Say What?!

Capitol Students Invade the Big Apple!

2008-08-04T17:47:00.000-07:00

After a year of fundraising, Capitol 7th graders headed to New York in June.

Mr. Roper's new Blog!

2008-07-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Check out my new blog - just in time for a new school year and a new group of students - ROBOMATH! This site will focus more on my new math classes and will feature the work of several classes of students. But don't worry, SAY WHAT isn't going anywhere. This blog will stay up and will continue to post pictures and posts from my original group of students as they move through their 8th grade year!

Visit RoboMath at www.robomath.blogspot.com

New York , New York!

2008-06-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

So after months of fundraising, preparations, packing, nervous jitters and expectations we finally made it to NEW YORK CITY! In a mere 3 days we saw SO MUCH of the city that never sleeps (although we wished WE could get some sleep ourselves!). The highlights included Central Park, Times Square, Phantom of the Opera, the TOP of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the Subway, NBA store, FAO Schwartz and so much more!

As always, our Capitol Cougars made us proud! Everywhere we went we were complimented for the excellent behavior and attitudes of our students - they have truly shown that they are World Travelers, ready for more adventures next year. Below are some pictures from the trip as well as a link to the SnapFish account where you can order prints for yourself. We hope to collect more pictures from everyone involved as the summer progresses. Keep checking back often for more updates!

And once again a HUGE THANK YOU to all the donors, sponsors, and volunteers who helped make this trip possible for our students. You have made a life-changing dream a reality for these future leaders! THANK YOU!

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=223120107/a=11988482_11988482/t_=11988482

7th Grade Soccer

2008-05-09T15:23:00.000-07:00

We are going to tell you how to play soccer.

Uh Oh...It's Kittens!

2008-05-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

Once again, Mr. and Mrs. Roper have been chosen by a local cat to care for their newborn kittens who are living in the bushes in our backyard. Mrs. Roper has been checking on the babies each day to make sure they are eating, staying clean, and growing up healthy. Today she brought in a couple of the kittens to clean them up and take pictures - enjoy!

Who's Excited....?!

2008-04-22T15:59:00.001-07:00

Coming soon to a 7th grader near you - the official tee-shirt of the NYC Trip!

Picking Up Trash for Cash!

2008-03-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend a LARGE group of 7th graders and their friends and family members made the long trip out to Rainbow Valley to raise some money for the New York trip. Thanks to a generous donation from Mary Rose Wilcox, our students were able to raise $3000 toward the trip by picking up bottles, bags, tires and scraps from along the roadways. Outfitted in our stylish bright orange vests and armed with gloves and bags, we dug through bushes and brush to get every last bit of trash from around Rainbow Valley school. Afterwards we posed for a group shot (above) and then enjoyed a fabulous pizza lunch! Thanks to all the parents and students who made the long trip and helped pitch in for this HUGE fundraising success!

MEEP! MEEP! Go ROADRUNNERS!

2008-03-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

The Valenzuela Family treated a group of students to a night on the ice watching the Phoenix Roadrunners take on the Fresno Falcons. Even though the Roadrunners lost 2 to 0 we still had a great time laughing, eating and watching a fast-paced game of hockey! It's too bad that Rocky the Roadrunner had to go and eat Seriana after the game - we will all miss her! R.I.P.

Coin Drive

2008-03-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

We raised almost $2000 in our coin drive.

New York Trip Website

2008-03-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

The 7th Graders now have a FUNDRAISING WEBSITE to help them meet their goal of $10,000 for the New York Trip. You can visit the site at www.supportourgroup.com/ZF841, make a donation using your credit or debit card, and leave a message of support for our students as they near their goal. Every donation, no matter how large or small, can make a BIG difference in the lives of our students, so PLEASE visit the site today and forward the link to as many people as possible!

Thanks!
Mr. Roper

Black History Month

2008-03-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

What do we really call Black History Month?
*The only month that we get to look at the past.
*The only time where black really get to stand out.
It shouldn't be like that if we only get to learn about
one month of all the year which happened to be the shortest
of them all that wouldn't be fair to neither race.We
should talk about it because it was the only time we actually
made a civil rights movement.

