The gratitude that comes with Thanksgiving is so perfectly placed before the gifting-heavy holidays that follow it. My brain and heart are so satisfied by the practice of acknowledging abundance and appreciating what one has before we ask for anything. Should we choose to resist the cultural frenzy and rush towards Chrstmas, there is a golden opportunity to sit and be mindful of the food in front of us, the people around us, the muted yet warm oranges, browns, and reds of this holiday.
This order of thanks then giving and receiving has been a concept we’ve dug into in middle school. We’ve talked about how gratitude can change the chemistry in our brain. Gratitude sets us up to tackle work with optimism, to approach a friend with empathy, to complete an assignment on time, and to understand how powerful our giving can be.
It goes without saying but there is so much power in saying it: I am so grateful for this community. I’m so grateful for the time we get in our curriculum to not only break down proofs but also to unpack the merits of a good friend, to not just construct essays but also practice gratitude. We wish everyone the most restful break!
-Maggie
Upcoming Dates:
- November 22 – November 30 – Thanksgiving Break
- December 10 – Cluster Lunch
- December 19 – Holiday Extravaganza & PJ Day (Half Day)
- December 20 – January 5 – Winter break
ELA- 6th grade dove deep into drafting their literary essays this week, pausing to consider how one not only presents evidence, but “sets it up” perfectly by explaining it’s context within the story. This context allows us to analyze and explain our evidence far more effectively and clearly! Students tested their vocabulary on Thursday, so be sure to look for those grades after break.
After break, students will learn about bold revision techniques and self-editing tools, working towards an essay due date on 12/11. We will also begin a new grammar unit.
Science- This week in science, sixth graders investigated five unknown materials to observe the different characteristics of life. Students learned to differentiate between living, nonliving, dormant, and dead. We also started our introduction to the microscope. When we return from break, students will continue their investigation into the microscope and how we can use them to observe microscopic life.
Social Studies- I hope you all enjoy your break! One fun thing historically to do with your child would be to look up the original foods of the first Thanksgiving and see which ones they would have like to have eaten! When we return from break, we will be starting our next unit on the ancient lands of India and China.
Math- This week in math, sixth graders dove into some pre-algebra – understanding what a variable is and how to apply them to math, how to use equations to represent math problems, and how to represent equations with diagrams. After break, we’ll understand how to use the distributive property to represent groups of variables, and take a quiz over the first half of our unit on Wednesday.
