6th Grade Newsletter: Week
of
Hello Parents,
Happy March! It’s Monday once
again; seems like our weekends go by so fast!
It was great to see many of you at the auction on Saturday. I hope everyone had a wonderful time.
Before I jump into this
week’s plan, I thought that I would fill you in on a couple of conversations
I’ve recently had with the 6th graders. Other teachers/staff and I have noticed that
the students have gotten a bit careless in their treatment of one another, and
sometimes their teachers. I spoke with
the 6th graders about being aware of the ‘tone’ they use when
speaking with others. It isn’t
necessarily what they say, but how they say it or the infliction used in their
voice. The same can be said for their
body language (i.e. how they look at someone else in a negative way, turning
their back on others during a conversation, etc.). In general, the students need to be more
sensitive to how their words and actions are perceived by others. It would be helpful if you had a conversation
with your student reminding him/her the importance of being respectful in their
words and actions.
The other conversation I
recently had with the class was a little more light-hearted, but sincere as
well. It is that time of year when the
weather is starting to get a little warmer and the students are very
active. Therefore, I reminded the 6th
graders that they should be to taking a shower and wearing deodorant every
day. The classroom can be an interesting
place if students don’t do this religiously.
J Again, your help is much appreciated in this matter!!
What that said…here is what’s
in store for this week:
Important Dates
Ø
Tuesday, March
4th: I will be at a class
in
Ø
Wednesday,
March 5th: Maryknoll presentation at
Ø
Thursday,
March 6th: Spelling test
today (not Friday, due to ½ day and Mass)
Ø
Friday, March
7th: Revisions on
descriptive essay due (see below for more info.)
Ø
Friday, March
7th: School Mass at
Ø
Tuesday, March
11th: Tuck Everlasting
test
Ø
Friday, March
14th: This is a full day
of school (originally was a ½ day), no hot lunch is available this day.
Subject Update
Language Arts: Today we corrected the unit check up in preparation
for tomorrow’s English test. The
students were to take it home tonight and go back over the problems they
missed. There is also a practice test in
the book they can do if they wish (not required).
I also handed back their
descriptive essays today. I wrote
suggestions on each paper about how he/she could improve their paper. Each student is required to use these
comments to revise their paper (due Friday).
I’ve asked them to write their revisions either on a clean sheet of
paper, or on the essay itself. They do
not need to write or type the entire paper over at home. We will do this together in the lab next week. All that is due on Friday are the
revisions. In addition, I handed out
a sheet that summarized the things I noticed they did well, and the things I
would like them to work on in their writing.
Once the students make the necessary changes to their paper and turn in
their entire revised paper (this will be due sometime next week), I will
re-grade their paper. If the student has
made the revisions I suggested, their grade will increase. If the student does not make such revisions,
their actual grade will decrease since they chose not to use the feedback I
gave them.
Literature: Today I gave
the students a Tuck Everlasting reading schedule for the week. Please take a moment to check that your
student is on track with the reading.
The test over these chapters will be given next Tuesday. I will also introduce a culminating project to
the students next Monday. The project
will largely be completed in class. I
will include more information on this next week.
Math: This week we will be working on the following:
·
Subtracting
fractions
·
Adding mixed
numbers
·
Subtracting mixed
numbers
·
Beginning a
review of Chapter 7
Religion: We are starting Chapter 7 this week, entitled
Commandment and Fulfillment. On
Wednesday, we will listen to a presentation from Brother Tim Raible, a
representative from Maryknoll. He will
be here to teach us about his vocation in this organization.
Science: This week we will be discussing and observing the
physics behind kites, parachutes, and helicopters. We will use these
observations to affirm and relate to our understanding of the laws of motion.
Social Studies: This week we will cover the skills lesson on
elevation maps in chapter six. We will also cover lesson three on the
Zhou Dynasty. The vocabulary quiz on chapter six will be sometime next
week.
Sorry for the lengthy
newsletter! Have a great week everyone!
Pam Schwartz J