Cluster 6 Newsletter
January 26, 2024
Hello Cluster 6 families and caregivers!
The PowerSchool portal is open for students and families and is the best way for families to check on their student’s progress and monitor for missing work. Check your email for a message from Principal Chen Fein with login information (please reach out to your child’s advisor if you need help logging in). Please encourage your student to check PowerSchool regularly.
We would like to remind all caregivers of the importance of nightly homework. Please remind your student to record and complete nightly assignments, as they are essential to building skills in each content area. We want to set your student up for success, and homework is essential.
The next Caregiver University will be on February 8 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. Join to learn about "Mental Health and your Tween."
English
For the past several weeks, we have asked students to read mentor texts, complete prewriting activities (as a means to brainstorm for their own writing), draft a short writing piece, and share their work with others. This process has been working well and students are building their skills around narrative writing components. Please ask your child about their “mini-writes.” There is so much to be proud of in the google drive! So far, students have completed and presented four polished pieces of writing, and the unit will culminate in a “Cross-Cluster ShareOut” in the library.
Starting after February break, students will be starting book clubs; all books share the “Coming of Age” genre. There are many different titles that students can choose from, and this is a great opportunity for collaboration and self-directed learning.
Reading I-Ready will take place next week, on Tuesday, January 30. Please remind your students to try their best on this diagnostic, as it is important to measure growth and to target interventions.
Civics
Congratulations to the winners of our Martin Luther King, Jr. essay contest! We’re so proud of the work that students did to share their stories. Here are our top five finishers:
1st place: Marie Toure
2nd place: Athena Crespo
3rd place: Aideen O’Mahony
Honorable Mentions: Manha Rahman and Daphne Goldstein
Our top three finishers had the opportunity to share their essays with the WMS community during our wonderful MLK Assemblies, led and organized by Ms. Shock’s Kingian Principles WIN class. In addition, Marie Toure was asked to share her essay at the World in Watertown’s Unity Breakfast on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. If you’d like to read more about the Unity Breakfast that celebrated the values and legacy of Dr. King in our beloved Watertown community, here’s an excellent article from the Watertown News: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2024/01/18/unity-breakfast-honors-refugee-support-group-local-activists-during-2024-mlk-day-event/.
In Civics, we’ve had a strong start to our “Founding Documents” unit. Students started the unit by reviewing and learning about Colonial American history and geography. Ask them about why the colonists were angry with the British Government (the answer is that the British Parliament began taking away self-government and passing taxes without giving the colonists representation in the Parliament, just in case you need a refresher!). Students interpreted the Declaration of Independence, including the most famous quote from the Declaration, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Since our 8th grade class focuses on government, we only have a bit of time for American history, so your child will learn much more detail about the Revolution next year in 9th grade history class.
The Constitution is the next document we’ll focus on. We’ll do a close reading and annotation of its text, compare it to the Massachusetts state constitution, and learn about the rights given to us in the amendments to the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. We will also learn about the Native Americans who were here before the European colonists and learn how the democratic practices of the Iroquois Confederacy provided a real life model for the writers of the Constitution.
Current learning targets:
I can name and explain the purposes of government listed in the Preamble to the Constitution
I can closely read the US Constitution to name its important articles and sections, and identify the structures of government it sets up.
I can closely read a section of the U.S. Constitution, and teach my classmates about its key ideas by creating annotations.
I can compare the United States Constitution to the Massachusetts state constitution to find similarities and differences.
Math
8th Grade Math students are continuing to learn about linear relationships, which display constant rates of change. They should be able to display and analyze data using equations, graphs, and tables. We are now beginning to explore intersection points, which are found by solving systems of equations.
Algebra students are similarly working on linear relationships, by expanding on their knowledge of slope, intercepts, etc. We’ll learn about collinear points to help predict data, and eventually use systems of equations to solve real world problems. For example, the old “a train leaves Boston at 3:20, traveling at 80 km per hour…” will be a typical type of scenario.
I’d like to remind caregivers that it is absolutely essential that students keep up with their practice work. While the school is not placing much emphasis on “grading” the practice work, there is an almost absolute correlation between quality of assessments (tests) and quality of practice work (classwork and homework). Please support your 8th grader by checking in on their work. Assignments are always posted in Google Classroom, and you can check PowerSchool periodically for updates on their grades.
Science
We are wrapping up our study of genetics in the next week and students just took a quiz on the last of the new content, DNA and pedigrees. Students will spend time reviewing next week and then take a two-part cumulative unit test on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30. Please remind and encourage your child to continue reviewing and studying at home before the test. Here are some additional review materials: Review Materials for Genetics Unit
Students will be able to retake up to 3 sections of the unit test, if needed, the following week. Adequate preparation for the initial test and additional review work will be required to qualify for a retake.
After finishing the Reproduction and Genetics Unit, we will start our study of evolution. The Evolution Unit learning objectives are linked here: Evolution Unit Learning Objectives.
We will continue our regular schedule of daily practice work and weekly assessments. Please follow along with our progress through this unit on the Science Work Agenda (day-by-day schedule) and the Master Document (links to all relevant materials and additional resources). As the complexity of the content increases (which it is!), taking time outside of school to review and practice becomes even more important for students. When students do spend that additional time with the content outside of class, they come to class prepared to participate in class activities to the fullest and set themselves up for success on assessments.
Links to other Smores
Specialist Smore
Use this link to see updates from your students' specialist teachers on their classes!
Reading Smore
Use this link to see updates from the reading teachers on their classes!
Wilson Reading Smore
Here is the link for the Wilson Reading Smore with Ms. Sorenson
Multilingual Learners Smore
Check here for updates from our English Language Development teachers Ms. Rix, Ms. Gilmartin, Ms. Campos, and Ms. Schoenbeck.
Contact Info
Ms Kiernan, Special Education: kathleen.kiernan@watertown.k12.ma.us
Mr Manoukian, Math: aram.manoukian@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms P-K, Science: katherine.poulinkerstien@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms Rix, English Language Development: zara.rix@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms Shock, Civics: laura.shock@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ms Skypeck, Guidance: amanda.skypeck@watertown.k12.ma.us