Hi families!

 

I hope your weekend has been great so far. I'm very discombobulated from the time change myself... The clock says it's 7:00 pm but the sun is still shining!

 

The last week of Quarter 3 is upon us and what a quarter it's been. The kids have had a lot of rigorous academia thrown at them from systems of equations to argumentative essays, magnetism, and business plans! This 2 week break coming up is well deserved!

 

Before we get to the break, however, we have this last week to push through. Please read everything below because it's very important!

 

• On Thursday, students received purple SSHS forms (Unless they are definitely enrolled at another high school. If they are showing as being enrolled at SSHS for next year, they got the form. If you have plans of trying to get them into another school but haven't yet, please still complete the purple form just in case!) These forms list the classes for their freshman year of high school at SSHS. Students were supposed to get these signed by you and they need to be back TOMORROW. The counselors from SSHS will be at Shaw to collect them and go over info with the students.
  • While you're signing those, please sign their Grade Reports that went home Thursday as well. These are our final grade reports of the quarter and are due Thursday. You could also sign their planners while you're at it :)We 
• ​In Ms. Kelley's ELA, we are finishing the Outsiders novel unit. Their packets should be complete and they are due in a few days. I have worked extra hard helping students get these done so if they are behind, they need to work on them ASAP. The kiddos who have been out the past week due to illness and other reasons likely have some work to do at home.
• In Mrs. Tallberg's math, we had a quiz last week and the retakes are this week. These are the final grades of the quarter. When we return from spring break, we will have a few days before we dive into the unit test. Homework is very important for helping them keep up on the skills for the test!
• In Mrs. Osborne's 3rd period ELA, we took a quiz last week on Figurative Language. The students were given time to correct them last week but only one student did. If you're unhappy with your child's current ELA grade, please encourage them to do the corrections this week.
• In Mrs. Osborne's 7th period math, we took a test last week on Probability. Corrections for that will be this week.
• In Mrs. Boreham's social studies, we just finished up their economic unit. Presentations will wrap up this week!
• In Mrs. Troyer's science class, they have a unit test on THURSDAY. Because it is so close to the end of the quarter, there will NOT be a retake. Please encourage them to check to see if their notebooks are caught up.
  
  That is all of our academic updates, but I have a few more updates, so please don't give up on this email yet!
  
  
• I will not be at school on Friday, March 14th. Ms. Gaver will be the guest teacher in my classroom (She has been in my classroom quite a few times over the past few years. The kids know her!) All missing work will need to be turned in by the end of the day Thursday so I can ensure the students get credit for it.
• Friday is also Activity Day. If your student has been suspended at all since Winter Break (January, February, or March) either in school suspension or out of school suspension, they will not be allowed to participate in the Assembly or Activity Day as per Shaw's school rules. They will be in our no go room during those activities where they can read instead. 
  • Some students who cannot participate in Activity Day (and even some who can) have asked me how important Friday is work-wise. Honestly, since my goal is to have all work turned in by the end of the day Thursday, I would say that Friday should not be a very heavy day academics-wise. I know students are asking me that as a way to angle towards staying home on Friday. While I always advocate to be at school as much as possible and cannot tell families its ever okay to miss school... Well, I'll leave that there.
• ​I will be sending home information near the end of spring break that goes over how the matriculation/transition process will work for us coordinating your student going to high school next year. Please keep an eye on that.

 

Okay. I think that's it. If you have any questions or anything you need from me, please feel free to reach out. Thank you for always being the best supporters for your kids and of my classroom!

 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

 

Thank you,

​Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! The weather was so beautiful that I know I’m not the only one who now has spring fever!

 

Tomorrow begins Week 8 of the third quarter. We have 3 weeks left until Spring Break! It’s going to be a BUSY 3 weeks, though! This is a longer email- sorry in advance!

