The Connect
An 8th Grade Newsletter. Edition 1- 2022-23 School Year
Sweet! The SECOND Three Day Weekend of the School Year!
This year has been the BEST FIRST MONTH EVER in Rooms I-1 and 1-2.
All of the kiddos in Mrs. Daley's and Mrs. Kaneshina's classes are now experts in the expectations of what to do for homework and what happens in our classes.
This is when teachers start to move more quickly because we have been "doing school" for more than four weeks. This also means that students will have to be doing more of their work as homework (this was happening in class in the last couple of weeks to make sure everyone knew what to do). Please check your own emails, you may be receiving missing homework or classwork reports to let you know if your student is completing their work both in class and at home.
Check your student's grades using the Aeries portal. There are MANY grades that have been entered and now students who started the year with A's as grades could now be slipping into the B and C grade zone. We are in the early days of the first trimester and students can still actively change their grades.
FINALLY - Please keep an eye on your email. We will be sending information out about our Parent Teacher - STUDENT LED conferences. This will be coming your way next week!
Motivations for Exploration Using Hexagonal Learning
Learning THROUGH making CONNECTIONS and HAND DRAWING MAPS
For this assignment, to better understand and discuss the motivations for exploring Northern and Southern America in the 1700s, students worked in groups.
Each group was given the task to cut out and then arrange their hexagons that were labeled with important ideas and countries from previous exploration lessons on a large sheet of construction paper. As they did this activity students needed to talk with each other and explain the connections between the hexagons that were placed next to each other. This was another reminder to student the importance of listening to each other as discussions are being made about connections.
After the students had discussions about the placement of the hexagons, they glued the hexagons into place.
We then continues the learning with hand drawn Annotated Maps! The ultimate goal with the maps is to help students see the connection between history and geography. The students hand drew and labeled a map showing the territories that were claimed by Spain, Britain, and France during the 1700s. Yes, they had to hand draw a MAP! (I hear complaints ALL THE TIME). No tracing. Around the maps, students answered questions that ultimately lead them back to connections that they made in their hexagonal graphic organizer. The students discovered that there was a STRONG connection between exploration and countries yearning to become wealthy. LOVE these activities and I just had to share how well your kids have been doing in Social Studies. They are doing work that is hands on, research is involved, AND critical / creative thinking skills are used.
September is Attendance Awareness Month!
Showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and on the job.
Did You Know:
Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful and on track to graduation.
• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
• Missing 10 percent, or about 18 days, of the school year can drastically affect a student’s academic success.
• Students can be chronically absent even if they only miss a day or two every few weeks.
• Attendance is an important life skill that will help your child graduate from college and keep a job.
What You Can Do:
• Make school attendance a priority
• Talk about the importance of showing up to school everyday, make that the expectation.
• Help your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
• Try not to schedule dental and medical appointments during the school day.
• Don’t let your child stay home unless truly sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
Help your teen stay engaged
• Find out if your child feels engaged by his classes and feels safe from bullies and other threats. Make sure he/she is not missing class because of behavioral issues and school discipline policies.
• Stay on top of academic progress and seek help from teachers or tutors if necessary.
• Make sure teachers know how to contact you.
• Stay on top of your child’s social contacts. Peer pressure can lead to skipping school, while students without many friends can feel isolated.
• Encourage meaningful afterschool activities, including sports and clubs.
We want your child to be successful and the first step in that success is showing up for school!
Upcoming Important Dates:
Thursday 9/8 - District Board Meeting
Monday 9/12 - Staff Development Day / Data Day - Non Student Day - No School
Friday 9/16 - 8th Grade T-Shirt Designs Due
Friday 9/16 - End of 1st Six Weeks of 8th Grade - Grades Close for Progress Reports
Monday 9/18 - Minimum Day All sites
Tuesday 9/19 District Wide Disaster Drill - OR 10/3 if called for Inclement Weather
Monday 9/26 - Friday 9/30 - Parent Conferences Minimum Days All Week
Thursday 9/29 - Student of the Month Celebration
Friday 9/30 - Earthquake Drill
MRS. DALEY AND MRS. KANESHINA
Mrs. Kaneshina - matilda_kaneshina@etiwanda.org
Email: angela_daley@me.com
Website: www.kanley.org
Location: 12345 Coyote Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Phone: 909 803 3300