder for his or her class.  Any missed notes can be copied from a fellow student.  If a student missed a test/quiz/lab, she/he will need make an appointment to complete the work.  For excused absences, students are given one day to make-up work per each absent day.  For one or two day excused absences, the students should be prepared to take any pre-scheduled test or quiz and submit any large project upon returning to school. For a longer absence, the student will not be required to take a test or quiz on the first two days after returning to school.  For preplanned absences, a student is to notify the teacher in writing previous to the absence (at least 3 days).  The teacher will assign work, giving a schedule for work to be complete.  No credit will be given for unexcused absences or absences due to suspension. 

If you need to contact me individually, the best way is through email.  My email address is cagurcia@discoveryschool.edu.hn.  The office will also take messages for me.  If you would like to meet with me, I would be happy to schedule an appointment with you. 

If your student has any concerns or does not understand a topic, please encourage him/her to see me.  I am available most days before school, during snack, and during lunch.

Thank you for entrusting me in joining you in the education of your student!

                                                 Sincerely,

                                             Christina S. Agurcia