Math Times with Mrs. Taylor

Longer weekends

2012-01-29T15:28:00.002-05:00

I really wish that weekends could be three days instead of two. I just cant seem to fit everything I need to do into only 2 days. I have been on the go since Saturday morning at 8am and I am just now sitting down to relax. I have a few more errands to do but I want to watch NHL all star game and the celtics game. Since tomorrow is Monday, back to school, I guess all my errands don't get done this weekend.

AP math Night

2012-01-25T19:54:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday night 30 students came to school for an additional 2 hours at night to work on AP Stats and AP Calculus. I was so happy to see that many students give up their time at night. We ordered pizza so the night wasn't all work. I had fun and I am hoping they did too. I am feeling really good about the chances of my students getting a 5 on the AP exam. They have been working so hard they most certainly deserve the good grade. I want to thank them for their continued effort.

Busy weekend

2012-01-16T13:59:00.004-05:00

What a great weekend I had and I have my Norton kids to thank.
Saturday I spent the day at the Reggie Lewis Center for a winter track meet. This was the first track meet I have gone to and I had a great time. There was so much to watch. Makes me wish I had gone to more track meets this year. Norton took third place overall. I want to congratulate everyone that participated.
Then Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I went to see "The Wizard of Oz" put on by the NHS drama club. We both thoroughly enjoyed the show. There are some very talented students at Norton High School. Shortly after the play I headed to the Foxboro Y to help out with the Amazing Race. I hope all the students participating had as much fun as I did. Congratulations to Tyler D and Joe D for taking home first place.
Thank goodness this is a 3-day weekend. I have all day today to relax and do a little school work.

Winter Weather, where are you?

2011-12-26T09:11:00.003-05:00

Well the big holiday has now passed and we have to wait 365 days until it comes again. With Christmas gone, my next favorite topic to blog about is the winter weather. Unfortunately I just checked the 10 day weather forecast and there is no sign of snow. I hope mother nature is just a little slow getting started and that she doesn't skip winter all together in this area. I am really looking forward to some white stuff. Just not as severe as the October storm we had that ruined my beautiful yard.

Last post of Christmas Specials for this year

2011-12-17T20:41:00.004-05:00

12-18 7:00am ABCFAM A Chipmunk Christmas
4:00pm ABCFAM The Polar Express
4:00pm USA Elf
8:30pm Cartoon network A Scooby Doo Christmas
11:00pm USA Elf

12-19 1:30pm ABCFAM movie:I’ll be Home for Christmas
6:00pm ABCFAM Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation
8:00pm ABC Kung Fu Panda Christmas
8:30pm ABC Chipmunk Christmas
12-20 7:00am ABCFAM Ernest Saves Christmas
6:00pm ABCFAM Mickey’s Christmas special
9:00pm ABCFAM The Polar Express
9:00pm TNT Movie:Deck the Halls
Midnight ABCFAM Flintstone Christmas

12-21 7:00pm ABCFAM Disney Prep and Landing
9:00pm USA Elf

12-22 5:00pm ABCFAM The Santa Clause
7:00pm ABCFAM The Santa Clause 3
8:00pm ABC Prep & Landing
9:00pm ABC I want a dog for Christmas Charlie Brown 9:00pm ABCFAM National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

12-23 6:00pm ABCFAM National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
8:00pm ABCFAM movie: How the Grinch stole christmas
8:00pm The CW Olive, the other reindeer
9:00pm The CW Grandma got run over by a reindeer

12-24 6:00am cartoon network Yogi’s First Christmas
7:00am ABCFAM Little Drummer Boy
8:00am cartoon network Flinstone’s Christmas Carol
9:30am cartoon network The Jetson’s Christmas Carol
11:00am cartoon network Grandma got run over by a reindeer
11:30am ABCFAM Rudolph & Frostys Christmas in July
1:30pm ABCFAM Island of misfit toys
3:00pm ABCFAM Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too
5:00pm ABCFAM Prep and Landing
6:00pm ABCFAM Rudolph’s shiny new year
7:00pm ABCFAM Santa Claus is coming to town
8:00pm NBC It’s a wonderful life
8:00pm ABCFAM The year without a santa claus
8:00pm TBS A Christmas Story (24 hr marathon)

Another week of holiday specials

2011-12-09T22:24:00.006-05:00

12-10 noon Cartoon Network Olive, the other reindeer
6:00pm Hallmark Moonlight and Mistletoe
8:00pm CBS Rudolph
9:00pm CBS The Flight Before Christmas
11:00pm USA Elf

12-11 2:00pm boomerang Smurf’s Christmas special
12-12 6:00pm ABCFAM A flintstone Christmas
6:00pm Hallmark The Hollywood Christmas parade
8:00pm ABC I want a dog for Christmas Charlie Brown
9:00pm ABCFAM National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
11:00pm USA Elf
12-13 7:00am ABCFAM Meet The Santas
12-14 6:00pm ABCFAM Frosty’s winter wonderland

12-15 6:00pm ABCFAM A Chipmunk Christmas

8:00pm ABC Charlie Brown Christmas

12-16 6:00pm ABCFAM Mickeys Christmas Special
8:00pm TNT Christmas in Washington
9:00pm FOX Ice Age: A mammoth Christmas
9:00pm USA Elf

12-17 7:00am ABCFAM Nestor, the Long Eared Christmas Donkey
7:30am ABCFAM Little Drummer Boy
8:00am ABCFAM Pinocchio’s Christmas
9:00am ABCFAM Rudolph’s shiny New Year
Noon ABCFAM The Year without a Santa Claus
1:00pm ABCFAM Miser Brothers’ Christmas
2:00pm ABCFAM Santa Clause is Comin’ to Town
3:00pm ABCFAM Frosty’s winter wonderland
4:00pm USA Elf
8:00pm CBS Frosty the Snowman
8:30pm ABCFAM Frosty returns
9:00pm CBS The story of Santa Claus

12-18 7:00am ABCFAM A Chipmunk Christmas

TV Specials starting December 3rd

2011-12-02T20:09:00.009-05:00

Time for some more Christmas specials. Now if only we could get some snow to help put everyone in the holiday spirit.

Saturday December 3rd

8:00pm NBC It’s a Wonderful Life

8:00pm Encore The Santa Clause 2
10:00pm Lifetime A Boyfriend for Christmas
Midnight ABCFAM The nightmare before Christmas

Sunday December 4th

10:00am Hallmark Jingle All the Way

Monday December 5th
5:30pm Cartoon network Scooby Doo Christmas
6:00pm Cartoon network Grandma Got Run over by a reindeer
6:00pm ABCFAM Rudolph’s Shiny new year
7:00pm ABCFAM Rudolph and the island of misfit toys
8:00pm ABC A Charlie Brown Christmas
8:30pm ABC Prep&Landing Naughty vs.Nice
8:30pm ABCFAM Polar Express
8:30pm Disney The Santa Clause 3

10:30pm ABCFAM Mickey’s Christmas Carol

Tuesday December 6th

2:00pm Disney The Santa Clause 3
6:00pm ABCFAM TWas the night before Christmas
6:00pm Hallmark A Christmas Carol
8:00pm NBC A Michael Buble Christmas
8:00pm ABC Last Christmas Standing
8:30pm ABCFAM Home Alone 2: Lost in NY

Wednesday December 7th

7:30pm Cartoon network How the Grinch stole christmas
9:00pm ABCFAM National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

Thursday December 8th

6:00pm ABCFAM Jack Frost
7:00pm ABCFAM Frosty’s winter wonderland
8:00pm ABCFAM Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
8:30pm TV Land ‘Twas the night before Christmas
9:00pm ABCFAM The year without a Santa Claus
10:00pm ABCFAM A Miser Brothers’ Christmas

Friday December 9th

12noon Hallmark Hoops and YoYo ruin Christmas
6:00pm ABCFAM The year without a Santa Claus
7:00pm ABCFAM Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

6:00pm Hallmark Moonlight and Mistletoe
8:00pm ABCFAM The Santa Clause
8:00pm CBS Frosty the snowman
8:30pm CBS Frosty Returns
9:00pm CBS Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus
9:30pm CBS The Elf on the Shelf: An elf’s story
Midnight ABCFAM Miser Brothers’ Christmas

Saturday December 10th

noon Cartoon Network Olive, the other reindeer

6:00pm Hallmark Moonlight and Mistletoe

8:00pm CBS Rudolph
9:00pm CBS The Flight Before Christmas
11:00pm USA Elf

Holiday specials for the start of December

2011-11-25T15:15:00.007-05:00

Time for some more holiday shows. Here they are for the next week or so.

