October 21st, 2015
Dear 10X Parents and Guardians,
If you haven’t formally met any of the teachers, allow us to say welcome to 10X! We’ve had a great start to the year in all
classes, and are excited for what the remainder of the year brings. This progress report is designed to inform you of your
child’s progress to date, and to promote conversations at home concerning his/her learning in each of your child’s classes.
Below you will find a description of the work that your child is doing in each of the team classes.
There are a few important dates to be aware of on team over the next few weeks. On Wednesday, October 21st, the first
payment and the course selection sheets for Wintercession are due. Late submissions will not be a part of the initial
lottery, and will greatly affect the chances of your son or daughter getting a top choice. Also, the tentative date for our
team-wide Community Service Day will be on the next late start day, Tuesday, November 10th. Further information will
be forthcoming from your child’s Advisor in the next few weeks.
In American Studies: English, we spent the first month on civil rights poetry, touching upon civil rights across multiple
perspectives including women’s rights, gay rights, and others. In order to practice various writing techniques, we studied
poems from numerous American writers and composed many of our own, mimicking the differing styles.
In American Studies: Social Studies, students have been looking at the civil rights movement from the perspective of
African Americans. We have examined the “slavery amendments,” landmark Supreme Court Cases and famous
people/events for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s/60’s. This has all been in preparation for our current
exhibition, an interdisciplinary project between English and Social Studies. Students are researching and writing their own
poems on a chosen civil rights topic, answering the essential question: “To what extent do we live up to our own
ideals?” They are also creating a visual representation of the poem's theme and writing a paper analyzing their poem's
content and creative choices.
In Life Sciences we have been taking a step back and looking at the characteristics of life. In this particular unit we have
explored the macro world of the Souhegan Woods and the micro world of Honey Pot pond. Life is all around us, even in
the most surprising places. Students were asked to write an argument paper answering the question, “Is there life in pond
water?” Our next unit will be our Cell Unit in which we will explore cellular functions in Plant, Animal, and Eubacteria
cells. Through this unit, we will explore the biochemistry existing within us and how this chemistry impacts our daily
functions, and how our daily functions can impact our chemistry.
If at any time throughout the year you have any questions over your child’s progress, don’t hesitate to email the entire
team at 10X@sprise.com.
Sincerely,
Tom Sawyer – Social Studies
Sean Whelan – English
Dave Saxe, Matt Guarente, Mike Beliveau – Wellness
Kevin Proctor – Science
Liz Gosselin – Advisor
Terry Berna — Advisor
Hailey Chamberlin — Advisor
Carrie Smallwood – Learning Specialist
Tabitha Pariseau – English/Special Ed intern
Anne Burke – Guidance counselor
Kate Ledoux– Guidance counselor
Lee Gast— Advisor
Joann McDeed— Advisor
Matt McDonald — Advisor