Here are this week’s reminders:

• Ms. Kelley’s ELA: Ms. Kelley is working her way through grading the essays that the students turned in 2 weeks ago. Retakes will be available for these and I HIGHLY recommend that the students take advantage of them. I will be willing to work with anyone who wants to do it. We are also currently reading the Outsiders in class. We have read Chapters 1-5, so students should be caught up and working on their portfolios (they are in their backpacks!) AR is due on March 7^th, so just 2 weeks!
• Mrs. Osborne’s ELA (3^rd Period): Reading Logs went home last week and are due tomorrow! We will have a quiz on Thursday on all of the figurative language we have learned.
• Mrs. Tallberg’s Math: We took a quiz on Friday (students who were absent on Friday will need to take it ASAP.) It was probably one of the easiest quizzes they take in their 8^th grade year. If they did not score well, they will want to retake it this week.
• Mrs. Osborne’s Math (7^th Period): We are working on our probability unit now and will likely be taking a quiz on it next week. Please remember that homework is handed out the first day of the week and due on Friday.
• Mrs. Troyer’s Science: The students are wrapping up their magnetism unit and getting ready to start something new!
• Mrs. Borheam’s Social Studies: The students are continuing to work on their economics project. They should have their business plans finished or almost finished by now. Please ask your student about their project and help them be excited about this! I handed out retakes for the Social Studies test on Friday. If students did not finish their retake or were absent, we will continue working on them this week.
• Mrs. Osborne’s Advisory: Grade Reports went home on Thursday and are due back with a signature this upcoming Thursday. I will also be checking planners tomorrow morning. If your student is missing any of the SEL Activities we’ve done, they should work to get them done in advisory so they don’t lose points.

 

I would appreciate if you would help me with a couple of things as well. 

• Some students are slipping back into old habits with their cell phones. Remember, these need to be in their backpacks from the start of advisory until lunch. Then from the end of lunch to the end of the day. So many kids are saying, “But my mom/dad is texting me!” I don’t know if that’s true but please encourage them to only have their phones out at the appropriate time. This is a WCSD policy that we have been directed to enforce.
• So many kids are coming to school without basic supplies- especially pencils. I had one student ask me for a pencil 3 separate times last Tuesday. This means that they were given 3 pencils during the day and lost/snapped/threw away at least 2 of them. Honestly, it’s very frustrating. I have been telling the kids that they have to have personal responsibility and having a pencil is one of those responsibilities. Of course things happen! Not having a pencil every now and then is going to come up (they are teenagers after all!) But I have the same group of students coming to school without a pencil on a daily basis. If you could help by checking in on your student’s personal supplies, that would be great.
• I’ve noticing an uptick in general… meanness with each other. There is a lot of pointless bickering, insulting, and more going on. It seems like a lot of it is just for the sake of entertainment. It’s resulting in a lot of conflict throughout the day. Please encourage your student to be kind to others. I would appreciate it!

 

I told you it would be long!

Lastly, I know a lot of you have high school questions (Crazy that we’re almost there, right?!) I will send out an email this week that details the process of matriculating the kiddos to high school. I am working on confirming details with SSHS right now.

Please be on the lookout for that!

As always, if you have any questions or if I can do anything, let me know.

Thanks and have a great week!

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

 

 

Hi families,

I hope you had a good and restful weekend.

We have a short(ish) week coming up but it’s no less busy. I’m noticing that motivation in the students is slowing down a lot. We only have 4 weeks left of the quarter so this is the time for them to push through- not give up.

 

• In Ms. Kelley’s ELA, we are continuing to read the Outsiders. Please remember that students are expected to read their own book for 20 minutes each night and fill out their reading trackers. These are due at the first of the week every week. AR is due in 3 weeks.
• In Mrs. Tallberg’s math, the retake for the test we took a week and a half ago is this week. Students should have finished their corrections by now (and if they haven’t, they need to make it a priority) so they can retake that. On Friday (the 21^st) we have a quiz on the unit we began after that test.
• In science, the students just took a notebook quiz last week. If they did not do well, it is likely because they are not keeping up with their notebook. This is a daily expectation (and has been all year.) They should see me or Mrs. Troyer if they need help.
• In social studies, we took a test on Thursday. I was able to get some tests made up on Friday but if your student did not take the test, they will tomorrow or Wednesday. There is a blooket on Canvas they can study and they also did a study guide in class. Retakes for that will be on Friday in advisory.
• In Mrs. Osborne’s 3^rd period ELA, we are continuing our Figurative Language unit. We went to the library on Thursday so all students should now have their own book. The reading logs will go home tomorrow and be due next Monday.
• In Mrs. Osborne’s 7^th period math, we finished up our functions unit and will start our next one tomorrow. Weekly homework is given the first day of the week and due on Fridays every week.
• In advisory, planner checks will be done tomorrow, along with our weekly lesson. If your student is failing advisory, it is likely because they are not doing one (or both) of those. Grade Reports will also go home this Thursday (they did not go home last Thursday due to the delay.)
  
