AMBOY MIDDLE SCHOOL
March 2023
IMPORTANT DATES
- 7th Grade Awards Assembly - March 3 at 7:50 AM
- 5th Grade Awards Assembly - March 3 at 8:20 AM
- Snow Make Up Day - March 17 (SCHOOL IS IN SESSION)
- Early Release - March 22 & 23 at 11:15
- Band Concert - March 23 at 6:00
GOGUARDIAN PARENT APP
Battle Ground School District uses GoGuardian to keep students safe on their school-issued devices. To help you monitor your child's online activity, the Battle Ground School District has made available the free GoGuardian Parent app. This application allows web-based filtering and parental controls on school-issued devices at home. You may set rules to allow or disallow certain websites, scheduled or on demand internet pausing during out of school hours. Find more information here.
Thank you to Yacolt Primary for inviting us to join them for Read Across America!
ELA ADOPTION
Save the dates!
ELA Adoption Parent/Community Webinar on Zoom
Tuesday, March 28
6 pm to 7 pm
ELA Adoption Parent/Community Open House
Wednesday, March 29
4 pm to 7 pm
Chief Umtuch Middle School Media Center
5TH GRADE FOCUS
In the month of March, we will explore the vastness of space. During this unit we are going to learn about the Earth, sun, moon, and its interactions with our seasons, constellations, and gravity. We will also learn some amazing things about our universe and the ever-expanding things we keep discovering.
READING
In March we will be doing some cross curricular work with science and reading about space! We will explore fiction and non-fiction stories about aliens, planets, astronauts, and all sorts of fun things related to our universe. Students will work on vocabulary building skills, how to use evidence from a text to support extended response answers, and understand cause and effect.
MATH
In March we will be practicing multiplications and division strategies to help us work towards using the standard algorithm for multiplication. Note: We practice many strategies for multiplication and division before learning the standard algorithm (traditional method) for multiplication. This is not "new math". These strategies build a strong math foundation. Students can then use these foundational strategies to better understand and apply the standard algorithm for multiplication.
6TH GRADE SUMMARY
- Supplies: Students are expected to have a constant supply of pencils, notebook paper, and erasers. Please check with your child to see if they need to bring anything in.
- Chromebooks: Need to be here and charged daily. Cases need to be used to help prevent damage. No stickers are allowed.
- Read 2 Ride: This reading challenge is due for all students Monday, April 10th!
- iReady MyPath March Madness: Our goal is to complete 3000 lessons as a 6th grade. If we meet our goal, we have a fun reward planned! We encourage students to do lessons at home, too.
7TH GRADE SCOOP
The Advanced Math class is finishing up their 7th Grade workbook, Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities. They will be moving on to their first 8th workbook on Slope. The Regular Math classes will test out their current workbook this week and move on to the unit covering expressions, equations, and inequalities.
HISTORY
This month we will be studying WWII and the impacts it had on the Pacific Northwest. We will be looking into changes in lifestyle, work conditions, and military needs. We will then go on to analyze how the Pacific Northwest changed after Pearl Harbor and Japanese Internment camps. Students will get to research and use their writing skills to explore people during this era of change.
ELA
This month's focus will be on argument and persuasion in both reading and writing. We will explore arguments within informational texts as well as writing persuasive arguments through a new curriculum platform. Students will also continue their root words memorization on their path to more academic vocabulary knowledge.
SCIENCE
We will be looking at more chemistry and chemical building blocks to start this month.
8TH GRADE UPDATE
Students are continuing to pilot the CommonLit Curriculum in our ELA adoption. This unit is research-based with an essential focus on "Are contact sports worth the risk?". Students will gain the skills and information necessary to answer the question from different authors' viewpoints in a variety of readings and media coverage. Parents, feel free to ask your student their own opinion on this topic as many have a passionate stance so far.
HISTORY
Topics will include the Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, growth of factories, westward expansion, the Jackson Era, and the Trail of Tears. Ms. Theis's class is involved with piloting the possible adoption of the next history textbook. We are finishing with Savvas and will begin TCI within this month.
MATH
We are finishing linear equations and systems and will be exploring functions in February.
SCIENCE
Students are studying Earth History over the next couple of weeks and will end March with the study of genetics.
SOAR
In the month of March, the entire school will be in competition between grade levels on who can complete the most iReady myPath assignments! Our 8th grade is aiming for a total of 900 lessons over the month of March. That's a little over two a week per student. We have faith in our students to help achieve this goal, and with your encouragement from home, we feel it can be accomplished!! Let's go Eagles!
Lately we have seen inappropriate words and drawings in our textbooks and worksheets. Most students are good at erasing or telling the teacher of this type of vandalism, but it has been happening so much lately that we are hoping you could talk with your students about how vandalism of textbooks is destroying our books; some items are in pen that we have to scribble over with a sharpie. We are not sure who is doing all of this because no one is confessing or snitching.
Moving On Up to High School
The field trips to Battle Ground High School are back! Amboy's date is March 7, 2023. Lunch will be at the high school. This will be a time to tour the building and learn about the many clubs and activities that the high school provides. If you are considering a different high school, it is still a good idea to tour the high school since it will be somewhat similar to other high schools. If considering another high school, we encourage you to find out about when students can sign up for classes.
Forecasting begins March 6 and closes on March 24. We will give time in ELA classes to make sure every student has forecasted. All students will be expected to share their elective classes with their parents before adding their classes into Skyward. March 6 we hope to start the process of what classes to choose and by the 13th have students enter their classes in Skyward.
March 9 is Parent Night for incoming freshmen from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at Battle Ground High School.
HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT CHALLENGE EXAM
The high school credit via challenge exam option is available to 8-12 grade students once a year in the month of May. High school credit can be earned by challenging certain high school courses by taking a challenge exam in Algebra 1, Geometry, English 9, English 10, Biology, and Washington State History. The location to challenge exams will be at the Prairie High School Media Center. Students must register no later than April 14, 2023. Late registrations will not be accepted. Click here for more information and the application.