Principal's Message

Happy spring break! This coming week is a time to relax, recharge, and renew.

When we return, it will be time for the final push. It will be time to look at the goals for the year and see what is yet to be done, and also an opportunity to make short term goals to achieve in the last nine weeks. It will be time to recharge your focus for a strong finish.

We wish everyone a wonderful and safe spring break!

Maud Hart Lovelace Trivia Competition

If your student (alone or with a group) read all 10 of the Maud Hart Lovelace II book nominees this year, they can participate in a trivia competition! The competition will take place on Thursday, April 11 in the Media Center. The registration guide provides instructions on how to sign up. Good luck!

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are on sale for $35.00 and available only at Jostens. No orders will be accepted after May 18. Please save a printed/electronic copy of your receipt in case questions arise. For more information, or if you are not sure you ordered one yet, please contact Terri Bostrom.

Math

What We've Been Working On

• We've been working on rates and unit rate, comparing ratios, and dividing decimals and factions, including mixed. 

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• How do you divide decimals? 

What We're Working on Next

• After break, we will be moving onto combining like terms and the Distributive Property.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How comfortable are you with the Distributive Property?

Notes

• April 17: MCA Math Test

Accelerated Math

What We've Been Working On

• The students recently took a test on the following learning targets: distance, rate, and time, algebra equations with fraction and decimal coefficients, parts of a whole, simple interest, and proportions.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What is the formula for solving simple interest?

What We're Working on Next

• We have now moved onto measures of central tendency...histograms, stem-and-leaf plots, box-and-whisker plots to represent and compare data. They will also learn mean absolute deviation and IQR.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is mean absolute deviation? What is IQR?

Notes

• April 17: MCA Math Test

Language Arts

What We've Been Working On

• Students have participated in the writing process by researching a topic, collecting and organizing notes, writing an outline, conducting peer and self edits and creating a 5 paragraph essay.
• They are also working on creating a presentation to teach their peers about their research topic.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What was something you learned about your topic of research that surprised you?

What We're Working on Next

• Research classroom presentations and starting literature circles

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How did you involve the class during your research presentation? 

Science

What We've Been Working On

• We dissected a sheep's eye and learned the anatomy and function of the parts of the eye.
• We also finished our Waves Sound and Light unit and had a Great Lab! Assessments were on Monday and Tuesday. 

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What was your favorite part of the Waves Sound and Light Unit?

What We're Working on Next

• We still have a few neat demonstration items for the WSL unit - but then we will dive into the Engineering unit.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What are examples of engineering professions?

Notes

• 4th Quarter is just about to begin. Let's save our best for last - stay on top of all your work and keep on practicing your science!

Social Studies

What We've Been Working On

• The past two weeks we have been learning about the Industries that have helped shape the Minnesota we see today.
• We discussed entrepreneurs from the Gilded Age, and how they changed daily lives and America.
• We also learned about the journey that many immigrants had to take when arriving to the U.S., working conditions, and the formation of unions.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• Tell me about the industries in Minnesota
  
• Who were the large entrepreneurs from the 1900s?
  
• What were the working conditions like for many workers at this time?
  
• How did the idea of workers unions arise?

What We're Working on Next

• When we come back from spring break, we will be jumping into World War l.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What events lead up to the Great War?
  
• Why did the United States enter the war so late?
  
• Who were the allies?
  
• What were some of the political reasons the countries were fighting?

Phy. Ed.

What We've Been Working On

• Mozey and DeVoe: Basketball skills and drills/ fitness workouts

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• Which fitness tests are you practicing for? 

What We're Working on Next

• Outside: Ultimate frisbee
• Inside: Fitness testing

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What P. E. units are you looking forward to after spring break?

Notes

• Your child should be prepared for outside with grubby tennis shoes and a sweatshirt!

Choir

What We've Been Working On

• Singing solfege lines alone using syllables and hand signs.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• Can you identify C on the staff?

What We're Working on Next

• Students will be learning to identify different key signatures.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Is C always Do? 

Band

What We've Been Working On

• New notes, either up or down
  
• Dynamic changes, P, F
  
• Solo-Melody

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What does "p" and "f" mean in music?

What We're Working on Next

• Finish assessing Melody
  
• New notes, + chromatic scale
  
• Look at concert music

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Which concert song do you think is going to be the most challenging?

Orchestra

What We've Been Working On

• Solo Challenge Songs
  
• Eighth Note rhythms

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What is one are of your playing you would like to make improvements in and how will you improve?

What We're Working on Next

• Eighth note rhythms
  
• New concert music

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How does note length and value affect your bowing?

Art

What We've Been Working On

• Students glazed their crazy coil pots and wrote a reflection on their work. Students learned how to draw the proportions of the human body and designed/created their own superhero or villain.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What technique can you use to draw the human body?  

What We're Working on Next

• 4th Quarter Art Students - will design their own color wheel and learn how to mix tints, tones, and shades. Students will paint their color wheel.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is a color wheel?
• How do you mix a tint, tone, and a shade?  

Tech Ed.

What We've Been Working On

• Programming Basics and Beyond the Basics
  
• Working on Obstacle Course for robots

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What blocks/code/sensors did you use for your robot to move through the Obstacle Course?

What We're Working on Next

• Going to Art

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Going to Art

Spanish

What We've Been Working On

• We took the speaking and reading tests for the unit, talking about ourselves.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What do you need to work on for the next reading or speaking?

What We're Working on Next

• We will be talking about what we do in classes.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What classes do you already know how to say in Spanish?

Gifted & Talented

What We've Been Working On

• We have started a unit on stress: how it affects us and what we can do to alleviate the stress.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What stresses you, and how does stress affect you?

What We're Working on Next

• There are 10 techniques for fighting stress. Students will read and collaborate with a small group to create presentations for the class on the first three and I will present on another two before the school year is over.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What strategies can you use to combat stress?

Young Scholars

What We've Been Working On

• We have been learning about stress and how it affects us.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned

• What stresses you and how does it affect your body and mind?

What We're Working on Next

• There are 10 techniques for fighting stress. Students will read and collaborate with a small group to create presentations for the class on the first three and I will present on another two before the school year is over.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What strategies have you learned to combat stress?

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