Dear Penguin Families,
With the end of the first quarter two weeks behind us, we are continuing to work hard in all areas. First quarter report cards should have arrived in the mail. The first quarter is always a challenge as students face many new demands. In spite of this, a majority of the students were able to do extremely well. For those students who had a less than stellar first report card, the good news is that grades begin anew this quarter and everyone now has a fresh slate. Please remember that learning is an ongoing process and the most successful students are the ones who are willing to work hard. We are always available to assist students with questions and to provide support for anyone who asks for help. Students can also attend homework center Monday through Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00.
The Penguins will hold our first quarter awards assembly on Tuesday, November 20 at 1:10 p.m. All students who earned a grade point average of 3.0 or above will be recognized. Family and friends are invited to attend, so if you are available, we'd love to have you join us. The assembly will be held in the cafeteria. We will also hold our first Penguin Auction during sixth period. The students will be able to bid their valuable Penguin Points for "fabulous" prizes. If you have anything that you would like to donate for our auction, we would certainly appreciate it. In the past, popular prizes have included games, arts and crafts materials and books, sporting goods, toys, school supplies, and gift cards. Prizes do not have to be expensive! Thank you in advance for your generosity.
We had so much fun at our first sixth grade social. It was a huge success, thanks to all the parents who volunteered their time and sent in donations. We truly appreciate your support.
Academically speaking, the Penguins are working hard. In math we have finished up our unit on fraction concepts. Students have learned about prime factorization, greatest common factors, least common multiples, equivalent fractions, converting fractions and decimals, and comparing and ordering rational numbers. With each lesson, students should be either watching the video lesson or reading the textbook and taking notes at home. In class, the children are working on their problem sets with the support of their peers and me. If your child is struggling with math, you can assist him/her by watching the video lessons together. Another strategy is to have your child go over any missed problems from the previous day and rework them to be sure that he/she can do them.
We have just finished our study of early humans and the dawn of civilization. The students participated in their first Socratic Seminar on Hammurabi's code. They were articulate and thoughtful as they expressed their opinions and ideas about this important early development in human civilization.
In Language Arts, our Penguin writers did very well on the first quarter persuasive writing assessments. This quarter we will focus on expository writing using the Six Traits writing model. We will learn how to infuse voice and rich word choice into our writing to make this traditionally ordinary genre come to life. We are in the midst of reading the novel, Two Old Woman, by Alaskan writer Velma Wallis. This novel allows students to gain insight into the lives of early civilizations as we focus on our study of character development.
Your child is bringing home a flyer to update you on the second quarter. Please check the important dates for upcoming events.
Thank you for your support. We love our playful Penguins!
Your Penguin Teachers
