LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #15

General Christmas Program: The Logos Christmas Program will take place in the gym this Friday, December 12 at 7:00 PM. All are invited to attend! The rehearsal will take place the same day at the following times: Secondary 8:25-9:15, Elementary (preschool-6^th) 9:30-10:30. Elementary students will meet in the classrooms at 6:45 PM and secondary students in the auditorium at 6:30. Please bring preschoolers right to the gym at 6:45 PM. After they sing, the preschool-1^st grade students will go to the back of the auditorium to meet and sit with their parents for the rest of the evening. Attire for performers…   Elementary: Logos dress uniform (young ladies may wear a special Christmas dress if desired, and young men are welcome to wear blazers).   Secondary: Logos dress uniform only. Blazers for young men and women are welcome.   Uniforms: This Friday is not a dress uniform day. Students will wear their normal uniforms to school on Friday so that their dress uniform is crisp and clean for the Christmas program that evening.   Home Basketball Game: This Tuesday will be a Fight’n Knight Day! Wear your Logos t-shirts and nice jeans to school and then come out and cheer for the high school boys at 6:00 PM as they play their first home basketball game of the season.  

Elementary

Elementary Boys Basketball Clinics: All Logos 1^st through 6^th grade boys are cordially invited to participate in a series of basketball clinics that will focus on the fundamentals of shooting, passing, dribbling, and defense. All clinics will take place on Saturdays from 9 – 11 AM in the Logos gym and will be coached and directed by Jed Whitling and Logos High School basketball players on the following dates: Dec. 20, 27 & Jan. 3, 10, 17. The cost is $20 for all five clinics. This is a great way to spend a Saturday morning and to get ready for the upcoming Moscow Parks and Recreation season.   Secondary Fall Finals Schedule: Final exams will take place next week. See the attached schedule to start planning ahead.   Grades: We are two weeks out from the end of the semester. This is a good time to sit down with your secondary student and look at their grades on RenWeb.   Trivia Day: Next Friday after finals we will have a pizza party.  Guys, please bring six “individual” drinks - cans of pop, bottles of water, or Gatorade. (No two-liter bottles please).  Ladies, please bring something for dessert.   Secondary Student Surveys We have our secondary students evaluate each class they take twice a year. Here are a few things that students had to say about Mrs. Courtney this semester:   -She’s fun and she’s my favorite! -I love how she puts so much energy and fun into class time. -I like how she seems to love working with us. -She is very knowledgeable. -She obviously cares about her students-strict but funny. -She’s awesome! -She is cheerful and caring and fun to be around. -She is always enthusiastic in whatever she is teaching. -I can really tell that Mrs. Courtney wants us to succeed and I appreciate when she encourages us before tests and projects.     Thank you. Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #14

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #14   General Home Basketball Game: This Tuesday will be a Fight’n Knight Day! Wear your Logos t-shirts and nice jeans to school and then come out and cheer for the high school girls at 6:00 PM as they play their first home basketball game of the season.  

Elementary

Kindergarten Play: This Friday Mrs. Sawyer’s kindergarten class will be performing a Christmas play. The show will open at 8:35 AM with a recitation by Mrs. Bradley’s 4^th grade. All are welcome.   Front Parking Lot: Please do not leave your cars unattended in the lanes out front. If you need to come in to drop off or pick up your student, find a parking spot and come right in. If you are doing a quick drop off or pick up, and you will be staying in your car, feel free to use the right lane out front. Thank you!   Homework-0-Meter Results: Homework surveys are in, and we’ve crunched the numbers below (averaged between the double classes 1^st – 5^th). Parents, thank you for taking the time to complete the surveys!   Grade / Actual Numbers / Guideline Targets (per night/5 days a week): 1^st = 14 min. (15 min.) 2^nd = 18 min. (30 min.) 3^rd = 17 min. (45 min.) 4^th = 38 min. (45 min.) 5^th = 31 min. (45 min.) 6^th = 58 min. (60 min.)   Secondary Fall Finals Schedule: Final exams will take place the week before Christmas break. See the attached schedule to start planning ahead.   Secondary Student Surveys We have our secondary students evaluate each class they take twice a year. Here are a few things that students had to say about Mr. Nance this semester:   -He knows his stuff. -Mr. Nance is fun to be around and I enjoy his logic. -He enjoys working with kids. -Logic is challenging, but also really fun to know. -Mr. Nance is awesome! -Mr. Nance goes above and beyond helping when I am confused about a homework problem or am struggling with a concept. -I really enjoy physics! It’s hard but fun. -Mr. Nance is Superman disguised, who is wonderful. -He is an excellent teacher; I would say probably the best I’ve had. He knows all the material, teaches at a steady yet challenging pace, and is always cheerful and good-humored. Thanks!   Thank you. Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #13

