Computer Error Today, Progress Reports Tomorrow

Today, the staff experienced computer glitches that did not allow us to access our grade book and other areas.  My computer lasted the entire day disabled which would not allow me to access the grade book to get progress reports out.  I will print them from home and have them for you tomorrow morning first thing.  Thank you for your patience!

The Week of 12-17-2012

This week coming up we have a lot going on!  On Thursday, December 20th, we will be having our Ellis Island Simulation.  We are asking those parents who volunteered to be here by 8:30 a.m. to help with set up and getting to your assigned stations.  Notes will sent home on Friday, December 14th to remind you of what you signed up for.  If you cannot stay the entire time (until around 1:30), please indicate that on your form when you return it.  On Friday, December 21st, we will be having our World Foods and Culture Celebration Festival.  Those who offered to bring something in will also receive a note on Friday, December 14th reminding them of the event.  Please have food in by 11:00 a.m. in the small gym.  We would love to have volunteers to help with set up if you can come by around 10:30 a.m. to help get the tables and chairs up.  We also need people to donate streamers, table cloths, cups and beverages if anyone is interested in doing this.  If any of you have extra extension cords, and fold up tables, that would be very helpful.  That form will also go home on Friday, December14th.  I am sorry for getting a bad sinus congestion over the weekend last week.  Some sort of allergy I believe as it came on real fast and left just as quickly two days later on Tuesday.  We will have progress reports out on Monday, December 17th, and this will be the last progress report until Monday, January 14th.  Please have requests for late work in by Wednesday, December 19th, and if at all possible, turn in the late work by Friday, December 21st or Monday, January 7th at the latest.  Our next Thursday tutoring session is on Thursday, January 10th.  If you are still having trouble, getting on, drop me an e-mail so I can help you out.  The kids that got on this week received some extra tutoring for the Canada test on Friday, December 14th, and some extra practice on the math concepts we learned.  This is a great opportunity to get the extra help plus a homework pass for attending.  I am still amazed by the number of kids still not wearing coats to recess, and many of the kids say they do not wear coats to school.  In January, I will be making calls to parents of kids who not wearing the proper clothing for outdoor recess,  because I cannot have kids in the classroom without supervision, and I want all the kids to be warm.

Math News
This week, we learned about the Greatest Common Factor, Equivalent Fractions, and Simplifying Fractions.  Next week, we will cover the Least Common Multiple and Adding/ Subtracting Fractions.

Reading News
This week, we covered finding the big idea of a text.  Next week, we will practice the skill using T-charts and thinking stems.  A new reading log will come home on Friday, December 14th, and is due on Friday, December 21st.  There will also be an extra credit reading log for holiday break if your child needs the help in his/ her reading grade.  December Book It Forms are due the week of January 7th.

Writing News
This week, we learned about independent and subordinate clauses, and we wrote Haiku poems which is a Japanese form of poetry.  Next week, students will learn how to fill out an application, write a reflective piece, and review complete sentences and sentence fragments.  No spelling or vocabulary test next week.

Science News
This week, we learned about chemical and physical weathering, plus observed how materials expand and contract when heated.  Next week, we will do an experiment on chemical and physical (mechanical) weathering, view an erosion demonstration, and possibly learn about what makes up soil.

Social Studies News
This week, we wrapped up our chapter on Canada.  Next week, we will be looking at pictures and film footage of Ellis Island, read about the experiences of people who went through the citizenship process there, and prepare for our two big events at the end of next week.

This is the last newsletter until January 11th, 2013.  So, I miss seeing you this week coming up, have an excellent, safe and restful break!  Happy Holidays!

No Progress Report 12-10-12

There will be no progress report for this week due my recent sinus issues.  I will have one out on Monday, 12-17-2012.  I sent a note home on this yesterday and wanted to make sure all of you received it.  Have a great week.  Also, there will be Wiz IQ tutoring tomorrow, the link will be up by tomorrow morning.  This is a good one, because we will be going over information for the Canada Chapter Test on Friday, and some of the tricky math we have been learning.  Very important your child attends if possible.

