6th Grade Parent Newsletter Principal's Message The school year has started! After many weeks of preparation, it is wonderful to see our students, both in person and online. We truly appreciate all of the support from our families and community in helping us navigate our new learning models. Mark your calendars: Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on October 13 and 14. Our conferences are designed to communicate between teachers and parents about the areas the student is excelling in, give specific ideas of how to improve the student's performance, and create an agreement about how the student, parents and teacher will progress. We are using virtual meetings to accomplish this. There will be a single conference with your child's advisor on October 13 and it may include follow up meetings with specific content area teachers on October 14. More information about this new format and on how to schedule conferences will be emailed to you next week. Take care and enjoy the weekend. EMS Media Commons If you are looking for ideas to find a good book or want to conference on an Honor's Reading book or need to do some research for a project, please use the Media Center Canvas Course to get all the info you need! Distance Learners library book pick-up on Fridays (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): It is important that distance learners check their Destiny account before coming to retrieve books on Fridays. After the student logs in they will see the "my info" tab. Select that tab and then confirm that the book that has been put on hold is actually checked out to the student. There will be times when the book on hold is still checked out to another student and will not be ready for pick up on the designated day. If you have other questions, please email Beth Benezra. Future Problem Solving Future Problem Solving will be held via Zoom this year. New students start on Monday, September 28 and returning students start on Monday, October 5. Visit the East Activities page on the website to get more information and register. What We've Been Working On - We have had a great couple of weeks getting to know the students and making sure they feel welcomed at East! In that process, we have done engaging math activities and community builders!
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What has been your highlight(s) in math in the first two weeks of school?
What We're Working on Next - Moving forward, we are jumping into area and perimeter of 2-dimensional shapes and volume/surface area.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How comfortable do you feel in your math skills in geometry, specifically area and perimeter?
What We've Been Working On - Introducing ourselves to each other
- How to navigate canvas and Zoom
- Kenkens
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - How do you solve a Kenken puzzle?
What We're Working on Next - Adding Fractions
- Adding Integers
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How do you add positive and negative numbers?
What We've Been Working On - Students have become familiar with Notability, Canvas courses, Skyward gradebook, practiced emailing their advisory with all pertinent details, and Zoomed.
- This week students have begun writing a baseline on a "first time..." memory. This will allow their teacher to see where they are as an author at this time of the year. Please no help as we need to know how best to support the students in writing.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What topic did you choose for your baseline writing?
- Do you have your rough draft completed to edit?
What We're Working on Next - Students will be given the first quarter reading contract and many sources in which to find books. They should be reading at least 20 minutes every day.
- We will also be in a brief paragraph unit where students will be practicing correct paragraph structure and middle school expectations for all their writing this year.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is the MackinVia app used for?
- What can you do on the Libby website?
- How do you place a book on hold at East?
- Where is the recommended East reading list?
- What does the reading contract look like and what book are you currently reading?
Notes - Every student should be reading and filling out the reading contract for this quarter.
- Every student should have a composition notebook for language arts.
- Thank you for all your patience as we navigate the logistics of this new school year.!!
What We've Been Working On - It has been a great start to the school year! We have had lessons on how to access and use Canvas, Notability, and Skyward.
- We started our first Activities exploring the Earth Sun and Moon Systems.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is the name of the phase of the moon where you cannot see the moon?
What We're Working on Next - We will continue with the Phases of the Moon and then explore the Seasons of the Year and how the Earth's tilt plays a role in these changes. We will then begin learning about the special cases for eclipses.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How does the tilt of the Earth play a role in the seasons of the year?
Notes - Please check Skyward for grade updates and contact your teacher with any missing work - Mrs. Jordan, Mrs. Geary, Mr. Eberhardt
What We've Been Working On - We began by connecting Minnesota shared culture and history to our own personal experiences.
- We looked at the difference between primary sources and secondary sources, and understood some of the challenges that historians face when interpreting the past using primary sources.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is the difference between a primary and a secondary source? Is one better than the other?
What We're Working on Next - In chapter 20, we will read about 6 different Minnesotans, and how each lives out their unique culture in Minnesota, while also contributing to the shared culture of the state.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What person from chapter 20 did you research, and how does that person express their culture in a unique way?
What We've Been Working On - We covered class protocols and expectations.
- We started the tennis and frisbee golf units.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What role does fitness have in sports? For example, why is learning about speed and agility beneficial for tennis and balance important for frisbee golf?
What We're Working on Next - Fitness and sports units will continue. Classes will switch units after two and a half weeks.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Describe how your heart rate adjusts as fitness activities change.
Notes - For hybrid students, please remember to bring your own hand sanitizer, water bottle, and warm layers for outdoors to class every day you are in school.
