M.E. Sixth Grade

                                                                                                Jan. 23, 2012

Dear Parents and Students,

OPEN HOUSE: Loy and Masterson on Thursday, February 2^nd from 6:15 to 7:15.

Leonard Open House will be on Wednesday February 1^st, due to a family conflict. All tech presentations for Leonard’s class will be on Wednesday; however, the class will still be open on Thursday to visit.

Bryan Marcus, the principal at Diegueno, will be speaking to parents from 5:30 to 6:10 in the multi-purpose room before our open house on Feb. 2.  He will be available to answer questions you may have about the junior high experience.

Floating Lab field trip forms are due Wednesday, and we also will need parent drivers/chaperones for this fabulous experience.  Please make sure that your insurance info is updated and on file in the office this week, if you haven’t driven on a field trip this year.

We are seeing a lot of makeup and some very short shorts on the girls this past week; makeup is NOT allowed at our elementary school, and shorts should be as long as fingertips, please. 

Please plan on attending the fabulous ME’s Got Talent show on Feb. 10 in Diegueno Junior High’s auditorium.  Our sixth graders will be featured at the end singing their version of “We are the World” and artwork will be on sale.  It takes the place of our variety show in the spring and is sure to be an entertaining event.

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MATH:  This week we are studying the last bits and pieces of proportions.  Similar figures and scale maps will be the focus this week. There will be a test next week. We will continue to work on echolocation, fathoms, and measurement proportions as we study the ocean.

SCIENCE:  This week students wrote a business letter about shark finning on Monday, on Thursday we will study wave action, and Friday we will prepare for our floating lab trips next week.

LANGUAGE ARTS:  Students have a MARE vocabulary quiz on Thursday and may practice on their Edmodo quizlet site.  They will be writing and submitting a second MARE journal on Tuesday night.  Students are asked to print out a copy of their speech rough draft in a large font (18) and double spaced this week in order to start practicing in class.  Students should be reading a book by an author that they have read before. They need to have access to both books. The next book activity will be a compare and contrast format.

                                                                                    Jan. 17, 2012

Dear Parents and Students,

MARE begins today, and we are still looking for volunteers for Mrs. Masterson’s “Sands of Time” experiment on the following dates:

Masterson homeroom – Wed., Jan. 18 from 8 – 10

Loy homeroom – Thurs., Jan. 19 from 8 – 10

Leonard homeroom – Tues., Jan. 24 from 8 – 10

OPEN HOUSE: Loy and Masterson on Thursday, February 2^nd.

Leonard Open House will be on Wednesday February 1^st, due to a family conflict. All tech presentations for Leonard’s class will be on Wednesday; however, the class will still be open on Thursday to visit.

Floating Lab field trip forms will be coming home today, and we also will need parent drivers/chaperones for this fabulous experience.

We have been notified by the district tech. department that our Outlook mail program has been faulty, and we may not have received emails.  If you have been trying to reach us with no results, please contact us directly.  We apologize if you have not received a response to email requests. Communication with parents is a priority with us, and we want to respond to any requests or questions you have.

 IPads will be coming home for specific project completion and sharing on designated nights over the next few weeks. The iPads will come home charged, so the chargers will stay at school for the time being.  We’re hoping that students slowly become accustomed to iPads being sent home.

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MATH:  We will be diving deeper into our study of proportions and ratios through real life problem solving.  We will be looking at echolocation, fathoms, and measurement proportions as we study the ocean.

SCIENCE/HEALTH: Visiting the sandy shore shores of exotic places, we are learning about sand, its evolution, and origins. In the process, we will learn about the formation of islands.  We will introduce the concerns of shark finning and its impact on the environment. 

 LANGUAGE ARTS:  Students will be learning lots about island habitats and the animals they support.  To process and revisit all the information they are given, they will be writing four journals entries over three weeks to be turned in with their MARE journal.  We will be using ocean-themed literature to build literacy skills and learning vocabulary that goes along with MARE topics.  Students should be reading a book by an author that they have read before. They need to have access to both books. The next book activity will be a compare and contrast format.

Jan. 9, 2012

Dear Parents and Students,

MARE is right around the corner and we will be looking for volunteers for various activities and a field trip on the Floating Lab. Mrs. Masterson needs parent helpers for her “Sands of Time” experiment for the following dates:

Masterson homeroom – Wed., Jan. 18 from 8 – 10

Loy homeroom – Thurs., Jan. 19 from 8 – 10

Leonard homeroom – Tues., Jan. 24 from 8 – 10

Students are continuing to work on their IVIE movies and need to turn in the release form signed ASAP.  Super tutors’ applications are due by tomorrow; there will be interviews this Thursday. 