  

Please help encourage your child to push through the lull they are feeling right now so they can end 3^rd quarter on a good note!  If you have any questions for me, please feel free to reach out.

 

Thank you,

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families,

 

I apologize for the late email- time got away from me.

 

This one will be quick, I promise. I wanted to remind you that I am not at Shaw Monday and Tuesday (tomorrow and the following day) this week. There will be a substitute in my room instead. All work I left for the students can be done independently. I expect everyone to follow rules and routines while we have a guest teacher in my room.

 

The math test for Mrs. Tallberg was moved to Tuesday/Wednesday, so I will be there on day 2 to pull students to my room to test.

If students would like to retake Ms. Kelley's quiz from 2 weeks ago, they need to get the corrections sheet from her this week. Retakes are due by Friday. The AR half point is also this Friday.

 

Retakes for the science test in Mrs. Troyer's room will be this week after I get back (likely Friday.)

 

I handed out Grade Reports on Thursday in advisory. Those are due back on Thursday this week (also in advisory.) I will also be checking planners then.

 

If you have any questions in the meantime, please let me know. Email replies may be slower between now and Tuesday afternoon, though.

 

Thank you!

 

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families,

 

I hope your weekend went well and that the snow didn't disrupt anything you had going on!

 

As we roll into week 4 of the third quarter, things are picking up in all classes. I'm starting to see students decline with their efforts and now's the time to push through it!

Here are our academic reminders for the week:

 

-Ms. Kelley's ELA: We took a quiz last week that lots of kids need to retake. However, they can't have any missing work from our argument unit to complete the retake. If they are missing any of it, they should work on it as soon as possible. I can help them- they just have to let me know they need help! 

The AR half point is coming up here soon as well. Reading is SUPER important and AR can make or break an ELA grade. Please encourage your student to read.

 

-Mrs. Osborne's 3rd period ELA: We will be starting our Figurative Language unit tomorrow and reading logs will be back in place starting tomorrow as well. These will be due weekly.

 

-Mrs. Troyer has a test in science this Thursday. There will be a Quizziz for the students to play as many times as they want to review. They should absolutely take advantage of that!

 

-Mrs. Boreham is continuing to check notebooks weekly. If your student needs a notebook, I have extras!

 

-Mrs. Tallberg's math class is finishing up our unit this week in math. We will be taking a test on everything we've learned in the past two months on Monday and Tuesday next week (Feb 3 and 4). IMPORTANT: I will NOT be at Shaw on Monday or Tuesday next week (during the test. It's extremely bad timing but unable to be helped.) Ms. Hodgman (she is the "me" of 7th grade) will be pulling my kids during 2nd and 6th period math on Tuesday to have them test in my room with her. The kids all know and love Ms. Hodgman and she will do an amazing job in my absence. 

 

-Mrs. Osborne's 7th period Math: We are continuing our Functions unit. We took a quiz on Friday and will be pushing on with the unit. Please make sure students are at school and that they are completing their weekly homework.

 

-Advisory will have planner checks tomorrow and our bi-weekly grade reports will be going home on Thursday this week (and due Thursday of next week.)

 

As you may have seen above, I will not be at Shaw on February 3rd and 4th (Monday and Tuesday of next week.) I apologize for absences so close to each other. I try not to take off many days during the school year unless it can't be helped. I will have substitutes in my room both of those days with recorded lessons on Canvas for students to follow. I will be speaking with the students about it this week. I expect the same behavior and respect I saw from the students when I was in my meetings last week.

 

I had 3 families donate boxes of granola bars last week- Thank you SO much! Making sure the kiddos have something in their stomachs in the mornings is so important and I appreciate you all for that!

 

If there is anything you need from me, please feel free to reach out. Your continued support means the world to me!

 

Thank you,

 

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

 

Hi families,

 

I hope you had a good weekend and somehow managed to stay warm! 

 

As we head into week 3, I want to give big kudos to my kiddos for adhering to the cell phone/electronic policy well. I've had to give very few reminders about it and I appreciate it! I truly believe that student engagement has been better since we came back from break!

 

Last week, the students who have Ms. Kelley for ELA took a quiz on claims, evidence, and reasoning. I know many kids were asking me if there was going to be a retake on it. The answer is yes- I just need to find out when.

In science, we took a notebook quiz on Friday, and the students who have been keeping up on their notebooks these past three weeks did exceptionally better than those who did not. Both science and social studies have regular notebook quizzes and students should make sure they are keeping theirs all organized each day. If a kiddo needs a new notebook, they just have to ask me. If they can't keep up that day in class, they can have time in my advisory to get caught up.

