Welcome everyone to our class language blog. 
This will be your first post. I hope everyone has had a good start to the school year and is enjoying their classes (as much as can be expected since it is still school). What are you looking forward to this year? What are your goals both for school and extracurricular activities? What are your suggestions for topics or activities in language that you would like to do?
We will be starting with an Identity Book Project which will include a Grandparent interview and a biography written by a friend. We will also be working on a Superhero project where you will be designing your very own superhero and making a comic using the program ComicLife on the computer.
Looking forward to seeing your responses. Don’t forget to check your spelling and to comment on each other’s posts. (You can check some of the older posts from former students to get an idea of how a blog works.)
I am excited to have my very first blog, I guess I’m not that technical. I am so far enjoying the school year and am learning some new things. Right now one of my goals for skating is to land an axle and for in school is to get on the honour roll so I am trying to study lots, do extra-credit in subjects I struggle in, and get help when I need it. I am also trying to learn how to type since we will be doing a lot on the computer this year and in high school. I would also like to be on student’s council. I have already decided who I will interview – my grandpa since he knows a lot about our family tree and would really enjoy doing that I think. Also that kind of thing fascinates him. The superhero project sounds like fun. So far I have been having a wonderful school year… except for the getting up early part.
I am also excited about my very first blog and I also love to use different programs on the computer. So far this year I am enjoying history and math. As for extra-curricular activities, I am on the football team, student council, hopefully me to we because I am really interested in global crisis, and I am going to attempt at the orchestra. I am mainly looking forward to the superhero projects but the family interview seems interesting to. For the family interview I have decided that I will interview my grandma. As for the beginning of the school, it is going pretty good right know, even the getting up part!:)
Hey.
I enjoyed reading your blog entry. It is good that you have goals outside of school. Good luck on landing an axle! Have fun interviewing your grandpa.
hey love2skate.
i agree that we have learned alot so far this year . i already know how to type extremely fast. so maybe i can help u with that. but anyway. yeah the only bad things about school is you have to get up early and you cant watch television for like half an hour. haha. i like tv when i eat. its odd but i am a very random person. im soo used to sleeping in till 10:30. the first few weeks of school are kinda hard because you have to kinda change your schedule. i had a hard time getting up.
You are the first from our class to post a comment. It sounds like your year is off to a positive start. I love your goals and your action plan!
I am excited to read all the grandparent interviews. I think we’ll find out some neat things about “the good old days”. I’m especially interested to hear what it was like for your grandparents as kids. Did they like the same types of things as you do? What was different about their time and what was the same?
Hope to read more posts soon!
I can’t wait for the Identity book project. I’m interviewing my Grandma from my Mom’s side because she’s the most special to me. I already know most of the things about my Grandma because my Mom got me a book for Christmas one year for my Grandma and I to fill out together. It was all about her past and her parents’ past. Although I was thinking about interviewing my Grandpa because he’s kind of new to our family and I don’t know much about him. I don’t even know how old he is. But let me tell you, I’m really eager to start on this project.
But I’m also eager to get my action plan for Me To We done because it would be an amazing opportunity and I know I would have an extraodinary time. But also as love2skate said I ‘m not so keen on waking up really early and also having to be at MacQuarrie for 6:15 a.m.. Although I think it would be worth it.
I’m also very happy that we get to use the computer so much for homework and things because I love doing things on the computer. But for the typing…I can type pretty well, although not properly but hey, it works for me!
Hey ad96!
That sounds cool!
I hope that you get a lot of info from this interview! I am VERY excited to start up my interview!
Im glad to hear that you are doing Me To We! I know you love to take action, you will do great!
Props!:)
poneylover
This is really cool having my own blog for the very first time
, sounds like fun can’t wait!!
I’m not good with technical stuff so I am doing something
totally looking forward for doing this! So far I am enjoying
school and like who I have in my class. One of my goals are
to get up in the moring feeling good. I am going to do my
grandma for the interview because she is the oldest person I
know. I can’t wait to make my own super hero
It’s my first blog too! I hope your having fun with the blog:D
The identity book sounds like a lot of fun. I love autobiographies and learning about people that lived in the 40’s and 50’s. I visited my greatgrandma this weekend and I asked her about her childhood. It was great learning about that stuff. She helped out in World War 2 with my greatgrandpa, Jack and she went overseas to England for awhile as a nurse.
