Leaving SMS

image by Fredrik Wanergard

          I have been at my school, SMS, since preschool, and even before then my two older sisters attended here. St. Mary's is a place where everyone is friends and knows each other super well, because most of us have been together since we were five. Last year, in seventh grade I was really excited to leave and go to the high school. Now I realize that is not the case, because I've realized what a big role SMS has played in my life. St. Mary's has taught me that no matter what others think, I should stick to my faith and do the right thing. Our class might not have the best reputation, but I think over this last year we have really grown closer together. It will be so different at high school; I will miss walking down the hall and having me and Luke wink at each other (hahaha) and not seeing Kristen pulling her Pencil Pass down the hallway. An end will come to the times Ms. Grose asks how many cold lunches we have, even though we've had five in our class all year. There will be no more One Direction chats with Emma and Mya all day, or giving Brady thumbs up and a cheesy smile. I can't even count how many times this year me and Mrs. Slotsve have told each other "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" and had people ask "Wait you both have your birthday today?". How many times I have had to explain that no, it isn't either of our birthdays'. When is the next time that Alex or Noah will come up to talk to me at the high school. It's going to be so sad, but I always knew that this day to move on would come. Every since preschool I had looked forward to ELC, the 8th grade slideshow, our last SMS concert and May Crowning, leading my own track and field team, and finally Graduation. Now, there is only two more things to look forward to, because our days at St. Mary's are nearing their end. It's hard to think about going to school at a different place, talking to different people, and having teachers who we've possibly never even heard of. Because St. Mary's has never been strange or "new" to me. I feel like SMS is my home, and my classmates and teachers are all just my family. I'm so proud of grade, because it was like we were all dragging around our reputation like a shadow, but over the years it has cleared up. Even though we still have those moments here and there, we all have learned how to deal with it.It will be a challenge to start at a new school, but I think we are ready to move on and accept that challenge.

My Image Story-A Picnic!

 

image by Biggie*

image by aliceinmaryland

image by f355x3

image by ryanmcginnisphoto

image by Paul and Christa

Borrowing Moola(:

    image by 401K

     
           In my 21st century class today, we watched two videos about loans and borrowing money. The first video was telling us that there are different plans we can use to help pay off any loans we might have. There is something called APR (annual percentage rate) which is like the interest you have to pay the bank for borrowing you money. There is multiple plans that have to do with how long it will take you to pay your loan off and your APR. Something that works for your friend, may not work for you. The 2nd video was a cartoon about a college boy who spends lots of money on things like an iPad and a TV. He goes way into debt, but realizes that he can get out if he comes up with a plan. In the end he does, and this helps him to buy a house. Planning ahead can also help us out!

Purple is my favorite color.

ELC

 The girls in group B on a hike!

      Last week, my class took a trip to ELC , an environmental learning center. It was the best-est thing EVER. We left on Monday morning at 5a.m.! My dad actually was one of our chaperones, so it was cool to have him there with me! Throughout the week we participated in many activities: every day we had 3 classes. My favorite was probably rock climbing. We did this on Friday. There was a huge rock wall, with 6 areas to climb. The hardest one had a goat at the top; the instructor told us to kiss it if we made it up there.(: This was different then any other rock climbing I've done, because it was actually legit and didn't have made handles for you to grab on to. First, we had to learn how to belay for someone else and pass the belaying test. After that our instructor gave us tips on how to climb. We started climbing, but the time went by really quickly....I only had the chance to try 3 of the areas on the wall, but I made it to the top on all of them! Some of my other favorite activities were the ropes course, participating in my class' polar plunge (BRRRRR.), stream study (I caught a tiny crayfish and named it Liam! :D), and FIRST games (team building activities!). I'm really sad to be back, because I really feel like it was an awesome opportunity and experience for my grade. I also think that we all bonded a lot over the week, and it was cool to really recognize how many friends I really can trust in my class! I wish I could go again.(:

What is Work?

     image by Daehyun Park

     When it comes to thinking ahead about what I want to do after college, I haven't really thought about it too much. I feel like I still have a lot to learn before I can really decide that. Although, right now I really like music, but I don't really know what I could do with that. I guess if I really think out of the box my dream job would be something big, like a singer or actress, but I'm not really counting on either of those happening.(: When I think of work, I don't always think of something that's enjoyable or fun. People don't always do work that they enjoy to do; they just work, because they need the extra money. People also do not have to be paid for the work they are doing. Think of volunteers; they work very hard to help out the community, but they don't get paid at all. I think that work inside of school, is different from the work we will do outside of school. Our school work is to prepare us for the work we will do later in life. Also, the work we do in school is just given to us, on a worksheet or from a book. When we have a real job, things won't be like that. Here's my last point. In school we learn the basics like Math, Science, English, and History, but if you really explore different careers, there is thousands of things that don't always apply to these subjects. Therefore there's way more options.

