State Again?

Is it happening again? Can Kimberly reach the state championship again? Remember last year at Madison.. It was very cold game. Cold enough so you can see your own breath. Remember the crowd? Kimberly out-numbered DeForest, just like we out-numbered all the other team's crowds. Recall the feeling of the crowd so desperatly cheering on the team. Everytime Kimberly made a play the crowd went wild. The noise of everything went through the veins of everyone. This game meant everything. No matter who you were at the game whether'd you be a student, parent, teacher, senior-citizen, kid, we were all in this together. The feeling of a touchdown putting Kimberly in the lead, and another one to push the lead greater was unbearable. Everytime that happend the kimberly side was given rich paychecks of excitment, and heart. Everyone on Kimberly's side was focused on the game. Not just the players, but everyone was in this game together. One heart, one team, one goal, win. The final seconds of the game was a nucular explosion of emotion. Kimberly won 20-7. The first state championship Kimberly had ever won. Remeber that trophy. The one with the huge golden shiny football with state champs on it? Well another one is reach. Kimberly is so close of grabbing another state title. With one more game until the State game can Kimberly do it again?

Field Trip Planning Competition

Several students have voiced their opinions, "Mr. McCabe, we should go on a field trip!" Here's your chance- submit a typed plan for a field trip to Mr. McCabe or Mrs. Van Hout. All submissions should answer the following:
-Field trip location
-What educational value does the field trip have?
-cost
-plan of what will happen at the field trip

CORE Stock Club

CORE Charter School has started up a stock club. Students in CORE Charter have the option of joining this club. Prizes will be awarded quarterly. Students became interested in the stock market during a finance unit. They have been using the website: www.stocksquest.com as a stock market simulation. Students will start out with $1000 and they will will trade stocks in an effort to improve their portfolio. Students will meet twice a week for 30 minutes to discuss their experiences with the stock market. I will set up guest speakers and other activities throughout the year.

Reacting to Recount

Students in CORE Charter School recently viewed the movie Recount. Please comment and react to the movie. I would like to start a conversation about the events surrounding the 2000 election. What exactly happened in Florida?

Lio's Article

October 21, 2008

Post~Crescent

Teenagers question police profiling in park

Article's Page

I would like to respond to the Oct. 2 editorial, "Neenah park rules seem unnecessary."

I'm one the Goth kids who goes to the beloved Doty Park in Neenah. Not long ago, when my friends and I were hanging out, talking to old friends and just being teenagers, we were called to the side by one of Neenah's finest, who told us that we needed a permit to hang out in a public park.

My friends and I took a stand by trying to enforce our own civil rights and told the cop that he was stereotyping.

Now considered a counterculture to the community, society's vexation on us kids led us to a place where we wouldn't be judged, where we could be among friends and help each other deal with the aspects of our lives that society would rather ignore.

I also want to thank all the friends who stood by my side. Together, we will show that this permit is just another result of people thinking we're intimidating because we wear black, and we are fighting against what society thinks of us.

They don't know who we are and what we stand for, which is why we get accused of the vandalism and profanity just because of our appearance.

Now, I'm not saying that we are all perfect angels who don't have records for past social misconduct, but we know who we are and we have respect for this place that the citizens are trying to deprive us from.

Doty Park is a sanctuary for kids to go to escape the worries of this world, a haven from parents who tell us we will never amount to anything, from parents who hit us with fists and verbal attacks and from the society that made us who we are today.

Emilio A. Romenesko, age 17, Appleton

WLUK

About two Sundays ago I woke up around 12:30. I noticed that I totally just missed thirty minutes of the Green Bay Packer game. So knowing it's always on channel 12 (WLUK) I ran down my stairs and flipped on the channel. All I got was a foolish little kiddie show that my little cousin who's three years old would watch. Nope, the Packers aren't on TV anymore. I get to watch the Colts on ESPN, and some other NFL team on a little bit later, but not my Green Bay Packers who play in Green Bay thirty minutes away. So Time Waner Cable has banned WLUK where the big Fox 11 News was and where thousands would watch the Green Bay Packers play. I was confused on why I wasn't able to watch the Packers like I used to for the many previous years. So heres an article from the Post Crescent on this problem. Read it and tell me what you think..

WLUK gone from Time Warner Cable

WLUK TV is not on Time Warner Cable this morning, and viewing of Sunday’s Green Bay Packers game on the cable system is in question.

The station’s parent company, LIN TV, and Time Warner corporate officials did not come to an agreement for retransmission consent by the deadline of midnight Thursday.

So the channel is blocked for about 150,000 Time Warner customers throughout northeastern Wisconsin.
A Time Warner statement on the screen where WLUK normally airs says, “By refusing us an extension, LIN TV pulled WLUK from Time Warner Cable.”

Negotiations continued past 11 p.m. and Time Warner asked for a 24-hour extension, said William Harke, spokesman for Time Warner in this region. LIN did not agree, and the station was pulled, Harke said.