IPads will begin to come home for specific project completion and sharing on designated nights. The iPads will come home charged, so the chargers will stay at school for the time being.  We’re hoping that students slowly become accustomed to iPad being sent home.

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MATH:  Students are diving into problem solving with rates, unit rates and proportions.  They are finishing up keynote vocabulary examples on their iPads. They will begin an activity called “Designing the Giant’s Coat.”  They will use proportions to create a “to scale” coat for a giant.

SCIENCE/HEALTH: We created cross-sections of the layers of the earth today and we will continue with chapter one for the rest of this week, working from the text book.  All students are completing the labs from this unit during science consultant time.

HISTORY: This week we will be sharing our iPad museum projects, working in the tech lab, and learning about the similarities and differences between Kush and Egypt.

 LANGUAGE ARTS:  This week students are working on finishing their Informative Speeches. They need to complete their free choice book activity and summary by Friday.  Students should be reading a book by an author that they have read before. They need to have access to both books. The next book activity will be a compare and contrast format.

Jan. 3, 2012

Dear Parents and Students,

We hope you had a fabulous break with your family.  This Friday students can submit yearbook cover art for consideration.  Directions can be found on the ME Surf Report.

Students are anxious to take iPads home.  We are currently finalizing the district guidelines regarding iPads off campus.  However, at school we are still observing irresponsible iPad usage which has raised our level of concern. Currently, we are working on developing good habits and hope to safely send home iPads in the near future.

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MATH – This week we will begin transferring our stock market data into a graph.  Also, in preparation for MARE ocean studies, we will be focusing on ratios, proportions and unit rates.

SCIENCE – This week we are beginning a new unit in science on Earth’s Structure.  Working from chapter one, we will complete book activities prior to M.A.R.E. and then work on some labs post M.A.R.E.  Students are invited to complete a technology piece for extra credit with any topic from chapters one or two from their science book.

SOCIAL STUDIES – This week we will be finishing up our ancient Egypt iPad project this week and moving into the civilization of Kush.

LANGUAGE ARTS -  No spelling or vocabulary work this week.  We will be working on the prewrites and rough drafts of the award winning book report in class this week. Students should be selecting a new novel to read that is another book written by a favorite author so that they can compare the two books.  They are also working on the rough drafts of informative speeches that will be presented after MARE (late Jan./early Feb.).

                                                                                                Nov. 28, 2011

Dear Parents and Students,

Hope you had fantastic family time over the Thanksgiving break; three weeks of work before our next vacation!  Please bring in your donations for Adopt-A-Family by this Friday – we will take non-perishable food and household items as well as gifts for assigned family members.  Thank you in advance for your generosity!

Holiday Shop is open this week – sixth graders will be visiting the store Tuesday afternoon if they would like to browse and buy!  Book fair will be open next week; in addition to times before/after school, our classes will be going on Wednesday.

We are looking for assistance to prep plaster strips for the Egypt mask project, as well as assist on the day for 1 ½ hours.  Please let your homeroom teacher know if you can volunteer for the following events:

     Thurs. Dec. 8   Preparing bags of plaster strips – 10:15 – 12:00 (or 1 – 2:20) 

     Mon. Dec. 12   Masterson hmrm. 8 – 9:30

                               Loy hmrm.           9:30 – 11

                               Leonard hmrm.    12:15 – 1:45

MATH:  We will be finishing up fractions this week with multiplication, division and equations.  Students are following the stock market in class and will be graphing the information with “numbers” on iPads.  They will become familiar with how the market is connected to the success of a company and its importance to a country’s success globally, as well. 

SCIENCE/HEALTH: Focusing on a healthy future, we are grading the health packets we completed prior to break. An open book (chapter 7) health test will be given on Wednesday.  On Friday, classes will be presenting their health projects completed at school on their iPads.

HISTORY:  This week students will be writing rough drafts of their Egypt project info cards in class, but should be making progress toward their Egypt project at home (due Dec. 14).  They will be doing research through the class website and www.safesearchkids.com as a museum curator who is creating an Egyptian museum exhibit.

LANGUAGE ARTS:  Vocabulary this week is practice with roots due on Friday; spelling work is due Thursday with completed Cornell notes. Students will be finishing up their “First Kid to….” informative article on their iPads and working on prewriting and rough drafts of their award-winner novel summaries.

            Nov. 14, 2011

Dear Parents and Students,

  We are heading to the Coast Kids’ production of The Sound of Music on Thursday.  We will be leaving between 8:15 and 8:30 and will return by lunch at 11:30.  Each homeroom still needs a few more parent drivers (contact your student’s teacher).

   Please let us know if your student will be missing school during the next two weeks so that we can prepare work and give tests to them before they leave. 