This year for my goals I will be trying to get to the Me to We conference without missing the bus
and to have a higher grade than I got last year in gym.
Good luck on that axle love2skate!
Over and out.
Just a quick question about the blog.
How do you get your own picture up by your name?
On your dashboard, go to settings and on the top right there is a heading called Blog Picture. You can upload a picture and crop it later.
Thanks!
I will try!
poneylover
I went to my dashboard, but I couldn’t find Settings?
Hey gialloconiglio3!
What I did, is I went to “My Account” at the top bar.
Then I went to Edit profile. Once you are on that page, to the side (right) in the middle… ish…. there is a place that says click to chang (or something along those lines) click it, and it will tell you what to do from there.
Good luck
poneylover
Thanks poneylover,
Turns out that I had to scroll to the right a little more to find the “change your gravatar”. 
I figured it out!
No problem!
Anytime!
poneylover
Wow giraffegirl1 thats some pretty cool stuff about your great grandma! I hope you found out alot about her experiances in World War 2! It sounds pretty fasinating. By the way I hope you get a great grade in gym!
buttersxo
I am so excited about this year. It sounds like we will be doing some really cool projects. I am especially looking forward to the identity book because both of my older sisters did one and I hear it is really fun and I want to make my own! For the relative interview I am going to go to my Oma’s house and do it there. It will be interesting to find out the answers to the questions like knowing what her mom and dad were like and what she did for fun when she was growing up.
My goals for this year are to go out for every sports team and be really involved within the school because it is my last year at Northlake Woods and I want to make the most of it. I also would like to finish my grade 6 piano this year and work on my cello. Another goal I have is to improve my time in the 5 km runs that I do in the fall and spring.
I am happy we are doing the blog because I think it is a great way for us to connect but I wish we didn’t have to do so many reading responses because I need that time to do the reading!
It is great to see alot of people going out to Me to We, I will see you there but…where was everyone at orchestra today!?
I have some of the same goals! I also am going to tryout for every sports team this year!:P
And, I remember helping out at a race one time, and seeing you and your family running!
I could never run that long of a race! I am more of a short distance runner. 
I play the cello too, but I don’t think I’ll be joing the Orchestra. Sorry!
I’m impressed. Never in my life has my teacher done lots of school things on the computer. I confess that I’m excited but not exactly liking this method too much right now. I never was a computer kid and I’m still having difficulties. The identity book I’m not looking forward to much either. I usually have a lot of trouble with interviews. A lot. On the other hand, I’m definitely interested about the Superhero project and already have some big plans for it. I’m sure I’ll get to like this computer method soon. I may be not good at this stuff but I still want to learn it.
You have set some great goals, smiley3. I love how specific they are. You are right, it is important to get involved and have fun, especially in your last year at Northlake.
Love your user name, septimusheap! Don’t worry – you’ll get used to the technology tools we’ll be using this year and the interview won’t be as hard as you think.
I hope to see more strings students out for orchestra and don’t forget about the TLC meeting tomorrow. We’ll talk about the Turkey Shoot and Me to We.
I have had a good start to the school year. I think this blog is going to work out good because most of us spend a lot of time on the computer.
My goals for school are obviously to do my best.
My goals for my extracurricular activity, (which is dance), is to be able to do the splits by the recital in June.
I’m looking forward to doing the Super Hero and the Identity Book. Doing a biography on a friend sounds like fun.
For the interview, I am interviewing my grandma because she is the only grandparent I have in Canada. 
However, she is still very close to me. I am looking forward to the interview, and hope it turns out well.
Grade 8 seems like it will be a really fun year! I’m looking forward to hearing everyones opinions on their blog comments & posts.
I’m looking forward to all the oppurtunities to get involved in our school. My goals are also to try out for every sports team, and take every extra curricular opprutunity. I am looking forward to the Me to We confrence, but unsure of what do to for my application. The super hero project sounds like TONS of fun, the grade 8’s last year seemed to enjoy it. As for the identity book I already have some ideas, and I’m eager to learn about the “good old days” from my grandma.
