Guest Expert: Seargeant First Class Kevin S. King

Sergeant First Class Kevin S. King is a 1st Platoon Sergeant/ Crew Chief currently stationed in Iraq. Besides flying missions, his day to day activites include making sure that flights scheduled make it off on time. He usually issues the special equipment needed on each flight and makes sure that equipment is properly accounted for once the helicopters return. Once the flights leave for the flight line he monitors the radio in case something is needed or left behind. Since flying is the safest way to move around the country, SFC King is kept busy flying VIPS and soldiers around from Forward Operating Base (FOB) to FOB.


Sergeant King came to our class and gave a very interesting talk about Iraq and the job that he has. Here is a place for you to ask him additional school appropriate questions about Iraq, the military, and his job. To see pictures of his presentation, please visit our class pictures page.

Time Capsule! Celebrating 10 Years of Pride!

As part of SLES's 10th birthday, each class is being asked to secure one item that is meaningful to the class to place in a time capsule which will be buried before the end of this school year and dug up during the 2015-2016 school year.

The item we pick to represent our class should be something that is unique and specific to our classroom. It should represent what life was like here at SLES in 2006.

So.... what should we pick to represent our class? Let the brainstorming begin! Make sure that you give convincing reasons why we should include this item to represent our classroom. Use O.R.E.O!

National Geographic's Forces of Nature

Explore hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and volcanoes at National Geographic's Forces of Nature website. Your job is to:

1. Pick a natural catastrophe to learn about.
2. Explore this catastrophe by exploring the catastrophe at your own pace. Do NOT just skip to the simulation at the end!! (If I see this happening, you will lose computer priviledges.)
3. Once you have read & explored the information of the catastrophe of your choice, write a well developed paragraph about your catastrophe. Then write a second paragraph about the new facts that you learned. This should be done on loose leaf paper.
4. Proofread your paragraph for spelling & grammar errors. (Reading/Language students should pay close attention to this.)
4. Post your paragraphs to this blog.

All homeroom and reading students are responsible for this assignment.
Due date: May 23.

Calendar Math: May!

Wow! I can't believe that it's nearly the end of the school year! Sorry for the delay in getting May's Calendar Math spot up and running on the blog.

Besides the observations, predictions, and confirmed outcomes of yours regarding Calendar Math, here are some other questions to think/write about this month:
Calendar Questions
1. What polygons appear in the Calendar pattern this month?
2. Why is a square a rhombus?
3. Why isn't a circle a polygon?
Daily Depositor
1. How much money will we have by the end of May?
2. How much more do we need to reach $2,000,000?
How much is a million?
1. An elephant eats about 300 pounds of food every day. How long will it take that elephant to eat one million pounds of food?
2. How many ten-dollar bills would it take to equal $1,000,000?
3. The distance from Los Angeles, California to Atlanta, Georgia is about 2,000 miles. How many times would you have to make this trip to equal 1,000,000?

Please make sure you specify in your post if you are talking about the Daily Depositor, Calendar, Coin Counter, Counting Tape, or Graph. Also, if you are working on a bonus questions, make sure you tell which question you are answering. Enjoy!

Class Participation Reminder: As always, everyone should post at least once during the course of the month. Earn end of the year extra credit by posting more than one thoughtful, well organized post.

Spring Break!

Here is a place for you to write all about your Easter and Spring Break! Share your special trip, lazy days, or family events with your class.

On another note, I've created a page for class photos. There is a new link added so that you may view pictures of our biography presentations and VIP Day. Enjoy!

Calendar Math: April!

Here is a place for you to post all your observations, predictions, and ideas regarding Calendar Math. As always, make sure that you identify the Calendar Math component that you are writing about.

Class Participation Requirements: All homeroom students should post at least once during the month.

Guest Expert: Josh Kobak

Miranda's uncle has graciously agreed to be a guest expert on our blog!

Mr. Josh Kobak studied at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music where he was in several plays, including playing Huckleberry Finn in Big River. He then toured and performed in musicals on Broadway. Mr. Kobak wrote and directs a play "Subway Train" which he produces from time to time in an Off Broadway Theatre. He currently has a CD out called "Above and Beneath" featuring his band Swim. He also scored all the music for an A&E TV show "The Passion of Helen of Troy." Right now he's getting ready to perform in Disney's new Broadway musical: Tarzan!

Here is a place where you may ask Mr. Kobak questions about musical professions, acting, and music in general. Be sure to think critically about the questions you ask him (as with all our experts) as he has a very busy schedule and we don't want to waste his time with questions that are not clearly stated.

Animal Expert: Dr. Camilliere!

Welcome Dr. Camilliere to our classroom blog!

Dr. Camilliere studied biology (the study of life), received a Master's degree in zoology (the scientific study of animals), and completed his veterinary training. Currently, he is a small animal veterinarian at Banfield Pet Hospital in Annapolis, Maryland. His job includes providing medical and surgical services for many types of pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, birds, and reptiles.

The Camilliere family lives in St. Leonard. They share their home with their dog, two cats, several lizards, and a tankful of guppies.

Here is the perfect spot to ask Dr. Camilliere questions pertaining to his areas of expertise. Please remember to keep your questions geared towards science, our "In the Wild" reading theme, and questions that fascinate you about animals in general.

Science Questions for Dr. Perry

Class, here is where you can ask Dr. Perry astronomy questions you'd like answered! It's your very own spot to ask an expert! Proofread your questions carefully before you post!

Dr. Perry was one of the managing astrophysicists who worked on Hubble Space telescope. Retired, he is currently producing a local access cable TV show, "Know Your Sky," for Anne Arundel County. His show's purpose is to provide the amateur star gazer with information about celestial objects visible during each month of the year and how to find them in the night sky. His other expertises include forest and agricultural preservation.

Engineering Expert: Mr. Chris Gay!

Welcome our newest guest expert from the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Mr. Chris Gay!

Mr. Gay is currently a flight test engineer for Pax River. Last year, he attended the United States Test Pilot School at Pax River to help him design better planes. This is the same test pilot school that astronaunt John Glenn attended! Mr. Gay has flown in many of our military's highest performance aircraft, including the F18 pictured here! Below is a picture of him in flying an F-18 Super Hornet over Pax River:
Before returning to school to earn his engineering degree, Mr. Gay worked as an automotive technician, working on all kinds of cars - from Honda Civics to Ferrari Testa Rosas. He's even helped design and build race cars!

Today his main projects at Pax River includes redesigning the Hawkeye aircraft so that it has the capability for midflight refueling and a new propeller design that lowers noise and vibrations. He lives in Lusby, Maryland with his wife and baby girl Lillyn.

Here is a place for you to ask Mr. Chris Gay all your engineering questions! Questions about cars, planes, Pax River, and engineering design are all great types of questions to ask him!