SMS Newsletter
January 2021
A MESSAGE FROM DISTRICT #430
e-Learning Days
While students, staff and families have been engaged in full remote learning, we all know there is no substitute for in-person learning. We also know that the winter weather in the Midwest can be somewhat of a hindrance when traveling to and from school. In the future, when in-person learning is scheduled whether it is A/B days or “back to normal”, using an e-learning day will be considered should there be inclement weather.
Since Sandwich CUSD #430 is now 1:1 and students and staff are familiar with remote learning, please be prepared, on a daily basis, to shift to e-learning on so-called “snow days”. Please note, this will require everyone taking the responsibility of having their school issued personal device available for use at all times. Unlike previous years, e-learning days do not need to be made up at the end of the school year. Once decided, e-learning days will be communicated via the district webpage and school messenger.
6th Grade News
Happy New Year!
We hope everyone had a wonderful winter break with family and friends. We are beginning quarter three in January as the new year begins. Check with your student that they can log into their Chromebooks so they are ready to start the new year!
Science classes will be discovering different ways living things can interact with each other and their environment and the importance of biodiversity. We will also explore the different biomes around the world.
Our Language Arts classes will be working with informational text. We will be identifying text features, writing summaries, and learning text structures.
Instructional Language Arts will be working on grammar and figurative language units this month while continuing our reading skill work in Readworks, IXL and Lexia.
Social Studies classes will be learning about the Indus River and how it led to cultural development in Ancient India. We will also be starting our unit on Ancient China and Japan.
In regular math class, students will be working on rates and ratios for the month. In AT and ACC math classes, they will be working on decimals, fractions and percents. They even will be learning about tax, tip and discounts!! Before you know it, your kids will be figuring out the tip on your meals out for you.
Congratulations to our Students of the Month, Brynn Butler and Cooper Corder, whose hard work and great attitudes continue to lead to 6th grade success!
7th Grade News
Well, we made it to Winter break! This two week break will give all of us time to take a break from computers and work. School resumes on January 4th with full remote until at least January 19th.
Just a reminder that when school resumes, please check your email to make sure that you are receiving all of the information from the teachers and the school. Zoom also resumes on January 4th.
Mondays and Wednesdays
Advisory 9-9:30 (Mondays only)
PE 10-10:30
Math and Science Zooms according to class period
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Explore 10-10:30
Language Arts and Social Studies Zooms according to class period
Zoom times per class period
4th hour 12:30-1:00
5th hour 1-1:30
7th hour 1:30-2:00
8th hour 2-2:30
7th grade students of the month are Kaden Clenvenger and Haylee LIlliebridge! Great job!
8th Grade News
Amazingly, we are already in the second semester! Although school begins January 4, we are all looking forward to seeing our kids in person beginning on January 19...back to A/B days! The first semester was certainly a challenge, but it was a challenge that the students met head on. We are very proud of them. It will not be long before the students will have to start thinking about high school. In fact, high school class recommendations by the teachers are already due in January. You will hear from the high school counselors very soon to set up schedules.
History: When we come back to school in January, the 8th graders will begin the study of World War I. This was a war that changed the world and had a profound effect on the nation. The students will study the causes and effects of America’s involvement in the war and learn about trench warfare, the alliance system, submarine warfare, and other new weapon technology.
Language Arts: When the students begin school again after the first of the year, the 8th graders will be continuing with The Holocaust Unit. We will be reading “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne. Soon after reading the novel, we will move into a short lesson on The Civil Rights Movement with emphasis on Martin Luther King Jr.
Instructional Language Arts:
Instructional LA students continue to work hard to improve their writing skills. We are moving forward with closing statements in our “writing bootcamp”, then moving to put the entire paragraphs together. Students continue to work on assigned passages through readworks.org to enable students to work at their current independent levels. We are going to get into our novel study when we return to “blended learning”. Our novel will be “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne. . We also will continue working on a variety of comprehension skills, starting with summarizing reading passages when we return.
Math: We will be working on Chapter 5 Triangles and Pythagorean Theorem at the start of school in January. We will be covering angle relationships when a transversal cuts through parallel lines, geometric proofs, angles of triangles, polygons and angles, the Pythagorean Theorem and uses of Pythagorean Theorem including distance on the Coordinate Plane.
Instructional Math: In Instructional Math, we will be continuing our work on integer operations from before the break. This is a key chapter, as it introduces some of the most basic pre-algebra skills, which we will need as we move into Chapter 9 (variables and expressions) and Chapter 10 (equations). Additionally, we continue to brush up our basic math skills through daily practice on our Math Minutes, weekly iXL time, and periodic review of real-world problem solving strategies. Don’t forget, iXL problems that are assigned must come from the “starred” (recommended) list; these are skills that support and enhance what we are working on in our lessons.
Science: Students will continue their study of the periodic table. They will be conducting research on an element and creating a brochure to display their findings. After that, students will be applying what they have learned to read and write chemical formulas and equations.
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH: The 8th Grade Students of the Month for January are Joanna Rivera and Nathan Scala. We appreciate the strong work ethic and positive attitude of these students. They are an absolute joy to have in class!
P.E. News
Happy Holidays from the Physical Education staff.
In PE, our students have been quite busy with our SEL (social emotional learning) and our fitness component portions of class. We enjoy reading what our students are doing to stay active and learning at the same time. Within our SEL component, our students have been diving into learning much about decision making, setting goals, and regulating emotions. For our fitness section of class, our students are learning the differences between static and dynamic stretching and how flexibility can help prevent injuries. Plus our students are learning the make up and efficiency of the cardiovascular system. In the future, students will partake in a more in depth view of setting and maintaining paths to achieving goals, build more upon decision making, while the fitness component will consist of building strength through training and learning more about muscle groups and muscle types.
We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday break.
SMS Phys Ed staff
NIU FREE READING INSTRUCTION
Adaptive Pause Free Meal Pickup
Meal Pickup:
Until the end of the school year, free food is available through the USDA's "Free Meals for Kids" program. During our adaptive pause from blended learning, each week, you will need to fill out a meal order form by Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. for the NEXT week. Meals will be picked up Mondays and Thursdays from 10:00-11:00 am behind Sandwich Middle School.
Please click on the Link "Food Order Form" below.
Meal Order Deadlines During The Adaptive Pause
Meal order deadlines during the adaptive pause:
- December 30th at 12:00 noon
- January 6th at 12:00 noon
Starting the week of January 18th, we will return to ordering food using the same process that was in place prior to the adaptive pause
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
January 18th - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 19th - Blended Learning Resumes - "B" Students in Person Attendance ("A" Students Remote)
January 20th - "A" Students in Person Attendance ("B" Students Remote)
February 2nd - Picture Retakes
February 3rd - Picture Retakes
February 15th - No School
February 16th - No School
Sandwich Middle School
Email: smorel@sandwich430.org
Website: www.sandwich430.org
Location: 600 South Wells Street, Sandwich, IL, USA
Phone: 8157862138