Sutherland Blog

A special guest came to Mr. Coleman's eighth grade room today to speak about his job  as a supervisor of Albemarle County. Mr. Ken Boyd talked with the students about what he does as the supervisor. The students asked questions about his opinion on new roads, money issues, ecological problems and other topics that they were learning about in class. It was a great experience for all the students to find out what he thought about the laws they were curious about. Thank you Mr.Boyd and all of our other speakers for coming in and sharing with us.

Ms.Bergin's 3rd block Civics class was read their rights today.... well more of informed of their rights. Sgt. Wilkins from the Albemarle police department visited their class today to discuss the 4th amendment and juvenile rights. He enthusiastically explained his job and how it relates to the 4th Amendment. The students went from yawns to laughs. Sgt. Wilkins taught the students much while making sure they enjoyed it. He was very charismatic when he told stories that happened to him and hypothetical instances. The students stayed on the edge of their seats while listening to him speak. He told a very suspenseful story of about when he was facing a life or death situation. The students loved the thought of the thrill of being so close to death and yet being so powerful. Let's see how many of those students turn out to be cops! But first they will have to listen to Ms. Bergin and study the 2nd Amendment.

7th and 8th grade students from Mrs.Evans, Mr.Schwalm, and Mr. Fox's  science classes had the pleasure of listening to Mike Bruscia, the director of The Green Adventure Program (  http://greenadventureproject.com/Green-Adventure-Project/Home.aspx ) talk about adaptations of artic animals. Mike's previous job for twelve years was leading artic wildlife tours for different groups with the primary focus on polar bears.  He spoke to the group about different environmental factors such as snow, cold, ice covered water, radiation which force organisms to adapt in order to survive. The students enjoyed hearing many of Mike's interesting stories which ranged from crynologists studying the adaptations of artic frogs to caribou losing a pint of blood a day to mosquitos. Here is a little clip from his presentation.       

The cove is a special area for displaying student work that acts as a gallery for Sutherland. Ms. Schneider has chosen work that best expressed the lesson requirements for the project her class was working on. Every month or so the work changes. The idea originally came from Ms. Saxon. It is a well lighted area on the cafeteria wall so all the students can see it.

The new ETC. magazine was released! It featured articles that focus on the holidays. So grab a magazine to curl up in front of the fire with, this holiday season!

Ms. Bergin's social studies classes spent time over the past week researching and forming opinions as to whether or not the United States should have dropped the atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II.  They used primary source documents such as memos and letters to the president and the Potsdam Declaration itself.  They also read and took notes from articles that historians have written on the subject. On Friday President Truman himself came to hear the speeches that the students had prepared.....listen in on the speeches here!  

Today in Mr. Schwalm's Science class students dissected owl pellets as part of their evolution unit. They were looking at the hunting adaptations that owls have. They found mole, shrew, bird and rodent bones. Each studnet got a pellet and a pair of tweezers. They dug through fine hairs to find a variety of different bones, the favorite being a skull. It was a great experience for the students and they had a lot of fun with it.             

An interview of Ashley about the black light dance by Jefferson, the fish. YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

An interview with Jefferson the fish. With 7th Grade student teacher: Ms.Woodward.

The volleyball game was a lot of fun for the students. They had a great time playing basketball and hanging out before the game. One group of girls had Mr. Schwalm paint mustaches on them. Students made signs to show their spirit, some girls became the cheerleaders for the game, trying to pump up the crowd. The teachers were good players, but so were the ones from Jouett. The whole night was awesome! After the fundraiser was over the donations were counted and... we raised $1,547.50 towards research! Way to go sharks!

On Tuesday, November 29 the Sutherland Faculty will be playing volleyball aginst Jack Jouett faculty. It starts at 6:30 and ends at 7:30. UVA sports players will be there to give signatures and pictures. They will have their medals, rings and trophies with them. The students are encouraged to stay after school until the game. All the male teachers will be SHAVING THEIR MUSTACHES INTO WIERD DESIGNS AFTER SCHOOL IN MR.CROWS ROOM AT 4:30. Come students! Tickets are $2.00 at the door for the game. Drinks and food will be available. SMS proceeds go to the Mustache Madness fundraiser.

Show your Sutherland school spirit by participating in Spirit Week! Every day this week will be themed differently so you have a variety of ways to show your school spirit. Monday/today was twin/triplet day (pictures below). Tuesday is teal and black day to show support for the volleyball game fundraiser. Wednesday is crazy hat/hair day. Thursday is sports day so show support for your favorite sports team or show your love for your favorite sport. Friday is pajama day but try not to fall asleep in class! Here are some of the highlights from the week!  