"It is good to remember all the good things in life
so we wont forget what we had accomplished"

Black History month : remember the past celebrate the future
-Karla

was all through February but can also be
all through the year.

The Holiday SNOW BALL!

2007-12-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

Capitol School's 5th, 6th and 7th graders danced the evening away at the First Annual Holiday Snow Ball! Thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, the students danced under twinkling lights and colorful streamers to all their favorite songs. There was even some group dances to "Cha Cha Slide" and "Soulja Boy" (see video). At the end of the dance Ramiro Navarro and Veronica Acosta were crowned King and Queen of the dance - Congratulations! We hope everyone has a great holiday, and we'll see you again in 2008!

We got ELFED?!

2007-12-20T06:49:00.000-08:00

If you really want to laugh your socks off, check out what happened when the 7th graders got ELFED! These little video clips were created by the students using the website www.elfyourself.com, and boy are they hilarious!

You can copy and paste the links below to email these to friends and family. Enjoy!

Seriana, Tony, Melinda & Andre: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582022867

Jesus, Marco, Gustavo, & Clarence: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582108195

Karla and Lassett: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582374300

Lidia and Ariana: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582027874

Tony and Andre: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582463269

Jonathan and Jose: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582544648

Brenda and Melissa http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582024012

Jonathan and Gustavo: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582554836

Rocio and Ruby: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1582652085

We're Proud of Our Cougars!

2007-12-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

The Cougars Girls Volleyball Team finished up their season this afternoon in an extremely close match with Herrera. The Cougars battled back from behind to tie the match at 24-24 before losing to the Lady Panthers by 1 point. It was a heartbreaking loss for the team which has come so far this year - from having never played before to becoming a team to be reckoned with! We are so proud of all of our Cougars and can't wait to see them take the Championship next year!

Good work ladies! And remember... you are all Champions!

Brenda

2007-12-10T14:10:00.001-08:00

Melinda's opinion:Brenda's nice when she wants to be, has a lot os issues and is also a really great friend.
melissa's opinion:my opinion about brenda is that she is my best friend so i got a lot of good things to say about her.First of all she is very preety. good friend from my point of view.

Bullying

2007-12-07T14:08:00.000-08:00

We made a video of how bullying is prevented and how it is solved.

7th Grade "ROCKS!"

2007-11-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

After studying the rock cycle for the last several weeks, the 7th graders took a hike to the local Arizona Rock and Mineral Museum to see some specimens up close. We were treated to an entertaining lesson from Mrs. A, who threw a boulder at Ms. Parker (luckily it was super-light pumice!) and then tried to electrocute Mr. Roper (by using him to complete an electric circuit). Then we all spilt up to complete a treasure hunt for variety of different minerals using maps and mysterious clues. While we searched, we got to see some amazing minerals, including some that glowed in the dark and others that looked like a plate of bacon and eggs! Finally, everyone got to choose 3 free rocks to take home before checking out the cool samples in the gift shop. On the way back to school we all climbed into the giant scoop out front to snap a quick picture. It was a great time - and who knew it was in our own neighborhood!

2007-11-21T17:08:00.001-08:00

2007-11-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Don't tell the turkey....

2007-11-19T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hey Class -

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break and enjoy the company of your family! Be sure to give thanks for all the people in your life who make you happy and keep you healthy. Keep reading over the break and be prepared to have finished your library book by Monday.

See you soon! Gobble Gobble.

(no turkeys were harmed during the making of this blog)

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Here's some pictures from Mr. Roper's favorite holiday: Halloween! We had a great time at the Dance and handing out candy at night. Everyone pitched in to make our dance really fun - can't wait till the next one!

Capitol Apparel Club

2007-10-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

One of the clubs that meets on Friday afternoons is the Capitol Apparel Club. They are designing new uniforms and other fashions for Capitol students. Marino and Chris produced this video.

Hows your Vacation?

