This is a very exciting and especially hectic week in 6th grade! Our academic core has been slightly waylaid by the many events of our week, but we'll be back on track next week!
Writing:
We are currently working on summarizing and retelling narrative stories. The concept of summary can be very difficult for students, and we will be spending the next two weeks practicing, modeling, and perfecting story summaries. The end of October will see us transition into writing our own novels.
Science:
We have finished our study of plate tectonics and will begin the study of world deserts this coming week. This will tie in closely to our study of world geography and cartography!
Social Studies:
We continue our study of ancient Greece this month. Our recent discussion has focused on the origin of the Olympics, the Persian Wars, and the Golden Age of Athens. We will be talking more about Athens this week, and will follow up with a short study of Greek philosophers.
Literature:
We are nearly finished reading "The Tale of Troy." We are going to be turning this into a live-action production with props, costumes, music, and more! Students will be writing scenes for our play with a focus on the comedic and bizarre elements of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
PROJECT WORK DAYS:
We will be working tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday from 2 to 3:30.
Students are allowed/recommended to bring a change of clothes for work time.
*We are still in need of some more shovels. Please let me know if you can bring a shovel tomorrow! :) It'd be nice to have at least 5.
Jog-a-thon:
Please get your jog-a-thon forms to the office before Wednesday!
Book Fair:
Book fair is open at the start of school and end of school each day. It will be open all day this Thursday! All profits go straight to the school!
MAP Testing- A Note from Administration
During October, your child will take assessments called Measures of Academic ProgressTM
(MAP). We give MAP assessments to determine what your child knows and is ready to learn,
as well as to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the
areas of Math, Reading, Language Usage, and Science. Your child will take the assessments on a
computer.
All students take the assessments in Reading, Language Usage and Mathematics. Grades 2 – 8
also take the Science assessment. They will also take them again in May. This yields the second
data point which allows for measuring growth through the course of the year.
MAP assessments are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for your child’s level of
learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive
attitude toward assessment. And with MAP, we can administer shorter assessments and use
less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s academic
growth. The assessments are completed in multiple sessions.
Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores. This is a different type of score than a
typical test that provides a percentage correct. It is also different from many tests that provide
results based on your child’s score compared to others in the same grade. Instead, the RIT score
is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level. As a result, we
can easily measure each child’s growth. This type of score increases the value of the assessments
as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus
attention for your child’s progress.
Partnering to help all children learn, parents and teachers have a profound positive effect on
the lives of our children. We are truly excited to be able to use MAP to focus on every child’s
individual growth and achievement. For more information on resources for parents, open the
Parent Toolkit attached to this email. You can also help by making sure your child gets a good
night’s rest and eats a healthy breakfast on assessment days.
Sincerely,
Holly Denman
Founding Director, CHPCS
Debra Dietch
Administrative Assistant-Testing, CHPCS
Writing:
We are currently working on summarizing and retelling narrative stories. The concept of summary can be very difficult for students, and we will be spending the next two weeks practicing, modeling, and perfecting story summaries. The end of October will see us transition into writing our own novels.
Science:
We have finished our study of plate tectonics and will begin the study of world deserts this coming week. This will tie in closely to our study of world geography and cartography!
Social Studies:
We continue our study of ancient Greece this month. Our recent discussion has focused on the origin of the Olympics, the Persian Wars, and the Golden Age of Athens. We will be talking more about Athens this week, and will follow up with a short study of Greek philosophers.
Literature:
We are nearly finished reading "The Tale of Troy." We are going to be turning this into a live-action production with props, costumes, music, and more! Students will be writing scenes for our play with a focus on the comedic and bizarre elements of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
PROJECT WORK DAYS:
We will be working tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday from 2 to 3:30.
Students are allowed/recommended to bring a change of clothes for work time.
*We are still in need of some more shovels. Please let me know if you can bring a shovel tomorrow! :) It'd be nice to have at least 5.
Jog-a-thon:
Please get your jog-a-thon forms to the office before Wednesday!
Book Fair:
Book fair is open at the start of school and end of school each day. It will be open all day this Thursday! All profits go straight to the school!
MAP Testing- A Note from Administration
During October, your child will take assessments called Measures of Academic ProgressTM
(MAP). We give MAP assessments to determine what your child knows and is ready to learn,
as well as to measure academic growth throughout the school year, and from year to year in the
areas of Math, Reading, Language Usage, and Science. Your child will take the assessments on a
computer.
All students take the assessments in Reading, Language Usage and Mathematics. Grades 2 – 8
also take the Science assessment. They will also take them again in May. This yields the second
data point which allows for measuring growth through the course of the year.
MAP assessments are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for your child’s level of
learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive
attitude toward assessment. And with MAP, we can administer shorter assessments and use
less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child’s academic
growth. The assessments are completed in multiple sessions.
Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores. This is a different type of score than a
typical test that provides a percentage correct. It is also different from many tests that provide
results based on your child’s score compared to others in the same grade. Instead, the RIT score
is an equal-interval scale, like feet and inches, that is independent of grade level. As a result, we
can easily measure each child’s growth. This type of score increases the value of the assessments
as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to recognize where to focus
attention for your child’s progress.
Partnering to help all children learn, parents and teachers have a profound positive effect on
the lives of our children. We are truly excited to be able to use MAP to focus on every child’s
individual growth and achievement. For more information on resources for parents, open the
Parent Toolkit attached to this email. You can also help by making sure your child gets a good
night’s rest and eats a healthy breakfast on assessment days.
Sincerely,
Holly Denman
Founding Director, CHPCS
Debra Dietch
Administrative Assistant-Testing, CHPCS