The Week of 12-10 to 12-14-2012

Thanks to all of you who are letting your children get on the Wiz IQ software for extra tutoring these past couple of weeks.  This past Thursday, we had a total of 9 students on for the session.  Out of all the students, 10 have tried the software so far and have had an excellent time.  Later in the year, I will have the kids schedule their own class presentations on line for an extra credit grade.  Students will use this type of software in the future in college and in the workplace, so it is nice to get them acclimated early on how to use it effectively and appropriately.  For those of you who volunteered for Ellis Island simulation, look for a note to go home confirming your participation.  Thank you so much for the nice turn out and if any others want to help out, please turn in the form or let me know via e-mail.  The simulation will start around 9:00 a.m., so if some of you can be there by 8:00 or so to help set up, that would be wonderful!  The simulation will happen Thursday, December 20th.  The following day we will be having our World Foods Celebration on Friday, December 21st.  Again, thanks to all who are offering to bring in a dish, and there is still time to offer to bring one in if you haven't already.  Just e-mail me or send the form in.  This event will take place around 11:00 in the morning and run until about 1 or 2:00.  We would love to have volunteers to help set up around 10:00, and anyone who can lend extension cords and power strips for those who need to plug things in, please place your name on them using masking tape and a marker so they can be returned.  I want to remind parents to please check to make sure your child is dressed for the weather as it is getting colder outside.  Cold and Flu season is also upon us, so please remind your child to wash his/ her hands often!  Progress reports will come out on Monday.  Again, students have one week to request work and get it into me for full credit.  The second week, it will be worth half credit, and after that, the assignment will have a score of zero.  Please let me know if your child has not been giving you the progress report each week.  Finally, I want to review the class bathroom policy.  I have no problem allowing students to use the bathroom in an event of emergency, during recess, and during independent work times.  Students are not permitted to request a bathroom break during reading, in most specials, and during instructional times.  In some cases, like when I need to get the class under control, I'll ask the student to wait, but these instances only last for 2-3 minutes at most, and in most cases under a minute.  If a child is caught vandalising the bathroom, acting out in the bathroom or hallway, or is repeatedly taking excessive amounts of time (15 minutes or more), I reserve the right to place stricter conditions on his/ her bathroom privileges.  I know that some kids have medical/ physical conditions that fall out the range of the bathroom policy, and if you can let me know of these, I will gladly make exceptions like in the case of flu, diarrhea, bladder conditions, and other personal matters.  The more I am aware of these things, the more understanding I can be, and the more accurate of a decision I can make.  Thanks for your understanding and support, and we'll work out these things as the year continues.

Reading News
This week, we wrapped up our unit on visualization.  New Book It forms will come out on Friday, December 7th.  My apologies for not getting these out sooner.  If you haven't gotten November's turned into me, please do so for the free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  New Reading Logs also will come out on Friday, December 7th and are due on Friday, December 14th.

Writing News
If you have not e-mailed me the final draft of personal narrative, please do so.  I will be checking these this week and e-mailing them back to the students.  This week, we went over pronouns and the different types of them.  Next week, we will be going over poetry and do a grammar unit on clauses.

Math News
This will be a tough unit we are starting.  Students began it with learning about composite and prime numbers, factor trees, and prime factorization.  We will be learning about the least common multiple, greatest common factor, and will go into adding and subtracting fractions in the near future.

Science News
We are learning about Plate Tectonics, different plate boundaries, and will soon be discussing fossils and geological dating.  We will be doing experiments on how geologists determine the rock layers under their feet, and how they determine the order in which rock layers were formed.

S. Studies News
We learned about Canada's government, its immigration history, and some of Canada's natural resources.  Next week, we will be studying Canada's economy, its policies and laws supporting diversity, and how Quebec at one time wanted to separate from the rest of Canada due to cultural differences.  We will have a test on this chapter either Thursday or Friday.

Have an excellent weekend and week ahead!  Stay warm and stay healthy, and if anyone knows how my Irish could possibly beat Alabama in the championship, please contact Coach Kelly ASAP!

New Wiz IQ Tutoring Session On Thursday!

