Newsletter: 2nd Trimester, Elective Update, and More!

Important

It’s a brand new trimester!

Report cards will be distributed at Parent Conferences next week. I have scheduled 25 minute conferences for all parents, and we have a lot to discuss. I look forward to seeing you!

Please continue to sign for your student’s homework and reading minutes.

Upcoming Dates

§  November 18-20 are minimum days for parent conferences.

§  November 25-27, we are off for the holidays.

§  December 9^th and 10^th are minimumd days.

§  December 10^th we perform Winter Programat 6 pm.

New

In ELA, we are getting serious about knowing our grammar rules and practicing for the Winter Program.

8^th graders will be consumed in Constitution until winter break. They will need to study at home.

6^th and 7^th graders will begin the history of China, India and Japan.

In science we are focusing on soil.

Updates and Info

Students honored veterans, finished final exams, reviewed work, and practiced blocking for our Winter Program play. 6^th and 7^th graders practiced perfect dialogue punctuation and 8^th graders began the famous Constitution unit! We all celebrated another 1600 dojo points earned for good behavior and strong thinking!

Second trimester we will not be offering electives because we weren’t able to find enough adults who could facilitate. A big thank you goes out to all the folks who showed up for the kids first trimester. We had a lot of offerings. Our elective program truly is a labor of love!

We will be using our extra chunk of time on Thursdays to prepare for Winter Program and squeeze in more science and social studies.

Electives will resume (hopefully!) third trimester. Please consider reaching out to me if you or someone you know is willing to teach!

Newsletter: Last Week of Trimester

I'm tardy on posting this on the blog though, of course, it was sent home with all students last week. There's still some useful information!

Important

We are on the last week of the trimester!

Report card will be distributed at Parent Conferences next week.

There is a history test scheduled for this Thursday.

Upcoming Dates

§  November 11th is Veteran's Day - no school.

§  November 13th is the end of the trimester

§  November 18-20 are minimum days for parent conferences.

§  November 25-27, we are off for the holidays.

§  December 10^th 6:00 we perform Winter Program.

New

In ELA, we are playing with some creative writing techniques and practicing for the Winter Program.

In social studies, we have a test on Thursday. 8^th graders will begin Constitution studies which will require some homework – good preparation for highschool!

My math group has a cumulative test on ratios, rates and percents on Thursday.

In science we are still focusing on weathering and erosion.

Updates and Info

Students finished final drafts of literary arguments, discussed and debated on the class blog, summarized current news stories, presented their Keynote presentations for social studies and practiced their Veteran’s Day performance.  

It’s time to begin thinking about costumes for your student’s performance in the play. Discuss with your student what type of outfit they will need, and begin looking through closets and thrift stores. The sooner costumes can be brought to school, the better. Thanks in advance!

Newsletter: Wrapping Up The First Trimester!

Important

Students will need to turn in completed forms for Service Learning hours for this trimester on Thursday. Reminder, students need to complete their allotted hours every year in middle school to be eligible to receive a diploma from Camptonville School.

Parent conference schedules are being sent home. Please confirm or reschedule by Wednesday. You will recieve your student's report card at our meeting.

Math test at the beginning of next week for students in my math and a history test on Africa next Monday.

Upcoming Dates

§  November 4th is a minimum day.

§  November 11th is Veteran's Day - no school.

§  November 13th is the end of the trimester

§  November 18-20 are minimum days for parent conferences.

§  November 25-27, we are off for the holidays.

New

In ELA, we will revise our first draft of our literary argument responding to Bud, Not Buddy.

Student groups will present about their assigned social studies lesson. There will be a test and the students wrote the questions!

I will be collecting science notebooks at the end of the week for a final grade!

We will be practicing our Veteran's Day speech and poem.

Scripts for the winter program will be heading home for practice.

Updates and Information

Student posted essays on our class blog, created powerpoint presentations on the history of Africa in social studies, learned about physical and chemical weathering in science, and completed a first draft of their literary arguments relating to Bud's "rules to live by". Then we had a Halloween party!

Please consider joining us at 1pm on November 9th as our whole school joins together at the Camptonville cemetary to honor our veterans. We would especially like to welcome veteran friends and family members. We will also be planting flower bulbs on the graves of veterans buried at the cemetary. 

We are always looking for elective leaders. Electives for second trimester begin in December. Do you or someone you know have an interest in sharing skills with our students? Music, technology, survival, arts and crafts, cooking, drama! Please contact me.

Newsletter: Halloween Schedule and Parent Conferences

Important

I'll be sending home parent conference schedules next week which will be held Nov. 18th - 20th. Feel free to write me a note if there are any times those days that you wont be able to meet.

We are beginning initial practices for our Winter Program, a school-wide evening of theater! This year it will be Dec. 10th. Mark calendars!

We will be hosting a Halloween Costume Showcase and Shin Dig on Friday from 1:15-2:30. Students should not come to school dressed up. We will begin dressing up at 1:00 pm. Parents are welcome.

Upcoming Dates

§  November 4th is a minimum day.

§  November 11th is Veteran's Day - no school.

§  November 13th is the end of the trimester

§  November 18-20 are minimum days for parent conferences.

§  November 25-27, we are off for the holidays.

New

In ELA, we will continue writing a literary argument essay responding to Bud, Not Buddy. This will require students pull evidence from the text to back up their arguments.

In social studies, each student group is becoming experts on one lesson about the history of Africa. Students will then be teaching each other.

In science we are still focusing on weathering and erosion.

Updates and Information

Our class debated opposing literary arguments, wrote reflective essays about our Headlands field trip, made homemade sand from chunks of granite, and worked in small group collaboration on social studies.

Come check out our display in the hallway of photographs and anecdotes relating to our field trip! There are quite a few special memories that were captured.

Newsletter: Welcome Back!

Important

Stay in the habit of checking and signing Student Planners. This is especially important now that students are earning reading minutes at home. 90-100 minutes is an A. 80-89 minutes is a B. 70-79 is a C. Students must either take an AR test on novels they complete or if there is no test, write a short book report. Students may write a response for articles they choose to read. To be eligible for the Reading Rewards trip at the end of the year, students must read 100 minutes per week throughout the trimester (one missed week is allowed though it must be made up).

Progress Reports were sent home on Tuesday, Oct. 6. If it was misplaced or you need more information, please contact me.

Upcoming Dates

§  November 4th is a minimum day. Students will be released at 12:45.

New

In ELA, we will be writing a literary argument essay responding to Bud, Not Buddy. This will require students pull evidence from the text to back up their arguments.

In social studies, we are moving onto the history of Africa.

In science we are still focusing on weathering and erosion.

Updates and Info

Marin Headlands was beautiful! We hiked, played, learned, ate, and sung songs around the campfire! We also worked through the emotional ups and downs expected when we spend 60 straight hours together! Overall, a success! Thanks for the late pick-up!

I'll be posting photos on the website soon.

Overall students did less well on this last social studies test though quite a few did great. On all tests including math, English, science, and social studies, I allow students to make their grade up to a C if they earned a D or lower. I do this because learning is my ultimate goal, not the grade. Students don't always take the opportunity to make their grades up. Please know that students can make their grades up at home but many need support. I offer Intervention support Mondays from 3-4 almost every week. Please consider sending your student to this free and highly individualized time.

Students may make up test grades by writing short paragraphs regarding each question they missed, numbering them, and attaching these answers to the test. They may use their books.