News from the Social Studies Department (By Ryan F.): In social Studies we are learning about North America and it’s climate and its physical climate.
News from the Math Department (By Nick): In math we are learning how to find variables and to put them in the problem to see if they are right. That is what we are learning in math.
News from the English/Language Arts Department (By Sari): This week in ELA we have been studying the word intelligence and been working on are book talks. Well I have because I have to present today. Other people present later in the month. Good luck to you!!!!!
News from the Music Department (By Lucas): We practice writing notes like quarter notes half notes whole notes eighth notes and sixteenth notes. Then we played them.
News from the Physical Education Department (By Cierra): This week we have been doing this one game called CamJam, we also have been using jump ropes. Last week had to done are running test. In gym we were also playing Halloween games.
News from the Art Department (By JD): We are making are initials in art, we outled them with sharpie and colored them in and we are starting a new project you’ll have to read next weeks after.
Free Choice Area (By Maya): So on Wednesday it was Halloween so everyone dressed up. Then in the afternoon grades k-4th did a costume parade.
Teacher's Corner (By Mr. Singer): Happy November! I want to give a big thank you to everyone who came to conferences this last week. Mrs. Wanasek and I discussed how nice it was to have such open and engaging conversations with everyone. We will be reaching out to those who were unable to make it so we can set up a conference with you still.
This week all the 6th graders started their school “jobs.” Each student is taking responsibility in our learning community in holding jobs from tutoring younger students to helping on the playground. Check in with your child to see what job they have.
Mrs. Wanasek and I were evaluating the Class DoJo points scored so far this year and we noticed that there seems to be a trend in where students are losing points. The two areas we are seeing a struggle with the students are the items that relate to accountability. We are going to be focusing on taking off points for work not done on time and not coming to class prepared. We are focusing on trying to get these items under control to help the students be better prepared for Fox River.
This week we continued our ALICE trainings. ALICE is our safety program and it stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. Each week we will work with our students to make sure they are safe. Below is the lesson that was conducted this week for ALICE. Please take time to discuss the lesson with your children. We were off a bit, so this week I have two lessons listed.
6th Grade - ALICE Lesson Seven: Counter During ALICE
Lesson Goals: Understand the visual skills and concentration it requires to follow a moving object or person. Develop better body and spatial awareness to make movement in confined areas more efficient and effective.
Lesson Recap: Distraction as a form of control was reviewed and practiced. Distraction works with a human’s natural instinct to flinch or protect him/herself if something is thrown at them. As a result, precious seconds are gained in order to evacuate the room.
Have a talk with your child about things they could use to distract a dangerous person should they ever be confronted in a public location. What could your child use to throw at a dangerous person at a movie theater, the grocery store, the zoo, ….?
Besides throwing objects at an armed intruder, distraction also consists of making loud noises and running in a zig-zag pattern. Make sure that you ask your child about these distraction techniques as well!
6th Grade - ALICE Lesson Eight: Counter - Control
Lesson Goals: Understand the effectiveness of confront. Understand what it means to confront an intruder by swarming.
Lesson Recap: Students learned about the counter option of control. They watched a video demonstration on control that you can view by clicking here. Next, under the direction of the teacher, students practiced swarming and safely evacuating the classroom. Ask your child about this.
Regarding swarming, it is important to note:
- The decision to swarm is ALWAYS up to each individual. This cannot and will not ever be something that an adult instructs a student to participate in.
- If a student chooses to swarm, they need to commit to doing so; backing out at the last second can lead to tragic consequences.
- No one should ever handle a weapon. Both staff and students have been taught to place a garbage can over the weapon and sit on it until law enforcement arrives. Of course, securing the weapon would not occur unless the intruder has been controlled using the techniques taught during ALICE training.
Dates to remember:
November 4 Daylight Savings Time Starts
November 11 Veteran’s Day
November 21 No School Students
November 22-23 No School
November 27 Friday Schedule
November 29 End of Trimester 1
December 6 Winter Concert
For information on upcoming events you can see our calendar page from our website too. Please take some time each week to go on Skyward and see how your child is doing in school. This will help us work better as a team to know where your child is at, and where we may need some help.
Check out what is going on in the classroom. He also post what is going on on twitter through the Twitter handle @MrSingerClass. If you do not have Twitter, don’t worry, you can see the thread on the homepage of the class website.
Do not forget to register on Class Dojo to keep up-to-date with notes from the teachers, the behavior of your child, and more. If you need me to print another flyer, or send you an email invite, let me know.
BONUS: Each week we will put a challenge on here for any parent or student to try. All you have to do is give a response by Monday in the assignment notebook for us to see. If the answer is correct the student will receive $50 towards their checking account. Good Luck!
I want to see who knows how to get on to Class DoJo and message us the teachers. All you need to do is send us a message in Class DoJo by Monday.