FYI: Winter Break Homework

Room 21 families: Winter Break is almost here! As it is a busy time for most of us, I do not plan to burden our students with a giant mound of homework. They will, however, have a few assignments to keep their brains active while they are not in class. So you know what to look for, the break homework will consist of:

• A four-page math sheet reviewing recent fraction/decimal topics;
• Daily reading assignment of forty minutes;
• One three-paragraph writing assignment in which students will detail their best/worst moment of the school year so far;
• An extra-credit for which students can read and summarize a science story in the news over the next few weeks.

Hope you all enjoy extra time with your students and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Test Alert

Well that was quick. We are already at the end of Unit 7 in our EnVision books. There will be a unit test on Monday. We'll be taking time on Friday to review the concepts from the unit:

• Adding/subtracting fractions with like denominators;
• Least Common Multiple;
• Adding/subtracting fractions with unlike denominators;
• Estimating fraction sums/differences;
• Adding/subtracting mixed numbers.

This will lead into the unit we'll launch after winter break: multiplying fractions and mixed numbers. 

Cookie Dough Notice

Room 21 Families:

We have been informed that the cookie dough will be delivered next Thursday, 12/15. If your student has sold a lot of cookie dough, please make arrangements to help them get it home. We've been informed, further, that big boxes are not permitted on the bus, so if your student has a large amount of dough coming home, they will not be able to bring it on the bus. Happy doughing!

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!