Welcome to Our Simplified Class Web page!

September 7, 2022

Dear Families,

May I just say a huge THANK YOU to the families who visited our class’ Amazon Wish List and came through with teaching tools and students support materials! I am overwhelmed by the generosity of Reed families. I have never experienced such support at a school, and I am grateful.

And another thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night and was able to complete the family survey and/or sign up for a conference. I will be in touch with families who have not signed up for conferences in October. If you would like the link to sign up for a conference online or would like to access the family survey, please email me at sseyan@sjusd.org.

Today’s Blackboard update answers a few questions I received on BTS night:

Q: Do 4th Graders get free passes to National Parks?

A: YES, they do. According to the State of California website, “Applying for the free pass online is simple. All that is needed is a name, address, phone number and an email address. For individuals who do not have access to a smartphone, computer or printer, and/or do not have an email address to use when applying online, they can still apply for a pass by visiting a State Parks Pass Sales Office or by calling (800) 444-7275. 

Please check out https://www.parks.ca.gov/AdventurePass for more details. 

Q: May my child bring goodies or treats for their birthday?

A: MAYBE. In our class this year, we have students with severe allergies. Reed’s school nurse advises that we remind students not to trade/share lunches and that we hold no class parties involving food this year. I take student safety very seriously, so will not offer nor help distribute food treats to my class this year.

That being said, non-food goodies or bags that can be shared at the end of the day are more than welcome. Students may have flowers, balloons, or gifts in class during the day-though they may be moved if they block the whiteboard or are super distracting to other students. ;o)

Q: When will homework start?

A: THIS WEEK. Students took home their Bobcat folders with their first homework packet on Tuesday. The homework will have spelling included in future weeks, so there will be daily reading, some math review, and/or a spelling activity. It should take around 30 minutes to complete at most. Families really aren’t required to do anything with the homework, as it is the student’s responsibility. That being said, if you have any observations, suggestions, feedback-I’d love to hear it! I’m always looking to improve.

Please continue to contact me with suggestions, information about your child, and questions about anything. I do apologize if I have been delayed in responding to you this past week. I am making changes to my communication procedures so my responses should be much more timely. I appreciate your patience!

Warmly,

Ms Susan Seyan, Educator

Hi Families,

Thank you to everyone who attended Back to School Night!  Here is some follow up information as promised:

*To sign up for conferences November 7-10, please click here. Contact me through school if you would like a different day or time!

*To complete my family survey, follow this link.

*Reading lists for 4th grade can be found here.

*The NEA Read Across America suggested books for this year is linked here.

Warmly,

Ms. Seyan

March 23, 2022
Ms Seyan’s 8th Grade Academic Language Development (ALD) UPDATE

Dear Families of my 8th Grade ALD students,

Spring has brought renewed energy and enthusiasm to our classes. It’s exciting to see your children’s growth academically and socially! To keep you in the loop, here are the Spring updates for my ALD classes:

*We have mostly completed ELPAC testing– a few students are completing makeups- and are making our way gradually through Springboard Unit 3.

*To create solid reading habits and review essential English skills, students have been assigned online Daily Work in Canvas as well as 20 minutes of reading 3 times per week through the Epic! program. Information on this is available through your child’s Canvas account.

*I hope you will be able to attend Hoover’s Open House on Wednesday, April 6th. The English Language Arts department will present as a team in one of the outdoor courtyards on campus. I would love to meet you and connect family with student! More details about the event will follow soon via Mrs Palmeri’s Principal’s Messages.

*NWEA Reading Growth testing in our classes started Wednesday the 23rd, and students are making great progress! We will continue the NWEA on Friday the 25th; students who finish may complete our class assignments or read in the EPIC app.

*Thank you for reminding your child to charge their Chromebooks and bring them to school each day. Even when we are not testing, we- like many Hoover classes- require Chromebook use daily, so this is a big help.

