Team 6 Red Newsletter
9/16/19 - 9/20/19
Welcome to another school year!
Welcome to Team 6 Red at Fort Riley Middle School! We are so excited to start a new year and have your student on our team! We will be sending out a team newsletter every week to keep you informed on school and team information!
Below is the template for what you can expect.
Meet the Team:
Peter Voth: Math
Leah Mehl: ELA
Donice James: ELA
Ryan Mullins: Social Studies
Jason Walsh: Special Education
Mary McConnell: Teen Skills
Joan Hayden: PE
Jill Kay: Gifted facilitator
If you have any questions or concerns, email is the best way to get in touch with us. We are excited to get to know your students and have them part of our Team 6 Red family this year!
Upcoming Events
October 4 - Walk-A-Mile during Morning Meeting
October 11 - End of the first quarter grading period
October 14 - No school
October 16 - Halloween Themed Chalking event sponsored by STUCO and ART CLUB
October 21-24 - Student-Led Conference Week
October 25- No school
Agenda for next week:
Science: Mr. James
All science assessments from NGSS standards will be graded on a proficiency scale (a rubric).
All test/quiz retakes will be given before school from 7:20-7:40. Any student wishing to retake a test should make arrangements to come to my classroom during that time.
This week in Science...
Monday: Weather
Tuesday: Weather
Wednesday: Climate
Thursday: Climate
Friday: Climate
Homework: Any work not completed in class is expected to be completed at home that night.
Email: lemueljames@usd475.org
Math: Mr. Voth
Monday: Lesson 16/17 (Ratios to Rates & Rates to Ratios)
Tuesday: Lesson 18 (Finding Rate using Division)
Wednesday: Speedy Animals activity & Lesson 19 (Unit Price & Measurement Conversions)
Thursday: Lesson 19 and Ratio/Rate/Unit Rates review
Friday: Lesson 21/22 activity (Distance, Rate, and Time)
Email: petervoth@usd475.org
Mr. Voth is available for tutoring at 7:25-7:40 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, The student must ask me for a Morning Pass the day before and come prepared with what they want to work on.
If your student has Mrs. Marshall, Mrs. Garner or Ms. Ptacek for Math, their agenda and contact information will be in the Team 6 Blue newsletter. Click here for link to the Team 6 Blue web page that will have the link to their newsletter.
If your student has Mr. Wolf or Ms. Brumage for Math, their agendas and contact information will be in the 7th Grade newsletters. Click on the teacher's name to be taken to each of their Team's web page to find their newsletter.
ELA: Ms. James and Mrs. Mehl
This Week in Language Arts:
The Purpose of Argument in Writing
The idea of an argument often conjures up images of two people yelling and screaming in anger. In writing, however, an argument is very different. An argument is a reasoned opinion supported and explained by evidence. To argue in writing is to advance knowledge and ideas in a positive way.
Monday: Continue Argumentative Writing Process, Vocabulary
Tuesday: Continue Argumentative Writing Process
Wednesday: Continue Argumentative Writing Process
Thursday: Continue Argumentative Writing Process
Friday: Continue Argumentative Writing Process, Vocabulary Quiz, Journal Due
Important Information:
1. Weekly Agenda is a projection of what will be done in class. The work is done/discussed in class, as well as the Homework is determined based on the students's/group's needs.
2. As students begin the writing process it is crucial for them to be attentive, comply with the instructions given, read the assigned stories/speeches/passages, come prepared for in-class discussions and take notes and complete all homework given. Please ask your student to show you their work and progress.
3. Students who do not come prepared to class or without their homework completed will be emailing their parents on that day, this will help keep parents informed of their progress.
4. Morning tutoring will be offered from 7:25-7:40 am on M-TH-F.
5. Students who are absent are responsible to come in during morning tutoring to get updated on any work missed and set up dates for makeup assignments/ test/quizzes.
6. Students are expected to come to class prepared by bringing sharpened pencils, paper, Class assigned book or any other reading material.
