Principal's Message

Being a young adolescent can be stressful. Here are 5 School Stress Busting Tips. These tips can help you cope with and manage the stress that comes along with being in middle school:

 

Get Plenty of Sleep

Not getting enough sleep impairs academic performance and makes it harder to get through the day.

 

Think Positive

Research has shown that positive thinking may improve physical well-being, produce lower feelings of depression and produce lower levels of distress.

 

Have a Stress "Outlet"

This could be a social activity like going out or participating in intramural sports, finding a hobby or joining a social club.

 

Engage in Relaxation Techniques

This can include things like slowly counting to ten, meditation, thinking positive thoughts, visualization or playing with a stress ball.

 

Talk to Someone

Sometimes just talking about what's stressful or having someone listen to your problems can drastically reduce stress.

Math

What We've Been Working On

• We wrapped up Chapter 4 prior to leaving for Wolf Ridge! The students were tested on their knowledge of: applying a variable to an unknown quantity, evaluating expressions, scaling shapes, and solving ratios. 

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

• At this time, how well do you feel you understand Algebra?

What We're Working on Next

• In Chapter 5, we're jumping back into probability, specifically, compound events, or probability with multiple events going on at the same time. We'll also do independent and dependent probability- very challenging for most students!  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• At this time, how well do you feel you understand Probability? 

Accelerated Math

What We've Been Working On

• Prior to leaving for Wolf Ridge, we wrapped up Chapter 5- a unit on the "5D Process". The students learned how to represent varying parts of a problem to help them solve it. This also could have been done using Algebra, but students didn't necessarily have to to get the problems correct.

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

• Do you prefer the 5D Process or Algebra to solve challenging word problems?

What We're Working on Next

• In chapter 6, the students will be working on transformations and similarity. They will be able to describe whether movement on a coordinate graph was a flip, turn, or slide. They'll also be able to use a "new" coordinate and/or expression showing what movement occurred. 

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is your current knowledge of transformations? 

Language Arts

What We've Been Working On

• Reading Tangerine by Edward Bloom, and using text evidence to engage in group discussions.

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

• Who is the protagonist in Tangerine and what are his character traits?

What We're Working on Next

• finishing Tangerine

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What were some of the themes found in Tangerine?

Science

What We've Been Working On

• For the previous two weeks in science we have been studying the concepts and vocabulary of MOTION. Things are really "movin' " in science class....(ugh)

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

• What is the formula for average speed?

What We're Working on Next

• Wolf Ridge this week followed by the concepts and vocabulary of FORCE. We will also have a lab on MOTION and FORCE before the end of the semester.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is the standard unit for measuring FORCE in the SI system of measurement?

Social Studies

What We've Been Working On

• The introduction of the Civil War and the analysis of the vital division of the country surrounding slavery

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

• What were the reasons the South wanted to keep slavery?

What We're Working on Next

• Continue to analyze the Civil War through all the factors and conflicts which continued to elevate the country to a breaking point where war was inevitable

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What were some ways Minnesota was impacted by slavery and the Civil War?

Phy. Ed.

What We've Been Working On

• Mr. DeVoe's classes have been participating in a games unit and Mrs. Mozey's classes have been participating in a badminton unit.

   

• We also had a day of exercise (a fitness day) where we covered heart rates and cardiovascular endurance through some motor skills. 

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

• From our last fitness day, what does the target heart rate zone mean?

What We're Working on Next

• In the next 2 weeks, each class will finish their sport unit of badminton (Mozey) or the indoor games unit (DeVoe).

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

•  During exercise, what should people think about when their heart rate gets towards the top of end of the target heart rate zone?

Notes

•  Are all PE assignments turned in?

Choir

What We've Been Working On

• Vocal assessments for concert music and sight-reading rhythmic and melodic passages 

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

• Explain how to earn a 3 in Diction, Musicality, Tone and Accuracy for a vocal assessment.

What We're Working on Next

• Students will continue building sight-reading and solfege skills. When we begin new music, students will be able to label solfege into the new concert music.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Can you sing a major scale from low Do to high Do using hand signs? 

Band

What We've Been Working On

• Concert Songs

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

• Which concert song is your favorite?

What We're Working on Next

• Gone to Wolf Ridge
  
• Work On Concert Songs-notes and counting

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Are you excited about the concert? Why?

Notes

• The concert is Thursday, February 7.

Orchestra

What We've Been Working On

• Concert Music Preparation
  
• Half notes and quarter notes

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

• How do you adjust your bow speed to change different notes?

What We're Working on Next

• Concert Music Preparation

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• How can you be practicing at home so you will be ready for your upcoming concert?

Art

What We've Been Working On

• We finished painting our color wheels.
• We glazed our crazy coil pots and wrote a reflection about our work.  

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

• How do you show craftsmanship when you're painting?  

What We're Working on Next

• In our last week of art, we will learn how to draw a human using the "8 heads rule". Students will practice drawing using this technique.  

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is the "8 heads rule" and how do you use it to draw a human?  

Tech Ed

What We've Been Working On

• Basic and sensor programming of robot

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

• What is a threshold and what is it used for?

What We're Working on Next

• Take apart robot and inventory kits
  
• Final WPM test

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• Did you practice for your WPM final?

Spanish

What We've Been Working On

• Eugene - Speaking assessment about classes
  
• Rudolph - Speaking assessment about classes

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

• What did you say you do in your classes?  

What We're Working on Next

• Eugene - Speaking assessment about classes
  
• Rudolph - Reading assessment about classes
  
• Both - start new semester with basic vocabulary

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What did you say you do in your classes?
• What was the topic of the reading assessment?

Gifted & Talented

What We've Been Working On

• We are working on our passion research, as well as the self-awareness unit learning about what makes us tick at school.

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

• How do you learn best?

What We're Working on Next

• We will continue passion research and the self-awareness unit.

Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material

• What is your passion research about?

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