February 24th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, February 27: Auction Pizza Party - students bring a drink and side
• Wednesday, March 1: Ash Wednesday
• Thursday, March 2 - 7:00pm: 6th Grade Musical
• Friday, March 3: Progress Reports Available
• Saturday, March 4: MS Solo & Ensemble Contest
• Thursday, March 9: Greek Living Museum from 2-3 pm in the parish hall

Religion:

This week in Religion the students learned about the ended of Moses’ life and, Joshua, the Israelites new leader. We also discussed how the Israelite’s path to the promised land compares to our path to Heaven. The students will take a quiz over this information on Wednesday.  The format of the 22 points quiz is -

• Fill in the blank - You will be asked to answer questions related to the major events from the chapter. (5 questions/6 points)
• Graphic organizer - You will be asked to compare the Israelite’s journey and ours. (8 points)
• Short Answer - You will be asked to talk about God’s assistance. (1 question/8 points)

Next week students will begin working on their Unit 3 Project.  This project is the game that I mentioned to many parents at conferences. You may want to ask your child this weekend if they want to work by themselves on this project or with a partner. If they want to work with a partner, have their talked to that person about working together? They will have one week of class time to work on this project.

Social Studies:

This week in Social Studies the students learned about Muhammad’s early life and according to Islamic teachings how he was called to be a prophet.  Next week students will learn about the later part of his life, and the earliest leaders of the Muslim faith. There will be a test over this information on Tuesday, March 7th.

Reading: 

We took the final test for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas this week. Those tests will come home today (Friday) for your signature. I was so impressed with the essay responses from the students - they really felt strongly about this novel! We also watched the movie this week. Be sure to ask your student which one they liked better - the book or the movie.

Book talks will start on Monday. The students have all been assigned a date to present. The requirements and rubric, along with the speaking schedule are all in google classroom.

Language Arts:  

Greek mythology continues with students researching their characters. The Greek Living Museum will be Thursday, March 9 from 2-3 pm in the parish hall. All are welcome! Please let me know if you have any questions about costumes, etc. It should be a fun time!

Math Period 1: 

The students took a quiz assessing adding, subtracting, and multiplying of fractions.  The quiz should have been brought home over the weekend for you to review and sign.  We are currently working on the division of fractions.  There will be a quiz on Wednesday to assess computation of fractions using all operations. Tentatively the chapter 4 test is scheduled for either Wednesday, March 8th or Thursday, March 9th.  

Math Period 4:   

This class has been practicing finding greatest common factors and least common multiples.   There will be a quiz on Monday over sections 3.1-3.5  The students should have a review sheet with the quiz format and completed practice problems to use to prepare for the quiz.  The answers to the extra practice problems will be in google classroom.    Next week we will be using the distributive property to write equivalent expressions.

Math Period 5:    

The students took a quiz assessing adding, subtracting, and multiplying of fractions.  The quiz should have been brought home over the weekend for you to review and sign.  We are currently working on the division of fractions.  There will be a quiz on Wednesday to assess computation of fractions using all operations. Tentatively the chapter 4 test is scheduled for either Wednesday, March 8th or Thursday, March 9th.

Science:

The students learned about the physical property, viscosity.  They will use this information to learn how the viscosity of magma affects the volcanic eruption.  The students will be doing an activity on Monday using Alka-seltzer to demonstrate how the type of magma will affect the type of eruption.

February 10th News

Information and Announcements

• Monday, February 13th  4:15-7:30   Parent Teacher Conferences 
• Tuesday, February 14th  4:15-7:30  Parent Teacher Conferences
• Wednesday, February 15th  End of Trimester 2
• Thursday, February 16th  8:00-12:00 Parent Teacher Conferences-No School
• Friday, February 17th No School
• Monday, February 20th  Teacher In-Service No School
• Friday, February 24th Mission Awareness Day 

Religion:

In Religion this week, students completed their commandment projects. They did a nice job of considering how each of the 10 Commandments and the Great Commandment applies to their life as 6th grade students. Then we continued learning about the Israelites time as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. There will be a 12-point quiz on Wednesday over Chapter 13 and 14. Information about this quiz can be found on Google classroom.

Social Studies:

In Social Studies this week, the students completed their study of Chinese inventions and discoveries. Look for that test to come home next week. In our chapter students will study the origins and spread of Islam.

Reading: 

We are nearly done with The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. We will be finishing the book next week! We will then review for and take the final test over the entire novel. After completing the test, we will watch the movie that accompanies the novel. It is rated PG-13 due to its mature subject matter. Your child will be bringing home a permission slip for you to sign if you decide it is okay for them to view the movie.

Language Arts:  

This week, students composed and printed Life's Little Instruction Books. Those will be displayed here at school for a few weeks, then they will come home for you to see. They are really quite funny and inspiring!

