Assessments - Mequon-Thiensville School District This quarter we will finish up our study of biology by learning about cell parts and functions. During this period of the unit, students

Important Dates

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Grade-Level Breakouts

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Academic Newsletter Quarter 3

2015-2016 School Year

From the Principal - Kate Dunning As we enter the second semester of the 2015-2016 school year, we look forward to scheduling for next year’s classes, spring sports, the book fair, and the promotion ceremony. Students and teachers remain hard at work in the classroom. We have seen phenomenal growth by many students in reading and math since the beginning of the year thanks to the effort and attitude of the students, teachers and interventionists. The positive messaging from home regarding continuous improvement and taking advantage of the available

resources helps all of our students excel and reach important milestones. I invite you to read through this newsletter to learn what your children will be doing in the third quarter. Thank you to all parents for your cooperation as we work to ensure each child receives a high quality education.

Assessments

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Academic Newsletter

Quarter 3 2015-2016 School Year

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Aliquam

Important Upcoming January 22 End of Quarter January 28 Orchestra Pasta Dinner 5:00pm – 7:00pm January 29 Report cards sent February 1 Girls/Boys Volleyball begins February 4 *Related Arts/World Language Parent/Student Information Night (current 6th grade) 5:15pm - Gym

*AVID Parent/Student Information Night (for current 6th and 7th invitees) 6:15pm - Cafeteria

February 9 6th Grade Registration (during school) February 10 7th Grade Registration (during school) February 12 No school for students March 3 Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:15pm-8:15pm March 10 Parent-Teacher Conferences - 8:00am-8:00pm March 8-10 PTO Book Fair March 24 End of Quarter 3

Academic Accolades

1st Quarter 6th Grade - Willy Doerr, Meredith Griffith Topps, Katie O'Hagan, Aniyah Williams, Tyler Miller 7th Grade - Arin Hirsch, Anton Gurevich, Abby Gan, Zach Duckler, Adam Hurvitz 8th Grade - Ben Kittleson, Lilly Schneider, Megan Gorlinski, Natan Botshtein, Katie Shirley PE - Sheldon Dumas, Sophia Waise, Peter Airapetyan Art - Madison Suarez Del Real FACS- Stella Speich, Caroline Weir, Caleb Oberndorfer Spanish - Isabel Bonfiglio Latin - Lauren Curtis Band - Emily Grant Choir - Dylan Bradley, Rohan Kaushal Orchestra - Elizabeth Castroverde Guidance - Eleanor Potter

Student Rock Stars - These students, nominated by their teachers, consistently exhibit the 3 R’s - Respect, Responsible, Ready to Learn

2nd Quarter 6th Grade - Jack Smallwood, Jack Wojnowski, Tyler Kittleson, Grace Edwards, Courtney Anderson 7th Grade - Ashley Zaiss, Maanya Shetty, Daniel Shveyster, Ellie Doerr, Elan Levin 8th Grade - Jessie Lappin, Ellie Bakalinsky, Lauren Hagerty, Casey Mortl PE - Maggie Sehnert, Benji Lookatch, Ben Kittleson Art - Maeve James, Ari Halaska, Max Krueger FACS - Zach Miller, Bella Huycke, Armando Suarez Del Real Spanish - Parus Tunio Latin - Tori Brandenburg French - Garrett Murray Band - Sarah Buchan Choir - Catherine Seiberlich Orchestra - Drew Baranko IMC - Olivia Salazar-Kaufmann

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6th Grade This section provides a summary of important curricular information for

6th grade students during 3rd quarter.

Grade-Level Breakouts

English Language Arts (ELA): During the third quarter, students will read a Historical Fiction book and create a historical news program based on the events in their novel. Students will be completing their first major creative writing piece based on a picture and a tagline. Third quarter work will also include grammar lessons, a theme unit with read alouds and a culminating socratic seminar, and a nonfiction unit focusing on argumentative articles and writing. Math: In the third quarter, students will be diving into the world of rational numbers in one dimensional and two dimensional planes. After, we will be discussing independent and dependent values in order to analyze equations with two variables from real-life contexts. Double Accelerated Math: We will complete our Module on Rational Numbers where students learn to complete the four operations using positive and negative integers. Next, students transition to the Algebraic Expressions and Equations Module which opens with students creating equivalent expressions using the properties of operations studied in our second module. We then begin solving multi-step equations and inequalities. This unit ends with students applying their knowledge about equations and inequalities to solve geometry problems. Science: To start off the third quarter, we will start a new unit, Catastrophic Events. We will be studying earthquakes, followed up volcanoes. During this unit, students will participate in Philosophical Chairs, which requires them to debate a court case around a scientific study. Students will also work with and create different models that are used for studying and monitoring catastrophic events. Throughout the quarter, students will conduct lab experiments to better understand the science concepts being studied.

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Financial Literacy

Family and Consumer Science

The third rotation of FACS is underway and this group has finished a unit on goal-setting and role models. They are starting a short babysitting unit next before tackling safety in the kitchen. This group will enjoy a special privilege: tastings of special family recipes are being provided by three different students starting next week!

