Whew!  This week flew by in a flash.  I know time is moving quickly when the children comment that they can’t believe it is already mid-January.

First and foremost, students should be using their peer edit papers to revise and refine their essays on Utah Compose.  I cannot stress how important this practice at home is.  I hope we have worked out all of the log in bugs by now.  If you are experiencing any problems with the site, please let me know.  Most students have been able to login, complete their essays and submit them without problem.  The final draft of the essay, having made revisions based on peer edits and my online input, is due Tuesday, January 20th by 8pm.  We will have a brand new prompt available Wednesday, January 21st.  This will give your children 2 more weeks of practice before the writing assessment February 2.

4th grade students have begun a metric conversion unit.  Some of your children are so excited about the ease of the metric system that they are prepared to write letters to the government saying we should switch from our method of standard measurement.  I’m behind them 100%!

5th grade students are working independently on math practice that is challenging to them.  The majority of the work I am seeing is division using the standard algorithm. Please ask your children what they find challenging and work on it with them.  Although we don’t have specific IXL or SAGE math assignments coming home, you can still log in to IXL with your child and see what they need help with.   Ask them what they find challenging in class and do a practice work with them!  It will benefit them greatly if you are working with them at home on concepts they find challenging in school.

6th level students began a unit on ratios and proportions.  So far all students who have been present for the lessons are making great progress.  Each day that we have a lesson, your children will bring home a printed homework assignment.  In most cases, there will be fewer than 5 problems as homework.  The culminating activity for our unit is going to be SPECTACULAR!!  I’m so excited and I hope your children will be excited too!

Our botany units have the students excited about fruit, nuts and seeds, photosynthesis, and monocots and dicots.  Please ask your children about these important plants and plant processes.  One of the most exciting things about MMA is the extensive botany exposure. Without plants, there would be no life on earth!

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, we have been discussing the timeline of the civil rights movement.  I am so thrilled to hear your children’s input and feedback.  There truly is hope for humanity in our children.  The deep discussions we had this week would make you, as parents, proud of your children.  They are kind, caring, thoughtful and extremely sympathetic to the plight of those who have been treated unfairly in our nations history.   I challenge you all to take some time on Monday, January 19th, to study the life of MLK and the civil rights movement.

Please watch the blog for sign ups for February Parent Teacher Conference.  These conferences will be student led.  This is an opportunity for your children to share with you what they have learned and what accomplishments they are proud of.  It seems like a long time since our last meeting in October and at the same time it has passed in a flash!  Please watch the blog for sign ups for Parent Teacher Conference.  I will have a WeJoinIn link posted by early next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

~Cheers