Email: donicejames@usd475.org Email: LeahMehl@usd475.org
Social Studies: Mr. Mullins
This Week in Social Studies:
Monday: Quiz over Mesopotamian Daily Life
Tuesday: Hammurabi's Code // Constitution Day
Wednesday: Hammurabi's Code Pt. 2
Thursday: Mesopotamian Empires
Friday: TBD
Important information:
Important Note: One of my expectations for students this year is that they take responsibility for their learning. That also includes fixing their grades. If they want to retake a quiz or if they missed homework or if they don't understand something, then they need to come up and speak with me. Emails can alert me of an issue, but most of the time I'm not able to fix anything without speaking directly to the student.
1) All presentations are put up on Schoology the day they are discussed. If a student needs to finish their notes, they may do so using the presentation.
2) Students are to bring their computers, binders, pencils/pens, and a gluestick to every class.
Email: RyanMullins@usd475.org
Special Education: Mr. Walsh
Foundations ELA-
Monday:
Tuesday: Main Idea Game
Wednesday: Reading Comprehension
Thursday: Context Clues
Friday: Reading Comprehension Quiz
Typical day starts off with writing practice in a journal 8:14 - 8:24. Followed by whole class work on reading skills and comprehension 8:25-8:45. Centers to work on specific skills from 8:45-9:03.
Email: jasonwalsh@usd475.orgWhat your student will learn this year in 6th grade:
Science:
Students will be utilizing Pearson online materials for their “textbook” as well as using the Schoology learning management system in class. Our curriculum will begin with a study of weather and climate, focusing on how water moves in the atmosphere. Unit two will cover the study of Earth’s surface and the internal structures of our planet. We will cover matter, cells and chemistry during the second semester . All grade levels will end the year with a focus on Health and Human Sexuality. Throughout the year we will develop the needed skills that are the building blocks in science.
Math:
Summary taken from Engage New York curriculum that is aligned with the Common Core Standards. "Sixth grade mathematics is about (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number multiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing understanding of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking."
Language Arts:
Students will be focusing on a number of texts - determining meaning and finding evidence to support claims. Most of the year will be spent on the novels Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, andRoll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. Students will demonstrate their skills and understanding in argumentative essays at the end of each unit.
Social Studies:
Social Studies will focus on Ancient World History. Students will study ancient civilizations from around the world beginning with the first hunter-gatherers and ending with life during the Middle Ages (Egypt, China, Rome, Greece, etc.). Students will demonstrate their skills and understanding through writing, projects, and collaborative discussions.
Academic Strategies:
Academic Strategies is a regular 49 minute class students will have everyday. On Fridays, students will have time to check their grades online and email you, their parents, with an update on grades and any missing work. On Fridays, students will also learn skills such as organization and spend time learning about and practicing our Trooper PRIDE values.
Beginning a few weeks into the school year, students will be placed into a Monday - Thursday Academic Strategies class based on their academic needs. Students will receive extra practice in math, reading or writing, or be challenged through extension classes. These placements are based on testing done at the beginning of the year, as well as studnet performance from the previous year. You will receive more information about these placements during October conferences.
Trooper Traditions
Responsibility
Integrity
Determination
Excellence
Here at FRMS we promote our PRIDE values in all classes and events. Students will learn about these words and how they can be applied to school and life in their first few weeks of Academic Strategies classes. It is our belief as a staff that these core values will make all of us at FRMS successful, productive, and caring people. We strive to promote these values in all we do!
Common Websites and Logins
Science: Pearson
Username: firstlast@frms (ex. johndoe@frms)
Password: FrmsID# (ex. Frms12345)
Social Studies: Discovery Education
Username: firstlast@frms (ex. johndoe@frms)
Password: FrmsID# (ex. Frms12345)
Gradebook: Skyward
Username: firstlast
Password: birthday: mmddyyyy (ex. 12262004)
Online Classwork: Schoology
Username and Password are the same as computer log-in
Email: Office365
Username: email address (ex. johndoe@usd475.org)
Password: same as computer password
Fort Riley Middle School
Website: http://frms.usd475.org/
Location: 4022 1st Division Road, Fort Riley, KS, USA
Phone: (785) 717-4500