Woo-hoo!!!
Fondoo Party in the Tower!!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Happy Sorting Day!
Welcome students! I hope you are all having a nice morning and are finding your way over here.
We are going to try and make more use of the blog for fun things this term. I'm trying to view it as a historical document, a place we can look back and see some of the...happenings...of the Tower.
If you have anything at all you would like to contribute you can let Soprano1 or me know.
♥Isis
(Am I the only one that had a brief flash of, "Whoo hoo here we go...what should I cast on?" before realizing that it wasn't May 1st?)
We are going to try and make more use of the blog for fun things this term. I'm trying to view it as a historical document, a place we can look back and see some of the...happenings...of the Tower.
If you have anything at all you would like to contribute you can let Soprano1 or me know.
♥Isis
(Am I the only one that had a brief flash of, "Whoo hoo here we go...what should I cast on?" before realizing that it wasn't May 1st?)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ravenclaw from A to Z
In honor of the sorting quiz...
A is for Astronomy Devices , Audiobooks and Aquariums
B is for BPAL and Bikes
C is for Candle Lighting, Chaos Theory & Cakes
D is for Dorm Room Decorating
E is for Explody Proof Pillow Forts and Education
F is for Foxy and Flying Lessons
G is for Geekiness and Gaiman, Neil
H is for Honor Rolls and the big Hole in the side of the Tower
I is for Information and Interrobang
J is for Jobs and Joys
K is for Keeping Track of Progress
L is for Library of Whenever it Gets Changed
M is for Mad Scientists, Merry Beasts & Marshmallows
N is for Notice Board and Nerdigras
O is for Organisms and Overachieving
P is for Planning Challenges, Puppies and Punctuation
Q is for Quotes and Queues
R is for Running and Ravenclaw Pride
S is for Squid, Sky Chairs & Star of Isis
T is for Twinkle Lights & Time Out Cupboard
U is for Underwater Adventures
V is for Valkyries and Vibram Five Fingers
W is for Whippy Cream, Wrist Stretches & Weird Science
X is for XKCD
Y is for Ysolda Fever
Z is for Zany Antics in the Lab
A is for Astronomy Devices , Audiobooks and Aquariums
B is for BPAL and Bikes
C is for Candle Lighting, Chaos Theory & Cakes
D is for Dorm Room Decorating
E is for Explody Proof Pillow Forts and Education
F is for Foxy and Flying Lessons
G is for Geekiness and Gaiman, Neil
H is for Honor Rolls and the big Hole in the side of the Tower
I is for Information and Interrobang
J is for Jobs and Joys
K is for Keeping Track of Progress
L is for Library of Whenever it Gets Changed
M is for Mad Scientists, Merry Beasts & Marshmallows
N is for Notice Board and Nerdigras
O is for Organisms and Overachieving
P is for Planning Challenges, Puppies and Punctuation
Q is for Quotes and Queues
R is for Running and Ravenclaw Pride
S is for Squid, Sky Chairs & Star of Isis
T is for Twinkle Lights & Time Out Cupboard
U is for Underwater Adventures
V is for Valkyries and Vibram Five Fingers
W is for Whippy Cream, Wrist Stretches & Weird Science
X is for XKCD
Y is for Ysolda Fever
Z is for Zany Antics in the Lab
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Mama Eagle Wants YOU!
Dear fellow Ravenclaws,
As the Sorting is well underway and there are now officially fewer days left of April than there are days behind us, it's time for me to put out the official call: Mama Eagle needs YOU, yes, YOU! to be a Mentor in our Flying Lessons program.
As a Mentor, you will help a small group of brand-new First Year Ravenclaws to practice their Jelly-Legs Curses, learn to decipher the answers to the Tower's most obtuse password questions, and get to classes on time! You can introduce them to the Merry Beasts, help them temporarily disable the Disillusionment Charm on the Mutation Table in the Lab, and show them to the Sky Chairs after a long, hard day. Being a Mentor is a fun, fairly stress-free way to ensure that our First Years remain with us throughout the term and form friendships that last into the future.
The job responsibilities of a Mentor are generally: passing along messages from me and from our beloved HoH IsisonEarth; staying in contact with your First Years to make sure they know about deadlines and Tower activities; and keeping an eye on what they've created and letting them (and us) know how well they're doing.
