Weekly Update #26

Team Updates

Wingmaster Presentation:  Thanks to a grant from our PTO, Badger students will get to see a live raptor presentation on Wednesday.  Jim Parks from Wingmasters will bring in birds of prey that he has rescued to teach us about them and their role in our ecosystem.  We are looking forward to it!

March Reading Madness: Last Friday we participated in our third school-wide "DEAR" event.  Many students wore t-shirts that included words and famous quotations, but hats off to Claire H. who wore a shirt with 90,000 words and a fantastic image created by words!  In English class, students will be creating school-wide reflections of what makes our team so unique.  These note cards will be combined with other teams and displayed around our school!  Next Friday, March 31st, celebrates reading at the beach! Students will create "Word Art" in Literacy class! 

Reading Challenge: Thank you to all students who have submitted their reading challenges to Mrs. McGuire!  Just a friendly reminder all 500 minutes are due by May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  Happy reading!

Class Updates

Social Studies: A lot was accomplished in Social Studies this week! We learned quite a bit about Charlemagne and completed our Mastery Assessment on the Early Middle Ages on Friday. This week we will discuss the Magna Carta and the Crusades—two very different topics!

Science:  Students did really well on the Genetics Test!  Nice job studying everyone!  Next week will be investigating reproductive strategies of both plants and animals.  Students will be working on constructing a model to explain at the cellular level how sexual reproduction yields genetically diverse offspring.

Literacy: Amazing!  Students have completed ten units of Latin roots, which means that they've learned more than 130 roots already!  AMAZING!  This is a great time to go through all of your flash cards to be sure that you're not missing any sets!  Monday we'll begin Unit 11, and we'll do some close reading about famous pacifists!  If you were absent on Friday, you should plan to stay on Monday to make up the final test of Trimester 2!  Study today!  Work on your Omnictionary projects and Manitowoc students, it's time to look at your Titan notes!  

English: Last week Badger students read chapters 16-20 in The Giver and boy was it suspenseful!  This week, we will be finishing the book and reviewing our six new skills.  We are also working on our March Reading Madness activity, which includes creating reflections of what makes our team so unique.  These note cards will be displayed around the building with the other five teams!  Can't wait to see the finished products!

Math: Last week we quizzed on circles and are ready to move on to surface area.  This week we will be covering surface area of rectangular prisms and cylinders.  Get ready we have a quiz on Friday and a your Go Figures are due.  It's going to be a busy week!

School Updates

Report Cards: Grades closed March 23rd!  Report cards should be coming out next week.

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community

Weekly Update #25

Team Updates

March Reading Madness: Last Friday we participated in our second school-wide "DEAR" event.  Students earned the privilege of wearing pajamas if they read for the full 50 minutes during advisory.   In English class, students created Mad Libs as part of our DEAR event.  Next Friday, March 24th, is "read-a-shirt" day.  Students are encouraged to wear t-shirts that include words and quotes!

Reading Challenge: Thank you to all students who have submitted their reading challenges to Mrs. McGuire!  Just a friendly reminder all 500 minutes are due by May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  Happy reading!

Class Updates

Social Studies: 

Science:  The Genetics Test will be on Monday!  Students have a study packet that we went over in class to use for studying.  Good Luck!  Next week we will start to figure out the differences between asexual and sexual reproduction.  Students will begin to construct models to show how individuals can be genetically different as a result of sexual reproduction.

Literacy: Latin Unit 10 test is Friday of this week - so everyone should be working diligently to learn the material.  Remember that Quizlet helps you to learn the vocabulary as well as the roots! Students should be working on their Omnictionary projects by editing their existing slides, as well as working on new slides.  This week we'll be analyzing cartoons! Additionally, this will be the last opportunity to make up any tests or other work before grades close!

English: Students will be reading chapters 16-20 this week in The Giver and will be preparing for another mastery assessment on contextual vocabulary words.  Students will also learn new skills and concepts for these five chapters during class.  Mrs. McGuire will be staying after throughout the week in order for students to make up missing work before grades close.  Be sure to take advantage!

Math: Friday we finished up our Proportions unit.  It wasn't an easy one!   This week we will be moving on to Geometry and starting with circles, there will be a quiz next Friday.  Be sure to work on your Go Figure for this month, they are due March 31st.

School Updates

Report Cards: Grades close March 23rd!  Make sure you are up to date with all of your work.

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community

Weekly Update #24

Check out some of our favorite hats from today's DEAR activity!!

Team Updates

Exemplary Badger: Congratulations to Joe L. for being selected as our Exemplary Badger for the week following vacation! To be selected as the Exemplary Badger means that the recognized student is upholding all of the high standards to which the Badger students agreed at the beginning of the year! It means that their behavior is respectful; that they are responsible for their work and their grades; that they are kind!