Please have your child go to the class website : http://up2dategrade6.blogspot.com and on the right hand side, hit the link to the tutoring session on Thursday, December 6th, at 7:30 p.m.  If there are scheduling conflicts, your child can sign into the class late and we always do a recap at the end of each session.   This is a valuable tool available to you and your children for free.  Plus, with your child's attendance, he/ she can get a homework pass for participating.   The kids should have already set up their accounts, but if not, there is a link to a 'How To' page under the same Wiz IQ section.  Hope to see you there!

Tutoring Tonight!

I have a meeting at 8:00 p.m. so we will have an early tutoring session from 6:45 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. to review for the test tomorrow on chapter 3 in math.  The link to the class is on the right side of the class web site: http://up2dategrade6.blogspot.com
Students have an account already (or should have), so just click on the link, sign in and launch the class.  It is a live tutoring session where your child has a chance to ask questions, and get some additional help with the areas they may struggle with.  Students also get a homework pass for attending the class.  Please sign in and I hope to see you there!

Mr. Scott

P.S.- also under the Wiz IQ section is a link to a how to document on 'How to Use Wiz IQ' you can use as reference if you have difficulty signing on.

New Lesson Plans and Homework Log is up!

Go to the site and click on the homework log section and lesson plan section links to view what is coming up next week.

The Week of 12-3 to 12-7-2012

Thank you to all of you who have allowed your children to participate with the online tutoring!  So far, it has been a great success and the kids are benefiting from the extra time learning about the things we are covering in class.  We will have another session next week at 7:30 p.m., on Thursday, December 6th.  Look for a link on the class web site to get your child to this class.  There is also a link on the class web site under the Wiz IQ section that tells you how to join in a class and sign up for Wiz IQ.  Friday, November 30th, was the due date for the field trip permission slips.  I was told by some of the students of the difficulties they are having getting these in by the 30th.  No problem, if you were not able to get these in to me by the 30th, but please get these in to me by Monday, December 3rd.  All Ellis Island and World Foods Celebration Forms are due to me by Friday, December 7th.  The more people we have involved in these activities, the better the experience for our kids.  This week started our vision screening tests.  Only two of my students were selected for this, but if you would like your child's vision screened, you can e-mail me and I can send your child down to the testing location.  Progress reports should be out on Monday.  If you turned in a bunch of missing work but it did not show on the progress report, be patient, chances are good that it did not get turned in before the reports were printed.  This should show up the following week.  If it does not, please contact me to check to see if your child got the assignment in.  In order to get late work or missing work, please sign your child's progress report and have it returned to me.  I do this to ensure that you have seen the progress report and are expecting missing work.  Be sure to turn in any November Book It sheets on Monday!  New December sheets will be given out on Monday, December 3rd.  Have an excellent weekend, and how 'bout those Irish!

Reading News
We finished our making connections unit, and have started visualization.  Here, students will use their mind's eye to create a picture of what is being described in the book.

Writing News
We have just finished our personal narratives, and turned them in via e-mail.  I will correct these and e-mail back to your child the grade and the mistakes that need to be fixed.  We will be studying grammar the next two weeks and doing some daily journals. 

Math News
We learned how to subtract, add, and multiply positive and negative integers.  Next week, we will be learning how to divide positive and negative integers, and then we will have a test on Wednesday, December 5th. 

S. Studies News
We have been studying the United States the past few weeks.  This past week we looked the government structure, or economy and economic system, and the contributions other cultures have had on our own.  Look for a review test on Monday, December 3rd, and a test on Tuesday, December 4th.

Science News
This week we looked at the layers of the Earth's interior, the convection layers in the mantle, and Wegener's Continental Drift Theory.  Next week we will look at Plate Tectonics and map them out, we will study the Mid Atlantic Ridge and Sea Floor Spreading, and some of the effects of these on our crust. 

Big Updates

There will be no spelling or vocabulary test this week; a new list will come out Friday.  No reading log until Friday, which will be the start date for next week's log.  Learn the Process projects due by Friday.  For the rubric and project details, click on the link on the right hand side of the web site.  (You have to scroll down to get to them)  Field Trip slips and money due by Friday, November 30th, and volunteer and food forms for the December events (Ellis Island and World Foods Day) are due by Friday, December 7th.  Contact me if you have any questions.  Progress reports came out on Tuesday, November 27th.  Please sign these and make requests for any work.  All late work turned in as of yesterday were put in the grade books.