Sharing Images!

image by Horia Varlan

In my 21st century class, we watched a video about using other people's pictures. Most of what it said was common knowledge to me, but I guess it is always nice to review those rules. It talked about how to properly put your own images onto the Internet. You first need to have a Creative Commons license, which was news to me. There is a bare use law, which gives your pictures full copyright. No one can sell or use your work without you first giving permission. When someone chooses to use your work, they must give you attribution, or credit, for your images. This is the basics of what I learned about sharing work on the Internet.

$aving Ca$h

The most common way that I spend my moola is by shopping!!! I go shopping quite often, and usually come home with at least two new things! I also spend my money on birthday or holiday gifts for my family and friends. The last main thing that I spend my money on is when I go on a vacation, because I usually buy souvenirs for myself and some of my friends!

image by Images_of_Money

I think one thing, that I know would be easy and affective, would be to set aside a little bit of money every time I earn some. This would be a good idea, because I wouldn't just go and spend all of the cash I just earned on while shopping! I could keep this money somewhere safe, but not 100% accessible at all times. I would do this, because then I could not just easily take some for my next shopping trip when I'm running low. This would help guarantee that I would've saved that money, and that it wouldn't just go to waste on something I really do not need!

Health Care Reform!

For my 21st century class, we read an article about a new health care law. It is called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This law says that anyone without health care by 2014 will need to pay a fine. This will be decided in June, and will affect the 2012 election greatly. According to the article, many U.S. citizens have different opinions on this new law, so it will be interesting to see the results!

Spring Break!(:

image by RobertCiavarro

For spring break this year I am going to Mexico with my family! We are also going with another family we are good friends with. This is a picture of where we are going, Cabo San Lucas! We leave tomorrow VERY EARLY in the morning. I am going to have to wake up at 2 a.m., but I'm sure it will be worth it! Our flight is going to be about 7 hours long which is the longest I've ever flown before, but I do really like flying. I am probably most excited to go snorkeling, even though I might be a little nervous. It will be nice to be able to get away from school for a little bit.(: I'm super excited, because I have never been to Mexico before so it  should be really fun! I can't wait to go, but I will post again soon about how it is!!!(:

Teen Jobs!

image by 401K

This post is going to be about different requirements for working teens in Minnesota. There are 3 different groups that apply to minimum wage. The first group is for a large employer, and that is $6.15 per hour. For a small employer the minimum wage is $5.25 per hour, and the training wage is $4.90.

Teenagers under age 16, can't work before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m. They are not allowed to work more than 18 hours per week during the school year or 40 hours per week, which means no more than 8 hours per day. For ages 16 and 17, they may not work earlier than 5 a.m. or later than 11 p.m. on school days.

My Mentor-Patricia Alexander!

Hey, my name is Jen, and I'm from Minnesota. Today I am blogging to my mentor, Patricia Alexander. I just have a few questions for you and anyone else who would like the comment.

1. What's your favorite thing to do in the summer?
2. What's your favorite food?
3. What's your favorite song/artist?
4. Do you play an instrument? If so, which one?
5. Do you like to travel? If so, where?
6. What is your favorite book?
7. What is your favorite movie?


Thanks!(:

Awesome Blogs(:

Hey! While looking at other people's blogs, I found three that I especially enjoyed visiting! Here is the first blog. I really liked how she keeps up to date by posting frequently, and she has a really colorful, fun background! This is another blog I enjoyed. You can tell that she put a lot of work into personalizing her blog, to really make it her own. This is the last blog that I am going to share with you. I love how they put multiple quizzes on their blog. Those are a fun thing to have! So check these other blogs out!(:

High School!!!

Whoa, it's crazy to think that we only have one more trimester as 8th graders! This year has surprisingly gone very fast! I am scared to go to the high school, but also excited. Especially with registration going on now, it is really started to sink in on me that I will be a freshman! Ahhhhh. I am sad, because I know that I will not be able to see many of my friends, but I know I will make new ones. High school will be soooooo different, but I guess I will have to wait and see how much I will enjoy the new changes!

ME(:

Hey, my name is Jen, and I am in 8th grade. In my 21st Century class, we created these blogs. 21st Century teaches us about what is happening in the world around us. We learn about the government, internet safety, and other current events. We also improve on our writing skills, because we have been posting multiple comments on our school's blog.

I really enjoy traveling, hanging out with friends, listening to music, and reading. I also like to play volleyball, and I love to watch football. I really like going to Wisconsin Dells! My family goes there a lot, and it's super fun! I have 2 older sisters and a dog, named Scooter. I play trumpet and piano, but I also like to sing. There's a little about me!(: