The first month of 2023 has flown by, but we have made every day worth it here at TCS. This week was filled with good spirits welcoming Mr. Dan back to the school! The offsite PE has been a hit the last couple of weeks at the gymnastics gym. Here are some interesting fun facts to start off your weekend:

1. The little dot over a lowercase i and j has a name , “tittle” meaning a tiny amount or part of something. 
2. Water sounds different depending on its temperature due to how fast the energy molecules move (faster when hot).
3. Rhythm is the longest English word without a vowel.  

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

What’s happening in Science?

Sixth graders began to think deeply about the scientific method this week! They performed a lab using the scientific method to identify who in their class spread a mock “Covid” virus…using chemistry of course and not the real virus. They hypothesized, followed the procedure, collected data, analyzed their results, and drew conclusions to identify who in the class started with “Covid.” Sixth graders will continue to deepen their understanding of the process as they investigate where there are bacteria and fungus within the school.

What’s up in ELA?

This week sixth graders are finishing up with their literary essays. Each student has taken their essay through the writing process using the box-and-bullet method. You can ask your child to show you  an example of what that means. Your students also learned how to write an introduction identifying the topic and thesis. Students are expected to use MLA for the cover sheet, in-text citations, and the bibliography. I anticipate the students being through with their essays no later than Tuesday, January 31st. Please follow up with them and see where they are in their literary essay. They should have an introduction, three paragraphs, and a conclusion. 

Finally, your students have completed week twelve grammar lessons and will begin week thirteen next week. Your sixth graders are now expected to not only know how to use their grammar vocabulary words in context, but they are also expected to be able to spell the words.

What’s going on in Math?

Hello sixth grade parents! Most of you may have heard that I have returned to TCS in a reduced capacity, teaching only grades 6 and 7, before returning home to be with my daughter. I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back! I’ve missed the kids and the school very much. It has felt like coming home again since I returned Monday. But what about Math…Isn’t that why I came back? It’s been all about exponents this week: How to work with them, how to add and subtract them, and how to express them in different ways. One thing that complicates exponents in an equation is that they have to be done in a certain order, like all steps in Math. Something about them makes us want to do them in the wrong order – not sure what’s up with that, but it’s pretty universal. So we’ve spent a lot of time working with exponents within the Order of Operations: doing the right steps in the right order. That never, ever goes away, so the better we learn it now, the more we can make it work for us in subsequent math. We’ve also reviewed how you can display data in several ways, primarily in a graph, a table, or an equation. It’s crucial to be able to bounce back and forth between these, because we never know things will be presented to us, and we need to be ready for anything.

It is a pleasure to be able to work with your sons and daughters again, even in my more limited time constraints. Thank you for your patience and support. And now, it’s back to Math!

–Mr. Dan

What’s happening in Social Studies?

Students worked hard as they completed their preparation for their midterm assessments! Students were assessed on all of the content that we have covered thus far into the school year on Friday. Students will be receiving their grades on Monday for those assessments. 

Students will be moving into the Roman Empire next week! We will take a look at the beginnings, the beliefs, the culture, and the fall of the Roman Empire. Students will be doing multiple activities including jigsaws and attempting to translate Latin! 

Important Dates:

• February 14 – Valentine’s Day Bake Sale, Book Fair, and Bingo! (1:15 – 2:45)
• February 20-21 – February Break (No School)