New Lesson Plans and More Info!

The lesson plans for this week and next are now available on the web site, as well as this week's homework log.  Reminder, there is no spelling or vocabulary test this week, but there is still a reading log that is due Monday, November 26.  A second reminder, field trip money and permission slips are due soon, and please return the Ellis Island and World Foods and Culture Celebration notes back as soon as you can if you are interested in participating.

Metamorphic Rock Simulation!

Pictures by Ryan E.

To simulate how metamorphic rock is created by both pressure and heat, we built metamorphic rock sandwiches!  Each layer and ingredient of this three stacked sandwich was a layer of sediment.  Students had peanut butter and jelly, gummy worm and chocolate chip, and marshmallow layers on three slices of bread.  Once they created this on a paper plate, they placed another paper plate on top of it, put the whole thing in a gallon sized ziplock bag, and added some pressure to the sandwich.  After smashing, folding and crumpling the plates and sandwich in a bag, we then heated the metamorphic sandwich in a microwave.  The result was an entirely new sandwich that looked nothing like it did before, much like metamorphic rock comes from a previous rock type, but goes through an entire change after being heated and pressurized.

Igneous Rock Model

Igneous rock forms when molten sediment and minerals cool either on land from lava flows, or under ground as magma seeps into cracks in sedimentary rock.  In our demonstration, the water dissolving the Borax powder is like the sediment being melted and mixed into magma below the Earth's surface.  We inserted a pipe cleaner into the liquid to act as a crack in the sedimentary rock where the magma will cool.  On the pipe cleaner, crystals will form like the magma would form as it cools.  We added food coloring to the water in hopes the crystals will come out in different colors.  Pictures by McKenzy L.

Sedimentary Rock Experiment

The final product!

I forgot to take pictures of this one, but I can use photos from last year to show what we did.  The students learned that Sedimentary Rocks are created by four processes.  First there is erosion, where the sediment is carried to a new place.  Then deposition, when the water or wind deposits the sediment in its new location creating a sediment layer.  As more layers of sediment builds on older layers, they create enormous pressure on the lower older layers which is a process called compaction.  As water seeps into these layers, it mixes with minerals already blended in the sediment.  This mineral water cements the sediment together forming rock when the water evaporates in the final process called cementing.  Students created a layer of sand and cement and placed it in the bottom of their cups (Erosion and Deposition).  Then they created a pea stone and cement layer that they pressed down on the sand layer (Erosion, Depostion, and Compaction).  They then, added water to these layers and final layer of plaster to act as the top layer of sediment.  A little more water was added to the plaster to finish it off and they set it aside to dry (Cementing).

New Lesson Plans Are Up!

The new lesson plans are up and the new homework log will be available later this weekend.  Remember, report cards and new progress reports will go out on Monday.  Have a great weekend!

Mr. Scott

The Week of 11-12-2012

Hi, and believe it or not, we have finished the first week of the 2nd marking period!  New progress reports will come home on Monday!  Look for a print out of the current scores and any missing work.  I have received three permission slips back with two of them offering to chaperone for the canoe trip in the spring.  Thanks to those who got this in already, the due date is November 30th.  If you did not get a conference note from me yet, please call me and let me know or e-mail me of this fact.  For those who cannot make the times available, I will call you to do the conference at another time or over the phone.  Report cards come home on Monday!  Please look them over and let me know of any questions you have at conference time.  Also, please sign the envelopes and return them to me for future report cards.  There will be a survey given to parents, please take time fill this out and return them to me at conferences.  I look forward to seeing many of you again next week, and others for the first time.  Coming up on December 20th, we will be having the students go through an Ellis Island Simulation and we need volunteers to help work as customs agents, interviewers, nurses/ physicians, etc.  Students will go through all of the areas early immigrants had to go through to get into our country from Ellis Island.  The medical exam will consist of students drawing a card to see if they have a preexisting disease in which they would have to solve some puzzles to get out of quarantine, they will have customs agents check their passports and papers, their applications for citizenship, and proctor a citizenship test.  The sheet for volunteers will go home next Thursday, November 15th.  Also, on December 21st, in place of the holiday party, we will be partnering up with Mr. Patrick Scott's and Ms. Krafft classes to do a Cultural Foods Party.  Here, students will be asked to create a festive heritage dish that represents a country their ancestors are from.  If you cannot trace the ancestry to another country but to another part of the United States, you can do a regional cultural dish as well.  These dishes will be sampled by the students, a lot like samples are given out at Costco or Sam's Club.  I will send a note explaining this more next Thursday as well.  There will be no newsletter, spelling test, or vocab test next week.  There will however still be a reading log.  That's all for the general updates, here's more on the subjects:

