Giving Thanks!

... Yes, I miss you already!

Don't forget, if you are bored already by Thursday (better not be with all that homework) head downtown & see our PCMS celebrity here:

http://www.hebparade.com/

You are sure to see our own Navidh (6-3) and the Stephen F. Austin Mighty Mustang Marching Band and Color Guard. Go, Navidh!!! We love you & are proud of you! Oh, & remember, Pancho Claus is out of the hospital & will make an appearance there. Wish him well.

Then, if you feel a sense of giving (or eating), go here...

www.houstonconventionctr.com or here:

http://www.volunteerhouston.us/holiday/2008%20WM%20Superfeast%20Volunteer%20Info.htm

The act of giving is rewarding beyond belief! Spread the word & take the family with you!

Most of all, have fun, relax, get your work done, go see "New Moon," and BE SAFE!

Sentimental....

Ms. Kubos is in a very sentimental mood today - all mushy & stuff! We really miss our friends on the field trip already. We wish for them to be safe and warm and have an absolute BLAST!

Don't feel too bad for us being left behind! We, too, are having a blast. We got lots done on "Nightmare Before Christmas" posters. Some of them are really, really AMAZING! Be sure to look for them. We also had a MAJOR clean up party in 150. All the projects are down & Santa Claus has come to town!

I am having such a WONDERFUL day! The sixth graders who stayed behind brought lots of smiles to my face as they created ornaments and decorated the tree. Yes, I got all mushy. Tonight, I get to go see my Cameron featured in Spirit on Stage, the annual scholarship fundraiser for the Moore's School of Music at the University of Houston. If I understand correctly, he is playing Bohemian Rhapsody from the catwalk. They are expecting a sellout crowd. Should be a night full of pride and tears for me as well.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend. If you need me, I'll be at Robertson stadium. GO COOGS!!!!! Stay safe and warm.

Ms. Kubos

My Cardiac Coogs!

So, this is the truth. I watched the Houston vs Tulsa game on an internet feed last night whilst trying to straighten up the house (Someone in my house has a 21st birthday tomorrow & his celebrating with friends was done this weekend). The shootout was wearing me out & I wasn't getting much done. Seemed like every time my Coogs started looking like Coogs, Tulsa had an answer. Saw my favorite trumpet player several times. Favorite quarterback just kept coming back.....until the end. In another 2 minute barnburner, he drove for a touchdown. Needed a 2 point conversion to tie & send into overtime (should never have been there). Tulsa kept falling over with fake craps & using time outs. Stall, stall, stall. When he rolled out. Entire Tulsa line rushed. Nowhere to go. Watched Keenum fall to the turf with 21 seconds on the clock & nowhere to go for 2. The part that killed my soul was when this young man that I watched go from a mild mannered freshman to a serious Heisman contender hopped back up off the ground, pumping his throwing arm as if still looking for a receiver, & slap his head in defeat. My heart was broken in 2. Yes, over a football game! I turned off the computer, got the dog, & went for a long, sad walk without the telephone & all the smart alecs. With a heart of sorrow, came back inside to a ringing phone & my trumpet player screaming about what an amazing game he had just taken part in. Thought the kid must have certainly been celebrating the 21st a little too much! Phones broke up. Must not be many cell towers in Oklahoma or something. Hung up & turned ESPN to see if other folks too were having an awful day. SHABAM! There it was!!! A replay of the last 21 seconds of the game. My Coogs were jumping all over each other. First thought, they must really be excited over Cameron's 21st to get over a heartbreaking loss so fast. Then there it was... game replay, 51 yards away (brand new kicker). What was he doing? That thing was sailing, dead center of the uprights, could have gone another ten yards. Cleaned the glasses & looked again. Checked coverage on the Chronicle, checked glasses again. It was everywhere!!! Houston Cougars 46, Tulsa Golden Hurricane 45! Don't care what stats you look at or how many losses Tulsa has, they wanted that game, but not as badly as my Cardiac Coogs.

Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow & getting in another reading & writing week underway. I am proud of the progress you are making & look forward to seeing how well we are going to do as we start taking benchmarks & CBAs.

See ya in the morning! Get some rest.

Boo Yeah!!!

What a week!!! Excellent job getting caught up on all your projects! More kudos for the outstanding job by all classes on creating some thought provoking questions for your Sadako study guide. You truly earned this weekend we have coming. Hope you enjoy yours as I will mine if my Houston Coogs do what they should to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Oh that note, here is a funny pick of the band at halftime last week for the Southern Mississippi/Halloween game. I won't tell you which one of these goofy looking characters is my son, but I will drop a hint that his sign read "Nuke-lar." He was one scary character alright!

So Proud!

Not only did my Ags not make total bafoons of themselves today as President Obama visited, apparently they embraced the opportunity to meet our leader. Yes, the news showed the protestors, but I was pleasantly suprised that they were few in numbers & most were long out of college. I was really hesitant to watch the coverage. Don't get me wrong, graduating with numerous honors at age 38 with Fightin' Texas Aggie Class of '02 is one of the greatest joys in my life! I had some professors whose mentorship goes beyond words of mortal man & they remain true friends. I treasured every moment! 'Nuff said!

This picture took my breath away. This is Reveille & the President. Rev is the mascot for the school, although not the same one as when I was there. She attends all classes with her handlers & I had several with the last beautiful girl. Tradition has it that if she barks in class, class is let out early. You have never seen a bunch of crazy humans working so hard to make a dog bark. Rarely worked, but when it did, the meanest professor known to mankind would always let us out.

Just a little bit of Aggie Lore before bedtime tonight. Gig 'Em, Ags!

Sweet Redemption!

Wee! Yay! Yippee! And, all that stuff... I found my Cougar defense in Starkville, Mississippi. My boys are battle weary & beat up (best wishes to Waller's David Hunter for a speedy recovery), but victorious. Brought the football smile back to my face & made for a much happier football weekend. The Ags & Texans, well, same story, different book. Gah!

Crazy busy week coming up! Working on book clubs & SOS for Monday, Tuesday - language/grammar practice, Wednesday - new short stories, Thursday - writing practice & more grammar, Friday - annotating and improvements. Parent conferences are Wednesday. Be sure to have your parents visit if you have questions or want more detail about how you are doing in your classes. By now, everyone is aware of expectations in all of your classes & this is a great opportunity to share what you are doing with your parents. Don't wait until report cards come out for questions & improvement.

See you tomorrow!

10/5 Homework

Seems there are some questions about tonight's homework, here are some answers.

Create a Bingo card.

Set up with words only, no definitions until we play.
Construction paper
12 boxes
Put each of the 12 words in a box

This is all that you are doing tonight. It seems easy, because it is!

Exposition, Rising Action, Conflict, Plot,
Dialogue, Imagery, Climax, Falling Action,
Resolution, Character, Characterization, Dialect

Please...

....Can we talk about your beautiful, new library? The rainy weather? The cool front (where is it)? Music? Good coffee? ....Just anything besides college football!

My teams both melted down like a stick of butter on a hot sidewalk in August, in downtown Houston!

That's all I have to say about he subject. (Hangs head in shame).

Off to grade papers on an ugly, wet, sad Sunday morning....

Please...

Saturday...

...Well, part of Sunday too... Hope you enjoyed yours as much as I did mine!








University of Houston Cougars 29, Texas Tech Red Raiders 28

Good thing we have fall holiday tomorrow for my old ticker to return to normal...

PREGAME FANFARE

PREGAME FANFARE

THE HORSE

THE HORSE

Be Safe & Well!

Thinking about you already on a Saturday morning! Hope you all are still resting & getting your strength back from that "grunge" that is going around. Take the time to rest & get your power back over this nice, long weekend.

