Birks' Blog

I always say, "I can't believe the quarter went by so quickly" and this one was no different. It seems like yesterday we were opening lockers for the first time and getting ready for Camp. But now that's all behind us and we're moving on to second quarter, new classes, and a fresh start. Grades will come out next week!

My focus for 2nd quarter will be to immerse ourselves in Springboard and our Social Studies unit on Movement. Where did your family come from? How did they end up in Wenatchee? We'll start to answer those questions in the upcoming weeks. I'm excited for what this quarter will bring!

I just wanted to give a congratulations to my 8th grade "A" and "B" volleyball teams who finished the season undefeated. There are so many strong players who battled through illness and injury and showed some Falcon pride by having great attitudes and spirit the whole way. It was an honor to be your coach this season.

Also, to my 8th grade "C" team, you ladies were outstanding also, with only two losses. You showed me how to have a great time on the volleyball court and what spirit and being a teammate was all about. Thanks!

After Camp I headed down to Bend, Oregon (one of my favorite places for mountain biking) and rode one of my favorite rides, Mrazek Trail. It starts up near Mt. Bachelor and heads down toward the beautiful Tumalo Falls. Then it climbs up, up, up to Happy Valley then rockets down all the way back to Bend. It's about 20+ miles of goodness.

Camp was very fun and we didn't get rained on too much. Thanks to all of the students, teachers, and volunteers that made it a great few days. If you have any pictures you would like to include in the Camp slide show send them my way on a Cd or flash drive.

Wow! Camp start tomorrow. We've all been working hard to get our skits done and get ourselves geared up to go to Camp. Here's a reminder of some thing to bring:

_____ Sack Lunch for Day One
_____ Pajamas
_____ Water Bottle
_____ Pillow
_____ Warm sleeping bag OR very warm blankets and twin bed sheet
_____ Extra underwear and socks, warm clothes, tennis shoes
_____ Warm coat/rain gear
_____ Bathroom supplies (soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, comb, etc.)

Optional Camp Supplies:
_____ Camera
_____ Bug repellant
_____ Flashlight

Please DO NOT Bring:
Any electronic games, music players, matches, hunting knives, cell phones

Open House is on Thursday night at 6:30pm. Hopefully I'll get to meet all the great parents behind my wonderful students. I look forward to sharing some good information with everyone and answering your questions.

No more stress about opening your locker. The Rebellion has arrived! (and apparently the Rebellion doesn't know how to spell 'exactly'....oops ;o)

Two more weeks and school starts! I will be sad to see summer go but I will do my best to help it hang on as long as possible. We had a great mountain biking trip over to the Olympic Peninsula. We rode a great ride in Quilcene called Lower Big Quilcene River Trail. Then off to Fort Ebey for some mediocre riding in the rain. We hit the jackpot in Anacortes with my buddy Jude and rode some great trails around the lakes and flanks of Mt. Erie. Then up to Bellingham for my favorite place to ride, Galbraith. We came home then took another trip back to Bellngham for a couple more days of riding and hiking.

One more big ride in the works...up Fourth of July trail and down Icicle Ridge. I've hiked it but never ridden it. Should be fun!

It's been a great summer so far. Lots of biking, climbing, and hanging out with the family. If you are new to FMS and reading this blog I hope you are getting excited for a great year! I will be sad to see summer end but I always look forward to new smiling faces and lots of learning.

I still have some more adventures planned for this summer. Tomorrow I'm heading to the Olympic Peninsula for a mt. bike trip that will end up in Bellingham. We just got back from Mazama on a climbing trip and found ourselves swimming in the river quite a bit. It was cold but it was refreshing. I hope you did a lot of fun things this summer!

See ya in a few weeks! Here's a picture of my new commuter bike that I'll be really excited to ride this year.

** Winner Update **

Nice job, Tara. Have your mom buy you some ice cream this summer. This is one of the score thingys on the foosball table.

The first student to tell us what in the world this is by submitting their answer via this form will win an ice cream bar.

** Winner Update **

Tara got this one. Nicely done!

Carlie and Sami wrote this blog:

We searched high and low for a challenging picture to go on the blog...good luck!

I haven't written a personal blog in a while so I thought I'd talk about how much fun I've had riding to school in the mornings. I leave early so I can tool around a bit, taking a different route now and again, riding my trusty old Cannondale mountain bike that's now a converted commuter. The other day I went to try to find a house that Mr. Molzahn told us was one of the first in Wenatchee, where the family ran a stagecoach business. I wandered the streets around Elliott and I think I found it, but I'm not sure.

But that's all part of the fun. It's still pretty warm in the morning, the music from my iPod makes the riding more enjoyable. There's not a lot of cars out at 6am so the backroads are safe and inviting. The ride home, however, is usually hot and loud, with more cars and people rushing to get home, like I am to see my family.

My goal is to ride to school at least half of the days next year. Hopefully all my mornings are warm and adventurous.

Here's a picture of my mountain bike, not my commuter bike.

We are going to use these Latitude and Longitude games to get ready for our Washington Road Trip. Enjoy!

Map Skills

Kids Geography

Quia Geography Quiz

Latitude and Longitude Quiz

** Winner Update **

It took a while but Alexis finally identified this as Moses Lake. Nice job! Get your ice cream sometime this week.

Use this information to use in your invention project.

• Kids Konnect
• Cyber Sleuth
• Women Inventors and even More Women Inventors
• Inventors A to Z
• Inventor Page from Kids

We'll be using this website to figure out how stuff is made.

How Stuff is Made

How It's Made

Our Lulu books are done and you can now purchase your own copy. Follow the links below with your parents to get your book!



Mrs. Milanuk's Lulu
Mrs. Noah's Lulu
Mr. Birks' Lulu
Mrs. Mattson's Lulu
Mrs. Heuple's Lulu

Enjoy Christa and Rachel's WASL Rap:

** Winner Update **

Sami knows her small towns. She correctly identified this as Peshastin.