Science News
The students this week unravelled their sedimentary rock samples they made last Friday and what a success!  In many cases they could see the three layers of sedimentary rock they created.  Students also looked at real samples of igneous and metamorphic rocks and wrote a compare and contrast of them.  Finally, the students created their own igneous crystals, through an igneous rock demonstration.  These will go home next week some time.  Next week, we will be investigating metamorphic rock and creating them through a simulation.  Following these three types of rocks, we will be looking at fossils and creating some, and learning about minerals.

S. Studies News
The students began Unit 2 with an investigation of the geographic regions of North America.  Next Wednesday or Thursday, they will have a test on chapter 3 on North America's Geography and move into the next chapter about the United States.

Writing News
Students have completed their second drafts of their personal narratives and will be doing their final drafts on computers next week.  Please check with your child if he/ she has his/ hers done.  If not, please get them done this weekend.

Reading News
We kept on working with text to text connections this week, where we created thinking maps displaying our connections and then transferred them to a paper.  Next week, we will be working on text to world connections.

Math News
This week we worked on integers, which are any number on a number line.  We learned that zero is neither a positive or negative integer, and that the absolute value of an integer is the total number of spaces it is from zero on a number line.  Finally, students compared and ordered integers.  Next week, we will be looking at adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative integers.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and enjoy the last days of mild weather!  Go Irish!  Beat BC!

Homework Log

The homework log for this week is up on the class web site.

New Lesson Plans Are Up

This week's lesson plans are available on the class web site, and the homework log will be made available later today.

The Week of November 5th, 2012

This week on Tuesday, November 6th, there will be no school due to a teacher in service day.  I have to have my report cards done by Monday afternoon, therefore, please have all missing work turned into me on Monday morning.  any work not turned in by then will not be counted in the grade for the report card.  There will be no progress reports next week, please look for one the week after.  Report cards are due to go home Monday, November 12th.  Conference notes, if you have not turned one in to me, please do so.  I will send home new notes on Monday with your scheduled time if you have not gotten a note stating your preference to me.  Thanks again for the wonderful party last week.  I will get out thank you cards soon to all who helped or donated items.  During the week of November 12th, there will be no spelling or vocabulary test due to the shortened week of conferences.  Conferences will be held on November 14th- November 16th. We are getting into that season again where students are coming down with colds and other things,  please be sure to remind your child to dress appropriately for recess, always wash his/ her hands, and not to share food or beverages with other students.  We also need Kleenex and hand sanitizer in the room if anyone would be willing to donate.  We currently are collecting box tops, soup labels, and can goods.  For the can goods, we are in a competition with Adams Upper Elementary.  Donate if you can!

Reading News
This week we learned how to make connections from text to text, and next week we will continue with this skill.  By the end of next week, we will start on making connections text to world.  Many kids are not checking out books in the library and coming to class without a reading book.  Please make sure your child has one daily, and if they cannot check out a book in our library, please take them to the city library to get one.  A new reading log and Book It form will come home today.

Math News
On Monday, the students will take a test on the graphing and chart making they did in chapter 2.  These include: making a frequency chart, bar graphs and histograms, line plot graphs, and steam and leaf plot graphs.  Students will also need to be able to calculate the mode, mean, and median, plus know the definition of each.

Writing News
This week the kids worked on their personal narratives with some peer editing.  Next week they will continue to do peer editing and then work on the final drafts.  Look for a spelling list to go home today for next Friday's tests.

Science News
This week the students learned about the three different types of rocks they will be studying, and then made sedimentary rocks in the classroom.  Next week, they will learn about igneous rocks and how they are formed above and below the Earth's surface.

S. Studies News
Our next chapter will be on the geography of North America.  Students will learn the different climates, land regions, and natural resources found in the continent they live on.

Have a great weekend, and if your child has not done as well as you hoped this quarter, know we are at a fresh start, and during conferences, we will discuss ways to improve your child's success. 

Hero Party a Sucess!

A very special thanks to all of the parents, grandparents, and other family members who helped out and/or donated food items to last Friday's Hero Party!  I was really privileged to see the students in a different way, and to meet a lot of you all who are so important to them.  The day was a great success and the kids were really proud to have you in their school.  Thanks again, and look for information to come home for our Heritage Party in December! 

Mr. Scott

The Week of October 29th

Finally!  MEAP is done and now things can get back to normal!  Thank you to all of you who helped out and/ or donated items for our "Bring a Hero for a Hero Sandwich Party".  I know the kids put a lot of effort in their letters and introductions for their heroes, and it was a privilege being able to read about the positive role models in their lives.  Coming up next week, we will have a half day on October 31st.  The students will attend for the afternoon only, so please make arrangements if necessary.  Please do not let your children come to school on this day dressed for Halloween or have any Halloween items.  Next week is the final week of the first marking period.  I know I have called many of you concerning your child's scores, please have any late materials turned in by Thursday, November 1st.  I need to have report cards completed by the following Monday before the grade book window closes.  You all will receive a progress report on Monday concerning your child's scores and any new missing/ late assignments.    Please sign these and leave a note if you want any missing work.  Conference notes will come home on Friday, October 26th.  Those of you who have signed up for a time at the Parent Night in August, will get a confirmation notice that you will need to sign stating the time still works for you.  Others will get a note asking what time would work for you.  Please also indicate if any siblings are in the school so we can schedule the times close together to reduce your wait time.  Please sign these documents and return them to me by Monday, October 29th.  Conferences will occur on Wednesday, November 14th from 4-7:00 p.m., Thursday, November15th from 5-8:00 p.m., and Friday, November 16th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  There will be no school for students on Friday November 16th due to conferences.  October Book It sheets are due by next Friday, November 2nd. 

Science News
Congratulations to those who scored 80% or higher on the Scientific Method and Measurement Unit Test!  These students will receive a certificate of achievement for their efforts.  The next unit will be on soil formation and changes in the Earth's surface.  During this unit, students will be doing experiments on erosion and creating soil, studying glaciers and beach erosion in Michigan, and watching a documentary on the Great Dust Bowl of the 1930's. 

S. Studies News
We will be wrapping up our unit on studying social studies, geography, and types of maps this week.  Look for a test next Tuesday or Wednesday.  The next unit will be on the United States, and then soon after in late November, we will look at Canada.  Since both countries were founded and heavily influenced by immigration, the students will be doing an immigration/ citizenship simulation.  This will be followed up with a party the Friday before Holiday Break where we will be celebrating our cultural pasts.  We will be asking parents to create a dish used in celebrations or is traditional to the child's relative's native culture.  This will not have to be a holiday dish, but should be authentic.  Students will also create the flags of their cultural identities to hang up for this party.  More information to come on this in November!   Also during this unit, students will be creating two wiki sites, one for what they learned about the United States, and the second on what they learned about Canada.

Writing News
We have spent the past week working on Hero Letters and Introductions.  Next week we will continue working on using dialogue correctly in our stories, and completing our personal narratives.  There will be a spelling/ vocabulary test on Monday for the list that was handed out last Monday.  The new list for next week will come out on Friday, October 26th for the next test on Friday, November 2nd.  The test on November 2nd will be the first test for the second marking period.

Reading News
This week, we began our unit on Schema and Making Connections.  Students defined what schema is and began working on making connections from the text to themselves.  A new Reading Log will out on Friday, October 26th, and will be due by Friday, November 2nd.  This reading log will be the first grade for the second marking period.

