The Otters will hold their final awards assembly on the last day of school, Friday, June 10, at 10 am in the library. Please join us if you can.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
6th Grade Olympic Day
The link to our wikispace page is up and running. Please click on OLYMPIC DAY to sign up to volunteer or to make a donation.
Thanks in advance for your support. We couldn't possibly do it without you!
Thanks in advance for your support. We couldn't possibly do it without you!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Three More Weeks
Dear Otter Families,
Can you believe we only have three more weeks of school? It seems like this past month has just flown by. Thanks to all of you who were able to attend our third quarter awards assembly on Friday. As usual we had a great turn-out and it is not surprising to see that our Otters are so well supported.
With just three short weeks left, we will have to work extra hard to finish all that we have left to do. In social studies, we are now finishing our unit on Ancient Greece. The focus of this unit has been the contributions of the Greeks to Western civilization and modern democracy. Our last unit will be Ancient Rome. In support of our study of Greece and Rome, the kids have been learning about mythology in Mrs. Lescroart's class.
In celebration of our study of Ancient Greece, our culminating activity will be our annual 6th grade Greek Olympic Day on Thursday, June 9. The activity will run all morning. We will need LOTS of adult help as well as donations. If you are available to help, please mark your calendar. We appreciate your willingness to volunteer as we certainly could not do it without all of you. A flyer with more information will be sent home with your child this week.
In math, we are working on our last unit, statistics and data analysis. The students will take a chapter test later this week and then we will take the final district-wide benchmark exam. If time allows, I hope to close the year with a fun math activity. These next three weeks will zoom by!
My second period cooking class is the best group of chefs that I have ever had. They are cooperative with one another and are extremely focused on the task at hand. Last week the kids made blueberry crumb muffins. Those who measured carefully were rewarded with delicious results. Our class has also been meeting weekly with our buddy class. It is heart-warming to see my kids working together with their buddies from Mrs. Hughes' class. They have shown kindness, patience, and compassion. I think this has been a growing experience for all concerned. On Monday, we will partner to make another batch of snickerdoodles.
The last two days of school will be minimum days with early dismissal at about 12:30. Our final Otter Awards assembly will be held on the last day at 10:00. Please join us if you can.
I have enjoyed visiting with you via my blog this year. I often wonder who reads it. If you have been a regular follower of the blog, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.
As always, thanks for all you do to support your child and our team.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Can you believe we only have three more weeks of school? It seems like this past month has just flown by. Thanks to all of you who were able to attend our third quarter awards assembly on Friday. As usual we had a great turn-out and it is not surprising to see that our Otters are so well supported.
With just three short weeks left, we will have to work extra hard to finish all that we have left to do. In social studies, we are now finishing our unit on Ancient Greece. The focus of this unit has been the contributions of the Greeks to Western civilization and modern democracy. Our last unit will be Ancient Rome. In support of our study of Greece and Rome, the kids have been learning about mythology in Mrs. Lescroart's class.
In celebration of our study of Ancient Greece, our culminating activity will be our annual 6th grade Greek Olympic Day on Thursday, June 9. The activity will run all morning. We will need LOTS of adult help as well as donations. If you are available to help, please mark your calendar. We appreciate your willingness to volunteer as we certainly could not do it without all of you. A flyer with more information will be sent home with your child this week.
In math, we are working on our last unit, statistics and data analysis. The students will take a chapter test later this week and then we will take the final district-wide benchmark exam. If time allows, I hope to close the year with a fun math activity. These next three weeks will zoom by!
My second period cooking class is the best group of chefs that I have ever had. They are cooperative with one another and are extremely focused on the task at hand. Last week the kids made blueberry crumb muffins. Those who measured carefully were rewarded with delicious results. Our class has also been meeting weekly with our buddy class. It is heart-warming to see my kids working together with their buddies from Mrs. Hughes' class. They have shown kindness, patience, and compassion. I think this has been a growing experience for all concerned. On Monday, we will partner to make another batch of snickerdoodles.
The last two days of school will be minimum days with early dismissal at about 12:30. Our final Otter Awards assembly will be held on the last day at 10:00. Please join us if you can.
I have enjoyed visiting with you via my blog this year. I often wonder who reads it. If you have been a regular follower of the blog, please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from you.
As always, thanks for all you do to support your child and our team.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Monday, May 9, 2011
Yippee...We're Finished With Testing
Hello Otter Families,
I hope all of the Otter Moms had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Thanks for all you do to raise such terrific children.
