6th Grade Monthly Newsletter
November 2019
Table of Contents
--Zoo Field Trip
--Parent Conference Night
--1st Quarter Academic Celebration
--Mental Health Awareness Parent Night
--Holiday Hugs
Subject Specific Information and Links to Teacher Websites
Counselor Updates
Administrator Updates
Upcoming Events
Zoo Field Trip--Wednesday October 30th
- Arrive at school at 6:20 A.M. in the front carpool loop.
- Pick up from school at 4:00 P.M. in the front carpool loop.
- After drop off, students go directly to the cafeteria to find their group.
- Field trip dress code: Follows the WMMS dress code and wear our field trip colors (grade level t-shirt or navy blue and white).
- Bring a cinch bag, jacket (rain is in the forecast) and snacks for the bus ride. Lunch is included in the field trip fee.
- Wear your assigned name badge at all times.
- Stay with your assigned group at all times.
Parent Conference Night November 7th 4:30-7:00
Sign up for a conference slot by visiting the West Millbrook website homepage and signing up using our Sign Up Genius. The Sign Up Genius will be open from October 25th-November 2nd.
To make the most of your conference, come prepared with questions about how your child is progressing academically, socially, and behaviorally in 6th grade, and how you can support this growth at home.
Please arrive a few minutes early for your conference! We will have a lot of conferences scheduled, so we have to keep to our schedule, and we are not able to accommodate late arrivals.
1st Quarter Academic Celebration November 15th
This event is for 6th grade students only.
We will have snacks, music, and free time for students to celebrate their achievement.
- Have all As for 1st quarter
- Have all Bs for 1st quarter
- Be in the Climbers Club (improved at least 1 letter grade from interim to report card in a core subject)
- Be identified by a teacher as a Proud Cat for demonstrating kindness and responsibility
- Be identified by a teacher as a Rising Cub Leader for demonstrating leadership and an excellent work ethic
Students will not be eligible for the celebration if they:
- Have a D or F in any class on their report card
- Have been assigned ALC/ISS or OSS in the 1st quarter
- Have received a bus referral in the 1st quarter
Counseling and Student Services Parent Outreach Night--November 21st 6:30-8:00 P.M.
What does it look like when anxiety disturbs everyday life and homework? What are the signs that your teen's depression is more than just “moping around”? Hear from a teen in therapy, a parent of a young adult struggling to find their way out of depression, a representative from NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and a licensed therapist or social worker as they give information on how to handle mental health issues at home and at school. The WMMMS Counseling and Student Services Staff will also be providing information on how we support our students in the area of mental health.
Translation in Spanish will be provided.
Please RSVP at this link: https://forms.gle/5ZKvZ5TSWEPJmLX68
Assistance with childcare will be provided, but you must RSVP using the above link.
Holiday Hugs
The Counseling and Student Services Staff needs the help of Wildcat staff and families to make this event a success. If you would like to help, please stop by the front office to take a heart. On this heart, you will find the gender, age, and grade level of a Wildcat student. You can donate a $25 giftcard (places like Wal-Mart, Target, Ross, etc) for the student on your heart.
Hearts can be picked up starting November 4th. Donations can be returned to the front office by December 3rd.
Thank you so much for your generosity and support!
Subject Specific Information and Links to Teacher Websites
Math
6th Grade Math: We are moving right along. Students are more than halfway through Unit 2: Ratios and have completed the quiz for the Unit.
Help: please check your math teacher's website for information about how to help your math student be more successful. There are extra problems from OpenUp Resources and other websites with practice problems/ explanations.
Dreambox: your student should be doing 45-60 minutes of Dreambox every week. They are given some class time, but most students will have to spend some out of school time to meet the requirement. Your student should be completing about 6 lessons every week. Dreambox has been implemented across the county because of its proven success rate in helping students develop a deeper understanding of math.
ELA
We are currently in Unit 3 of Module 1. In this unit, your child is working towards completing a narrative in which the main character follows the Hero's Journey. They will take everything we have learned throughout this entire module, including the completion of the book Percy Jackson, in order to complete this narrative assignment. At the end of the assignment, your child will be able to share with the class their narratives. After we complete these narratives, we will be moving onto Module 2. Module 2 is all about adversities during the Middle Ages. We will be reading poetry from the book Good Masters, Sweet Ladies.
In order to best help your child be successful in ELA, please be checking their workbook nightly. Everyday we complete pages in the workbook and every night your child has reading from our assigned text for that module. If you have not yet done so, please be sure to be signed up for PowerSchool to be kept up to date on grades.
Science
Science will be finishing the first unit of study "Space" by writing outlines of their research and creatively presenting student projects on "how to make a planet habitable."
The matter unit will begin Nov. 4 where we will focus on what is matter, states of matter, properties of matter, physical and chemical changes. The first matter vocabulary test will be the Thursday and Friday before the Thanksgiving Holiday. We will move into atoms structure and the elements in December. Keep an eye out for the Chemistry Showcase project at years end.
If your child misses class, please help them locate what they missed on-line at becozziescienceiscool@weebly.com. Keeping up to date is critical as we only see students every other day. Students can easily fall behind if they are not prepared for class with their notebook as well as a review of missed lessons. Homework and projects are under different tabs that are easy to determine what is due and when. Lastly, review vocabulary with your child so they are speaking the same "science" language and are ready and able to learn.
Social Studies
We just completed our test on Geography & Timelines. The next unit will focus on Religion. We do not teach a particular religion, we analyze the religious beliefs of ancient civilizations.
Please be sure to assist and motivate your child to complete their assignments, and retain all of their graded/completed work in order to study for upcoming assessments.
