December 15, 17 NE
Dear Parents,
It's been a pleasure serving as the Headmistress of the Upper School this year. Enclosed you will find the year-end report cards for your student(s) containing their finalgrades in all subjects offered throughout the year, as well as information about next school year. We still have four days of school after our Sunday off, but they will be spent preparing for and presenting our Christmas pageant, cleaning the classroom, and playing schoolyard games before the weather turns too cold to do much outside play anymore.
Core Classes
All Upper School children start their first year in all leveled academic classes at Level I unless given special permission for advanced placement. Students are expected to complete all three levels of instruction in their four years of education prior to graduation from the Upper School. Students who finish level III in an academic class prior to graduation in a particular subject will pursue independent study. The Physical Education grade is primarily an evaluation of your student's participation in team sports and performance in field day competitions. The Fine Arts grade evaluates participation and performance in the art show and fall musical and play, as well as a variety of carving, whittling, drawing, singing, painting, and dancing activities we've done throughout the year.
Outdoor Survival Seminar
This special three-day camping field trip is used to evaluate your children's skills in the area of outdoor survival. This seminar is held annually, so your children will have a chance to improve skills in this area. Thank you to all of the parents and sponsors who volunteered to help lead and or supervise the filed trip this year.
Required Skill Seminars
These are the seminars your child was assigned to attend this year. Not all children are assigned to attend the same seminars, because some children may have taken them in previous years, and some seminars are not repeated once passed. Other seminars are repeated annually for greater mastery, and instructors work at your child's skill level. Grades are issued by our volunteer seminar teachers. We can always use new volunteers to teach required and elective seminars in a wide variety of subjects, including fine arts, weapons, and specialized skills. Time commitments range widely, depending on whether you are offering a one-time seminar or weekly training. Either way, you will receive a corresponding reduction in your student's tuition fees. Contact the Manager of Education for details.
Elective Skills Seminars
These are seminars your child opted to take. The number of available elective seminars varies year to year and according to the time available in your child's schedule. Some elective seminars require prerequisites or a certain minimum age.
Again, thank you for blessing me with your children, and I look forward to seeing them all again next year, except for our two graduates. Congratulations to Jimmy Connor, who will begin his fishing apprenticeship next year, and to Kimberly Lawrence, who will begin her dairy farming apprenticeship.
Sincerely,
Sherry Amelio
Head Mistress of the Upper School
17 NE Year-End Report Card for Alexandra Sweetheart Dixon
Core Subjects:
Old World History: Level I B-
New Era History: Level I B-
New Era Government: Level I B-
Reading: Level I B
Composition: Level I C
Math: Level I B-
Agriculture/Biological Science: Level I B-
Chemistry: Level I B-
Health & Nutrition: Level I B-
Penmanship C
Fine Arts B
Physical Education A
Outdoor Survival Seminar:
Finding & Purifying Water A
Foraging & Identifying Poison Berries A
Establishing a Perimeter A
Starting and Tending a Fire A
Camp Cooking B
Detecting Signs of Cannibals A
Slaying Cannibals A+
Reading a Compass A+
Special Skills Seminars (Required):
Basic Gardening (Ambassador Shannon Garland) B
Milking (Councilman Gunther Hamilton) B
Animal Husbandry (Dr. Carolyn Taylor) B
Harvesting Vegetables (Councilman Raul Dominguez) B
Basic Carpentry (Dante Smith) A
Emergency First Aid (Dr. Thomas Mayfield) A
Fishing (Commander Witherspoon) A
Horseback Riding (Councilman Gunther Hamilton) A
Sewing (Mayor Carol Dixon) C
Weaving (Inola Chakota-Smith) C
Baking (Mallory McBride) C
Serving Etiquette (Coucnilwoman Trisha Ivanonv-Davies) C
Hunter's Safety (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Creating Camouflage (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Making Small Game Traps (Mayor Carol Dixon) A
Hunting Small Game Without Traps (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Skinning Small Game (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) B
Firearm's Safety & Assembly (Sheriff Garland Barron) A
Archery (Ambassador Dianne Hamilton) A+
Swordsmanship (Lieutenant-Commander Carlos Alvarado) A+
Knife Safety, Forms, & Maneuvers (Mayor Carol Dixon) A
Martial Arts for Self Defense (Ensign Yeun) A
Swimming (Seaman Bernthal) A+
Special Skills Seminars (Elective)
Knot Tying (Captain McBride) A+
Basic Navigation (Captain McBride) A+
Rope Climbing (Seaman Kirkman) A+
Design Lab: Model Ship Building (Jr. Lt. Hoffman) B
introduction to the Ukulele (Koa Kalani) B
Snorkeling (Lieutenant Donny O'Dell) A
Behavior:
S= Satisfactory N = Needs Improvement O = Outstanding
Good Sportsmanship S
Study Habits N
Patience S
Promptness O
Follows Instructions N
Respectful toward Authority S
Uses Appropriate Language N
Kind to Classmates S
Teacher's Notes:
Sweetheart has been a delight to have in my class. She is an ambitious, confident, and active little girl. Sometimes her confidence gets the better of her and she doesn't prepare as well for her tests and assignments as she should. Then she compensates for her performance by asking for extra credit assignments. It would be better if she made her best efforts the first time around.
