We're Nearly There!

With the final week approaching, there are a number of last minute items we are trying to wrap up in class. The students have been working diligently on their "Utopia Projects" and did an amazing job with our Maya simulation (special shout out to Mayapan for having the largest population of all our city-states). Human growth and development has also gone very well; I think most of the students are relieved we are almost done! 

Now we just have about 500 more things to finish before next Thursday. Here's a break down of the next week. Our student leadership also wanted to have a spirit week, so there are themes for each day. 

Friday, June 7: 

• Spirit Day: Wear green, our house color
• Last day of human growth and development
• Wrap up Personal Finance unit
• Return Oaks Park permission slips and $5
• Attend 6th grade dance, 7-9:00 pm in the OPE gym

Monday, June 10: "Camp Day"- wear outdoorsy clothes

• Turn in final draft of Newbery book report
• Wrap up Utopia Project?
• Finish end-of the year writing assessment

Tuesday, June 11: "Beach Day"- dress like your headed to the beach

• Go to SHS to watch, Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Present Utopia Project
• First round of desk clean-outs

Wednesday, June 12: "Sports Day"

• Final Desk/Cubby Clean-out
• Yearbook distribution and signing (bring fun pens!)
• Kickball tournament with professional kickball pitcher (for reals!)

Thursday, June 13: "Bright Colors/Tie Dye Day" - wear your tie-dye to Oaks Park

• Oaks Park field trip- all day. Please pack a lunch and dress accordingly. Electronics, but NO social media, allowed.

Friday, June 14: "Hat & Sunglasses Day"- Their future's so bright, they gotta wear shades!

• Last day of elementary school
• Class Awards and fun activities
• Early Release at 12:45

The Beginning of the End

With less than three weeks remaining, we have a lot to cover! Here are a few quick updates for this week. 

Tie-Dying T-Shirts

Please remember, we would like all students to bring plain white t-shirts to tie-dye by Thursday. The tie-dying will be happening on Friday. I have a few parents who have volunteered to help, but we could always use more! Please let me know if you are available to help out. 

Human Growth & Development

Last Thursday, I sent home a letter informing parents of our upcoming human growth and development unit. If you did not receive your letter, please note we will begin instruction on Monday, June 3 and finish on June 7. If you would NOT like you student to receive instruction in this area, or if you have questions, please let me know. I am more than happy to share information about our curriculum with those of you who are curious. Our curriculum materials are also available to view in the main office. 

OPPO 6th Grade Dance

This afternoon, I also sent home information about the upcoming "Under the Sea" semi-formal dance, being held on June 7, from 7-9 pm. This is an Otto Petersen Parent Organization sponsored event, but being that I also have a sixth grader, I will be in attendance. I am so excited to watch a bunch of nervous sixth grader stand around awkwardly for two hours.

If you would like to join in the fun, our OPPO president is looking for background cleared volunteers to chaperone. Please send Jessica Townsend an email at ottopetersenpresident@gmail.com if you would like to help out. 

End of the Year Units

These last few weeks of school we will be working on a number of projects. If your student was in my enrichment class (they know who they are), they have been assigned a book report. I will be going over the due dates tomorrow, but for parents who like to keep their kids organized, these are due on Friday, June 7th. Most students have already finished reading their books. At this point, they need to finish the rough drafts for homework, and start the final drafts once I have cleared their rough draft work. Rough drafts should be finished by Monday, June 3rd.

In social studies, we are well into our Maya simulation. The students are doing an AMAZING job participating in the different jobs and activities required for this unit. I have been very impressed! We will wrap up the year with a quick study of Aztec and Inca civilizations, as well. 

Students working hard during the Maya simulation.

For language arts, the students are working to create Utopian societies. Many are working in groups to design what they feel is the best community. This unit builds on our work with The Giver and many of the other texts I read aloud in class (I have a great love of dystopian literature). It is a lot of fun to watch these kids think through the intricacies of designing a "perfect world". The students will finish outlining their work this week and will then type up a report next week. The last week of school will be committed to the students presenting their utopias to their classmates. I can't wait!

Why Don't I Update My Blog in May?

This appears to be a problem. I do not do enough blog posts at the end of the school year! We are so busy, it seems to be impossible to get to my desk and write out what we are doing and what is coming in the weeks ahead.

Proof we are still working hard!

