Friday, October 31, 2014

October 31st


Mrs. Knoedler’s 6th Grade Classroom Newsletter 

October 31, 2014
Dear Families, 

It isn’t often that Halloween falls on a Friday!  Thank you to those who sent in food to celebrate that October 31st is the halfway point between the first day of fall and the first day of winter.  Did you know that that Halloween comes from All Hallow’s E’ven.  In Ireland, this day is called Samhain, pronounced so-when, and is a national holiday.    

In December, both 6th grades will travel to Starbase.  Starbase is held at the Air National Guard Air Base in Colchester. We will study physics and rocketry.  While we are there, we will build rockets and we will have a rocket launch day at EMES.  We will leave the school promptly at 9:00am and return at 3:30pm, in time for regular dismissal.  I am letting you know now about the dates so that, if possible, any appointments won’t be scheduled on these days.  The finalized dates for Starbase are as follows:


Wednesday December 10th (9:00am to 3:30pm travel to Starbase)
 

Friday December 12th (9:00am to 3:30pm travel to Starbase) 

Monday December 15th (9:00am to 3:30pm travel to Starbase) 

Wednesday December 17th ROCKET LAUNCH AT EMES IN THE AFTERNOON  EVERYONE WELCOME!  More info later as the date gets closer. 

Friday December 19th (9:00am to 3:30pm travel to Starbase)


            As always, we expect all students to have proper behavior during the school day and on field trips.  On field trips, students are ambassadors of EMES.  They represent our school community. Since students are going to be away from the school building, it is even more important for the safety of all students that safe, responsible and respectful behavior be the norm. Given the expectations for proper behavior on field trips, it is important that we have the same expectations for behavior at EMES.  If students have more than 2 referrals for discipline issues at EMES, or ODR’s (Office Discipline Referral), commonly known as being written up on the yellow form, they will not be able to attend Starbase Program.  This went into effect Thursday afternoon.  Also, if students misbehave at Starbase, the Starbase teachers will ask us to not have that student return. Proper behavior is also expected on the bus ride to and from Starbase. We are one of only a handful of schools selected each year to participate in this wonderful program. Please talk to your child about good behavior. Thank you for your support.   

Writing:  Students are working hard to improve their personal narrative writing.  We will have our post assessment next week.  Students are refining their small moments, writing dialogue, using transition words along with interesting vocabulary and detail to make their writing memorable. 

Math:  We are continuing our work on fractions and finding common denominators for adding and subtracting fractions.  

Ancient Egypt Final Assessment:  Students were given two options for their Ancient Egypt Final Assessment.  On Monday, students decided which option they wanted to pursue.  Students were given the specifics of each option, as well as the rubric for the assessment. While we may have a small amount of time during school to conduct research or type information, this assessment is to be completed at home.   This is due Friday November 14th. 

Geography Map Test:  In order to fully understand the ancient civilizations we are studying in social studies, it is important that students understand the where countries in that area are located.  Students were given a list of countries, mountain ranges, oceans and seas that they are required to know and locate on a map.  I have practice tests available for students.  We had an official test on Wednesday and 4 students joined the Map Test Hall of Fame.  We will have another test today, Friday.  We will have two tests next week. Students can take the test as many times as they want, but it is studying that will help them pass.  Ask your child how they did on the test!   

Nature Journaling:  On Thursday, we ventured outside into the woods for Nature Journaling. Sitting quietly in the woods, students spent a quiet time drawing the world around them.  We also were all impressed with how nice the trail looked.  Our trail maintenance efforts with the Barre Tech students on Tuesday were quite impressive.  

Please be sure your child is reading at least 20 minutes everyday, even the weekend.  While there is no form to fill out, reading is a 6th grade expectation.  Reading impacts all aspects of a student’s day and learning.   

A final note, it is very important that your child have two pairs of footwear at school.  Mud is being tracked into the classroom.  Please help us keep our new building sparkling.  Thank you for your support.  

We made fun ghost books for our first grade buddies. They were very creative. Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!  I look forward to meeting with you next week and the week after for Parent Teacher Conferences.  Notices regarding the time of your conference were sent home last week.  If you did not receive one, please let me know as soon as possible.  

                        Ellen  M. Knoedler

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