It is a fun job and well worth doing. Second-Years and above (that's Second-Years in the May Term) are eligible to join me in Mama Eagle's Nest. Please PM me if you're interested! I will announce the list of Mentors and their Little Eagles within a day of the Sorting Hat's Big Announcement.
Thank you!
Soprano1--Ravenclaw's Mama Eagle.
As the Sorting is well underway and there are now officially fewer days left of April than there are days behind us, it's time for me to put out the official call: Mama Eagle needs YOU, yes, YOU! to be a Mentor in our Flying Lessons program.
As a Mentor, you will help a small group of brand-new First Year Ravenclaws to practice their Jelly-Legs Curses, learn to decipher the answers to the Tower's most obtuse password questions, and get to classes on time! You can introduce them to the Merry Beasts, help them temporarily disable the Disillusionment Charm on the Mutation Table in the Lab, and show them to the Sky Chairs after a long, hard day. Being a Mentor is a fun, fairly stress-free way to ensure that our First Years remain with us throughout the term and form friendships that last into the future.
The job responsibilities of a Mentor are generally: passing along messages from me and from our beloved HoH IsisonEarth; staying in contact with your First Years to make sure they know about deadlines and Tower activities; and keeping an eye on what they've created and letting them (and us) know how well they're doing.
It is a fun job and well worth doing. Second-Years and above (that's Second-Years in the May Term) are eligible to join me in Mama Eagle's Nest. Please PM me if you're interested! I will announce the list of Mentors and their Little Eagles within a day of the Sorting Hat's Big Announcement.
Thank you!
Soprano1--Ravenclaw's Mama Eagle.
Monday, April 5, 2010
A History of Awards and Prizes in the House of Ravenclaw
Gather round students, Isis is going to tell you all a story about how the Great House of Ravenclaw came to give awards and why.
Imagine back to the past. I was a First Year the second term at the House Cup. I believe the House of Ravenclaw numbered about 40 (this term we were 136). This is why I have a hard time remembering who was here before me (other than GazeboGal and bobbilicious who really made me feel special welcome and CMelvin who was our HoH). Before term started I actually had time to read close to the entire first term, classrooms, common rooms, Great Hall and all, to get an idea how things worked and how they got started.
Back then all there was award-wise was the official prize thread. If you made something ambitious you had a good shot at being nominated. The professors gave much more feedback as well. But remember the entire number of students handing in projects for anyone class was smaller than the House of Ravenclaw is today. Things were much more personal.
The I was a Professor. The old system was still working but I can tell you acknowledging every thing in Herbology was grueling and there were always double the amount of projects that deserved that prize thread nomination.
When I stepped up as HoH it was clear to me that many people were not getting recognized that should have been so I began giving out The Bronze Star. It was only verbal at that point until Anathemdevice of Slytherin made me a badge to use. She also did versions that had the name of the class they were received for on them. It seems there might be some confusion that they were given to everyone that did the class. That was not the case. At the end of the first month I decided that everyone that did all 6 classes deserved a Bronze Star and could snag that one for themselves.
This last term I decided that since the House Awards were so personal to me that I wanted to make some hand drawn badges for them. At this point I took the Bronze Star and split it in two. The Star of Isis I give for anything. It can be a great project (and presentation really counts for this) or service to the House (a few non-Ravenclaws have gotten them too). The Raven's Heart was an automatic award for completing all six classes in the month. I ended up doing one for the Convocation because I felt that anyone who was willing to take on that level of challenge deserved to be recognized for it. I have ideas for some others...someday.
This term there have also started to be awards given by other people like the Love Yourself First one that Silverwing 26 did. I was so proud to get one of those myself.
The other thing I did as HoH was start the Ravenclaw Pride drawings to more people would have a chance to win a prize since in my experience it isn't the size of the prize it is just the specialness of getting a token. With the size of the student body winning or even being nominated for the main prize thread is a rare occurance. The prize for that always has a peweter eagle that is dead on the one from the Ravenclaw crest. I'm sending out my last one tomorrow and I'm having a problem sourcing more so that may not happen next term but I'm sure something fabulous will take it's place. I've heard a good idea already.