11-25 7:00pm Hallmark Jingle all the Way
11-25 7:00pm ABCFAM A Boy Named Charlie Brown

11-25 8:00pm TheCW Grandma got run over by a reindeer
11-25 8:00pm CBS Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas
11-25 8:30pm CBS Elf on a shelf: An elf’s story
11-25 9:00pm ABCFAM Snoopy, Come Home

11-26 8:00pm ABCFAM Home Alone 2:Lost in New York

11-27 12:00noon Hallmark Moonlight & Mistletoe
11-27 4:00pm NBC Pandora Unforgettable Holiday Moments on ice

11-27 5:00pm Cartoon Network Grandma got run over by a reindeer
11-27 8:00pm ABCFAM Desperately Seeking Santa

11-28 6:00pm ABCFAM Nestor the long-eared Christmas donkey
11-28 8:00pm TBS Scrooged

11-29 6:00pm ABCFAM Mickey’s Christmas special
11-29 8:00pm CBS Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

11-30 8:00pm NBC Christmas in Rockefeller Center

12-1 6:00pm ABCFAM Mickey’s Christmas Carol
12-1 6:30pm ABCFAM Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too
12-1 7:00pm ABCFAM The Santa Clause
12-1 9:00pm ABC CMA Country Christmas

12-2 8:00pm ABCFAM How the Grinch Stole Christmas
12-3 8:00pm NBC It’s a Wonderful Life

This weeks holiday specials

2011-11-20T15:29:00.004-05:00

11-20

4:00pm ABCFam Santa Baby
7:00pm USA Elf
9:00pm USA Elf
Midnight Hallmark A Christmas Carol

11-21

6:00am Hallmark The Santa Suit
Noon Hallmark A Christmas Carol

11-24

9:00am NBC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
9:00am CBS Thanksgiving Parade
2:00pm TBS Surviving Christmas
2:00pm NBC Miracle on 34th Street
8:00pm FOX Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
8:00pm USA Elf
8:00pm ABC Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

11-25

7:00pm Hallmark Jingle all the Way
8:00pm CBS Hoops & Yoyo Ruin Christmas
8:30pm CBS Elf on a shelf: An elf’s story

11-27 8:00pm ABCFAM Desperately Seeking Santa
11-28 8:00pm TBS Scrooged
11-29 8:00pm CBS Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

as more specials are posted I will update this blog

A few more holiday specials

2011-11-10T20:20:00.001-05:00

11-13 11:00am Hub Muppet Christmas Carol
5:00pm Hub Muppet Christmas Carol
6:00pm Hallmark The Santa Clause
7:00pm USA Elf
8:00pm TBS How the Grinch stole Christmas (cartoon)
9:00pm USA Elf

11-14 4:00pm Hallmark The Santa Clause

11-20 4:00pm ABCFam Santa Baby
7:00pm USA Elf
9:00pm USA Elf
Midnight Hallmark A Christmas Carol
11-21 6:00am Hallmark The Santa Suit
Noon Hallmark A Christmas Carol
11-24 9:00am NBC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
9:00am CBS Thanksgiving Parade
2:00pm TBS Surviving Christmas
8:00pm USA Elf
8:00pm ABC Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
11-25 7:00pm Hallmark Jingle all the Way

Most wonderful time of the year

2011-11-09T10:26:00.005-05:00

I love this time of the year. Late Autumn into early winter. Its not because of the weather or the colorful foliage. Its all because of the holidays. First we had halloween and now we await Thanksgiving which is only 2 weeks away and then come my favorite....Christmas. The best part of the holiday is not the presents it is all the holiday specials on television. I LOVE my holiday specials. If you like them as well then you should continue to check the blog because I will be posting a calendar which lists all the specials, when they air, and what network they are on. If you have any favorites be sure to let me know so I don't miss them when I make my list. Here is the first list covering the days from now til Thanksgiving.

Saturday November 12th
Hallmark channel is airing Christmas movies all day beginning at 6am

Sunday November 13th
Dr. Suess How the Grinch Stole Christmas (cartoon) 8pm on TBS
The movie "Elf" is on USA at both 7pm and then again at 9pm

Thursday November 24th
"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" at 9am on NBC
"Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" at 8pm on ABC

get your shovels ready

2011-10-28T21:25:00.004-04:00

Have you listened to the weather lately? The snow is coming. I have posted snowfall totals from two different TV stations. I can't believe how early the snow is coming. We still have 2 months until the official start of winter. Wonder if this means we are in for a long winter?

Almost Winter

2011-10-26T20:28:00.004-04:00

I watched the local news tonight and heard there is a chance of snow on Thursday. really? Already? I'm not complaining I do love snow especially when the snow gives us snow days from school. As soon as I hear about snow I can't get enough of weather forecasts. When the snow has first fallen every thing looks so pretty covered in white. Too bad it doesn't stay that way. Anyone who knows me is aware that most of my blogs will now be about the weather. Just look back at some of my older posts and you will see that I have an obsession with snow.

Long weekend

2011-10-12T10:26:00.003-04:00

I love 3-day weekends. Its amazing that just one extra day off makes everyone smile. I hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend like I did. My daughter made her first trip home from college and of course all her dirty laundry came with her. We had to get all our catching up crammed into just 3 days so she and I were busy. Also spent some time at the football field for my sons JV game against Oliver Ames. Unfortunately they lost 6-0. Better luck this week when they play N. Attleboro High School. What did you do on your 3-day weekend?

Math Money Store

2011-09-11T10:59:00.004-04:00

First week of school is over and it feels like I never left for my 2 months of summer. As usual I love my classes and the days go by so fast because I am enjoying myself. Hope my students can say the same. Right now I am planning to go shopping to buy snacks for the math money store. If my students have any suggestions, I would like to hear them. There are always peanut butter cups because those are my favorites.

End of Summer

2011-08-16T15:49:00.002-04:00

We are halfway through August which means it is almost time to go back to school. I have had quite a busy summer, but then again I do every year. I try to cram everything into two months and there just isn't enough time for everything. I spent quite a bit of time at school in July because I was working on the summer MCAS program. During the few weeks that I have not gone to school I had a couple of fun day trips. I had a family trip to Water wizz and a family trip to Canobie Lake Park. Both days were terrific wish I had more time to do both those trips again. While at water wizz there was a severe lightning storm and everyone had to take shelter in their cars for 45 minutes. The lightning show was incredible. Thankfully no one was hurt.
Shopping has been a constant activity this summer. Jennifer starts college in September so there were lots of things to buy for her dorm room. Not sure that we are finished yet. and of course Bryan needed some new football gear and some back to school clothes.
Jennifer is away this week in Maine. She is a counselor at the KP band camp. Next week Bryan goes to Maine for KP football camp. Once he returns from camp it is time to go back to school.
I better make the most out of the few days I have left.

AP Calc Exam

2011-03-29T11:18:00.003-04:00

I'm getting nervous. there are only 10 more calc classes before the exam. Is everyone ready? I was thinking of having a study session one night the week before. We can order pizza, soda, and munchies and do one last study sesson together. How about Thursday the week before the exam?

traveling with color guard

2011-02-07T18:54:00.004-05:00

I have been writing quite a bit about the weather and I thought I would make a change today. Today I am going to write about someone very special to me, my daughter, Jennifer. This year she is a senior and I am savoring every minute of her senior year. Won't be long and she will be leaving for college. Jennifer competes in color guard year round. To make sure I don't miss anything I am a very involved color guard mom. I made the flags her group uses in their performances and I travel with them to all shows. I am having a blast doing this. I am looking forward to the world championships in April. I apologize to my students because I will be missing 3 days of school to travel with Jennifer to Dayton Ohio for this championship. We will travel by bus to Dayton, Ohio. Leave on a Tuesday night and return Sunday night. Just have to survive a 14 hour bus ride, but definately worth it.

Do we get a snow day this week?

