GUESS THE STUDENT AND WIN A HOMEWORK PASS!
SAVVY STUDENT TIP #823 If you forgot your homework , don’ t say th e dog ate it—it’s old now. Try something like, “I lost it while running away from a heavily armed Nazi zombie soldier.” Tha t should work!
Vol. 1, Issue 2
See Qui C’est contest, pg. 2 The Middle-School Newspaper of King’s Academy
12 January 2017
Mystery of the missing scroll
Independent study period and the art of finishing HW
By Aman Serhan It was twelve o’clock in King’s Academy’s campus when a shadowy figure creeped to Mr. Eric’s classroom. It produced a paper clip. After fiddling with the lock, it was finally able to break into the room. The figure was tall, wore a face mask that covered its face and head.
By Aman Serhan Some people think that Independent Study is a chance for them to finish all of the homework at school. However, others think that it is just a waste of time. Which is it then?
The figure tiptoed over to the Chinese scroll on the wall and carefully took it off. Then it went to Mr. Eric’s desk and took something else from it. It then left, carrying the scroll and the other mysterious object with it. It carefully replaced the lock and took off.
Middle School Dean Ms. Reem said, “So I think Independent Work is a great place for students to take ownership over their own time and say that they’re going to invest in this time in a way that will pay forward into their education later on.”
It was seven o’clock on King’s Academy’s campus when another shadowy figure-- no, that was Mr. Eric. He went into his room, stretched his arms and looked around. The room looked relatively normal. Except, where is the Chinese scroll?! Mr. Eric searched everywhere for it. He darted from here to there. He doesn’t remember taking the scroll off.
Seventh-grader Rashed AL’Zoubi said, “You get to finish your homework in school and, because like, you feel that you’re going home late but actually when you go home, you have nothing to do.” However, not everyone does that.
He went to grab a cookie from the tin. It was surprisingly empty. Mr. Eric was certain of the fact that there were at least three cookies in there last night. Something is definitely wrong. Mr. Eric was sure of it. Maybe someone broke into his room last night and stole both the scroll and the cookies. But why?
Some people finish all of their homework while others don’t. Rashed, for example, claims to finish around one third of his homework. On the other hand 7th grader Janti Yamek, claims to finish all of it and sometimes has some time to spare.
Mr. Eric decided to go out and have some fresh air. On his way out, he noticed some cookie crumbs on the floor. The floor was clean when he left last night. Mr. Eric shook his head and went out the door.
Janti said, “ If we don’t a lot of homework, yes.” Different people mentioned various ways of being distracted. As Rashed stated, some of them include music, people talking, the break and the “long stuff.” He also mentioned that he sometimes wastes his time helping other people. However, Janti, on the other hand, claims to get distracted by his own friends talking to him. He was honest enough to mention that he sometimes joins the conversation as well. Some people think assigning us to different rooms is helpful. Rashed said, “If you are not with your friend, you, will get less distracted and you can focus more on, like, your homework.” However, even when the rooms are mixed up, you are bound to end up with some of your friends. Rashed said, “In the Harkness table upstairs, I have with me, Awn, and Michael and Rakan. Yeah, yeah, those ﺍاare, are my main friends in the room.”
Janti Yamek and Mustafa Al-Karbooli wire a circuit together for the Minimester digital bookmark project. (Photo by Abeer Nammari)
MS GRADING SYSTEM EXPLAINED By Abdullah Al-Ashram King’s Academy Middle School launched earlier this year with a new grading system different than the standard grading system in Jordan. King’s claims that this system will help a student become a deep learner. They believe this new grading system will make students insightful about school. This grading system consists of a mastery level scale that is not considered as grades, but as feedback. The main goal of this scale is to help a student reach mastery, according to English teacher Eric Hansen. They believe this method will help a student truly know his level without being pressured with tests. But how effective is this novel and unique grading system? Some students have complained about the new grading system and its implications toward students. “I believe it isn’t as effective as expected. It discourages students and isn’t different than the common grading system. They both negatively impact a student,”said Ahmad Al’Zubi. On the other hand, other students have actually said great things about this new system. “I think it’s good. It helps me know my academic progress. The only problem is that parents mistake it for marks and not as feedback,” stated Haseeb Haddedeen.
