This coming week will be a short one. Wednesday, we start our Thanksgiving holiday. I hope you all have a wonderful long weekend filled with family, friends, and food. November is passing quickly and we are already three weeks into the second quarter. Many students are doing an outstanding job and are working hard in all areas. Those who have missed assignments will continue to have an opportunity to earn 90% credit by getting an ASC slip signed by a parent and turning the work in the following day. Students who habitually do not turn in work and who also do not bring in the signed ASC note will be assigned to Saturday school. This is not meant to be a punishment, but is a second chance to make up the work. Failure in sixth grade is not an option.
This Tuesday is our first Otter Awards Assembly. All students who earned a grade point average of 3.0 or above will be recognized. Family and friends are welcome to attend, so please join us if you can. The assembly will be held in the library from 1:15 to about 2:00.
The students will have their first Otter auction during sixth period, immediately following the awards ceremony. We still could use any donated items of "fabulous prizes". If you have anything that you think an 11/12 year old might like, we would love to auction it off. The auctions will be held quarterly so you can send in donations anytime. Thank you to the parents who have already contributed to our upcoming auction.
As far as academics go, we have been very busy in both math and social studies. In math we are working on fraction operations. So far we have studied addition and subtraction of simple fractions and mixed numbers. We are also working on a project involving the application of fraction equivalency concepts. This type of hands-on cooperative problem solving gives students an opportunity to demonstrate understanding by using concepts that they have already learned. The project will be counted in the same category as quizzes and tests as it is an alternative means of assessment.
In social studies we are finishing up our study of Ancient Israel. The students have enjoyed studying this civilization. Many have a great background knowledge of the history of these tenacious people. If anyone has firsthand knowledge of Jewish traditions and/or holidays, such as Hannukah and Passover, the class would love to have you come and share. Please let me know if you are interested. Our next unit will be Ancient Egypt. This is our big unit this year and will culminate with our annual trip to the Rosicrucian Museum and Egypt Night in January. Students will learn how to do a research project in English class with Mrs. Lescroart. They will conduct research and write a report on a topic related to Egypt. The report will be done entirely at school. Students will also be required to make a project related to their topic. The project will be completed at home.
December will fly by with only three weeks before our winter holiday. It is our tradition to have an exciting and fun Otter activity on the last day of school before the vacation. We will need lots of parent help at various times throughout the day, so if you are available, please mark your calendar. We will send home more information about this activity soon.
Thank you to all of you who have supported our class in various ways. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Shimamoto
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