Health/PE
Our youngest Wildcats have arrived with LOTS of energy! Fortunately that's a great thing in our classes. In Gym, we have recently completed our first round of fitnessgram testing. We tested Endurance with a pacer challenge and a 1600m (Mile) run. We also tested Muscular Strength/Endurance with Curl-ups in a minute and Push-ups in a minute. Last, we measured their Flexibility with the Sit n' Reach test. We are also learning large group games and sport specific skills in the areas of Football, Volleyball and Soccer.
We look forward to exposing our students to some International games that are similar to traditional U.S. games that are played. like Chinese Jianzi (similar to Hacky Sack). In the health classroom, we will be focusing on general vocabulary words and sentences to improve on literacy skills and also setting personal fitness goals in all areas of tested fitness. These goals will be based on each individuals scores and we hope to achieve them by June of 2020. Thank you for trusting us with your children each and everyday and may your lives be healthy and safe!
World Languages (Spanish, French, Chinese)
Dear Parents,
The language acquisition department is excited to teach your child this year. Our focus in Quarter 1 for Beginning Spanish is communication skills using basic conversation vocabulary, numbers, alphabet, commands, calendar, and weather. Please click to view our course curriculum outline.
Tips to succeed:
Visit teacher website for multiple resources and calendar
Check PowerSchool often
If you need help accessing PowerSchool as a parent, please contact Olga Diaz in the front office at 919.870.4050 Ext 24292 or odiaz@wcpss.net
Communicate with teachers
Arts
Band/Orchestra:
Mrs. Martel would like to thank those who came out to the Fall Concert and remind parents that the winter concert will be held on December 10 at 7:00 p.m.
December 10th: 7:00 P.M.--Holiday Concert
Dance:
Dance students have finished their first unit on Health and Wellness. We are now exploring the Element of Space in dance and learning how to collaborate to create more interesting choreography.
January 15th: 7:00 P.M.--Winter Dance Concert
Art:
Students have finished their graffiti designs and are now creating Dia de los Muertos masks.
January 15th: 6:00-8:00 P.M.--Winter Art Show
Theatre:
Theatre students are currently working on writing and formatting scripts. Students are flexing their creative muscles and will soon be writing and producing their own ideas into short scenes!
Design
Odyssey of the Mind: Thank you parents for your support in bringing materials and we have just completed our straw roller coaster challenge. We will do the NC State Fair Games this coming week.
Project Revive: Students are finishing their International Space Station research project and will be presenting in the final week in October. The goal was to see how “Green” technology helps people live on the ISS. Starting in November we will be Designing Eco-Solutions, where students will look at 3 different communities, one within the United States and two outside the United States. Our goal is to have our students think globally when we do our projects. Students in teams, will read, review and offer advice for how to improve the communities chosen to provide three alternatives. This project will bring us into December.
Exploring Agriculture and Natural Resources: Mr. Gabriel's classes recently took a fun field trip to the NC State Fair to learn about agriculture in our community and our state.
We have just wrapped up our unit on fishing sustainability and aquaculture. We are now moving into our unit on the water cycle and the importance of water in agriculture.
It is still not too late to join FFA! Dues are $15 and comes with a T-Shirt!
FFA Meeting Dates: Tuesday 10/29 from 7:20-7:50a (breakfast provided) & Thursday 11/21 from 3:30-4:30p (there will be hot dogs, chips, drinks etc.)
Upcoming Field Trips:
University of Mount Olive Ag Fest
Tuesday 11/12 from 7:30a-2:30p (STUDENTS GOING MUST REPORT TO SCHOOL BY 7:30AM!)
Forms were due 10/25, only students who turned in forms before that date will be going on this trip.
Counselor Updates
We are off to a great start in 6th grade. I am so impressed with this group of 6th graders! They are a kind and fun group to work with.
Please remember, if your child is struggling with anything (emotions, social relationships, academic challenges), reach out to me; I am happy to help. The first quarter of 6th grade is always a challenge, but usually during second quarter, students start to feel more adjusted to middle school.
Recently, Ms. Kimel went into 6th grade classrooms to teach students about how to prevent bullying. Please have ongoing conversations with your child about treating others with respect and kindness. In November, Ms. Kimel will go into 6th grade classrooms to teach students about organization, study skills, and middle school success tips.
Some tips for middle school academic success:
- Help your child set routines for homework and organization.
- In general, your child should do their homework at the same time every day. This creates a good homework habit.
- Make it a habit to check your child's agenda for their assignments each day. Help them use their agenda/calendar to stay organized and to know when assignments are due.
- Each week, help your child clean out and organize their backpack (lots of students cram papers into their backpacks and then lose assignments as a result).
- Studying is more than just reading over notes. Have your child re-write their notes or make flashcards to review. Repetition is needed to remember concepts, so re-writing notes or making flashcards helps students remember things. Take some time to quiz your child or have your child teach you what they are learning before a quiz or a test to help them study.
- Reach out to your child's teachers if they are struggling. Teachers are happy to help!
Administrator Updates
Parents,
Once again, thank you for entrusting our team with the assignment of being key influencers in the lives of your child. Our teaching staff is working intensively to support and respond to your child's academic, social, and emotional needs. We are committed to each child's success and we will be there to cheer them along with each milestone.
As we enter the last few weeks of the first quarter, please have your child access the many school resources that are available to support their growth. We have the EL and Math digital resources available online through our school webpage. Also, all 6th graders have been enrolled in Dreambox. Dreambox is an interactive digital mathematics resource that is designed to strengthen mathematics skills.
By week nine, your child should have developed the practice of recording their assignments in their student planner. Nightly, we invite you to ask your son/daughter to share and review the information located in their planner. Also, your Powerschool account is a form of academically monitoring of your child's work and progress.
Thanks for reading!
Happy Fall!