I hope everyone is having a wonderful spring break.  3rd quarter has ended and only 4th quarter to go.  Pali is in ONE month and we are so excited!  See you in a few weeks...Get much deserved rest.

With Pali right around the corner, (April 11-13) we need to get everyone registered and paid.  Today is the last of the larger donations, $50.  March 1st and April 2nd are the last two donation payment dates ($25).  Then a little over a week and we board a bus and GO! 

We are still recycling.....Please send your plastic bottles, aluminum cans and glass beverage containers.  Large Costco sized juice bottles too!

This week we will be having our first test of semester 2.  Chapter 8, plate tectonics.  Next week our first math test of the semester is scheduled for February 3.  Chapter 5, ratios and proportions.

The next Pali Payment is due next week.

Starting this week:  Chapter 5 Math and Chapter 8 Science

Pali Payment Due:  Wednesday the 11th, $50.

Pizza 4 Pali:  Tuesday January 19th, 3:00-9:00 at Shakey's Pizza (bring your flyer)

That was a nice, long, refreshing weekend.  We are going to be hitting chapter 4 hard this week in math.  Each period of my class will have one math lesson.  Science will begin a new chapter on Monday, (chapter 6).

Tomorrow is the AMC American Mathematics Competition.  Cheer on and give a good luck to the kids in math club tomorrow.

Parents please contact me about picking up a bag of plastic  to recycle for Pali.  We now have 4 moms doing it and can always use more.  We have 3 kids lined up to receive partial scholarships.  Every bottle you send and all the Pizza you order in January will help these kids go to camp.  All or none!

With a few unexpected complications, last weeks surgery turned into a different recovery than  expected.  Thank you to each person who gave words of encouragement and your thoughts and prayers.  Thank you to the Van Loon family for a wonderful dinner Tuesday night.  That was very thoughtful and helpful.

I hope my return today is full of energy and that I can be right back on track, like before my illness began.

Only two weeks left and I want to spend every moment finishing our curriculum as well as a couple of end of the year activities that I personally love to do with my students.

The kids will start this week out by getting to pick their own seats for the last 2 weeks.  YEAH!

We will finish our math/science chapters this week and take our final chapter tests.

I have some really neat things for the kids to do these last two weeks.  Each student will need to bring in $1.  That will help cover the cost of these things.  Worth It!

I am not sure if math club is ending this week or next.  Please check with Mr. Dinu.

I want to take a short moment to thank Mr. Dinu for all of his personal time he has given up this year to advise the math club students.  I know the kids have totally appreciated everything you have done for them.

Thank you parents who supplied snacks for math club, graph paper, kleenex, pencils and wipes throughout the year.

Club 100 Dinner is June 1st.  A letter will go home by the end of this week with information.

It has been a GREAT year!  Thank You!

My surgery was moved from last week to this Tuesday.  That is good and bad.

The kids took the chapter 10 test on Friday.  I know many kids are glad to have the geometry chapter behind them.  We will quickly fly through chapters 7 and 8 starting this week.

We will conclude chapter 13 in science this week.  We should be taking the test on Wednesday.  Chapter 14 will begin immediately after the test.

Thank you to everyone who helped Mrs. Mc Leod garden Saturday.  I know she appreciated all who came.

Good luck to those who applied for ASB.  Results posted at the end of this week!!!! How exciting!

Math club is still going on.  It's not to late to join in for the last few sessions.

Thank you to everyone for the lovely birthday and teacher appreciation gifts.

I am feeling slightly better.  I will be out Thursday/Friday having minor surgery.  I hope/plan to be back to my old self again when I return next Monday.  I have just been feeling miserable, so I am looking forward to renewed health.

This week we are starting chapter 13 in science and concluding chapter 10 in math.  The math test should be this Thursday.

Mrs. McLeod is asking each student to come help in the garden this Saturday from 8:00-12:00.  She said she will take any help she can get, even if you can only come for 30 minutes.  I obviously can't be there because of my surgery, but it would be great if students and their parents can represent me.

Fourth quarter grades were updated today.  Enjoy!

Whew!  What a LONNNNNNNNNG week!  Glad that is behind us.

This week we will be finishing chapter 10 in math.  The test will be mid to late week, next week. 

In science we finished chapter 12, and what a gory chapter it was.  This week we will review and take the test Wednesday or Thursday.

4 1/2 Weeks of school until summer vacation! YIPPIE!

Time seems to be ticking faster now than before.

We want to first say goodbye to Nicole Kim.  Nicole left school on Friday to attend school in Corona where her parents purchased a new home this year.  This event is sad for all of us because Nicole was a cheerished part of our GATE group.  She will be missed and we look forward to seeing her at our Club 100 dinner.

We are jumping into two new chapters this week.  Chapter 10 math and Chapter 12 science.
The kids will be taking the chapter 11 test in science on Tuesday.

HUGE congratulations to both classes for a fantastic Chapter 9 Math Test!!!!!!!

Period 3/5 (21 A's, 10 B's)  Period 4/6 (23 A's, 8 B's).  We introduced 5 new members into Club 100 with this test!  Awesome!

Probably not going to make it into the garden this week.  Next week is unsure as well because of testing.

