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.