2007-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hey its me Seriana and I just wanted to say hi to all my friends and that I miss them.So hows your vacation coming? Its Saturday and we come back to school on Monday. For my vacation I went out of town. I went to California with my family. I am still over here right now and I am having so much fun. For the first four days I spent them in Disneyland and for the next four days I am spending in San Diego. In San Diego I plan on Relaxing, going to the beach, to the aquarium,and maybe to the zoo. Thank for listening to my vacation story and you will here from me really soon.

Seriana Castillo
Mr.Roper's 7th grade

Immigrants

2007-10-04T13:53:00.000-07:00

The page i read today was horrible. It was about the illegal immigrants. California,Arizona,New Mexico,Texas,and Colorado said that they were going to get all the immigrants and they are going to round them up, and put them on buses and ship them back to the border of Mexico. Mexicans came her to the U.S. to work hard, we also come her to have a better life and to succeed in our life.

2007-10-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Break is Coming

The break is here already, thats what some of us are thinking. Some people are glad that break is here and some aren't. We'll to give you my opinon I am glad because I am going to go to California with my family. But I am not because I am going to miss all of my friends. I think that every one has a different or even the same opinon. If you have a similar opinon if you want to share please write a comment.

By: Seriana Castillo

2007-10-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

The Last Home Game
Hey its me Seriana again and I want to tell you all about what we have planned for the last home game (soccer). We'll we as a class have talked about what were going to do. Mr.Roper and I are going to bring our snare drum and play at the game. Ms.Hamel is going to bring the band out and also play some cool songs. We also wanted to bring a grill and cook some hamburgers. The seventh grade is going to mabye sell some of their snacks. Just a reminder the seventh graders are still trying to raise money for New York. So come out to support are undefeated champs.
Remember cheer, eat, play and come help us win!!!!!!

Go Capitol Cougars!!!!!!

2007-09-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Every war is used with weapons
Every fight is used with guns knifes
anything to protect a brother or sister
But sometimes it is the other way around
weapons are used for hope and faith
Faith that the neighborhoods are getting better
No gangs No drugs to mess up this world
Hope that someday we can step
out the door and don't worry about
one of your dieing or getting
shot up in the block
But we all got to remember that life
is a mystery to wake up on and
keep fighting for what you believe in
never give up even if life gets complicated

7th Graders visit Chase Field - D-Backs WIN!

2007-09-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

Car Wash: Video Highlights!

2007-09-18T18:19:00.001-07:00

Car Wash

2007-09-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

The big car wash was this weekend and thanks to Mr.Roper and Ms.Parker we made a lot of money,we thank the teachers that came and let us wash their car.Thank you also for the big donations.Thank you to Ms.Lopez for selling snacks and having extra water.The car wash was so much fun, but we are not done yet. 7th graders: we hope that you guys can come again next time to help out, we need money for our New York trip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences this week!

2007-09-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I will be meeting with parents to discuss their child's progress. During the conferences we will review each student's Portfolio, including writing samples and tests, discuss behavior and work/study habits, and set individual goals for the rest of the trimester. I look forward to this discussion with parents and hope we can find ways to work together to help your child succeed!

Este miércoles, jueves y viernes satisfaré con a padres para discutir el progreso de su niño. Durante las conferencias repasaremos la lista de cada estudiante, incluyendo muestras de la escritura y las pruebas, discuten comportamiento y los hábitos, y yo pusimos a individuo del ensamblaje para el resto del trimestre. Miro a continuación en esta discusión con los padres y la esperanza que podemos encontrar maneras de trabajar juntos para ayudar a su niño a tener éxito!

How cool is Mr.Roper???????????

2007-09-12T10:35:00.000-07:00

Did you know Mr.Roper is the coolest teacher ever!!Do you know why??? instead of a teacher we think of him as a BIG kid!! He never gets mad at us unless we do something really BAD but that is never.Mr.Roper sometimes can get out of hand and really embarrass you but he is just a big geeky guy but cool(sometimes). he is really patient on us and he never gives up on us. he loves to have FUN (ALWAYS)He is a joker but sometimes kind of serious HE IS THE GREATEST TEACHER EVER !! He hates coffee but loves soda=a lot of caffeine.

By:Ruby and Karla.

