ClassIndependent Study: Juniors and Seniors, if you are interested in doing an INDEPENDENT study in Wildlife Biology (in addition to our regularly scheduled class) I would suggest taking a distance-learning course through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There is a cost associated with the Cornell courses. See me for more details. FFAFFA Week: This week we celebrated National FFA Week with Ag Olympics, Ag Trivia and a Hunger Banquet for sophomores. Pictures can be found here. SAESAE Grades: I will be grading SAE on March 1st (unless you are completing a proficiency award application, in which case you have an extension).
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ClassFreshmen: Bird, bird, bird, bird is the word. We are continuing with our birding unit. Students have been learning ways to improve their observations of birds in the field. Sophomores: We had the pleasure to speak with several professionals in the Natural Resource industry this week. Tuesday we visited the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to speak with scientists and research technicians in the Department of Forestry and Horticulture. Wednesday Skyped with an evolutionary biologist from Brazil who studies daddy long legs and the role the male has as the primary egg protector. Finally on Thursday we had a visit from an Environmental Conservation Officer from CT DEEP. Juniors and Seniors: CCNR permission slips were due today. If you want to go, email me that you are bringing the permission slip and money in on Tuesday so I can register us all ASAP. LHHS Retake and Redo Policy: A new policy has been established regarding the retake and redo process at Lyman Hall. The policy and the form have been posted to this website and on Google Classroom. We will be discussing the policy in class. Scholarships FFAFFA Update
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ClassConnecticut Conference on Natural Resources: Juniors, Seniors and students who participated in NRCA are eligible to attend CCNR on 3/13/17. Check out the CCNR website for more details on speakers (more detailed information coming to their website in March). Once I receive all permission slips and payment ($25 to Lyman Hall High School) by 2/17 (printed copies will be provided in class), I will register everyone. Parents are welcome to join us and are responsible for paying their admission ($50). FFAENR CDE/ Envirothon Practice: The next practice will be on Tuesday 2/21 from 2:00-3:00. We still need a team leader or someone to help get things organized. Step up! You do not have to have competed (or want to compete) to be the leader. Just be willing to organize materials and plan the practice activities. Envirothon Workshop: I will be taking students to the next Envirothon Workshop- Wildlife on March 18th (Saturday). Parents are welcome! See me for the permission slip.
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Environmental Events of Interest:
ClassFreshmen: Perfecting their bird identification techniques, this week we focused on recognizing the size and shape of birds. Next week we will be looking at color pattern and behavior, starting with observations of our new class pets, two zebra finches. Juniors: Students practiced orienteering by creating treasure hunts for their classmates to navigate. Seniors: Diving into global warming, students are in the midst of creating a video and playing a game to learn about the principles of Earth Science that make climate and weather possible. FFAENR: Our ENR practice was canceled due to snow. Our next practice will be on Thursday February 9th. SAESAE Spotlight By Ally L.
ClassFreshmen: Students should start to think about what they would like to do for their Supervised Agricultural Experience project. Projects will be fully planned in Quarter 4. Be sure to check out the SAE section of these updates for ideas. Next week we will be jumping into ornithology to master our skills in identification using dichotomous keys and field guides. Sophomore: Students will be earning their Chapter FFA degree this year. See all of the requirements for this degree in the photo below. Listed, is their progress towards meeting this degree:
Juniors: Meeting every other day now, we are moving into our Navigation and Mapping unit. Students will map various areas used by our class. This week we removed some invasive burning bush shrubs and created a new brush pile to provide escape cover for some of the birds that visit our feeders. Seniors: We just started a new unit on global warming and climate change. Students will be researching information about global warming and creating a movie about what they learn. FFAENR/Envirothon: The next Environmental/ Natural Resource CDE practice will be held on Tuesday January 31st. We will be focusing on the identification part of the contest. Come learn how to use dichotomous keys and delve deeper into the specifics about the key identifying features for each species. We are looking for someone to take over being team captain. Let me know if you are interested. A couple weeks ago, Envirothon hosted an Aquatics workshop in East Hartford. Silvia attended and we learned how to use dichotomous keys to identify amphibians and fish, learned the principles of permaculture, attended a discussion on riparian buffers and spotted a bald eagle on its nest over the Connecticut River. The next Envirothon workshop is coming up. Hope more of you can join Silvia and I! Scholarship: Amanda K. Cartier Memorial Scholarships ($500 for an ag student) has been posted in Naviance. SAESAE Grades: We are about half way through the SAE grading period. SAE will be graded again on March 1st. Please make sure you are staying up to date with your hours, SAE photos and journal entries. Let me know if you are having difficulties earning hours or are interested in changing projects.