Math News
This past week, the students worked on finding Mode, Median, and Mean, and how to make line plot graphs.  Next week, they will make stem and leaf plot graphs and continue to calculate the mode, median, and mean.

Have a warm weekend and Go Tigers and Irish!

Bring a Hero for a Hero Sandwich Day!

Just a reminder, tomorrow is our "Bring a Hero for a Hero Sandwich Day!"  Any cold items, if you could bring them in around 11:30, that would be great.  If anyone can donate a tray, large bowls, and other items to place the food in for the sandwich and dessert buffet that too is welcomed.  Please be sure to have your name on it so we can get it back to you!  Also, if no one knows what we need and has not committed to donating anything, about 12 helium balloons in the school colors would great!  It would really make the place seem festive!  We would need 6 yellow or gold, and 6 black.  Look for a newsletter later tonight and have an excellent day!  Thanks in advance to all those who donated items, and to those coming in tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. to help us set up!  Could not get this done without you!

Mr. Scott

The Week of the 19th of October, 2012

This week our students will be completing the Math MEAP which they did today.  The Social Studies MEAP scheduled for tomorrow will occur next week because we are trying the new online version of the MEAP.  The students have taken a practice test version of this to acclimate them to the process.  Next week, October 26th, is the day of our "Bring a Hero to School for a Hero Sandwich Day".  I have received a lot of notes back offering to bring items.  I will contact any offers that doubled to see if we can get all of the items covered.   If you did not receive the flier, please let me know and I'll send one home.  Last week upon doing progress reports, I discovered that 21 of my 34 students were receiving a score below a 'C' in at least one subject.  I tested my theory that parents were not receiving my weekly progress reports and found this to be true.  The students know this is the last time late work beyond a week will be accepted.  All parents should know that if a progress report is not sent home on Monday, that a note stating it was not sent home has been handed to your child to give to you.  I have never gone past Tuesday on getting progress reports out, so please expect one by Tuesday if you did not receive one on Monday.  Please sign these and give them back to your child to return to me.  Kids have an incentive for you to do this for them.  Also, please put on the progress report any questions, concerns or requests for missing work to be completed by the following Monday.  The first night your child receives work, it has to be completed by the next day for no penalty, then, every day after that will have a 10% reduction until the work is 5 days late by which it will receive half credit.  After 5 days, no work will be accepted unless it is due to an absence.  I am working hard to help you all keep in the loop so there are no surprises by report card time.  Please help me by looking for these progress reports so we can work together to keep your child up to date and on time.  I am pushing the deadline for the "Learn the Process" project back to November 16th.  Central Office has stated they want to create accounts for your children to develop their pages on and have not gotten back to me on when those will be available.  We also have had a lot of time get disrupted due to testing, especially the MEAP.  Look for that change on the calendar.  Over the course of this week I will be entering new grades for one subject a day starting Wednesday.  I was inundated with a giant stack of late work to grade so new work was set aside temporarily.  Wednesday will be Reading and Writing, Thursday Math, Friday will be Science, and Saturday- S. Studies.  Next Monday, your child may have new missing work, so be sure to check for the progress report then.  Also new to grading, I will complete by Monday, all of the "All About Me" website grading.  Expect those to come home on Monday, October 22, 2012.  Kids can correct the items they were marked down on to boost their score in this project.  Any new project rubrics received are late and will have the 10% deduction for every day late after October 5th.  This is a large writing score and will impact your child's grade severely if it scored a zero.  Half credit will not have as much of an impact.  Please make sure tonight your child has turned this in to me.  Have an excellent week, and if you're like me the past few weeks battling a cold/sinus infection, I will say a prayer for your speedy recovery.  That is no fun! 

Lesson Plans

New Lesson Plans available now.  Homework Log will be up by the end of the day Monday, as well as a new newsletter.

Important Info

There will be no new spelling lists, vocabulary lists, or reading logs for the next two weeks due to MEAP Tests.  However, your child should still read if he/she wants the Book It prize for October, or wants extra credit.  Extra Credit Reading Logs will be available on Tuesday, October 9th.  Progress reports will come out also on the 9th due to me being laid up with a bad cold.  Take care and be sure your child is on time for school tomorrow.