In a statement on WLUK’s Web site today, vice president and general manager Jay Zollar said it has tried for several months to reach an agreement.
“We are disappointed in the outcome of our negotiations with Time Warner, especially since we have successfully reached deals with every major cable, satellite and telecommunications company who recognize our fair market value,” Zollar said. “We will continue to negotiate with Time Warner. Unfortunately, we do not know if, or when, we will reach an agreement.”It’s estimated that 2.7 million Time Warner subscribers receive one of LIN stations.

Time Warner’s Web site today offered this in a letter to customers from Time Warner Cable Wisconsin president Jack Herbert: “We have been negotiating in good faith, but the decision to remove WLUK from our channel line-up was made by LIN TV and WLUK, not by Time Warner Cable.

We asked WLUK FOX 11 for an extension of our agreement allowing us to keep this channel on your lineup. They said ‘No.’”Other options for viewing WLUK include over the air with an antenna or via the Dish Network, DirecTV or AT&T in certain areas.Time Warner is offering free antennas and A/B switches so customers may watch WLUK programming over the air. The equipment will be available at Time Warner’s payment service centers in Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh.“We’ll have a lot of people at our stores passing out antennas and giving away instructions on how to install the antennas and some instructions on our Wisconsin On Demand station as well,” Harke said.

The apparent center of the dispute is the compensation that LIN is asking for Time Warner to air its stations’ programming.Besides the Packers, scheduled to appear on Fox eight more times this season, Time Warner customers also would miss shows like “The Simpsons” and baseball’s National League Championship Series and two World Series games.

THANK YOU

I would like to thank all of the students and parents who attended the 2nd Annual CORE Charter Pancake Dinner. The students did a wonderful job of demonstrating their progress to their parents. I would also like to thank Mrs. Van Hout for all of the hard work that she did to make the dinner possible. The groceries, supplies, and griddles, made the cooking and camaraderie possible.

Post Crescent Article

One of my classmates in Core Charter School Kimberly relates to this article from The Post Crescent issued October 2nd 2008. This is very interesting and close to home. So if you can read it and state your opinion, that woud be awesome.

Neenah Park Rules Seem Unnecessary

As many as 40 to 60 Goth teens apparently have been congregating on the weekends in Neenah's Doty Park, alarming city officials to the point that they've enacted a series of new rules to discourage them from hanging out there.

Now, any group of 15 or more people must obtain a permit to gather in all Neenah parks after 8 p.m.; park users may not smoke within 100 feet of any park building, athletic field or playground; and anyone cited for violating park rules or city ordinances in parks twice within a year will be evicted from city parks for an additional year. Also, a chaperone 21 years or older is required for every 10 minors.

The rules came on the heels of complaints about the Goths, who typically dress in black clothing and don black hair and dramatic makeup.
Some residents complained about the kids' use of profanity, underage smoking, littering, property damage and intimidating other park users.

Though Neenah Mayor George Scherck said that these kids aren't being singled out for their appearance and the new rules equally apply to any large group, even "senior citizens dressed in pink," we wonder if the city would have been so quick to act if large groups of, say, preppy kids, were hanging out in the park.

Sure, it's understandable that so many teens, especially if they're dressed all in black, might seem intimidating to an unsuspecting mother taking her toddler to swing at the park.
However, it's the behavior that city and park officials should be concerned about — and what they should be able to address with ordinances already on the books, such as underage smoking or vandalism.

If these kids — or any park-goers — are breaking the rules, by all means, ticket them. But to step up police patrols just for the sheer volume of teens who are hanging out together seems like a $1,000 remedy for a 10-cent problem.

We wonder if police will enforce the new rules on everyone. Will family reunions, for instance, need to secure a permit before having a picnic in the park?

Or is Neenah just looking for a way to clear its parks of one group whose problem may lie in perception only?

What do you think of this?

CORE Open House/Pancake Dinner

Who: CORE Charter School students and their families.
When: Monday, October 6th 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Where: Kimberly High School Rooms 30 & 32
Why: To update parents on their student’s progress.

To eat pancakes!

PLEASE !!!!!
RSVP by Friday October 3 to:
687-3024 ext.6332 or mvanhout@kimberly.k12.wi.us

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!!

Making it on Minimum Wage-

On Monday, we will be starting Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. This is book is non-fiction and is a difficult read; however, it will be read aloud to students and each reading will have student driven discussion. Students had a great discussion after watching Morgan Spurlock's 30 Days episode Living on Minimum Wage. CORE Charter School students also received a case study in which they had to role play their own debits and credits. My question to the students is this: what did you get out of your situation- were you able to live on your income? Why or why not?

Bring in your favorite poster

Student's may bring in their favorite poster. CORE Charter School needs some charm and student's should feel free to bring in a poster which will be displayed near their learning area. All posters should be school appropriate.

CORE Charter School Needs YOU!!!

CORE Charter School needs a mascot/logo and you can help. Mrs. Van Hout and Mr. McCabe are in the market for CORE Charter School shirts; however, the charter school does not yet have a mascot/logo. On MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15TH, CORE Charter School staff will select the new mascot/logo for CORE Charter School.
Participants in the contest are asked to submit the following:

• Sketch of the Logo/mascot
• T-shirt design

Keep in mind the school colors of CORE Charter School are Black, White, and Baby Blue (Carolina Blue). CORE stands for Caring Opportunities to Recover Education. If you want to incorporate a saying or slogan with your design- feel free to do so. Good Luck-

Welcome Back!!! A note to the students' & parents'...