2011-01-30T19:04:00.002-05:00

We are about to start a new week and with the start of a new week comes the question....What day will be our snow day this week? We have had one every week for the past 3 weeks so why should this week be any different? I just finished watching the weather forecast and it seems there is a major storm headed our way for Tuesday/Wednesday. What a winter!

2011-01-26T10:25:00.006-05:00

So what do you think about all the snow days we are having this winter? For the third week in a row we may have another snow day. If we do then that will extend midterm exams into Monday of next week. I love the snow but would like a week or two break from this. How about you?

2011-01-25T17:18:00.003-05:00

This graphic shows the latest totals from channel 4. Channel 7 and 5 have total amounts of 8-12" the timing on this storm is overnight wednesday and out of here by early Thursday. The meteorologists still claim there is a chance it could go a little bit further out to sea which means lower totals. Timing could cause problems Thursday morning which may mean yet another snow day.

Wednesday

2011-01-24T14:24:00.003-05:00

here we go again everyone. Watching another storm coming up the coast due to arrive on wednesday. Stay tuned for updates as the storm gets closer.

weather update for 1-21-11

2011-01-20T09:40:00.004-05:00

Sorry to disappoint all the snow enthusiasts out there. It appears that Friday's snowfall may be a small one compared to the last two storms. Most weather reports are stating around 4 inches. The timing may be a little tricky for the morning commute to school. Delay? Snow day? full day of school?

Friday's predicted snow

2011-01-19T18:19:00.004-05:00

Update...All meteorologists agree that we are getting all snow this time around no rain/mix. Still don't know how much. The above map is from channel 7. Two other stations say around 5 or 6 inches. The timing is critical because it is coming around 3:00 am which means a terribly messy commute.

Snow Day?

2011-01-18T18:35:00.002-05:00

Today was a messy commute both to school and then again leaving school. I suppose it was nothing compared to what Friday may bring. I watched several weather reports tonight and checked out a few web sites and they are all stating the same thing. This storm coming Friday has some big potential if it fully develops. The timing is perfect for those of you that want another snow day because the snow should begin in the early morning hours (around 2am). I am scheduled to go to an all day workshop. (I am sad that I have to miss my AP Calculus class on Friday). Check back later this week to see if the storm fully develops and I will give you predicted snowfall totals

Let the Playoffs begin

2011-01-15T15:16:00.003-05:00

Everyone knows I love the winter because it brings snow, but there is another reason to love this time of year. Football playoffs. I am looking forward to the game tomorrow at 4:30. I will be in front of the television for the entire game to see the Patriots walk away with a big win. After hearing all the trash talking that the Jets are doing I hope we win by at least 3 touchdowns. GO PATS!

Snow Day

2011-01-12T15:23:00.003-05:00

Thank you mother nature. I was very excited to wake up today and find over a foot of snow on the ground, and it is still snowing. So we had our first snow day of the school year. I wonder what people do on their snow day? I spent the morning catching up on school work. Then I went out to play in the snow. After two hours outside I had to come in because my fingers were cold. i am sure i will be back outside before it gets dark. I love the snow. What did you do on your snow day?

Snow?

2011-01-10T13:21:00.006-05:00

Here we go again. Snow is in the forecast for Wednesday, but I wonder if the weather people have this one correct. If so then there will be a significant snowfall Wednesday morning. That means we will probably have a snow day. I would love a day off in the middle of the week and best to have it now and not during exams. Lets see if the weather people get this one right.

Bring on the snow

2011-01-02T19:41:00.004-05:00

Happy New year Everyone. Now that the busy time of the year is past I can concentrate on my favorite part of winter......SNOW. I was so excited when we got 18 inches last weekend. I love snow blowing the driveway after a storm and even during the storm. I went out twice while it was still snowing because that is the best time to be out. I was just glad that I didn't have to drive any where. I watched the weather tonight and heard the meteorologist say he was watching another potential snow storm for Friday. Hope that really happens. I'll take another foot since todays warm weather and tonights rain is going to wash away all the beautiful white stuff. Stay turned for weather updates throughout the week.

Christmas is less than a week away

2010-12-20T09:59:00.006-05:00

Here are the last of the specials for this year. Hope you found all your favorites to watch.

Tuesday 12-21

6:30 pm ABCFAM Movie; Miracle on 34th Street (remake)

8:00 pm FX movie: Christmas with the Kranks

9:00 pm ABCFAM movie: Polar express

9:00 pm TNT A Christmas carol

9:00 pm NBC SNL Christmas special

10:00 pm FX movie: Deck the Halls

Wednesday 12-22

4:30 pm Cartoon network How the Grinch stole Christmas

6:00 pm ABCFAM Santa Buddies

7:00 pm Nick Rugrats:Santa experience

8:00 pm CBS 12th annual Home for the Holidays

8:00 pm ABCFAM movie:The Santa Clause

Thursday 12-23

10:00 pm AMC movie: Prancer

Friday 12-24

10:00 am Cartoon network grandma got run over by a reindeer

11:00 am ABCFAM A Flintstone Christmas

11:00 am Cartoon network Olive the other reindeer

12 noon ABCFAM Pinocchio's Christmas

12 noon Cartoon network Tom and Jerry's nutcracker

1:00 pm ABCFAM 'Twas the night before Christmas

1:00 om Cartoon network Scooby Doo Christmas

1:30 pm ABCFAM Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

2:00 pm Cartoon network Grandma Got run over by a reindeer

3:30 pm ABCFAM Rudolph and the island of misfit toys

5:00 pm ABCFAM Mickey's Christmas

5:15 pm AMC movie: White Christmas

5:30 pm ABCFAM Winnie the pooh and Christmas too

6:00 pm TCM Scrooge

7:00 pm ABCFAM Frosty's Winter Wonderland

8:00 pm TBS A Christmas Story marathon begins

8:00 pm NBC Its a wonderful life

9:00 pm ABCFAM The year without a santa claus

10:00 pm ABCFAM Rudolph's shiny new year

The specials are slowing down now

2010-12-18T12:37:00.005-05:00

Saturday 12-18

3:00 pm ABCFAM The year without a santa claus

4:00 pm ABCFAM Miser Brothers Christmas

5:00 pm ABCFAM Santa Claus is coming to town

5:30 pm Cartoon network Olive, the other reindeer

6:00 pm USA movie:Elf

6:30 pm Cartoon network Grandma got run over by a reindeer

7:30 pm Cartoon network How the Grinch stolde christmas

10::00 pm ABCFAM Santa Claus is coming to town

Sunday 12-19

4:00 pm ABCFAM The year wothout a santa claus

5:00 pm ABCFAM Santa Claus is coming to town

Monday 12-20

12:00 pm ABCFAM A Christmas Carol

4:00 pm cartoon Network Grandma got run over by a reindeer

6:30 pm ABCFAM Winnie the Pooh and Christmas too

7:00 pm Cartoon network How the grinch stole Christmas

7:30 pm ABCFAM Disney prep and Landing

First snow of the season

2010-12-16T20:06:00.003-05:00

This is my favorite part of winter...SNOW! I just wish the weather people would not get me so excited and then say "the storm went out to sea" I watched 3 different channels tonight to get the weather and everyone is predicting quite a bit of snow for Sunday night. That could possibly mean a snow day Monday...who is more excited about that? My students or me?

Tuesday to Saturday Specials

2010-12-14T19:56:00.005-05:00

here is the list for the rest of the week.

