Intro. to English - Newsletter One

Hello Parents!

I am one of your child's teachers for "Introduction to English." This year, we are trying an innovative new approach for many of our freshmen. Our goal is to give them a dramatic, significant boost in their reading skills to make them more successful in high school and in their lives beyond.

For first and second periods, Ms. Poole and I have our students for half the period each day, and then we switch. During third period, Ms. Shirk and I do the same thing with our classes. As a result, I get to teach all 110 of the students who have yearlong English at our high school. That is an overwhelming responsibility, and I do not take it lightly.

I can hardly contain my excitement when I tell you that things are going extremely well so far! My "mantra" that is guiding my instruction is that every day, students in my class will Read, Write, Speak, and THINK!

Ms. Poole, Ms. Shirk and I are coordinating our efforts so that our lessons go hand-in-hand to give your child the best possible education in the area of language arts. This first 90-day semester is centered around foundational skills in reading and writing fluency, grammar instruction, vocabulary development, research and analysis, and study skills. Ms. Poole has lined up an array of guest speakers this unit to broaden our students' awareness of career opportunities. Our aim is that they set some goals to guide their education here at LSHS.

We want to keep communication lines open, so we are available if you should ever have any questions. You can email us at splaster@lexcs.org, dapoole@lexcs.org, or ashirk@lexcs.org, or call the school at 336-242-1574. If you're receiving this newsletter on paper and would like to get it directly in your "inbox," you can go to my website at http://mrplastersclass.com and sign up. Just find the box that says "Get Email Updates."

Again, let's all stand behind our children as they enter this new chapter in their lives. High school is a time for them to get and stay on the right track academically. We have a strong team of teachers and staff at our high school who are working together to help make that reality happen for our children.

Sincerely,

Scott Plaster
Reading Specialist
Lexington Senior High School

Tuesday's Lesson: All About You

Here are some resources that might be useful for our class on Tuesday:

1. 35 Things that make you Unique
2. Interesting: You are One in a Ten Billion!! READ

Our Vocabulary List One:

1) civ-ic A- Having to do with the city, like a public place;

(adjective) OR – having to do with our duties as citizens

B-We went to the civic center to watch the play.

C- It is a part of our __________ responsibility to vote.

2) mu-nic-i-pal A- similar to “civic”

(adjective) B- We played at the public, municipal golf course.

C- The ______________ building downtown is closed on holidays.

3) gov-ern-ment A- A group of people who make laws and control a place (country or city)

(adjective or noun) B- My brother has a government job for the city.

C- ____________________________________________________

4) e-lec-ted of-fi-cial A- a person we vote for, like the mayor, governor, or school board

B- It is the duty of our elected officials to serve the public.

C-

5-7) <---du-ty------------ob-lig-a-tion------------------re-spon-sib-il-i-ty--------->

A- A “duty” is something that you have naturally, like your duty as a citizen. An “obligation” is something “acquired,” like if you owe something because of a choice you made. You need to do a “duty” and it is usually something positive. An “obligation” is sometimes something someone TELLS you to do.

B- A responsibility is something that you may or may not do. A duty is something that you feel that you ALWAYS have to do. A person may have many responsibilities, and you usually do your best to fulfill them.

List some examples of “duties”: _________________________________________________

List some examples of “responsibilities”: _____________________________________________

8) en-tre-pre-neur (noun) A- someone who invests money in a business to make more money

entrepreneurial (adjective) B-One of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time is Donald Trump.

C- _______________________________________________________

9) bus-in-ess Uses: He is a successful business man.

The new store is now open for business.

That information is none of your business.

What do you think “business” means? ____________________________________________

10-23) hope, dream, goal, as-pir-a-tion, to “aspire to”,

What is the difference between a “dream” and a “goal” ?

___________________________________________________________

Synonym set A (nouns): aim, am-bit-ion, vo-ca-tion, en-deav-or, in-clin-a-tion, ob-jec-tive

Synonym set B (nouns): hope, dream, urge, yearn-ing, long-ing, pas-sion

Try some:

One ___________________ of mine is to become a ____________________.

What is the difference between Set A and Set B above?

___________________________________________________________

24-25) <<<---job----------car-eer-------------------vo-ca-tion------>>

What is the difference between these three?

______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________

Welcome, Students and Parents!

Welcome and Hello!

We're starting a brand new school year and I'm excited to be here for another year at Lexington Senior High School. So many things have changed for my school year: I just officially moved to the town of Lexington, I changed classrooms from the blue hall to the annex, I am now serving as the English department Chair, and Ms. Poole and I are starting a new program with Freshman English -- so many changes and all of them exciting!

Please check out the links above to learn about my Introduction to English classes, the Chess Club, and Scholastic competition at LSHS.

Let's have a great year this year at LSHS as we MAKE HISTORY!

---Mr. Plaster

Parent Letter for English I

Parents:

Your son or daughter is in my "English I" class this semester. I am excited about the new semester and I know that you are, too. I am proud to be teaching at Lexington Senior High School and have high expectations and goals for the class and for your child.

Most students in my classes were also selected to be in an Introduction to English class last semester based on their performance on the EOG and other tests and how they did in their past English classes. Students in Introduction to English had that first semester to prepare them for English I this Spring, and they should now be as ready as the rest of their classmates.

Please review the Course Syllabus with your child, which I have discussed with the class. I would like you to review it, particularly to note 1) class rules, 2) the types of assignments students will be given, and 3) the materials needed for class.

I have a class website that will be a very useful tool to help us communicate about class, post assignments and reminders, and use to link to learning resources.

