October 31st

Mrs. Knoedler’s 6^th 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 31^st 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 6^th 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 14^th. 

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 6^th 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

October 23, 2014
Dear Families,

            Wow!  What a fantastic evening with Jon Gailmor.  Your students created and performed a spectacular song.  I hope all of you that attended enjoyed yourself!

            On Tuesday October 28^th, we are planning on another trail work day.  We were rained out this week, but have put it on the calendar for next week.  Please be sure your child comes prepared for working in the woods.  Gloves are a good thing. 

            While we are talking about dressing appropriately, please be sure your child has two pair of footwear at school.  With the playground area being wet and muddy, all the dirt gets tracked into the classroom.  Please be sure that your child has a pair of indoor shoes and a pair of outdoor shoes at school. 

            In math, we are continuing our work on fractions.  Much of this work requires that students have instant recall of their math facts. 

            In writing, we are working on how to write and punctuate dialogue and how to use the checklist to assess our work. 

            We are also learning many interesting facts about the great Rulers of Egypt in social studies. We will take a look at world geography next week, and learn how understanding where countries are in the world relates to our study of the ancients. 

            In word study, part 3e, in our Wordly Wise book, is due Monday October 27^th.  

            Hopefully, we won’t have any lack of water interruptions next week.  I am sending home information regarding your child’s parent teacher conference time. 

Have a great weekend,   Ellen Knoedler

Class Newsletter

October 17^th, 2014

Dear Families,  

Singer and songwriter, Jon Gailmor, met with our class this week to write a song and put it to music.  It is incredible to see this in action.  I hope you are able to see and hear all the students sing their class songs at the concert on Tuesday evening at 6:30P.M.  Due to a soccer conflict, this is a change in the day of the concert.  Hope to see you there! 

Writing:  Students are working very hard on their personal narratives.  Sometimes personal narratives require the writer to bare their soul to the reader, which can be difficult.  Writing about the first time you lied or didn’t listen to your parents, when you climbed a difficult mountain or when you moved to a new school can involve quite a bit of emotion.   Writers have to challenge themselves to convey all that emotion to the reader.  Writing about lessons learned, self realizations or “aha” moments are important in a personal narrative.  We are also working on adding metaphors and similes to our work.

Math:  The weekly math word problem was on vacation this week due to the short week but will resume next week.  We are practicing finding all the factors for a number and prime factorization of a number.  Having a solid grasp of factors will prepare students in adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators.

Reading:  Students should continue to work on their 12 of 18 literacy project.  These are due on Friday October 24, which is next Friday. 

Social Studies:  We are studying about Ancient Egypt.  Students read and discussed an article in Kid’s Discover magazine about pyramids. The engineering and thought that went into the building of the pyramids was incredible.  We will continue to gather, read, and discuss information for a scrap book of Ancient Civilizations that we are making in class.   

I am waiting for a few more parent teacher conference slips to come in to finalize the schedule.  If you have not sent in your form, please send it in as soon as possible.    Thanks so much.   

The beech trees are giving the woods and the hillsides a golden yellow glow.  Enjoy your weekend.   

                                                Ellen Knoedler

 

 

Mrs. Knoedler’s 6^th Grade Class Newsletter

October 3, 2014
Dear Families,
We had a busy week completing several assignments and presenting our science invention information.
Please be sure to see the information regarding Parent Teacher Conferences.  The official days for Parent Teacher Conferences are Monday and Tuesday November 10^th and 11^th.  I will be holding Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday and Friday evenings, November 6^th and November 7^th , from 4:00 to 7:00PM.  I am hoping that this is convenient for you to meet with me about your child’s progress.  Please fill out the form that was sent home and return it to school as soon as possible.  Thanks!

Trail Work:  On Tuesday October 7^th we will be outside working on the EMES trails with the Barre Tech Students. This class also worked on the trails with the Barre Tech kids when they were in third grade.  Please be sure your child comes dressed appropriately on Tuesday.  Work gloves would be great to have!  We will go out if there is a little light rain, but not if it is raining heavily. 

Science:  We are wrapping up our Science Time Line Assignment.  Students presented their invention and explained how that impacted our world.  Students also created a mini pocket book.  The topic was any invention in history. 

Reading:  The Harris and Me Epilogue assignment was due today and I look forward to reading them.  Students were also assigned a literature Project, based on a book of their choice.  Students must complete 12 of the 18 options for their book.  The assignment is due Friday October 24.  Students should always review the rubric for the assignment and strive for a 3 or a 4 on the rubric.  This assignment will involve time management.  While we may have some time in school to work on it, some may have to be worked on at home. 

