Myers Core News
New titles for 2023! (updated 8/3/23)
Lots of great graphic novels added this year! Lots of great nominations! Keep them coming!
New titles for 2022! (updated 6/12/22)
Another great year of reading in the books!
This year marked another great landmark for the Myers Book Club: Since she's in 6th grade now(!!), my eldest daughter submitted her first nominations! She even got a few on the list! I look forward to many more nominations from former students, current students, and family members - my own and my students'. Keep reading and sending in great suggestions!
This year marked another great landmark for the Myers Book Club: Since she's in 6th grade now(!!), my eldest daughter submitted her first nominations! She even got a few on the list! I look forward to many more nominations from former students, current students, and family members - my own and my students'. Keep reading and sending in great suggestions!
New titles for 2021 and Myers Book Club turns 10 years old! (updated 6/18/21)
A decade of great novel recommendations! Wow! Here's to another ten years! Let's keep it going! The newest titles of 2021 are posted! A lot of reading happened over the last year. Thanks for contributing either by recommending books to the list or just using the list to recommend to others!
New Myers Book Club titles for 2020!! (updated 5/29/20)
Check them out on the "Current Book List" page under the Myers Book Club tab. And don't forget: You can submit nominations of book titles all year long! Send me some Summer reading!
New Myers Book Club titles for 2019!! (updated 4/23/19)
Check them out on the "Current Book List" page under the Myers Book Club tab. And don't forget: You can submit nominations of book titles all year long! Send me some Summer reading!
New Myers Book Club titles for 2018!! (updated 5/1/18)
Check them out on the "Current Book List" page under the Myers Book Club tab. And don't forget: You can submit nominations of book titles all year long! Send me some Summer reading!
5/6/17 Update
Summer Update - 8/22/16
Bend is the best place for summer!
Myers Book Club - newly added Titles as of 3/23/16
Six new titles for the list! Check them out if you haven't already.
If you don't like these selections, then nominate novels that you would like to see on this list. Nominations are taken year-round. Just fill out the form on the Myers Book Club page!
Enjoy!
If you don't like these selections, then nominate novels that you would like to see on this list. Nominations are taken year-round. Just fill out the form on the Myers Book Club page!
Enjoy!
March Update (3/14/16)
Myers Book Club list will be posted soon(ish). Stay tuned...
DO Feed the Animals by Max(x) Culp
A hungry orca
painted upon paper
beside a swirl of red and white
a blissfully blue backdrop
a single tear leaves his killer eye
I long for krill
crustaceans
larger prey
I do not mean to harm
although my name may seem,
I am only a large dolphin
with an oceanic dream
August update (8/20/15)
Some things I hope you learned in Myers Core
1) If it’s not yours, don’t touch it.
2) It’s not the facts or the results that I wanted you to take with you. Sure, www stems will help you in SO MANY WAYS, but more important than stems is the Process. Did you learn HOW you learn? Did you learn how to break bigger projects into smaller, more manageable pieces? Did you learn HOW to navigate relationships within a classroom? Did you learn HOW to take notes, keep notes, use notes. Did you learn HOW to study? It’s not the WHAT of studying; it’s the HOW of studying that matters. Many of these things were not graded lessons, just routines built in to Core. You may find that you learned more than you realized.
3) There/their/they’re your/you’re to/too/two
You just look ignorant if you make these mistakes as an adult. Learn them now. PS: When you write "Your the best teacher" it completely contradicts your sentiment.
4) Do what you love, but finish school first - just in case.
5) Sleep tips:
6) Read. The. Directions.
7) Teachers are people too.
8) Boys’ frontal lobes develop much slower than girls’. It’s the reason girls roll their eyes at the boys’ behavior and antics in class. It is also a good reason not to date boys until you are 25. Seriously. You have been warned. Boys, try to think before you act. As previously stated, this is against your nature, but do try. Someday it will save you and those around you.
9) SHMOPSI elements makes your writing better. Your future teachers will call this "figurative language," but you will remember it by its acronym.
10) Respect the speaker by being a good listener.
11) Don’t judge a book by its movie.
