DOL 96-100 due today!

We are requiring our in-coming 9th grader Honors to read The Old Man and the Sea over the summer.

The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal -- a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.

This is a novella (a short novel) that can be read in a little over an hour--though you might need to take more time than that to sift through the meaning.

As far as I know, there is only one copy.  It is very short.  They may download—good idea.  They only need to read.  I am not sure what the new teacher will require.  I am thrilled that they are asking questions!!!!!!

Please announce to each class several times this week that all 8th graders MUST come to school ON TIME in their ceremony clothes Friday. They will not need book bags. We will begin practicing immediately after homeroom, so it is very important that they are on time.

Pride Court run off voting is on Moodle. It closes Friday at 2PM.

Last day to buy Pride Court tickets is Wednesday. They will then be $25 at the door.

This is from an office e-mail about the hall passes:Tell the students that they must go to the restroom between class change. If they have a medical reason as to why they need to go throughout class, they must bring a doctor’s note.

Some students do have a doctor's note on file, so if I sign one, that may be the reason.

THIS WEEK:The library will be open Monday - Wednesday of this week for checking out books, taking AR tests, pleasure reading, and research. Please no gaming. The last day to check out a book is May 6th (Wednesday).The library will be closed Thursday (Field Trip) and Friday (Field Day). Library workers will need to report to PE on Thursday.Allow students who checked out books on the AR field trip the opportunity to bring those to me on Tuesday. They are due back to the respective libraries (Mobile Public or BLB) on May 5th.NEXT WEEK:The library will be open Monday-Thursday of May 11th-14th for taking AR tests, pleasure reading, research, and turning in books. Please no gaming! We will be processing shelves in preparation for inventory the following week.

Note: The last day to check out a book- Wed., May 6thThe last day to turn in a book- Thurs., May 14thThe last day to take an AR test for the 4th quarter reward party- Thurs., May 14thThe last day to qualify for the Millionaires Club (for AR)- Thurs., May 14th

Library News

The Outsiders--honors only

Chapter 7Ponyboy is first to get up, and after a shower, he begins fixing breakfast.

Two-Bit and Steve come by, and they wake Ponyboy's brothers. Two-Bit shows Ponyboy the newspaper articles about them, and Pony realizes that he and Sodapop might be put in foster homes. Ponyboy learns that Sodapop's girl, Sandy, has been forced to move to Florida because she's pregnant, and her family sent her away to hide her shame. Darry and Sodapop get ready to go to work. Two-Bit stays with Ponyboy. They go out to the Tasty Freeze, where they are waylaid by Socs. Marcia's boyfriend Randy wants a word with Ponyboy.

Chapter 7Randy asks Ponyboy why he risked his life to save those little kids from

the fire at the church. He tells Ponyboy that Bob was a good friend who was just looking for someone to tell him "no" one time. He says the fighting is useless and that he won't be at the rumble tonight. Ponyboy sees that Socs do have troubles and are just regular guys, after all. Chapter 8

Two-Bit and Ponyboy go to visit Johnny, who looks terrible. Johnny asks for hair grease and for another copy of Gone with the Wind. When Two-Bit goes after it, Johnny confesses that he is afraid of dying. He is too young and hasn't done enough, he says.

Chapter 8The nurse tells Johnny that his mother has come to see him, but Johnny

doesn't want to see her. Arguing with the nurse, he passes out, and she makes Ponyboy leave. Two-Bit hands her the book to give to Johnny. They see Johnny's hateful mother in the hall and understand why he wanted to stay anywhere but home.

They visit Dally and tell him that it doesn't look good for Johnny. Dally says they'd better win the rumble tonight for Johnny, and he gets Two-Bit's switchblade and hides it under his pillow.

On the way home, Two-Bit realizes that Ponyboy looks sick and thinks he shouldn't be in the rumble. Ponyboy swears him to silence.

Chapter 8They run into Cherry Valance, who tells them that the Socs are going to

follow the skin-only (no weapons) rule for the rumble. She asks about Johnny, but when Ponyboy asks her to visit Johnny, she refuses. She says that she can't go visit him because he killed her boyfriend, Bob. She tells Ponyboy that he had a side that the Greasers never saw. Ponyboy is mean to her about it, but then they make up.

