Good Morning.
The current SAGE language assignments are available today. I will be pulling kids aside individually to ensure they know how to log in and access their assignments.
Due date for the current assignment is March 19.
If you have any questions regarding the expectations for practice, please let me know.
Firstly, I wanted to remind everyone about the annual Gala on Saturday, March 21. This is a fantastic event and supports MAPA in supporting our school and classrooms.
Second, with our next testing window quickly approaching, students need to be practicing SAGE on a regular basis in order to become familiar with the use of the program. We are still having regular lessons and work cycle and I am by no means “teaching to the test” but do feel it is important that students are practicing with the software they will be testing on. Because classroom resources are short, we do not have enough computers or time for students to utilize class time for practice and students are expected to practice at home.
We will be focusing on language practice for the next few weeks since this is the first test they will take. After that it will be math and then science.
If there is no internet access or computer available in the home, please let me know so that your students can practice in class.
Lastly, if you are a chaperone for the 6th grade field trip, we have our next meeting tomorrow, Thursday, March 12 at 6:00pm. We will be discussing cabin assignments and choosing our bandanna colors. Please plan on attending.
The 6th grade classes will be going on a field trip to The Clark Planetarium in SLC, Tuesday, March 24, 2015. Students will meet at the Ogden Frontrunner Station at 8:15 am that morning. This three part field trip is an extension of the study of planets and solar system in the science curriculum.
Please note that we are asking for a donation of $5.00 to offset the cost of the transportation and the IMAX movie and lesson in the dome theater. Payments can be made online at https://secureinstantpayments.com?Event=1651
Please note that parents are responsible for transportation to and from the Frontrunner Station. Drop off at 8:15am and pick up at 2:52pm. Please be on time dropping off and picking your children up from the station. There is plenty of time to pick up your 6th levels first and return to the school afterward to pick up any other children you have at MMA by 3:15.
Good Morning!
I can hardly believe we are through the month of February already. Science fair is over, and we are heading into the month of March with a new book report coming up. The book report genre for March is mystery, adventure or science fiction and the report type is student choice. I would love to see the creativity they put into their last choice reports shine through again this time around. Book reports are due March 27.
6th level students have a state study that is due this Friday, February 27. They have had some time in class to work on this project, but will need to finish up at home. The criteria for the state study was handed out at the end of January. If you have not heard about this from your 6th grade child, please ask them about it.
Last week we started IXL homework assignments again. Because of the craziness of science fair and things happening in my own life, I did not post the assignment to the blog. The students should have written the homework in their planners, however. This week there is a new IXL assignment which will be posted on the blog and in class for your children to record. Please talk to them about their homework. It is important that they are spending at least 20 minutes a night on the homework. If they need extra help, please have them ask in class. The goal is 100 points. If your child is spending longer than 20 minutes on each section and still has not acquired at least 80 points, this means they need additional help on the concept. Please have them make note of this and Ms. Kari and I can help them during class time.
Our 5th grade maturation program is coming up. Permission slips were sent home a month ago. If you have not received a permission slip from your child, please ask them about it. We need these signed and returned no later than tomorrow. I am still missing a couple.
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