December 17, 2012

It is the last week before Christmas break, and it will be a busy one. Students are finishing up two big projects; one in science and one in reading. The reading project is also a Christmas present for pre-k students. The 6th graders scanned in several Mo Willems books, formatted the files for iMovie and will soon add voice narration to each page. We will save these as movies then upload them so that they are accessible to the pre-k students. 

The final project for Science is well under way. Some students are working in teams and others are working independently. The rubric is on the class blog. Last week, students constructed a bucket for making “worm compost tea”.  We will start a brew on Monday morning. The tea is supposed to help plants fight aphids and other greenhouse pests. I’ll get back to you with the results.

On Thursday, Gladys is coming in from 12:30 to 1:30 to help students make holiday gifts. On Friday, we will watch the movie Bridge to Terabithia. Students recently finished that book.

I still have openings for teacher conferences. If you were not able to schedule one during the teacher conference week, consider doing so this week. Give me a call or send an email.

December 10, 2012

The first real snow of the year is always magical; now it feels like December. Despite that, we have spinach, lettuce and beets sprouting in the greenhouse. Today, the 6th grade math students will harvest the first lettuce of the winter season. I finally posted the Garden Book. Please excuse the mis-spellings. We will edit and revise again after the Christmas break.

The 6th grade math students have been studying angles and the relationships between them when transversals run through parallel lines. Today students take their second quiz.

In science, we continue to move through time. Today, we begin talking about reptiles and flowering plants (286 MYA - 65 MYA). I am also introducing the final project for this unit. I will post the project outline and rubric on the blog. 

On Friday, December 21, we will be watching the movie, “Bridge to Terabithia” and having a small class party. Gladys has offered to come in and help students make some crafts. The 6th graders will be making treats. Please don’t buy gifts. We are focusing on making our own cards and gifts in class. 

The holiday concert is this Wednesday and if you were not able to schedule a parent teacher conference last week, consider doing so this week. Give me a call or send an email.

December 2, 2012

There does not seem to be nearly enough time to do all that needs to be done and things feel chaotic. We have tried to focus on the positive as we deal with buses, muddy kick-ball fields, late basketball practices and other stumbling blocks. I know these things trickle down to you parents as well. Friday night, of course was the holiday fair. I did not get to see too much of it , sequestered in the Bingo Emporium as I was, but I understand that everyone had a good time. I wanted to send a big THANKS to Gladys for all her help. She was in her element!            The 6th grade math students are studying two-dimensional shapes and measurement and we are continuing to progress in our studies of life through time. We are at about 286 MYA. The amphibians are making an appearance. Report cards are coming out today. The format is new. I will be anxious to see what they look like. Seth, John and Jason helped winterize the greenhouse. It looks like we were just in time. We have lovely lettuce and red russian kale. The winter spinach should be making an appearance soon. If you haven’t done so already, please sign up for conferences on Tuesday evening. I would love to show you some of your child’s work.

November 13, 2012

Our first unit in “Life Thru Time” covered the time period from 4.5 BYA to 544 MYA. Students worked in groups and individually to learn about the planet, atmosphere and  life during this time period. This afternoon students will meet some of these organisms (AKA staff actors) and decide which organism best represents the time period. 

The 6th graders are finishing up their unit, “Bits and Pieces I”. We will probably have the unit test next Monday. We are working on writing to compare and contrast. This type of writing, and way of thinking, is a perfect fit for our current science unit.

The school’s Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow and as far as the students are concerned, I believe it is a pretty quiet week. The 5th and 6th graders will be doing a Beano game this year and making some crafts which will be sold at the 7th and 8th grade table.

The end of next week, which is Tuesday for students, also marks the end of the first trimester. Report cards go home on the 3rd of December and parent conferences are on the following night, Tuesday, December 4th.

I hope you were all able to get outside this weekend. This fall weather has been unusual but very nice. 

November 5, 2012

This week we will put the finishing touches on our garden book and begin a new writing unit. You can see the book on our class blog. The 6th graders begin working with percentages and we will start our science unit, Life Thru Time. We will also talk about day light savings time, Veterans Day and the election.