Math homework is due on Friday every week for everyone, so if your kiddo tells you they don't have homework, feel free to bring up that Mrs. Osborne says they should have math and reading to get done!

 

In my advisory, I handed out grade reports on Thursday last week. Those will be due back in advisory on Thursday this week (the 23rd.) Students should have brought them to you for you to sign.

 

Just a reminder that I will not be at Shaw tomorrow and there will be a substitute teacher in my room all day. I have high expectations for the students when I'm gone, so hopefully they remember that. If for some reason I get feedback reporting that your student did not follow those expectations, it will result in a lowered behavior grade, lunch detention, and you having to hear from me again. Please help me remind the students that they should be on their best behavior tomorrow. I will be in an all day district meeting but will still have access to my email if you need me. I will be back to Shaw as normal on Wednesday.

 

if you need anything or have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

 

Thank you!

 

Jacie Osborne
8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager
Special Education Department Leader
Shaw Middle School
775-425-7777 ext. 42152
jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net
Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families!

 

I hope you are are all well and warm! Norovirus is definitely running rampant right now, so I've been talking (they'd probably call it 'nagging') to all of the students about making sure they wash their hands. No one needs the stomach flu! 

 

The first week back went well overall. I am very proud of how all of my students are handling the stricter cell phone policies. I admit, I have always been a bit more relaxed in my classroom (for example, when all the work is done, etc) but I explained to the students that with the policies in place, that can't/won't happen anymore. Overall, students kept their phones away and I had to give very few reminders. I appreciate that because I know a lot of that comes from YOU at home, always having my back. I really, REALLY dislike having to take phones/tech away and would love to limit that!

For the most part, I spent a lot of the time during advisory last week going over those rules and expectations again, and I will likely touch on them constantly throughout the quarter. Cell phones, gum (I put my hand in some when I was moving a desk on Friday- gross!), sneaking food (and especially leaving a mess), being tardy, pretending to go to the bathroom but really wandering the school, and making unkind comments to one another are my biggest topics. 

That might sound... nitpicky, I suppose, but really I just have the best environment where students can learn and thrive. That's always been my goal. Again, having such amazing families backing me up is something I can't appreciate enough.

 

Academic reminders for the week are light. We will be having a quiz in Ms. Kelley's ELA class but that's all on the horizon so far. Students should have AR books by now (unless they're in my 3rd period ELA- we'll work on that next week.) If your kiddo hasn't picked a book yet, they can come talk to me and I can help them with that.

 

I will be checking planners tomorrow in advisory, so hopefully they are showing them to you to sign. I will be sending out grade reports on Thursday this week for signature (and I'll send you an email when I do) but please anticipate those coming home Thursday afternoon.

 

After the 5 school days this week, we will have a 3 day weekend (yay!) When the students return on Tuesday the 21st, there will be a guest teacher (substitute) in my room. I will be out all day for a district meeting but the guest teacher in my room is one the students are familiar with. I have high expectations for student behavior when I'm gone, and I'll remind the class of that on Friday. 

 

Lastly, I always try to keep granola bars on hand for the students to have if they miss breakfast, need a pick me up, or whatever the case may be. We are going through a box a week right now (a box from Costco, ha.) If anyone wanted to donate a box to the classroom, that would be much appreciated (although not required, of course.)

 

If you have any questions or need anything, please feel free to reach out to me. 

Have a great remainder of your weekend!

 

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families!

 

We are in the final stretch of the quarter! That means quite a few things... 

First being that we only have school Monday-Thursday this week. Students will not report to school on Friday. We'll all return on Monday, January 6th of the new year.

 

Finals are incoming!

-Ms. Kelley's ELA: The students have been working on this essay for 3 weeks now. Tomorrow they will finish typing it and it will be due by 9:00 pm. There will be no retakes or corrections on this. We have spent so much time in ELA and Advisory working on this. There are several students who have nothing done and it is very disappointing... They should have an outline that we've worked on a lot in their backpacks to use to type.

-Mrs. Tallberg's math: Our final will be on Tuesday and Wednesday. This will also have no retakes. The homework for the past 2 weeks has been the review (plus we have been doing it again in my 5th period if the students have me then.) This will be multiple choice and I encourage all of the students to take the full two days to finish it. If they are doing their homework with fidelity, they should be feeling confident about it!

