Efaw Expects Excellence

Mosaics--Something to Ponder in your Journals

 

Ever stop to think about the mosaic of your own life?  All the little tiles represent our experiences as we walk through life.  Often, when we are in the midst of a difficult time, we cannot see the big picture that our experiences are creating.  We can only see the shape and the color of the challenge at hand.  But if we were to slow down just long enough to notice, we would see how our experiences imbue our mosaic with color and fire and life.  So our trials...those difficult times we wish we could avoid...are the very impetuses of our gentle understanding.  Through our artfully composed mosaics, we see ourselves, our contributions, and our defining life experiences as something of beauty instead of hardship. 

If you could imagine your own life's mosaic, what would it look like?  What picture would it form?  What colors would be evident, and what would those colors represent?  Try to use as much sensory detail as you can to share your living mosaic with others.

We are Smooth Sailing...

 

Hello Everyone! 

Our year has certainly gotten off to an excellent start here at Griffin Middle School!  I am so excited to start this new year, and I know my 8th graders are equally excited!  Eighth grade is a very important transitional year for our students, because it is a year of preparation for the continuation of schooling at the high school and college levels.  Research tells us that how a student performs in 8th grade determines how that student will perform throughout their high school and college years.  At Griffin, we take these statistics very seriously!  So when you think the "going is getting rough," just remember that we are doing all we can to prepare you for your future success, and that we all have your best interests at heart. 

A very interesting article was published by ACT back in 2008 which addresses the importance of the 8th grade year for all students.  It is entitled, "The Forgotten Middle:  Ensuring that All Students are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School."  Here is the link if you are interested in reading the Executive Summary.  It contains eye-opening data that should prove to be very motivational for students who are interested in being successful in High School and beyond.

http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/ForgottenMiddleSummary.pdf

At the beginning of the year, parents signed a course syllabus which gives a "year-at-a-glance" persective on our classroom studies.  Please be sure to read about what you need to know and be able to do this year.  Course syllabi are important tools to help you plan your year, so you know what to expect.  The course syllabus also gives you a sense of the big pictue.  So spend a little time with it and see how it helps you.

One last word to students and parents alike.  My door is open.  I am eager to listen to your concerns, help you with your school work, or just be a sounding board for you as you go through the school year.  Please don't hesitate to visit and to share your challenges and triumphs with me!  You are always welcome in Mrs. Efaw's room!

 

 

I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer. While it seems like a short summer break this year, I know each of you will come back to Griffin with renewed enthusiasm and eagerness to learn. We have much to celebrate this year! Griffin has now made AYP two years in a row...and most of that triumph can be credited to YOU...our outstanding students!! So thank you! Now we have to work all the harder to maintain our academic excellence. And I know this year's 8th graders can and will lead our school to GREAT achievement.

So, ready, get set....GO!!! We're off to an outstanding start!

A Year-at-a-Glance--Aligning with Georgia State Performance Standards

During the summer, many talented Cobb County teachers got together to design curriculum and lesson plans that will align both with our new textbooks, as well as with the Georgia State Performance Standards and the Georgia State Frameworks.  For those of you who aren't familiar with these tools, the GSPS outline the criteria that the state uses to ensure that students from all over Georgia are learning, and the GSF show us how to get there.  The Georgia State CRCT that students take in April of each year assesses that students have been learning according to these standards. Our year, therefore, is planned out in accordance wth the Georgia State Frameworks (a curriculum guide recommended by the state) to ensure that students are learning the standards in the order the state of Georgia prescribes.  Below is a brief overview of our year-at-a-glance.  A course syllabus can be downloaded from the "pages" of this blog, over on the right hand side.

Semester One:

Unit One:  Narrative to include Style Builders (figurative language)--4 weeks

Unit Two:  Expository Writing--7 weeks

Unit Three:  Persuasive Writing--7 weeks

 

Winter Break

 

Semester Two:

**(2 week standards review for writing test)**

Unit 4:  Research and Exploration--6 weeks

**(2 weeks standard review for CRCT test)**

Unit 5:  Response to Literature--4 weeks

Unit 6:  Poetry/Drama/Response to Literatur--4 weeks

 

The idea is to prepare students to further develop their reading and writing skills in a variety of genres, so that by the time they get to high school, they are ready for anything!  This 8th grade year is a very important year to really pay attention and prepare yourselves for what lies ahead!

Getting to know Mrs. Efaw

Hi Everyone!  This is my second year here at Griffin, and I am so excited to be a part of the Griffin Family this year!  To tell you a little about me, this is my 12th year of teaching.  I moved here from Dallas, Texas because I got married to my wonderful husband.  Prior to teaching, I was a pharmaceutical sales representative--however, teaching has been the love of my life for as long as I can remember.  Teaching is in my blood.  My grandfather was a high school principal, and I have several aunts who taught their whole lives. 

As I mentioned, I am married, and I have two dogs, Gracie Girl and Bruce, and two kitties (Pider and Neko).  My husband and I grow our own vegetables, and we recycle and compost at home.  We use the compost that we create to fertilize our garden every year.  This year, we are growing tomatoes, squash, okra, eggplant, and watermelon.  We also grow our own sunflower and buckwheat sprouts, along with basil, thyme, cilantro, tarragon, peppermint, oregano, and lemon balm.  It's really fun to watch things grow!

 

   Grace Bruce

I am excited to teach 8th grade this year!  I know we will do remarkable things, and we will learn and grow together as we learn the art of self-expression.  See, oftentimes students start off by having a difficult time identifying the relevance of the work they do in school.  Language Arts was always a love of mine, because I knew that being able to express my thoughts in a variety of ways was the key to my success.  Using literature and honing our writing skills, we will perfect our abilities to communicate with each other and with a larger audience.  If you think about it, most of us are already doing that on social networks like MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter, to name a few.  Not only are we connecting with our friends, but to a large extent, we are communicating with the world.  Wow...what's not to love about that?! 

My greatest joy in life is getting to watch students learn and grow.  I like to have a good time in the classroom, and I like to be considered as both a teacher and a learner.  I like to consider my students both teachers and learners, too.  We make a GREAT team!  I think parental involvement is very, very important, and I invite all parents to stop in the classroom and visit; experience the great things that are going on at Griffin.  You will be amazed.

Students and parents, please know that my door is always open to you.  If you ever need help or have any questions, please never hesitate to call.  I look forward to a spectacular year, and I know that together, we will be successful!