Hello O. L. Smith Community,

As I work on finalizing grades this weekend, I am noticing that the amount of work not turned in continues to be a problem. There should be no reason for students to not turn their work in. I rarely assign work without giving students ample time to work on it in class.

For some students, they have a difficult time focusing and they do not finish the work in class. In these instances, I ask students to complete the assignment at home and turn it in the next day. Others complete the assignments and do not turn them in, even as I ask for it as they walk out the classroom door. I am unsure why students who complete the assignment so not turn it in.

Please, check your student’s grades on ParentConnect. If they have anything missing, please email me ASAP. I will send the work home and they must complete it and email it back or turn it in in-person by Monday, December 7th.

I do have numerous assignments without a name as well. If your child insists they turned an assignment in, please have them check with me during bellwork on Monday.

I will be revisiting the late work policy and will inform you of the adjustments after I have spoken with the students.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

We are nearing the end of our narrative unit, which means students will be having their test on Wednesday of this week. The assessment may take a bit longer than one class period for some students to complete so make sure your child has a silent reading book they can read while their classmate is working!

Students will review an activity from last week to aid in studying for the test and will also be shown a PowerPoint as additional review.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me!

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

This week is a super short week! That doesn’t mean we aren’t still working hard at O. L. Smith. Students are completing an assignment that near exactly simulates what they will see on their test when they return from break. This activity will show students what they need to improve on and study during break. When students return, they will have a review before jumping into the narrative assessment.

Also, narratives are due Tuesday! Students are expected to turn their pre-writing and rubric in to me by tomorrow. The card marking ends on December 4th! Therefore, it is even more important than usual that students get their work in on time so they will have an accurate grade on their report card.

Finally, many students are asking about extra credit. The students were given an extra credit portion to their narratives but are only eligible for the extra credit if their assignment is turned in on time!

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc., please feel free to contact me.

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

Last night was Dearborn Public Schools Anti-Bullying Extravaganza!

The show, which was “Wicked: The Musical” themed, showcased talents from elementary, middle, and high schools across the district. The audience was filled with students, teachers, and administrators who wanted to support our anti-bullying efforts. Not only were our administrators in attendance, but Mayor John O’Reilly and Police Chief Ronald Haddad made guest appearances as well.

We are so fortunate to have an administration, as well as a city, that cares so much for our Dearborn Public Schools Family. Not only do they talk the talk; they walk to walk. Or maybe even dance it out.

A huge thank you to all those who worked so hard to put together this event.

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

Students are focusing their efforts on writing a narrative this week. The prompt for the narrative is rather open to provide students with the freedom to write a story that interests them. The students were given four pieces of art, all of which are featured below, and asked to write a story using the art as inspiration. The story should be written either from the perspective of the subject in the art or from the perspective of an individual watching the story from a distance. The narratives will be worked on in class throughout the entire week and will be due on November 24th, the day before break.

In addition to the assignment, students have been given an extra credit opportunity with this assignment. If students are able to grammatically utilize two sets of quotations in one sentence, underline or highlight the sentence so I may identify it, and turn it in on time, students may receive two, summative, extra credit points. An example sentence that would qualify for the extra credit is: “Yes,” cried Olivia, “I would love to go to the dance with you!”

I will update you later this week with the student’s progress on their narratives.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

This week, students will be bringing home their progress reports. As I put their grades in to be submitted for the progress reports, I noticed an upsetting trend. Students are not turning in their work. The most upsetting aspect of this is students are given time in class almost daily to finish their assignments. In fact, I see many of them finish the assignments in class! For some reason, however, students are putting their work into their folder rather than in the basket.

The other problem with missing work I have noticed is students not turning in work that was due when they were absent. Students are aware, and it is written in the syllabus, that it is the student’s job to figure out what they missed from another student. Instead of asking what they missed, many students continue in class without ever turning in their assignment.

I will be speaking with students tomorrow about what I have noticed and ask students to turn in anything they have missing within the week.

As parents and guardians, I ask that you check ParentConnect regularly. If anything is missing, ask your child if they have it turned in. Frequently, I will write the comment that I saw the student working on it in class. In these instances, especially, the student more than likely forgot to turn it in. Ask them to show it to you and have them get it to me ASAP.

As of right now, there is no penalty for late work up to three assignements, however, if the privilege to turn work in late continues to be abused, I will start penalizing students for late work. If that occurs, I will post about it here, alter the online syllabus, and inform the students.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

This week, the students worked on characterization. Characterization is the process by which a writer reveals a character’s personality to his audience. The two types of characterization we discussed are direct and indirect.

Direct characterization is when the author tells you the character’s personality. For example, “Thor is a courageous warrior.” We are told about Thor; we don’t have to guess.

Indirect characterization was a bit more of a struggle for students. This is when we use S. T. E. A. L. (Speech, Thoughts, Effects on other characters, Actions, and Looks) to decide what a character’s personaility is. In class, we discussed how Tris, from Divergent, is brave. While the author didn’t tell us she was brave directly, we could figure it out from her actions, such as when she leaps into the black pit without knowing what is on the other side.

Many students had a difficult time grasping indirect characterization. We will work on it more in the coming week. However, I also encourage you to help your student at home. Ask your student to characterize a character from their favorite book, tv show, etc. It takes moments but can help them apply what they are learning in school to other situations.

Students also were asked to turn their bellwork in this week. If your child is missing their bellwork, please see the “Resources” page to get a list of the bellwork they needed to turn in.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

Megan Timpf

Hello O. L. Smith Community,

Thank you so much to all parents in attendance tonight at parent-teacher conferences. It was a huge success!

We also have parent-teacher conferences on Wednesday, October 28th, from 3:15-6:15. I would love to see you all there!

This week, we are focusing on setting, tone, and mood. We will begin with reading Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Students will have a graphic organizer to fill out which will allow them to organize their thoughts regarding these concepts and the story.

Later this week, we will have a fun summative assignment! You’ll have to stayed tuned to hear more about it.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me!

Megan Timpf