I am very proud of the Sloppy Copies of your essays that I am looking at this morning. Everyone is doing a bang up job of incorporating the Expository Pillar. Your essays are very well organized & easy to read because of it. I am very, very proud of your continued hard work! With this effort, you really can accomplish ANYTHING!

Bet you can't guess what I am up to (besides essays) today! Ha! Ha! Getting Cougar Red ready for my favorite little trumpet player to come & get me so we can head on over to the Rob for the most exciting college football game in this city in a really looooong time! Drove past the stadium at about 11 last night & saw a long line of students camping out to make sure they get one of the student wrist bands that go out this morning. Been a very long time since there was sooooo much excitement around this place.

On that note, be it known that, I am & will remain a loyal Coog Mom & alum (law school) regardless of the outcome of this game! Soooo......Eat 'Em Up, Coogs!

What is a Leader?

...Well, apparently, it is you! Our Houston Rockets, Aaron Brooks, shared that thought with you on Wednesday. The Chronicle article talks about Brooks taking a leadership roll on the team because of injuries. What makes you leaders? Why do you do it? What does it mean to you, your families, your community, your country? At the end of the day, I leave PCMS with a smile on my face and the belief in my heart that we are in great hands with you as the leaders of the future!

Thanks, Ms. P, for posting this wonderful article!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6622669.html

Well Just, Go COOGS!

University of Houston Stuns No. 5 Okla. State

So, I missed a chance to post before the game. It's been kind of crazy busy around my house this week. But, the excitement was building all week as we prepared to watch the Coogs take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Chronicle picture and headline tell it all! Major props to Waller's own David Hunter for his incredible performance. One more time for good measure... GO COOGS!

Study Hall/Club Day

Hope everyone enjoyed your first day of clubs! I'm kind of jealous that I have to wait until Thursday.

I am very proud of the sixth graders who used their study hall time wisely to get your business taken care of. You will really come to appreciate the opportunity to get most of your homework done before you ever leave the building. I'll say it again, YOU ROCK!

Pictures Tell 1,000 Words...

....Right, Benjamin?

Insane start to my college football season!!! Way to go, Coogs & Ags! The real test for my Coogs comes next weekend when they travel to Stillwater, Oklahoma to take on the nationally ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. Take your A game guys & you can do this!

Sitting at the UH game & checking scores from College Station, I was taken back by something that made me really proud. Both of my teams are absolutely full of local Houston men. What a wonderful accomplishment! Talk about never giving up on your dreams!

Enjoy the rest of your long weekend!

EAT 'EM UP, COOGS!!!

Well, color me red with excitement! The day has finally arrived... Counting the hours until the Spirit of Houston strikes it up, turns down Cullen, & leads us into the Rob where my Coogs take on, well, Northwestern State (those fightin' Steel Magnolias). Hey, we can't say too much seeing as we are the home of those Mighty Butterflies. Ha! Ha! I could NOT be more proud!

Enjoy your long weekend & be safe! Hope your team wins, as long as they are not playing one of mine! Can't forget my alma mater, as well. Gig 'Em, Ags! Some may boast....

Clubs, Clubs, & More Clubs...

Glad to see so many of you (way to go 6th graders) signing up for clubs & participating in the after school programs that your teachers & staff work so hard to bring to you!

Yearbook staff: I am going to work very hard to make it possible for each & every person who signed up to be a part of the 2009-2010 yearbook. There are a lot of you! For this to work, I am going to need a TON of your help. First of all, you really need to bring a serious, "can do" attitude. Second, please make sure that you are 100% committed to getting this done. Yearbooks are so much fun, but are a whole bunch of work as well. Third, bring your creativity & don't be shy.

Our first meeting is on Thursday, September 10th (next week). Here is a list of things that I would like for you to consider:

1) We are electing an Editor-in-Cheif (the big boss, the student me, our fearless leader). I would prefer that this student be an 8th grader, but will consider a reliable, responsible, amazing 7th grader (sorry, my new guys, you take over next year).