Monday night is the last sixth grade event of the year.  Skating at Cal State in Grand Terrace.  4-6 p.m.  Tickets can not be purchased at Cal Skate.

Sorry Monday did not have an annoucement.  I have been fighting off something flu/coldish!  This week we have completed both chapters in math and science.

In math we are doing the study guide and chapter 9 test.  The test is scheduled for tomorrow. 

The chapter 11 science test is scheduled for next Tuesday.

The kids are working on a food pyramid/chain for Chapter 11.

It's already been 2 1/2 weeks since we left for Pali and 2 weeks of spring break.  Wow!  Where did the time go?

We start the last quarter of sixth grade today.  New seats, new chapters, new assignments.  Start the quarter off with a refreshed attitude and a sharp pencil.

I am in immediate need of enough graph paper to last us until June.  If the people who have not donated graph paper this year would bring some in, it would be just enough.  Please donate if you have not.

I think we are good on kleenex and need only a few packages of Lysol wipes.

In Science we will be studying chapters 11-14, Ecology and Earth's Renewable Resources.  You will see a steady increase in work and test scores because we are studying, recycling, reusing and conservation.  The concepts in these four chapters are not new to the kids.  They have been hearing about renewing Earth's resources their whole lives.

In Math we will be studying chapters 7-10, statistics, probability and geometry.  You may see a decrease in some students scores as most of these concepts are new.  Many of these concepts use math skills from previous chapters to solve the problems.  If your child struggled with earlier chapters, they will absolutely need parent involvement to master these concepts.  In some cases, parents may need to go back and reteach earlier concepts to their child.

This last quarter is only 10 weeks and during that time, we will be doing CST Testing.  That impacts us in the sense of time.  Parents and students always ask, do you give out homework during testing week?  YES!  Because I am still teaching during testing week.  We have to keep moving forward, testing does and should not impede our classroom learning.

10 Weeks will FLY by.  I will try and get us out in the garden, but it will be tough.  I may send small groups of kids out to work with Mrs. Mc Leod who are pacing nicely and keeping up with homework assignments.  I may use the time in the classroom for those who do not keep up or are missing assignments.

Remember that I do not accept late assignments after first semester and that continues on into fouth quarter.  If you are absent, you have one additional day beyond the number of days absent.  Your assignment is then considered late and will not be accepted.  If you are absent, it is your responsibility to log onto the Cope Website and complete the homework assignments listed.

7th Grade Honors Applications are now available for download from the Cope Website.  Placement in honors classes is performance based and requires a recommendation from me for Honors Math/Science.  Please consider your 6th grade performance if you wish to ask me for a recommendation.  I am brutally honest on these forms and get a large number of requests.  Please do not wait until the last day to give me your recommendation form and any form not filled out before you give it to me will not be filled out.  Make sure you pay attention to all directions and deadlines on these applications.

I want to take a moment and thank all of the parents who trusted us to take your kids up to Pali Mountain.  It was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I will never forget it.

The activities and meals at Pali were so much fun.  The kids took their CSI Pali course and I'm sure they all will want to be police detectives now.  The kids all came out with fingerprint ink on the tips of their fingers which of course found it's way to their faces once the class was over.

My favorite camp quote so far is Saumya saying that squid dissection was soooo cool.  "I had blood and guts all over my hands!"  Tianna said, ewww, my hands still smell fishy!

Dinner was a tasty roated chicken with au gratin potatoes, glazed carrots and garlic bread.  I enjoyed the salad bar which had grilled salmon in it.  Well I really had grilled salmon with a little bit of lettuce to make it look like a salad.  Yummmmmm!  Your kids are NOT going hungry.

After dinner the kids played their favorite game here:  GA GA!  They said they could spend the whole three days playing that game and camp would be awesome.  Doug asked if PE would fundraise and buy a Ga Ga pit for Cope.  Not a bad idea!

After Ga Ga we broke up into night hikes.  Mrs. Fuentes and I went with different groups.  We are so glad because even though each group goes out separately they are doing the same lessons.  But by separating the dynamics are different.  We hiked on trails, off trails and through 3 feet of snow at times.  The kids who didn't have snow shoes had plactic bags covering their feet.

Traversing through the terrain gave us an opportunity to help each other pull each other up and go back for the stagglers, often me!

The night hike allowed for kids to give me hugs and hold hands through gloves while we played bonding games and heard tales of greek mythology.

The kids realized that what they thought was the big dipper all these years, isn't.  I too had been looking at the wrong constellations.  I'm so glad we chose the night hike!  Excellent way to end the first day of camp.

This morning the kids had an excellent breakfast and are already off for a morning of Aerodynamics.  Mr. Osmond is on his way up to see the kids.  I'm hoping he can stay for the high ropes courses.

We made it.  It is gorgeous here.  Warm high 60 degree weather and beautiful white snow all around us.  The kids were fantastic on the bus and have been so wonderful all afternoon.  The Pali staff loves them!

They enjoyed their sandwich buffet lunch and complete salad bar.  It had everything!

Right now as I post this announcement the kids are in their first classes, squid dissection and CSI Pali.

Dinner is in a few hours and I will try and post a few comments from the kids after CSI and Squid are over.