Tuesday 12-14

8:00pm ABCFAM Movie:How the grinch stole Christmas

8:00pm ABC I want a dog for christmas charlie brown

8:00pm AMC scrooged

10:30pm ABCFAM movie: How the Grinch stole Christmas

Wednesday 12-15

7:00 pm USA movie:Elf

8:00 pm ABCFAm Disneys prep and landing

Thursday 12-16

8:00 pm ABC A Charlie Brown Christmas

Friday 12-17

8:00 pm CBS Yes Virginia there is a santa claus

8:00 pm TNT Christmas in Washington

8:30 pm CBS Frosty the snowman

9:00 pm CBS Frosty Returns

9:00 pm USA movie:Elf

10:30 pm ABCFAM Mickey's Christmas Special

Saturday 12-18

8:00 am ABCFAM Nestor the long eared Christmas donkey

8:30 am ABCFAM 'Twas the night before Christmas

9:00 am ABCFAM Pinnochio's Christmas

10:00 am ABCFAM Jack Frost

11:00 am ABCFAM Frosty's winter wonderland

12 noon ABCFAM Rudolph and Frostys Christmas in July

I will update with the rest of 12-18 thru Christmas day later this week.

weekend specials

2010-12-09T19:35:00.004-05:00

Saturday December 11th

7:00 am on ABCFAM I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

3:00 pm on ABCFAM movie: Jack frost

7:00 pm on ABCFAM movie: Santa Claus 2

8:00 pm on CBS Frosty the Snowman

8:00 pm on NBC movie: Its a Wonderful Life

8:30 pm on CBS Frosty Returns

9:00 pm on CBS The Flight Before Christmas

9:00 pm on ABCFAM movie: Santa Clause 3

10:45 pm on AMC movie: White Christmas

Sunday December 12th

7:00 am on ABCFAM Frosty's Winter Wonderland

7:30 am on ABCFAM 'Twas the Night Before Christmas

3:00 pm on Cartoon network Olive:the other reindeer

8:00 pm on ABCFAM movie:Christmas Cupid

10:45 pm on AMC movie:White Christmas

Monday December 13th

6:00 pm on ABCFAM Flintstone Christmas

Specials for the week of December 5th

2010-12-04T21:49:00.005-05:00

Monday december 6th

5:00 DISXD Nightmare Before Christmas

6:00 ABCFAM Jack frost
7:00 ABCFAM Rudolph and the Island of Misfit toys

7:00 USA Elf

Tuesday December 7th

7:00 ABCFAM Mickey's Christmas Special

8:00 ABCFAM Frosty's winter wonderland

8:00 DISNEY Nightmare Before Christmas

8:00 ABC A Charlie Brown Christmas

8:30 ABCFAM Home Alone 2:Lost in NY

Wednesday December 8th

6:00 ABCFAM Home Alone 2'

8:30 ABCFAM Miracle on 34th Street

Thursday December 9th

6:00 ABCFAM Rudolph's shiny new year

8:00 ABCFAM Santa Claus is comin' to town

8:00 ABC Shrek the halls

8:30 ABC Disney's Prep and Landing

9:00 ABCFAM The Year Without a Santa Claus

10:00 ABCFAM A Miser Brothers' Christmas

Friday December 10th

5:00 USA Elf

6:00 ABCFAM Year Without a Santa Claus

7:00 ABCFAM SAnta Claus is comin' to Town

8:00 ABCFAM The Santa Claus

8:00 TCM A Christmas Carol

December Specials

2010-12-01T21:33:00.002-05:00

Thursday December 2

6pm ABCFamily A Flintstone Christmas

7pm ABCFamily The Santa Claus

8pm ABC Santa Claus is comin' to town

8pm AMC Scrooged

Friday December 3

6pm ABCFamily Polar Express

Saturday December 4

6pm Cartoon network grandma got run over by a reindeer

11 pm ABCFamily Tim Burton's The nightmare before Christmas

Christmas Specials on TV

2010-11-26T18:30:00.003-05:00

here is the schedule for the next few days

Friday 11-26

1pm on Comedy channel "National Lampoons Christmas Vacation"

8pm on USA "Elf"

Saturday 11-27

8pm on NBC "Merry Madagascar"

Sunday 11-28

8pm on ABC Family "The Dog who saved Christmas"

9pm on FX "Deck the Halls"

Monday 11-29

9:30 pm on ABC CMA Country Christmas

Tuesday 11-30

8pm on ABC "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"

8pm on CBS "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer"

8pm on NBC Christmas in Rockefellar Center

8:30pm on ABC "Shrek the Halls"

9pm on NBC 'Its a Wonderful Life"

Time for Holiday TV specials

2010-11-20T21:13:00.005-05:00

I know it is a little early to start thinking about Christmas but the world of television has started the holiday season to I have to keep you updated. Each week I will let you know what specials are on television.

On Thanksgiving Day there are two specials on. The first is Miracle on 34th Street. This is on NBC at 2pm. then at 9pm on USA network you can watch the movie "Elf". If you miss it Thursday it is on again Saturday.

If you like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer that is coming up on Novmber 30th. Stay tuned for more updates.

2010-11-20T16:12:00.003-05:00

At 9am today I was sitting in the top row of bleachers watching my sons last football game of the freshmen season. It was FREEZING. I had on a t-shirt, turtleneck, heavy sweater, and winter coat and I still wasn't warm. I had to add mittens, scarf and then a blanket. What am I going to do when winter gets here?

On a positive note, cold weather does bring snow and that occasionally brings a snow day. And along with the winter comes Christmas and anyone who knows me is aware that i am crazy about Christmas. Love the music and all the holiday TV specials. 93.3 is already playing holidays songs 24 hours a day and 105.7 plays it too. Now time to find the TV specials. I always look forward to ABC family having the 25 days of Christmas. Nothing but Christmas specials.

This holiday fever is contagious in my house. My daughter has already set the DVR to record "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" on Toon network December 4th at 6pm.

I just have to adjust to the cold weather.

2010-11-15T19:50:00.003-05:00

I can't believe I have gone so long without posting on my blog. I have to change that. We are coming up on the holiday season and it is my favorite time of the year. I love blogging about Christmas and all my favorite holiday shows on television. I find that I spend a lot of time on school work and not enough time with my family so I am going to have to do some serious time management and fast.

College Visits

2010-07-01T17:00:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the first two weeks of summer vacation. I have been so busy at school that today was the first day I did not go back to work. Today I went to Stonehill College. My daughter is still trying to decide where to apply so we do a lot of visits. I am enjoying myself going on all these tours. I think I am having more fun than her. Too bad. I hope that all my students entering senior year are doing plenty of these visits themselves. I feel that you should visit a school before you pick to attend that one. (if it is possible) Tomorrow we have another college visit planned. I'mlooking forward to it.

Weather

2010-03-26T09:09:00.003-04:00

I enjoy winter weather, but I always look forward to spring. Last weekend the weather was 70 degrees and got me all excited about the warm weather coming. I could go outside and plant some flowers, just enjoy the sunshine as I sit and read a book. Now today it is snowing again. What is up with that? I am sick of the rain and snow and would like a nice long string of beautiful days. What do you like to do outside on a nice spring day?

Field Trip Time

2010-03-14T15:25:00.003-04:00

I love this time of the year. I start planning the Pre-calculus trip to Six Flags New England for math day. I don't know who gets more excited, my students or me. I am making a few new activities for this year and of course Six Flags helps by sending out a booklet with a variety of math activities to do at the park. Can't wait for May 14, 2010.

Superbowl Hopes are CRUSHED

2010-01-11T08:32:00.002-05:00

I'm not so sure I would call Sundays activity at Gillette Stadium a football game. Who was that team? They certainly did not play like the Patriots I know and love, but I am still a fan. I know everyone has bad days now and then, but the whole team had a bad day. Another year without them in the Superbowl.......Won't be as much fun to watch. Now I will concentrate on the Celtics and Bruins. Good thing I live in New England with lots of sports teams. Imagine being a sports fan and living in North Dakota?

Specials on the week of December 20th

2009-12-15T14:51:00.003-05:00

Monday the 21st
I want a dog for Christmas Charlie Brown is on ABC at 8pm

Wednesday the 23rd
Miracle on 34th Street on ABC family at 7:30

Thursday the 24th
Its a wonderful life on NBC at 8pm

Friday (Christmas Day)
24 hour marathon of "A Christmas Story" on TBS
Disney Christmas parade on ABC at 10am

More Christmas specials

2009-12-10T20:00:00.005-05:00

Here is the schedule for the week of December 13th

Sunday

ABC family has 3 shows

8am "I saw mommy kissing santa claus"

6pm the movie "Santa Baby"

8pm "Santa Baby 2"

Monday

5pm "Eloise at Christmas time" on ABC Family

8pm Jennifer Hudson x-mas special on ABC

Thursday

8pm SNL Christmas special on NBC

1opm J "ingle all the way" on ABCFAM

Friday

8pm "Frosty the Snowman" on CBS

8:30 "Frosty Returns" on CBS

Enjoy them all!

Holiday Specials

2009-12-07T11:32:00.006-05:00

I love this time of year. I enjoy watching all the holiday shows on TV and I enjoy Christmas music on the radio. Every year I do a search to find what specials are on and when. If you like the shows as much as I do then you will appreciate this blog.

