WHAT'S UPdate!
SSAE Middle School Newsletter ~ March 2020
Notice! CMAS Testing Days
April 1st, 6th, and 8th - Please mark your calendars for important testing dates:
5th - 8th grades:
Middle School Testing Dates are April 1st, 6th, and 8th (April 8th will be 5th and 8th graders only - Science test). Students will need to be in the building by 7:50 am.
More detailed information will be sent home to families as we get closer to April.
A gentle reminder as we head into Colorado's wintery-weather months:
Lending Library Book Drive for SSAE!
On February 23rd through April 1st, Springs Studio will be conducting a book drive to create a Lending Library. This is a project designed to promote and encourage literacy and a love for reading. Please bring in any new or used books you would like to donate to the school. We are hoping to get books for all grades K-12. There will be a dropbox in the front office for any books donated. The Lending Library will be placed into the school on April 1st to allow students to borrow or leave books.
This project is being led by 6th grader Malaina Jackson, who is hoping to earn her Silver Award in Girl Scouts. The goal for the award is to create a service project that benefits others, and she is hoping to encourage lots and lots of new readers, as well as inspire those who already enjoy reading. If you have any questions, please see Malaina during the school hours on Monday or Wednesday, or you can email her at lenalynns@hotmail.com. Thank you for your help with this project.
Where: Springs Studio For Academic Excellence
What: Please place donated books into the box in the front lobby labeled BOOK DONATIONS.
Why: To have enough books to make a “Lending library” for grades K-12.
When: The book drive will occur from February 21st to April 1st
Please see attached flyers.
EVENTS, CLUBS, & HAPPENINGS
Anime Club
Anime Club is held on Wednesdays from 3:15 to 4:30. Students are encouraged to bring books, magazines, and art supplies to hone in on their art skills. Starting in March, we will begin to watch some episodes of Naruto (PG-rating). The club will be canceled in the event of inclement weather (students will call home if it is canceled that day). Please note that the club will not meet April 1st and April 8th due to CMAS testing.
Tabletop Gaming Club
Yearbook Club
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
Important Dates for Your Calendars
March 6th: Building Professional Development - School Closed
March 9th: In-Building ALEKS Knowledge Check, 75% minimum progress in ALEKS
March 10th: Middle School Field Trip to the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 8:45 AM-12:40 PM, see Miss. Pukansky for details and permission slips.
March 16th-27th: Spring Break!
This is a great time to rest, relax, and restore (or catch up if you need to do a couple of assignments!). No new work is assigned during this time, but access to coursework is still available, and ALEKS topics count for extra credit.
April 1st & 6th: In-Building CMAS (State) Testing, 5th-8th grades
April 8th: In-Building CMAS (State) Testing, 5th, and 8th grades ONLY today!
April 27th: In-Building Star360 testing, Reading and Math
May 4th: In-Building ALEKS Knowledge Check, 85% minimum progress in ALEKS (Math Final Exam)
CLASSROOM EXPERIENCES
English Language Arts
Families, please ask your scholars about their ELA homework!
As part of our genre study, students have decreased online work to give them time for in-building homework assignments. To help ensure their success:
- Have your scholar show you their reading schedule and online reading journal!
- Ask your scholar to summarize to you what they've read. Ask them questions!
- Have your scholar read to you from their book!
- Read the novel with your scholar and hold book discussions! This can be a family activity.
Extending the learning beyond the classroom makes for higher achievement! Let's all work together to help our SSAE SCHOLARS soar!
REMEMBER: Completing homework is essential to student success! 50% of their overall ELA grade comes from their in-building/homework activities.
Social Studies
Students are working hard on our Black History Month Museum Projects. All students will have an exhibit that includes an informational tri-fold board, a digital portion, and an interactive portion. Students have also been making posters that have been posted around the school to encourage guests to come and see all their hard work. This presentation will be on March 11th at 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm.
We will also be having a field trip on March 10th to celebrate the Centennial of the 19th Amendment. This will be at the Pioneer Museum, and we will be taking buses. Field trip information and permissions slips are attached below.
Science Update
Students should be nearing 40% completion with their online work to be meeting expected progress. If a student is falling behind, they will receive an email inviting them to attend SSAE on Friday mornings from 8:30-10:00. Mrs. Sangiorgi can personally help science students at school during this time window. Please note that online work which is below 70%, is reset to allow students the opportunity to redo the work. This may impact their progress. Online progress will adjust as students complete reset assignments and meet the performance expectations.
All material required for in-building work is posted on Google Classroom. The work done in March will count for the Edgenuity Mid-Semester folder on Edgenuity.
March's topics are broken down as follows:
5th Grade: Making model plant and animal cells; cell CER
6th Grade: Earth's Layer's Inquiry (CER) and Filtration Lab (mid-semester project)
7th Grade: Our Baby Dragon (Genetics Lab and mid-semester project) and Unwanted Posters (learning about diseases)
8th Grade: Paper Roller Coaster Challenge (mid-semester project)
Students are encouraged to use the sign-up link on Google Classroom to set up an appointment for zoom if they need additional help.
Reminder- 40% of each students' grade reflects his or her work while they are in the building. These grades are entered in the Unit Folders on Edgenuity for 6-8th graders (and through a separate assignment on Odysseyware). If a student is absent, the work must be made up. In the event, a lab was missed (Mondays), an alternative assignment may be substituted.
Math Update
Students should be working towards their 2nd semester of ALEKS with no less than 85% progress on their in-building knowledge check. This is the minimum requirement to be eligible to earn a passing grade in the 2nd semester.
Weekly Topic and Progress grades/indicators are available by the end of each week to help students and families stay on track with 2nd-semester goals and progress.
Study sessions for students wishing to get extra help to reach this milestone are available. Contact Mrs. Danford for dates and times.
TOPIC ALERT! Any topics you complete over Spring Break will count towards previously missed topics for any week of the semester. If you have missed some topics this semester, Spring break is a great time to get caught up!!
Classroom Math Updates:
What do you mean I have to write paragraphs in Math??? This month, we are working to ERCca to CERca in Math. Students will continue to use their knowledge of CERCA to build strong arguments in math.
Talking Math at Home:
March's Talking Math at Home Challenge:
Ahhh, March... The month we start to see a fraction of the grass, we will get this summer starting to grow and a fraction of the blossoming trees that will fragrance our air this Spring. Fractions are pretty cool and can be done without papers and calculators (as our 5th-grade class has proven!). This is also the month we only see each other about 1/2 of the time (Yay, for Spring Break and another fraction!!).
So this March, talk about fractions! What is the fraction of time we had adventures over Spring break? What fraction of my day was spent outside? And if it snows over break, what fraction of the bag of marshmallows did I put into my hot cocoa?
Art
5th- Winter Watercolor Paintings, Key Chains
6th- Mystery Grids
7th- Chinese Calligraphy with Watercolor Background
8th- Clay Creatures, Watercolor Pencils
Electives
Applied Digital Skills class is creating websites for their businesses. They will be learning how to create business profiles with keywords that optimize search engine results.