Test Alert

Hey Room 21 families--

We have a unit test tomorrow on fraction concepts. The unit we're wrapping up had to do with:

• Fractions as division problems
• Changing fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions
• Changing mixed numbers into improper fractions and improper fractions into mixed numbers
• Changing decimals into fractions in simplest form
• Using number lines to help solve story problems.

We are doing a review today, revisiting all the concepts and doing a selection of sample problems in class. Students will bring home a sheet of problems to help review tonight. I have every confidence they'll be ready to attack the test in the morning.

Have a great day!

Science and Dalasta's Students

This week, the sixth grade began our third rotation in the afternoon class cycle. My class will be taking Interactive Read-Aloud with Ms. Stenfjord for the next few weeks. Mr. Dalasta's class will be in my science class for that same period of time. Welcome, Mr. Dalasta's students! It was nice to get to know you a bit better today. Below, I'm posting the same information I posted for my class when we began this unit.

For the next week, Mr. Dalasta's students will be bringing home a small additional piece of homework: they will be tracking the phases of the moon. Each night for the next week, they'll need to step outside and spot the moon. They will use their Moon Journal to shade in the moon to match how it looks in the sky.

I really want students to go out and use their eyes to find this information each night. Given that this is the Pacific Northwest and we get clouds from time to time, it might not always be possible for students to witness the moon first-hand. On evenings when they can't see it, here's a website they can use to see exactly what phase the moon is in on any given day. Again, this is a back-up and shouldn't be used unless they can't see the moon.

Happy Thanksgiving

Hey Room 21 Families,

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are all preparing to enjoy the upcoming holiday and the four-day weekend that comes with it.

One thing I know I am thankful for this year is the involvement of all of you in your students' academic lives. From the families who've signed up to chaperone to help with copies to parents who were so on the ball that the Halloween party went off without a hitch when I wasn't even here, I am truly grateful for all your volunteer efforts. I'm thankful, as well, for the emphasis on academics that I know you all place in your families. Room 21 kids come in ready to work and wanting to achieve and I know they get that from good families. So thank you.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to give a couple of reminders:

• Orders for the cookie dough sale are due on November 28th. Remember,  a portion of the money your student raises goes to offset the cost of the year-end trip to Camp Orkila, so the more they sell, the less they have to pay.
• Students are working on short stories. They will be choosing one of the two short stories they've written to turn in for their assessment. Some of them may need to spend some time on Google Docs over the weekend revising and copy-editing the first of the two stories. If they're going with the second short story, they might already have it completed. If you have a moment, ask them about it.
• Our class was the top Reading intermediate class in this year's Read-a-thon, which means our students get to select a free book from the PTA's book collection. Congrats to our fantastic readers!

Wishing you all a happy holiday weekend, 

Joe Wack

Broadening Reading Horizons

Room 21 students are about to broaden their reading horizons. As of today, our independent reading homework has changed slightly. Students will still be reading independently for 30 minutes per night, but they will also be required to read at least two books per month outside of the fiction genre.

That means they must choose two books per month from:

• non-fiction 
• poetry
• drama
• folktales

For these books, they will be completing a quick book report. The two reports must be handed in by the end of each month, but students can give them to me any time they finish one.

If you think of it, take a moment once or twice a week to check in with what your student is reading; asking them to tell you about the book is a good way to get them thinking about what they're reading.

Thanks!

Test Alert!

Hey Room 21 Families!

Our current math unit was not a long one, so we are already at our next unit test. Room 21 students will be testing tomorrow for this unit on Solving Equations.

Students should be aware of how to:

• use inverse operations to isolate the variable
• solve one-step addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems
• use drawings to write an equation from a story problem.

The test I'm giving is not an on-line test, so I'll be grading them by hand. Because of this, students will not know their scores until Thursday. 

If possible, help your student out by making sure they get a little extra sleep tonight.

Thanks!