What We've Been Working On - Getting to know each other and introducing myself as the new choir director
- Posture, breathing, elements of music, solfege
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What are the first 4 notes of "Morning Is Come" in solfege? Hint: the first note is Do
What We're Working on Next - Walking through the Canvas page as more information is posted
- Posture, breathing (review), handsign solfege, sight-reading
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How will correct posture and breathing help your singing?
Notes - Have your technology ready to go and make sure you know when your class begins.
What We've Been Working On - 6th grade band students are learning how to form their mouth (embouchure) to play a good sound on their instrument.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Show me how you play the first note on your instrument.
What We're Working on Next - We will start playing and reading music from page 6 in Accent On Achievement Book 1.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Play for me the first note you learned. and show me how to hold your instrument.
Notes - We are off to an awesome start! So fun to hear students playing instruments.
What We've Been Working On - Orchestra Supplies
- Parts of the Instrument
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - How do you know what day and time your orchestra class meets?
What We're Working on Next Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is the correct way to hold your instrument?
Notes - All students need an instrument, Essential Elements Book 1 for strings, a music stand, and their instrument's accessories. Please refer to the Required Supplies page in the Canvas Course Basics and Resources Module.
What We've Been Working On - Community Building
- Figuring out how to use Padlet, which is our main forum for getting and giving feedback
- Explorers Journals
- Elements of Art Scavenger Hunt
- Color symbolism, both through a cultural lens and personal lens
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What explorations did you choose last Friday/this Friday from your Explorer's Journal? Can we do a page of your choice together?
- Why does color symbolism matter? What could potentially happen if we don't pay attention to the meaning of colors in different colors?
- What colors are you using to symbolize yourself? Why?
What We're Working on Next - Personal Color Stories: We are focusing on visual literacy, which involved telling and reading visual stories. Art students are developing their own personal color pallets and using the Elements of Art to tell visual stories.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What emotions/feelings do you want to convey through your paintings?
- What lines, colors, shapes, values, textures, and forms might help tell that story?
What We've Been Working On - How to send a proper email
- How to share a video that was created
- Cornell note taking
- Self paced project start
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What are Cornell notes and why are they effective?
What We're Working on Next - Wood lab safety
- Start projects
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How do you self pace your project?
Notes - There is a $10 lab fee that can be paid through ePay. If you don't use ePay, you can send cash or check (WEMS) to turn into me.
What We've Been Working On - Rudolph: Introductions with 4 questions and answers
- Eugene: actions we do
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Rudolph: Ask how they are, what their name is in Spanish and where from
- Eugene: Ask about things they like to do in their free time
What We're Working on Next - Actions they do and likes and dislikes
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Have them to say some actions they like to do and some they don't like to do.
What We've Been Working On - We will be starting Gifted and Talented Seminars the week of September 28. I have sent out one email to participating students and be on the lookout for another one with the day and time of your GT seminar.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - When is your GT seminar the week of September 28?
What We're Working on Next - We will be learning about the program and getting to know each other.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is the name of your GT seminar teacher and the name of one another new person that you met?
Notes - There is a Canvas page for Enrichment activities that you may want to look at (these are separate from after school activities and clubs).
Important Policies & Notices Planning travel out of the state or country? Regardless of whether your students are attending Wayzata Public Schools through hybrid learning or through Distance Choice, the district is required to account for students. Please ensure that the Welcome Center has a copy of your family's Extended Vacation form on file prior to your travel. September Wayzata Legislative Action Committee Update The Wayzata Legislative Action Committee (LAC) held its first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 23. Superintendent Chace Anderson gave a district update (the same update will be provided at PTA/PTO meetings around the district). Scott Croonquist, Executive Director of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD) shared their 2020 Election Issues Guide. Kimberly Dunn Lewis, Minnesota School Board Association’s (MSBA) Associate Director of Government Relations, shared their 2020 MSBA Voter Guide. All seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate will be up for election this year. To find out who represents you, what is on your ballot, and more election information, visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website. The Wayzata LAC is a non-partisan group of citizens that monitors legislative activity as it affects K-12 education and advocates positions on behalf of the district. For more information, please visit the Sarah Stensland or Amy Walstien, your school’s Wayzata LAC representative. Join us in our online classrooms! We have many opportunities for our youth and adult learners. You can find all our class options on our registration site. Tuesday, October 13, 2020 4:30 PM - 8:30 PM Wednesday, October 14, 2020 8:15 AM - 6:15 PM Tuesday, October 20, 2020 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM Friday, November 6, 2020 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Monday, December 14, 2020 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Tuesday, December 15, 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Wednesday, November 18, 2020 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM Tuesday, September 29, 2020 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Monday, October 12, 2020 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM 12000 Ridgemount Avenue, Plymouth, MN 55441 | 763-745-6200 |