Fall Celebrations

The Day of the Dead

Many of you might be wondering what we have been up to in the sixth grade. This week we are ending our first unit in language arts, which mean a test! Yes, your students were thrilled to hear the exciting news as well! Luckily, we try to off-set the fun of testing with some actual fun . We will be studying The Day of the Dead, which means reading a number of articles on the topic, while comparing and contrasting our own traditions from home. This is a great mini-unit that complements our later social studies curriculum on Mesoamerican history.

On Friday, we will be creating ofrendas, or offering alter, style collages. If your family has any old magazine, their donation would be greatly appreciated. 

We are also wrapping up our social studies unit this week. I will be announcing the winning "Caravan", along with a short celebration on Friday morning. Students will be assessed on how well they understand basic latitude and longitude, continents, world oceans, and major locations around the globe. It has been a very fun unit. 

Halloween

Later this week, the sixth grade team will be sending home a letter regarding our Halloween celebration. This is currently scheduled for Friday, October 30th, in the late afternoon. Students are invited to wear costumes and come prepared for fun! Parents who indicated an interest in helping with parties will be getting an email soon.

Box Tops

You may have noticed the box top competition sheet sent home last week (orange with pumpkins). If you have been saving box tops, please send them to school with your student. The box top program helps put money directly into our classrooms and allows the OPPO to help support field trips and assemblies. We all appreciate your help.

Email Accounts

Does your student have a Gmail account? This week I will be showing a few students with established accounts how to use the Google Docs and Drive tools. This is a great way for me to "collect" homework from my students and gives kids an opportunity to collaborate securely in an online environment. I would love for all our students to have accounts, but the district does not currently support email for our learners. If, however, you would like to set up an account from home, I would love to do more activities as a class using this tool. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Grades

The end of our first grading period is just around the corner! Believe it our not, November 6th marks the end of the first quarter. Many of you have reached out regarding your student's performance. Please continue to do so. Synergy ParentVue doesn't seem to be working perfectly, so if you notice a lot of missing assignments from you hard-working student, please let me know. 

Many students are still working on improving their study habits, especially during our language arts block. I have designed instruction to help encourage the development of time management and study skills. This will be an area of focus throughout the year. 

Have a great week!
-Ms. Kinsman