Another literary celebration for the books! I won’t go into major detail, but the time, energy, and guts your kiddos put into “Spread the Word” brought them to another level of maturation! There are of course a handful of natural speakers who can stand up on the stage and present without an inkling of anxiety, however, for most of the students, they were overcoming their fears. Fears of messing up and embarrassing themselves in front of their family, teachers, and most importantly, their friends.

At this pivotal age of adolescents, when peers are so influential to self-identity, it makes sense why Riley, Ev, Ali (drama teacher), and I were providing words of affirmation, advice, and just a shoulder to cry on as we practiced for this monumental event. Practice usually makes perfect, except when your nerves make you forget everything you worked so hard for and all you want is for it to be over. Your kiddos truly persisted this week! They also provided words of encouragement to help friends feel they wouldn’t be judged and to feel like it’s completely normal to feel nervous. I was so proud of every single one of your sons and daughters yesterday! Witnessing them prepare, practice, and choose their path of performance yesterday reminded me why I love being with your kiddos here at TCS everyday.
-LD

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

What’s happening in Social Studies:
Sixth Graders began their research project about influential artists, explorers, scientists, and philosophers of the Renaissance period this week. DaVinci, Galileo, Copernicus, Magellan, and Columbus are just some of the influencers that will be presented in class next week as we wrap up. They studied how the Protestant Reformation caused a split in the Catholic church and contemplated its impact on society today. Sixth Graders also learned about the Age of Exploration, paving the way for Colonial America. They also investigated the Enlightenment, its thinkers, its influence on modern day society, and specifically its impact on our own government. We will wrap up the Renaissance next week to get ready for ERB the following week.

What’s up in Math?
This week, students are exploring positive and negative numbers. We have compared mountains and heights and ocean trenches, and looked at numbers on the number line. Students have created number lines in order to determine the value of numbers. We have talked about distance from zero and that will take us into absolute value. Next week, we will take our knowledge of positive and negative numbers and look at plotting points on the coordinate plane.

What’s happening in ELA?
Parents, I hope you were as proud of your kids as the middle school teachers were for “Spread the Word.” Your students did a fantastic job! We have completed our fantasy novels and we are starting on “The Literary Essay” unit. We have also begun working on figurative language and students have been reviewing metaphors and similes. Students now have the opportunity to choose any fiction book that they would like to read. Please encourage your students to pick a book they have not read already. Your students should read for 20 minutes each day.

Important Dates:
May 30: Memorial Day- No School
June 3: Last Day of School/ Field Day