Another person agreed with Haseeb’s idea and clearly showed her affection toward this grading system. “I really like it, because it is clearly different than other school’s grading system,” said Tara Abughazaleh, a seventh grader. “I really like how each teacher has a goal and want to pursue the objective of making students deep learners.” The only thing that doesn’t ring a bell to students is the fact that this grading system wasn’t implemented at the high school. Many have pondered and contemplated on why high school have a totally different grading system than middle school. Mr.Nadim Sarhan had an answer to this ongoing question. He said, “I think high school has been there for ten years. They have followed a specific grading system for a long period of time. I think I would have done the same thing if it was in my hands. High school would become chaotic and it would be too late to change student’s mindset.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Out on the lawn, Mr. Nadim was sitting on a picnic table, using his laptop. When he saw Mr. Eric, Mr. Nadim took a double take. He pulled himself together and went over to Mr. Eric asked him what’s wrong. Mr. Eric told him about the theft. Mr. Nadim gulped. When it was time for English class, eight grade students filed into the room. They noticed the scroll was missing. When Mr. Eric told the class what happened, they all felt sad for him. Except for Abdallah, who was frowning and looked very uncomfortable. When Mr. Eric was tidying up his room, he found a piece of paper he never saw before. He unfolded it, an eight-grade level math quiz. The whole middle school was talking about last night’s incident. “Who do you think the thief is?” asked Maya. “I don’t know,” says Taline. “It can be anyone.” “But why? Why would someone want that scroll?” “I agree. The scroll is valuable to Mr. Eric just because it was a gift.” All of the students and faculty members are confused. Except for two, who look very uncomfortable and try to drift out of conversations. However, another student was absent that day.
Page 2
12 January 2017
NEW ENGAGE GROUP READIES FIRST MIDDLE-SCHOOL PLAY By Rakan Qawas Walking in, the skeptical seventh and eighth graders seemed shy at first, not wanting to flaunt their acting skills to the others. When the two teachers who run Theatre, Ms. Sarah and Ms. Reem, got the students into formation, they began with a few simple warm ups, like shaking, and then the actual fun began. They began playing acting games. For example, when the teacher ordered, “Three men in a boat,” three people instantly get into the formation of being in a boat. They stayed true to the core principles of acting, drilling ‘don’t say no’ into their heads, and subtly practicing it during the games, disguising boring rehearsal of theory with fun games. Theater is a “safe place,” said Ms. Reem. Safe place, she explained, meant freedom from judgment, and the students followed her goal. The usually introverted students acted more active here and could show their talent and skill here, without the risk of them being laughed at and lowering their self-image.
TECH NEWS: Nintendo Slim Out in March! By Rakan Qawas Well, what did you expect? A dumb article on that new PS, the ‘PS Slim’? Fun fact: your average PC is way faster than that thing. *Dab*. So, this is the promising new console Nintendo has shed light on, very recently in fact. It is expected to come out in March of 2017, and that seems like a long way off, but this console has something special about it: basically a glorified Wii U with the sides cut off to make controllers (ahem—mini Wii controllers—ahem). The new Nvidia Tegra installed into it packs a moderate amount of power into this tiny 184 mm X 106 mm home gaming console. Also, in anticipation of this new console, Wii U production will be stopped. Rest in Pepperoni, crappy Wii U—but, the 3DS will not be affected. But what’s really building the hype for this thing is its ability to connect to a TV, and the fact that you can play Skyrim on it. The screen resolution also isn’t half bad, sporting 720p. So how this works is basically the following: You dock the console, charging it. That also connects it to your TV, and you can use this controller which looks like an Xbox One controller, playing on your TV.If you have to go, you grab the Switch out of its port, and you can play whatever you were playing on the TV goes over to the switch. Sadly, though, the battery life drains faster than a cup of lemonade on a hot day (which we have here in abundance) which is a rumored 3 hours.
