Persuasive Writing

This week we are starting our first persuasive writing piece. You will be working with a partner to persuade Ms. Kinsman and your class that you and your partner should NOT have writing homework next week. 

Click on the link below to create an outline before you begin your piece. Be sure to print your digital outline before leaving the computer lab. They will not save!

Digital Persuasion Map

Valentines and Basketball

It has been too long since my last blog post! The days we managed to make it to school last month were incredibly productive. In fact, last week I saw the strongest performance on our language arts weekly skills test of the year. Also, student performance on content area work has been stellar. Thank you for sending your students to school ready to learn and work hard!

Hoop-A-Thon

You have hopefully seen the collection envelopes and announcements regarding the upcoming Hoop-A-Thon. This is a great fundraiser for our PTO, and I would like to see all the students participating. If you child has not brought home an envelope, please have them grab an extra from me or the front office. Even a small donation goes a long way to support the field trips, assemblies, and all the extras our PTO helps fund.

Valentine's Day (and the candy)

Oh, boy. Valentine's Day. The most anxiety inducing holiday of the sixth grade year. It has been the sixth grade tradition to hold a team Valentine's Day dance and party for many years. Don't worry: it is very low-key. Mr. Jeremiah puts together a fun playlist of dance music, and the rest of the teachers offer activities and snacks in their classrooms. It is a lot of fun!

I also allow students to pass out Valentine's Day cards in the afternoon. This is not required, but I do ask that if you student brings cards, they bring one for each of their peers. I'll send home a hard copy of our class list with your students soon.

So much candy!!!

 I am also holding a classroom discussion about the staggering volume of candy distributed during this holiday (see image above). While I love candy, and take no issue with small treats in the classroom, I was hoping we could come up with a more creative way of celebrating Valentine's day (without ruining the fun). Do you have any suggestions? Do most parents/families feel like the amount of candy at Valentine's day is okay, and I shouldn't worry so much? Let me know, and I'll take all considerations into account. There is a 'comments' section below. Or, if you would feel more comfortable, please feel free to email me with your concerns or ideas regarding Valentine's day treats. 

Report Cards

Report cards should be coming home this afternoon. There is an insert for parents to sign, indicating you have reviewed your student's report card. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's performance, please do not hesitate to call or email. 

What Else Could I Possibly Have to Share?

I want to give a special thanks to our mystery guest from Wednesday, Jason Nelson. The students loved hearing about his experience as a longshoreman. Congratulations to Daniel and Braden for figuring out his profession.

Next week we will be starting our Maya simulation- one of my favorite units of the year. We are nearly done learning about early human migration and settlements in the Americas. We will also be reading Freedom Walkers, a wonderful non-fiction book about the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's and will be working on our first persuasive writing piece. 

I am looking forward to a busy winter. Let's hope we have a bit more school in the coming weeks!