The last few weeks we have finished state testing, are nearly finished with our project for The Giver, have started a book report, are in the middle of our final science rotation (cells, with Mrs. Baker), and took our math placement tests for middle school (don't worry...they also take teacher recommendations)! 

In the coming weeks we still have a lot to cover. This week we are finally starting our Maya simulation for social studies. We are also going to continue not having standard writing homework, as most of the class is working on reading/drafting books reports. If your students work with the Title I department for reading, this was not assigned to their group. In addition, the math teachers are all working on wrapping up geometry and statistics before the end of the year. 

We have other fun units planned, as well. We are going to be working on a personal finance project, a few fun writing tasks, and I sent home information about tie-dying t-shirts for our trip to Oaks Park. Also, be sure to ask your students for their permission slips for this Friday's movie. Mr. May and I have teamed up to show The Giver. It is rated PG-13, so if you'd like your student to opt out, we will have another film The Wizard of Oz available. We will ask students to complete compare/contrast activities after watching the films. 

On Friday, we also have field day. Encourage your students to wear green- our house color. I am really looking forward to this event and hoping for great weather. Do make sure your students dress accordingly. They will be outside for a couple of hours. 

Please let me know if you have any questions for the end of the year. It will be a busy, but guaranteed fun, last few weeks!

Mixing It Up!

With state testing coming soon, we have switched gears this week to give us time to prepare. In language arts we started reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. Students will report on their understanding of the text through "matchbook summaries", or short explanations of each chapter accompanied by simple drawings to symbolize the key points of the story. This project is a nice break from our weekly reading menus and skills tests. We are only two chapters in, but most of the kids are already "hooked". If you notice fewer grades for language arts, it is due to the duration of this project. 

State Testing 

Next week is state testing. We are trying to minimize the impact of testing on our schedule with a new approach. Rather than many short sessions to complete the tests, we are doing a week of two-hour testing sessions. I have decided to break our mornings up as follows:

Day One: Math Multiple Choice (1 Hour)
                Language Arts Performance Task (1 Hour)

Day Two: Math Multiple Choice (1 Hour)
                Language Arts Performance Task (1 Hour)

Day Three: Finish Math Multiple Choice/Start ELA Multiple Choice (1 Hour)

                   Math Performance Task (1 Hour)

Day Four: Language Arts Multiple Choice (1 Hour)

                 Finish Math Performance Task/Language Arts Performance Task (1 Hour)

Day Five: Finish Language Arts Multiple Choice (1 Hour)

                 Finish Language Arts Performance Task (1 Hour)

Don't worry- I'll keep track of all of this for your students! They are ready, and I know they will do well. What I do need from families is the following:

• Students need to be to school ON TIME. We start testing first thing in the morning. 
• Please make sure your students have a healthy breakfast and snacks. 
• Please also try to get them to bed at a good time and let me know if your child has any concerns before taking the test. 
• If your students have not brought headphones to school, please make sure they have a comfortable pair.
• If it is reasonable for your family, I would prefer no cell phones next week. They MUST be turned off and in backpacks during the testing session. It is a state requirement. If your student needs their cell phone, please help remind them to keep it off during the school day. I will do checks in the morning, as well.  

We will NOT have homework next week. I want kids to go home and play! They will need a break in the afternoon. An hour of running around outside is what I most wish for next week's after school time. 

In the classroom we will spend our afternoon working on fun projects, including more work with The Giver, a new social studies unit, and a special art project. 

Thank you so much for your support!

Final Notes

Friday is House Color Day. We are House Integrity and our color is green. We voted on a house mascot; it is a rising phoenix. On Friday, we will have our second house meeting, where we work to create norms for our groups. 

Look at all our 80's school spirit!

Finally, we will be sending home two important pieces of paper by the week's end. The first is a yearbook order form. The second is our final Scrip order of the year. We are still a few hundred dollars shy of meeting our goal for a fully funded end-of-year field trip. Please take a minute to look through the Scrip order form to see if you would like to purchase some gift cards. 

Thank Goodness Spring is Here!

Even with the rainy forecast, it is so nice to walk into school without the bitter cold wind biting at my skin. What a difference the change of seasons makes! 

As we move into the final quarter of the year, I want to thank you for your continued support. This is the end of elementary school, and the excitement is tangible. As with every year, please make sure to check in with your students frequently about the work, behavior, and stress in and around school. Your children are going through A LOT of changes right now; it can get a little stressful. As always, I am here to help. 