We are so proud of our Otters for the effort and concentration that they put into this year's STAR testing last week. Results of the test will be sent to your home sometime in August. Tomorrow, we will return to an almost normal schedule. First period will be extended by a few minutes to accommodate the two remaining days of eighth grade testing. Today we spent a fun-filled homeroom period playing games and just having fun as a team.
Unfortunately, last week we had to cancel our sixth grade social due to a lack of volunteers. Thank you so much to the many Otter parents who signed up to help. Our last social event of the year will be our annual Olympic Day. This is an exciting event for the entire sixth grade and we will need lots of adult help to make it happen. Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 9, if you would like to volunteer.
Our third quarter academic awards assembly has finally been scheduled for Friday, May 20, during 3rd period in the library. Please join us if you can. The awards assembly will be followed by our Otter Auction, which will be held during 4th period. We'll finish up the day with our Art Vistas lesson and project on Greek and Roman architecture. We could use a few adult hands to help us with the hands-on project. If you can assist us, please sign up on our wikispace page.
With testing out of the way, we can now return to our regular mathematics and social studies curriculum. In math we are reviewing for the end-of-the unit test on geometry. The test will be on Thursday of this week. Students need to really focus on careful work as this is a TEST, which will not be revisable. Our final unit is on data analysis and statistics. In social studies, the kids will take the Chapter 7 test on Ancient Greece tomorrow. We still have one more chapter on Greece and then it is on to Rome to finish up the year.
My second period cooking class has been cooking up a storm. In addition to learning about culinary creativity and nutrition, the students have been mentoring peers from Mrs. Hughes' special day class. I am so proud of my students for the kindness and patience that they have shown to their buddies. Last week we met with our buddies twice; once to get acquainted and another time to bake some delicious chocolate chip cookies. All students are learning the importance of reading and following directions in the kitchen. Thanks a million to those of you who have made a monetary donation to our class. Your generosity will ensure that the kids will get a maximum number of cooking experiences this quarter.
Thanks for sending in Kleenex tissues. Our sneezy, drippy noses have really appreciated it! And more importantly, thank you for all you do to support your children and our team.
Only five more weeks...let's make each day count!
Until next week.
Mrs. Shimamoto
I hope all of the Otter Moms had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Thanks for all you do to raise such terrific children.
We are so proud of our Otters for the effort and concentration that they put into this year's STAR testing last week. Results of the test will be sent to your home sometime in August. Tomorrow, we will return to an almost normal schedule. First period will be extended by a few minutes to accommodate the two remaining days of eighth grade testing. Today we spent a fun-filled homeroom period playing games and just having fun as a team.
Unfortunately, last week we had to cancel our sixth grade social due to a lack of volunteers. Thank you so much to the many Otter parents who signed up to help. Our last social event of the year will be our annual Olympic Day. This is an exciting event for the entire sixth grade and we will need lots of adult help to make it happen. Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 9, if you would like to volunteer.
Our third quarter academic awards assembly has finally been scheduled for Friday, May 20, during 3rd period in the library. Please join us if you can. The awards assembly will be followed by our Otter Auction, which will be held during 4th period. We'll finish up the day with our Art Vistas lesson and project on Greek and Roman architecture. We could use a few adult hands to help us with the hands-on project. If you can assist us, please sign up on our wikispace page.
With testing out of the way, we can now return to our regular mathematics and social studies curriculum. In math we are reviewing for the end-of-the unit test on geometry. The test will be on Thursday of this week. Students need to really focus on careful work as this is a TEST, which will not be revisable. Our final unit is on data analysis and statistics. In social studies, the kids will take the Chapter 7 test on Ancient Greece tomorrow. We still have one more chapter on Greece and then it is on to Rome to finish up the year.
My second period cooking class has been cooking up a storm. In addition to learning about culinary creativity and nutrition, the students have been mentoring peers from Mrs. Hughes' special day class. I am so proud of my students for the kindness and patience that they have shown to their buddies. Last week we met with our buddies twice; once to get acquainted and another time to bake some delicious chocolate chip cookies. All students are learning the importance of reading and following directions in the kitchen. Thanks a million to those of you who have made a monetary donation to our class. Your generosity will ensure that the kids will get a maximum number of cooking experiences this quarter.
Thanks for sending in Kleenex tissues. Our sneezy, drippy noses have really appreciated it! And more importantly, thank you for all you do to support your children and our team.