I think the turkey shoot and helping with Me to We are both great ways to start my year, and start acheiving my goals to be involved, as are being on both councils and a sports team already
Hey everyone:)
I hope all is going well and that the blog is working out as something exciting for all! I know a lot of you might be wondering why I spelt pony wrong in my username. ponylover was already used, so I wrote pony, with a “e” so that I could use it. (I couldn’t come up with anything else).
I am really excited about the blog and how it is going to work out, I know it will be fun! I just bought myself a new computer, so the more I can use it, the better!
I am also excited for the Interview. I am going to interview my Opa, because he has been all over the world, he was a Dean at the University of Waterloo adn so much more! It will be a super cool interview!
Well, that is all!
Thank you so much for reading!
Leave me a comment, how do you like the blog so far?
poneylover
Just curious can we comment on other blog’s other than this one?
Sure, go ahead and comment on any of the blog posts that you see. Eventually, the older posts will be removed to make way for our newer work. Until then, it’s not a problem.
Hey calcio33 I am on both councils as well and I am on the soccer team. Also I want to try the running club but I am so busy already it will be hard to fit it all in.
I just got a new gravatar…..and I am wondering if it will change the gravatar beside my other posts?
Why isn’t my gravatar changing???
Same thing happened to me?
What did you do to fix it?
It worked! Sorry northlake2 about all the tiny posts…it won’t happen again I think I am probably taking up too much room on the comment board so I will go now.
smiley3
northlake2, I have a question about the Me To We application. For your action plan, can you think of a new project for Me To We to do to help in parts of Africa, or should we branch out/continue with thinking about building schools?
smiley3, I love your gravatar.
It matches your user name well! Im glad that someone is also as interested as being involved as I am, except I didn’t sign up for the running club… See you at the game tomorow, who ever you are 
Since we have already built a school, a new project is a great idea. Something small is preferable for this year rather than taking on another big fundraiser.
Hi!
so we should all make it a good one.
I’m really excited about grade 8!!! I have a lot to look forward to this year! The last year at Northlake Woods
Hey
I am excited about grade 8 too! =)
Hi raspberry14!
I am excited about grade eight too!
I am also kind of sad as well!
I happy because, WE ARE IN GRADE EIGHT!
Everybody looks up to you, EVERYBODY!
All though, next year I am so scared to go into grade 9!
(YIKES)
I know for a fact I won’t be able to keep up with my classes and home work, and chances are, I am going to get soo lost
I hope to hear back from you!
poneylover
I’ve never done a blog before so this should be quite interesting. I’m liking grade 8 so far, it should be a challenging and fun year. I’m looking foward to the Montreal field trip this year. I hope it will be educational and exciting. I’m also looking foward to competing at my new dance studio. It’s been very challenging but I know I will become a better dancer. Some goals I have for school are to improve in math, get better in gym and to chat a little less in class. Goals for outside of school are to become a better dancer, to get my whole house clean and to gain more flexibility. A suggestion I have for language is that we could do more writing exercises in class, by reading a book and writing how we feel and connect to it. I’m curious about the “interview” assesment, because I don’t know what I’ll find out. Hopefully some interesting information. I’ve decided to interview my grandma because I’m close with her and I like her sense of humour. I’m very excited about it and I hope I learn alot.
Good suggestion for language class – it’s exactly what the reading response journals are for. I don’t mark grammar, spelling or punctuation, just your ideas, feelings and connections.
You have set some great goals for yourself both at school and in your extra-curricular activities.
I always look forward to going to Montreal in June – it’s a wonderful city full of culture. Most students love the dance cruise in the harbour and the penguins at the Biodome.
I think this blog idea is okay but it’s better then having to write it out. My goals are to do better in French writing and strings, wich is why I joined orchestra. I look forward to Grad and Montreal.
HI!
Its raspberry14. I have a problem, I don’t know how to change my gravetar. Someone please help me out!!
First you click on your dash board button. Then you go to the upper right corner that says your username, a small window beside your username should pop out. After that click your name and then you can change your profile. It also says at the right “click here to change gravatar.
hi
Hello again – it’s me. I’m going to add on to the post I did a while ago, anywayz, I’m really excited about gr. 8 this year, our last year
I’m sad about it but I know it will be a gggrrreeeaaattt year 
Hi
I gotta go soon so bye for now:>
HI
too bad, I hope my friends don’t miss me too much. Oh and someone please tell me how to do the big smiley! I know I’m writing way too much but its just soooo much fun! 