    Two opportunities to help out those who need it are currently underway at school; we are collecting blankets and coats for homeless veterans, and each class is participating in Adopt-a-Family.  Students have been assigned a family member and given directions for donations which are due by 12/2.

     The Fall Festival is this Saturday, Nov. 19, and each class has been assigned a booth to man.  It’s a lot of fun to get involved, and we hope that you will be able to volunteer or just attend this great event.  Please contact your room parent for more information on how to volunteer. 

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MATH:  We will continue our work with operations and fractions.  There will be a math quiz on Friday.  Students will add, subtract, problem solve and estimate with fractions and mixed numbers.

SCIENCE/HEALTH: Health work packets are homework if they were not completed in class today and due Friday.  We will be researching and creating assignments in “Pages” on our iPads the remaining work days this week.  Students will present their activities in class after Thanksgiving break.

HISTORY:  Apart from some note-taking, we will be taking the November Language Arts benchmark test to prepare for report cards during history class.  Students should begin planning, preparing, and researching their Egypt project which is due Dec. 14.

LANGUAGE ARTS:  Vocabulary this week is practice with homophones which is due on Friday, as is spelling work and flashcards. Students will be working on an in-class writing assessment this week, as well as working on informative articles and media.

Nov. 7, 2011

Dear Parents and Students,

  Students are very excited to be using iPads to enhance their learning, and we’ve already used them in math and language activities.  We are working on a few little bugs at the moment, but for the most part it was a very smooth launch!

  We are hoping to get tickets to a Coast Kids’ production of The Sound of Music next Thursday, so put it on your calendar and we’ll let you know if we get enough seats to make it a field trip.

  We will observe Veteran’s Day this Friday with a day off school.

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MATH: We are continuing to work with fractions and operations with fractions.  Students have been introduced to IXL online.  They are utilizing their iPads to practice and master fractions skills.  They can also access IXL at home for further practice.

SCIENCE/HEALTH: We are completing Red Ribbon Week activities since we missed the official Red Ribbon Week.  All sixth graders will be completing four lessons about the dangers or tobacco and alcohol.  We will be launching into a project based learning activity next week.

HISTORY:   There’s an Ancient Egypt map quiz on Wednesday, and students will be researching ideas for an Egypt project this week which will be due Dec. 14.

LANGUAGE ARTS: There will be a spelling test on Thursday.  Vocabulary work with words in context is due Thursday as well.  The survival theme book summary and activity will be due Monday because of the Veteran’s Day holiday this Friday.  The next novel assigned is an award winner (or nominee) which will be due in Dec.  Most students have already started reading, and even finished, this assignment and can read free choice books until we assign a new topic in January.

Parents, please return the forms sent home before camp to school tomorrow.  If you need new forms, please go to the EUSD main site, then look at the Quick Links on the bottom left.  Under the one to one digital learning program link you will see an informational page which includes the two documents you can print out and sign.  They are the EUSD Acceptable Use Policy and the Insurance Program papers.  Students will be receiving the I-Pads next Monday.   Thank you!

Oct. 3, 2011

Dear Students and Parents,

Happy October!  It is a short month in school as we have camp next week and our two-week October break directly after.

Order forms for ME’s fundraiser are due tomorrow.

**Camp is quickly approaching! We will leave bright and early on Monday, October 10^th at 8:00 a.m. T-shirt order forms are due on Thursday.

***HELP!  We need parent helpers to string our camp nametags at 9:00 a.m. this Thursday.

On Thursday, October 6^th., there will be an informational meeting regarding the addition of ipads to our curriculum.  The meeting will be held at the Olivenhain Pioneer auditorium at 6:00pm.

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Math: This week we will be finishing our unit on fraction concepts and will spend the week reviewing GCF, prime factorization, equivalent fractions and simplifying.  There will be a test on Friday, so that we can head to camp with a clean break.  There will be a study guide coming home on Tuesday. Students should spend time on firstinmath.com over break!

Social Studies: This week  we are finishing up our study of Mesopotamian accomplishments, the Code of Hammurabi, and the first empires with some artwork, note-taking, and poetry.

Language Arts: This week students should be revising and finalizing their “Messy Room” writing assignment where they practiced skills in spatial organization and figurative language.  The pre-write, rough draft, final draft and hand-drawn cover page are due this Friday.  Spelling  this week is based on our science ecology unit.  Everyone will use the words to create a glossary for their homework activity.  Students need only to be able to spell the words for their test on Thursday.

Science: Preparation for camp will be our focus this week.  Students will be writing a newspaper editorial in class on an environmental issue and taking their first look at a Camp Cuyamaca Journal.  Excitement is building!

sept 26