I recommend that Sweetheart remain at Level I Composition for at least one more trimester before advancing to Level II, which requires more frequent essay assignments. Level I Composition contains a great deal of spelling practice, which is an area in which she could serve to improve. We are also going to work on using appropriate language in writing and speech next year. I hope I can count on your support at home to reinforce that goal. Sweetheart will be promoted to Level II in all other academic subjects next year.
Sweetheart is an excellent athlete and weapons handler. Seaman Bernthal has suggested that he has little more to teach her in terms of swimming and thinks she will need to spend only one more trimester in his swimming seminar. Then she may take another water-based elective instead. Lieutenant-Commander Carlos Alvarado plans to offer a diving seminar in the summer, which might be a good choice for Sweetheart. Captain McBride will be offering a rowing (crew) seminar, but he suggests that Sweetheart may still be a little small for that activity, and he would recommend she wait until she is 11 to take it.
I hope Sweetheart has a wonderful 10th birthday this weekend!
17 NE Year-End Report Card
for Ivan Daryl Baron
Academics:
Old World History: Level I A+
New Era History: Level I A+
New Era Government: Level I A+
Reading: Level II A+
Composition: Level I A+
Math: Level II A+
Agriculture/Biological Science: Level I I A+
Chemistry: Level II A+
Health & Nutrition: Level II A+
Penmanship A+
Physical Education D
Fine Arts B
Outdoor Survival Seminar Level I:
Finding & Purifying Water B
Foraging & Identifying Poison Berries B
Establishing a Perimeter A
Starting and Tending a Fire B
Camp Cooking A
Detecting Signs of Cannibals C
Slaying Cannibals D
Reading a Compass A
Special Skills Seminars (Required):
Milking (Councilman Gunther Hamilton) B
Animal Husbandry (Dr. Carolyn Taylor) A
Harvesting Pumpkins (Councilman Raul Dominguez) A
Carpentry (Dante Smith) B+
Emergency First Aid (Dr. Thomas Mayfield) B
Fishing (Commander Witherspoon) C
Horseback Riding (Councilman Gunther Hamilton) C
Sewing (Mayor Carol Dixon) A
Weaving (Inola Chakota-Smith) A
Baking (Mallory McBride) A
Serving Etiquette (Coucnilwoman) Trisha Ivanonv-Davies) A
Hunter's Safety (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Creating Camouflage (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) B
Making Small Game Traps (Mayor Carol Dixon) A
Hunting Small Game Without Traps (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) C
Skinning Small Game (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) C
Creating Camouflage (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Firearm's Safety and Assembly (Sheriff Garland Barron) A
Archery (Ambassador Dianne Hamilton) D
Swordsmanship (Lieutenant-Commander Carlos Alvarado) D
Knife Safety, Forms, & Maneuvers (Mayor Carol Dixon) C
Martial Arts for Self Defense (Ensign Yeun) C
Swimming (Seaman Bernthal) C
Special Skills Seminars (Elective):
Science Lab: Pullies (Roger Murdoch) A+
Science Lab: Circuits (Dr. Tamara Ahmad) A+
Design Lab: Model Windmills (Tony Adlard) A
Skills Lab: Basic Plumbing (Edward Olson) A
Science Lab: Mixing Medicines (Councilman Raul Dominguez) A
Logic Lab: Solving Puzzles (Councilman Earl Carter) A
Behavior:
S= Satisfactory N = Needs Improvement O = Outstanding
Good Sportsmanship O
Study Habits O
Patience N
Promptness O
Follows Instructions O
Respectful toward Authority O
Uses Appropriate Language O
Kind to Classmates O
Teacher's Notes:
VanDaryl is a bright young man who consistently turns in an exceptional academic performance. By the end of next year, I expect he will have moved beyond the maximum level of math and science I can offer in home room and will need a private math and science tutor. We can discuss that at our end-of-year teacher's conference next year. After he completes Level III Composition and Reading next year, I recommend he be allowed to use that instructional time to self-study any subject of his choice.
VanDaryl is not a natural athlete, and he struggles with mastering certain survival and weapons skills. He is timid when it comes to killing both cannibals and animals. I know his father and godfather have been working with him patiently in these areas, and I would encourage them to continue doing so, while also recognizing that this may never be a particular area where VanDaryl excels, and that his talents and virtues may lie in other realms.