March Reading Madness: Today was our first "Drop Everything And Read" event.  Students earned the privilege of wearing a fun hat if they read for the full 50 minutes in advisory.  In English class, students created unique poetry pages as part of our DEAR event, which will eventually get displayed at our spring celebration of learning.  Our school will be participating in "DEAR" each Friday morning for the month of March.  Next Friday, March 17th, is pajama day!

Reading Challenge: Students were given paperwork in English class to promote a school-wide reading challenge.  Students will need to independently read 500 minutes from now until May 31st in order to earn a free ticket to the Silver Knights baseball field trip in June.  Please note: a signature is required for each ten-minute increment of reading time.  Unfortunately, if this paperwork is lost, students will need to start over!  Congrats to Sophie E., Claire H., Brynn M., Lina N., and Emma C. for already submitting their reading challenges!

Class Updates

Social Studies: Welcome to the Middle Ages! This week we started our unit on Medieval Europe. This unit is one of my favorites as Medieval Times prove to be such an interesting era. We spent this entire week setting the table for what's to come. This upcoming week we will focus in on the early part of the Middle Ages along with researching the Vikings. Have a great weekend!

Science:  Students will receive a review packet on Monday for the test on Friday.  It will be due on Thursday.  There should be a lot of studying going on next week as we finish our Genetics Unit.

Literacy: Unit 9 is complete!  Unit 10 begins Monday - and the test will be on March 24th.  Students should be working on their Omnictionary projects at home, and Manitowoc students should be researching their Titans!  Do you believe it's snowing again? I'm ready for sandals!

English: This week we tackled similes and metaphors within The Giver.  Students practiced writing their own similes and metaphors, and they determined underlying meanings when given similes and metaphors.  Next week, students will have a reading quiz on The Giver and are encouraged to review chapter 1-10 skills this weekend!  Students should also go onto Quizlet to review section three vocabulary words!

Math: This week we will be testing on our proportions unit! Be sure to study and get all the practice work done.  We just need to finish up with slope before moving on.  Last week students were given their Go Figure for the month.  This month they will have to calculate different options for fundraisers and determine the best pick. They are due March 31st.  

School Updates

Report Cards: Grades close March 23rd!  Make sure you are up to date with all of your work.

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community

Weekly Update #23

Team Updates

Exemplary Badger: Congratulations to Rachael B. for being selected as our Exemplary Badger for the week following vacation! To be selected as the Exemplary Badger means that the recognized student is upholding all of the high standards to which the Badger students agreed at the beginning of the year! It means that their behavior is respectful; that they are responsible for their work and their grades; that they are kind!

Reading Challenge: Students were given paperwork this week in English class to promote a school-wide reading challenge.  Students will need to independently read 500 minutes from now until May 31st in order to earn a free ticket to the Silver Knights baseball field trip in June.  Please note: a signature is required for each ten-minute increment of reading time.  Unfortunately, if this paperwork is lost, students will need to start over!  Congrats to Sophie E. who has already reached 490 minutes!  Wow!!

School will resume on Monday, March 6, 2017. We hope everyone had a relaxing vacation!

Class Updates

Social Studies: As we come back from break, we'll start a brand new unit: The Middle Ages. This will prove to be one of the most interesting topics that we've studied this year as we'll talk about castles, kings, plagues, and the social structures of the Medieval World. Fun times ahead!

Science:  We made babies in science class this week!  This is a great activity for learning the basic concepts of genetics.  All of the babies will be displayed in the hallway for the Celebration of Learning.  Next week we will use this as a foundation to learn how to predict the outcome of a cross and make Punnet Squares.  Genetics is always a fun topic for us!

Literacy: I hope everyone had a great vacation and that you are ready to get to work on Monday morning!  We began Unit 9 of the Latin roots before vacation, so we'll finish that unit and have the test this week. We will continue sharing Omnictionary first drafts!  Manitowoc will begin their Titan projects in earnest this week, and all students will spend time investigating how they learn, with a focus on the concept of growth mindset!  

English: Another five chapters were read this week in The Giver!  The plot is thickening and the suspense is building!  Over vacation, students are expected to study section two vocabulary words (either on Quizlet or using their vocabulary charts), as well as complete some of the chapter 6-10 work.  This work should be in their class binders.

Math: Back to proportions! We will be discussing how slope, direct variation and, the constant of proportionality. There will a test coming up to wrap up proportions in the next couple weeks.  Be sure to study ratios, rate, and unit rate. 

School Updates

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community

Kindergarten Life Cycle Lessons

I am a proud teacher today!  The sand dollar science class taught science to all of the kindergarteners at Charlotte Ave. School.  It was great!  They were incredible teachers!  This was their second time going to Charlotte Ave to teach science.  This time was a little bit different because they created, planned, prepared and executed their own lessons!  Each student also wrote a children's book about an animal's life cycle to read to the kindergarten students.  

