Mrs. Blankenship's News You Can Use
Week of January 18th- Remember... Monday is MLK, JR Holiday!
Curriculum Focus and Important Information
Hello Families,
Our first full week back was very productive. We did have some issues with staying on task, monitoring our talking, and getting homework done. Both Dr. Shaw and I are concerned about these issues. Students need to accept the responsibility of displaying appropriate behaviors and getting their work done. Please check your child's Friday Folder and if you see any checks for work or conduct habits. We would appreciate it if you would discuss the issue with your son or daughter.
With our observance of the MLK, JR holiday, the students will be very busy Tuesday-Friday in all subject areas. Here is a look at our curriculum focus next week:
Reading-We will continue our study of gaining evidence through text. The DG for this skill will be given over two days-Thursday and Friday. I will have a review of cause/effect in my small group rotation as well as a discussion of bias and how it may alter an informational piece into persuasive. This grade will include bubble in types of answers as well as open response. The expectation to restate the question, “flavor blast” the answer, and edit for mechanics will be in place for this grade.
Grammar- The DG for perfect tense verbs has been moved to the week of January 25th. The grade includes a section where parts of speech are assessed, so I plan on reviewing the basics with the students next week.
Writing- We have had extensive practice on gathering facts and including them in a prompt since our return from Winter Break. Next week, the students will have their first DG on answering a non-fiction based question with the inclusion of facts from the passage. Citing their evidence will be of great importance. Each day next week, the students will complete a small portion of the essay which will allow them to have a fully developed answer by Friday.
G/L Roots- Our root focus is Sol/Mon (one). Depending on the students’ grasp of the words, a DG may be given Thursday. Please check your child’s agenda or eClass homework for an update.
Classworks/Front Row- I understand that Classworks has been an issue for some of our students. Please note that if Classworks does not load properly or freezes, students may access Front Row reading instead. If internet connection is lost or becomes unavailable, please jot a note in your child’s agenda. Thank you!
From Dr. Shaw:
Math-Next week in math, we will officially wrap up our fractions unit with an exemplar that will count as a test grade. The exemplar focuses solely on fractions. I'll return the daily grade we took on the 15th when we return to class on the 19th. We'll review for the balance of that day and the exemplar will be given Wednesday. On Thursday, we will begin our geometry and measurement unit. Our first focus will be on the classification of two dimensional figures by their attributes (number of sides, length of sides, angle measures, and pairs of parallel sides). There is no assessment on this skill the week of the 19th.
Science- In science, we will begin to learn about the "sum of parts" which relates to our study of magnification. The goal here is to increase students' awareness of how all living and nonliving things represent the sum of their individual parts. Some of those parts are visible and others are not necessarily visible to the naked eye. There are no graded assignments next week.
Social Studies- In social studies, we will wrap up our study of the Great War, also known as World War I. We will learn about how the events ending this first war set the stage for WWII. The students will also take a closer look at "propaganda" posters - those posters created during wartime that were intended to drum up support for the war effort. The study guide has been given out for our test on the 22nd. Study guides are due on the 21st. This test covers chapter six and there is a Quizlet set that can also be used for review.
From Mrs. Banfield regarding the Science Fair:
Dear Students and Parents,
Our first JES Science Fair is in less than two weeks! We know the students are excited and cannot wait to share their hard work. Here is some information about how this is all going to work. All projects are due January 21st. Students should be turning in a project board along with their logbook. Please to not turn in any additional materials as there will not be space to display them. We have also moved the date of the actual JES Science Fair to Thursday January 28th from 5-6 PM. This will allow us to have time for the projects to be judged and displayed appropriately. The top five projects will have to opportunity to compete at the Gwinnett County Science and Engineering Fair. We look forward to seeing all of the great scientific thinking that went into completing these projects!
Important Information:
· Field Trip-Please remember that field trip money/permission slips/online payment receipts from mealpayplus are due by Friday, January 22nd. The chaperones for our trip were selected by drawing. Thank you to
· PTA Bingo Night-A flyer was sent home Wednesday, January 13th regarding this event. What you need to know:
Cost is $5.00 per person which includes:
1 Bingo Card
1 slice of pizza
1 cookie
1 drink
You will pre-pay via the form below and be given one ticket per paid person. The ticket will be your form of payment for your initial food and card.
Additional Bingo cards, drinks, and pizza will be sold the night of the event.
Entertainer Brandon Rushin as “Hey Ya” will be on hand to call numbers.
Prizes will be awarded to Bingo winners.
Space is limited so RSVP early! ALL payments must be received by January 20, 2016, or until we reach maximum numbers.
· Fine Dining Day-On Friday, February 12 Jackson students will have an opportunity to showcase their good manners during lunch. Students might choose to dress up on this day, and during their lunch period, reminders about good manners will be emphasized. Fine Dining Day is a special day designed just for Jackson students so be sure to ask your students about their "Fine Dining Day" experience on Friday, February 12 when they get home from school.
Upcoming dates to remember....
Science Fair project due-January 21st
Field Trip money/permission slip due- January 22nd
Chick fil A Spirit Night- January 28Field Trip-February 2
Spring Pictures-February 5
Fine Dining Day-February 12
Early Release-February 24th and 25th