Thanks to everyone who helped make the Fall Festival and the Italian Supper huge successes for our school. Maine Weather was great, and after they ate, lots of folks sat around to chat and listen to the band.

There is a Team Canyon meeting this afternoon at 2:00.  We will discuss the supper, write thank-you notes and begin planning our introductory videos and school tours. We got our first grant! It is from LL Bean.

Don’t forget to vote this Tuesday. If you know anyone who needs a ride to the polls, please call me at 1-207-669-2193 and I will arrange for someone to pick them up.

October 29, 2012

This was a week of completing things. Students finished their Persuasive Letters, don’t worry, they are school-based topics. We will begin woking on a writing project, “The Garden Book”. Students finished their social studies unit on ancient civilizations and took their unit test. Next, we will start a science unit, “Life Thru Time”.; Mid-trimester reports go home today. In spelling, we finished the first multi-unit review and in math students are working on fraction to decimal conversions. Everyone enjoyed cupcakes make by John’s mom. It is official, John is eleven years old. Mid-Trimester reports go home today. Please get in touch if you have questions or comments. The Fall Festival, aka Halloween Party, is this Wednesday afternoon. Mr.Davis has planned several activities and it should be a lot of fun. On Friday, Nov 2, the Coast to Canyon group is having an Italian supper. On the menu, meatballs and spaghetti, meatless marinara, lasagna, and lobster alfredo. The time is 5-7pm and the suggested donation is $10 per person or $25 per family.

October 22, 2012

Two field trips, the fall middle school hike and a trip to Woodlawn in Ellsworth, plus a workshop day for me, kept us busy and changed our weekly routine. We had a beautiful day for the hike up North Bubble Mountain. Because of the wind, we decided not to hike to Bubble Mountain, and instead hiked down and around Jordan pond.  

I was a bit apprehensive about the trip to Woodlawn because this was a new multi-school format. It turned out to be another great day and every student was anxious to go back. The highlights were playing croquet and making apple cider. 

Students completed unit 5in their spelling books and continued to work on their writing projects.

This week, the 6th graders have a math quiz and all students have a Social Studies test. We will be finishing the persuasive writing pieces. (You can see the standards for this writing piece on the class blog. Look for the tab titled “Persuasive Writing”. ) 

There is an Italian Supper coming up on November 2nd.

October 15, 2012

I do not think I will ever get used to sending parent newsletters home on Monday. I have always thought of these letters as a capstone of the week with information for the next week. So, I hope you remembered to help students get ready for today’s hike. The weather looks cloudy, but it should be warm. Later in the week, Thursday, the 5th - 8th grade is going to the Black House (Woodlawn) for the day. Students will need bag lunches and clothing for the whatever weather we might have. Last week, we finished the Fountas & Pinnell reading benchmarks, worked on prefixes and suffixes, and building words. This week, we will continue to work on vocabulary and on spelling unit 5. The 6th graders will spend the next few weeks learning when to use and how to convert between fractions, decimal and percents. Last week in social studies, we studied the Sumerians and their contributions to culture. This week, we begin to study other peoples of the Fertile Crescent and then we will move on to early Egypt. On Friday, the 6th graders made applesauce for the class. It was a nice afternoon treat and it took very little time. Later this week, we are hoping for a few nice hours so that we can plant our tulips.

October 9, 2102

I am glad to see the end of NECAP testing. It is tough on students; it is tough on teachers. There are very strict limitations on what teachers can say, do and answer. In any event, everyone worked very hard. Today, we will do the final survey and be done until May.

On Friday, the Union 93 teachers met in Surry to discuss the screening data for students. It is our hope that these screenings will help us pinpoint math, reading and vocabulary concepts that are difficult for each student. Once we know this, we can taylor instruction to meet the exact needs of students. 

This week the 6th graders take their first unit test in math and begin the next unit, Bits and Pieces I. I have posted the learning goals on the class blog. http://besjohns.blogspot.com  We’ll continue working on our Persuasive essay and in reading, we will work on skills such as making inferences, identifying affixes and writing with descriptive words.

In social studies, we are continuing to study the Sumerians, known for the greatest cultural advance in history: writing, wheels, plows, sewers, geometry, and architecture.