Spring Conferences

On that note, next week week we have spring conferences. I will be reaching out to parents by week's end if I feel your student needs a conference. If you do not hear from me, but have concerns, please let me know and I'll add you to the schedule. We have no school this Friday (April 5) or next Friday (April 12) to allow for progress report preparation and conferences. We will also hold conferences on Thursday evening of next week (April 11). If you are invited to a conference, it is likely due to concerns around work habits and organizational skills not in place for middle school.

Paperwork 

Yesterday, I sent home two pieces of paperwork: spring photo order forms and a permission slip for the end-of-the-year movie. Photos are only for students who return an order form. Please have the paperwork returned by the end of the week. Today, I will be sending home information about an Easter Egg Hunt, and an opportunity for our sixth graders to volunteer at the event. 

Spirit Day

Tomorrow is our April spirit day. Get out your photo albums and look back at all the greatest fashion trends of the 80's! In addition to our typical spirit day events, we are adding a new element to our school's positive behavior support plan: School Houses. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, or British school stories, you might be familiar with a house system. We have divided the school into six houses named for the character traits focused on in our building. Each house is comprised of one fourth, fifth, and sixth grade class. We have teachers and support staff in the houses, as well. We will be having our first Integrity House meeting tomorrow, where we come up with a motto, before our spirit assembly. If you have questions, be sure to ask your students more information. I am really looking forward to using this model to increase positive behavior in our building. 

Homework

Tomorrow, you should also expect a writing homework assignment. With the crazy weather and schedule of March we got a little off track. Please expect weekly writing assignments for the month of April. Remember, they are due on Thursday morning!

Have a great week!

Outdoor School

It's finally here: the panic of preparing for Outdoor School! This afternoon, your student will be bringing home a set of reminders for Outdoor School (ODS). If your student left early for group or is in band on Wednesday afternoons, I will make sure they get their paper reminders tomorrow. The paperwork includes an additional copy of the packing list, important reminders of dates and times, and information about how to mail your student a letter. We are also looking for volunteers to help with luggage. Please let me know if you can help!

In addition to the supply list items, our camp director has let me know that he's really into baseball. He encouraged kids to bring their softball/baseball mitts if they have one at home. I can't wait to show off my amazing ability to throw a baseball/softball about two feet in front of myself! I know we have a lot of baseball/softball players in our room, so I was excited to share this information with kids.

Also, we will be attending with another school: Aloha/Huber Park. This is a K-8 school not far from where I used to live in Beaverton. I think this will offer our kiddos a great opportunity to make friends with students from "over the hill". In addition, it puts added pressure on us to be excellent representatives of our school and community. I know these kids will rise to the occasion.

I am so excited to bring this opportunity to your students. Please let me know if you have additional concerns or needs. I'm here to help!

A Couple More Quick Announcements

On Friday we will be making up Lorax Day from last week. Students are invited to wear mustaches (not too distracting please) and the color orange. We will hold our spirit assembly that afternoon.

Our class had the largest amount of donations for Doernbecker Days and have earned a pizza party! We will be treated to some Dominos on Friday before lunch. I put in a request for one gluten free pizza, but I didn't make any other special requests. I would still send your students with lunch, as I'm not sure how many slices each kiddo will get.

Finally, the fourth grade is holding their annual clam chowder sale. Order forms went home late last week. If your student would like to participate, the money will help support fourth grade field trips.

No Snow? Let's Go!

Outdoor School Parent Night

                                                   

On Wednesday, February 13th, we will be holding the Outdoor School Parent Night in the cafeteria, from 6-7:00 pm. The sixth grade teachers will present information on what to pack, what to expect, and what to plan for the week of ODS. In addition, we will be providing all the forms necessary to get your kiddos to camp. We are looking forward to seeing you there. If you are concerned about being able to attend that evening, forms will be available for the rest of the students on Thursday. Please have these filled out and returned to the school by Tuesday, February 19th.

Middle School Information Night and Forecasting

Yep, that's right...your student is almost a middle schooler! The last week of February, we will have visitors from the middle school to present information on how to choose electives and prepare for middle school. Please expect your student to bring home a course listing and sign up form that week. I believe SMS will also be holding a parent information night. As soon as the date and time have been communicated, I will forward on that information. 