Tonight

My favorite - "Santa Claus is coming to town" is on ABC at 8pm

Twas The Night Before Christmas on ABCFAM at 7:00pm

Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special on FOX at 8:00pm

Jack Frost on ABCFAM at 10:00pm

Tuesday
Mickey's Christmas Carol on ABCFAM at 7:00pm
Charlie Brown Christmas on ABC at 8:00pm
The Year Without A Santa Claus on ABCFAM at 8:00pm
Prep and Landing (new one) on ABC at 8:30pm
A Miser Brothers' Christmas on ABCFAM at 9:00pm
Rudolph's Shiny New Year on ABCFAM ay 10:00pm

Wednesday
Shrek the halls on ABC at 8:00pm

Friday
A Muppets Christmas: Letters To Santa on NBC at 8:00pm
Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus on CBS at 8:00pm

Saturday
Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas In July on ABCFAM at 12 noon

Rudolph's Shiny New Year (again) on ABCFAM at 2:00pm
The Year Without A Santa Claus (again) on ABCFAM at 3:00pm
Santa Clause 2 on ABCFAM at 6:00pm
It's a Wonderful Life on NBC at 8:00pm
Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer on CBS at 8:00pm
Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause on ABCFAM at 8:00pm

Enjoy them. Later this week I will post the schedule for next week.

If you are looking for Holiday music on the radio, there are two stations playing all Holiday music. they are 105.7 and 103.3

Are You ready?

2009-08-31T07:58:00.003-04:00

As I sit here at my desk I keep asking myself, "Are you ready?" The answer is yes. I am ready to meet a new group of wonderful students. I am ready to have another fun filled year. I am ready for the new challenge of teaching a computer programming class for the first time. I am ready for the first day of school. Is everyone else ready?

Teaching Something different

2009-07-05T20:01:00.004-04:00

Ahhh, summer time. I hope everyone is enjoying their time off from school. Last week I started my summer teaching job. I am teaching my daughter how to drive. She got her permit last Monday and has been very excited about driving. We started off in parking lots for a couple of days and today I had her drive on the road. I was little nervous when I started these lessons but she has quickly put me at ease. She is doing a great job. I would guess being old enough to start driving is one of the highlights in a teenagers life. I look at it this way......Now I have a personal driver.

To The baseball team

2009-06-03T15:57:00.003-04:00

I am so sorry I can not be at the game today to support you. It has started raining and I cannot be out in the rain for any extended time. You have heard me coughing in class. that is from being out in the rain two weeks ago. I just can't afford to get any sicker. I am sorry. I know that you will do well and I will just have to catch the next game. That would be the finals this weekend, I think.

Only 4 weeks to go

2009-05-26T11:54:00.004-04:00

Another great year is coming to an end. I can not believe that there are only 5 more math classes left this year. It has been so much fun with my classes this year. I want to thank all my students for their hard work and for making my job so enjoyable. This time of year is very busy and it is easy to lose focus so make sure you stay on top of your assignments and get some studying done. Don't leave your final exam studying until the last minute.
If you like baseball (that would be me) this is a fun time. I am waiting to hear when Norton plays their first playoff game which will probably be this weekend. I hope everyone can come cheer on the guys. I am also waiting to hear my son's schedule for this weekend because he is in the KP cup (a little league baseball tournament). As long as his team keeps winning we could play 8 games in two days. That can be a little tiresome so I may need a nap on Monday.

Great Time

2009-05-01T19:55:00.004-04:00

Another fun filled day of math at Six Flags. I hope my students enjoyed themselves. Don't forget to send me any pics you have from the day. I will make a movie to show in class next week.

Six Flags

2009-04-30T19:57:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited. My favorite field trip is happening tomorrow. Math Day at Six Flags. Even the forecasted rain will not dampen my enthusiasm for this trip. I get excited seeing my students so excited about this trip. I just wish it didn't take place when there were so many school athletic events going on. I would love all my students to be able to participate. I apologize to all my athletes. Good luck at your games and matches tomorrow afternoon.

Enjoying Vacation

2009-04-22T12:35:00.002-04:00

Nothing like a little time away from school to kick back and relax. I have been very busy doing everything that needs to be done so I can sit back and relax for the end of vacation. I corrected papers from school, made up my smartboards for the next two weeks, did housework and went to dentist appointments. Now time to have some fun. I have been watching some very exciting playoff games (Bruins and Celtics) and tonight I am going to (hopefully) an exciting Red Sox game. That is if it doesn't get rained out. The only thing I haven't done this vacation is read. Well, there is always tomorrow. I hope everyone else on vacation is finding time to have fun.

So much to do so little time

2009-04-15T08:52:00.002-04:00

Only 2 more days of school and then April vacation starts. There are so many things that I want to do during vacation and I doubt that I will have time to do it all. I find that I let so many things g0 during the school year. I just keep saying, "I will do that during vacation." Now I have too many things to do and only one week to do them. One thing I have to do is visit my sister. She and her family moved to New York State 2 years ago and I have not gone out to visit them yet. (I know I am a terrible sister) I will make sure I see her and my niece and nephew during April vacation. I have another niece that lives on the cape and missed her 6th birthday party back in March (because I was in New Jersey) so I have to go see her and deliver her birthday present present, 2 months late. I have a few books that I bought months ago and haven't even started to read yet so I need to have free time to read. And like every school vacation my children have dentist appointments. It is so much easier to have them on vacation so no one misses a day of school. While I make plans to do these things I have to keep an eye on my sons baseball schedule because he has practice Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. Then the season begins with games Thursday night and Saturday afternoon. I'm getting tired just writing about all this. I just have to remember that after this vacation there are only 8 weeks left in the school year.

The End is near

2009-04-08T13:24:00.002-04:00

Wow, it's term 4. Can you believe that this school year is just about over? This is always a difficult time to keep your focus. I know I have to push myself harder to get things done. The warm weather makes me want to go outside and do things instead of staying in to make up a test or correct one. We need to make sure that we stay on task for just two more months.

Baseball season has begun

2009-04-01T19:08:00.002-04:00

Boy do I love baseball season. I spent some time in Foxboro this afternooon watching the Norton vs. Foxboro baseball game. It was 2-0 Norton in the 4th when I had to leave. I thought with baseball came the warm weather. This afternoon was anything but warm. I wish I could have stayed for the whole game, but I just couldn't handle baseball and cold weather. I thought football had the cold weather? I hope our boys went on to win the game. If you are reading this and you know the score of the game fill the rest of us in on that.

What are you reading?

2009-03-18T19:38:00.003-04:00

Have you read any good books lately? I am trying to find a great book for the incoming freshmen to read over the summer. The current freshmen class read "The Number Devil", but they didn't like that choice so I am trying to find something more enjoyable for the students. Right now I am reading "October Sky" by Homer Hickham. I am only 60 pages into the book, but I am enjoying the little that I have read. I would like to hear about any books that you have read and would recommend.

Red Sox time is here!

2009-02-23T19:10:00.004-05:00

Everyone has reported to Spring training and the first pre-season game is Wednesday at 7:05. I am very excited, but I will have to skip this game because our boys basketball team has its playoff game at the same time and they are more important to me than the Redsox.

One School One Book

2009-02-18T15:48:00.003-05:00

I have been reading the book "The Day the World Came to Town" and something is on my mind that I have to share with everyone. Can you believe how incredibly generous and trusting the people in Gander are? I would like to think that I would be the same, but I am not sure. I know that I would definately bring supplies to where ever the people were being placed, but I am not sure that I would open my house up to strangers. I couldn't get over how people were invited into the homes to take showers and the home owners would leave the house and tell them to make themselves at home. I would like to think that I could be that way, but I am not sure I would. What about you? Could you be that trusting of stangers?

April is math awareness month

2009-02-03T18:54:00.004-05:00

We all know that I get carried away with the weather. Especially in the winter with the snow storms. Well today I realized that I am not alone with interest in the weather. The month of April is considered math awareness month and a theme has been chosen for this year. "The American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics announce that the theme for Mathematics Awareness Month, April 2009, is Mathematics and Climate." I took that quote from the web site http://www.mathaware.org/. You should check it out some time. I am sure that we will incorporate some weather activities into our class in the month of April. If you have any ideas, let me know.

