January 12th, 2024
Dear Sixth Grade Parents,
We hope you and your family are staying warm on these cold winter days. We have many exciting things coming up this month, including Catholic Schools Week and a visit from the Accreditation Review Panel. We encourage our students to be checking Alma frequently, and communicating with their teachers about how to be successful in their classes. With the cold weather in mind, please send your child to school with a warm jacket, gloves, and hat. We will be having recess outside if it’s dry. Thanks for all of your at-home support!
Homeroom Updates:
Updates to Dress Code Policy: We are asking students to not wear Ugg slippers, as they have no heels, which can cause accidents. The same goes for crocs.
*Cold weather alert: please bring a warm jacket, gloves, and a beanie for recess. Thank you!
Open House: Open House will take place on January 28th, after the 10:30 Mass. We hope to see you there!
Catholic Schools Week: Catholic Schools week starts on Monday, January 22nd. We look forward to a fun week of community building, including the infamous staff vs. 8th grade volleyball game. We expect some stiff competition this year!
Curriculum Updates:
Math (Mrs. H):
Monday: *No school – MLK Day
Tuesday: *Review (Day 3)
Wednesday: *Ch. 6 Test: Percents
Thursday: *7.1 The Distributive Property
Friday: *TBD
Math (Mrs. C): We are finished with Chapter 5 and going to spend next week reviewing for the Chapter 5 test. I plan to give the test on Thursday, January 18th.
Math (Mr. W): Hello HRS families, next week will continue chapter five: Integers and the Coordinate Plane
Monday: MLK Jr. Day
Tuesday: 5.2 Absolute Value
Wednesday: 5.3 Compare and Order Integers
Thursday: 5.4 Terminating and Repeating Decimals
Friday: 5.5 Compare and Order Rational Numbers
Have a great weekend!
ELA: We will start The Giver on Wednesday, January 17th. The Giver Unit will take about 1 1/2 months to finish. Plan for a comprehension test every 7-10 days, a few writing assignments, and there will also be a major project assigned towards the end of the unit. (Information for this project will be given in a few weeks) The Giver has always been a favorite for the 6th graders and I am so excited to share this book with them. I ask that students DO NOT READ AHEAD and if they know the story, that they DO NOT SPOIL the ending (or give away any other spoilers). I hope siblings will not give any spoilers away either. I am looking forward to this unit and I want everyone to be excited for what is to come!
Social Studies:
Pyramid Project
On Wednesday January 17th, students should have at least their rough draft of the written part on this project completed. Students should also be building their pyramid. I encourage students to not wait until the last minute to start this project! The Pyramid Project is due on January 26, 2024.
Next week we are moving on to Lesson 12, The Ancient Egyptian Pharaohs. Students will become tourists and board a felucca to see several ancient Egyptian monuments. They will learn about the pharaohs who built them.
Essential Question: What did the pharaohs of ancient Egypt accomplish, and how did they do it?
Objectives:
In the course of reading this lesson and participating in the classroom activity, students will
Social Studies
- identify the accomplishments of four key pharaohs from ancient Egypt: Khufu, Senusret I, Hatshepsut, and Ramses the Great.
- analyze ancient Egyptian art and architecture to better understand the accomplishments of the pharaohs.
- hypothesize some ways in which Egyptian pharaohs achieved their most impressive accomplishments and the effects of those accomplishments on ancient Egypt.
Language Arts
- create a multi paragraph personal letter with expository text that engages the interest of the reader and states a clear purpose.
Science: Students will conduct experiments to learn how cells break down large sugar molecules into molecules of water and carbon dioxide. This process of releasing energy in the cell is called cellular respiration. Plant and animal cells perform cellular respiration.
Students will take a quiz on plants Thursday, Jan. 25th. They will completed two study guides in class to help them prepare for the quiz.
Religion: This week we will begin learning about God’s saving action in the story of Moses and the Jewish people. Students will also continue to review the 5 Luminous Mysteries and will have a test on Friday, January 27,2023.
Calendar Updates:
- January 29th – Open House (11:30am-1pm)
- January 29th-February 5th – Catholic Schools Week
- February 10th – No School (Teacher In Service)
- February 16th – Kindergarten Testing – no school for kindergarten
- February 17th – Noon Dismissal
- February 20th – Presidents’ Day – No School/No BASE
- February 21st – Mid-Winter Break – No School
- April 27-28th – 6th Grade Camp – Miracle Ranch
Have a wonderful weekend!
Nicole Chiodo and Tommy Williams