Chapter 9The Curtis brothers get showered and dressed for the rumble with the

Socs. Everyone is in high spirits as they leave. At the rumble, the guys are shocked when Dally shows up. He reveals that he used the switchblade to talk the nurse into letting him go. Ponyboy helps Dally fight because his arm is still hurt from the burns. In the end, the Greasers beat the Socs.

Then Dally grabs Ponyboy and drags him off to see Johnny. They get stopped for speeding, but Dally says Ponyboy was hurt falling off a motorcycle, and the policeman escorts them to the hospital. They go see Johnny, who tells Ponyboy to "Stay gold," and then dies. Dally is grief-stricken and bolts out of the room.

Chapter 10Ponyboy finds his way home and tells the bad news to the guys. He tells

them that Dallas couldn't take it, that he's "gonna blow." They notice that Ponyboy looks sick, but then the phone rings. It's Dally. He's on the run from the police after robbing a grocery store. The Greasers run out to go meet him at the lot. Dally comes running into the lot as the police come up. He waves his gun around, and the police shoot him dead. Ponyboy knows Dally had wanted to be killed. He knows nobody will praise him for being a hero, but he remembers that Dally pulled Johnny out of the burning church. Ponyboy passes out.

Chapter 10Ponyboy comes to. He learns that days have passed. Saturday night was

the rumble, and it's now Tuesday. Darry tells him that Johnny had left his copy of the book to Ponyboy. Sodapop comes in, and Darry leaves to make some mushroom soup. By the time he gets back, both of the boys are asleep again. Chapter 11

Ponyboy had to stay in bed for a week. Then Randy comes to visit him, to talk about the upcoming court date. Randy says Pony shouldn't be in trouble because he didn't do anything, and Ponyboy insists that he killed Bob. He also says Johnny is not dead. Randy leaves.

Chapter 12Ponyboy goes to the hearing. The Socs all tell the same story: They admit

following the boys, and they say it was Johnny who killed Bob. Ponyboy is planning to say that he did it, but the judge doesn't ask him about that; he just asks about living with Darry and Sodapop. The judge rules that he can stay with his brothers.

Ponyboy goes back to school but can't focus. He's clumsy and absent-minded, and he is doing terrible in English. His teacher tells him to write a composition about his ideas and experiences to make up some missed grades.

Chapter 12Ponyboy meets Two-Bit and Steve for lunch. When they are confronted by

Socs, Ponyboy calmly breaks a bottle and holds the jagged-edged weapon in front of him. He scares off the Socs. Two-Bit is alarmed because he feels that Ponyboy really would have used that bottle on the guys, and he tells Pony not to get tough like them. However, he is relieved when Pony begins cleaning up the broken glass because he doesn't want someone's tires ruined.

At home, Ponyboy tries to write the theme, but he doesn't get anywhere with it. Sodapop isn't acting normal, but Ponyboy doesn't pay much attention. Darry and Pony start arguing about Pony's grades, and Sodapop bolts out the door.

Chapter 12Darry picks up the envelope that Sodapop had dropped as he fled. It was

a letter he'd written Sandy, unopened and returned. Darry tells Ponyboy, "It wasn't Soda, Ponyboy. He told me he loved her, but I guess she didn't love him like he thought she did, because it wasn't him." Darry is surprised Soda hadn't told Ponyboy, but Ponyboy says maybe he tried. Ponyboy hasn't been paying much attention. The brothers chase after Sodapop. They realize that their conflicts have been tearing Soda up. Soda helps Ponyboy see that he's been expecting Darry to understand him without trying to understand Darry.

At home, Ponyboy picks up the book Johnny had left him. Johnny had written him a letter. In it, he explains what the poem meant by "gold"--fresh, new. He tells him to tell Dally to look at sunsets.

Chapter 12Dally can't be told now, but other boys in similar situations can. Ponyboy

is inspired and begins to write the assigned theme. He begins to write this book.