Open house was a great success!  It was wonderful having a chance to meet so many of you!  If you weren’t able to make it, don’t worry.  We will help you on Monday to open your locker and find your way around.

Remember, school starts Monday, August 13.  Students will be dismissed at 1:40 the first three days.  The normal 3:00 dismissal begins on August 16.

Picture day will be August 21.  Packets will be coming home soon, so you can preorder your pictures or if it’s more convenient, order online.

Enjoy this beautiful sunshine on your last weekend of summer!

It’s August, so you know what that means!  It’s time for school to start!

Open house for sixth graders and their families will be Wednesday, August 8 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.  This is a great opportunity for you to get familiar with the building, meet your teachers, and find your locker.  It is an evening filled with excitement for teachers, parents, and students!  I hope to see you there!

The first day of school is August 13.  School will be dismissed at 1:40 on August 13, 14, and 15.  The regular school schedule will start of August 16.  I am looking forward to a great year!

Sixth graders have been reading the book, A Wrinkle in Time for many years.  This year, we are lucky enough to attend the movie at South Pointe.  The 6B team will walk to the theaters for a special 9 AM showing on March 26.  The movie should end about 10:40 so we can walk back to school in time for lunch.  We are all looking forward to this wonderful opportunity!

Realistic fiction are due Monday, March 26.  Our next writing project will be persuasive writing.

The state testing will take place in April.  Language Arts tests will be taken in the language arts classroom on April 9 and 10. 

Literature groups will meet March 29.  The AM class is reading Summer of the Monkeys.  They should be ready to discuss chapters 1-6.  The PM class is either reading A Wrinkle in Time, Project Mulberry, or Walk Two Moons.  These students should be ready to discuss pages 1-96.

Happy Spring!

Parent/Teacher conferences will be February 6 and 8 from 3:30 to 6:30.  In middle school, we encourage students to attend with their parents.  We hope to see you there!

Our poetry unit has started.  Each day students will write a new entry in their writer’s notebook.  They should attempt each type of poetry and date the entry.  If they are absent during the unit, it is the student’s responsibility to check with me or with a friend to find out what they missed.  The writer’s notebook will be checked the week of February 12- 16.  The students will publish their favorite 7 poems into a poetry book that will be due February 19.

We had several impressive poems submitted to be considered for our Martin Luther King Jr. celebration to be held on January 25.  This all school assembly remembers the great work of Martin Luther King Jr. and honors Zainab Al Baaj for her current work in our community.  A team of teachers reviewed the poems and selected poems by  Faith Peterson, Tristan McGill, Addi Palmer, and Kate Roesch.  Congratulations to these talented writers on being selected!

Literature groups meet on Thursday.  The morning class is reading Surviving Antarctica, and the afternoon group is reading Counting by 7s.  Students should bring their literature book and a thinkmark to literature groups.

Spelling, vocabulary, and reading comprehension tests continue to be on Fridays.

I hope you’re keeping warm on these cold January days!

The students finished first semester strong, and we are on to second semester.  The students are currently writing an essay with their New Year’s Resolutions.  These essays are due January 16.  The next writing unit will be on poetry.

The first literature groups of the semester will be January 18.  The AM class is reading, Surviving Antarctica.  They should read to page 108.   The PM class is reading, Counting by 7s, and they should read to page 107.  All students should have a Thinkmark prepared when they come to literature groups.

Hope you’re all keeping warm!  It’s a great time to curl up with a good book!

Students did a great job on their research topics!  They learned a lot about their topic and presented with confidence.  I was really impressed with the visuals that accompanied the presentations!  Fantastic work, sixth graders!

Now it’s time to write a a book review.  Students are to choose a book they truly enjoyed that is sixth grade reading level or above.  The book review will be a five paragraph paper.  The criteria for the book report and expert examples are on Google Classroom.

Literature groups will meet Thursday, Dec. 14.  The morning group is reading either Hatchet or Tall Tales.  The afternoon group is reading Bridge to Terabithia.  Both classes should complete the book.  To get full credit for the literature discussion, students need to have read the book, bring the book with them to group, and be prepared to discuss at least three different events from the story.

This week’s tests are on Unit 3, Week 4.  I hope everyone is having a great week!

First semester is flying by!  Students have been working hard on their research, and presentations start tomorrow.  Each student chose a man-made Wonder of the World to research.  They will teach the class about their topic as they give the oral presentation.  Each presentation should include a visual, so students can see what they are learning about.

Literature groups will meet Thursday.  The morning class is reading either, Hatchet or Tall Tales.  They should read to page 73 by Thursday.  The afternoon group is reading, Bridge to Terabithia and should be on page 71.  To get full credit for literature group discussions students need to have read the assigned reading, bring their book to class, and be prepared to discuss three different events from the book.

Friday’s tests will be over unit 3, week 3.  Enjoy your last week of November!

We had a great turn out on Monday night for conferences.  It you were not able to make it, there is still time.  Conferences will also be held on Thursday from 3:30 to 6:30.  Conferences are not scheduled in middle school.  Teachers are lined up in their pod areas and parents wait in line to talk to their child’s teacher.  It is helpful for parents to come with a schedule, so they know which teachers they should talk to.

All students are reading the book, Freak the Mighty.  Students should either be on page 99 or  complete the book by this Thursday.  Students should also bring a Thinkmark to literature groups.

Last week we finished Unit 1 testing, so this Friday’s test will be over Unit 2, Week 1.

It looks like our warm summer temperatures are gone for the year.  Happy Fall everyone!

Smile!  It’s picture time!  Students will need to bring their packets with them to school on Thursday, August 31, if they plan to purchase pictures.  Parent can also fill out the information online if it is more convenient for them.

Students did a great job with their literature groups.  Literature groups will meet on Thursdays.  Students reading, Al Capone Does My Shirts, read to page 98.  Students reading, True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, should stop at Part II.  All students should complete their Right/Wrong and bring it to literature group.

Testing on Friday, September 1, will be over Unit 1, Week 3.  Then, it’s Labor Day Weekend!  Enjoy having an extra day on your weekend!

The students did a great job adjusting to their first week of middle school!  Lockers were opened, they found their classes and the learning has begun!  This week we will start our regular schedule as we begin Unit 1, Week 2 in the reading curriculum.  Testing will be on Friday, unless noted otherwise.  Each week the students will tests in spelling, grammar, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.  Students are encouraged to study for the spelling and vocabulary tests on either Wonders or my Quia website.  Both links are found on the right had side of this page.

Tomorrow is an exciting day.  Students will be able to view the Solar Eclipse.  We have talked a lot about the importance of safety as we view this amazing event.  Let’s hope for clear skies!

Students will be receive their literature books tomorrow.  Literature groups will meet each Thursday.  Please remind your child to read the assignment and come to literature group prepared.

Picture day will be August 31.  The students will be receiving their packets soon.