Class Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Please expect progress reports at the end of the week. If you have questions, feel free to contact me via email or set up an appointment to discuss in person or on the phone. Generally, I’m very pleased with student work and progress in class though the overall homework return rate for this class is low. Please be reminded that your student has a Homework and Reading sheet with all their homework assignments written on it. Many parents have reported success in requiring their student to show them this paper and the finished homework every evening. There is usually one spelling and one writing assignment every week with math homework send home once or twice a week. Of course, reading should be done nightly.

This Wednesday we have our monthly awards assembly and it’s a half-day.

As part of our family life unit, 7th and 8th grade students will be receiving their mechanical babies on Friday morning. A few 6th graders have already stepped up to baby sitting tasks. I heard feedback from parents that the mechanical babies were ill timed. I hear your concerns and will try to adjust timing in the future. The baby delivery date was largely out of my control for various reasons (kind of like real babies!). There will be a parent response sheet going home next week to get your feedback. This program is used in many other middle schools and my goal was to provide students in our school with similar opportunities to the bigger schools. Our family life classes have been going very well despite the giggles. 

Students are currently practicing close reading of Black Ships Before Troy which is a middle-school accessible version of The Iliad, a 3,000 year old epic written by Homer. I’m so proud of their progress with this rigorous text on the battle of Troy in ancient Greece. You may see some chapters come home and your student may need help with certain words and/or phrases. 

We have also jumped into studying atoms, elements, and the periodic table in science. 

Students have kicked off their Genius Hour research projects again and as always, I’m blown away by their creativity. This time around some students are researching bamboo, foxes, how to build a bow, learning to read sheet music, and considering how to make a stop motion video retelling an ancient Greek myth. 

Onward and upward!



Maggie Orion

More Hands On History: Egypt

We completed these several months ago and they have been displayed in the hall. 

Ancient Greek Pots

We decorated our pots with ancient Greek patterns and our favorite ancient Greek gods. The students wrote about which god they chose and why. The final product might not quite look like the pots from several thousand years ago but they're still pretty great.

Hermes as a mischievous baby

Poseidon

Artemis the god of hunting

Greek letters

Cronus' stomach full of his own children with the sword of Zeus about to free them all!

Okay, maybe not from our class...Original Source

Class Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you all enjoyed your winter break! We had a wonderful year-end Secret Santa party with sweet words and gifts exchanged between students. They also made their own clay pots which they will be decorating in the style of Ancient Greece. 

This trimester ends February 26th so I will be sending home progress reports at the end of next week.

During the latter half of this trimester, we will be studying Ancient Greece in social studies and reading. In writing we will be focusing on persuasive essays while in science we will be looking at atomic theory. Students will also be choosing another Genius Hour topic to research independently.

Thank you!

Maggie Orion

Some Words of Gratitude...

Excerpts from student blogs are below:




Country Living: I am thankful for my house and where I live because I get a lot of different privileges because I live in the forest . For example, if I walk ten feet out of my yard, you are in straight up forest. I can go on walks for miles without having to stop because of fences or yards. Finally I can have lots of animals. For example I have five dogs, one cat, and puppies on the way. - Chase




Books: I am thankful for books. I love reading books because I can experience other peoples' lives and see through their eyes what their life is like. One of my favorite books is The Falconer. I enjoy imagining things and books let me imagine whole scenarios. Another reason why I like reading is because books give me ideas on writing and stories, and one day I want to write a book. I also just read when I'm bored or want to escape to another world and another life. -Rachel




Pets: The third aspect why I have a lot of gratitude, for are my dogs and my cat. I love when my dogs get so excited to see me they splash mud all over me. I also love when my cat kneads on me when I am holding her. When I go to my fort they all follow me and make sure I am safe. -Miya




The Sun: One of the things that I am grateful for and is vital for my survival is the sun. Most kids my age don't know how vital the sun is. I feel that every one should have gratitude for the sun considering that it's one of the most important things in life. The sun is a beautiful and deadly thing, at any moment the sun could explode, have a solar flare, or burn out. I am most grateful that the sun is around to keep the world alive and doesn't kill us with any of those things that I listed. - Gaven




Eating: I'm thankful for the great meals that I eat every night. About a week ago, my mom and grandma made homemade chicken tacos with salsa and whatever you wanted on it. It was delicious! Im lucky to eat every night. If I'm not hungry right at that moment then whoever is cooking makes sure to save some and put it in the fridge for me to heat up later.When I am hungry I ask somebody if they can make me food and they do. I am thankful that I get to eat food and drink water. - Phoenix

Sports: I am thankful for all sports, but one in particular basketball. Basketball helps me though a lot of tough and emotional times. It makes me happy. Every time I play it I enjoy every second except when my brother beats me, but it's ok because it builds up my skills in the sport. Playing basketball takes my mind off of everything that is bothering me so I forget about it. also, it keeps me in shape. I play it a lot, not so much in school anymore because how we play at school is not real basketball rules, but I play it everyday after school by my self or with Brandon at home. I play many sports, but basketball will always be my favorite sport. - Mikynna