12) Teachers really do appreciate knowing how you are doing in the future. Keep in touch. By the way, if your email address is something non-identifying like [email protected], then make sure to include your name in the message. In fact, you should just change that email address now. Seriously.
Myers
1) If it’s not yours, don’t touch it.
2) It’s not the facts or the results that I wanted you to take with you. Sure, www stems will help you in SO MANY WAYS, but more important than stems is the Process. Did you learn HOW you learn? Did you learn how to break bigger projects into smaller, more manageable pieces? Did you learn HOW to navigate relationships within a classroom? Did you learn HOW to take notes, keep notes, use notes. Did you learn HOW to study? It’s not the WHAT of studying; it’s the HOW of studying that matters. Many of these things were not graded lessons, just routines built in to Core. You may find that you learned more than you realized.
3) There/their/they’re your/you’re to/too/two
You just look ignorant if you make these mistakes as an adult. Learn them now. PS: When you write "Your the best teacher" it completely contradicts your sentiment.
4) Do what you love, but finish school first - just in case.
5) Sleep tips:
- Try to keep a regular sleep schedule. Do not fluctuate your bedtime and wake time by more than 2 hours. For example, if you usually go to bed around 10 on weekdays, do not stay up later than midnight on the weekends. If you normally get up around 7 on weekdays, do not sleep in past 9 on weekends.
- No caffeine after 3pm.
- Keep naps to 30 minutes or less.
- Low lighting and no screens for the hour before you go to sleep. (You could read in bed!)
6) Read. The. Directions.
7) Teachers are people too.
8) Boys’ frontal lobes develop much slower than girls’. It’s the reason girls roll their eyes at the boys’ behavior and antics in class. It is also a good reason not to date boys until you are 25. Seriously. You have been warned. Boys, try to think before you act. As previously stated, this is against your nature, but do try. Someday it will save you and those around you.
9) SHMOPSI elements makes your writing better. Your future teachers will call this "figurative language," but you will remember it by its acronym.
10) Respect the speaker by being a good listener.
11) Don’t judge a book by its movie.
12) Teachers really do appreciate knowing how you are doing in the future. Keep in touch. By the way, if your email address is something non-identifying like [email protected], then make sure to include your name in the message. In fact, you should just change that email address now. Seriously.
Myers
Core Announcement made 5/27/15
Dear parents,
Next year will bring many changes for all of us here at da Vinci. Today I announced to my students that I will not be teaching at da Vinci next year since my family is moving to Bend, Oregon to be close to each other.
My sister and I have lived on opposite coasts for too long. Our children are the same age, and we’ve always wanted the cousins to grow up together in a smaller community. Since Aneah and her cousin, Lucas, will be entering kindergarten next year, we wanted to make the move now.
It is bittersweet leaving our home city of Portland as well as my home-away-from-home here at da Vinci. I am certain I will not find another teaching job like this one that I have been lucky to hold for the past twelve years.
Thank you for the privilege of letting me teach your kids. It has been a true joy and pleasure.
Sincerely,
Dave Myers
Next year will bring many changes for all of us here at da Vinci. Today I announced to my students that I will not be teaching at da Vinci next year since my family is moving to Bend, Oregon to be close to each other.
My sister and I have lived on opposite coasts for too long. Our children are the same age, and we’ve always wanted the cousins to grow up together in a smaller community. Since Aneah and her cousin, Lucas, will be entering kindergarten next year, we wanted to make the move now.
It is bittersweet leaving our home city of Portland as well as my home-away-from-home here at da Vinci. I am certain I will not find another teaching job like this one that I have been lucky to hold for the past twelve years.
Thank you for the privilege of letting me teach your kids. It has been a true joy and pleasure.
Sincerely,
Dave Myers
Meet our student teacher!
My name is Brad Lehman and I will finish my student teaching at da Vinci Arts Middle School under the guidance of Mr. Myers. I have had the pleasure of teaching and mentoring for the last six years, which is why I have decided to make it my profession. My first foray into teaching was in South Korea after I graduated from Western Oregon University. I learned a lot about communication that year, and I had a wonderful time learning about the Korean culture and tasting their delicious food.
After South Korea, I came back to the United States and did two years of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. In this program, I was fortunate enough to help communities devastated by disasters, like; hurricane ravished neighborhoods in New Orleans, towns affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in Florida, and communities in Alabama and Tennessee that were decimated by tornadoes in 2011.
Upon finishing AmeriCorps, I decided to teach abroad for another year, but this time in China. The food was incredible, the tea was exquisite, and the students were a delight to teach.
I look forward to spending my last term as a student teacher here at da Vinci and working with the wonderful students that attend this school.
Mr. Lehman
After South Korea, I came back to the United States and did two years of AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. In this program, I was fortunate enough to help communities devastated by disasters, like; hurricane ravished neighborhoods in New Orleans, towns affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in Florida, and communities in Alabama and Tennessee that were decimated by tornadoes in 2011.
Upon finishing AmeriCorps, I decided to teach abroad for another year, but this time in China. The food was incredible, the tea was exquisite, and the students were a delight to teach.
I look forward to spending my last term as a student teacher here at da Vinci and working with the wonderful students that attend this school.
Mr. Lehman
Check out the new Dinner Table Question (DTQ tab above)!
Student PPS Google Account
The District is moving towards all students having a Google Apps for Education Account to create, share, and present documents. Students should have set up their account during class using their PPS username and password (first letter of first name, last name, and last four digits of SSID number). Click on the link below to access your account.
http://apps4pps.net
In order to share documents with me for editing, you must share with my District-provided Google account, [email protected]. With the handful of students who have piloted this with me, it has been a very useful editing tool. My goal is to get all students sharing drafts with me for easy editing. As of now I do not intend on students submitting final copies for grading using this method of sharing; this is an editing tool only (for now...). We have had some class time in the computer lab to set up our accounts, but we will need more lab time to finalize the process.
In the near future, we will also be using these features to create and share student presentations in class. I look forward to exploring all the useful applications that this service has to offer. If you have expertise on this subject, please feel free to share it with me via email or in person. I am eager to learn.
Click on the link below to activate your account if you haven't already.
https://activatestudentgafe.pps.net
In order to share documents with me for editing, you must share with my District-provided Google account, [email protected]. With the handful of students who have piloted this with me, it has been a very useful editing tool. My goal is to get all students sharing drafts with me for easy editing. As of now I do not intend on students submitting final copies for grading using this method of sharing; this is an editing tool only (for now...). We have had some class time in the computer lab to set up our accounts, but we will need more lab time to finalize the process.
In the near future, we will also be using these features to create and share student presentations in class. I look forward to exploring all the useful applications that this service has to offer. If you have expertise on this subject, please feel free to share it with me via email or in person. I am eager to learn.
Click on the link below to activate your account if you haven't already.
https://activatestudentgafe.pps.net
Dinner Table Questions moved to their own page!
Click on "DTQ" from the menu above to find all the latest Dinner Table Questions.
Getting ready to come back?
Click on "Materials" from the menu above to see a list of things you will need for Core this year. See you soon!
Office Hours
I have been doing this for a little while with selected students/families, but I thought more people could take advantage of this time. I am available after school (3:00-3:30) on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays for what I call "Office Hours." This is a time for students to check in with me in a much smaller environment (one-on-one on most days) to get further help on assignments, check what assignments are missing, or simply to have a quiet space to work on Core assignments. It has proven useful to some, so I hope it can benefit others as well. Students do not have to stay the entire time; some check-ins are 5 minutes to see if there are any missing assignments. Some students schedule ahead of time or have a regular, weekly schedule, but walk-ins are always welcome. Any feedback is welcome - just stop by!
Thanks,
Dave
Thanks,
Dave
Welcome to Room 300 online!
Here is where you will find all sorts of useful things! Check out the banner menu above for easy navigation! Here is one more sentence with an exclamation point! Can you tell I'm excited about the new school year?!
Contact
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Contact Information
If your question is time-sensitive, try e-mailing me directly or using the phone.
School: [email protected] Home: [email protected] Google Sharing: [email protected] School: 503-916-5356 Home: 503-860-0156 |