2) We will elect/appoint Section Editors (in charge of each section - class photos, sports, clubs, faculty, etc.). These students also need to be 7th or 8th graders.

3) You may sign up for photography, story, or ad teams at our meeting.

4) Start generating, thinking, creating ideas for cover designs. Yes, this is 100% YOUR yearbook. If you know any amazing artists, consider recruiting them as well.

As you can see, we hit the ground running & never look back. This is going to be a fun & exciting experience accompanied by lots of sweat & tears (no blood, please, it makes me faint).

I look forward to working with each & every one of you. Welcome 7th & 8th graders. Good job 6th graders, way to represent!

Clarification on Academy Award Nominations

Wow! Just got an email with some terrific questions about the project. Thought I would address them here in case anyone else is wondering.

It is due Monday so that we can give out the first award & the class jobs that go with them, but if you have some great ideas that may cause you to take a little longer, I will gladly accept the project later in the week. If you spend your time creating something nice, you WILL NOT be given a lower grade. No punishment in taking pride in your work. Remember, we will chose one assignment each week for Academy Award nominations. The award WILL NOT always be given to the highest grade, etc.

You DO NOT have to use the supplies that I gave in class. For example, you are welcome to use a computer to print out the written part of the project, other paper, any supplies you have at home (don't go buy anything special). I only gave those because some people don't keep that kind of stuff at home.

Remember,this is suppose to be a fun project. Please do not stress out over this one. Enjoy the rest of your weekend & continue to be safe, my class would be sad & boring without each & every one of you!

CONGRATULATIONS to our first award winners! - Evelyn, Vermilion, Stephanie, Chris, Sarah, & Emilio I look forward to next week's awards & am proud of all of you for your effort & enthusiasm!

PC SIXTH GRADERS POSITIVELY ROCK!

Sorry for cyber shouting, but it's soooo true!

Congratulations! You made it through your first week of middle school. Hope all those worries & fears have calmed now that you had an opportunity to see & experience the amazing world of PCMS. Never, ever hesitate to speak to any one of your teachers, Mr. Webster, or Dr. C if you have concerns or need help. If you learned nothing else this week, I hope you got that each & every one of us is all about you! So, therefore, we ROCK too, because of you!

Told you I would miss you. Why else would I be posting on a blog directed to you first thing on Saturday morning? Hope you are doing something restful & fun to debrief for the weekend. I got rid of some of my school stress by attending a high school football game last night. Yes, I am a football junkie! My son teaches at Spring High School on the far north side, so I joined him for that game. Sadly, the Lions lost (51-53)in a wild shoot out of a game that was delayed way late due to lightning. Surfing the internet now for info on college games today. My Coogs get started next weekend.

Don't forget to complete your Academy Award Nominations this weekend. I will use them to chose people for jobs (& butterfly bucks) on Monday. Catch a little reading as well & don't forget to log it. I'm reading a good publication about making reading fun for teenagers. It says that even young people your age still learn from & enjoy being read to by an adult. So, guess what that means for you? :)

Enjoy your weekend, your family, & your people. Most importantly, be safe so that I get to see your beautiful smiling faces on Monday.

Peace out,
Ms. Kubos

One More Thing....

Someone on the volleyball team come by my crazy room & tell me how to get to the school where you play your games. I think that I drove right past it this afternoon. I want to come out and yell for you. What a knucklehead!

Kudos to you, Sixth Graders!

I have said it a million times in class over the last few days, but I want to put it in writing, in a public forum, where your parents can see it. I am absolutely blown away by and insanely proud of your summer reading projects. The posters and artwork are beautiful and creative, but it is the writing that is so over the top. Most of you put so very much work, heart, and soul in your writing. I read some really strong arguments, deep thoughts, funny side notes, and in-depth comments. As I told you, we have a little work to do with grammar and form, but that is the easy part. With this kind of practice and skill, the sky truly is the limit.