) 
bye bye:)
I’m back on my blog, anywhooo thanks for the instructions on how to do the gravetar Nl27! I really appreciated it. I’m going to be gone for a long time tomorow
To do the big smiley, you go :
and then D
see….
:+D=
poneylover
:]
Hey love2skate good luck on that axle.
I think I’m gonna go now BYE!
I’m back:)
. I’ll be waiting for responses 
BLOG ME BACK! SOMEONE:o
I am going to do library helping this year, just like I did last year. Its really fun I recommend trying it. Right now I really want someone to talk to, I really don’t care who
What do you do with library helping?
Organizing book and such?
How do you get on?
poneylover
Hey poneylover
You can sign up for library helping at the library. There are lots of pappers there. I did it last year it was fun. You sign up for a few days to help every first break. You should try it.
Hi ponylover,
In library helping we stack the shelves and we also get to talk to our friends, its pretty fun!
thanks for telling me about the big smiley
That sounds really neat!
I might have to check that out.
The only problem is is that I am a lunch helper and I am on athletic councle. It might be hard to juggle it all. (balance it out)
I think I can try though
PS.
:+P=
poneylover :l
I think you would like it. Just try and if it gets too tough just let the librarian know and you won’t need to do it any more.
when is library helping?
breaks?
Any break you sign up for. You have a choice on what days you wanna. Its always first break.
heres how to do smiles :+D=
Howdy lauren42 whatz new with you!
Having fun with the blog.:P How about you?
:=P=
It didn’t work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey!:D
This is my very first blog ever. It sounds like alot of fun and I’m excited to hear what everyone else has to say.
School has been great so far and I’m enjoying being back. One of my goals this year is to use the early entrance time wisely by getting organized for classes early, so I’m not late. I think that the early entrance was a good idea. It really helps us students get organized for class with the 30 minute periods. Another goal of mine is to try my best to stay focussed in every class.
I think I’m going to interview my great grandma. I was thinking of interviewing my grandma but she’s a little nuts. The superhero project sounds cool too.
I hope everyone’s enjoying the blog!
Woohoo! I figured out how to do a comment.
Finally.
I am looking forward to the Identity Book like everyone else but I am also excited for our history project. It seems like it will be fun. My goals for school are to hopefully make every sports team I try out for, get an above 80% average and to always try my best
I also think this blog will be fun!
hey tycheese! good luck with getting on every sports team! and i hope you are having fun with the blog i know i am!
I basically feel exactly the same way. Hope you have a good year tycheese!
Nice goals tycheese. I have almost the exact same goals
I’m going to try out for every school sport team except for wrestling 
. I’m trying my best to get an above 80% average.I’m looking forward to the Identity Books.It’s going to be interesting listening to other people’s favourites and hobby’s.I think this blog will be fun!
It’s nice to see everyone is enjoying the blog. I have learned a lot about the different smiley faces from reading the posts.
Don’t forget, if anyone is away, you can keep in touch through the blog and the wiki. That’s what happened last year when a student went to Nepal to see Mount Everest. She kept in touch with us and updated us from where she was. We ended up learning a lot about the culture there and seeing some great pictures too.
Good night!
hi everyone! i have had soooo much fun with this blog! in music class i hate my seat almost every class! i sit near only one of my friends! its soo boring all we do is sing we cant really express ourselves. we should should be able to bring a song that we like like for a class or two. that would actually be kinda fun!
During school time make sure to get to school early enough to enter the halls and get your books and get to your first class. Remember you can get into the school 15 minutes earlier to get ready for your first 4 periods. during recess when the first warning bell rings start towards the doors and get there to your line up. In between classes it would be better to get to your next class on time so hurry to your next class safely.
Now that we are in grade 8, we have to do alot more work and work harder. We also have to complete a language journal entry twice a week. Remember to have all that done for when your day of the week comes to hand it in. For these journal entries, it would be a good idea to add connections such as: text to world, text to text and text to self. Remember also to record your half hour reading every night because once you fill in a sheet of mount everst sheet you get invited to a party, every sticker is worth 150 pages and im already up to 3 stickers!!!!
hey gialloconiglio3 I just read the intructions and then it worked but I had to be paitent because it took a while for it to connect to everyone of my posts.
