KMS 6th Grade Parent Update

Hello,

We made it. As I sit at my desk on Friday afternoon, the halls are now quiet. Students and teachers have left the building to enjoy a week of Spring Break.

Friday, during PE classes Mr. Krimmel, KMS Counselor, and I talked with sixth graders about "slurs". We started by defining a slur. Students came up with words like "insult", "mean", "hurtful", and "offensive". They should now have an understanding that a "slur" is different than a curse word. A "slur" is directed towards a person or group of people, based upon an identity such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender/gender identity, or sexual orientation. They all said it was common language in the bathrooms, hallways, recess, and cafeteria. Essentially, anywhere without an adult listening. They understand the use of "slurs" is wrong.

Next we discussed whether a "slur" could ever be positive. It was interesting to hear their thoughts. Most agreed that it could never be positive. A few thought it was still okay if shared with or by members of the same group. In the end, we were able to help them understand that at Kodiak Middle School, there will never be anything positive about a "slur" and there is never a time or place where it would be acceptable. We talked further about the consequences of "slurs" and the students shared that it could lead to a loss of friends, possible detention, suspension or even expulsion.

Finally, we asked, "What can we/you do to change this?" It made me sad to hear some students say, "Nothing. There is nothing we can do. People won't change." There were many more moments of hope, as some students stated, "Don't do it, or Stop doing it." Others said they could tell a teacher. We shared with them the idea, that if just one voice speaks up they can make change happen. Just as one person begins the chant at the KHS basketball games "Let's go Bears! Let's go!" and soon the whole gym is screaming and chanting together; one person standing up and saying "That's offensive! That's not okay! Stop now!" can change an entire school.

Enjoy your week with your students. I hope you have an opportunity to talk to them. Ask them about our PE discussion. We will follow up with additional talks after Spring Break.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Norton

We would love to make this a special event for our school and encourage each family to bring a dish to share that represents your culture.

When we get back from Spring Break, we will be reviewing the entire book of Freak the Mighty. We will be doing a whole book test to test comprehension, and then working on a project to show a greater understanding of characters and themes in the book. It’ll be fun to see their creativity and passions come through. I would highly recommend checking in with your child to see if they need to reread any parts (or the whole thing) because there were lots of trips and absences that hindered some comprehension throughout. This test could do wonders for anyone that was struggling at different points in the book.

Students have been working on their video project this week. They have chosen one of their culture traits to create a video about, that will be shared in a Virtual KMS Culture Fair. They used class time to write a video script, make a video plan, and begin working on their video. I have created a project folder in Schoology with resources to help them complete this project. All videos will be uploaded to an app called Flip. We practiced how to do this on Wednesday and there are instructions in the project folder as well. Filming should be done at home since the classroom is not a great environment for filming with all the background noise. The final video is due Monday, March 20.

1. Email volunteer@kibsd.org that you are interested in becoming a volunteer and let them know which volunteer opportunity you’re interested in.

2. Check your email for a message from Sterling Volunteers (TheAdvocates@sterlingvolunteers.com) and follow the steps in the email. If you don’t receive the email within 3 business days, please contact volunteer@kibsd.org

3. You will receive an email once your background check is complete, with instructions to visit a school site, complete a volunteer agreement form and present your ID to the secretary.

4. Start volunteering!

5. Any questions? Contact KMS Secretary Amanda Transano (Amanda.Transano@kibsd.org)

Email: hnorton01@kibsd.org
Website: www.kibsd.org/kms
Location: 722 Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 486-7459