Organic Food: I am grateful that my parents keep me very well fed. A lot of the food my parents feed me is organic food and drinks. For instance, my family has a garden and my mother grows greens, vegetables, and some fruits in it. We also have a few fruit trees hanging around our property since we moved there. Our neighbor has an apple orchard down the road. Also, just about every time we go to the store, my mother picks up organic milk and organic food. I know this because when she go's to the store, it is common for us to go with her. - Gavin

School: My third thing that I'm grateful for is school, I'm thankful for school because without it I wouldn't be able to get a good job and I would be poor. school can be very fun, for instance one time my class had P.E with the K-1-2 class and we played capture the flag and it was a lot of fun. School can also be boring, school can be fun but it also has it's boring times where your like, "WHEN IS THIS GOING TO END!". There are also those times when you learn things, and i call it the learnful time of school (but that subject doesn't come that often) just kidding there is a LOT of learning for instants a while ago I learned what a density tower is in science. To make a density tower you take tow or more liquids or more and poor them in to a graduated slender. the liquid that settles at the bottom is the most dense, and the liquid that settles at the top is less dense. I think school is AWESOME. - Gianni




The Small Things: I have a weird relationship with this spider that I call Rosco. He is a big, black, grey, and white spider the size of a quarter. He comes into the window every night, we have a little conversation here and there but most of the time we just stare at each other. I named him Rosco because he reminds me of a dog named Rosco. The dog ,Rosco, had the same colors as the spider and kind of act the same. I love Rosco the spider because when I talk to him it is as if he understands my words and cares about what I'm saying. This morning he started to create a huge web outside my window. It is so beautiful when it catches the light and gets that rainbow color to it. The frost was crystallizing the web this morning and it was so beautiful. Some of the things the spider and I talk about is the holidays, the weather, and each other. When I mentioned Christmas he scooted closer to me, his six cloudy eyes widened with wonder. I show my gratitude to this strange little friend. - Dakota




Family: One of those "life helpers" are my parents. They help me with so many things, but one of the most important things is helping me have a career in music. They never quit helping me even now. If it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't even enjoy the music I crave. It is always incredible to have committed parents that won't quit at helping and supporting you. I will also never forget that they feed me, house me, hydrate, and teach me. They also throw a lot of money away for me, even in these hard times, and I am very grateful for that. For example, they bought me expensive instruments and electronics. - Kyle

Class Update

                                                                                                       

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

This week, Wednesday and Thursday are minimum days. Thursday students should be back at school at 5:45pm. Please have them come to my room while you go find seats. Make sure to walk through the hall that evening to look at displays of student activities.

Next week, Friday the 19th is a minimum day. We will have holiday break from December 20th to January 4th and then back to school on Monday! The only homework I assign over break is reading.

Secret Santa names have been drawn. Gifts should arrive at school no later than December 17th. Please do not spend more than $10 and non-monetary gifts are encouraged.

Book orders were handed out on Friday. You have until Tuesday (tomorrow!) to get them back to school. Books will be delivered before the holidays, so consider purchasing some reading material for gifts.

Students are fundraising for class funds to go to REACH. We are selling raffle tickets for various items including two separate cords of firewood. Encourage and brain storm with your student places where tickets could be sold.

Please be reminded that REACH forms are due this Thursday. We are not requesting money from you at this point - just the forms. However, if you are willing and able to pay towards the trip, that is wonderful and very helpful.

The 6th and 7th graders have finished comparing two different versions of the Greek Myth of Perseus' adventure for Medusa's head while the 8th graders are diving into the details of the Constitution. We are also learning how to write letters and address envelopes (it's a dying art!). Finally, we are editing our Gratitude Essays which will be published soon. All the math classes are going well and I'm so proud of students putting effort into learning math in new ways.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Thank you for your support,

Maggie Orion

Class Update

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

I hope you and yours enjoyed a warm Thanksgiving with much to be thankful for.

This week we (finally!) have a normal schedule though next week we will have two minimum days on Wednesday and Thursday for the Awards Assembly and our Winter Program. We'll need students here by 5:45pm on December 11th.

Please check in with your student to ensure lines and lyrics are being memorized and practiced at home.

You should have seen an informational flyer and sign up sheet go home for the REACH field trip. This is a three-day, two-night conference that our school has attended for years. Inspirational speakers, activities, and workshops are designed to give students skills to negotiate their emotional, physical and social well being through tween and teen years. Due to the size of my class this year and its expected growth next year, I am hoping that I can bring all my students this year (whereas next year, it will probably be more selective).  The cost for students has risen to $150 per student. Students and staff have planned some fundraisers to help ensure that the whole class can go. Please encourage and assist your child in participating in the fundraisers! Also, if you are moved to donate to our class fund for this trip, I would be extremely thankful. Depending on how much money is earned, we may ask for a per child donation of approximately $25.

At the end of this week, students will be choosing another student for a Secret Santa gift exchange. I wanted to give you two weekends for town shopping opportunities, but we wont actually exchange gifts until December 19th. Gifts should be under $10 though non-monetary gifts are also encouraged (i.e. homemade crafts or baked goods).

Despite our funny November schedule, we are still doing academics! Students have been practicing how to cite evidence from literary text and write five paragraph essays. We have also been discussing current events by watching CNN student news and practicing how to debate with respect and fact-based arguments. The 8th graders are deep in their Constitution unit and we are building our acting chops through our daily rehearsals.

With gratitude,

Maggie Orion