I am so glad I got to see everyone last week!

PAPERS HOME

One thing that came up a couple of times that I should remind everyone about is the fact that papers go home once a week--usually on Fridays--in the front of your child's 3-ring binder. If you could pull all the papers out of the front of your child's binder once a week and look over them, that would be very helpful. Thanks!

5TH SLIDESHOW ABOUT MIDDLE SCHOOL

I emailed parents a SlideShow about middle school, but many parents said they hadn't seen it. Make sure you look at it in "presenter view" so you can see all the notes at the bottom of each screen. 

RETURNING STUDENT CHECK-IN

From the district office:

PLEASE GO ON TO YOUR SKYWARD ACCOUNTS TO COMPLETE THE RETURNING STUDENT CHECK-IN.
Families of all currently enrolled students in grades K through 11 need to “Check-in” for the 2022-2023 school year - this will confirm your student’s continued enrollment and update required forms for the new school year.
For families who have done this in previous years, you may log on to Skyward Family Access and complete the process. If you are new to the annual check-in, or need assistance, visit the Returning Student Check-in page for instructions and information. Online check-in needs to be completed on a computer; mobile devices are not properly supported by the software.
It is very important for families to complete the online check-in as soon as possible. It provides our school leaders with accurate enrollment numbers for class and course planning, and ensures that your school has the most up-to-date contact information.
Learn more about online check-in on our website. Thank you for completing this important task!

Today we explored the United States and Its Neighbors textbook that we have in the classroom, looking for forms and features and how the book is organized. We found:

• The information is presented in chronological order.
• In addition to text, there are lots of other features like maps, tables, and pictures.
• At the back there is a reference section including, for example, an atlas (a collection of maps), a dictionary of geographic terms, a list of presidents (which is out of date!), and a glossary. 

The book has an organizational structure.

• There are ten units.
• Inside each unit there are chapters, which are introduced with a "focus" statement.
• Inside each chapter there are lessons, which are introduced with "Ready to Learn" tips--"Key Vocabulary," "Read Aloud," and "Read for Purpose."
• Inside each lesson there are section headings.
• Key vocabulary is color coded inside the text. 
• The last part of each lesson is "Check Your Reading," which is a set of review questions for the lesson.
• At the end of each chapter is a "Summary and Review" section.

​ I've had some parents ask about work their kids can do at home.

Here are a few things:

• Complete the "diagnostics arena" section of IXL. Most of the class has started doing diagnostics, but not everyone. Some have finished. (When a kid finishes a section, there will be a star at the end of the ray sticking up for that test.) When kids are done with diagnostics, they can focus on whole number operations. 
• By Wednesday of next week we should finish reading The Phantom Tollbooth, so kids can read a chapter a day at home to keep up. https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/norton-juster/34094-the_phantom_tollbooth.html
• I have the class back at school learning about the human body--body parts and body systems. Kids at home can go to Clever to learn about different systems. If you go to BrainPop and type in "circulatory system" in the search bar, there's a film plus so much more. And it offers multiple other body systems to learn about!
• Parents, any time a child misses school on a Tuesday, you can give the vocab test at home. Just give your child the definitions and have them write the words. I just ask that you grade the test (since I won't know what order you gave the words in) and sign it. Send it in with your child, and they'll be caught up on that. 

I'm sending this information out because some parents asked for it. On the other hand, you may not want it. That's ok too. If your child comes back from being sick with no work done at home, that's not a problem. 

Mostly, I just want everyone to get better.

introduction to estimating (use this with nearly every math problem)
tricks for multiplying by 9
tricks for figuring out divisibility (can a number be divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, or 10?)
simplify fractions to lowest terms (all answers need to be in lowest terms)
converting improper fractions to mixed number

How to Argue Effectively
​Persuasive Essay--Introduction
Persuasive Essay--Reasons
Persuasive Essay--Details
​Persuasive Essay--Conclusion

understand perfect tenses so you can identify and fix tense shifts (ELA lesson 2.9)
​complete sentences and independent clauses (ELA lesson 4.13)
coordinating conjunctions and compound sentences ​(ELA lesson 4.13)
subordinating conjunctions and complex sentences ​(ELA lesson 4.13)
correlative conjunctions (ELA lesson 4.14)
​

PLEASE DO NOT BUY A 3-RING BINDER OR DIVIDERS.
I WILL PROVIDE THE BINDERS AND DIVIDERS FOR THE STUDENTS IN MY CLASS.

I've already bought them. They are already in my classroom!

Staples compiled a list of virtual summer camps

Varsity Tutors offers their own virtual summer camps

This one is about weather education!

​Why Students Should Say “No” To Drugs
 
I think students should not take drugs. Students shouldn’t take drugs because they are very dangerous. Sometimes people die from overdosing on illegal drugs. If a student is on drugs, they might take more risks than normal and get hurt that way too. They might jump out of a window on LSD. Some illegal drugs are very addicting. That means once you start using them, it can be very difficult to stop. Once a person is addicted, they will do anything to get the drug, including commit crimes. Some drugs affect the development or structure of the brain. They can make the brain not work as well, which can affect the person’s future. Finally, students shouldn’t take illegal drugs because they are, well, illegal. If they get caught, they could go to jail. They could lose their spot at college, or they could lose a scholarship. Clearly, students should avoid taking illegal drugs.