Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope that you and your family remain safe during the severe weather outbreak that we are currently experiencing.  Our students did a fantastic job during our tornado warning this afternoon.  We all appreciate their cooperative attitude.

Many thanks to Ahna Baggett, who led us in our first-ever middle school chapel service yesterday.  Our students had a chance to sing praises to God, and hear a challenging message about how we should live for Christ each and every day.

Here are our tests for the coming week:

6th Grade:

Friday - Math

7th Grade:

Tuesday - Geography, Math/Pre-Algebra

Wednesday - Keyboarding

8th Grade:

Thursday - History (Weeks)

Friday - History (McLemore)

Have a great weekend!

Middle School Notes

Happy Saturday!

I hope you had a great week and are enjoying a good weekend.

Congratulations to the Trinity Band for scoring straight superior ratings at the annual District Band Assessment held at Benjamin Russell High School Thursday.  I enjoyed the wonderful opportunity of hearing this band perform and they represented Trinity very well!  I have enjoyed listening to and occasionally rehearsing the band over the last few weeks and they are a delight to work with.  

Here are our upcoming tests for the week:

6th Grade - None

7th Grade:

Friday - Science

8th Grade:

Monday - Science

Tuesday - History (Franklin, McLemore, and Weeks)

Middle School Notes

Good Afternoon!

If you haven't had a chance, check out the wonderful bulletin board of our Washington trip that Kathryn Stabler has put together.  The display is located just across the hall from my office, adjacent to the Business Office.

Seventh grade parents should check our Miss Head's blog located here.  You will find important information regarding her English class updated regularly.

Remember that we have a 4-day weekend (I'm sure your kids remember!).  We will be out of school tomorrow and Monday, with classes resuming Tuesday, February 17.

Here are our tests for next week:

6th Grade:

Wednesday - Social Studies

7th Grade:

Wednesday - Geography map test, Pre-Algebra

Thursday - Math

Friday - Geography

8th Grade:

Friday - Algebra I

Have a great, long weekend!

DC - Day Three

I hope you don't mind the lack of pictures in this post.  We got in very late tonight and we have to load our buses, fully packed for the journey home, by 6:15 tomorrow morning.  The pictures tend to take quite a while to load, and "I have miles to go before I sleep" as it is.

Today was our coldest day yet, and we experienced the full fury of a Washington winter day first thing.  After stopping by the White House for a photo op (tours are temporarily suspended while the Obama Administration gets settled in) we headed over to the Washington Monument.  We got our tickets and formed a line in frigid weather with a -2 degree wind chill.  The National Park Service personnel who operate the monument were thirty minutes late, so we got in some good bonding time as we huddled together in the brisk wind.  Needless to say, it was a tremendous relief when we entered that toasty building!

The view from atop the monument was definitely worth the wait.  Students enjoyed seeing Washington from its highest point.   They also lingered a bit in order to thaw out.

Once we all got back on our buses, we drove over to Ford's Theater and Peterson House, where president Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth in 1865.  The theater itself is currently closed for renovation, but we did get to tour Peterson House and see the bed in which President Lincoln passed away.  We also visited some of the souvenir shops on either side of Peterson House, so look for some neat DC items that I'm sure your kids remembered to pick up for you!

After lunch at a local restaurant, we drove over to Annapolis to tour the United States Naval Academy.  This was an incredible experience which included viewing athletic, academic, and dormitory facilities as well as the grave of John Paul Jones, the great hero of the Navy.

Our dinner experience was very entertaining.  We made the short drive to Baltimore to attend the Medieval Times dinner theater.  Our food was served on pewter plates and bowls, and our bare hands served as utensils!  While we ate, we watched jousting, horse tricks, and followed a story line about brave knights fighting for the king.  The kids had a great time, but our "Blue Knight" didn't do so well -- just ask your son or daughter!

Well, I'd better get packed and in the bed.  It is nearly 11:00pm here and we have a 5:15 wake-up call coming.   Tomorrow includes our tour of the United States Capitol, several sites on the mall, and the Holocaust Museum before we head for home at 5:30.  We should be back in town between 9:00 and 10:00 Saturday morning.