-Mrs. Troyer's science: We took the final this last week. This had to be done earlier due to SHARE this week. Because it was done early, there will be a retake on it this week. I'm hoping to have those ready by Tuesday.

-Mrs. Boreham's social studies: We will be taking the final for this on Tuesday. Again, there will be no retakes on this. Mrs. Boreham will be giving them a study guide and working on it with them in class tomorrow.

-Mrs. Osborne's 7th period math: Our final will be on Tuesday. We have been working on these concepts for more than a month and have been reviewing for the past week.

-Mrs. Osborne's 3rd period ELA: We are finishing our novel and will have our final test on it this week.

 

That's... a lot. I know. I'm feeling the weight of it and I know the kiddos are, too. If you could do me a big favor and talk to them about studying, their math homework, trying their best in class, and being at school and on time, that would help a lot. 

On top of all of this, we also have spirit week this week. The days upcoming are:

 

Monday- Favorite Christmas Character or green

 

Tuesday- Rhyme without reason or purple

 

Wednesday- Winters nap (pajamas) or red (Blankets are not allowed at school.)

 

Thursday- Team spirit (Our team is blue! Wear your team shirt or light blue!)

 

On Thursday, we will be having our activity day. If your student has been suspended during this second quarter (so since mid-October) they will not be allowed to participate in activity day. They know this because I have spoken to them about it. 

 

If you have any questions or concerns in the meantime, please feel free to email me. I will be working through mid-day Friday. After that, I will not be access anything work related until January 5th (I promised my family I would un-plug this break!) 

 

I wish you the best holiday season and will talk to you soon.

 

Thank you!

 

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families!

 

I hope that you had a great Thanksgiving weekend and that you were able to both spend time with loved ones and relax.

 

The quarter is beginning to wind down so I want to send you some important reminders for the next 3 weeks.

 

-AR is due in 2 weeks (On December 13th.) A lot of my kiddos don't have a single point yet. They really should be making this a priority (Side note: If your child is in my 3rd period, we are doing our AR points on the book we are reading in class.)

-Science retakes are due this week. If your student scored poorly on the test we took on Friday the 22nd, their need to finish their CER for the retake tomorrow to turn it in to Mrs. Troyer. I am happy to help with this.

-The next test in Mrs. Tallberg's room will be our semester final in less than 3 weeks. The homework is EXTREMELY important because it reviews the concepts that will be on this final- including things from August and September that they will be tested on. Please encourage your child to complete their homework the best they can. If they scored poorly on the Unit Test we took 2 weeks ago, they will need to get the corrections done to retake it. There will be no retakes on the semester final so bringing up the grades the best we can gives a little padding for that final.

 

For the next 2 mornings, we will be spending the first 2 hours of the day in Advisory while we take the i-Ready diagnostic tests. Students will take their test and then have the opportunity to read while they wait for their classmates to finish. Please remind them to bring their books to school tomorrow (along with their wired earbuds!)

 

I'm sure there are a thousand things I am forgetting but if you need anything, please let me know! Have a wonderful remainder of your weekend.

 

Thank you, 

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage

Hi families!

 

I hope your weekend was a good one!

This email is going to be a little shorter than normal but I wanted to send you a few reminders.

 

First, we will be taking the Great Depression test retake for Social Studies in advisory hopefully tomorrow. I'm working on getting those all together tonight. This will help the grades in social studies so much.

 

Second, I sent home the first grade reports of the quarter on Friday. If your student has not showed you theirs for signature yet, please ask them for it. They are due back to me by Thursday with a parent/guardian signature. They also had missing assignment reports attached. If a student tells you they cannot get their missing assignments, please ask them if they've done one of two things. 1: Have they asked the teacher? 2: Have they checked the bin in my room? I work hard to keep that bin updated with work from as many classes as I can. I have assignments for math, social studies, ELA, science, and more in there (even art, stem, and other electives.) If a student wants their missing assignments to work on at home, I leave that responsibility on them to check the bin.

 

Lastly, tardies are a little rampant as of lately. Please encourage your student to be on time for class. Some students are being tardy when their classes are right across the hall from one another. They will end up with lunch detentions issued by the office if this continues and I hate to see that happen!

 

If I can do anything, please reach out. I appreciate you all!

Jacie Osborne

8^th Grade Resource Teacher & Case Manager

Special Education Department Leader

Shaw Middle School

775-425-7777 ext. 42152

jacelyn.osborne@washoeschools.net

Mrs. Osborne's WCSD Webpage