Cluster 1 Newsletter
September 24, 2022
Hello Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers!
Hello Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers!
This is our biweekly newsletter where your teachers will provide you with updates on the happenings in their classrooms and at the school. We'll include any important upcoming dates and important messages. We're so excited to begin the year with your students. Please reach out to your child's advisory teacher with any questions.
We were so happy to meet many of you in person at back to school night! However, if you were unable to attend, please see our contact info flier here: https://bit.ly/cluster12022
A few notes for Cluster 1 Families:
All students now have their Chromebooks! Please be sure they are being charged every evening so that your learner can access course materials and complete assignments.
Cluster 1 homework will be posted here daily.
Mark your calendars! Conferences will be 10/27 and 11/1
Yours,
Cluster One Team
English Language Arts Update
Math Update
Hello! This week in math we worked on describing the characteristics of polygons. We also combined everything we have been learning about finding the area of parallelograms and triangles to calculate the area of polygons that are not parallelograms and triangles. We utilized our decomposing and/or surrounding and subtracting strategies to determine the area. We capped off our week with the first quiz of the year.
Next week, we will work on describing the term surface area as how many square units it takes to cover all the faces of a three-dimensional object. We will also learn how to calculate the surface area of a rectangular prism and share our strategies with one another. Here is a useful link to Family Resources which will enable families to learn about our current unit on Area and Surface Area. Enjoy the long weekend!
Science Update
Social Studies Update
This week we have been deep in our globe projects. Students have been graphing coordinates to create the outlines of the continents, and many have begun labeling and creating the Equator and Prime Meridian. Next week students will complete their maps by drawing a specific type of thematic map they find interesting. Once that is done the maps will be laminated, cut, and transformed into accurate spherical representations of our planet. Look for them hanging in the 6th grade hallway when you come for conferences!
ELD Update
Entering (ELD 1) Ms. Rix
This week, our students studied the numbers in English, questions like “how much?” and “how many?”, and sequencing words such as first, next, then, and finally. Ask your students “What was your first class today?” and “What did you have next?”
Next week, we will begin working on vocabulary for food, adjectives, the present tense and commands and we will begin working on numbers in English and how to read and say mathematical vocabulary.
Emerging (ELD 2) Ms. Schoenbeck
This week we worked on modals: have to, need to, may, might, and could with learning about careers and jobs of community members. We also have learned possessive pronouns and adjectives, and are shifting into subject and object pronouns next week. We are also talking about time, and introducing the concept of cause and effect through readings about life cycles.
Phonics - Ms. Schoenbeck
This week in phonics we learned when to use capital letters and have mastered naming the letters in the alphabet. We are working towards mastery of the sounds of the letters, and identifying them in nonsense words. I’ve been assessing each student’s current phonics knowledge so that the students and I can identify why they already know and what vowel patterns or digraphs they need to work on. Next week we will begin the short a sound and a new set of High Frequency Words.
Specialist Smore Newsletter
This space is where your students' specialist teachers can update you on their classes!
Contact Us
Zachary Allen - English - zachary.allen@watertown.k12.ma.us
Jessie Daigneault - Science - jessie.daigneault@watertown.k12.ma.us
Ann Palermo - Math - ann.palermo@watertown.k12.ma.us
Megan Lipson - Social Studies - donna.lipson@watertown.k12.ma.us
Jim Duffy - Special Education - james.duffy@watertown.k12.ma.us
Jody Gladstein - Guidance - jody.gladstein@watertown.k12.ma.us
Sheila Gilmartin - English Language Development - sheila.gilmartin@watertown.k12.ma.us
Zara Rix - English Language Development - zara.rix@watertown.k12.ma.us