Thanks for sharing your children with us.  We've had a great time in DC!

DC - Day Two

The weather was very cooperative today, although it got pretty cold by late afternoon.  In fact, we noticed that it was actually warmer here than in Montgomery this morning!

Our day began with an incredible tour of the Pentagon.  After passing through some pretty heavy security, we entered a briefing room where several young service men gave us instructions for our tour.  After receiving our security badges (which required us to have an escort at all times) we began a fascinating tour of the building that houses our nation's Department of Defense.

It was interesting to have a tour conducted in a working building.  And what a large building it was!  It is really very hard to describe the sheer enormity of the Pentagon, but the fact that you could set the US Capitol Building down inside this structure and still have room left over might give you at least some idea of the size.

After seeing examples of our military history, we were led to the most sobering part of the tour - the September 11 Memorial.  The area of the Pentagon that was damaged on September 11, 2001 has been turned into a chapel and moving memorial to the people who lost their lives there that fateful day.  Our students were silent as they entered the room, and a representative of each of the smaller groups we were broken into signed the guest book for Trinity Presbyterian School.  We were also given the opportunity to pick up small Gideon Bibles made especially for the Pentagon.

After taking some time in the Pentagon gift shop, we boarded our buses and made the 25 minute drive to Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington.  We lunched in a cafe on the grounds, then entered the estate to tour a tremendous amount of walking paths, out buildings, a wharf, the grave of President Washington, and the beautiful mansion itself.  There were  actors in 18th century clothing answering questions and interacting with our students, and the mansion tour guides were outstanding.  We also toured the George Washington Museum and Educational Center where several original artifacts are housed - including the President's famous false teeth!  There were also multiple movie theaters, one of which was four dimensional and included real falling snow when depicting Washington crossing the Delaware River on December 24, 1776.

After Mt. Vernon, we drove over to the Jefferson memorial and then to the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial.  While at the Jefferson memorial, we saw Marine One, President Obama's helicopter, fly over.  Following this, we had dinner at the spectacular Pentagon City Mall before returning to the hotel for devotions and lights-out.

All in all, another fantastic day.  You should be proud of your kids -- they're great!

DC - Day One

After over sixteen hours on a bus yesterday, everyone was more than ready for a hot shower and a comfortable bed when we arrived at our hotel just outside Washington last night.  This morning, students and adults alike were a little more bright-eyed and ready to set out for an adventurous day.

As soon as we prepared to board our buses this morning, a light snow began to fall, adding to the already palpable excitement in the air.  We headed out, stopping at the Lincoln Memorial before spending the bulk of the morning at the National Cathedral. 

 

In addition to seeing a stunning example of a Gothic cathedral, students had the chance to see the grave of former president Woodrow Wilson, as well as the final resting place of Helen Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan.  During the cathedral tour, and Episcopal priest interrupted all tours to say a prayer -- something that is done several times a day.  More than one student commented on the wonderful opportunity of being led in prayer in such a majestic sanctuary.

After a brief stop at the National Zoo to see the pandas, we ate lunch at the Ronald Reagan office building in a food court that is literally under the street.  After this, we visited the World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and finally Arlington National Cemetery.

Arlington was, in a word, moving.  Students had the opportunity of visiting the grave sites of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Joe Lewis, as well as the former home of Robert E. Lee.  We then had the opportunity to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  After this, Romil Patel, Lane DuBois, Ashley Ann Adams, and Samantha Russell placed a wreath at the tomb with the assistance of the honor guard, viewed by a few hundred silent onlookers.

We followed up Arlington with a quick trip to the Iwo Jima monument before eating supper and playing games at ESPN Zone.

All in all it was a great day.  The students represented Trinity in such a fine way.  They were ladies and gentlemen and you should be very proud of them.

All of our kids are now in their rooms, and we're about to hit the sack.  We need the rest for another big day tomorrow.

I'll get a report online tomorrow night, so be on the look out for it.