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #13 General Thanksgiving Vacation: Please note that we have the entire week of Thanksgiving off. Enjoy the time with your family. Elementary Preschool-1st Grade Midterms: Midterms will be coming home this Wednesday. Please sign the bottom of the form and return it on Friday. 2nd-6th Grade Midterms: A blank midterm form will be coming home on Wednesday. Please log on to Renweb and help your child complete it. Our goal is to encourage families to check out Renweb and to help students use the midterm to plan for improvement in any areas that may need work. Please return these forms by Friday. Secondary Secondary Student Surveys: This week we are asking the secondary students to complete a brief survey for each of their classes. This survey is designed to communicate the students’ perceptions of the secondary program, to the secondary faculty and administrators. We value the students’ opinion, and our goal is to improve each year. This would be a great time to sit down with your child and discuss each class with him/her. Secondary parents are also welcome to provide input at this time. Cheers, Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #12

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #12  

Elementary

2^nd Grade Play: This Friday Mrs. Kimmell and Mrs. Miller’s class will be performing the story of Peter Rabbit. The assembly will open at 8:35 AM with a recitation by Mrs. Blum’s 1^st grade class. All are welcome!   Homework-o-Meter: Please remember to fill these out over the course of the week and return them to the classroom teachers on November 14. This helps us gauge the amount of homework our elementary students are doing each night.   Winter Clothes: Be sure to send your children to school with warm clothes. We will have recess outside unless it is raining hard or below 20 degrees. This may be a good time to make sure that winter clothing is labeled – just in case!   Secondary Secondary Student Surveys: Next week we will be asking the secondary students to complete a brief survey for each of their classes. This survey is designed to communicate the students’ perceptions of the secondary program, to the secondary faculty and administrators. We value the students’ opinion, and our goal is to improve each year. This would be a great time to sit down with your child and discuss each class with him/her. Secondary parents are also welcome to provide input at this time.     Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #11

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #11   General Music Man: Logos varsity drama presents THE MUSIC MAN! directed by Tom Garfield. The show opens Wed, Nov. 5, and runs each night at 7:00 pm through Sat, Nov. 8. Tickets are now on sale in the front office.   Fight’n Knight Day! In order to support the cast and crew of the Music Man, this Wednesday (opening night) will be a Fight’n Knight Day (nice jeans and your Logos T-shirt).  