Students in Mrs. Smith's and Mrs. Pfaff's classes collaboratively made a Thanksgiving feast today! All of the students contributed to the preparing of the food and all involved LOVED eating it!! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad YouTube Video Location: Sutherland

The students at Sutherland were out and about today! 6th grade science students in Mr. Collier's class were studying the watershed at Powell Creek...and did a bit of stumbling along the way! 7th graders in Mr. Crow's engineering class were testing out their compressed air rockets! 7th grade students in Mr. Taylor's and Mrs. Shifflett's PE classes were showing off their football skills! Check out the video!!! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad YouTube Video Location: Sutherland

What is mustache madness? -A fundraiser started by a UVA lacrosse player. What is the purpose? -To raise money to find a cure for cancer. How can we help/ participate? -There will be a Juett Vs. Sutherland faculty volleyball game here at Sutherland: tickets will be 2 dollars and proceeds will go to cancer research. -We are holding a raffle at Sutherland, buy a mustache ticket for a dollar and you can have the chance to win amazing prizes. The community has done an amazing job supporting us with donations from: * Sweet Frog * Game Stop * Target * Five Guys * Chik-Fil-A * Timberwood Grill * Riverside North * Martin's Grill * Starbucks * Crutchfield * Shenanigans * Baja Bean Our goal is to raise $1500 to donate towards cancer research.  Several of the male faculty have volunteered to grow "unique" mustaches to support the cause.  After the fundraiser was over the donations were counted and... we raised $1,547.50 towards research! Way to go sharks!  

The 11/11/11 seventh grade dance is awesome! The DJ, Cle Logan played amazing music. There was pizza, and a lot of other great snacks and drinks all for a dollar.The funds made will go to seventh grade scholarships and activities. There were a lot of dancers, but other kids played basketball in the gym. It was a ton of fun, and the Sutherland spirit was great. The shark was there too, and today it had a mustache! That was because of the cancer fund raiser we are doing. Kids can donate a dollar to cancer research and get a mustache to put up on the wall.

   The SMS Magazine, ETC (Everything That's Cool) had its first issue released recently. The issues flew off of the homemade magazine rack made by Mr. Gregg. But don't worry, more issues will be released the week after Thanksgiving break. It features sections such as News, Sports, Entertainment, and Video Games/Technology. This consists of a team of highly educated 8th graders, set out to inform the Sutherland Student Body of what is happening in the world, country, and SMS! There is a variety of articles for anyone and everyone, so pick up a copy of ETC today!

Ms. Harris' class was reading a novel called "The Devil's Arithmetic." The story was about a girl named Hannah who didn't respect her religion (Jewish). But during the first night of Passover, during Seder Dinner she was transported to a 1942 Polish village, during the Holocaust. She has to find a way to get back home and save her new family from the brutal Nazis. To experience some of the cultural traditions they were reading about, Ms. Harris' class had grape juice (wine), parsley dipped in salt water (bitter herbs), matzot (bread), and a mixture of cinnamon, apples, walnuts, and horse radish (our version of Yemenite Charoset.) The last piece of matzot wrapped in a ceremonial cloth and hidden. The one who finds it gets a prize. This game is called afikomen. The way we played, the one who found the hidden chocolate bar wrapped on a towel got to keep it!

Hey students, do you know know what's happening on November eleventh? All I can say is that something BIG is going down on 11/11/11! Dying with curiosity yet? Stay tuned for more info!

The Mr. Taylor's sixth grade class was solving a mystery. Each group was working as a detective agency. They had to answer three questions to help them to guess who the phantom was. Mr.Taylor's students used their math skills to decipher clues left in newspaper articles, journals, and maps from the town. They used measurement skills, pattern skills, reading skills, and inference skills. The story of the Phantom; a strange man handed wrote a warning note to an old women. It turns out that the man was Jonathan Barber, a pastor for a church. A real estate agency told them to sell the property of the church to them. Jonathan barber said no. But a secret committee voted yes to sell it. The whole thing was a scam and it eventually shut down the church. Now all of the people who voted yes got threatening notes. The strange man looked exactly like Jacob Barber, but the newspaper said he died seventeen years ago! The students used this story and other resources to predict the conclusio