Hey tycheese
good luck on your goals and i hope you get an over 80% average!
calcio33, thanks for the comment I like your gravetar too. It is cool. Hope to see ad96 at running club. I need to learn how to do smiles!!!. I will only be able to remember a few.
I was at McDonalds for supper and I had a friend there with me. We were talking about clutsiness and she said she wasn’t as clutsy as me. But then she spilt her fries on her lap!!!!! Haha! it was so embarassing and hilarious!:D
It was lauren42 who was with me! Her face turned red as a tomato!
Hey, my goals this year is to be on as many sports teams as I can. I would also like to get on the honor roll. One last thing is that I would like to play guitar in at least one song for the orcastra, I think that would be cool.
Well thats all for now!
My goals are to get like A’s in almost every class which isnt hard fro me to do. Its only a minor goal kind-of.
this blog is really fun suprisingly! my brother tried to convince to get my own blog but i didnt oh well!
Today i will probably blog alot. I have nothing to do so there will be many blogs of mine!!! I’m already so bored!
Wow! It seems like everyones enjoying the blog. I didn’t expect so many comments from some people. It is pretty easy to know who everyone is basically.
I agree with tycheese and geegs goals of trying to get 80% average, I’d like to get honour role too
It’d be cool to see someone play guitar in orchestra, I’d enjoy listening to it more ;P
smiley33, if you read raspberrys comment wayyyyyy above, it shows how to do most smiley faces.
It’s the same as on msn, but I dont think YOUR short forms are gona work here
As many comments as there are, have all 29 people commented ?
Believe it or not, it can be difficult to get on the honour roll. It is definitely hard work. What actions would a student have to take to achieve this goal? I think it is a good goal as long as everyone realizes the effort required to achieve it.
I still haven’t heard from a few people so I hope they will be able to get on the blog soon. I have read all the posts and comments and evaluated each student who is on so far.
I will be posting a new topic soon. Look for it by tomorrow. It will be for next week’s evaluation.
Have a great weekend everyone
Can any one help me find the website for the Me to We conference?
hey geegs I think it would be really cool if you played your guitar in orchastra that would make it more interesting. I want to be on the honor roll like geegs and calcio33. Where is the new topic….I can’t find it? =(
im soo bored but this blog is actually kinda fun! when do we have to hand in and do our report on the interview for language?
I will set a due date after we have had some time to write a rough copy and edit our work. I expect it will be due by the end of this week or early the next.
The website for Me to We is on the blogroll at the top right of the blog or click on the following link:
http://www.freethechildren.com/weday/
Good luck!
Thanks, buttersxo
I hope you get all your goals this year finished too!
I think that even though Peak is only half related to his sisters, he still loves them and wants the best for them even if he is 3 continents away. I know I’d miss my sister if I left for Nepal and all those chinese provinces with my mom/dad.
Anybody actually been to the countries mentioned in the book or know someone who has? I’d love to learn about!!!!
giraffegirl1:P
Hey sorry for not responding good to be back in our class WE ROCK
I love grade 8
I am looking forword to making the book it is going to be sooooo much fun!!!
im looking forward to all that crafting and everything the writing….not so much! my hands will hurt for a while because of all that writing.
Me two raspbarry14 grade 8 is not that hard yet :p
Why are some boxes blue when others are white?
just curious
Are we going to know everyweek what our blog comments/posts were marked? maybe in our journals.
and northlake2 the Monday blogs were not collected!
I mark the blogs online so anyone who has posted has already been evaluated. I will show you your marks at some point but there is so much to do in language and so little time now that we have a 30 minute schedule.
I could put the blog marks in the journal…that’s a good idea. Right now the marks are formative, meaning we are practising. Once we get into more advanced topics, the blog will count for more…it will be a summative evaluation. I want to discuss format and what to include in a blog post as well as show you a rubric before we do summatives.
I think the box colour depends on whether you are writing your own blog post or replying to someone else’s. Any other observations?
I also just noticed that they alternate so you can tell the start of one post from the end of another.
