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2012-2013 School Year
Parents and Students:
Welcome back to all!  Hope you had a wonderful Summer.  I am sure that you are ready for another exciting school year.  My name is Ms. McTiernan.  My philosophy of education is that students should not only gain knowledge, but the desire to be lifelong learners.  William Butler Yeats once said, "Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."  I will do my best to spark students' interest in English and in learning about the world.  PLEASE feel free to contact me at anytime for any reason.  The best method of contact is my e-mail because I check it frequently during the day and also at night, but you can also use my phone extension at HS West. 
Thanks so much and I will speak with you soon!                   
 
I am a graduate of Siena College.  I earned a masters degree in Curriculum Design and Instructional Technology from the University of Albany, and a masters degree in Educational Administration from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.  I have been teaching at Shenendehowa for over eight years now.  I am a member of the 9th Grade Committee - which works hard to give 9th grade students the best transition to high school life, and I am an advisor for the HW Club.  I teach both Regular 9 and Honors 9 English; working closely with my colleagues on an interdisciplinary level.  I have also been trained as a co-teacher, which allows me to work even more closely with the special education program.  I am married and have two daughters, an eight year old and a four year old, and a step-daughter who is twenty-one.  While I believe that education is a privilege and is very important, I constantly try to respect that school is not the only thing going on in your lives.  Please let me know if you have more questions about my educational or personal background.  Ms. McTiernan
Summer Reading:  I know it's rough to get the students to read over summer vacation, but it helps them exercise their mind and stay connected to school for an easier transition.  The lists for Shenendehowa are on the high school library webpage.  While it is only strongly recommended for all regular 9 students, it is required for Honors students, and they should read the assignment carefully, as they are required to read directly from the list of assigned books. 
 
All students will be responsible for signing the Academic Integrity Policy.  Please click on the link to see the district's policy on plagiarism and cheating.
 
                                   Back-to-School Night for High School West is on Thursday, September 27, 2012.  Hope to see all of you!
 
Extra Credit Options for First Quarter:
1.  Complete an Independent Reading Project (list of projects is located on the resources page), for any book read inside or outside of class.  Only one project per novel, and each project can only be chosen once.  Please see me with questions.
2.   Short Story Analysis.  Read a short story appropriate for 9th grade level; stories can be found in anthologies in the library, or online by googling "short stories."  Print out or make a copy of the story, complete a short story analysis sheet for the story (link is located at the top of the honors calendar), and submit them both to me.   

 

Extra Credit Options for Second Quarter:
1. Attend the play Arsenic and Old Lace, put on by the Shenendehowa Drama Club.  This play will be running November 15th-17th in the High School West auditorium.  Purchase a ticket for one of the performances (the cost is $10 and the tickets will go on sale at the beginning of November ).  After seeing the play, write a one-page, typed, double-spaced reaction to the performance (should not be merely plot summary).  Edit, print, attach the ticket stub to the reaction and submit.  Here is a link with good information for how to write a proper review.
2. Enter the Poetry Out Loud contest - This consists of memorizing two poems that you will recite on stage in front of competitors and judges.  The Shenendehowa school competition will be held on Wednesday, December 21st, right after school in the High School East Little Theater. Please le me know in advance if you are planning to sign up for it.  For the school competition students need to have two poems memorized. One poem must be a pre-20th century poem and the other must be a poem that is 25 lines or fewer. (The pre-20th century may also be fewer than 25 lines.) Students must select from the list of poems on the Poetry Out Loud website (www.poetryoutloud.org) One student from the school-level competition will be selected to represent Shenendehowa at the regional competition.  You do not have to win in order to get the extra credit.
3.  Complete an Independent Reading Project (list of projects is located on the resources page), for any book read inside or outside of class.  Only one project per novel, and each project can only be chosen once.  Please see me with questions.
4.  Short Story Analysis.  Read a short story appropriate for 9th grade level; stories can be found in anthologies in the library, or online by googling "short stories."  Print out or make a copy of the story, complete a short story analysis sheet for the story (link is located at the top of the honors calendar), and submit them both to me.   

 

Extra Credit Options for Third Quarter:
1.  Complete an Independent Reading Project (list of projects is located on the resources page), for any book read inside or outside of class.  Only one project per novel, and each project can only be chosen once.  Please see me with questions.
2.   Short Story Analysis.  Read a short story appropriate for 9th grade level; stories can be found in anthologies in the library, or online by googling "short stories."  Print out or make a copy of the story, complete a short story analysis sheet for the story (link is located at the top of the honors calendar), and submit them both to me.   
3. Attend the musical, put on by the Shenendehowa Drama Club.  Beauty and the Beast will run Thursday-Saturday March 7th-9th at 7:00, and Saturday, March 9th at 2pm in the High School East auditorium.  Purchase a ticket for one of the performances (the cost is $12 for students and $15 for adults.  Tickets will go on sale during lunch periods starting February 25th, outside the cafeteria, or by filling out a request form from the website http://shendrama.weebly.com, or at the door.  Tickets are assigned seating.  After seeing the musical, write a one-page, typed, double-spaced reaction to the performance (should not be merely plot summary).  Edit, print, attach the ticket stub to the reaction and submit.  Here is a link with good information for how to write a proper review.
4. Enter the Shakespeare recitation contest - This consists of memorizing a Shakespearean monologue that you will recite on stage in front of competitors and judges.  The Shenendehowa school competition will be held on Tuesday, February 7th, right after school in the High School East Little Theater. You must complete a competition entry form (see me or Ms. Putnam at high school east) by Monday, February 6th.  One student from the school-level competition will be selected to represent Shenendehowa at the regional competition.  You do not have to win in order to get the extra credit.

 

 
Extra Credit Options for Fourth Quarter:
1.  Complete an Independent Reading Project (list of projects is located on the resources page), for any book read inside or outside of class.  Only one project per novel, and each project can only be chosen once.  Please see me with questions.
2.   Short Story Analysis.  Read a short story appropriate for 9th grade level; stories can be found in anthologies in the library, or online by googling "short stories."  Print out or make a copy of the story, complete a short story analysis sheet for the story (link is located at the top of the honors calendar), and submit them both to me.   

3.  Attend library book club discussions.  These are held two Thursdays a month, listen to announcements or see posting in the room for dates.

 
English Final Exam Schedule: 

TBD

 
 

 

This page is maintained in accordance with Shenendehowa's web publishing guidelines by Kathryn McTiernan