Crossing the Finish Line

How is it possible that we are almost at the end of another school year? As hard as it is to believe, I knew that we were coming to the finish line when I watched the middle schoolers celebrate with their very first middle school dance last Friday. Wow! The energy and fun in the room was epic!

The middle school dance was the first reminder for me of how quickly this year flew by. It seems like just a few short weeks ago, I was meeting new students and their families. I remember one kid introducing himself to me by saying, “I am not a good writer.” My response to him was, “We will work together to help you become a good writer.” It makes my heart smile to see this student and many of the other students write with confidence. As we prepare for ERB testing, class trips, and the end of the 2021-2022 school year, I would like to leave the following quote for you to ponder. “The finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race (Unknown).”

Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:

What’s happening in Social Studies:

Sixth Graders presented their research project about influential artists, explorers, scientists, and philosophers of the Renaissance period this week. We were graced by Michealango, Ferdinand Magellan, Gutenberg, Martin Luther, and many more! They finished up the unit by contemplating the impact the Enlightenment had on what our country as Enlightenment thinkers brought their ideas with them from Europe. They also learned about how the Renaissance ended, paving the way for more modern inventions, philosophies, and ideals. Next week, we will have a chemistry lab before I head out to GRP with the Fifth Graders. 

What’s up in Math?

This week we explored measures of central tendency, what those tell us, and when it is appropriate to use them. One of my favorite classes is when we learned about MAD (mean absolute deviation). They were so interested in grasping what that meant, and how it looked on a dot plot. We used this information in order to choose a basketball team based on stats. We talked about consistency versus chance and we were pretty split on what we valued. I really enjoyed seeing them so engaged and applying what we just learned in order to make an informed decision. 

What’s happening in ELA?

This week in ELA, your students have been reading a fiction book of their choice. They have also learned how to do a “box-and-bullet outline” in order to organize their literary essay writing. Please ask your kids to share their writings with you. It would also be great if you could ask your students to tell you about the protagonist in their fiction book that they are reading. They need to be able to describe the protagonist’s character in order to write their literary essay.

Important Dates:

May 17th: 5th Grade GRP Trip

May 17th: 6th/7th Grade ERB Testing Begins

May 23rd: 6th/7th Grade Disney Trip

May 24th: 5th Grade ERB Testing Begins

May 30th: Memorial Day- No School

June 3rd: Last Day of School/ Field Day