Happy December everyone! It seems like just a few short weeks ago I was getting ready for another exciting school year. Well, well; how time flies! It's now almost winter. Yes, that time of year when many of us realize that we are one-third of the way through the school year and only 25% through what we had hoped to cover! Cheer up, my friends. After all, there's still time to amend our ways (remember "A Christmas Carol"?). It's nice to take a step back and look at what exactly you NEED to cover, and compare that to how many days are left in the semester.
    I hope many of you were able to view and appreciate the Aurora Borealis in November. They were truly beautiful, even in the light-polluted night skies of Rapid City. A rhetorical question for all of us: Do we take the time to talk about science around us every day to our students, even if it doesn't fit into our plans?
     Speaking of science around us, there are several opportunities available for us to learn new tricks of the trade and make us more effective teachers. For example, NSTA hosted several Regional Conventions this fall. Did you get to go? If so, I'm sure you gleaned some new tricks of the trade that others in South Dakota would LOVE to share. How do you go about sharing? Why, at the 13^th Annual South Dakota Joint Math and Science Professional Development Conference! You should have recently received a VERY colorful

neon green flier in the mail with advance registration information. It tells of many of the highlights of the February conference, along with a Conference Registration form. We will even have a LIVE Birds of Prey presentation, courtesy of Wildlife Experience, Inc. (accidentally omitted from the flier!).  Please consider attending; this is a great opportunity to share both your knowledge and what others have to offer. For more info on the Conference go to www.sdsta.org or www.sdctm.org. 
     I leave you with warm thoughts for the Holidays. Enjoy your well-deserved vacation! Oh, for the days off I leave you with some "Physics Things to Do While Waiting for Christmas Dinner". EnjoyJ!
· Measure a friend's reaction time by dropping a dollar bill between his thumb and finger. Make it harder by starting it with George's picture at the level of his hand.
· Impress your family by slinging an open Chinese take-out box in a circle without losing anything.
· Balance a cup of eggnog on one edge of its base. (Hint: It helps to sprinkle salt on the table first and blow the extra away!)
· Balance a snow shovel on your finger. Is it easier to

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