No Summit, Week 3: "Yakety Yak"

Well, when I split the book into four sections, I didn't realize I would be leaving us on such a cliffhanger (so to speak). However, when we leave our dear Jordan, there are a lot of questions about how he'll proceed and how his father is doing. The avalanche that started the book finally makes its appearance, and, for this reader at least, it was a very engaging, nail-biting scene - even knowing that he obviously makes it out alive (since he wrote the book!).

This week, I found myself making note of some details I wanted to see. While I am finding that the book moves quickly, there are some images that I wanted to dwell on or have explained more clearly. Here are three examples:

Torma 
Romero identifies these as yak butter sculptures used "as offerings to the gods." Here's a picture of some torma.

Photo from www.explorersweb.com

Not My Favorite Way To Use A Ladder
Reading this scene (just reading it) made me queasy (I've never been known to be fond of heights). Unsurprisingly, it is just as queasy to watch...(skip to 1:21 for the nerve-wracking passage).

Did I Mention My Fear Of Heights?
Okay, the term "Tyrolean traverse" sounded intriguing to me. So I found this video of a Tyrolean traverse on the Carstensz Pyramid. It takes him a while to set up, but it's worth it to watch his traversing (especially the "look ma, no hands" part). 

The Final Countdown...
And with that, I leave you to our final week of our online book club. Let's get Jordan off Everest, shall we? If there is something you wanted to look up (or if you did look something up), post it below in the comments!

Enjoy the summer!!

No Summit, Week 2: "Against All Odds"

Welcome to page 199! If you are there, congratulations! From here, you are well over halfway through the book! If you haven't yet made it this far, there is still plenty of time.

This week, I was struck by the obstacles that Jordan has to overcome in order to reach his goal. There are the obvious things - like the mountains themselves - and the slightly less obvious things - like doubts from other people and officials denying permits. Then there is that inner wrestling that Jordan finds himself doing. Sometimes he is merely doubting himself while other times he might rather be skiing or playing with friends.

This made me think a lot about my goals and what obstacles I face. As some of you know, I enjoy writing poetry. On the computer I'm using today, there are at least 100 poems that I quite like. Eventually, I plan to put some of them together as a collection and try to get it published. But then the obstacles come in. They arrive in the following forms:

• self-doubt (are these poems really good enough?)
• what I think others may think about me (NOTE: this is not people actually saying my work isn't good; it's me worrying that they might not think it is good)
• distractions (I could put these poems together and find a place to consider them, or I could go for a walk, or read a book, or play a video game, or...)

So what are your goals?
What obstacles get in your way?
And...most importantly...what helps you overcome those obstacles? What do you see Jordan doing to overcome them?

So I was going to post a video of Phil Collins' super cheesy "Against All Odds" - as this week's treat. I thought about "Against All Odds" as a fitting title since this week is about obstacles, but then I saw something great. Watch what happens at 1:09 - Phil makes a mistake in front of this large audience. And then check out the way he handles it. What a pro. I never thought I'd say this, but...I want to be more like Phil Collins.

 Happy reading!

No Summit, Week 1: "Right, kid."

Right, kid.

Okay, so take this with a grain of salt, as I am an adult reading this book, but here's the first thing I was struck by:

How do the adults in Jordan's life let him do this!??!

As you certainly know by now, this book is told from Jordan's viewpoint. He seems to me to be a plucky kid, full of confidence and ready to challenge himself. I am intrigued by him, but my focus keeps falling to the adults in the book. I don't personally have kids, but I wonder how I would feel if my 10-year-old son asked to climb the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. Or how I would respond to him if I were Samuel. What would I think of this boy telling me he wants to go the hardest route up Kilimanjaro? Would I let him? Or would I laugh at him and say, "Right, kid. If you wanna climb the mountain by that route, you're going to have to get yourself another guide."

What do you think of Jordan? In what ways are you like him? In what ways do you differ?

For me, when I was ten, I thought I pretty much had the answer to everything. I quickly found that not to be the case, but I don't yet see that happening for Jordan. I did chuckle at what happened when he turned down his father's help on Mt. Kosciuszko, and I appreciated his understanding that climbers younger than him probably climbed Kilimanjaro without being acknowledged. But I will be looking forward to see if he continues to be as cocky or if he finds a bit more humility as he continues his quest. 

Globe Trotter

I am particularly enjoying the global aspect of this book. As I read, I'm keeping my internet open and briefly researching any names of tribes or places. I have appreciated seeing the pictures of Elbrus and Kosciuszko, as well as learning about the Masai tribe that Jordan mentions en route to Kilimanjaro (I can't bring myself to call it "Kili"). This research is enriching my experience of the book (though it also makes my reading take longer), and I look forward to learning more about the other continents as the book progresses.

Inspirations

While I am not currently attempting to summit seven or eight different mountains, I am finding plenty of inspirational moments in this book. If you found a quote you found particularly inspiring, feel free to post it (with a page number) below. Mine for this week is:

"Shelter makes all the difference in a storm." - p. 71. I might talk more about why I find that inspirational later. For now, I'll just leave it there and look forward to checking in with you all after Mount Aconcagua and Denali (after page 199). 

A Little Something For You

As a gift for reading Week One's entry, here's a picture of me at rock climbing school (age 12). I thought of this picture when Jordan spoke of the "Kissing Wall." How Jordan describes his experience there reminded me of this moment (though I was much closer to the ground (though definitely not much cooler)). 

Happy reading!

No Summit - Blog Book Group

Hello everyone!