*Speaking of electronics, students are becoming much more responsible with their cell phone and device use. I see far fewer phones and earbuds in class when I have asked that they be put away, and I have only had to call Admin twice this week for student noncompliance in this regard. Keep up the great improvement!

And finally, speaking of enthusiasm: We have seen a lot of physical displays of energy in the classroom recently. Throwing objects, defacing or damaging school property, and roughhousing with other students are against Hoover and SJUSD rules. Here are the consequences:
-Students who become physical with other students (even if they are “having fun”) will get help from me in calling guardians during class so they can explain to you what they were doing. If students refuse, I will complete an Office Discipline Referral (ODR).
-Defacing or damaging school property- writing with permanent marker on furniture, tearing trim off student tables, breaking the window blinds, or cutting into chairs with the string from face masks, for example- will result in after school detention.
-Throwing any objects – this includes but is not limited to books, pencils, hand sanitizer, paper airplanes, crayons, and wadded up pieces of paper- in class will result in classroom floor cleanup duty, detention, or both.
-Finally, if any or all of these behaviors become chronic, Office Discipline Referrals will be created and a referral to an Administrator made.

Thank you again for supporting your child in being successful at Hoover. Please contact me with any questions, suggestions, or concerns! I look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly,
Ms. Seyan, Educator

Hoover Middle School

*408) 535-6274 x 53208 // sseyan@sjusd.org

*****

23 de marzo de 2022
Actualización de primavera de ALD de Ms Seyan

Estimadas familias de mis estudiantes ALD de octavo grado,

La primavera ha traído energía y entusiasmo renovados a nuestras clases. ¡Es emocionante ver el crecimiento académico y social de sus hijos! Para mantenerlo informado, aquí están las actualizaciones de primavera para mis clases de ALD:

*Hemos completado en su mayoría las pruebas ELPAC, algunos estudiantes están completando las recuperaciones, y estamos avanzando gradualmente a través de la Unidad 3 de Springboard.
Para crear hábitos de lectura sólidos y repasar las habilidades esenciales en inglés, a los estudiantes se les ha asignado trabajo diario en línea en Canvas, así como 20 minutos de lectura 3 veces por semana a través de Epic! programa. La información sobre esto está disponible a través de la cuenta de Canvas de su hijo.

*Espero que pueda asistir a la jornada de puertas abiertas de Hoover el miércoles 6 de abril. El departamento de Artes del Lenguaje Inglés se presentará como equipo en uno de los patios al aire libre del campus. ¡Me encantaría conocerte y conectar a la familia con el estudiante! Más detalles sobre el evento seguirán pronto a través de los mensajes de la directora de la Sra. Palmeri.

*Las pruebas de crecimiento de lectura NWEA en nuestras clases comenzaron el miércoles 23, ¡y los estudiantes están progresando mucho! Continuaremos con la NWEA el viernes 25; los estudiantes que terminen pueden completar nuestras tareas de clase o leer en la aplicación EPIC.

*Gracias por recordarle a su hijo que cargue sus Chromebooks y los traiga a la escuela todos los días. Incluso cuando no estamos probando, nosotros, como muchas clases de Hoover, requerimos el uso diario de Chromebook, por lo que es de gran ayuda.

*Hablando de electrónica, los estudiantes se están volviendo mucho más responsables con el uso de sus teléfonos celulares y dispositivos. Veo muchos menos teléfonos y auriculares en clase cuando he pedido que se guarden, y solo he tenido que llamar al administrador dos veces esta semana por el incumplimiento de los estudiantes en este sentido. ¡Sigan con la gran mejora!