Snowstorm?

2009-01-26T18:09:00.004-05:00

What a winter we are having! Can you believe that there is another chance of snow for Wednesday? Everyone that knows me is aware that I love snow. I get so excited when I hear about snow storms. I will watch several different TV stations to see how much they are predicting and for this storm they seem to all be around 8 inches. Makes you think, Snow Day? Since I am so interested in weather I was searching the internet for examples of math used by meteorologists and I came across an interesting powerpoint titled "Math used in Meteorology" check it out when you have a chance. http://www.nheon.org/ictliteracy/artifactslibrary/MA68Meteorology.ppt

Happy shoveling.

New Courses at Norton High

2009-01-13T19:05:00.002-05:00

We are at a time in the school year that all academic coordinators turn in any proposals they have for a new course to be offered next year. I have been busy because I am proposing 3 new courses. I would like to offer a project based math class. This class would use the algebra and geometry that students have mastered to be applied to projects. (hopefully fun projects) One project requires that the students make model hang gliders and we will fly them, unmanned, out the window to find projections of weight and distance. Groups will also design buildings using geometric shapes.
The second course I would like to see offered is an introduction to engineering. This class would have some time in the math classroom as well as time in CAD class and in the shop with Mr. Brown. I am very excited about this course. Students will get a hands on experience of math and science being used in the engineering world.
The third course is a semester class in computer programming. It is called Alice. I have been having fun with this animated world of programming. You can check it out at alice.org The program is free. I have to give written proposals to Mr. Dewar and he will present them to the school committee some time in February. If they are approved I hope you will sign up for one of more of them.

Happy 2009

2009-01-04T14:12:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone!
All the excitement of the holidays is over and so is school vacation. I am a little sad about this, but at the same time I am anxious to get back to school. I love having time off, but I also like the structure my life has when I get up and go to school every day. For those of you that are sad about vacation being over here is something to think about...only 6 weeks until february vacation. Now what is really making me sad is not the fact that vacation is over, but the fact that the Patriots had a record of 11-5 and they are not in the playoffs. It upsets me that they are out with 11 wins and a team is in with only 8 wins. Something is wrong with that. I think I am going to have to cheer for the Giants this year.

Website for TV Specials

2008-12-13T19:18:00.002-05:00

I have just found a great web site that has a day by day list of specials.
http://tv.popcrunch.com/2008-christmas-tv-specials-and-movies-schedule/

I hope this has your favorite special listed.

More Holiday specials

2008-12-13T19:04:00.003-05:00

You asked to be kept informed of when the specials are on so here we go....
Tuesday 12/16 on ABC at 8:00 is Charlie Brown Christmas
Wednesday 12/17 on ABC Family at 7 is I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
same night at 8:00 on NBC is A Muppet Christmas
Thursday 12/18 on ABC Family at 8 is the movie The Grinch that Stole Christmas
Friday 12/19 on ABC Family is a repeat of A Miser Brothers' Christmas
in case you missed last week
Saturday 12/20 on CBS at 8 is the movie Elf and
on ABC is I want a dog for Christmas Charlie Brown (again)

Enjoy yourself!

Holiday specials update

2008-12-09T19:31:00.008-05:00

I promised that I would let you know when the holiday specials were on TV so here is the latest update: Wednesday 12/10 at 8:00 on ABC Family is Santa Claus is Coming to town. at 9:00 the same night on the same channel is Rudolph's shiny new year. Thursday 12/11 at 8:00 on ABC Family is The year without a Santa Claus. (I will miss that one because I will be at school watching the honor society inductions.) Friday 12/12 at 8:00 on CBS is Frosty and Frosty returns. Saturday NBC is showing the movie "It's a wonderful life" at 8:00 and ABC family has "A Miser Brother's Christmas" Then Monday 12/15 on ABC at 8:00 is "I want a dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown"

Enjoy!

Weekend Fun

2008-12-08T08:37:00.003-05:00

What an exciting weekend. I spent Saturday at Gillette Stadium watching some great high school football teams. Sure it would have been even more exciting if Norton won, but I am very proud of the team. I was also impressed by the turnout Norton had in the stands. Then Sunday I woke to a white ground. Anyone who knows me is well aware that I love snow. Too bad we didn’t get more than the dusting, maybe more will come Friday morning. Then Sunday morning I did a little holiday shopping, (I love to shop) and came home to watch the Patriots win.

I had a great weekend!

Its a Great Time to be at Norton High School

2008-12-03T11:24:00.003-05:00

Have you looked at the school calendar lately? There is so much going on here at Norton High School. We have the BIG Superbowl game saturday, which I am very excited about. Hopefully I will see lots of you there, but before that we have the snowball dance Friday night for the freshmen and sophomores. Next week we have the holiday concert Wednesday night and the honor society inductions Thursday night. I believe there is a TR-M recital tonight as well. December certainly is a busy time here at Norton High School. Enjoy all the festivities.

TV Specials

2008-11-30T13:10:00.002-05:00

I have already told everyone that I love this holiday season and one of the reasons is because I love watching all the holiday specials. I have found a web site that tells you when all the specials are airing onTV. I noticed that a few of my readers have taken the poll of Christmas specials and picked "A Christmas Story". Well you may be happy to know that it is on TV Friday at 8pm on TBS. Thursday night ABC family has "Jack Frost", "Santa Claus is coming to town" and "The year without a Santa" Too bad I will miss some of those because I will be at parent Teacher conferences for my daughter at King Philip. Tuesday night the "Grinch who stole Christmas" is on. but I think most of us will miss that because we will be at the football playoff game. That is pretty exciting, huh? We win Tuesday and then Saturday we will be at Gillette Stadium for the high school superbowl. Way to go Norton! The teamn winning has made this time of year even more exciting. Don't you agree?

Now back to the xmas specials...a couple of others coming up are Charlie Brown Christmas on Monday Dec. 8th and Frosty is on Friday Dec 12th. I love those two.

Semi Formal

2008-11-22T08:32:00.003-05:00

Last night I went to the semi formal and as usual I had a great time. I love to see all my students dressed up so nice. As I walked in the door I was right in front of the dance floor and I don't think any girl was wearing shoes. You girls are crazy walking around barefoot in a public place, but it looked like everyone was having the best time. Makes me wish there were more events like this. Now I have to wait until the spring to come and see everyone at the prom. Anyone know the date of the prom? Well I am looking forward to it. I'm glad everyone had so much fun last night and I am so glad I was invited. Make sure you view my photo album to the left with all my pictures.

Favorite Time of the Year

2008-11-19T13:42:00.003-05:00

What is your favorite time of the year? Is it Summer when you are out of school and the weather is wonderful? Not Me. I'm not saying I dislike the summer, because I don't, but it is not my favorite time. We are coming up to my favorite part of the year. I love the holiday season. I love the holidays and the cold weather especially when we get snow (and snow days!). I enjoy all the holiday specials on TV and I enjoy the music. The only problem with this time of year is that I have too much to do. I get so excited about the holidays and the shopping that my school work tends to take a back seat and that is not a wise choice to make. I will have to make a conscious effort this year to keep up with the school work. If I start slacking I am sure my students will let me know.

Norton Spirit

2008-11-07T09:59:00.002-05:00

Once again the Norton Community has a chance to show it's spirit. Fox 25 news has nominated Sean Ryan as one of five players for High School Friday Player of the Month of October. All you have to do is go to myfoxboston.com. Click on the sports tab and then click on high school Friday and you will see the names to vote for on the right side. As of today, Friday 11-7-08 at 10:00am, Sean is in second place with 23% of the vote. A player from Medway has 71% of the vote. Lets get those votes in for him. PLEASE PASS THIS ALONG!! Lets get some spirit going!! Lets all vote for Sean Ryan as High School Friday Player of the Month of October.

Sports and Math

2008-10-17T08:36:00.004-04:00

Sports and Math......do they go together? I noticed that my blog has been a lot about sports (especially the redsox) and I was wondering if you think that math and sports are connected. I took a tour of the Patriots Hall of Fame Wednesday morning and that has me thinking even more about the connection between math and sports. The Hall of fame has a lot of educational things in it. When the kicker is attempting a field goal do you think he is thinking about the math involved? Well he should be. Do you have any idea what the percent of increase is on ticket prices and the programs sold at each game? What about the all the statistics kept on these professional players. I am sure there is a mathematician involved, specifically a statistician. So what do you think about the sports and math connection?