On Monday, we will kick off the Greek Mythology Unit! Students will be immersed in the mythology of Greece, and will be given a Greek character to learn about and embody. This unit will culminate with the Greek Living Museum on Thursday, March 9 from 2-3 pm in the parish hall. All parents and friends are invited to attend!

Math Period 1: 

The students reviewed the process of adding and subtracting fractions this week.  They were assessed and I will work with individuals that need to review further.  

Next, this group will be multiplying fractions.  We discussed that multiplying fractions means repeated addition or part of.  We drew pictures to model these concepts.  There are two video clips posted in google classroom that review what we discussed in class.  The focus is the understanding of the concept vs the algorithm, as the process is simple, but the understanding take a higher level of thinking and understanding. There is a quiz tentatively schedule for Wednesday, February 22nd.  

Math Period 4:   

The students worked on finding the factors of numbers this week.  They should realize that the divisibility rules help to determine some of the factors, but they must check ALL other possibilities.  Next week the students will work on prime factorization and common factors.  After conference break, they will work on multiples.  There is a quiz tentatively scheduled for Friday, February 24th.  Please continue to work on basic facts with your child, it will make a big difference. 

Math Period 5:    

The students reviewed the process of adding and subtracting fractions this week.  They were assessed and I will work with individuals that need to review further.  

Next, this group will be multiplying fractions.  We discussed that multiplying fractions means repeated addition or part of.  We drew pictures to model these concepts.  There are two video clips posted in google classroom that review what we discussed in class.  The focus is the understanding of the concept vs the algorithm, as the process is simple, but the understanding take a higher level of thinking and understanding. There is a quiz tentatively schedule for Wednesday, February 22nd.  

Science:

The students finished the unit on earthquakes, please look for the test to come home for you to review and sign over the weekend.  The students did an amazing job on this assessment which is a direct result of the students' active engagement in class and their hard work.  The students will learn about volcanoes in the next unit.    

February 3rd News

Information and Announcements

• Wednesday, Feb. 8: School Liturgy at 8:45

Religion:

This week in religion the students began working on their 10 Commandments project. In this project, students are asked to accurately state the commandments, write the commandment in their own words, tell how they plan to use the commandment to make decisions in their life, and create/print and describe an image related to the commandment. This project is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday and is a significant part of their trimester grade.

On Wednesday the 8th we will discuss the Israelites' lives after they receive the 10 Commandments and before they reach the promised land.

Social Studies:

This week in social studies students continued to learn about Chinese inventions and discoveries. We had a lot of fun today learning about the Great Wall of China using virtual reality. We hope to use the view masters in future units.

Next Thursday students will take the Chapter 17 test. On Wednesday, there will be a study session. The test format is as follows -
Explain the vocab term - 4 questions/8 points (I list the word you explain it)
Multiple choice - 15 questions/15 points
Essay - 1 question/16 points

Reading: 

Students took a test on chapters 7-10 in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas on Friday. Look for that test to come home on Monday for your signature. We are nearing the end of the book. When we complete the reading, students will take a final test over the whole book. Students will get a study guide beforehand, and we will take time in class to prepare for the test as well.

We will watch the movie for the novel after taking the test. It is rated PG-13 due to the difficult subject matter, so I will send permission slips home for your signature soon.

Language Arts:  

Students finished up with the Holocaust presentations this week. I am sure their knowledge of that period in history has greatly increased! We also wrote letters of appreciation and made "old-time" Valentines for our police officers and elders from Seasons of Life.

Next week we will be looking at different types of sentences, and creating a Life's Little Instruction book, full of imperative sentences. It is one way to make grammar fun! 

Math Period 1: 

The students completed Chapter 3 test this week, please look for your child to bring home the test over the weekend for you to review and sign.  We will start Chapter 4 Fractions.  A pretest was given and the results of the test will guide instruction.  Manipulatives will be used to develop the understanding of each skill before moving to the standard algorithm.  

Math Period 4:   
The students began Chapter 3 Number Theory this week.  We will start with divisibility rules and then move to identifying all factors of numbers.  Please continue to work on basic facts with your child.  This chapter will be difficult if basic facts are not mastered.  There will be a short quiz mid-week to assess the ability to use divisibility rules. 

Math Period 5:    

The students completed Chapter 3 test this week, please look for your child to bring home the test over the weekend for you to review and sign.  We will start Chapter 4 Fractions.  A pretest was given and the results of the test will guide instruction.  Manipulatives will be used to develop the understanding of each skill before moving to the standard algorithm.  

Science:

The students completed a computer simulation to determine the epicenter and magnitude of a virtual earthquake.  The students should continue to study their notes that include types of stress, faults, and rating scales.  We will finish the unit by learning how earthquakes cause damage.  The test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, February 8th.