Y finalmente, hablando de entusiasmo: recientemente hemos visto muchas demostraciones físicas de energía en el salón de clases. Arrojar objetos, desfigurar o dañar la propiedad escolar y jugar bruscamente con otros estudiantes está en contra de las reglas de Hoover y SJUSD. Aquí están las consecuencias:
-Los estudiantes que se vuelven físicos con otros estudiantes (incluso si se están “divirtiendo”) obtendrán mi ayuda para llamar a los tutores durante la clase para que puedan explicarles lo que estaban haciendo. Si los estudiantes se niegan, completaré una referencia de disciplina de la oficina (ODR)
-Deteriorar o dañar la propiedad escolar, como escribir con un marcador permanente en los muebles, arrancar las molduras de las mesas de los estudiantes, romper las persianas de las ventanas o cortar las sillas con el cordón de las máscaras faciales resultará en una detención después de la escuela.
-Lanzar objetos (esto incluye, entre otros, libros, lápices, desinfectante de manos, aviones de papel, crayones y pedazos de papel arrugados) en clase dará como resultado la obligación de limpiar el piso del aula, detención o ambos.
-Finalmente, si alguno o todos estos comportamientos se vuelven crónicos, se crearán Referencias de Disciplina de la Oficina y se hará una referencia a un Administrador.

¡Gracias por apoyar a su hijo para que tenga éxito en Hoover! Por favor contácteme con cualquier comentario, pregunta o sugerencia. Espero escuchar de usted.
Sra. Seyan, Educadora
Escuela secundaria Hoover
(408) 535-6287 x 53208
sseyan@sjusd.org

Hi Students and Families,

Today I reminded many students about our class expectations and consequences. The above are screenshots from the Hoover Detention Form; below are our class priorities (rules or expectations) and consequences.

Priorities:

1. Health and Safety: Masks on in class, hands off classmates (social distance), no eating or drinking in class
2. Cell Phone Limits: Cell phones in backpacks per Hoover expectations and out only during class breaks or with teacher permission; teacher holds phone for entire class after a verbal reminder to student.
3. Respectful Behavior: Listen to speakers, take turns talking; kind words and actions. Disrespect or disruption includes: insulting anyone, raised voices, swearing, throwing items of any kind (books, paper, pencils, for example), leaving the class without permission, academic or personal dishonesty, saying “No” to a reasonable teacher request or refusing to attempt class assignments, and persistent off task behavior that disturbs others.

Consequences:

1. Verbal Reminder
2. Move Seats (disruption)/Teacher holds phone (cell phone violation)
3. Call/Email home
4. Detention (see above)
5. Office Discipline Referral/ Administrator called

Please note that ignoring class’ priorities is considered disregard of teacher procedures. Refusing to accept a consequence, such as moving to an assigned seat or giving me their phone to hold, is disregard of teacher consequence. Any of the behaviors listed in #3 would be considered defiance or disruption.

If you have received emails from more and/or I have spoken with your child, be aware that they may be assigned detention and/or receive an Office discipline referral.

As always, please contact me with your suggestions or any questions at sseyan@sjusd.org.

Warmly,

Ms. Seyan

This week’s assignment is pretty light; we will be asking for your opinion on Spelling Bees.

Read one of the articles (“max” lexile or grade level) and view each video, below. Then pick one of the texts-article or one of the videos- and share your opinion on it in the comments.

Here are a few language frames to get you started:

-I think it’s OK to have an 8-way tie because________________. That’s just my opinion!
-I think we shouldn’t end up with 8-way ties because___________. That’s just my opinion!
-It’s a good idea to have an online Spelling Bee because_________. That’s just my opinion!
-It’s NOT a good idea to have an online Spelling Bee because_________. That’s just my opinion!
-6 year olds can go to the National Spelling Bee because___________. That’s just my opinion!
–6 year olds should not go to the National Spelling Bee because___________. That’s just my opinion!

I look forward to your responses!

Ms Seyan ;o)

“With spelling bee canceled due to coronavirus,
two teens launch online bee
 By Ben Nuckols, Associated Press on 04.29.20
Word Count 819″

With spelling bee canceled due to coronavirus,
two teens launch online bee
By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.29.20
Word Count 437

May 4, 2020

Hi, C3WP-ers!