Where does the time go?

2008-10-13T09:45:00.001-04:00

When you have a long weekend, do you ever think "This is great. I'll spend this time catching up"? When I left school on Friday I was so excited to have a three day weekend. I thought I could have the extra time to get caught up on things. Well it is already Monday and I have not done one thing that I thought I would do. I wanted to get caught up on some correcting and make some extra practice sheets to post on edline. I also needed to get some things done around my house. None of that got done. Saturday My daughter had a double header for marching band competitions so there was a 1:00 show in Dartmouth and a 6pm show in New Bedford. I am happy to report that her school, King Philip, won both competitions. When I arrived home Saturday night I stayed up to watch the late Red Sox game. Depressing that we lost, but I’ll get over it. Then Sunday my son had a baseball game, which his team won. They are 5-1 overall this fall. When I got home from that I did manage to do one thing around the house, but no school work. Now it is Monday and I am leaving here in about 3 hours to go into Boston. I have tickets to todays game at 4:30. I’m very excited to be going to a playoff game! So much for me catching up on things this weekend.

Technology in the classroom

2008-10-07T16:06:00.004-04:00

I went to Bridgewater State College today to listen to Mr. Alan November speak about learning in the 21st century. Now I am all excited about trying new things in my math class. I have set up a custom search engine on google to help search specifically for web sites that will help explain precalculus topics. I am going to ask all my students to contribute web sites to this search engine. I have also set up an account with jingproject.com so we will be making videos at the end of each class to summarize the key topics we covered that day. The videos will then be posted on the internet for all to view. Each day I am hoping to have a different student volunteer to make the summary video, or maybe I will pick students at random. I know the class is going to enjoy doing this. My next project is going to be on epals.com. I hope to find a math teacher in a different country that wants to have contact with us. We can start communications between the two classes and use skype to have ongoing communication between our students. I am very excited about trying these new activities in class. I hope I can get you just as excited as I am.

Its all about sports

2008-10-02T06:17:00.002-04:00

What a week! The Norton football team is going to have a great game Friday night and put on a show for Fox 25 and all the viewers, The RedSox won their first playoff game in California, and my sons fall baseball team is undefeated with only 3 games left to play.

Did anyone stay up late last night to watch the redsox game? I don't know why I felt it necessary to stay up that late on a school night. Now, today I am tired and will probably be cranky. I will have to come home from school and take a nap at 3:00. Oh well, at least the sox won and I did get 4.5 hours of sleep.

First Chapter Test

2008-09-25T14:31:00.001-04:00

I just finished correcting one class of Pre-calc tests. It took over 3 hours to correct the tests. I spent most of the time writing notes on why the answers were wrong. I put a lot of effort into making a review sheet to do for homework and then another to post on edline. I wish my students put the same amount of effort into doing those sheets and preparing for the test. There were four perfect test scores of 100 and I congratulate all of you that worked hard to prepare for this test. I was disappointed in the number of students that did poorly. I hope my students take this as a learning experience and if they did poorly they will try harder for the next one. You need to put a lot of effort into a Pre-calculus class if you want to be successful.

Go Lancers

2008-09-22T18:29:00.006-04:00

Go Lancers

I love that the whole school is coming together to vote on myFoxBoston.com. This is a great way to promote school spirit. My last check showed Dennis Yarmouth with 311 votes and Norton High with 1672 votes. Keep spreading the word, we don't want to give them a chance to catch up. Then on Friday we need to continue to show our school spirit by coming to the game and cheering our team on to victory.

Play Ball!

2008-09-16T18:45:00.004-04:00

Hello all you Red Sox fans...Big game tonight. If we win tonight then we take over first place. Did you watch last nights game? How about all those homeruns? I'm ready to see that again tonight. I love baseball season when we get close to the playoffs, especially when the Red Sox are having a good year. Game time in 10 minutes.

September

2008-09-05T18:30:00.003-04:00

Wow, the first week of school is over. Anyone else tired? It was a short week and I am so tired. I'm ready to go to bed for the night and it is only 6:30. This happens to me every year. My body is so used to being relaxed all the time and now I am on the go from 5:45am until this time at night. I shouldn't be complaining because most teenagers, if they are anything like my children, are on the go more than me. My daughter gets off the school bus at 3:00, does homework, eats dinner and is back at school for color guard by 5pm. She gets home from that at 9pm and goes back to homework. Hopefully is asleep by 11:00 only to get up at 6am and start all over again. Thank goodness the youth have so much energy. I need a little energy myself right now to go outside and pick up all the small items that may blow away when the storm Hanna comes through this area tomorrow. One thing you may not know about me is that I love the weather. I watch the weather channel for fun and I check www.weather.com at least twice a day. It is more like twice every hour when there is a storm coming. Weather has many connections with math so I guess it makes sense that I am fascinated with it. I wonder what things fascinate my students? Why don't you let me know.

A July update

2008-07-29T14:57:00.004-04:00

Is everyone enjoying their summer? That is probably a silly question. What student or teacher doesn't enjoy their summer? I have spent most of the month of July at baseball games. My son, Bryan, plays summer ball and I truly enjoy watching those games. It was great to see some of my students at the ball fields as well. Whenever Plainville had a game I would walk around all the other fields and see if there were any purple uniforms. If I saw purple I knew Norton was playing. I spent a little bit of time at school this month too. We have two new math teachers and I wanted to give them tours of the school and give them books for the classes they will be teaching. The highlight of the month for me was my family outing at Six Flags. All my brother and sisters came with their children along with some cousins and their children. We were at the park for an early AAA opening at 9am and we left around 9pm. What a day! My next trip there will hopefully be in May(2009) for Math Day.
I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer. Please stay safe. I am going to a funeral for a former student tomorrow morning and it is just too sad for me.

Mr. Dewar's blog

2008-06-05T14:21:00.003-04:00

I would like everyone to read Mr. Dewar's blog and comment on his blog. You want to comment on what he wrote about blogging. It is a couple of articles ago on his blog(not the most recent)I will be checking his blog to see if you made a comment. Thanks for doing this.
scroll down and there is a link to his blog on the left side.

The end of a great year

2008-05-23T19:46:00.003-04:00

Can you believe it? June is right around the corner. I need a little more time in the school year to finish everything I want to do. Don't you want to extend the year school by a week or two? I guess I will have to accept the fact that I have to leave some things for next year. At the end of each school year I reflect on how things went all year. What I did that went well, and what needs to be changed for next year. Here is your chance to make a difference....What should be done differently in Pre-Calc next year? I know I will use the smartview software more. I will make sure I don't forget that we have it. I am going to show the students the little calculator tricks at the beginning of the year instead of at the end. (sorry!) I never thought to ask if you knew the little things like recalling a previous answer. I believe the students will benefit from more frequent notebook quizzes so I will make that change as well. Now it is your turn to tell me what you think. What would have made the class better for you? You should reflect about your school year. Did you try you best? If not, what will you do differently next year? Make the most out of your senior year because you only get one high school senior year. Enjoy your summer. I know I will. You will find me poolside just about every day.

Math Day at Six Flags

2008-05-04T12:00:00.003-04:00

I have to admit that when I woke up Friday morning I was a little nervous about the weather, but the day turned out pretty good. I should have known that a little wet weather would not ruin our field trip. We all got a little damp with the heavy mist for the first hour we were there, but after that I stayed pretty dry. I had a great day and I hope that all my students did as well. You were supposed to have fun on this trip, but I also wanted you to make those math connections. Did you? Let me know. I have to stop typing and go correct those six flags packets. Then I will check my email for some more pictures from six flags. Don't forget to email them to me.