Only five more weeks...let's make each day count!
Until next week.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Monday, May 2, 2011
STAR Testing This Week
Hello Otter Families,
Today was our first day of STAR testing, and the kids did great. Each one of them remained focused and gave his/her best effort. I was really proud of them. Testing continues for the next few day, with another day of language arts tomorrow, and mathematics on Wednesday and Thursday. Please remind your child to bring a water bottle and something to read when he/she is finished.
Our Cinco de Mayo sixth grade social is scheduled for this Friday. WE STILL NEED LOTS OF PARENT HELP!!! Please sign up on our wikispace page if you are able to volunteer. We really can't do it without you. Thanks in advance for supporting this much anticipated activity.
Friday, May 20 will be our next Art Vistas day during 5th and 6th periods. We could use some parent help with the hands-on project. The presentation will be right after lunch at about 1:00, and we will work on the project immediately following the presentation. If you are available to help, please sign up by clicking on this link.
Thank you so much for all you do to support your child and our team.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Today was our first day of STAR testing, and the kids did great. Each one of them remained focused and gave his/her best effort. I was really proud of them. Testing continues for the next few day, with another day of language arts tomorrow, and mathematics on Wednesday and Thursday. Please remind your child to bring a water bottle and something to read when he/she is finished.
Our Cinco de Mayo sixth grade social is scheduled for this Friday. WE STILL NEED LOTS OF PARENT HELP!!! Please sign up on our wikispace page if you are able to volunteer. We really can't do it without you. Thanks in advance for supporting this much anticipated activity.
Friday, May 20 will be our next Art Vistas day during 5th and 6th periods. We could use some parent help with the hands-on project. The presentation will be right after lunch at about 1:00, and we will work on the project immediately following the presentation. If you are available to help, please sign up by clicking on this link.
Thank you so much for all you do to support your child and our team.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Saturday, April 23, 2011
STAR Testing Begins May 2
Spring Break was a welcome respite for everyone. I hope you all had a relaxing week off and enjoyed time as a family. We have been back a week now and with STAR testing just around the corner, we have had to get right back to work. As you may have heard, Mrs. Lescroart had an unfortunate accident and broke her foot. She is wearing a brace and will be on crutches for the next several weeks. The kids have shown true compassion and have stepped up to help her in any way that they can. Their team spirit is truly appreciated.
With the third quarter complete, we will have our Quarter 3 Otter Awards Assembly sometime in early May. I will send home a notice and post the date on the blog as soon as Mrs. Lescroart and I can confirm a date.
STAR testing begins next Monday, May 2. At Dartmouth, the entire school will be on a modified block schedule for two weeks. Every morning your child will go to his/her homeroom and will begin the day with testing. For sixth graders, the first two days will be language arts and the next two days will be math. Seventh and eighth graders will have additional testing days, but we will be finished on Thursday of the first week. After testing, the kids will be on a block schedule, which means that on Monday, they will go to testing, then break, 1st period, then lunch, 2nd period, then another short break, and finally 3rd period. On Tuesday, they will begin the day with testing and then go to 4th, 5th and 6th periods. We will be on the modified schedule for a week and a half. We will continue to alternate periods 1,2,3 one day and 4,5,6 the next. Studies show that kids who are well rested and well fed are more successful. Please make sure that your child gets plenty of sleep and eats a good breakfast every morning. We will supply light snacks for all students. Please send a water bottle with your child each day, preferably a reusable one (they are more environmentally sound, go green!). I will award Otter Bucks to any student who remembers to bring in a water bottle.
Our sixth grade spring social will be held on Friday, May 6. We will need many volunteers to make this event happen. Your child will bring home a flyer this week. Please sign up on our wikispace (should be online sometime this week) if you can help. Thank you in advance for your support.
In math, we are now studying area, perimeter, and circumference. Next week we will begin volume of three dimensional prisms and cylinders. In social studies we are studying Ancient Greece. This unit is an exciting one, which reads like a great adventure story. I think the kids are really enjoying it. Later on, in language arts we will connect our study of Greece and Rome with a unit on mythology.
This quarter, I started a cooking class during the elective period. My undergraduate background is in home economics so teaching this class is a treat for me. As the kids know, I love everything about food and I am happy to share that joy with my students. They are a wonderful group and I am enjoying this class immensely.
With allergy season now in full swing, we are running through our kleenex supply like there is no tomorrow. If you would like to make a donation to our classroom, kleenex tissues would be tops on our list.
