Parent/Teacher Conferences

1) When we meet with your parents, what do you think Martha and/or I will say to them regarding how you've done thus far?

Hopefully that I'm doing well. That I chit-chat in class sometimes, but much less then I did last year. I'm keeping up with my work and participating in classes. I don't procrastinate anymore, (well, almost never...) and I turn in good quality work. So far, eighth grade has been a lot easier then seventh grade: I have a handle on work, I contribute to class, and I feels as though I'm a pretty good student. I do have trouble in grammar: it's really confuses me sometimes. But I've done well on the quizzes so I feel alright. (See my good usage of alright?) Of course I can't know exactly what Martha and Greg will say, (who knows what goes on in their minds...) But i have a feeling it will be mostly positive

2) What would you like us to tell them?

Pretty much the stuff I said above. That I love the class and so far am having a really great year. I feel more confident in my work and myself. I get along with all my classmates, including the seventh graders, and that i love love love journaling class.

3) Is there anything you don't want us to tell them?

Nope! Say what you need to say... i really don't care. Tell them anything you want.

El Universal: #2

Article #1:

Venezuela is currently on alert for seven endemic diseases that have been raging in the past months, one of which is Dengue. In recent months a record of 97,000 cases of Dengue have been reported in Venezuela. Dengue, also known as breakbone fever because of the tremendous pain it can cause, is a disease transmitted by misquitos in the tropics, and it can be life threatening. There have been almost 3,ooo more cases reported in Venezuela since Spetember 25 this year, and as of the same time last year, the number of cases of Dengue has tripled! More then 72 patients have died and even more are being "diagnosed" everyday.

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/10/19/en_pol_art_record-of-97,000-cas_19A4626731.shtml

Article #2:

In the past 8 years, fruit and vegetable prices have increased to over 1,000 percent! In 2002 the cost of a monthly portion of tao, potatoe, arracacha, and cassava for the average Venezuelan family was 3.25 (USD.) Now it's 44.48 (USD.) Fruits and vegetables used to account for around 5% of the cost of a Venezuelan familys grocery basket, now it accounts for around 30%. Salt and sugar is up 315%, coffee rose, 420%, and dairy 332%

http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/10/18/en_eco_art_prices-of-vegetables_18A4621851.shtml

El Universal!

Newspaper Description:

El Universal, a major Mexican newspaper, was first started in Santiago de Queretaro in 1916 to report on the end of the Mexican revolution and the creation/beginning of their new constitution. This widely read newspaper, founded by Felic Palavicini and Emilio Rabasa, has over 300,000 readers. It's ranked the second most visited news site in mexico with more then 3,000,000 visitors per month! The current president of El Universal (and CEO) is Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, and the paper employs several renown journalists including: Katia D'artigues and Raymundo Riva Palacio.

Article #1:

(Because I haven't been able to get the Mexican edition of "El Universal" in English, this article comes from the Venezuelan version of the paper...)

VENEZUELA'S UNEMPLOYMENT RATE UP TO 9.6 PERCENT IN AUGUST:

As the economy drops in Venezuela, the unemployment rate goes up. In August, the unemployment rate was measured and found to have gone up 1.6 percent since it was last measured exactly a year earlier. "Though Venezuela has been hit by the global economic crisis, the jobless rate is significantly lower then that of other countries who are also struggling through the tough economic times," says Elias Eljuri, president of the National Statistics Institute (INE)

(Visit Adriana's blog for the other two articles...)