MA

Today and tomorrow we are watching Journey to the Center of the Earth, (original version).  The kids are finishing their artwork from chapters 8-10.  Thank you Mrs. Van Loon for coming in this week to hang it up for us.

Wednesday your child will come to school at the regular time, but they will come with their camp luggage.  Don't forget jackets, sturdy shoes and bedding.  Visit www.paliinstitute.com for a packing list.  You will need to pick your child up from Cope on Friday afternoon at 1:45.

Students not attending Pali Mountain will be assigned a substitute teacher and will spend all 4 hours in the same classroom during the core class time.  The students will attend their assigned PE and Exploratory classes.

As soon as we return from camp, it's spring break.  See you all on March 28th.

What an incredible weekend of weather we had.  It is truly beautiful when we get this type of downpour.  My hope is for super sunny skies next week with melting snow all around us, at Pali.

We will start this week off with our Chapter 6 and 10 tests.  Then for the remainder of the week we will be doing math only.  We will not be doing any new science chapters until 4th quarter.

Make sure you register this week for PALI!  If you are having trouble and forgot your login info contact the teachers or Pali Institute right away.  The kids find out their roomates and classes as soon as everyone is registered.  DRESS WARM FOR CAMP.  Dust off the ski parkas and snow boots.  Pack heavy.  No bathing suits or summer attire.  Gloves, hoodies, etc.  Visit www.paliinstitute.com for a packing list.  Extra blankets for the cabins, slippers, warm jammies!

We will not be out in the garden until 4th quarter.

This is the last week for math club until 4th quarter.

It's not too late!  Anyone wanting to still attend Pali Outdoor Science Camp, let us know this week.  Parents you MUST get your kids registered online.  This is where you need to fill out your child's health information.  There is also a list of what to pack for camp.  It's almost time to GO!

This week we will finish chapter 6, percents and take the test on Friday.  We will be reviewing the Chapter 10 material in science and take that test on Friday as well.  That will conclude science for quarter 3.

The next week after this will be math only.  We will knock out chapter 7 using both periods each day.  We will then complete the chapter Friday and Monday with Ready to go On and the study guide.  On Monday or Tuesday of the third week we will take the chapter 7 math test.

We won't be able to go back to the garden until after spring break.  Maybe a quick trip out just to see how our plants have grown.

The week after next is a short one, Monday Tuesday and then it's off to camp.  Next week, you will show up for school on Wednesday at your regular time.  Mrs. Andreasen's 3/5 students will bring their camp luggage to B-1 and Mrs. Fuentes' 3/5 will take their luggage to B-2.  We will leave for camp after school has started.  Make sure to eat breakfast before you get to school.  If you get carsick, you may want to pass on breakfast.

We need graph paper for fourth quarter.  Asking all of the Easter Bunnies out there to put a pack of graph paper in your kids basket.  Some of you have consistently brought it all year and that has kept us going.  We are going to run out at the conclusion of chapter 7.

Can you believe it?  Almost 75% of the year done!

Feel the LOVE!  It's Valentine's Day.....  Hope your kids are being extra sweet to you today.

We finally got back in the Cope Garden Friday and it felt great to be back.  It's shocking when you don't see it for awhile to see the over-growth.  Thank you Mrs. McLeod and Mrs. Wahlstrom for helping us. 

The kids have brought home seed packet to help start some planting.  The packets are donated and we have thousands of packets, so let me know if you want/need more.  They are older so plant extras in case yours do not sprout.  Bring back any unused seeds so others can use them.  If you get sprouts, please send them back to Cope to be transplanted on a gardening day.  Keep some for your home so that you may enjoy them.

We will be starting chapter 10 in science this week, Volcano's.....There She Blows!!!!!  We will be learning "The Volcano Song" by Jimmy Buffet. 

We will be concluding our percent chapter in math this week.  Most of the kids are really getting and understanding them and I am impressed with their attention and motivation to understand who percents work.

Tuesday is the date for our final camp payment.  The final amount for our payment plan is $100.  IT IS IMPERITIVE THAT YOU REGISTER YOUR CHILD ON THE PALI WEBSITE.  Please make sure you log on to the Pali website as soon as possible to register your child.  This information is important for housing, meals and staffing our kids with their counselors.  Log In at www.paliinstitute.com

I hope to get out in the garden again this Friday.  I will have the kids keep you updated on that.  Please join us for the two-hour block of time if you can help.

Have a great week.

This week begins out new math chapter, chapter 6 Percents!!!! %%%%%%% Yikes!  Is that a good or bad thing?  Remember that each of these math problems can be solved with a proportion.  Then, cross multiply and divide.

We finished chapter 9, Earthquakes and will be reviewing for the test which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday. 

We are going back to the Garden on Friday.  Make sure the kids dress appropriately for whatever the weather may be....who knows at this point?

Math club is continuing to meet on Tuesdays in B-1, 3:15-4:30.  Please send a snack if you haven't already.

So how fast was that?  Two weeks back from break already and the last full week of January.

So we hit the ground running with math and science.  In math we have started chapter 5, ratios and proportions and we are half way through the chapter.  The kids are doing better than expected.  Most of these concepts are new and introductory for a sixth grader.  The kids are focused and attentive when I am instructing and I think this helps.