The MS Girls’ Volleyball team readies for an incoming serve in practice. (Photo by Abeer Nammari)
MS GRADING SYSTEM (Continued from 1) However, Mr.Mike Kowalenko, a Science teacher who came from Cushing Academy, a boarding high school in the United States, believed it would be a great idea to start using this grading system in the high school, and he didn’t find it difficult to implement. He said, “It is currently under discussion and might one day be followed by high school.” Mr. Eric Hansen, who helped develop the current system at King’s, said the old system of A’s, B’s, C’s, D’s, and F’s was developed in the 1940’s to make it easier to teach the huge growth of students in the American Baby Boom. Now over sixty years old, the traditional grading system stuck around, even though it has no research to support its effectiveness in learning.
Finally, yes, I know the thing kind of looks like a dog head.
SIX-WORD STUDENT AUTOBIOGRAPHIES Life opens doors, get in ASAP! -Michael Haddadin. Life, a series of ‘What if’s. -Haya Kolaghassi
Don’t play with life, it hits back! -Ammar Hammad.
Life, full of hardships and challenges. -Abdullah Al-Ashram.
Optimism is the step to success. -Abdullah Abu-
Life is a fire alarm drill. -Raina Maraqa.
Aladass.
I’d never ring in my life. -Susan Aloudat.
Know thyself, Said the knowledgeable man. -
My life, a fiery passionate spirit. -Ali Abu Ghosh.
Rakan Qawas.
Life consists of ups and downs. -Emille Billeh.
Life is like a science experiment. -Mustafa Al-
Awamleh.
The sun always lightens your day. -Ali Al-Eqabi.
Beauty and the Beast March 17 The Fate of the Furious CONTEST FOR HW PASS:
Qui C’est? Who is it? Cut out along the dotted line and
Taleb.
write your name and who you
Life is full of marvelous experiences. –Nadeen
think this person is. Put the paper in the jar outside of Mr. Eric’s room and we will
My life has its own meaning. -Sa’ad Khalayleh.
1. Basketball player
You learn from your mistakes in life. -Mohamed
2. Science fanatic
Al-Ali
3. Tall
Questions are the key to success. -Sara Madanat.
It won’t end until you try. -Kareem Alsawalha. Simple lives start between the cracks. -Alia Abed.
Learning is the best for children. -Judy Qubrosi.
A Jordanian- American musical, adventurous life. -Haseeb Haddadin. Success is the power of the people. -Rashed
draw a winner; the prize will be an English homework pass.
4. Doesn’t wear glasses 5. Eye color: Dark hazelnut
Alfayez.
Mr. Eric is the best teacher. -Tariq Droubi.
Learning, friendship, family, painting, reading. -Angelina Abu Hilal.
Hard work and confidence bring glory. -Rashed
You have to learn from mistakes. -Chris Wakileh.
Zuhair Khoury.
The Gaze over yonder accumulates curiosity.
Life is pain, pain is life. SeokMin Yun
I exercise, eat, sleep and repeat. -Salem al Qubairi.
___________ (YOUR name)
Susprises populate every nook and cranny. -
Zoubi.
Kong: Skull Island March 10
Better to be successful that famous. -Aman
Do not expect to always win. -Rawhi Khatib.
Bazadough
Logan March 3
Life is just one big test. -Abdulhadi Albustanji.
Life is not based on opinion. -Aws Abu Hassan.
Be yourself and don’t judge anyone. -Tasneem
A Dog’s Purpose January 27
Do what you know is right. -Zayd Alsaidi.
Life is most definitely not fair. -Ahmad Zu’bi.
A crazy ride that never ends. -Kristina Kanarzis.
Resident Evil: the Final Chapter January 26
Stress filled fun pack of thoughts. -Sham Kassisieh.
Serhan.
-Taline Fahel.
The Red Turtle January 20
Karbooli.
Life never ends until your death. -Noor Al-Bahrani
Enjoy life today, tomorrow’s never promised.
Triple-X: Return of Xander Cage January 19
Big problems waiting to be solved. -Raya Abu-
Al-Imam.
Everything ends at some point. -Jamileh Al
UPCOMING RELEASES OF WINTER MOVIES
-Jad Jihayel.
Life is a never ending heaven. -Zaid Sawalha.
Life is different for everyone. -Maya Asfour.
It’s not easy to trust anyone. -Awn Al-Bqour.
Life doesn’t end until you end it. -Fuad Khoury.
Hard work brings happiness to life. -Yazan Jibouri.
I think the student must be ____________________ (name of student)