I just got a new hamster. Her name is Tidbit and she is only 8 weeks old!. She’s sooo tiny! Her fur is black, brown and white. She is soo cute. This morning when I went to go feed her, I poked her and she put her one front paw up to tell me not to! It was adorable!
:D:D
Hey Rain2drop
Sorry computer messed up anyways as I was saying I hope you will have fun interviewing your grandma well I guess now it’s had. I hope you have fun with the book. I love your goals.
Hey Mandiii4 You have to put a picture of tidbit up so we can all see how cute she is. I think tidbit is a cute name good chooce. Sounds adorable.
Thank you. I don’t have a picture of Tidbit and I’m not sure how to get a picture up on this blog but maybe I can bring one to school. I don’t know what I’m gonna do but I have already gotten to holding Tidbit and not having her spaz. She is very calm – kinda like jello who was my old hamster who died around my birthday. (Close to it anyway.) My mom chose the name Tidbit because she’s soo small – she’s just “a tidbit of cuteness” as she puts it and I quote.
Oh ya i will love2skate< you have fun too
i am going over to amanda’s house tomorrow yay!!!!!
I’m already nervous for grade 8 graduation! :S But I’m looking forward to learning new things and succeeding with new challenges as well as trying my best at every subject
Hi everyone!
I was shown a really cool website I though I could share with everyone.
There is a aquarium in Vancouver (kind of like Marine Land) and they have a website. The cool thing is, on their front page (home page) on their web site the have a live camera recording for beluga whales 24/7 what you watch is happening right now. If you scroll down, here is a link aswell to watch otters live. It is amazing. Here is the link. Just duble click on it.
http://www.vanaqua.org/belugacam/
ENJOY
poneylover
P.S. If clicking on the link doesn’t work look up beluga cam on Google. Vancouver Aquarium. I hope you love it as much as i do
Oops, I am sorry I made a typo. I meant to say, if you scroll down, on the page you will find a link to watch otters live. On my other comment, I have the link (in green) to the homepage, if you are interested. Sorry for any confusion. :O
Thank you so much for the link to the Vancouver aquarium. It is indeed an amazing site. I watched the birth of the new baby whale – it was so cool! But a little gross too with all the blood after. That’s nature for you!
Thank you northlake2!
I am glad you have heard of it already.
It realy is cool. A lot of people might thik that it is boring and such, but it actually is really neat!
That would be cool, and gross too, but still cool!
Not everyone can say that they watched the birth o a beluga whale
poneylover
PS Your welcome (about the spelling thing) I am a really bad at spelling, so I understood.
Hey everyone! I can’t believe we have to take a test for the misspelled words – it’s kinda odd. And the same day we have a verb test. lol!
I actually get a lot of those words wrong, so this will help me in the future.
Mme G wouldn’t give us a random test on something that would make no sense to do.
poneylover
Thank you, poneylover for your faith in me. I do actually want to help everyone improve their spelling. And, I have spoken with many language teachers and language consultants. Formal spelling programs are not taught anymore. Most teachers are using commonly misspelled words for study purposes or words from novels or topics being studied during class. It is a more useful way to learn.
The books are so much fun so far. I can’t wait to see everyone else’s books too!
I can’t wait for the books either and then we get to see everyones work and just have fun and explain ourselves more! I enjoy his projects because we get a lot of time to work on it and t is really different than what i have done for a a class project.
I am pretty bad at spelling so I think that these spelling tests are going to help me a lot in the long run.
I am so excited for the dance how about you guys. Are you going to go.
I have been away from school for the week no and I heard that around 10 people from the class were sick and away too! =( I had H1N1 but I’m over it ad getting better. I will probably be in class monday because I have been away from school so long I can’t stand it anymore! I am surprising up to date with most of the homework though! I hope to see everyone in class and healthy on monday!
I am probably going to Jamaica for march break!!! Yay!!!! I get to go to yet another place in the world. Right now my dad is in Egypt for the second time except this time hes alone with a showfer and a cook and a maid and we aren’t there! I have been on so many flights they’re hard to keep track of but I think this will be my 33 flight and on the way back my 34 flight. I can’t wait to hear what everyone else is doing for march break.
I have been sick all week end but I am good now so i will be back on monday!!!
Yay!! I won’t be alone and I am so happy to hear that you are feeling better. Do you know who was sick and who while most likely be there on monday?