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SAE Spotlight: Ally, a senior in Wildlife Biology, has been collecting information about Wildlife Bio student's SAE projects for her Ag Communications SAE. Each week, she will be highlighting one student's project in a SAE Spotlight. ClassGrads Give Guidance: Over 30 graduates came back to give guidance to juniors and seniors in our annual Grads Give Guidance event. Students learned about what it's like to choose a college and a major, transfer colleges, pay loans, apply for scholarships, deal with roommate issues, what college food actually tastes like, how to master good study habits, and more! South Africa Study Abroad: Kayla, a recent graduate and current UConn student, came back to talk to junior and senior wildlife biology students about her experience on a South African Study Abroad trip. Natural Resource Conservation Academy: Laura Cicneros from UConn will was here during office hours on 1/11 to talk about the NRCA program open to 9-12th graders and even adults. There are two different programs, one a week-long overnight field experience at UConn (Conservation Ambassador Program) and one a two day program for youth and adults (Conservation Training Partnership) which is free. Applications are due April 1st. See their website for more information and to get an application. Juniors: After working seriously hard on their wildlife management plans for the past few weeks, we finally got the chance to get outside on a warm day. Students filled the bird feeders, moved large branches out of our developing wildlife garden and cleared a stream blockage that was causing some flooding. FFAENR CDE Practice: Our next practice will be on January 17th. If you want to get in some extra practice time, let me know. Envirothon Aquatics Workshop Saturday January 14th ----- FREE EVENT!
Scholarships SAEIdeas
Events in the Community
ClassExam Prep Help This list of Study Tips for Exams was sent out by our National Honor Society Advisor. NHS members will be available in the library to help you too. See the message below from NHS: "Starting on Wednesday 1/4/17, NHS members will be available in the Library after school to assist students with exam prep from 2pm to 3pm. Students may get extra help with:
Wildlife Biology Exam Review Award Applications: Students have been filling out award applications in order to be recognized for all of the hard work they have done in their SAE projects and for their involvement in FFA. Some students are applying for proficiency awards. These students will compete at the chapter level and winners of each SAE program area will move on to compete at the state level, state winners will move on to be judged at the national level. Students who are National Finalists will be recognized at the National FFA Convention in October. To learn more about Proficiency Awards visit the National FFA Website. Natural Resource Conservation Academy: Laura from UConn will be here during office hours on 1/11 in the Ag Community room to talk about the NRCA program open to 9-11th graders. This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance or start an agri science SAE project. The program will also expose you to the UConn campus and you will work directly with faculty and staff in the Natural Resources department at UConn (hello college advantage). Hope to see you there. FFAFFA Meeting: The next FFA meeting is on 1/10. See Mrs. Dal Zin or Mrs. Roselli to sign up for the Chili Contest by Monday afternoon! There are several divisions. If you don't want to compete, just come and eat some chili and bring some corn bread or chips! You still need to sign up. Opening and Closing Ceremonies: This Career Development Event is open to freshmen and sophomore students only. If you like acting, then this contest is for you. See Mrs. Roselli during the next office hours block. Agri Science Fair Competition: If your SAE is research based, you should consider entering a poster in the Agri Science Fair Career Development Event in May. See Mrs. Picard to sign up. More information is available on the CDE flyer and in the Agri Science Fair website. ENR CDE Practice: Our next practice will be on January 17th. If you want to get in some extra practice time, let me know. We need to create labels for the equipment, this would be a great opportunity for some extra practice time. Envirothon Aquatics Workshop Saturday January 14th
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Job Shadow and Internships This message is from Ms. Greaves, our LH Career Counselor. She's a great resource. Please reach out to her. Her office is in the Library. "Job shadows are available to all students in grades 9-12 as a way to explore possible careers. Students participate in shadows in an area of business that they wish to explore. These can be half day or full day experiences and are excused absences from school. Some examples of the available opportunities are below. Please see Ms. Greaves at Lyman Hall to learn more. If we do not have something that interests you, we will do our best to create a career connection for you. We have job shadows available in: Engineering, Computer technology, Physical therapy, Occupational therapy, Speech therapy, Optometry, Orthodontist, Veterinary medicine and Teaching." ClassFreshmen FFA Test: If you did not pass the FFA test with an 80% or above, the next opportunity to retake the test will be on 2/28 (pending snow days). A score of 80% or higher is required to earn the FFA Greenhand Degree. Please let me know if you need help studying. Award Applications: Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors will be working on award applications after break. This year there will be two award tracks students can pursue: Proficiency Award (moves on to the state level and is focused on SAE) and the usual inhouse award application which focuses on FFA involvement and SAE. FFAChapter FFA Meeting: The next meeting is on 1/10 ENR/Envirothon Practice: A few people met this week. We gathered more equipment from the closet, identified what we still need and went outside and conducted a quick, and cold, environmental assessment. Our next practice is on January 17th. SAESAE Ideas for Winter Break