In science we have finished reading chapter 8, plate tectonics and will be reviewing and preparing for the chapter test which is predicted for this Friday.

I hope to have the kids back out in the garden in February.  Last year we planted in March and it was too late to harvest before school let out for summer.

Math club is back in full swing with their new day, Tuesdays.  Please send snacks and drinks for our mathletes.

Enjoy the remainder of January, and it's shockingly warm spring weather.

This is it!  The last week of semester 1.  We will be taking our math and science common assessments and doing our final exams in both subjects.

You and your child are half way to 7th grade!

This semester concludes the ability for kids to turn in late/missing work and/or redo assignments for higher grades.  Make sure your child is ready to accomplish this when we return in January.  No LATE work, no excusses.

When you return in January please make sure backpacks and folders are completely cleaned out and organized.  Clean up your child's study area, desk, and room during break.  Make any changes that will help them improve organization and study efforts.

Please put a new packet of pencils in your child's stocking or holiday gift.  Mechanical pencils or wooden are fine, but they all need new ones before they return. 

At this time, I do not need any additional kleenex, graph paper or sanitizing wipes.  You did a great job supplying me with these items first semester.  If I run low next year, I will post that in an announcement.

When we return on January 10th, the third payment for camp will be due.  The cost is $50.

I wish you all a joyous and healthy holiday season and look forward to seeing you next year for semester 2.

Ok this is our last week of instruction.  Next week, Reviews and Finals!

This week the kids will be reviewing chapter 4.  There are a handful of kids still struggling with converting within the metric system.  Many more students this year have mastered it than students in past years.  That is good news but a few more are having difficulty.  Metric conversions are not practiced at the elementary level as much as other math concepts.  Please use the online textbook resources and have your child do additional practice problems to prepare for the chapter test, semester final and common assessment.

We are going to quickly read chapter 7 in science this week.  I am going to have the kids do the study guide alongside the readings to make the chapter go faster.  Kids should be reviewing and studying the chapter at home to make up for additional discussions and assignments that may not get completed.

On Friday, Doug Carroll of ESRI will be here with a colleague making a GIS and Map Projection Presentation to both classes.  Parents, please come to listen and enjoy the lecture but also to help with crowd control.  The presentation is scheduled to begin at 1:30 in B-1.

Thank you for your diligence in turning in science camp payments!  The next payment is due on the Monday we return from Break.  The next payment is $50.  Checks are payable to CMS GATE

Math club will only meet one more time in December, Wednesday, December 15th.  Thank you to all parents who make this club beneficial for our kids.

Have a great week.

Three weeks and counting.  How can I have just been off for a week and I'm already looking forward to Christmas Break??????

OK, here's the breakdown!

This week...Finish the last 4 lessons in chapter 4 for math.  Finish Reviewing for the chapter 6 science test.

Next week...Review for and take the chapter 4 cumulative math test.  Begin chapter 7 science.

Third week...Review and take the chapter 7 science test.  Review and take the semester exams for chapters 1-4 in math and 1-7 in science.  Take the 4 common assessments for math, all of semester 1's assessments.

Math Club will re-conviene this week and next.  Math Club will not meet on December 15th.

Outdoor Education Payment:  If you are making payments for camp, your next payment is due on December 1, $25.00.

Have a great week!

Enjoy your well earned week off.  When you return on November 29th, we will still be sitting in the same seats.  On Wednesday December 1st the next camp payment is due.  This payment is also $25.  You can pay a larger portion if you wish to drop your balance down faster.  We will be summarizing chapter 6 in science and preparing for that chapter test.  We will be finishing the third section of chapter 4 in math.  We will be completing chapter 4 in math, 6 and 7 for science when we return to be ready to study for semester exams in December.  Hopefully we will finish early enough to have some semester review time.  Math club will start up again beginning on December 1st.  The first two sessions the kids will review the problems from this year's actual competition.

Drive safely if you are travelling and pace yourselves through those Thanksgiving dinners.  Save room for dessert.

OMG, I bet your sixth grader was so excited to come home today and share the good news!  Mrs. Fuentes and I have really enjoyed both of our classes this year...so far.  We wanted to show the kids how much we appreciate their work by taking them to Outdoor Science Camp. 

We are taking the kids March 9-11.  They will come to school at their regular time on the 9th and we will take it from there.

There will be an informational meeting in the Library next Tuesday at 5:30.  At that time parents will get their log-on information to register their child, plus be able to make a deposit or pay for camp, in full.

The camp director will be here to answer any questions you may have. 

So Exciting!

This week will end the after school Math Club.  The AMC math competition is next Tuesday.  Wish the mathletes LUCK!

We just started chapter 4 in math, "FRACTIONS"....We will hopefully finish the chapter by Thanksgiving break.

In science, we will be taking the chapter 5 test on Wednesday.  We will be reading chapter 6 in science the week prior to Thanksgiving break.  We will return from break to work on the review, study guide and test for chapter 6.

Progress reports are being sent out by Cope this weekend.  Students in jeopardy of getting a D or F will receive one.  Only one student in all 4 of my sections will be getting a progress report.  WAY TO GO EVERYONE!!!!!!  That is why we LOVE this year!