New rotations will start January 4 and run through February 23. Subjects learned: Consumer Responsibility, Careers, Budgeting, Credit/Credit Score, Banking, Insurance and Investing. We will have a Junior Achievement volunteer in the classroom to enhance topics through the Economics for Success Curriculum.

English Language Arts (ELA): Students will write an argumentative essay on Queen Elizabeth I. They will draw conclusions about character traits based on a biographical piece and videos. Students will focus on organization of paragraphs, sentence fluency, plagiarism and in-text citations. Students will continue working on grammar and building vocabulary.


Math: Students build on their understanding of rational numbers to add, subtract, multiply, and divide signed numbers. Previous work in computing the sums, differences, products, and quotients of fractions serves as a significant foundation. Social Studies: This quarter, students will continue to explore westward expansion. They will learn about the Lewis and Clark expedition, the reasons and dangers of western migration and technological advances and impacts of it. They will continue working on their essential skills including: taking Cornell notes, analyzing and annotating documents, maps, photographs, videos and political cartoons. Science: This quarter we will finish up our study of biology by learning about cell parts and functions. During this period of the unit, students will have choice between some pretty creative projects such as “edible cells” and building an “enlarged cell” that our class will fit inside of! After our biology unit is finished, we will be heading into space.

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The 7th grade Latin students are moving right along! They are fully immersed in learning about Caecilius, our citizen of Pompeii and how he spends his daily life. Along with this are more difficult grammar concepts and more vocabulary. On the side the have finished learning the body parts and will soon begin mythology!

Latin After having just completed our extensive unit of study on “gustar”, talking about our likes and dislikes, the 7th grade Spanish class will be learning adjectives and how to describe their own characteristics and the characteristics of others. With this unit, they will do some exciting assignments and projects in which they can creatively describe themselves!

Spanish

Family and Consumer Science This class just finished a cookie unit and is starting an exciting new unit called “The Lakeshore Cupcake Competition.” It is patterned after Iron Chef from the television show. Students will alter the flavor and appearance of the same basic cupcake and present to a panel of judges. Assessment will include flavor, texture, creativity, appearance and teamwork.

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8th grade students during 3rd quarter.

English Language Arts (ELA): In ELA this quarter, students begin their historical perspective unit. They will look at groups of people who have been marginalized in the past and present in particular the Jewish people of the holocaust. Students will have the opportunity to read novels revolving around this time period and work in literature circles to analyze the text. The unit will end with students completing short videos in which they research different marginalized groups. Math: Foundations for Algebra: At the beginning of third quarter the students will begin working on Module 4 which focuses on Linear Equations. Students will work towards being experts at writing, solving and graphing linear equations. We will be sure to take this module slowly, as it is crucial for success next year in Algebra. Honors Algebra: After the midterm exam, we will begin working on solving systems of two and three equations and starting a unit on probability and statistics. Honors Geometry: After the midterm, students will begin to investigate similarity and proportion properties in triangles. Then, they will be learning about the special properties of right triangles and trigonometry. Social Studies: We are finishing our East/Southeast/South Asia Unit. We will be completing our current events section of this unit. Next we will travel to Southwest Asia. We will begin studying the physical geography and how this affects the way people live. Science: We finished the Human Body Unit with the dissection of a deer heart. In third quarter, we will start our Chemistry Unit focusing on the properties of matter and the phases of matter through hands on activities and lots of labs.

Students are presenting their international reports on a chosen country, covering geography, climate, agriculture, culture, food, recipes and an interesting or unusual fact. These presentations are sprinkled between parts of a unit on pies and pie crust, leading to some tasty sampling and demanding more advanced cooking skills.

Family and Consumer Science

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8th grade Spanish has just finished a unit on discussing leisure activities and sports. They will now begin a fun unit including family vocabulary. During this unit, they will learn how to describe and discuss their families. They will also do a creative family tree project!

Spanish The 8th grade Latin students have fully acclimated to life in Roman Britain after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius uprooted us from Pompeii. They have begun learning the unique history and culture that Roman Britain holds, along with increasing difficulty in grammar. 3rd Quarter will feature “Greek Week,” a week dedicated to learning the basics of the Greek language, Greek derivatives, and watching The Odyssey, a major Greek epic.