Writing:  We are working on short writing prompts that will help students improve their writing and prepare students for writing their personal narrative.  As with all writing, editing is the hardest part for all writers.  It is also important to have another person read your work.  I am working on editing skills with students during writing conferences.  However, students also need to take care with spelling, punctuation (especially when writing dialogue) and with grammar. 

Math:  Students had a progressive assessment in math today.  If they solved the first part of the test correctly, they did not have to continue on.  Almost all students received a 100% on this fraction to decimal to percent assessment.  Great job!  We are also working on equivalent fractions and will progress to adding and subtracting fractions.   

Please find information regarding Parent Teacher Conferences that was sent home in the Friday folder.
Have a fine weekend.  Ellen

 

Classroom Newsletter

Mrs. Knoedler’s 6^th Grade Class Newsletter

September 25, 2014

Dear Families,

This newsletter is going home on Thursday as the All School Hike is on Friday.

I hope you will all be attending the Open House Ribbon Cutting on Thursday October 2, 2014.  The event will run from 5:00PM to 7:30PM.  A spaghetti dinner will be served at 5:15 in the cafeteria.  Come and tour the building.  It will be a great evening.

Here is a quick classroom update:

Math:  We are continuing our work with fractions, decimals and percents.  Students have been taking assessments on rounding, circle graphs and fractions, decimals and percents.  It is critical that students have fluency in their math facts. 

Reading:  We finished the book group book, Number the Stars, and our read aloud book, Harris and Me.  Students will now write an epilogue for Harris and Me.  Students have been encouraged to be creative and to use interesting language in their writing.  The epilogue is due Friday October 3^rd.   We also reviewed the 40 book challenge.  Ask your child about the challenge and ask them how many books they have read so far.

Science:  Students are investigating scientific and historical events throughout time.  They are then choosing one scientific event and writing about that event and how it impacted the world.  Students will present their information to the class next week.  The list of 15 scientific/historical events and the 2 paragraph paper is due Tuesday September 30. 

Word Study:  We completed lesson 2 in Wordly Wise.  We have had many lively discussions about the correct usage of words in the questions. 

Just a note that due to various schedules in the building and our own classroom schedule, Mr. Quackenbush and I decided that it would work out better for students if we kept our classrooms all day.  This means we will not be switching for science and social studies.  We will still be providing like experiences for students in the two classrooms, as Mr. Q. and I work very closely together in all subject areas. 

We have a beautiful oak tree outside our classroom window.  It has been a joy to watch the colors change on the tree.  Fall has arrived and we were lucky this week to have such beautiful weather. 

Enjoy the weekend,  Ellen

Bubbleology Photos

We had a great time practicing blowing bubbles to prepare for our bubble experiments!

Mrs. Knoedler’s 6^th Grade Class Newsletter

September 12, 2014

Dear Families,

We have had a busy week. A reminder that sixth graders should be sure to bring all their materials to school each day.  A few students are forgetting key items that interfere with them being the best student they can be. It would be great if you could check with your child each day to be sure they are organized and have all their materials. Here are a few highlights from our classroom.

Math:  We are working on rounding, fractions, multiplication and division.   Students learned how to take a fraction and convert it to a decimal and then a percent.  The formula to remember is: divide the numerator by the denominator to find the decimal and then multiply the quotient by 100 to find the percent.  Each week students have weekly math word problem.  This week’s problem was The Long Trip.  The problems will be handed out on Monday and are due on Friday. 

Language Arts:  We are continuing with our book, Number the Stars.  We are having great discussions about the book.  The next assignment for the book is for students to read chapters 7-10, to answer the assigned questions in their reading journal and to be ready to discuss the chapters. This is due Tuesday September 16.  It is also important that students bring their reading book, their journal and their completed assignment to school each day.

Word Study:  We began our word study program, Wordly Wise.  This program is a great way to increase vocabulary and word awareness.  It introduces students to higher level vocabulary.  We will have a test on the words on Monday September 15.  Students should review the definitions for the words. 

Science  We had a great time on Monday practicing blowing bubbles in the classroom.  This prepared us to conduct an experiment on Tuesday to see which soap solution, blue Dawn, Joy, or the store brand Shoppers Value, made the biggest bubbles. On Thursday, students designed their own experiment and our next step is to conduct the experiments. 

Important Dates

•   EMES Open House & Ribbon Cutting - Oct 2^nd  5:00pm to 8:00pm

•   All School Hike- September 26^th

•   Parent Conferences November 10th & 11th - 12:30 Early Dismissal for Students (more information coming later about Parent Teacher Conferences)

Sixth graders need support from home and school in order to learn how to be organized.  Being organized is not necessarily a skill people are born with.  Sometimes it takes lots of practice. 

Have a great weekend,       Ellen