Loaning pencils is beginning to become an issue again, mostly with the boys.  Please make sure your child has a pencil every day.

Lauren from period 4/6 is the first person to get CLUB 100 on a science test this year.  Way to go Lauren!

We added 8 names to the CLUB 100 wall this week.  Congratulations to:  Lauren, Jerry, Jedd, Alexander, Andrea, Nicole, Kristin and Serena!!!!!  These guys aced the chapter 3 math test.

One week and a day and then we are off for Thanksgiving Week!  YEAH!

Thanks for all the candy that rolled in today!  Yummy!  I'm glad I can help save the kids from tooth decay by helping them to eat it.

Today ends chapter 3 math with the Chapter 3 Study Guide.  The cumulative test is tomorrow.  We finished reading chapter 5 in science today and will work on the study guide and review for the next couple of days.  The test should be early next week.

Thursday is a minimum day.  School dismisses at 12:43.

The kids found out this morning that I have been assigned jury duty from November 8-19.  I just got word this afternoon that the case has been dismissed.  Please share this information with your child.

It doesn't matter who you vote for this week.  It is important that you VOTE!

Have a nice first week of November.

My Lesson Plans got changed last week since we were helping get the garden ready for the Halloween Garden Tour.  It was worth getting off track because Mrs. McLeod helps us out so much in the garden. 

Thank you to everyone kids, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles!  This was definately a family, school and community endeavor.

So this week will begin with a fun day!  Monday we will be watching TWISTER!  whew!!!!  The kids are SUPER excited.  Parents you can come too.  Bring a snack and closed beverage to enjoy.  Small, folding chairs, pillows are ok.

Keep going over GCD and LCM with your kids all week.  We will be using LCM on Tuesday to compare rational numbers.   That lesson will conclude lesson 3.6, which will conclude chapter 3.  We will do the study guide and review the remainder of the week and should be taking the chapter 3 test on Monday.

On Wednesday we will start chapter 5 in science.  Chapter 5 is mapping the globe.  If any ESRI parents out there can enhance this chapter, let me know.  Chapter 5 is very short and you will see a quick turn-around from outlining the chapter to the test.

In math club, our mathletes took a practice competition test week and did really well.  Hopefully it is a good sign for our upcoming competition on November 16th.

If you wish to send treats to school for Halloween this week, please let me know in advance so I can schedule different days and not have multiple items for the kids on the same day.

I hope everyone has a great week and a safe Halloween.

Last week was the beginning of quarter 2.  Huge things happened!

First!  The number of pencils needing to be loaned out dropped "dramatically".  Also, two parents donated Halloween pencils for each class.  Period 4/6 got theirs Monday and period 3/5 will be getting their pencils today.

Second, There was a HUGE decrease in the number of late slips.  Most of the late slips I received were follow-up assignments from first quarter.  Very few were for last week.  That means you are telling your kids it is unacceptable to turn work in late, THANK You!  I can't tell you the backlog we had for first quarter.  Let's keep it up.

Third, On Friday Mrs. Mc Leod called and asked if I could rally up parents at the last moment to come and help in the garden.  An amazing turnout.  With only an hour or two of notice we had over 10 parents, moms and dads, an aunt and a grandma come out.  Mrs. McLeod needs help this week as well as she is preparing for the fundraiser which directly goes into the very garden that MY/OUR students, weed, plant and harvest.  Please help us this Thursday and Friday to get ready for Saturday's Halloween History Tour.  Student volunteers are needed for Saturday.  Please call Mrs. Mc Leod is you/your child can volunteer 909-633-2824.

In math we have spent an extraordinary amount of time on Greatest Common Divisor and Least Common Multiple.  They really have the GCD down but they are using the same procedure for LCM and not realizing they will get an incorrect answer.  I gave them a trick.  Find the GCD under both circumstances.  But with LCM keep the "L" in mind and bring in the "L"eftover numbers.  In other words, GCD answers should be smaller than LCM answers.  The kids are just doing GCD for all of them and hoping they get it right.  We have used three class days for this content and will now need to move on.  Parents, you must keep the kids practicing both concepts at home throughout the chapter.  It is imperitive for future lessons that rely on knowing how to find each one.

Chapter 4 weather will conclude this week.  This is the last week to track weather and the last week to watch the weather reports on tv.  We have been SO fortunate to have an array of weather during the past month.  The real weather outside has often been a topic of conversation in our science class.

As a culmination to the weather unit, we will be watching the movie Twister on Monday, October 25.  Twister is rated PG-13 and therefore, I can not give permission for your child to view the movie.  I am sending a permission slip home today.  It is a half sheet blue paper and I have written, in code ,the three cuss words stated in the movie.  If your child has your permission to see the movie, please sign and return the form.  Parents are welcome to come and watch too.  When I show Twister, kids can bring a small pillow and snack to enjoy while viewing.

Math club will be meeting after school on Wednesday.  Thank you parents for the snack donations.  I think we are good for the remainder of October.  I will let you know if we need any donations for November.  I am sure we will need juice drinks, but we should be good on food.

Enjoy the hopeful change in weather!