Elementary

Interschool Speech Meet: If your child has qualified and is going on to the interschool speech meet, please remember to meet in the front parking lot at 8:55 AM this Friday. I will have information packets for chaperones including maps to The Oaks.   Secondary Extracurricular Activities and Schoolwork: There are lots of great activities going on in the secondary (drama, junior high boys basketball, high school boys and girls basketball, planning for mock trial, math and engineering clubs, etc.). At Logos, schoolwork comes first. This means that students who participate in extracurricular activities will be held to the same standard as everyone else. Students should look ahead, plan ahead, and redeem the time during busy seasons.     Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #9   Elementary Speech Meet: Friday, October 24.  Parents are welcome to attend.  No camcorders or younger siblings please.   Report Cards: Elementary Report Cards will come home with your students this Wednesday afternoon.   Parent/Teacher Conferences (October 23 & 24): Almost all of the scheduling is complete. If you have not scheduled yet, please visit this site to do so: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Logos   Secondary Report Cards: Secondary Report Cards will come home with your students this Thursday afternoon.   Secondary Speech Meet 7th-9th: Next Friday, October 31is the secondary speech meet.  There will be an awards assembly for all 7th-12th graders in which some of the superior speeches will be delivered at 2:30 in the auditorium.  All are welcome to attend.   Study Tip for the Week From this point on, the speech meet judges will not have a copy of each student’s selection in front of them.  If your child misses a word or even a whole line from his selection, the best thing to do is – smile and keep on reciting.  If the student continues on confidently after a mistake, there’s a good chance that no one else will even notice.       Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #8

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #8 General Feed the Need: This Thursday students should wear their Feed the Need t-shirts and nice jeans to school. We are looking forward to a great day! Teacher Workday: This week is the last week in the quarter. Encourage your child to finish strong! Friday, October 17, is a teacher workday (no school for students and the front office will be closed). Teachers will be wrapping up the first quarter (grades and report cards) and preparing for the second quarter. There will be no dress uniform day this week. Elementary Assembly: This Thursday morning Mr. Kohl’s 5th graders will be on stage. The assembly will start with a short recitation by Mrs. Akin’s 3rd grade class at 8:35. All are welcome! Speech Meet: Selections will be performed for a grade on Thursday, October 16. Parent/Teacher Conferences (October 24 & 25): Almost all of the scheduling is complete. A reminder email will be sent out the Monday before conferences. If you have not scheduled yet, please visit this site to do so: https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/Logos Secondary PSAT: The 10th and 11th graders will be taking the PSAT this Wednesday morning in the gym. STUDY TIP FOR THE WEEK Plan ahead. Sit down with your child on Saturday and read over the HAS (elementary) or the Weekly Test Schedule (secondary) together. Talk about the tests and assignments with your child so that he is prepared before the week begins. A few minutes of discussion and study Saturday morning can help take the pressure off in the middle of the week when the circus is in full swing. Cheers, Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #7

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #7   General Two Weeks Left: There are only two weeks left in the first quarter. This is a good time to check grades on Renweb (grades 2-12) and make sure that your student is ready to finish the quarter strong!  

Elementary

Speech Meet: Speech Meet selections are to be memorized by Friday, October 10.   Parent/Teacher Conferences (October 23 & 24): All elementary families will receive an email this week with details on how to sign up. If you don’t receive an email by Thursday evening, please contact the front office. We are looking forward to meeting with you!   Pink Slips: So far this year we have sent pink slips home for behavior concerns but used email to communicate about academic issues. I’ve heard from parents and teachers that emails have not been as effective (the email may come home a day or two before or after the paper comes home, or the students may not be in the email loop of communication at all). Thanks for your patience as we have experimented with this. We’ll return to using pink slips for academics next week.   Secondary Honors Classes: For students who received an honors acceptance letter, honors class fees ($25 per class) are due this Friday. Please make a check out to Logos School and turn it in to the appropriate teacher. PSAT: The 10^th and 11^th graders will be taking the PSAT next Wednesday morning in the gym. Elementary Romance Each year I make a point of speaking to the 2^nd - 6^th grade students about a fascinating and sometimes delicate oxymoron - elementary romance. I am very pleased to say that this has not been an issue that Logos elementary students have struggled with in recent memory nor do I have grave concerns this year. My primary goal is that we maintain a positive school culture in which students do not feel pressure to “grow up” too fast in this area. Over the past week I’ve stopped in for this year’s installment, and I thought it would be good for you all to know what I had to say to the students and what my expectations are in this area. First of all, the school policy for the elementary and secondary reads, “Public displays of romantic affection are not permitted at school or school activities.” My interpretation of a public display of romantic affection is very narrow. Any singling out of a person of the opposite sex, and anything that you could do to earn yourself the title of “an item” fall into this category. The discussion with the 2^nd - 6^th graders usually begins with me asking how old they are, and then following up by asking how old they think they will be when they get married. After clarifying, for the sake of the boys, that most people do not wait until they are 37 to marry, we move on to the application. The short form is that these students are a lifetime or more away from getting married, and any preliminary negotiations are absolutely inappropriate in the elementary. I am strongly against silly talk about who likes whom, and I am thoroughly opposed to premature pairing up (in the elementary and secondary). There is far too much fun and hard work for us to keep ourselves occupied with to give attention to cheap soap operas. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or concerns.       Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #6

