It was three years ago that the fourth grade last presented the Cecil Floyd Christmas program, titled North Pole Exposure.  At the time, it was the most elaborate and most colorful set Cecil Floyd has ever seen.  The production was one with tired elves, militant reindeer, and a party-animal Mrs. Claus.  Mr. Claus was brilliantly played and, of course, set the whole situation on the right path in the end.

This year, our program will take a different bent.  Therefore, the set will be more subdued, and yet, we think, it will succeed in its brilliant and classic simplicity.  The program will have you wondering whether the family will make it "Home [to Grandmother's house] for the Holidays".  I won't tell any more about the plot, here, in hopes of preserving the suspense.  With the theme to the production, we are designing a set to reflect a cold, snowy winter.  We are taking you to the woodsy outdoors for this one, to follow the family's struggle to get to Grandma's house.

We really try to make our programs special for our students, and we hope to present some special surprises along the way.  Want to help?  Please let me know.  The production is really just around the corner, with "dress rehearsals" in front of the student body during the day on Friday, December 14, and for families the evening of December 17.

We have used a tool, called Class Dojo, to track student behavior, this year.  Students earn points for positive behavior.  Of 20 students, the range of points is from 25 to 100 right now.

Parents, if you are not receiving weekly reports, please send me your email address.  This tool will be more effective when I can communicate with you using Class Dojo.

In her efforts to fulfill some of the qualifications for The Fellowship of Perspicacious Erudites, ELLA recently found herself at one of Joplin's fire stations.  While getting a picture of herself at the station, the chief showed up.

She shook the chief's hand and introduced herself...

...and made an excellent impression.  The chief told ELLA that she had a better handshake than most adult men that he meets.

Of course, one of the first things we talked about, this school year, was about the first impression that is made with eye contact and a firm (but not too firm) handshake.  These, along with vocal volume and a respectful tone ("Yes, sir", "No, ma'am"), are skills that tell others that you care about them.  They are skills that are important to acquiring employment in the future.

Plus, these skills are bleeding into other classes in our school.  I, and others, have noticed students in other classes beginning to say "Yes, ma'am" or "No, sir" in the hallways, and even in assemblies.

Keep up the good work, ladies and gentlemen!  You will notice the shocked faces of adults, because they are unaccustomed to being respected by kids your age, and they will tell you as much.

Several JHS journalism students earned awards at the recent MSSU Media Showcase.  Of the five individual award recipients, two are former students from Room 404 (Once a Hoggatteer, always a Hoggatteer!).

Congratulations to Lydia McAllister for earning second place in feature writing and Brett Holcomb for winning third place in news writing.

Spyglass is the student newspaper at Joplin High School.  Spyglass staff member and TV Production student, Lydia McAllister, continues her journalism training at the University of Missouri - Columbia. She was accepted into the School of Journalism as an incoming freshman.

Hoggatteers often lose their lists for work they may perform for extra credit in our classroom, but it is always available here on our website.  Looking at the site menu, simply roll over Bulletin Board and Earn Your Wings.  The extra credit pages are titled Fellowship of Perspicacious Erudites and Missouri Hunting Club.

I am pretty sure that GIVING THANKS involves more than GIVING LIP SERVICE. Giving, my friends, is an active verb. That leaves us hanging with the question of how this giving should occur. I am convinced that it is not an empty thank you muttered in a rush and then forgotten with the thought that one has performed his duty. It must be more lasting than that; it is, after all, a gift - a thing to be given and then cherished by the receiver. Please make sure, as you give thanks to one another, or to your God, that giving thanks is a real, tangible, and appreciated gift. Choose the gifts you give wisely, today and everyday.

If you haven't checked out our YouTube channel, you should roll on over there, now, to find a bunch of multiplication videos.  There are also links to videos about Missouri, in addition to some really interesting science videos from Steve Spangler.

The following is an effective introduction to our class.  Enjoy.

Hoggatt Cave is open for business!

In the past two days, we have hosted nine tours through our unique classroom cave.  During this "soft opening", we have hit our stride and will be ready to bring in the third grade classes, after our fall break.

If you haven't been on a tour of Hoggatt Cave, you should stop by.  If you schedule ahead, we can take you on a tour.  It has been a rich way to give students a taste of public speaking.