I hope everyone had a great summer! Over the next few days, Mrs. Van Hout and I will be meeting with each of you to discuss what you'll be working on during the first quarter.

Both the AM & PM group will start out the year examining non-fiction text. Difficult and controversial issues such as the death penalty, incarceration of juveniles, and the war in Iraq will be addressed. I am going to introduce the death penalty during the first few days of school. Students will select other topics to investigate. Student's will engage in debates with their peers, analyze journal articles, and create a project to present to the class. Sensitive controversial topics will be covered. As with any assignment in CORE Charter School, students may opt out and request an alternate assignment. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

CORE Charter School received 75 new books over the summer. Students will have an opportunity to craft their own learning plan, and I feel confident in the curriculum which will be provided to each member of CORE Charter School.

Please continue to regularly check the blog for updates!

This year at school was better than all my years being in school. I was transferred from the Kimberly High School to the Core Charter School. Since being in Charter School my attendances went way up. Outside of school was pretty rough this year. I got into a little bit of trouble for fighting too much. Now I am facing felony charges, which really sucks because I love to hunt. I also broke my collar bone really bad playing basketball. After the break I had to get a plate and seven screws put into my shoulder. The worst part of breaking my collar bone was not being able to go to work.

This school year was better than others a lot of stuff going on in, and out side of school. I would have to say that I attended a lot more school this year than any other years. I would have to say although I was here a lot more I learned less then any other year. I wish I would of stuck with gym for 4^th block and not of been talked into personal Finance by my girl friend. The thing I regret most of from this year at K.H.S would be having M*. *****. Best thing about this year would be football going to state. I had the best times watching basketball and football in MADTOWN (aka Madison). If I were to compare the years I would have to say that this was my best one. The teachers in core charter really helped me get through. They were there when I needed help and even when I didn't, the support was great.

What I did This Year

This year I accomplished getting my credits for science and English. The thing that disappoints me is that, some days when I had a lot of work to get done, I just blew it off and did something else. Next year, I want to try to stay on task and finish what I need to get done. During this summer, I am also hoping to get into the independent reading course, and work study, so I can get more competencies for more credits.

People who intrigue me...

I was born in Cedar Rapids, IA; and during the first eight years before my family relocated to Wisconsin, I lived through three tornadoes. Over the past 18 years which I have lived in Wisconsin I have experienced two more tornadoes. Only a few summers ago, I was driving North on HWY 41 from Oshkosh to Appleton- less than a quarter of mile to the east, a tornado had formed and touched down. I relived this story as a I told it to the first block Literacy class. The fear, panic, and excitement which takes me over during tornadoes is not something that I look forward to or anticipate. The high school which I graduated from was devastated by an F-5 tornado in 1984. Nine lives were claimed, and millions of dollars had to be spent in order to restore semblance and infrastructure to the small rural community of Barneveld. Each time a storm moved in, panic could be seen in the eyes of the folks who had lived through the tornado in '84.

Given the above information, there exist a group of people who truly intrigue me- tornado chasers. Why would any healthy, rational, educated individual want to chase after something which is so destructive. I understand thrill seeking, but what I don't understand is why someone would want to actively pursue a tornado. Although smaller tornadoes routes can be predicted, I cannot begin to fathom why someone would chase after a larger tornado. Maybe my personal experience with tornadoes has provided me with an appropriately developed sense of fear. Maybe people who chase tornadoes have some sort of fascination that I am lacking.

What's your take? Why do you think some folks decide to ride around states such as Kansas and Oklahoma chasing tornadoes? Are there other types of individuals which intrigue you?

CORE Charter Open House is Near!

We are in the planning stages for our Open House which will be Tuesday, June 3, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. I hope everyone plans on attending!

I would like the students to start thinking about cleaning out their cubicles.
At this time next week.........everything you want to save should be safely tucked away. I will be in here next week-end 'spit-shining'! So use your time wisely and take a few minutes each day to go through the papers and loose things in your study space. We want to make a good impression on our visitors! :)

Whats going on this week

This week has been really busy and hectic considering we only have a couple weeks left of school. It seems like everyone is a little on edge. It's actually starting to get pretty annoying and frustrating. I'm just trying to get my work done so I can get my credits before school ends. But, it's getting harder everyday because people keep complaining about anything and everything. But, as of right now, I'm just gonna focus on the things that are most important for me to work on. I'm not gonna do anymore math for the last couple days we have left of school. And I figure since I only have one packet done for Finance, I'm just gonna save the rest for next year. The things that I really need to worry about right now is, my independent reading, modules B and C for my volunteers class, and keep up this the site cards for that class also. Well, thats all I have for you right now.

~Jessie~

Lets Go Fishing

CORE Charter School staff and students are planning a fishing field trip on May 23rd. We will be gone for most of the day. Students will pick the location. All students must have their fishing license by Thursday, May, 23rd. You can buy your fishing license online and print it off by clicking here.

Let's do this

Here's where we will share what's new @ CORE Charter School!