7th 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 got to know students and went over procedures.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Name a new student you met in math class.
What We're Working on Next - Fractions and integer addition
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How do you add two negative numbers?
What We've Been Working On - Students are starting off the year simplifying algebraic expressions. They are learning the concept of zero pairs, like terms and other "legal moves."
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - How do we know if two terms are "like terms"?
What We're Working on Next - Students will be solving equations using legal moves.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Explain or show an example of the distributive property at work.
Notes - Students can use scientific calculators for homework and most assessments. Please encourage students to reach out to teachers for math questions early so they don't get behind.
What We've Been Working On - Students have reviewed and understood the expectations of language arts class.
- Students have learned how to electronically check out a book out from the school library and have obtained an independent reading book to read.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Do you have an independent reading book to read? From where did you get your book? Why did you want to start reading this book? By what date do you need to have this book read and finished? (October 9)
What We're Working on Next - Students will begin vocabulary and daily oral language lessons (DOL); they will complete a quiz for vocabulary and DOL every Friday at home.
- Students will begin learning the different fictional signposts to help them become close readers and help them improve their reading comprehension. Students will learn about contrasts and contradictions, aha moments, and tough questions.
- Students will also complete a baseline narrative writing prompt to help measure their writing progress throughout the year.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - When reading your independent reading book, have you found a contrast and contradiction? If yes, what extra information does it give about the character and/or theme?
Notes - The first independent reading book is due Friday, October 9. Students will need to read the book and complete a Google form to receive credit for the book in Skyward.
What We've Been Working On - Students learned how important observations are to science and that it is ok to fail because failure teaches us what went wrong and how we can improve upon it (students did a STEM activity with canoes and dirty water).
- Distance Choice students also worked on setting up routines in the virtual classroom.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What did you learn from the canoe and dirty water activity?
What We're Working on Next - Students will learn about all the areas of our school grounds and will understand the components of field research.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What would you want to investigate outside?
Notes - Students should bring their field journal to school every day.
- Distance Choice students are using the Digital Notebook as their field journal.
What We've Been Working On - We have been focusing on Westward Expansion and whether Manifest Destiny is justified or unjustified.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Manifest Destiny: Justified or Unjustified in the context of the Louisiana Purchase, Florida?
What We're Working on Next - The justified or unjustified annexation, war, treaty, purchase, or agreement of the Louisiana Territory, Texas, Oregon, and Florida
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Describe the ways in which territories were acquired during Westward Expansion.
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 - 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 - Made sure students had instrument and went over technology
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Is your technology working ok?
What We're Working on Next - Reviewing book 1 and trying to play as much as possible through Zoom
- Introducing GarageBand on the iPad
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is different about having class through Zoom?
What We've Been Working On - Getting situated on Zoom
- Warm-Ups
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - How do you know when your orchestra class meets?
What We're Working on Next - D Major Review
- Posture Review/Assessment
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What are the characteristics of good posture?
Notes - All students need Essential Elements Book 2 for strings, an instrument, a music stand, and all their instrument accessories. Orchestra meets on A days or B days according to students' Skyward schedules.
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 the 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 - Over the last two weeks we have spent the time getting to know one another. We went over classroom rules and expectations.
- We are entering into our career unit where we are talking about learning traits and styles as well as identifying possible career choices that are fitting.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Do you know how to navigate through your Canvas page for FCS?
What We're Working on Next - Over the next two weeks, we will continue to learn about careers and look at some of the possibilities out there as students get closer to deciding what they would like to do for their future. The students will be putting together a project on their Future Career.
- After we finish with Careers we will move into Personal Financing.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What future career are you thinking about pursuing?
What We've Been Working On - Rudolph: Reviewed actions and describing words
- Eugene: Introduced My Class vocabulary
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Rudolph: Say some actions they do and describe themselves
- Eugene: Name some class items they have
What We're Working on Next - Items they need in different classes
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What items do they need in Spanish, LA, Science, etc.?
What We've Been Working On - We will be starting seminars via Zoom the week of October 5. Please keep an eye out for your email with the day and time you will be meeting.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Do you know when your seminar group is meeting?
What We're Working on Next - Our first session will be review and what's to come.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is one new fact you learned about seminars for 7th grade?
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 |