2007-09-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Tony J. I want to talk about the game Mr.Roper class is going to.
Mr.Roper hooked us up with free tickets well of course for the class only. Remember kids in our class,find rides for the game and back. The game will be on September 22
@ 6:30 p.m our home team v.s the Dogers at chase Field. Well of course we`re gonna have fun. Hope we win. GO DIAMONDBACKS. Oh yeah tickets are first come first serve so you better get there early. =][=

"Mr. Roper" by Melinda, Jeanine, and Brenda

2007-09-06T09:37:00.001-07:00

Mr. Roper’s Seventh Grade

Mr. Roper is one of the seventh grade teachers. He is cooler than you think, He likes the color green because its zombie green. Mr. Roper has so many jokes that might be a little bit cool and a little bit nerdy. He also is one of the best teachers we’ve ever had at Capital School. Mr. Roper was the first guy teacher I’ve had and I’m glad he was. Mr. Roper is mean some times but that is only because he has to be so don’t take it too personal. And that’s why he’s the coolest teacher we had.

We love you Mr. Roper

The New York Trip

2007-09-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

HEY!!!! Did you know that the 7th grade is going New York. We are trying to raise money for New York. We are going to see lots of things like the Statue of Liberty. It will be lots of fun. So we are selling stuff, and accepting donations. We are selling chips, candy, soda, and more.

By Andre Aleman

The Soccer Game

2007-09-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hi name is Tony Jasso I want to talk about the soccer game that went on the
September 4, 2007. It was Capitol vs. Lowell and of course you know who won!
Lowell! I was just playing the Capitol Cougars won 1 to 3. Jose R. scored our three goals and some assists from Hugo and some other teammate. Go COUGARS! =]]
Lets hope we win next game. Keep it up Jose R. =]]

Student Council

2007-09-05T11:04:00.000-07:00

Hey this is Seriana,and I want to inform you about
student council. this year in student council we hope
to make the school year the funest it's ever been.
We hope to plan more Carnivals,Movie Night,dances,and
after and before school sells to purchuse school benches,
and lots of other things to make the school look better.
These are some ideas for student council this year!!!!

P.S. If you have some ideas come to me or go
to Mr.Ropers class. Thank you for listening
and coming to are wonderful site!

Rikki Tikki Tavi

2007-09-01T06:22:00.000-07:00

Ms. Parker's and Mr. Roper's 7th graders have produced their first video. It's about the book Rikki Tikki Tavi, by Rudyard Kipling. Excellent work.

Expository Text

2007-08-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

For the last two weeks the 7th graders have been studying Expository Text for reading. To complete this lesson they have written brief summaries of the expository stories that they have read throughout the lesson. Below are a selection of summaries from Mr. Roper's class:

Video Introduction

2007-08-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Students in Mr. Roper's and Ms. Parker's 7th grade classes will produce video projects this year. Here is a brief introduction.

Welcome to Mr. Roper's 7th Grade Class Blog!

2007-06-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

What's up?

My name is Mr. Roper and I teach a 7th grade class at Capitol School in Phoenix, Arizona. I've created this blog as a place where my students can come to check for important messages, post questions about homework or assignments, and show off their outstanding work throughout the year. We will also post images from field trips and activities that students can share with their friends and family. Finally this blog will also help my students learn valuable technology skills that they will need throughout their careers. It should be an exciting project that will evolve throughout the year!

I hope that parents and family members wil also help and support our students with this project by providing feedback on student work and contributions to the blog. I would greatly appreciate help from parents who would be able to translate posts for our Spanish-speaking readers. This will allow everyone to enjoy the work produced by our students!

I look forward to working with many of my returning 6th graders as well as new students who will be joining us at Capitol. This year will be an exciting time as our school is going through many changes and expanding to meet the needs of our community. We are also adding a new program of elective Friday Clubs which will let our students demonstrate their talents in many new ways including Student Council, Conflict Management, Business, News and many more!

There is much more to prepare for and the summer is going by fast! I will update this blog frequently as we approach the new year. Have fun, stay safe, and NEVER STOP LEARNING!

Mr. Roper