Last week, we made BLTs. At the end of this week, the 6th graders will be making apple sauce for snack. 

October 1, 2012

This week is almost entirely devoted to NECAP testing. Math, reading and specials will not be interrupted, but students will not do their regularly scheduled Social Studies and Writing. The school is providing crackers and apples for snack.

This week in reading, we will finish Tuck Everlasting and, if possible, watch the movie. 

We harvested a batch of tomatoes, and the students are made sandwiches today. Thanks to Jasmine, who made cupcakes, John, who brought Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Hope, who brought the chips.

September 24, 2012

We ended the week with a trip to the Common Ground Fair. On Fridays, the fair is free to schools. The 5th and 6th graders had an opportunity to meet the Penobscot 5th and 6th graders and tour the fairgrounds. The highlight of the trip for almost everyone was the blacksmith shop, the Woods which featured campfire cooking, forts and paths and the sliding hill.

 This week in math, the 6th graders will be finishing up their first math book, Prime Time. Next week, they will begin work on their unit project and complete their first unit test. We have begun studying our first civilization, Mesopotamia. We will spend a week here and move on to Egypt.

Last week, we worked on skills for writing and ideas for persuasion. This week, we will begin planning for that writing project.

The cover crop, winter rye, is beginning to sprout but in the green house, tomatoes are still ripening. The seedlings we started are growing well and we hope to get them in the ground this week. Next week, October 1 - 4, 3rd through 8th graders will be taking their NECAP tests. All students have the 5th off.

September 17, 2012

The cold season seems to be coming around early. There were a lot of absences this week. We will be working extra hard to be sure that hands and surfaces are clean.

I expect us to complete our first writing pieces this week. If you haven’t done so already, you will be able to see these when you come to the BBQ this Wednesday. Before starting another writing project, we will spend some time practicing writing skills and then we will begin “writing to persuade”.

In math this week, 6th graders will be learning how to find the greatest common factor shared by two numbers and the least common multiple, LCM, shared by two numbers. The LCM is really useful when trying to determine when repeating events will happen on the same  date. For instance, when is the next time your birthday will be on a Saturday?

Soccer practice seems to be going well, but BES student behavior on the bus trip over has been an issue. Our bus drivers are great bus drivers and they should not have to deal with student misbehavior. If your child rides this bus, will you please talk to them about your expectations. On a brighter note, lunchroom behavior has been great! The 5th and 6th grade have modeled great behavior and been very helpful to other students.

We have been working hard in the garden. Students have harvested beets, garlic and tomatoes. They cleaned up most of the beds, transplanted the sprouts for our fall crop, harvested soil from the worm bins and this week, they will be planting winter rye as a cover crop. 

Don’t forget BES’s birthday party on Wednesday!! 50 years old!

September 10, 2012

If the rest of the year goes by as quickly as the first week, we will be at summer break by Christmas. 

This year we have four 5th graders and five 6th graders.  Mrs. Leach calls our room home and is often in the room. You probably know by now that we have no foreign language, but we do have a soccer coach. I have enclosed a schedule for the 5th and 6th grade.

One of the things about starting a new job is learning all of the school traditions, particularly the unpublished ones. I did not realize that, with the exception of emergencies, we are supposed to limit the number of student phone calls from school.  Otherwise, if you forget your band instrument, lunch, sneakers, etc., you need to figure out how to get along without it. Mrs. Lepper allows one call per trimester. I think, in light of sports equipment being another thing to remember, that two calls per trimester are appropriate. At the end of each day, we review what is needed for the next day and I am encouraging students to write these things down on their planners. You can help by reminding your child to take a look in their planner each morning.

We are starting the year with a study of Ancient Civilizations, a shared reading book, “Tuck Everlasting” and of course, math and spelling. The first writing piece is a personal narrative about a memorable moment. Students have brainstormed about a short event that may have been surprising, amazing, scary, absurd or unusual. 

Mark your calendars!! On the 19th there is a BBQ at school. We are celebrating BES’s 50th birthday.

The first soccer practices start this week as do Team Canyon activities. We will be meeting every Monday to test equipment, learn about the Grand Canyon, get in shape, taste test food and work with the rangers at the Grand Canyon.