Latin

Department Breakouts All Grades

Physical Education: In all grade levels we will be finishing our pickleball unit. Continuing on with our study of racquet sports, we will begin badminton. Sportsmanship will be our main discussion topic when we are going over rules and starting play. Music - Band, Chorus, Orchestra: Students in band, orchestra and chorus are preparing for their next performance opportunities. These dates are: 1/28: Orchestra Parents Pasta Dinner 2/24: Orchestra District Festival 2/29: District Band Collage Concert 3/14: Choral Collage Concert If your child is interested in participating in Solo & Ensemble, which will be held on 3/19 at Brown Deer High School, please contact your child’s teacher. Literacy/Math Specialists: At the end of the semester, students will participate in a two-week block of reading enrichment time during PIE. They will read a book and engage in various activities to deepen their understanding of the readings. After the two-week block, students will return to regular PIE rotations including reading and math intervention and enrichment. Math Club will be meeting Fridays in the IMC after school until 4:30pm. MathCounts competitions will start towards the end of January and the State Competition will be held in March. School Psychology/School Social Work: The pupil service staff is focused on the idea of self-care for students, students’ families, and staff. Self-care is about being deliberate in taking time for yourself for the betterment of your mind, body, and soul. Self-care is not about being selfish. Wellness: Students finished talking about the 7 Dimensions of Wellness and will begin a group discussion on self esteem. Ahead this quarter we will talk about nutrition and watch the video “SuperSize Me”.

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Counseling Office: It’s hard to believe we are nearly halfway through the school year! Students recently completed MAP testing in the areas of math and reading and handled it very well. In 8th grade students are busy preparing to register for their high school classes. Registration will be the morning of Thursday, January 28th. 7th graders will be registering for Naviance (a Homestead program they will use throughout their high school careers) and taking an interest inventory. Sixth graders will be thinking about traits that make them “who are they are.” Also, they’ll be doing a Junior Achievement lesson on “Brands” and what that means. IMC: Both 6th and 7th grades have completed their Digital Citizenship units. During the month of February, the 8th grade will begin working on five lessons from Common Sense Media: My Online Code; Who Are You Online?; Breaking Down Hate Speech; Private Today, Public Tomorrow; and Rights, Remixes, and Respect. Each lesson focuses on a different theme varying from cyberbullying, copyright laws, being a good digital citizen, respecting the privacy of others, and doing the right thing online. Family resources will be sent home with each lesson providing information about each topic.

During 3rd quarter, 7th and 8th grade AVID Elective students will begin exploring the idea of college and career through various research projects. School counselors will partner with AVID classes to support research efforts and offer a variety of

college/career research tools. This project provides self-reflection and self-discovery for our young adults as they begin to conceptualize the idea of college and other post-secondary opportunities that lie ahead. Applicable to eight graders, they will begin researching the immense array of coursework and extracurricular opportunities available at Homestead High School in order to make informed choices and create long-term plans. We are family! Cornell notes are a research-based, rigorous form of note-taking created in 1949 by Dr. Walter Pauk, a professor at Cornell University. Cornell notes serve as a fundamental strategy within the AVID Elective class and provide a systematic way for students to take notes and process learning through multiple interactions. This type of focused note-taking system holds students accountable for their own learning in all content classes and creates a unique structure to retain information learned at a much higher level than without the Cornell Way tool. Invite your AVID scholar to share his/her Cornell notes with you!

Special Education

AVID

MTSD special education families are encouraged to visit the following google site managed by Special Education Coordinator Michael Mooren. https://sites.google.com/a/mtsd.k12.wi.us/advocacy-for-all-mtsd/home

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Gifted & Talented There will be a Growth Mindset Parent Meeting on February 22, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. at Range Line School in the Conference Room. This meeting will be presented by the MTSD Gifted and Talented Coordinators. The focus of the meeting will be on gifted and high achieving students, however the information may be useful to any parents who are interested. (Directions to the Range Line Conference Room: Please enter the building via the south door adjacent

to the parking lot. Proceed straight down the hall to the Conference Room.)

Assessments

Winter MAP Assessment Middle school students will complete the winter administration of the Northwestern Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress Assessment (NWEA MAP) by January 22. During the winter, students complete the assessment in the areas of reading and math. Student progress reports will be mailed to parents in February. The scores from the MAP assessments are used, along with other data, to monitor a child’s growth over the course of the school year, as well as measure growth from year to year. MAP scores help teachers determine the skills and concepts a student is ready to learn. ACT Aspire Assessment During the week of October 26, 2015, eighth grade students completed the ACT Aspire assessment. Student reports are expected to be delivered to the district in the next few weeks and will be mailed to parents by February. The purpose of the ACT Aspire assessment is to measure student growth toward college and career readiness in the areas of English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. The results of this assessment help identify learning gaps, which will allow teachers to determine target areas for support and focused improvement to prepare all students for college and career opportunities. Wisconsin State Assessments In April and May, students in grades 3 through 8 will be completing the Wisconsin Forward Exam. The Forward Exam is the state assessment that will measure student performance in the areas of English language arts and mathematics. In addition, students in grades 4 and 8 will also complete the science and social studies components of the Forward Exam. The Forward Exam is a new assessment for the 2015-2016 school year and replaces the Badger Exam that was administered in the 2014-2015 school year and the WKCE in previous years. More information will be available in February.

Next Newsletter: Lake Shore families can expect to receive the next academic-based newsletter in March, as 4th quarter approaches. Please contact the school office with questions or concerns.

Assessments - Mequon-Thiensville School District This quarter we will finish up our study of biology by learning about cell parts and functions. During this period of the unit, students

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