Fundraisers

I sent home two pieces of information with students on Friday afternoon. The first was a Box Top form and the second was a Scrip order. The Box Tops are due back before the end of the month. The Scrip order is due no later than Tuesday morning (February 12). Additional Scrip order forms can be found here. The order will be ready for pickup on Thursday, February 14th. The sixth grade team greatly appreciates your support. 

                                               

The high school is also holding its annual Doernbecher Days fundraiser. Throughout February, there are a ton of events to help raise money to support this charity. Check out the SHS website for more information here, including times for the annual talent show try-outs on Wednesday. If you would like to support the efforts of our high school leaders, we also have a Doernbecher Days jar in our classroom for coin donations. So far, we have $3! Let's keep those donations rolling in!

Hoop-A-Thon winners will also be announced this week. If your student still has an envelope lurking in their backpacks, and would like to submit donations, I am sure the OPPO would take last minute turn-ins. Thank you to all the families that supported this event. It was a lot of fun! 

Classroom Happenings

We rocked it on 'Hoodie Day' with 100% Participation

This week, we wrapped up our Civil Rights unit. The students did a wonderful job reading, discussing, and responding to events having to do with this important part of our nation's history. Rather than assigning a new writing homework, students were asked to complete their Freedom Walkers project. I have included the assignment description HERE. Most of the class had a very good start on the project, with just the final draft responses needing to be copied over to their "foldable" (they should know what this means). These are due back to school on Thursday morning.

For the remainder of the year, most of the writing homework assignments will be persuasive pieces. These are my favorite prompts; I love reading what the students have to say about the topics we cover. I highly encourage you to read your student's writing. Their insights are fresh, thoughtful, and often chuckle worthy. 

We will also be starting our fourth round of science rotations this month with Mr. May's roller coaster unit. We will start our social studies unit on human migration and settlement in the Americas, and have a number of interesting pieces coming up in our language arts adoption. It should be a busy and engaging spring. 

                                   

We will be holding a Valentine's Day celebration in the sixth grade. For 30 minutes, I will host treats and Valentine's distribution in the classroom. A class list was sent home on Friday, but I have more copies if your student did not receive one. We will make Valentine's boxes in class early this week.

If you are available to help make Italian sodas, I would greatly appreciate the help. I will begin setting up at 1:35, during afternoon recess. I will also need a clean up crew to stick around after our classroom celebration to take care of the mess. 

You might call the rest of the celebration a dance, but it's mostly just music blaring while kids stand around talking and playing games in the gym. A perfect event for the sixth grade! Feel free to join the sixth grade teachers in the gym from 2:20-2:50. It should be all kinds of fun!

Civil Rights Movement Scavenger Hunt

Use the link below to access the online scavenger hunt. Be sure to carefully record your answers on the record sheet provided. 

Scavenger Hunt Link

Hoop-a-Thon is On!

Last week, we held our kick-off assembly for the annual Hoop-a-Thon, our school's biggest fundraiser of the year. I hope you received the information sheet and envelope from your students. Families can continue to collect donations through the week of the event, January 22-24. The donation envelopes are due back to the school on February 1st.

There are a lot of great prizes, but the class with the most donations will win a basketball cookie party. I would like to encourage all the kids to try to gather at least one small donation for this event and try to win this cookie party!!

If you would like to volunteer at the Hoop-a-Thon, the sign-up link is here. It is a lot of fun to watch the kids shoot hoops. I am always astounded by their awesome shooting skills. Mr. Girres does a great job preparing them for the event.

Lately in Class...

With only two days last week, I had to get creative with our lessons. I found this great art project and article about Rosie the Riveter, the iconic woman from the image below. We kept the theme going by completing a health lesson on goal setting and having a "can do" attitude. It was a lot of fun, and as you can see, the kids did a great job on this project!

I also sent home the first homework assignment of the new year. It was a simple note taking task to help prepare for next week's writing assignment. The students will be asked to write a five-paragraph essay on personal hygiene for middle schoolers. As with most of our writing homework assignments, they will be due back on Thursday morning. 

This week we got back into the swing of things by working on another story from our language arts adoption, and we started a new science rotation with Mrs. Ashley's maternity leave substitute, Mrs. Rice. Altogether, it has been a highly productive week. It was great to have a break, but it has been nice to return to my students and start the new year off strong. I am looking forward to an excellent 2019!

- Ms. Kinsman