May 21, 2012

Writing to students we met at Miles Lane

Dear 5^th and 6^th Grade Parents, 

What a beautiful weekend. I hope all of you were able to get out and enjoy it. The Kids Carnival was very successful, thanks for supporting it. There are several things happening this week and next.

• Tuesday May 22 - Readers’ Theater Performance

• Wednesday May 23 - 5/6 Camping Trip Planning 6PM

You do not need to attend unless you want to have input into the menu.

• Thursday May 31 - Presentation by Grand Canyon Rangers

Still undecided, do you have any concerns or questions? Amala Posey, Grand Canyon Park Learning Coordinator and Megan Kohli, Environmental Education Specialist have developed a presentation on the canyon and the BES trip. They will be available for questions after the show.

5th and 6th grade students are invited to stay after school. We will practice pitching tents, inflating air mattresses, and then we will make pizza for our dinner. 

As students have been reading books, they have been filling out tickets for a drawing to take place this Saturday during the Bicycle Safety Coalition Presentation. The winners, one girl and one boy, will get a bike.

May 12, 2012

Admiring her hard work

The 5th graders completed the science NECAP testing. This week, and it is looking like another rainy week, we will continue our marine science studies, finish our descriptive character narratives and continue working on vocabulary. Students will be doing Unit 33 in their spelling books.

The school board approved the 5th and 6th grade camping trip from June 8-10. I am in the process of reserving a site for 15 people. If there is a need for an additional group site, we can reserve a second site. School policy requires that at least two school staff members attend. 

I would like to have a menu and equipment planning meeting on Wednesday, May 22 at 6PM. If you can not attend but want to have input, write, call, email or comment on the blog. I have added an old equipment list to the blog under “Camping”. It should be editable. The itinerary is updated. 

Also included is a permission slip. Please let me know if your child has permission and if you would like to attend. I need to determine the number of students and parents. as soon as possible. Thanks! Hope we have some sun this week.

Itinerary for 2012 5th and 6th Grade Camping Trip

6/8 Friday

- Leave from school at 8, Beehive and Sand Beach

• Hike, have lunch, explore the beach. 
• Head for campground at about 3PM
• Set up camp
• Supper
• Hike the wonderland Trail

6/9 Saturday

 - At campsite in Seawall campground

• Tidal Zone Observations (Low tide is at 9:26AM)
• Lunch
• Hike/Plant Photo Scavenger hunt to Pretty Marsh (4 miles RT)
• Supper
• Sketching and writing
• Night Hike

6/11 Sunday

 - Leave campground at 8:00AM

• Arrive in Brooksville at 10:00AM(GSA graduation at 1:00PM)

6/12 Monday (at School)

- Reflections

Other Possible Activities

- Stargazing

- Geocaching

- Games

_______________________________________________________

My child has permission to attend the activities listed above. I understand that they will be transported in a private vehicle driven by a teacher or parents. 

June 8 10 Camping at Seawall Camp Ground 

Parent Signature___________________________________

I would like to attend.________________________________

April 30, 2012

After theMaine School Book Awards

This week marks the beginning of our unit on marine studies. Students will learn about tides and the forces that cause tides, marine food webs, tidal zones, ocean zones and adaptation of organisms that live in these zones. In math, 6th graders are continuing to learn about decimals, decimal operations and powers of 10. All students will complete their yearly reading and reading comprehension test. I will be administering the test during their ELA reading block.The tests are short and should only take about 15 minutes.

It is hard to say what the weather will be, but if we have some nice afternoons, I will try to get the students outside to finish the fence around the garden.

Every year I take the 5th and 6th grade camping at the Seawall camp ground in Southwest Harbor. This year we will be going from June 8-10. We will be back in time to get ready for the GSA graduation that Sunday. The school board will have to approve the trip, but assuming they do, the proposed itinerary is on the back of this letter. You are welcome to come with us, join us as your schedule permits and/or attend the planning meetings. We will need at least 3 chaperones. As we move closer to the date, I will be planning menus and firming up the activities. I will announce times for those meetings next week.