Welcome to the second quarter of middle school  Parents, 1 down 3 to go.  So starting today, if you/your child gets a blue late slip, the penalty is now 2 letter grades down.  The goal here is to really wean students off of these passes.  Last quarter I went through over 100 late slips.  These are all assignments I have to grade and enter separately and the work to do that is cumbersome. If your child is still bringing these home second quarter take it very seriously when you sign them and ask what they are doing to prepare for 3rd quarter when I will not take them at all.

The daily request to borrow pencils has dropped dramatically and I am getting the loaner pencils back each day.  Thank You parents.  The Wahlstrom family has also donated three packs of Halloween pencils which my periods 3/5 will get in 2 weeks.  Thanks so much!

There is an increase in no name papers recently.  Please have your child check the office table to see if any of those assignments belong to them.  There are about 20 papers there, most of which are A/B grades.

Mrs. McLeod has been volunteering every Friday to help us in the Cope garden.  She is a whiz out there and her information is so valuable to us.  Mrs. McLeod is asking for some help from us.  She is hosting a fund raiser in the Cope garden on October 23.  She is asking our students to help guide a Halloween History Garden Tour.  There are small scripts for kids to read from as families take a tour of different spots throughout the garden.  She is planning on selling baked goods, plants our kids have planted, drinks and bbq veggies from our own garden.  There will be a silent auction held as well.  I will send an informational flyer home today from Mrs. McLeod.  Please contact her if you are willing to let your child participate.  I will give extra credit in science for kids who volunteer.

This week we are starting a new chapter in math and science.  In math we are headed into prime factoring and taking that concept into Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Divisor.  Kids do really well with prime factorization but struggle with Least Common Multiple.  Make sure you are looking over the homework assignments all week.  The kids need to grasp the ideas from the get go.

In science, we are starting our second weather chapter, chapter 4 extreme weather.  We will start new weather trackers today.  Start having the kids watch weather reports on the news broadcasts again.

As a side note, I am noticing a few kids being lazy/sloppy when it come to spelling on their science work.  Most words are right in front of them in their book or on the paper we are working with.  I have dropped grades for students who have had excessive spelling errors.  I would like to see these mistakes alleviated in the second quarter.

Enjoy the start of the fall season and have a great week!

Mrs. Andreasen

Monday starts with our chapter 2 cumulative math test.  We will start chapter 3 right after we complete the test.  The chapter 3 science test is scheduled for Thursday and may have to be postponed until Friday.  If the test is moved to Friday, we will not be tending the garden.

The Cow Eyeball dissection class is set to take place this Friday.  It will be by invitation only.  There are 10 spots and students will be invited starting with the top 5 science students in each class.  Those students must confirm with their parents that night and notify me the next day.  If they forget to ask their parents or parents are unsure, then we will cross those students off and go to the next person on the list.  Thank you Dr. Dixon and Dr. Fernandez for coming in to teach this class!

Students were still asking for pencils on a daily basis and losing them by the next day.  I will start loaning pencils out not giving another to a student who misplaces it.  Parents please make sure they have a pencil for math, everyday.

This week Mathletes in our Math Club will continue to meet.  Wednesday from 3:15-4:30.  Thank you to the parents who brought snacks so far.  If you have not donated a snack yet, please send juice boxes.  We have enough food snacks for all of the October sessions.  We may need some in November, I will let you know.

I am going to give the kids one week off from tracking the weather.  They will get new weather tracker sheets next Monday and they will track for two weeks.  All four weeks worth of weathe tracking will be due on the day of the chapter 4 test.

Have a great first week of October.....Time is FLYING by!

Hey parents!  I have had a string of kids, about 8 of them that continuously are borrowing pencils each day.  I let them keep it so they have a new pencil and the next day they ask again.  Please find out if one of these kids are yours and either pick up a pack of pencils for them or talk to them about taking care of the one I give them.

Our mathletes have begun work on the AMC competition set to take place this November.  23 kids stayed for our first tutorial session with Mr. Dinu.  Many parents also participated in a short meeting afterwards and discussion included, registering two teams of 10 allowing more students to participate.

We are planning on heading to the garden this week but may cancel that.  I saw the weather prediction for mid-week is 112 degrees.  So only barring weather concerns we will garden on Friday.  I will let the kids know on Thursday before they leave.  I/We are loving all of the parent participation and hope we can continue having you out there with us.

This week will conclude chapter 2 and after we review the 8 lessons we will take our test.  The cumulative exam is the one considered for Club 100.  Remember to go over addition and especially subtraction of integers because that is the one lesson that stumps kids.  Order of Operations as well is great practice for this exam.

Some of you will see that your child has a missing test for chapter 2 science.  Last week 8 kids did not put their name on their scan tron form.  There is only bubble answers so it is impossible to figure out which 8 out of 65 kids wrote on those forms.  If your child is missing that grade, have them see me.  Maybe they will recognize their scan tron, if not, they will have to re-take the test.  Remember that their score will drop one letter grade for not having put their name on it.

Dr. Dixon will be teaching a fantastic after school class.  Cow Eyeball dissection.  YES!  She taught this class two years ago when we taught her son.  This class is open to all of our students unless the class fills up.  If there is a waiting list to take the class, then the following factors will take affect:  Students who are not behavior issues, students who have no missing assignments, and finally if needed, the highest ranking science students between the two classes.  Next week's announcement will give more details.  Keep these factors in mind when discussing this class with your child.