The End of April Vacation

2008-04-27T19:06:00.002-04:00

It is Sunday night and tomorrow morning I have to wake up with an alarm clock. Time to go finish out the school year. For those of you reading this blog that are depressed by the end of school vacation, you only have 36 more days of school. I hope everyone had a great week off from school. I went to watch the marathon. My family watched from mile 16.5 in Newton. We saw Lance Armstrong go by, then Mr. Taylor was only minutes behind him. My husband was about 15 minutes behind Mr. Taylor. After all 3 passed by I caught the green line into Boston to the finish line. Congrats to the two Mr. Taylors for a great race. Boston was crazy. So many people there was barely any room to move, but I wouldn't have missed out on the experience. My only complaint was the T was so crowded that everyone was squished in with little breathing room. Even with that said I recommend you go to the marathon.
The rest of my week was very relaxing. I did a little bit of school work. I made up the workbook for our math day at six flags and I read a book called "The Number Devil". The book was about a boy that did not like math and every time he went to sleep he had dreams about it. The Number devil came into his dreams to show him how fun math can be. I enjoyed the book and I think it will be required summer reading for next years incoming freshmen.
My vacation ended with a weekend of baseball. Little league parade and first game of the season was Saturday and then Sunday was an AAU baseball game. My son can't join just one baseball league. He has to join both Little League and AAU. I guess it is a good thing that I like baseball.

Recyling

2008-04-16T19:33:00.002-04:00

We all know that the school budget is going through some tough times. One thing that I have been doing is sending in empty ink cartridges and old cell phones to earn points for our school. I send them to a company called funding factory. The points that are issued can be used to purchase educational items. My goal for this year and next year is to earn enough points to buy white board markers for all the teachers. This will allow us to have a little bit more money in the budget to spend on other things. I need everyone to help me out with this. Please ask people you know to save these items and donate them to the school. You can bring them to me or the items can be dropped off in the main office. I will continue to send these items in over the summer so they can be dropped off in July and August too. Thanks for all your help.

School Administration

2008-04-07T10:38:00.002-04:00

I wonder if you realize how lucky we are here in Norton? We have two administrators that really care about the school community. Whenever a school activity is going on we always see Mr Dewar or Mr. Barth here supporting and cheering the students. Dr. Ansay attends events as well. I want you to know that it is not like that at every school. I have been dissappointed with the principal at my daughters school about that.
I spent most of my weekend at my daughter's colorguard competitions. Saturday they won the state championship and Sunday they got the gold medal at the New England Championships. They are having a rally Tuesday night because Wednesday morning they are leaving for Ohio to compete for the National championship. Going to all of her competitions has made me realize that we have such a wonderful administration here in Norton. My daughter is a freshmen in high school and she has had many home shows for colorguard and I have never seen her school administrator at these. Last year the team qualified for the national championship and had a rally show the night before they left and their principal was not there so I don't expect to see her this week either.
I just want to let everyone know that we are lucky to have a principal and vice principal that are always showing us their support. I wish my daughter had that at her high school.

2008-03-31T17:59:00.007-04:00

I can't believe I have gone so long without a word on my blog. Sorry about that. My last blog was about the book we all read and this blog is related to that as well. In 3 weeks, on April 21st, the Boston marathon will take place. This year Mr. Taylor is running in the marathon with Lance Armstrong to raise money and awareness of cancer and treatments. Mr. Taylor needs to raise $3500 for the Lance Armstrong foundation and he needs our help. You can visit the web site

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=259771&supid=203303370

to see Mr. Taylor's donation page and maybe you or someone you know can make a donation. I am excited about the marathon. I love to watch the race and this year it will be more enjoyable because I will know two people running. The two Mr. Taylor's (Mr. Taylor the English teacher and Mr. Taylor my husband). You all know how much of a sports fan I am, marathons included, so you know I am counting down the days until I make the trip to Newton. I already have my spot picked out at mile 16.5 and then I plan to take the T from Newton into Boston by the time the guys cross the finish line. I imagine most of my students are looking forward to the 21st of April as well. You may not be excited about the marathon, but that is the start of April vacation!

It's Not About the Bike

2008-02-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

Have you started reading? I am reading this book for the second time. If you read to the left of my blog "all about me" you know that I am a Tour de France fan and a Lance Armstrong fan so I was excited to hear our book choice for this year. I hope you like the book as much as I did(or at least half as much as I did). The picture above is Lance during the last stage of his last Tour de France when he won a record 7 times. Now that Lance has retired from cycling he is doing a lot to raise money for cancer and awareness of early cancer detection. I am sure you have seen the yellow bracelets that read "Livestrong". That is his motto. I have been wearing mine for 3 years now. Ever since I was diagnosed with cancer myself. Lance will be in Boston in April to run the Boston marathon. I will be on the route some place to cheer him, and all the other runners(maybe Mr. Taylor will be running again this year). Lance is doing this to raise money for his foundation. I found the following quote from the Foundation website

"At the Lance Armstrong Foundation, we unite people to fight cancer believing that unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything."

You can apply that quote to more than just fighting cancer. I particularly like the last part of the quote "Attitude is everything"

Enjoy the book and if you have any thoughts to share on what you read make sure to post those thoughts.

Snow Day

2008-01-13T19:40:00.000-05:00

Most winters I look forward to a snow day or two, as I am sure most of my students do, but I find myself a little sad at the prospect of no school tomorrow. I am having so much fun this year at Norton High that I actually do not want a day off. My daughter thinks I am a little crazy because she is very excited about having a three day weekend. This is so out of character for me. I even have a sign that hangs in my dining room during the winter months that reads, "Please Snow, I'm a teacher".

I hope that all of my students can find a career that they enjoy as much as I do. It is a wonderful feeling to get up in the morning and be excited about going to work. This year I started a new position and I was a little nervous leaving my comfort zone to try something new, but I am glad I choose this path. I truly believe I am growing. I have been learning so much and I just want to continue to learn more.

Now back to the weather. If the weather people are correct (50-50 shot at that) I do believe we will be home tomorrow so enjoy the snow day. Hopefully this will be our one and only snow day of the year.

More Puzzle Fun?

2007-12-16T18:46:00.000-05:00

I passed out a 16 piece puzzle on the topic of Trig Identities last week and I was wondering if anyone has tried that puzzle yet? Are you having any luck? I want you to remember that I told the class it was difficult. It took me a few hours to complete so I expect it will take my students longer than that. You should ask each other for help and maybe get a group together after school to work on the puzzle. If you need help from me, I am available after school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. If you get frustrated with the puzzle then you need to take a break and come back to the puzzle at a later time. Don't take too long of a break because the puzzle is due before the year 2008.

Happy Holidays

2007-12-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

Like the song states… “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” well, it is for me. I love so much about Christmas time. I like the music, the lights and decorations, the shopping, college football bowl games and the school vacation. I just came home from Christmas shopping and all I can think is only 18 more days until Christmas. The next thought I have is “oh no” I still have so many presents I want to buy for people. I know this blog has nothing to do with Pre-Calc class, but I am easily side tracked this time of year. Talking and writing about the holiday gets me excited. It is a good thing that I have such wonderful students to keep me on track when I am in class so I don’t spend the whole period talking about the holiday. If you enjoy this time of year and you enjoy watching the TV Christmas specials, you will have to read the blog of Mr. Paulus.

Puzzle Fun

2007-11-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

Do you like to do puzzles? I have so much fun with puzzles (I wish I had more free time that I could sit and do puzzles). I think that is why I enjoy the current topic in Pre-Calc class, Trig Identities. They are just like puzzles. You try one piece or one identity and if that doesn't work then you try another. You keep trying until you find one that fits and allows you to simplify the expression. You have to have patience with this. As we learn more identities we will have more puzzle pieces to try and it will take longer. I hope you are ready for some fun. If you have never liked puzzles before, maybe I can change your mind. By the way, we have a puzzle project coming up before Christmas break.

Self Evaluation

2007-11-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

One thing I do to improve my teaching is self evaluation. After each class I make notes of what went well and what I have to improve on for the next time. I think students need to do the same thing to become better students. Today you took a test on trig topics. You should ask yourself how that went. What did you do while studying that helped you? Make note of that so you do the same thing next time. Did you study enough? What can you do for the next test that will make you even more successful? I want all my students to want more. Don’t be satisfied with minimum achievements. Reach as high as you can.

The end of term 1

2007-11-14T17:08:00.000-05:00

We have completed 1/4 of the Pre-Calculus curriculum. What do you think about the class? Is it as hard as you thought back in early September? Do you think the work load is heavier or lighter than your previous math classes?
I love teaching Pre-Calculus. I feel this class brings so many tools from previous classes together. Now I know why I had to learn topics like factoring (so I can find the asymptotes for graphing a rational expression).
Take some time to think about the class and let me know your thoughts.