The lab activities included:

1. Egg Dissection- to learn about the life cycle of a chicken and the parts of an egg
2. Chrysalis Simulation- students were partially wrapped in toilet paper to experience the chrysalis stage of the butterfly
3. Milkweed Bug Observation- observed live milkweed bugs in every stage of their lifecycle
4. Clay Frogs & Tadpoles- students molded clay into each stage of the frog's life cycle and observed live tadpoles
5. Pollination Simulation- students used pipe cleaner butterflies and kool-aid to simulate pollination, part of a flowering plant's life cycle
6. Lima Bean Dissection-  to learn the parts of the seed, used dissecting microscopes

Weekly Update #22

I think we've had enough snow days!

Team Updates

Exemplary Badger: Congratulations to Claire D. for being selected as our Exemplary Badger for next week! To be selected as the Exemplary Badger means that the recognized student is upholding all of the high standards to which the Badger students agreed at the beginning of the year! It means that their behavior is respectful; that they are responsible for their work and their grades; that they are kind!

Students please don't forget to get your progress report goal sheets and envelopes signed if you haven't yet done so.

Don't forget, Monday is President's Day!  Enjoy the day off, kids!

Class Updates

Social Studies: This week in Social Studies we finished our unit on Classical Civilizations. This was a rather lengthy unit as we discovered many of the influences that the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Romans have on our world. Before we move into the Middle Ages, the students will be completing their first Performance Task for me this upcoming week. Remember: Think about all the ways that Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome have influenced our world today!

Science:  Who is Gregor Mendel and what was he famous for?  The father of Genetics will be introduced next week along with his pea experiments.  Students will simulate one of his pea experiments to discover the basics of genetics- just like Gregor Mendel did!  Students should be reviewing their notes each night and bringing their questions to class.

Literacy: Atlas Obscura presentations were almost completed this week.  A select few will be shown on Tuesday!  The kids really did a fantastic job with this project!  This weekend, all students should be working on their reflection paragraphs.  Remember, it's three separate paragraphs - one for each of the three questions! Reflections are due on Tuesday, in class.   Next week will be another short week, but it will be jam packed!  We'll attack Unit 9 of the Latin root unit, and examine some very interesting political cartoons.  

English: Wow! We finally got into the swing of things this week with our new book after all those snow days! Classes are just beginning The Giver, written by Lois Lowry.  Classes are five chapters into the novel, and the excitement is just beginning!  Students reviewed contextual vocabulary words this week and we'll continue our reading and discussions next week before break.  Students can expect to read chapters 6-10 and learn new skills associated with these chapters!

Math: We are continuing on with proportionality this week.  At the end of last week we finally got around to graphing proportions and will continue throughout the week.  Don't forget your Go Figure is due on Friday, February 24th.  It's all about graphing proportions and unit rate, be sure to label and organize your information!

School Updates

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community

Weekly Update #21

Team Updates

Exemplary Badger: Congratulations to Nolan R. for being selected as our Exemplary Badger for next week! To be selected as the Exemplary Badger means that the recognized student is upholding all of the high standards to which the Badger students agreed at the beginning of the year! It means that their behavior is respectful; that they are responsible for their work and their grades; that they are kind!

Congratulations to all members of the cast and production of Mulan Jr, our PMS Drama Club play that was performed this weekend.  The production was magnificent in every way, and we salute all who worked so hard to make it a success!  

Progress Reports go home this week.

Book orders are due this Friday! If you want your own copy of The Giver, let Mrs. McGuire know! Scholastic offers a $9 deal for a book and a movie poster. Perfect time to order one :)

Class Updates

Social Studies: Students spent the entire week working on their in-class research projects. This was a very unique project as the students were able to create their own rubric, choosing from standards in our curriculum, and then create a project that aligned with their rubric. On Friday, the students graded their own projects and had to provide reasoning. To say that I am very impressed is an understatement—the projects came out great! And oh, Tom Brady is officially the greatest of all time!

Science:  At the beginning of the week we will be looking at how organisms develop.  Students will research the mosquito life cycle to answer an ecological problem.  At the end of the week we will begin our genetics unit.  Students will start to look at acquired versus inherited traits.

Literacy: Students completed their Atlas Obscura projects, and have submitted them to the Google Classroom!  We'll begin viewing the presentations Tuesday! And don't forget, the final draft of the Make a Difference paragraph should be attached to the Google Classroom assignment by Tuesday evening.  Latin Unit 8 mastery test is scheduled for Friday, February 10th!  Everyone should be studying their flashcards and using Quizlet!

English: Students finished their performance tasks last week on the Chrome Books and submitted them via Google Classroom. Well done! This week we are beginning a new reading unit! In addition to pre-reading activities, students will be learning new contextual vocabulary words while reading the first few chapters of The Giver. Year after year, this book proves to be a fan favorite among our students!

Math: We have moved onto proportions.  Next week we will have a quiz, make sure to be looking over the notes, packet, and problems to study.  This month's Go Figure has been passed out, it's due February 24th.

School Updates

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community