Every day the kids should be tracking the weather of a location outside of California.  Any location of their choice.  They have a weather tracker to keep their data on.  Remember to keep having them watch the weather report a few times a week to make the current chapters more understandable.

Enjoy the week!

Wow, parents......YOU ROCK!  I thought we might have about 4-5 kids interested in the AMC, math club.  22 Kids signed up to participate.  Well, that is a lot and we need to see who is really interested.  All 22 kids can come to the first practice session Wednesday, the 22nd, from 3:15-4:30.  At 4:30 parents should meet in room B-1.  This will be a time for Mr. Dinu to talk with you and discuss what the next few weeks will look like and what is expected of the kids.  Bring your questions, Wednesday.  The meeting is scheduled from 4:30-5:00.

We just finished chapter 2 science this week and just like we wanted, the test scores improved from chapter 1.....YEAH!  Keep on studying and remember that the information from previous chapters needs to be retained as we progress through the textbook.

Monday begins, chapter 3.  Chapter 3 and 4 are about weather patterns and extreme weather.  Please have your child start watching the weather portion of a news cast once per day during the entire time we are studying these chapters.  I have found that kids who consistenly watch this segment, have a better understanding of the terminology because they are seeing the actual, real world circumstance.  Since the weather is so stagnant in California, make sure they take notice of any storms or extreme weather happening in other parts of the country.

We are half-way through our math chapter, chapter 2.  The kids are doing great except in one area.  Subtraction of integers.  Kids really struggle at the sixth grade level with the concept of subtracting a negative.  The fact that the answer is positive, does not make logical sense to them.  I have presented three examples of how to solve these problems.  I encourage you to give you kids a lot of extra practice on these throughout the month of October.

Progress reports went out last week for any students who are earning a grade below a C.  This is to notify you if your child is in jeopardy of failing.  If you are reading this announcement, you are probably also monitoring your child's grades on the parent portal.  if you are not checking your child's grades regularly, now is a good time to start.  We are approaching the end of quarter 1. 

As we move into quarter 2, the late passes in my classes will now be docked two letter grades.  It is truly in the quarter that kids figure out how to complete assignments and how to get them turned in on time.  I do not accept late passes second semester.  Mrs. Fuentes uses a different time-line, so please make note of the fact that my late pass acceptance period ends in December.

Can you believe almost two months of school have gone by?

Great News!  One of our super parents, Mr. Dinu has presented me with a great math opportunity for our students.  Mr. Dinu is willing to work with and coach a team of 10 students or fewer in the American Mathematics Competition.

Mr. Dinu has written a letter to each of you and attached an example of the type of questions asked in the AMC.  I will be sending this letter home on Monday, September 13th.

I am going to give the "math club" one day a week to work in my classroom at lunch to prepare for the competition.  Competition is RIGHT around the corner!

The competition is on November 16th, 2010.  The test will be given in my classroom at Cope.  No Saturdays, no extra time away from your families.  Other than what the kids want to study on their own, it's all done at school. 

Please send me an email to me if you are interested in having your child participate.  Mr. Dinu will do a brief parent meeting for those involved to start off the event.

I hope our kids shared the great news with you about our first math test.  33 Kids got an A, and 27 kids got a B.  5 kids got a C.  What a great first test! 

Congratulations to our 1st Club 100 kids!!!!  ALEXANDER, NICOLE AND JERRY!  Way to Go!

Our next test is this week, chapter 2 science.  Both classes need to pick up their science test scores from chapter 1.  Here is your chance.  Make sure you re-read chapter 2 and study those vocabulary words carefully. 

We will finish our chapter 2 artwork this week. 

Parents who would like to come and help us garden please feel free!  WE loved having our first 5 out there with us two Weeks ago.  We will be in the garden the last two periods on Friday, the 17th.  Periods 3 and 4, 5th and 6th hour.

This will be a fast and busy week.  On Monday, we will finish our Visible Spectrum of Light Paintings. (Hopefully they will be done and up by Open House)  Tuesday the 31st is a minimum day.  School ends at 12:40.  Open House is Tuesday evening starting at 6:30.  You will start in the MPR for a general PTSA meeting and then go to your child's 3rd period teacher.  After the 3rd period teacher presents, you will switch classrooms to your child's 4th period teacher.  If you can not attend Open House, make sure you ask your child for any handouts.

We just took our first test in science on Friday.  Unfortunately no students qualified for Club 100.  Club 100 will be discussed at Open House.  Chapter tests are not returned to students.  If you wish to see your child's test, you must request it via email.  I will send it home in an envelope.  Please return the test and answer document within 7 days.

This week we will be finishing our last two math lessons, 1.10 and 1.11.  We will review for two days and take the test on Friday and Tuesday of next week.

Our class is getting closer to scheduling time to go and work in the Cope garden.  If any parents are interested in participating in our classroom garden, let me know by October 1.

Have a great week!

Our first test is fast approaching in science class.  We will be taking a test this Friday on Chapter 1.  Go back and re-read the chapter and review all vocabulary terms and meanings.

Hello and Welcome!

