We have made it through our first full week of school. Your middle schoolers have been wonderful. Here are some tips for meeting the physical needs of your middle schooler from a blog written by Suzie Dalien.

“Boys and girls in this age range benefit greatly from significant physical activity. It can be an organized sport or something you’ve committed to doing regularly as a family.

The more activity, the better. Challenge your child to push their limits. The exercise boosts the “happy” chemicals in their brains, helps them sleep well, and provides a daily sense of accomplishment.

Speaking of sleep, a good night’s sleep is hard to come by for middle schoolers. They are growing, their brains are working overtime and they are trying to keep up with their friends (socially and academically). According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, kids this age need 9-12 hours of sleep each night.

Here are our tips on a bedtime routine.

That can be tough to do with homework, after-school activities, and social life. Help them out by setting a regular bedtime that allows for at least 8 hours of sleep. You might also want to limit screen time to an hour or two before bedtime.”

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

What’s happening in Science?

This week, Fifth Graders guessed what was in the “mystery boxes” made by the Eighth Grade class. They used their senses to observe and make hypotheses about what was inside each box sealed shut. When they are in Eighth Grade, they will get to open the boxes and make a new set of mystery boxes for the Fifth Graders. The “mystery boxes” introduce the nature and process of science by showing students that science is uncertain and that scientists base their conclusions on available evidence. By not being able to open them (for FOUR years) they experience that science does not prove or conclude and that it is always a work in progress.

The Fifth Graders dived into their geology and cartography unit as well this week! They learned skills and techniques to create illustrative maps and have been creating maps of their own neighborhoods. This will segway into making topographic maps that are detailed and accurate using specific contour lines. They will investigate deposition and erosion as well next week using sand tables.

What’s up in ELA?

Fifth Graders have had a successful first week of ELA. They have all selected a realistic fiction book to read. They have also completed Week 1 Grammar activities. Your students have learned four new vocabulary words and have identified nouns, pronouns, and articles. Fifth Graders are also able to use grammar correcting symbols in their writings. Finally, they have been taught how to log their reading by actually writing about their reading. Students will turn in their reading logs every Friday. Their reading logs will be assessed and returned to them on Mondays. Finally, every Friday they will have a grammar quiz covering the concepts they practiced that week.

What’s going on in Math?

In Math, we’ve been exploring volume, and how big something is doesn’t always accurately describe how much space it takes up because “bigger” can mean so many different things. We’re learning strategies for estimating and calculating the volume of 3D objects. Next week we’ll start using the formula to find volume.

What’s happening in Social Studies?

The Fifth Graders got to explore class expectations in a variety of fun and creative ways and got to learn more about their peers this week! On Friday they were given a pre-assessment on their mapping skills to lead us into next week! 

Next week the students will be learning the basics of maps and how to read them! This will then take us into the first half of this class, with a focus on the Western Hemisphere. We will be diving deep into the different groups of people and ways of life found in the Western Hemisphere before exploring the Eastern Hemisphere later in the year! 

Important Dates:

September 5th- Labor Day, no school

September 21st- Middle School Curriculum Night, 5:30-6:30