Newsletter for 10-1 to 10-12- 2012

Because I was not in on Friday of last week, and since this is coming out so late, this will be the newsletter for the next two weeks.  On Tuesday of this week, the kids got their spelling and vocabulary lists.  Because we had some network problems with our computers the last two days, I was not able to print this out at school.  Since the list is coming out later that expected, the test will be on Monday, October 8th.  This Friday, October 5th, was our first PBS party.  Those who were on orange, red, or ODR, or those who had three or more yellow cards could not attend.  They will had an educational opportunity instead during that time.  This Thursday, October 4th, was our first time at the PBS Store where students could use Marshall Bucks to purchase items.  We go to the store at 1:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. The school still needs volunteers to work the store during the school day.  If you spare one day a month to help out, that would be great!  Coming home on Tuesday, October 2nd is the form for our "Bring Your Hero for a Hero Sandwich Day" event on October 26th, 2012.  Please get these forms into me so I can pass them on to my parent helper to coordinate who is getting what.  We will also need volunteers to assist in set up for this event.  The more contributions and help we can get, the better the event will be for the students' heroes.  On October 31st, we will be having a half day of school.  Students are to report to school for the afternoon only on that day.  I am handing back many low scoring spelling and vocabulary tests  the last couple of weeks.  Students can correct their spelling by using the words, spelled correctly, in a sentence.  Students can correct their vocab tests by fixing the items they got wrong.  In need of some reading extra credit?  If your child missed getting a reading log into me, just have your child read extra for the remaining weeks.  I give one point for each minute read which could help raise any low reading grade averages if your child reads more than the required 140 minutes.  Also note, that on Wednesday, October 3rd, the students should be getting their Book-It forms.  For each completed form turned in, that has a minimal of 20 minutes read for each day of the month, that student will receive a coupon for a free personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.

Math News
The students last week were first introduced to variables and working algebraic equations.  This week and next we will be working with algebraic expressions and equations where students have to solve to identify what number the variable represents.

Reading News
We will continue working on monitoring our thinking while reading, this week the students will practice having a conversation with their book.  Next week, we will be doing our Reading MEAP.  Please be sure your child is in bed on time next week and fed a healthy breakfast prior to coming to school.

Writing News
I am still accepting "All About Me" project rubrics, especially from those who had computer issues at home.  I am surprised how few rubrics I received. This is a major project that will have big effects on your child's grade if it is not turned in or turned in on time.  After Thursday, any rubrics not turned in will receive a deduction of 10 points per day.  Our next writing piece will be a personal narrative. 

S. Studies News
This week we will explore the five themes of geography and studying other people around the world.  Students will be creating anchor charts for these sections.  Later on, over the next two weeks, we will be learning how to read and use a time zone map.

Science News
The volume experiment took longer than expected.  It was actually divided into four parts, and given the size of the class, each section is took a little bit longer to complete.  This week the students will measure with a triple beam balance, measure lengths in centimeters, and learn about the metric system.  On Friday of this week, the kids will be doing a fun experiment to practice the scientific method.

New Lesson Plans Available

This week's plans are available.  Please pay attention to the students goals and assessment pieces as they include the adopted Core Curriculum Values.  I'll discuss this more on this week's newsletter to come home on Tuesday.  Also, look for the new spelling/ vocab list to be posted and come home on Monday.  The test will take place on Friday.  Progress reports will also come home on Monday as scheduled.  Hope you had an excellent weekend!

Slime Invades the 6th Grade!!!

On Friday, the students had an experiment that introduced them to some measuring skills.  The purpose of the experiment was to allow students a chance to practice measuring out and combining ingredients, witness a cool chemical reaction, and if some of the student's slime did not turn out, learn that following directions precisely, and using only the prescribed amounts of the ingredients is critical to an experiment's success.  Students combined 1/2 cup of glue with some food coloring and a 1/2 cup of cold water.  Then, they combined 1 cup of hot water with a teaspoon of Borax Powder.  Once both of these two solutions were mixed entirely, came the big moment when the students got to combine them.  The reaction happened instantly and within about 30 seconds, the students had their own self created portion of slime!!  Here's some of the photos of the event!