Other people do contests with prizes as well such as DevonC's planning challenge. This is always welcome and is something anyone can do for their housemates. I appreciate having it run past me first since I typically know what else it planned and might have good suggestions but I love to let others run with their ideas.
Now this system is not perfect. It is really too personal to me to ever be perfect and that isn't the goal. The real reward is the fun we have, the friends we make and the beautiful objects we craft.
Imagine back to the past. I was a First Year the second term at the House Cup. I believe the House of Ravenclaw numbered about 40 (this term we were 136). This is why I have a hard time remembering who was here before me (other than GazeboGal and bobbilicious who really made me feel special welcome and CMelvin who was our HoH). Before term started I actually had time to read close to the entire first term, classrooms, common rooms, Great Hall and all, to get an idea how things worked and how they got started.
Back then all there was award-wise was the official prize thread. If you made something ambitious you had a good shot at being nominated. The professors gave much more feedback as well. But remember the entire number of students handing in projects for anyone class was smaller than the House of Ravenclaw is today. Things were much more personal.
The I was a Professor. The old system was still working but I can tell you acknowledging every thing in Herbology was grueling and there were always double the amount of projects that deserved that prize thread nomination.
When I stepped up as HoH it was clear to me that many people were not getting recognized that should have been so I began giving out The Bronze Star. It was only verbal at that point until Anathemdevice of Slytherin made me a badge to use. She also did versions that had the name of the class they were received for on them. It seems there might be some confusion that they were given to everyone that did the class. That was not the case. At the end of the first month I decided that everyone that did all 6 classes deserved a Bronze Star and could snag that one for themselves.
This last term I decided that since the House Awards were so personal to me that I wanted to make some hand drawn badges for them. At this point I took the Bronze Star and split it in two. The Star of Isis I give for anything. It can be a great project (and presentation really counts for this) or service to the House (a few non-Ravenclaws have gotten them too). The Raven's Heart was an automatic award for completing all six classes in the month. I ended up doing one for the Convocation because I felt that anyone who was willing to take on that level of challenge deserved to be recognized for it. I have ideas for some others...someday.
This term there have also started to be awards given by other people like the Love Yourself First one that Silverwing 26 did. I was so proud to get one of those myself.
The other thing I did as HoH was start the Ravenclaw Pride drawings to more people would have a chance to win a prize since in my experience it isn't the size of the prize it is just the specialness of getting a token. With the size of the student body winning or even being nominated for the main prize thread is a rare occurance. The prize for that always has a peweter eagle that is dead on the one from the Ravenclaw crest. I'm sending out my last one tomorrow and I'm having a problem sourcing more so that may not happen next term but I'm sure something fabulous will take it's place. I've heard a good idea already.
Other people do contests with prizes as well such as DevonC's planning challenge. This is always welcome and is something anyone can do for their housemates. I appreciate having it run past me first since I typically know what else it planned and might have good suggestions but I love to let others run with their ideas.
Now this system is not perfect. It is really too personal to me to ever be perfect and that isn't the goal. The real reward is the fun we have, the friends we make and the beautiful objects we craft.
April Showers
Silverwing26 waltzes into the common room with a couple of large boxes full of Umbrella's! She swishes her wand and with a flick...
Wingardium Leviosa!
The umbrella's float gently into the air and pop open into a multitude of rain protecting colors
Ahem!!! Guess what everyone... It's APRIL!!! Do you know what happens in April... SHOWERS!!! APRIL SHOWERS!!!
So for those of us hanging out in the tower over this break here is a challenge for you. Craft something relating to or inspired by April Showers. :) Make sure to send me an earburn with your submitted piece and you will be entered into a random drawing for a prize!!! Happy Knitting, Spinning, Crocheting... etc!
Wingardium Leviosa!
The umbrella's float gently into the air and pop open into a multitude of rain protecting colors
Ahem!!! Guess what everyone... It's APRIL!!! Do you know what happens in April... SHOWERS!!! APRIL SHOWERS!!!
So for those of us hanging out in the tower over this break here is a challenge for you. Craft something relating to or inspired by April Showers. :) Make sure to send me an earburn with your submitted piece and you will be entered into a random drawing for a prize!!! Happy Knitting, Spinning, Crocheting... etc!
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