VanDaryl is a shy, kind, determined, curious, and respectful young man. While he tends to stick to Sweetheart as a familiar friend, he has tentatively managed to make two friends in the lower school during recess this year – Little John and my own Dwight, Jr. Both boys will be in the Upper School next year.
VanDaryl is a young man of excellent moral character. His "N" in patience is largely owing to his lack of patience with himself. VanDaryl possesses perfectionist tendencies and can become easily frustrated with himself when he does not excel in a particular topic. All I can recommend in this regard is that you continue to encourage him and remind him that no one is perfect and that failure is a valuable learning experience, as I also try regularly to do.
17 NE Year-End Report Card
for Garland Barron, Jr.
Academics:
Old World History: Level III D
New Era History: Level III D
New Era Government: Level III D
Reading: Level III B
Composition: Level III C
Math: Level III C
Agriculture/Biological Science: Level I II D
Chemistry: Level III C
Health & Nutrition: Level III C
Penmanship C
Fine Arts C
Physical Education A
Outdoor Survival Seminar Level:
Finding & Purifying Water A
Foraging & Identifying Poison Berries A
Establishing a Perimeter A
Trap Making B+
Hunting Small Game (w/o traps) B
Skinning Small Game B+
Starting and Tending a Fire A
Camp Cooking C
Detecting Signs of Cannibals A
Slaying Cannibals A
Reading a Compass A
Special Skills Seminars (Required):
Sheep Shearing (Councilman Gunther Hamilton) C
Basic Veterinary Medicine (Dr. Carolyn Taylor) C
Orchard Maintenance (Councilman Raul Dominguez) C
Masonry (Inola Chakota-Smith) B
Medical Care (Dr. Enid Dominguez) B
Crabbing (Charlie Kang) B
Horseback Riding (Councilman Gunther Hamilton) A
Cooking & Meal Planning (Mallory McBride) D
Furniture Making (Dante Smith) C
Bird Hunting (Barry Borowitz) C+
Deer Hunting (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) C
Rifle Marksmanship (Sheriff Garland Barron) A+
Handgun Marksmanship (Deputy Sarah Dominguez) A
Archery (Ambassador Dianne Hamilton) B+
Swordsmanship (Lieutenant-Commander Carlos Alvarado) B+
Knife Throwing (Mayor Carol Dixon) B+
Martial Arts for Self Defense (Ensign Yeun) A
Crew / Rowing (Captain McBride) B+
Special Skills Seminars (Electives):
Advanced Guitar (Jimi Knopfler) A+
Chemistry of Brewing (Brother Paul) B
Bicycle Repair (Lance Davidson) A
Motorcycle Mechanics (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Motorcycle Riding (Ambassador Daryl Dixon) A
Evasive Biking (Nick O'Connor) A+
Evasive Running (Nick O'Connor) A+
Basic Explosives (General Rosita Carter) B
Human Tracking (Sherrif's Lt. Santiago Dominguez) B
Behavior:
S= Satisfactory N = Needs Improvement O = Outstanding
Good Sportsmanship S
Study Habits N
Patience S
Promptness S
Follows Instructions N
Respectful toward Authority S
Uses Appropriate Language N
Kind to Classmates S
Teacher's Notes:
Gary is a clever young man, often clever enough to know just how little effort he can apply and still earn a passing grade. He is determined and hardworking in pursuit of subjects that interest him, but he can be dismissive about those subjects that don't. He sometimes has difficulty following instructions for assignments.
While generally respectful of authority, Gary needs to work on his language. He never uses foul language cruelly, but his vocabulary is not always appropriate for the setting or situation. He is popular and well liked among his peers, a loyal friend, inclusive of others, but also perhaps excessively flirtatious with some of the older girls and inclined to be distracted from his schoolwork with chatting. I have also had to discipline Gary multiple times this year for getting into physical altercations with another boy. However, as we previously discussed, there was typically some provocation, and Gary was usually reacting to the teasing of his younger brother. Nevertheless, Gary needs to learn to avoid physical confrontation where possible and to understand that it is not acceptable to respond to words with fists.
I recommend that Gary continue for one more trimester (March 15 – June 18) and spend that time reviewing his level threes in history, government, and agricultural science as well as practicing his home ec skills. He can also select some extra elective seminars next year that are of interest to him. He will then be ready to graduate and begin his internship in the summer, when he will be a little over thirteen.
Please remind Gary that his application for apprenticeship is due to the Jamestown Council by April 15. He should decide on his top three choices and begin working on his essay over this winter break. He will be interviewed by his graduation panel on May 31, with a final assignment to be made by June 15.