Welcome Back!

Dear Middle School Families and Caregivers,

            I hope you have enjoyed your summer and had plenty of time to swim, sleep in and play in the sun. I've been busy organizing the classroom and playing with technology that we'll be using in the classroom - very exciting!

            This next school year I have high expectations for student achievement and I wanted to make sure students come prepared with everything they need to think deep, learn a lot and stay organized. Please make sure your student has:

Necessary

­­____A backpack or book bag

____Plenty of sharpened pencils or mechanical pencils with extra lead

____Two basic 1" binders - these will mostly stay at school

____One sturdy binder for back and forth from school to home, 1.5"-2" based on your preference

____Binder paper in each binder (college ruled or wide ruled is your choice) - This year, we will not be providing lined paper, students need to bring it daily.

____Two packs of five binder dividers (10 total)

____A calculator - it doesn't need to be fancy but should have the capability to do square roots.

____Pack of 3" x 5" index cards with one blank side and one lined side

____3 ballpoint pens - black, blue and red

­____One glue stick

Optional

Colored pencils

Small pencil sharpener

Extra erasers

Pencil pouch/Pencil box

Headphones compatible with iPad

Book cover- they cost a dollar at K-Mart or you can just cover books with a brown bag.

            Please let me know in advance of the first day of school, if you are unable to acquire these items. I can be reached via email at ms.maggieorion@gmail.com or by calling the school.

            Parents and caregivers, I look forward to welcoming you at back-to-school night to outline what we'll be exploring this year as well as answer any questions you might have about classroom procedures, academic standards, homework expectations, and how to best support your student.

            In addition to sending newsletters home, I will be posting all correspondence on our class blog throughout the year. I will also showcase exemplary student work and class activities. Please check it out at cougarvilleclass.blogspot.com, and consider following posts by signing up on the left hand side of the home screen.

            Finally, I'll sign off by thanking you in advance for your support. I believe family involvement is integral to student success, and I am excited for the 2014/2015 teaching and learning extravaganza.

Thank you,

Maggie Orion

Dear Parents and Community,

Our blog has officially launched! Students kicked it off by writing a persuasive essay. For our sixth graders, this was their first persuasive essay and for everyone it was the first time posting to a blog. We added some more firsts by including photos, links and sources cited. All in all, a challenging assignment   that required a lot of learning for us all. Students picked their own topics and photos and I hope you hear their developing writer's voice.

Parents, caregivers and family members can visit the blog by clicking on the link on the right hand side of this page titled Cougarville Student Blog or visiting kidblog.org/cougarville. You will have to sign in with a password which was sent home with your child. You can then create your own profile and check in with your student's work.

At kidblog.org, students and parents have separate sign-in buttons.

You will need the password sent home with your student to create a profile.  In the future you will use the drop down menu to select your name, but first you need to make a profile.

I am very curious how signing up works out for you. Please let me know if you encounter difficulties or have questions. If you feel overwhelmed by the world wide web, stop in before or after school and I'll be happy to help you sign up.

Thank you for your support and the opportunity to play with writing and blogging with your children!

Ms. Orion