I also wanted you to know that I believe in communicating regularly with the parents of my students. An easy way for me to do that is through e-mail, so if you are reading this online, please go to my home page and submit your email address on the right hand side under "Get Email Updates." That way, you will get automatic email updates when I add something to the website.

This is my eighth year as a public school teacher and my fourth at LSHS. You can read more about me and my background on my About page at http://mrplastersclass.blogspot.com/p/about-mr-plaster.html.

If there is anything I can do to be of assistance, please let me know. Don’t hesitate to contact me at school (336.242.1574) or e-mail at splaster@lexcs.org. Please sign and return this letter with your child by Monday, January 28. Alternately, you can email me to let me know that you have received this information.


Sincerely,

S. Plaster

Parent Email Address:

Parent Signature:

Student Name:

Varsity Club Peer Mentor Program Celebrates Year of Success

Near the beginning of the school year at Lexington Senior High School, it all started with an idea by Evan McIntosh and his father, football great Joe McIntosh. Wouldn't it be nice to have a program where athletes could help athletes do better in the classroom, tutoring them in their coursework but also serving as role models and mentors? Teacher, baseball coach, and literacy coach Scott Plaster agreed, and he and Evan quickly put the plan into action. The group aptly named the Varsity Club recently celebrated its first year of success by attending a semi-professional baseball game in Kannapolis Saturday night.

The Varsity Club met weekly during the last part of 2nd period during the school year. Plaster paired struggling students with high-achieving mentors in different subject areas. Sometimes the group met to focus on topics such as study schools, time management, and the qualities of a top student athlete. Plaster contends, "The same qualities that apply to top athletes on the field and court are the same characteristics that make students excel in the classroom. Hard work, determination, preparation, and mental focus are aspects we want to nurture in all students. If we can successfully tie those traits together in and out of the classroom, we should be able to make a marked impact on our school climate."

Plaster says that part of the battle is remedying negative stereotypes that some people may have of athletes as not being as capable in the classroom. "That's simply not true. I've always said that athletes make the best students, and when they have these qualities, it definitely is true. The best athletes, the stars, are usually the first ones to the ballpark and the last ones to leave. We want our athletes to be stars in the classroom, too." Plaster has coached baseball at the school for the past three years and he says he tries to bring the same focus on fundamentals to his coaching on the field as he does as an English and reading instructor.

Head football coach Kwayu Graham supported the program throughout the year by choosing his players to be mentees and mentors and by assisting Plaster during the meetings. "This program has definitely had an impact on our players this year," he said. The Varsity Club had members from a variety of sports, including baseball, football, basketball, golf, softball, cheerleading, and track. The group boasted as many as 25-30 attendees during some meetings and had to spread out across two classrooms and the media center to accommodate it.

"The aspect that, I think, marks our true success is to see how some of these student athletes worked as hard in their courses as during the last tied-up inning of a game or the last set of tough match," Plaster says. He noted that he could point out at least a handful of students who were struggling in a class or two, but brought their grades up in the final weeks of the semester through extra tutoring, studying, make-up, and doing well on their final exams.

If students met certain grade criteria, they were rewarded by being able to attend the minor league Intimidators game Saturday, June 2nd, for some of whom was the first time they have attended a sporting event of that magnitude. In addition to watching the game, Ariana and Naja found time to dance the YMCA dance with a group of pee wee baseball players, Tommy and Austin tried their arms with the radar guns against Coach Plaster, and the group had a special meeting field-side with the players as they were warming up. During the game the group let out a cheer when the announcer greeted and congratulated the Varsity Club from Lexington Senior High School.

Some of the attendees included Logan Wicks, Jalain Charles, Austin Hunt, Tommy McGhee, Caleb Worley, Antonio Evans, Evan McIntosh, Demetrious Alston, Selene Esparza, Ariana Moore, and Jamarries Hardin. Some other attendees were chosen by their athletic coaches to attend as a special treat.

Selene Esparza, a multi-sport athlete at LSH, ended up her last semester passing all of her courses and will graduate this week. She said when talking to Coach Plaster, "I knew I could do it. You helped me believe that I could!"

Mr. Taylor Wins NCASA Principal of the Year!

The North Carolina Association for Scholastic Activities Board of Directors has chosen Mr. Travis Taylor as their 2012 NCASA Principal of the Year! This award is presented annually to the principal that does more than any other to support their students' and school's participation and excellence in scholastic activities. His work establishing and funding a comprehensive scholastic program at Lexington Senior High School was nothing short of phenomenal. No other school in North Carolina made greater strides in advancing scholastic activities this year than LSHS, and this was born out by the school's fifth place finish in the final Scholastic Cup standings. More than one hundred students at Lexington Senior High School were enriched by this program.

 This award will be presented to Mr. Taylor during the NCASA Annual Meeting hosted by the NC School of Science and Mathematics in Durham. The meeting will run from 11:00 to 12:30 on Tuesday, June 26. During the annual meeting we will also present other individual awards, the Middle School of the Year and the NCASA Scholastic Cup, elect officers and directors, and present the state of the association.

 Congratulations to Mr. Taylor!

LSHS Places Fifth in NCASA Scholastic Cup

Lexington Senior High School finished the points race for NCASA's Schlastic Cup in fifth place. "The competitiveness of our students on this statewide academic stage validates what we already know.  Our students are as smart, capable, and creative as any in the state of North Carolina.  We should use this wonderful accomplishment to bolster our outlook and fuel our belief that Lexington Senior High can become a beacon of academic excellence," said LCS Superintendent Rick Kriesky.

Read the full story in the Dispatch: http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20120521/News/305219998