PI Newsletter
November 2021
A Word From Our Principal........Mr. Agee
Pacific Intermediate families:
As a reminder, the first trimester ends on November 12th. When we reach this point, grades will be finalized for the first trimester, and making up the work to raise grades will not be allowed. Since we are moving to the trimester model, these grades are as important as old semester grades, and will be used in determining the need of students to attend summer school. Students who have two or more F’s at the end of the first trimester will be highly likely to be required to attend summer school or be retained in their current grade level.
Please continue the conversations with your student about the importance of grades and completion of homework. Ask them about the work they did in class that day, and have them start showing their homework to you, even if it is completed. Encourage your student to meet with their teachers if they are having trouble or do not understand the material. As an additional resource, you can constantly stay updated on your student’s grades by using the parent portal in SIS. Additionally, if you have a current, correct email on file, attendance and grades will be emailed to you on the 1st and 15th of every month. If you need help setting up these services, please contact the school office.
We will again be hosting our Veterans Day parade during Veterans Day week. More details will be sent home when plans are finalized.
As an additional reminder, school will be closed the entire week of Thanksgiving. This is a great time to schedule appointments for your students so they will not miss additional school time. Please have safe travels during the break!
Due to the extended time off for Thanksgiving, November is also a great time to check out the library. The library offers many books, magazines, ebooks, and audio books for students to check out. These are perfect to take along for road trips or time off from school.
Thank you for your partnership in education,
Matt Agee
Pacific Intermediate Principal
Important Dates To Remember!
Band News
Thank you to everyone who participated in the band fundraiser. We truly appreciate your support of the band program!
Please mark your calendars for our upcoming concert:
6th Grade Winter Band Concert
Sunday, December 12th
1:00 pm - Pacific HS Gym
Report Cards
First Trimester report cards will be emailed to parents and or guardians on Friday, November 19th. If you aren't sure if your email is on file, please call the school office to check.
Break Time!
To ensure our students get to spend quality time with their families there will be no school the week of Thanksgiving from Monday, November 22-Friday, November 26th.
Chickasaw Tribe
Missouria Tribe
Osage Tribe
Math
5th grade is currently finishing our numerical expressions and order of operations unit. Our next big unit is over volume and geometry. We encourage all parents to have an active role in their child's education by helping students complete their homework Monday - Thursday. We still have several students not completing the homework practice and this is directly impacting their performance and grade in math. We appreciate all your support!
Science and Social Studies
Science: Students are learning about the interactions between Earth's 4 spheres: Hydrosphere, Biosphere, Geosphere and Atmosphere.
Social Studies: We continue to learn about the growth, conflict and expansion in the United States; including The Trail of Tears, The Oregon Trail and other trails west!
ELA and Reading
5th grade ELA is working on Unit 2. This includes finding theme and point of view in fictional stories. We are also working on adding transitional words and phrases to our writing.
Otoe Tribe
Math~ Mrs. Voss... English~Mrs. Boling
Science~Mrs. Vondera... Social Studies~Mr. Effan
Ouapaw Tribe
Math~ Mrs. Weil... English~ Mrs. Stumborg
Science~ Mrs. Todahl... Social Studies~ Mr. Slaugher
It seems like the year is flying by. Please make sure you are checking SIS for missing assignments and updated grades. Your child will have homework on most nights. Please check in with them to make sure it is getting completed.
Math:
Regular math students will be starting Ch. 3: Ratios and will move on to Decimals, Percent's, and Fractions. They have homework every night and should bring it home.
Advance class will be starting Ch. 5 Algebraic Expressions and moving to Solving one-step equations.
Social Studies:
We are finishing up our chapter about Mesopotamia. Next, we will be looking at the history of Ancient Egypt, and the major impacts their society had on the ancient world.
Reading:
In November, the reading classes will continue with Collection 3 Dealing with Disaster. We have read selections about earthquakes, tsunamis, and the Titanic. Next, we will be reading about nuclear disasters and hurricanes. This is an interesting unit and the students always enjoy it.
We attend the library on Wednesdays. Each student should always have an independent reading book. They also have access to Reading Counts and I-Ready. These are just a couple of additional electronic resources.
Science:
This month we have been reviewing the Metric system. Students have used new pieces of equipment such as graduated cylinders, Triple-Beam Balances, and rulers. After Thanksgiving break, we will start sound and Light.
English:
Students just finished their first major project and presentation, which used student-created surveys to collect and report information. Next, students are going to be studying Greek and Latin roots. This unit will help students to determine the meanings of commonly used words that have similar origins.
Counselor's Corner.........Ms. Diamond
Trimester 1 will be ending on Friday, November 12th. Most sixth grade students will start their second exploratory class beginning Trimester 2. Report cards for Trimester 1 will be emailed out to all parent/legal guardians on November 19th. Hopefully you will be happy with your child’s grades and they will reflect all of their hard work. Parent involvement and clear expectations are crucial to achieving higher grades, displaying appropriate behaviors and establishing good study habits. Working as a team we can help your student overcome obstacles to success. However, it is important each student take primary ownership and responsibility for their success or failure.
Character education lessons in October focused on “Drug Prevention” efforts to recognize and celebrate Red Ribbon Month. Students discussed how drugs prevent us from reaching our goals and how it affects all areas in our lives such as health, relationships with friends and family, and school/career goals. Additionally, we discussed how drugs can lead to addictions, criminal issues and loss of life. In support of Red Ribbon month, we celebrated with Red Ribbon Spirit Dress Up Days and an Essay/Drawing Contest. Students could voluntarily enter the contest and share their pledge to be drug free and encourage others to choose to be drug free.
As our tradition has been the last several years, we have joined with a local church which generously donates turkeys and bread to families in need for their “Thanksgiving meal.” If your family is struggling, please contact us and let us know you could use one of PI’s turkey baskets. To encourage our students to be part of their community and help others, we will be providing an opportunity for students to participate in our “PI Caring Community Food Drive.” The food drive will be the week of November 8th – November 12th. Student donations will be used to help us provide each family a complete “Thanksgiving Dinner Basket” to include such items as canned vegetables, boxed stuffing, canned or boxed potatoes, packaged or canned gravy, canned fruit, and dessert items.
To make things more fun and increase donations, we will have a competition between homeroom classes with the top 5th and 6th grade homerooms receiving school recognition along with a simple reward such as a movie in their classroom with popcorn, extra gym time, or extra recess. We hope to encourage donations but still emphasize to students “Caring means feeling a genuine concern for the well-being of others without expecting something in return. Joy is received in helping others.” Your help in providing items for your child to donate is always appreciated.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Appreciate what you have, and enjoy your time with family and friends.
Ms. Diamond
Pacific Intermediate
School Counselor