October Class Newsletter:
PLEASE see "Sign-Up for Parent-Teacher Conference" section for further information about conferences this month!
Sign-up for Parent-teacher conferences:
Parent-Teacher conferences are this month! To help organize the sign-up process, I am using VolunteerSpot, the leading time-saving online coordination tool. Please click the link below to learn more and sign up.
Please note, I have made conferences a half hour long, however that does not mean it will take the whole time. Additionally, if you are not available at any of the times listed, please e-mail me and I will work with you to arrange a time that works for both of our schedules.
If you have any questions or concerns about your student, or what is happening in the classroom, please e-mail me and let me know before Parent-Teacher conferences. This way we can work to clarify and solve any situations as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to meeting with each of you one-on-one to discuss your student's progress towards mastery!
If you have any questions or concerns about your student, or what is happening in the classroom, please e-mail me and let me know before Parent-Teacher conferences. This way we can work to clarify and solve any situations as soon as possible.
I am looking forward to meeting with each of you one-on-one to discuss your student's progress towards mastery!
What's happening in the classroom:This month we are continuing our work with Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief. Students are reading various Greek myths to gain a deeper understanding of the allusions made in The Lightning Thief and for the text as a whole. Additionally, students have begun working with key elements of mythology in order to write analytical mini-essays connecting themes in Greek mythology to those in the novel. Students are working collaboratively through feedback and the use of the NYS Writing Rubric to strengthen their individual writing. Moreover, students are reading a higher level text of their own choosing which relates to the themes of mythology and/or the hero's journey. Students will be connecting the themes and elements in these novels to the informational texts we have been utilizing in class as well as The Lightning Thief.
In Math Skills, students are continuing the unit on ratios. We have moved from understanding ratios and ratio relationships on a basic level, to understanding unit ratios, rates, unit rates, and rate units. Students are now applying their knowledge of ratios in tables, equations, and graphs to the conversion of measurement. Students have been able to find rates and unit rates relative to real world situations (such as finding unit rates to determine which brand is the better deal in the grocery store, to the rate at which athletes must compete in order to qualify for various competitions). Students will continue to deepen their understanding and strengthen their application of these skills as we connect ratios to percentages in the coming weeks. In Science, students completed our unit on cells with their presentations of cell models, power points, brochures, and songs. Students also had the opportunity to learn about microscopes and use them to observe plant cells in an onion. Currently, students are focusing on the ancient society of Mesopotamia and Hammurabi's code. They are taking charge of their own learning through focusing on specific products they will create based on their research. Throughout this process, students will be learning about the development of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, the agricultural, cultural, and scientific advancements of this society as well as the role of laws/codes in society. Fall Festival Class Basket Fall Festival is around the corner and this year each class will be providing a themed basket for a silent auction. The proceeds from the silent auction will go directly back to the classroom.
Our class voted and the students decided they would like to create a "Movie Night" Basket. Throughout the month of October, we will be accepting donations for our basket (we will also be needing a basket!). If you are willing or able to contribute anything movie themed (DVD's, popcorn, posters, snacks, tickets etc.) to the class basket please let me know or just have your student bring it in. Our basket will need to be completed by November 20th. |
Important Upcoming Events:OCTOBER
4 Jeans Day 8 Cookie Dough Kick Off 11 Picture Day (wear uniforms!) End of 1st Quarter 14-15 NO SCHOOL 17 Model UN History Report Due Yogurtini Night 3-8 PM 18 Jeans Day to benefit Cancer ($1 each: jeans, hat, cancer t-shirt, popsicles) Quarter 1 Grades available 21-25 Parent-Teacher Conferences 22 Cookie Dough Orders Due 24-25 Early Release (12:30 Pick Up) 25 Model UN Current Event 3 Due Calibre "Under the Stars" 6-7:30 PM NOVEMBER 1 Middle School Dance CAPP parent partnership:There are many ways for you to help partner with your student's learning and help with the CAPP classroom. Here are a few items we need parents to help with!
1. Parents to work with Mrs. Bowers writing grants to help fund activities and projects in the CAPP classrooms If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Bowers at: [email protected] 2. The students created a class goal in the first week of school, and I would like to make it more prominent in the classroom. Having it be colorful and the size of a normal poster would help show the students how important it is to keep this goal in mind throughout the year. 3. Help creating our class bulletin boards throughout the year based on what we have been learning in class 4 . We have 3 large windows in our classroom that look out onto the red brick wall of the gym. Generally the blinds are kept down so our class is not distracted by the other students walking in the breezeway, and because the windows don't let in very much natural light. I would like to create panoramic scenes of different places around the world that we learn about in our Social Studies curriculum. This way students actually feel they are looking out onto ancient China or ancient Egypt etc. Also, they could be made to look as though the viewer is looking through a microscope, so students see the differences between animal and plant cells etc. 5. There are sine quotes I would like to have up in the classroom both from our curriculum as well as important historical figures (about 1/2 poster size or could be longer, but the width of single sheet of paper). If you are able to help with any of these projects, please just e-mail me and let me know! Thank you, Miss Schiff |