Thank you for supporting your child and our class.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Fourth Quarter Begins
Hello Otter Families,
Last week was an exciting one for the Otters. We went on a fantastic field trip on Tuesday and had a chance to hear the Symphony Silicon Valley and explore at the Tech Museum. Thanks to those of you who volunteered to chaperone and share the day with us. We couldn't have done it without you. The kids were impressively well behaved and they said that they had a really good time. I hope all of the adults did too. Thanks again!
Tomorrow is the first day of the fourth quarter of school. A few students from each Otter group will be switched to the other group starting tomorrow. We do this every quarter for a variety of reasons; it helps us to keep our groups balanced and gives students an opportunity to meet a larger group of their peers. Grades for the quarter will be turned in on Tuesday and report cards should be mailed home by the end of the week. Congratulations to the many students who have worked hard all quarter.
Open House will be held on Wednesday evening from 6:30-7:45 p.m. Classrooms will be open for you to see examples of what your child has been doing. It is a great time to touch base with us, but in this short time period, we will not be able to hold individual conferences. If you have any issues or concerns that you would like to discuss with us, please schedule an appointment. We would be happy to meet with you. Open House is also an opportunity to meet some of your child's peers and their families. The Union School District is interested in your input regarding your child's experience at Dartmouth. Please let us know what you think by participating in the online parent survey. You can also complete the survey in the computer lab at the Open House. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday evening.
In Social Studies, we are now working on a timeline project. The first part of the project is a personal timeline based on each student's own history. I have set aside time in class for the kids to work on their projects. The personal timeline will be due on Tuesday. Part two is a comparative timeline based on two civilizations of the student's choosing. The purpose of the project is to increase student awareness of the simultaneous existence of various civilizations. Part two will be not be due until students return from the Spring Break. The due date will be Tuesday, April 19, but I will give extra credit if the project is turned in by Friday, April 8.
In Math, we took the third quarter district-wide benchmark exam last Wednesday. We have since resumed our study of geometric concepts. We should finish Chapter 9 and end the week with a chapter test on Friday. Our next unit will continue with geometry, focusing on area and volume.
Next week is our week-long Spring Break. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing week off.
I am looking forward to seeing you at Open House on Wednesday evening.
Mrs. Shimamoto
Last week was an exciting one for the Otters. We went on a fantastic field trip on Tuesday and had a chance to hear the Symphony Silicon Valley and explore at the Tech Museum. Thanks to those of you who volunteered to chaperone and share the day with us. We couldn't have done it without you. The kids were impressively well behaved and they said that they had a really good time. I hope all of the adults did too. Thanks again!
Tomorrow is the first day of the fourth quarter of school. A few students from each Otter group will be switched to the other group starting tomorrow. We do this every quarter for a variety of reasons; it helps us to keep our groups balanced and gives students an opportunity to meet a larger group of their peers. Grades for the quarter will be turned in on Tuesday and report cards should be mailed home by the end of the week. Congratulations to the many students who have worked hard all quarter.
Open House will be held on Wednesday evening from 6:30-7:45 p.m. Classrooms will be open for you to see examples of what your child has been doing. It is a great time to touch base with us, but in this short time period, we will not be able to hold individual conferences. If you have any issues or concerns that you would like to discuss with us, please schedule an appointment. We would be happy to meet with you. Open House is also an opportunity to meet some of your child's peers and their families. The Union School District is interested in your input regarding your child's experience at Dartmouth. Please let us know what you think by participating in the online parent survey. You can also complete the survey in the computer lab at the Open House. We look forward to seeing you Wednesday evening.
In Social Studies, we are now working on a timeline project. The first part of the project is a personal timeline based on each student's own history. I have set aside time in class for the kids to work on their projects. The personal timeline will be due on Tuesday. Part two is a comparative timeline based on two civilizations of the student's choosing. The purpose of the project is to increase student awareness of the simultaneous existence of various civilizations. Part two will be not be due until students return from the Spring Break. The due date will be Tuesday, April 19, but I will give extra credit if the project is turned in by Friday, April 8.
In Math, we took the third quarter district-wide benchmark exam last Wednesday. We have since resumed our study of geometric concepts. We should finish Chapter 9 and end the week with a chapter test on Friday. Our next unit will continue with geometry, focusing on area and volume.
Next week is our week-long Spring Break. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing week off.
I am looking forward to seeing you at Open House on Wednesday evening.
Mrs. Shimamoto
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