We hope the summer is treating you well and that you're enjoying every bit of it! As July is coming to a close, we thought it would be a good time to check in and make sure that everyone is making progress through our summer reading book, No Summit out of Sight. For those of you who have not yet started, or for anyone who is interested in refreshing their memories, we're going to start a No Summit book group right here!

What does it mean?!?!

Below, you'll find a reading schedule for the entire book. If you follow this plan, you will have the book read before we start school (in exactly one month!). At this pace, you'll read no more than 15 pages a day. Each Sunday, I will create a blog post sharing reactions or reflections on what we've read and inviting you to do the same! You can also use that place to post questions you might have about the reading or questions that you think might engage others!

Do I have to post to the blog?!?!

Nope! If you just want to follow along with this timeline, that's fine, too!
Or if you've already finished the book, terrific!
Or if you want to read the book all in one week, coolio!
The only requirement is that you've read the book before school begins.
 
Okay, Smart Guy, where is this schedule?!?!

By August 3, read to page 107 (Mount Kiliminjaro, Kosciuszko and Elbrus).
Average daily page count: 15 - the steepest part of our climb.
 
By August 10, read to page 199 (Mount Aconcagua and Denali).
Average daily page count: 13 - easing up a little, but still making good progress.

By August 17, read to page 278 (Carstensz Pyramid and Mount Everest (pt. 1)).
Average daily page count: 11 - a smaller page count so people can catch up, should they need.
 
By August 24, read to page 355 (Mount Everest (pt. 2) and Vinson).
Average daily page count: 11 - finishing at a nice, easy pace.


Happy reading! And I'll meet you back here after we've climbed Mount Elbrus!

MMS Summer Reading

June 2015

Greetings students and families of Milton Middle School,

As one year winds down, we are already gearing up for the next; can you believe it? Without rushing things, we do want to let you know about the summer reading expectations. We are excited to announce that we will be reading 2015-2016 Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) selection, No Summit out of Sight by Jordan Romero. Students will be given a copy of the book by 6/15; this copy will be theirs to keep and annotate. With its connections to exploration and larger message about persisting, this title is a great fit with our upcoming curriculum. Students should bring in their copies, having already read them, on the first day of school. If your child is unable to receive his or her copy by this Monday, it will be available to pick up from the elementary school throughout the summer.

In addition to reading this title, we are expecting all students to continue their independent reading. Vermont's reading standards challenge students to read one book every two weeks.  Many students love to plunge in and read over the summer with all that free time.  Others need some structure, encouragement, and strategic planning -- plan regular time for reading, read with your child, listen to books on tape or digital recordings, read books then watch the movies, take trips to the library. In fact, the Milton Public Library is offering some fabulous summer programming under the theme Unmask. We have included a list of all of this year’s DCF titles on the back of this letter. Please visit the websites listed below for more information about the books, including recommended ages and descriptions. Additionally, the folks at the Milton Public Library are helpful resources for book recommendations. Families, this could be a wonderful opportunity for you to enjoy some excellent young adult literature, while supporting your child with his/her reading expectations.

When we return in August, in addition to school-wide celebrations of the book No Summit out of Sight, each house will have its own way of discussing and working with the books.There is also a chance that our school will be invited to participate with the Vermont Public Radio program Dorothy’s List. Keep track of those questions and talking points!

So, find a nice sunny spot, curl up, and get lost in some fabulous literature. If you have any questions, please direct them to the appropriate humanities teachers.

Happy Reading!

The MMS Humanities Team

For an annotated list of the 2015-2016 DCF titles:

http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/DCFMasterlist15-16.pdf

For a list of books with high interest, background building, current trends for all the students in grades 5th-8th.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/284.Middle_School_Book_List

Trimester 3 Progress Reports

Hello families, Students received their progress reports for the third trimester on Friday 5/8. Please be sure to check with your child to review his or her science, math, and humanities reports. As always, feel free to contact individual teachers if you would like more information. Thanks!

Power to the People Celebration on T.V.

Milton Middle School Power to the People Celebration is on LCATV.

Portfolio Conferences April 15 & 16

Dear Families,

The days are getting longer and the snow is melting. Spring is in the air, and it’s time for Student Portfolio Conferences! Your child has done much learning and growing over these past months. We invite you to a Portfolio Conference, where your child will present work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth.

These conferences are important to your child, and represent many hours of preparation. The portfolio process helps students build life-long skills including: organization skills, self-evaluative skills, and communication skills. Most importantly, the portfolio process helps your child take more ownership of his or her learning and be more accountable for his or her academic progress. Children benefit greatly from having meaningful conversations about their learning with important adults in their lives. Thank you for the important role you play in this process!

Please visit http://bit.ly/housecconferences7 to indicate your preferred conference time. Any caring adult is welcome - parents, adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. If no adult is able to attend at one of the times offered, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time. Conferences will take place in the Middle/Elementary School Library.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Teachers of House C

Power to the People! Celebration

On Thursday 4/2 from 5:30pm-7:30pm at the high school, Milton Middle School students will celebrate the culmination of their learning during the Power to the People unit. Students have been engaged in an examination of the historical struggle for all Americans to gain their full civil rights. We have followed the struggle for equality of African Americans, women, and gay Americans, paying particular attention to the current state of these struggles. The students have worked on their literacy skills in the areas of research, informational and reflective writing, as well as speaking and listening. The learning has been synthesized in the form of an artistic representation of a group's struggle and/or the changemakers who have worked to secure civil rights for all. Please join us in the celebration and attend what is sure to be a powerful and enlightening evening.

Field Trip

Hi folks,

This is a reminder that House C will be going on a field trip to Cairns Arena on 3/11. Please have your child return his/her permission slip by this Thursday (3/5).

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thanks!