April 9, 2012

 This is a busy week. On Tuesday, students will enjoy a COPAP performance in the morning and in the afternoon, they have their classroom speech contests. On Wednesday morning,  the 5th-8th grade is attending the Magic Flute at the Grand. On Thursday, they have the 5th-8th grade speech competition in the morning and after that are traveling to the Miles-Lane school in Bucksport. 

Students will be eating lunch at Miles-Lane, helping them start their greenhouse plants and working on trellises. There is no charge for lunch. Students will be traveling by bus and will return in time for dismissal.

The praying mantises continue to grow and we look forward to being able to release some of them into the greenhouse.

The 6th grade students have moved on to their last math unit for the year. When they finish this book, we will do a review of the year and have a final, cumulative test. In science, we are still gather data on our “mystery sites.” Based on photoperiod data and location clues, many students feel they know their location. We will wrap this unit up on Friday. In social studies, students have honed their map skills and are able to use longitude and latitude to locate cities and geographically significant spots.

This week is supposed to be rainy. It will be good for our gardens.

March 12, 2012

From Puzzles

Today is the first day of the third trimester. Report cards will be out next Monday, the 19th. Please sign up for conferences. Your child has a lot of work to show off. The 6th graders are finishing up their study of polygon geometry, and will begin their final project this week. Can you imagine your student presenting a 3-5 minute speech? Brooksville’s 5-8 students are competing in this year’s Modern Woodsmen speech contest. The Brooksville competition will be on April 12th and the winners will go to the Union 93 competition on April 26th at 5:00PM. The topic, “A time when volunteers made a difference.” We have begun planting seeds. We have tomatoes and broccoli and of course, plenty of greens for our daily lunch. The big news is that one of the praying mantis eggs has hatched and we have about 15 small mantises. They are fascinating to watch and voracious eaters of fruit flies. Book study projects are due this Friday. Students are given time in class and they are expected to read their books at night. I have put a copy of the project on the blog. I will also include a copy in the envelopes. Don’t forget, conferences are March 20-22. I am available each afternoon after 3:00. Please call Mrs. Andrews to make an appointment. I hope you have a nice week. Looks like warmer weather.

January 30, 2012

From 2012-03-11

I was beginning to wonder if we would get through the winter without snow days. then we had two on back-to-back Fridays.
    This week, we will be finishing a missed spelling test, plans for the current unit in science, and of course re-arranging desks.
    In science, we are exploring the digestive system and its interconnection with the circulatory system. Today, students will take last weeks spelling test and then we will move onto the next Unit 19. The test for that unit will be on Friday 2/3. On Tuesday, the 6th graders are taking their math unit test for Bits and Pieces II. Their next book is Covering and Surrounding, a study of area and perimeter. This week I will post the learning goals, the project task and the rubric for the unit project.
    This is new to me, the Union 93 speech contest. This year’s theme is,”A Time When Volunteers Made a Difference”. I don’t have any dates for the speech but we will begin talking about this next week. You can help by talking to your child about volunteer efforts you have experienced or thought were significant.
    There is a benefit breakfast coming up on February 18th. We are raising money to help Sedgwick students. Be sure to mark your calendars.

January 23, 2012

From 1-11-12

    So far, 2012 has been a very busy year. First, thanks to parents and students who helped with the 5th and 6th grade breakfast. We raised over $500. When his child was reluctant to get up that Saturday morning, one parent reminded his daughter that the fire department would not hesitate to jump out of bed at any time of the day or night to help out.
    Today, progress reports come out. If your child is struggling in any area, do not forget that individualized help is available after school. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, students also have access to transportation home.
    Included in this week’s packet is some information on digital etiquette and safety. If you want more information, I recommend you check out CommonSenseMedia.org. This sight has advice on movies, video games and more.
    Our class spends a lot of time on vocabulary: learning new words, building words, and using words in writing. I have added this week’s vocab lessons, examples of expected work and a class work rubric to give you a better sense of  what students do.
    The 6th graders are working on fraction operations. This week, they review fraction addition and subtraction and begin to explore division with fractions. In science we are studying the five major organ systems. This week we will begin to look at the digestive system.