In the past couple of weeks, we have been visiting Robert everyday and have loved every minute of it.  We have gotten to know him very well and hope to get to know him even more.  We have talked with him, listened to music, and even played Simon Says.  Robert talks to us through his Ipad app and he also signs some.  Today we were privileged enough to use a wheelchair.  Robert taught us how to turn, go up and down ramps, and maneuver around people and items.  It was a lot harder than we expected it to be and we were in awe.  Robert is so good at using and controlling the wheelchair as he does it all day, everyday.  We hope to continue visiting Robert, learning more about him, and doing more activities with him. By: Laura A, Hayley W, and Sydney W

Inspired by The Migration Series by American artist Jacob Lawrence, Ms. Bergin's seventh grade history classes painted pictures about the Great Migration and when free African Americans moved to the North. The pictures were about the unequalities that were happening to the people.                                                            Painted by Jacob Lawrence YouTube Video                             

Congratulations to all who won the SCA elections! Thanks to all the candidates for their hard work, but the results from the voting are in! The new SCA president is RYAN! The new SCA vice president is KATIE! The new SCA social director is MADISON!

 "On the hike we learned about few invasive plants but there were few because of the climate on the mountain. They have the largest amount of black bears in Shenandoah National Park. Then, we learned about the Paragrin Falcon, the staff of the National Park dunks them in water so they would forget where their original habitat was and they would adapt to Shenandoah. The wind was strong and cold with the feeling of fall on the top of the mountain. The tree's size and amount became smaller as we limbed higher on the mountain. Overall, it was a beautiful, educational, and memorable experience." -Evan

Mrs. Harris and Mr. Crow led an awesome ICA project; School Beautification! The students planted flowers at the front of the school and cleared other areas from overgrown shrubs.Thanks to these students for all they did in helping out their community!

Some of the first semester 7th grade science students participated in an overnight field trip through the Green Adventure Project at Triple C Camp .  Here are some of the highlights of the trip.

The SCA Presidential speeches were on Wednesday, October 19th. There were 9 speeches, both president and vice president. All of the candidates were there, and amazingly there are more students running for social director than for president! Each speech was unique, and there was deafening applause after each. Now it all comes down to the votes! Below are some quotes from each candidate, so you can get a look at each one. The voting will happen on Thursday the 20th. "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" -Ryan "Live everyday like it is your last" -Nick "Peace, love, Abigail" -Abby "Help me, help you, vote for Madison" -Madison "Look at the glass half full, not half empty" -Maggie "Rumor has it that everyone is voting for Emma" -Emma The vice president candidates were: kelsy, Lucas, Katie,

Invasive Plants Symbaloo

Some of the seventh grade students heard The Giving Tree ( by Shel Silverstein) read aloud as an introduction to their case study.  This is a children's book about a tree who plays with a little boy. As the boy grows older he takes from the tree without giving back. In the story whenever the boy is happy the tree is happy. The students used meaningful words to create a wordle (see picture). If you haven't read it in a while, or never at all, read it, and I'm sure you will enjoy it!

Congratulations to all the ladies who made the choral group. That was a hard cut to make, and the people the tried out had some real courage and skill. We are proud all of you, and thanks to Mrs. Rife, the chorus teacher for all of her hard work!

The First Dance Sweat. Pizza Grease. Soda spills. Ear-blasting music. All of these things immediately remind me of my past dances at Sutherland. They are an essential part of the Sutherland experience. Unfortunately, by the eighth grade year, the majority of students are slightly tired, and look forward to high school prom and the renown Eighth grade Formal Celebration. I especially noticed this when I went into a sixth grade classroom and asked who was planning to attend the dance. Nearly all the students responded with yes. Comparatively, when I went into an eighth grade classroom, only one student was coming. Eighth grade, why are you less enthusiastic? We should be the leaders of the school, being models for the younger students. Let's not lose our sixth grade enthusiasm!

The salsa class was a new experience for our returning Sutherland students. It was rather interesting to see what other cultures incorporate into their dance. Most boys were reluctant to dance, in spite of the fact that they had signed up for the class. All the girls were very enthusiastic about dancing with the boys! Most of the girls were 6th graders while most of the boys were 8th graders which caused some awkwardness! Overall it was a great cultural experience! YouTube Video - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Students in Mr. Schwalm's 7th grade science class all did amazing projects to represent a cell. What they did was think of an analogy of a cell( example: nucleolus was like a manager or boss). Then they had to create a model of that. There were 5 options of project, students could do a poster, a PowerPoint, a story, a movie, or choose their own. One duo of creative artists made a clay representation of Santa's workshop. Taylor and Sophie's work was amazing, and well presented. Some people did factory posters and they are currently displayed on the 7nth grade wall near Mr. Schwalm's room.