It was great to meet so many of you tonight.  I absolutely have not doubt this will be a fantastic year.  The kids were so polite and enthusiastic about coming to middle school.  I want to continue that enthusiasm throughout the year and hopefully throughout all three grades at Cope.

Mrs. Fuentes and myself are asking each family for a donation towards our classrooms.  It would be wonderful if each family could donate two boxes of kleenex and two packages of sanitizing wipes.  One of each item will go to your child's classroom.  An added request is for graph paper.  We use graph paper for our note-taking and homework in math class and the school budget does not allow for me to purchase enough.  If each family would buy one package, that would last us the entire year.  Any size quadrels will work. 

Thank you in advance for all you do to make my job easier.

Mrs. Andreasen

Parents, we will be out working in the garden this Friday.  Please come and join us.  We will be going out periods 3 and 4.  Please ask your child which class they are in so you come at the right time.  It looks fantastic out there.

The first chapter test for semester 2 brings new members into club 100.  Keep it up.  Club 100 is an exclusive group of students who earn 100% on a chapter math or science test.  A prize will be awarded to members of this group in June.

Not sure of the day, but this week.  Be prepared for Thursday!

The chapter 8 science test will be this Friday.  I announced that it would be Thursday but we need one more day for review.

Let's remember that it will rain all week and we have to stay focused on our studies.

Hope you found the humor in the title.  We finished a chapter in both math and science and start anew today.  We are beginning the mapping chapter, chapter 5 with a HUGE suprise at the end of the week!  In math we are starting the "fractions" chapter.  Yippie!!!!!  This should be an easy and fun week.  These lessons in both subjects give each of you a HUGE chance to spike your grades up if you need a boost and nail in a high grade if you already have them. 

Next week we will be grading Ready to Go On Chapter 3..., Standards Assessment Chapter 4, and Weather Projects.  We will be finishing the Weather Tracker.  We will be starting the Study Guides for Chapter 4 and Extra Practice for Chapter 3.  We will be completing the Homework and Practice Workbooks for Chapter 3.  After all of this work we will take the common assessment for science chapters 3 and 4.  We will also be taking the chapter test for math, chapter 3 and science chapter 4.

Continue to work on your weather projects.  They are due on Monday.

Weather Projects Due late in the week
Chapter 4 Science Test
Chapter 3 Math Test
Chapter 3 and 4 Common assessment Science
Twister The Movie

Wow, we are having such a great year.  It is really flying by, one quarter down, three to go.  So what's left for October?  We just finished chapter 4 in science and we are counting down chapter 3 in math.  During the next two weeks we will review both of these lessons and take the chapter tests and common assessment.  I have a FANTASTIC prize for those of you who make club 100 this year.  Make every effort to get your name on that board.  We will be showing the movie Twister on Friday, October 30th.  Anyone missing an assignment will be in another classroom working on those missing assignments.  Do make them up now!  Don't wait until movie day to make them up.  When we have a movie day you can bring snacks and a pillow.  Drinks need to have a cap.  Keep up the good work!

Hi guys!  I got called away during school yesterday to pick up Patrick because he was sick at school.  The doctor says he has to stay out of school the rest of the week.  So, you will continue to study for the upcoming science test.  The test may get postponed to Monday depending on how much of the review you complete with the substitute on Wednesday and Thursday. 

If you are bringing in more cotton balls for the cloud activity, please just leave them on the counter by the sink. 

Make sure you have great behavior for the sub and keep the room clean. 

Speaking of clean, are your backpacks and notebooks cleaned out?  Huh?

Email me or catch me on the blog if you have any questions

Quarter 1 ends on Friday.  There is a test in science on chapter 2 on Friday as well.  There will not be a common assessment on chapter 3 until we finish chapter 4.  This week we will review for the test and work on artwork for the chapter.  Extra credit for the chapter is easy and due on Friday...... why not get a few extra points?

This week we will be reviewing for our next chapter test.  Chapter 2 in math covers integers and algebraic operations.  Make sure you review the rules for adding/subtracting and multiplying/dividing.  Be prepared to locate points on a graph and what quadrant they reside in. 

We will have a district common assessment along with our chapter test.

Friday will be an art activity day for science.  Please bring 5 cotton balls if you have them at home.

This was a great week for us.  Science common assessments were fantastic.  Overall results for both classes were:  22 A's, 29 B's, 4 C's, 5 D's and 1 F.  Let's hope those bottom six students can pull those grades up on the second common assessment so we can have 100% passing results.

We finished our chapter 2 in math today.  Next week will begin with a chapter review and then a chapter test late in the week.

My next blog post will be next week.  Grades will be entered tonight for the work completed this week.  The district is shutting the website down from 10 p.m. tonight until 4 a.m. Saturday.

Don't forget to keep working on your weather trackers over the weekend.

Continue working on your Weather Tracker for the weekend.  Remember the Chapter 1/2 Common Assessment for science and Chapter 2 Science tests have been postponed one day.  Both tests will be on Tuesday, September 22.

Please donate a ream of graph paper to our class for math.  On Friday we will be playing a math game and EVERYONE will need a basic calculator to play the game.

Because of the math and science tests, there is NO homework for Wednesday night!  ENJOY!

Chapter 1 Test tomorrow in Math and Science