Principal's Message

I would like to thank our students, staff, and parents for contributing to the East Middle School community that we are all so proud to be part of. We look forward to the students' return on Thursday, January 3. Please take time over the winter break to talk with your child about their experience at East and their goals for the second half of the school year. Have a wonderful winter break!

Giving Tree Thank You

We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the students, families and staff members who so generously contributed to the Giving Tree this year. Gift cards were donated totaling over $3,000. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we were able to provide assistance to 15 families this holiday season. Thanks to all of you who donated and helped to make the holidays a little brighter for our students and their families. We genuinely appreciate your generosity.

Math

What We've Been Working On

• The students recently completed the unit test on probability. The test consisted both theoretical and experimental probability, "or" and "not" situations, and find the missing probability.
• They were also tested on adding fractions and understanding decimals.  

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

• How do you think you did on the Probability Test?

What We're Working on Next

• In Unit 4, the students are moving onto variables and ratios. The learning targets will include: using variables to generalize and represent unknown quantities, writing expressions and seeing if they are equivalent, and enlarging and reducing similar shapes.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How well do you think you understand Algebra?
• Is Algebra a topic you think you are going to like? 

Notes

• Make it a wonderful holiday break!!!

Accelerated Math

What We've Been Working On

• The students recently completed the Unit 4 Individual Test. The learning targets they were tested on included: unit rate, proportional relationships, similar shapes, writing algebraic expressions from algebra tiles, including area and perimeter, and combining like terms.  

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

• How well do you think you did on the Unit 4 Individual Test?
• What learning targets are you still struggling with?

What We're Working on Next

• In Unit 5, the students will be focusing on the following learning targets: using percentages to solve word problems and learning how the "5D Process" can be used as a problem-solving method.
• We also may address more complicated probability situations.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Do you know how to calculate and solve the probability of "compound" events?

Notes

• Make it a wonderful holiday break!! 

Language Arts

What We've Been Working On

• We completed the personal narrative unit and will continue with the self paced grammar lessons. 

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

• What was the most valuable lesson you learned when writing a personal narrative?

What We're Working on Next

• We are beginning our class novel, Tangerine, this week. We will not assign any reading over the winter break, but will start right away in January to complete the novel by the end of second quarter/semester grading time. 

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• They should be reading every day and working on a packet (paper/hyperdoc technology) as they process and analyze the story. Are you going to class prepared everyday ready to discuss Tangerine in class?

Science

What We've Been Working On

• Congratulations! We just wrapped up our last of the Chemistry iMovie Presentations. There were some very entertaining stories and the students did a nice job of identifying states of matter and particle movement. 

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

• How do particles move as matter changes from solid to liquid? Can you show the process with your hands?

What We're Working on Next

• On Tuesday, December 18, we will begin our unit on MOTION. We will go through all of the vocabulary and concepts of MOTION.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is the scientific definition of motion, speed, and acceleration?

Notes

• All Wolf Ridge forms and monies were due on December 19, 2018. 

Social Studies

What We've Been Working On

• Civics: Citizenship, federal, state and local government

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

• How do people become U.S. citizens?

What We're Working on Next

• The Civil War - Students will be able to explain the main differences between the North and South that led to the Civil War and describe the experiences of Minnesota soldiers, enslaved people and those at home during the war.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Who was Eliza Winston?

Phy. Ed.

What We've Been Working On

• Students have been learning and practicing the Health and Skill Related Components of Fitness. 

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

• What is the difference between the Health and Skill Related Components? 

What We're Working on Next

• Students will continue these concepts as well as participate in their games and badminton units.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Which components do you enjoy practicing?  

Notes

• Please check Skyward. Many SMART goals are not handed in. 

Choir

What We've Been Working On

• Preparation for the Winter Concert

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

• What was successful about the concert (facial expressions, diction, vowels...)?

What We're Working on Next

• When we come back from break, we will start our new repertoire. Within this, students will work on their solfege and sight reading skills.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

•  What are they looking forward to for the Spring Concert?

Band

What We've Been Working On

• Concert music
  
• 3/4 time

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

• Which concert music do you like?

What We're Working on Next

• Extending range
  
• Accidentals, and key signatures

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How many notes do you know on your instrument now?

Orchestra

What We've Been Working On

• Bowing and Left Hand
  
• P. 15-19

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

• How can you continue to improve on your bowing outside of class?

What We're Working on Next

• Eighth Note pairs
  
• Bowing
  
• Section Solos

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How do you need to adjust your bowing to be able to play different rhythms?

Art

What We've Been Working On

• In Art, we have designed our color wheels and learned how to paint the color wheel using technique and craftsmanship.
• We have also learned how to mix secondary colors and tints, tones, and shades.  

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

• What are tints, tones, and shades? How do you mix them?  

What We're Working on Next

• We will continue painting our color wheels. We will do a color wheel critique, in which students critique a peers artwork.
• We will also write a reflection on the crazy coil pots.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is a critique, and how do you provide positive feedback and constructive criticism in a way that helps your peer to improve their work?

Tech Ed

What We've Been Working On

• Finishing Assembly on Treasure Box
  
• Started building NXT robot

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

• What was the hardest part of assembly?

What We're Working on Next

• Winter Break

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What was your favorite day over vacation?

Spanish

What We've Been Working On

• Classes and activities kids do in their free time: writing assessment
  
• Eugene: reading assessment too

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

• What did you write on the Writing Assessment about classes?

What We're Working on Next

• Speaking assessment about classes and activities in them
  
• Rudolph: Reading assessment

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What questions will you ask on the Speaking Assessment? How will you answer others' questions?

Gifted & Talented

What We've Been Working On

• We have finished up the Classroom Habitude of Curiosity and are using our genius questions to work on our next Habitude which is Passion.
• During MTSS, each student will be working on their own passion project - working on learning more about a single concept that they are passionate about.
• During our MN history time, we will be work on the Habitude of Self-awareness. Champion learners recognize their strengths and weaknesses, making them more able to match their abilities to specific situations and settings. 

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

• What is your passion project about?

What We're Working on Next

• We will continue working on the Habitudes of Passion and Self-awareness for the month of January.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What are your strengths as a learner?

Young Scholars

What We've Been Working On

• We have started to work on the Classroom Habitude "Self-awareness". Champion learners recognize their strengths and weaknesses, making them more able to match their abilities to specific situations and settings.

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

• What strengths do you have as a learner?

What We're Working on Next

• We will continue to work on the Classroom Habitude "Self-awareness."

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What type of learner are you?

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12000 Ridgemount Avenue, Plymouth, MN 55441 | 763-745-6200