In this short week following Martin Luther King Jr. day, there were many healthy classroom discussions around peace, protest, and standing up for what we believe in. Our community of middle schoolers was happy to practice some deep introspection and consider where they hoped to see “more peace” in their home, school, community, and world. I have to believe this body of students and teachers is one dream fulfilled for Dr. King and that we’ve more dreamers growing strong within these walls. My own words certainly fall short next to the legacy of Dr. King’s movement and words. That’s why I leave you with one of my favorite writings of his, MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Please soak up its wisdom and relevance if you have the time.
MLK closes his letter with the hope “that the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” I can report with peace in my heart that TCS is just one place where the fog of misunderstanding is lifted each day for young minds, where love and brotherhood shine. May it be so wherever our students go next.
-Maggie
Upcoming Dates:
- February 13 – Valentine’s Day Bake Sale and Bingo (1:30pm)
- February 16-17 – February Break (No School)
- Please fill out this form for James Island County Parks. We will be doing PE there starting in February!
- February 27 – Middle School Dance
ELA: This week, 6th grade practiced lessons over and over until it was time to teach 3rd and 4th graders. They delivered their lessons with passion and effectively shared fascinating information with their peers! Bravo, teachers. 6th grade also began unit 5 of grammar, exploring the many variants of verbs.
Next week, 6th grade will test grammar on Thursday 1/29 (study guides will be coming home Monday). We will be moving into an informational writing unit, as well!
Science: This week in science, 6th graders explored the three domains used to classify all living things. Students attempted to grow bread mold, investigated the extreme environments where archaea are found, and studied bacteria, using evidence to compare how these organisms are similar and different. These hands-on investigations helped students better understand the diversity and complexity of life at the microscopic level.
Next week, students will continue exploring the differences between these three types of cells before moving into a focused investigation of plant cells, building on the questions and discoveries from this week.
Social Studies: Sixth grade has now finished India and China and will be having their test next Friday. All materials can easily be found on their google classroom. We finished our study looking at ancient ways of thinking through Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Next we will be moving into the ancient Greeks!
Math: This week in math, the 6th graders continued their exploration of proportional relationships and relating those to circle area and circumference. Next week, we will review for and take their unit 5 assessment – which will assess their mastery of constants of proportionality, proportional relationships, and the relationships between two quantities.