Mr. Little is going to LOVE you folks next year!!!! I'm glad that I get you for a while first.

Pat yourselves on the back for a job so very WELL DONE!!!!!
Ms. Kubos

What a Day!!!!!!!!

Ya know, I knew I was going to LOVE this place. You made it happen! This was the most amazing first day for me. Sure, I know, all of the rules & procedure stuff is boring, so it may not have been the very best day for you. I promise that will get better.

Thanks to those of you who turned in your summer reading assignments a little early. I am looking at them now & am very impressed with the pride in your work that I see in most of the reports. I'm a bit angry with some of you for not taking me on those family vacations that I am seeing in pictures, but guess I will let you off the hook since you didn't even know me.

Tomorrow, we will start setting up journals, doing some free writes & creating Academy Award nomination forms. More on that in the morning.

Get a good night's rest & see ya soon!
Ms. Kubos

Hmph! Peyou! Bleech!

Just thank goodness for my Houston Cougars this football season! That pitiful excuse of a game the Texans just played stunk up my whole house. The cat even has her nose all wrinkled. Pew!

On to less depressing news... As Mr. Little says on his site, summer reading assignments are due on Wednesday. This gives you a few days to get settled in and used to the routine at PCMS, but don't use those last few days to scramble to get things done. I learned, and my sixth graders will soon, that pride is a really big thing at PC, be it work, school, or community. Make sure it shows in your work!

Get some rest tomorrow and get ready! This year is going to be absolutely fabulous!

Ms. Kubos

Go Coogs! And Other Stuff....

One more week until school (and football season) officially starts. Can't decide which I am more excited about...??? I am a college football fanatic and have a lot to be pumped about as the first game draws near. Coach Kevin Sumlin has our neighbors, the Houston Cougars. primed for making some real noise this year. If you get a chance to catch a game, watch for the noisy little trumpet player in the band that looks like he escaped from the junior high band. That's my son, Cameron. In other college football news, things can only get better for my Fightin' Texas Aggies as they return to the field after one of the most abysmal seasons in many years. Here's hoping Coach Sherman and Ol' Army had a chance to figure it out in the off season.

On the school front, the room is ready. The red carpet is out & the stars are shining. All that is missing is you! I am working hard to plan some fun and challenging activities to keep us all on the edge of our seats. The next few days are full of planning and organizational meetings for your teachers. That is even more reason for us to be so eager to get to the part where we see you.

Thanks to all of the sixth graders and their families who came out for Fish Camp last Thursday. A grand time was had by all. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Jesus & Michael B. who were my eighth grade leaders. You gentlemen had your hands full with a very quiet and reserved group. But, in the end, you showed 'em where it's at! You gentlemen are real asset to PCMS & you made me really proud! Thank you, again, for your time, effort, enthusiasm, leadership, & pride!

Quick reminder, summer reading assignments are due on Wednesday, August 26th.

See you on Monday!
Ms. Kubos

Let's Get This Party Started!

Hi everyone! I am Ms. Kubos, the new to PC 6th Grade Language Arts teacher. This week, I am working hard on collaborating with all of the amazing teachers at PC and learning my way around (don't laugh, I got lost a time or two). When time allows, we are getting the rooms set up for you. Mine isn't very far yet, so if you come to Fish Camp tomorrow, don't be disappointed as there is more to come! Speaking of Fish Camp, I am so excited!!! Hope I can sleep tonight. (You're laughing again. Yes, I am a HUGE NERD)! You probably noticed that I am REALLY excited to be at Project Chrysalis and to meet you. When I met with Dr. C, Mr. Webster, and the teaching team, I heard all these great things about you and read all about your astronomical TAKS scores, and many other great things you are doing. I fell in love with you and your school long before I met you! So, hurry up and get off that couch & come see us!

I will try really hard to update this blog throughout the year. Feel free to remind me if I get behind. I will also include classroom stuff and other information as time allows.

See you tomorrow!