Welcome to 8 th Grade Science A Brief Look into the History and Life of Your New Science Teacher!

Family

The Early Years  “Military Brat”  Virginia, Germany, California before the age of three  Settled in Pepperell, MA  Went through North Middlesex Regional School District

Education  Loved math and science  Struggled with English and the fine arts – creativity  Very left-brained  Love foreign language (J’adore parler francais avec mes etudiants!)  Strong music background –  love theory and scales  dislike improvising

Checkpoint - Trivia Which of the following choices is the correct statement about me? A. I was in lower level/special education reading classes all through elementary school but now I am an avid reader. B. I learned to play five musical instruments in middle and high school. C. I was voted “Best Dressed” of my high school senior class. D. All of the above.

And the Answer is….  D – ALL of the above!

College and Beyond  Undergrad and Graduate degrees at Clark University, Worcester, MA  Biology and Secondary Education  Museum Education  EcoTarium, Inc.

Triton Times  2004 on Team 7/8  Teaching 8 th grade science ever since  Green Team coordinator  DI coach and judge  Intramural Tennis Coach  Science and Engineering Fair Coordinator

My new family…  Married June 2009  Bought a house April 2010  Had a baby August 2011 **My official name – Mrs. Ribaudo-Smith (school – Mrs. Ribaudo) (Hard to pronounce? Ever heard of the band, the STYX?)

My daughter  Born in August

Lilly Bella

Hobbies/Interests  Hiking. camping, gardening, going to the beach  Music and Movies  Travel  Cooking

Checkpoint - Trivia  Which of the following is true about me: A. I went bungee jumping in Switzerland when I was backpacking Europe. B. My husband is in a funk band and I try to go to all of his shows. C. I have never broken a bone in my body even though I am considered to be a super klutz. D. All of the above.

And the Answer is…  D – All of the above!

Real World Experience  Weston and Sampson - Environmental Engineering  Worked with scientists and engineers for six weeks  Observed skills and knowledge needed to be successful in the working world  Keep your eyes out for connections to this all year long!

My Teaching Style – What would you say?  “Ask lots of questions! Always look at things from different angles and perspectives.” * Tom Howell  “She is a little crazy and rather strict, but a good teacher.” * Erin Volpone  “Do your homework and study, it will make your life a lot easier. When you are struggling, STAY AFTER, she will know you are trying.” * Andrew Perelli  “….follow directions. There are no hidden things on projects, so if you follow the rubric and do it correctly, you will get a good grade on it.” * Nicole Sullivan

What would you say? (cont.)  “Make new friends in class! Being comfortable with your classmates makes presentations and class discussions easier.” * Maddie Winslow  “She gives really hard tests so I’d study really hard. She can be tricky and rephrase the vocab. words.” * Jess Delacy “Honestly, this is the strictest class you’ll ever be in. It pushes you to your highest limits and Mrs. Ribaudo has high expectations of everyone. You’ll hate it at times but in the end it’s the class that progresses you the most.” * Ashley Shute