Back in January we started learning about the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. In addition to learning about how viruses spread and how we can stay healthy during an outbreak, we had the chance to peek into life in quarantine through the “eyes” of an Amazon drone flying over Wuhan, China during their lock down in January 2020. Below is the video Noah requested during class, if you’d care to revisit it. As you watch, remember that about 11 million people live in the city of Wuhan – that’s 10 times the population of San Jose.

We also analyzed the relative impact of flu vs. COVID -19. Aarohan applied his analysis skills when he made the claim that COVID-19 was of more concern than the flu, because A. we know very little about the new coronavirus, and B. more people die of it when they get it than die of the flu. I also know Diego was listening when we discussed the Spanish flu epidemic that occurred around the time of World War I. If you’ve been watching the news, you may notice that networks have been discussing the patterns of the Spanish Flu outbreak. There was a “second wave”, more virulent than the first, that came the following winter. Some experts use the Spanish Flu outbreak as a template for what might happen with COVID-19, and are anticipating a second coronavirus outbreak next fall or winter.

You knew more about COVID-19 than many adults did when the Shelter in Place started in March. This week, we will expand our knowledge when we explore how illness spreads from a mathematical perspective in the “It’s Okay To Be Smart” video from PBS titled, “What this chart actually means for COVID-19”.

Instructions:
1. View the Power Point presentation of our lessons for the week.
2. Complete a “Would Your Rather” prompt Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (or any 3 days you can).
3. Read the instructions in the Power Point before watching the video.
4. Follow the instructions for each time you view the video-for example, the first time you watch it, get an overview and tell someone about it. The second time, learn a fact you didn’t before, etc.
5. Post your answers to the questions in the “Reply” field below.
6. When you finish all three tasks for the video, complete your Exit Ticket and write it in ‘”Reply” field below.

Have a wonderful week!
Ms. Seyan :o)

Lesson For May 4-8, 2020

“It’s Okay To Be Smart” video “What is Really Means to flatten the Curve”

Thank you for spending the month of April on poetry with me.

As a bonus, below are resources that inspired me to expand my views of what poetry is, who can be a poet,  what poets can talk about, where poets find ideas, and more!

The Poetry of Hip-Hop: A Playlist For Your Classroom

• Britannica Digital Learning, April 18, 2018
• “Expand literacy through rap music with a 1-hour playlist that’s squeaky clean for classroom listening.”
• Includes a Spotify sample list, a description of each song included, and an interview between Neil De Grasse Tyson and GZA of Wu Tang Clan.
• Top quote: “Your life is dependent on your relationship with words,”-Newbery honoree Jason Reynolds.

Everything is Everything: A Tween Looks for Positive Messages in Songs

• Sara Sarasohn, January 12, 2011, “The Record” on NPR.com
• The author’s son “came home from sixth grade with a homework assignment about pop music.”

Tolerance.org Resource: “Window or Mirror?”

• An activity asking students to evaluate whether texts are a mirror, reflecting their experience, or a window into others’ experiences.
• Based on ideas in the the essay “Curriculum As Window and Mirror”.
  • Curriculum As Window and Mirror. Emily Style Social Science Record, Fall, 1996. First published in Listening for All Voices, Oak Knoll Schoolmonograph, Summit, NJ, 1988.
  • The National SEED Project – http://www.nationalseedproject.org

National Poetry Month on The Academy of American Poets website

• Almost all of the poetry you could want, catalogued, categorized, and cross-referenced.

•Books: Hip Hop Speaks to Children and Out of Wonder

• Zinn Education project article on Hip Hop Speaks
• NPR article on Out of Wonder

Everything is Everything

30. Would you rather sneeze cheese or have your tears be chocolate flavored?

29. Would you rather see a song performed by the original artist only once, or by a cover band as many times as you wanted?