ClassFreshmen: Students have been researching and creating presentations about a particular species of their choice. Today, some students presented their animals to their classmates. Next week we will finish presenting and will be creating a web, highlighting all of the ways the animals interact with other components of the ecosystem. Sophomores: Worksafe ends on 12/19 and students start an Environmental Awareness unit on 12/21, where they will create a visual presentation to share with the class regarding an environmental topic of interest to them. Juniors: Students have adopted a character who is involved in natural resource management, "purchased" a piece of property related to their expertice and are working on developing a management plan for the property. This week we also visited the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to talk to scientists in the Forestry and Horticulture department to see how science influences wildlife management. Megan Linske and Dr. Scott Williams showed us how they can tell if a tick is infected with the bacteria that is responsible for Lyme disease. Their research in the past has shown that areas with dencer Japanese Barberry cover have a higher population of deer ticks. Check out this article to learn more about ticks and barberry. Seniors: We took a trip to Allnex during class this week to tour their Wastewater Treatment Plant. Students learned about the process water undergoes in order for it ultimately to be safe to release into the Quinnipiac River. We also stopped by the Aquaculture lab where Aqua seniors taught us about how their water is filtered. FFADecember FFA Meeting Recap: 1. A merchandise committee was formed to investigate making Ag t-shirts for students to buy - they'll be meeting on Tuesday 12/20 after school in Ag 216. If you have students with ideas (verbal - they DO NOT have to be drawn) please send them. 2. Students voted to support a student in need. 3. Holiday/ Winter themed cards and up-cycled bracelets are on sale (most items a dollar) in Ag 216, Ag 105, or see Erin Murray to purchase. All proceeds are going to Dan Cosgrove animal shelter. 4. Committee members are supposed to start coming around to do a Dan Cosgrove "lose change" collection. SAESAE Ideas
ClassFreshmen: We have been studying about the interactions within ecosystems. This week students are learning about one species in particular and will share that information with the class, to make a collective class-wide food web in the end. Sophomores: The WorkSafe unit has started and will continue until 12/19. The next unit will be Environmental Issues where the students will research and present an issue they care about. Junior: We took advantage of the beautiful week last week and spent some time observing life in the various strata levels of the forest. The juniors researched invasive plants affecting each level and shared management techniques to control each invasive. They also set up the bird feeders and we have been having a lot of birds and squirrels visiting the feeders. Seniors: Currently in our water unit, seniors are discovering where the water that comes out of our tap comes from and where it goes when it goes down the drain. We used the groundwater simulator to check out how pollutants move underground. You can see in the photo how the red dye has moved from the wells on the left towards the stream. Pollutants are drawn underground towards flowing water. Midterm Schedule Session I Session II Exam Date 7:30—9:30 9:50—11:55 Thurs., 1/19 1A - Freshmen 2A Fri., 1/20 3A- Seniors 4A- Juniors Mon., 1/23 1B 2B- Sophomores Tues., 1/24 3B 4B Should it be necessary to delay the opening of school on any of the exam days, the bell schedule will be adjusted as follows: Session I 9:30—11:35 Session II 11:55—1:55 Open House: Thank you to everyone who helped out with Open House this year! You can use Open House as SAE hours if you want. If you are using it as community service, make sure you pick up the form in the Guidance office. SAESAE Grades: SAE grades have been updated for Quarter 2. If you are in need of some new SAE ideas, check out the list below.
FFANational FFA Convention Video: Kailee won the sophomore essay contest to attend the National FFA Convention this past fall. She made this video of her experience of Nationals as a delegate.
2017 National FFA Scholarship Application Now Available: The 2017 National FFA online scholarship application is live until 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 1, 2017. The Signature Page – required to complete eligibility – must be postmarked no later than Feb. 8, 2017. Be sure to review eligibility requirements for the America’s Farmers Grow Ag Leaders scholarships (presented by the Monsanto Fund) and the Built Ford Tough dealer scholarship program. Washington Leadership Conference Scholarship Open: Visit the CT FFA Alumni website for more details. December FFA Meeting: 12/13 |
Attention:These updates are intended for current parents and students in the Wildlife Biology class at LHHS. Archives
November 2017
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