The Six Gazette
βοΈMay Edition βοΈ
π We Made It π
It's hard to believe that the school year has come to an end! This year was a challenge for us all, but we made it! We want to applaud ππ½ all of our students for their hard work and effort throughout the year. We want to THANK YOU (parents) for your support in balancing the many responsibilities to help make sure your child(ren) navigated virtual learning as best as they possibly could. We know it wasn't easy. We are excited about our return to in-person learning in August, and look forward to getting back into the swing of things!
Prevent the Summer Slide
School may stop for the summer, but learning should continue! It is extremely important to practice skills over the summer (especially in reading and math) to prevent 'summer slide'. Summer slide is the loss of skills during the time when students are not in school. Here are some times to help prevent summer slide:
1. Make Time for learning Set aside time for your child to read and practice math skills each day during the summer break β 15 to 30 minutes per day is all it takes.
2. Improve Reading Comprehension Difficulty with reading and comprehension can be improved through regular practice. Sometimes, low reading comprehension stems from the child not being interested in what he or she is reading. So when selecting books, itβs important to make sure your child is excited by the content.
3. Encourage Creative Writing Encourage all types of writing to help your child find his or her voice from poems to cartoons. If your child is experiencing writerβs block you can help by introducing new and exciting topics and ideas. Journal writing can start from a young age and will encourage your child to write freely, creating a love for expression and the written word.
4. Develop Math Skills Working on just three to four math problems per day during the summer can prevent math skills from getting rusty. Practice is important but you donβt have to turn summer break into a set of drills. Try to apply math to real life to make it come alive for your child.
5. Encourage STEM thinking You can boost STEM thinking at home by encouraging your childβs natural questioning and curiosity. Instead of giving them the answer or solution to a problem immediately, encourage your child to come up with several possible solutions on their own.
Rise Summer Camp
We are excited about our RISE Summer Camp! Thank you to everyone who registered. Our summer camp is designed to provide additional STEM-themed activities, support in core-subjects, and hands-on learning through field trips and STEM programming.
May Habit Highlight π
Our Habit Highlight for the month of May was: CITIZENSHIP. Each team of teachers has selected one student from their team that they felt exemplarily demonstrated the habit throughout the month. CITIZENSHIP is defined as: being a member of, and supporting oneβs school, community, and country.
π Congratulations to this month's recipeints π
Remie
Remie was selected by the Avengers team. She has been a great supporter of her peers this year. Remie has a great attitude and always looks to be of help to others. She is a great example of what citizenship looks like in the school and class community.
π Congratulationsπ
Coretta
Coretta always has a positive attitude in class. She shows up every day with a can-do attitude ready to put in work!! She is willing to help any teacher or student, and she even represented her math class as a tech support person. She has shown that she cares a lot about her classmates and teachers, and is a team player during group activities.
π Congratulationsπ
Diana
This student is always striving to critically think of the needs of herself and her classmates. She has been an advocate for her classmates with their work, pushed students to consider the importance of public health issues like vaccines, and aspired to think more broadly with her work. She continually raises the bar in Social Studies, ELA and the rest of her classes.
π Congratulationsπ
π Looking Ahead (7th Grade) π
Meet Mr. Covington
Mr. Covington will serve as the 7th grade assistant principal. He is AWESOME and has a great relationship with students. Mr. Covington has been at Neal for 6 years and often says that 7th grade is the 'middle of the middle'. He is super competitive and always wants to be the best. Get ready to hear about all the ways that the 7th grade team is the best and has the best teachers πππ. You're going to be in great hands with Mr. Cov.
End of Year Celebration Video
AP of The6
It has been a privilege and MY pleasure to serve as the assistant principal for The Six this year. Not being in the building, I did not have an opportunity to physically get to know and interact with all students, but I still managed to see just how AWESOME this group of sixers are. While you are flying to the 7th grade nest, please know that I am still here to support in any way that I can. You are moving onward and upward, and will be in great hands next year!
Respectfully,
Ms. Scott
Email: tiffany_scott@dpsnc.net
Website: http://dpsnc.net/domain1417
Location: Neal Middle School, Baptist Road, Durham, NC, USA
Phone: 919.560.3955
Twitter: @AP_TiffanyScott