6^th Grade Newsletter: Week of March 8, 2010

Hello Parents,

I hope that everyone had a fun time at the auction! It was great to see so many of you there! Thank you for supporting our school!

On another note…It’s that time of year when we start to see a few warmer days and the students love to play hard in the sunshine! Along with the change in weather, the 6^th graders are beginning to notice some physical changes in themselves as well. This is why I had a little chat with them last week to remind them how important it is to shower and wear deodorant every day. Please encourage your student to practice these good hygiene habits. I really appreciate your help! J

Here is the plan for the week ahead…

Important Dates

Ø Tuesday, March 9^th: Social Studies test

Ø Wednesday, March 10^th: Reading log due

Ø Thursday, March 11^th: Class pictures (wear sweatshirt); Art docent; Religion test

Ø Friday, March 12^th: Spelling test

Subject Update

Literature: We will continue to read Tuck Everlasting this week and meet in our discussion groups to discuss those chapters. We’ll also review the vocabulary terms for the unit. The students have the reading schedule through Wednesday, which is when the week #2 reading log is due. I will hand out the final week’s reading assignments on Wednesday.

Language Arts: We will continue with unit 5 in our English text, which focuses on capitalization and punctuation. This week’s lessons are on proper nouns and adjectives, along with interjections. Now that all the students have taught their word of the day to the class, we will review the definitions and work on strategies to help the students understand and retain the meaning of each word. The quiz over these 15 words will be sometime next week. Finally, the students will be writing limericks and creating St. Patrick’s Day cards for their Kindergarten buddies which we will give to them on March 17^th.

Religion: The first part of the week will focus on reviewing for the Chapter 7 & 8 test on Thursday. Students received a study guide for this today. Our second step lesson continues with the topic of bullying and how bystanders are critical to stopping it. Last week, the students were given a short list of interview questions to ask a parent or older sibling on the topic of bullying. This worksheet is due on Friday. Finally, I will begin listening to students recite the Vocation Prayer this week. They have been reciting this prayer in class every day for the last few months, so I’m pretty confident everyone knows it by now. ***Note: Please be sure to return the signed Family Life form if you have not done so yet. Thank you!

Math: This week, the sixth graders will work on multiplying mixed numbers and dividing fractions.  They also have a review worksheet on simplifying fractions, which is due Friday. Progress reports were handed out last Wednesday.  These need to be signed and returned as soon as possible. - Mrs. Riley

Science: This week we will be reviewing the concepts of energy, focusing on the definitions of kinetic, potential, and mechanical energy. We will also continue our study of motion by studying machines, focusing on the six simple machines; lever, wheel and axle, pulley, wedge, screw, and inclined plane. - Mr. Fairbank

Social Studies: Students spent the period today reviewing for tomorrow’s test on chapter five.  We will begin our study of chapter six, “Ancient China,” later in the week.  There will be a map project associated with the geography lesson.  This will be assigned, and the project sheet will be handed out next Monday. - Mrs. Conrow

Have a great week everyone!

Sincerely,

Pam Schwartz J