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #6   General Sub List: Parents do the majority of our substitute teaching throughout the year. Compensation comes in the form of decreased tuition for the following school year. If you are interested in being on our sub list, please come by the front office and fill out a short application.  

Elementary

Speech Meet: Speech Meet selections are to be memorized by Thursday, October 10.   Progress Reports: Thank you for your patience as we work out bugs in our elementary progress report format and procedures! Please be sure to sign and return the bottom portion of the progress report by this Wednesday.   Parent/Teacher Conferences (October 23 & 24): Families with three or more students in the elementary will receive an email this week with details on how to sign up. If you fit this category, and don’t receive an email by Thursday evening, please contact the front office. All other families will receive an opportunity to sign up next week.   Class Play: This Friday the 6th graders will be performing a play in the auditorium. We will begin at 8:35 AM with a short recitation by Mr. Kohl’s 5^th grade class. All are welcome to attend.   Secondary Speech Meet: Secondary (7^th-9^th) Speech Meet selections are due October 3.   Honors Applications: Applications are due to my box by this Wednesday at 3:30.       Cheers,   Matt Whitling

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #5

LOGOS SCHOOL UPDATE – 2014-15 – #5   General Sub List: Parents do the majority of our substitute teaching throughout the year. Compensation comes in the form of decreased tuition for the following school year. If you are interested in being on our sub list, please come by the front office and fill out a short application.   Class Pictures: Class pictures will take place this Friday in the gym. Students should wear their dress uniforms as usual on Friday.  

Elementary

Speech Meet: Speech Meet selections are to be memorized by Thursday, October 10.   Progress Reports: We will be sending home progress reports this Friday with each elementary student. This is a simple mid-quarter check just to make sure everyone is on track to complete the quarter successfully. In order to provide an even more detailed academic picture, Renweb is open for all 2^nd – 6^th graders so that parents can see specific grades in each category. Please take this opportunity to sit down with your child and discuss their progress so far in school.   Secondary Progress Reports: Secondary grades are available at any time via Renweb. Since we are half way through the quarter, this would be a good week to sit down with your secondary student and see how they are doing in each class.   Speech Meet: Secondary (7^th-9^th) Speech Meet selections are due October 3.   Honors Classes: The following honors classes will be offered for the first semester: 9^th Grade Church History, 9^th Grade European History, 9^th Grade European Lit., 9^th Grade Latin, 10^th Grade US History, 10^th Grade Latin, 10^th Grade Algebra II, 11^th Grade Chemistry, 11^th Grade Pre-Calculus, 9^th-11^th Grade Choir, and 12^th Grade British Literature. Invitations will be coming home to all students who have earned a 94% or higher in these classes by midterm. Further details about our honors classes are included on the invitation.   Study Tip for the Week One helpful way to teach your kids not to procrastinate is to ingrain in them the need to study at least Two Days Out. Two Days Out means studying for Friday’s test on Wednesday and Thursday instead of simply the night before. Studying for predictable subjects like spelling and Latin should be spread over the course of the entire week, but for other quizzes and small tests, especially in the secondary, Two Days Out helps form a pattern of planned investment rather than last minute gambling.     Cheers,   Matt Whitling