Fusion Communication: October 27

Hi all,

‘Tis the season - Halloween, end of fall sports, dusting of snow on the mountain. There is ENERGY on the team - and it’s being channeled to some great learning.  See below for more detail.

School Dance - Friday, October 27

Thank you to all families that contributed to the dance concession stand - it makes a huge difference to have food, and the funds provide for quality field trips and scholarships to events.

Guidelines and Expectations for Dance - if curious, check out the link. Reviewed with students Thursday and Friday during Social Studies.

• Dances are from 7-9pm
• BRMS dances are only for students enrolled in the school. Any guests must be approved by Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Archambault
• There is a $5 admission fee
• Food items are for purchase only - usually .25 to $1 per item

 

Halloween Guidelines

It’s not that Team Fusion has an issue with the event - but all the kinetic energy that goes with it.  Please help out the team by doing the following:

• Please limit the costumes that arrive at school - a low-key hat, cat ears, some simple face painting is enough on October 31 (no masks AT ALL!)
• No swords, weapons, wands, broomsticks, etc. - if it can be used to “whack” someone, it will
• Please limit candy coming to school on November 1-2 as it’s no fun to police students on sugar highs (or the inevitable crash)

All Laptops are at school over the weekend

No school issued laptops should be at home over the weekend.  In the event a laptop does make its way home, please store it in a safe place for the weekend.

Calendar

November 8 - Two Hour Delay

December 1 - 7th grade field trip to Vermont International Festival ($5 fee - looking for a few chaperones)

December 13 - Two Hour Delay

December Break - December 25-29, January 1

Reading

Books should be brought to all study halls and LA class each day.

Curriculum Updates….

LA

*** Reading Journals are due today! ***

7 - This week we looked at two text structures: narrative, and problem/solution. Students began writing starter paragraphs to be incorporated into their information pieces later on - these will be graded on schoology for completion only. Students will have an opportunity to revise them later when they begin to incorporate this work into their essays. There is a place on schoology to submit work done in class on both text structures we have gone over (narrative and problem/solution). At this point, students’ research notes should also be completed -- this is something they should work on at home if more time is needed. We have spent three class days on this task (one day for each source required).

8 - Investigative Journalism FINAL DRAFTS are due on Monday. Students have had ample time to revise these pieces in class this week. There are tools on Schoology for those who choose to spend some time continuing to work on these over the weekend (editing checklist, citations guide -- in writer’s toolkit). Next week we are beginning a class novel, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is historical fiction and connects to what students are studying in Social Studies. The on demand assessment for writing will likely be during the week of November 6th.

Science

7 -  Bacteria was the spotlight organism of the week!  Students swabbed a variety of surfaces in the classroom, and are now watching the amazing growth of bacteria from each location on petri dishes!  They should be looking, and smelling, great by Monday!  Students compared bacterial cell structures to plant, animal, and protist structures.  They also reviewed plant and animal organelles using several online practice tools;  many students are needing additional practice with these terms.  Please check in with your child and in Schoology to see if they need to be practicing more at home!

8 - After confirming the identify of the mystery mixture, as citric acid & baking soda, students were introduced to the organization and development of the periodic table of elements.  They looked for elements in common household products’ ingredient lists, and are becoming familiar with some of the chemical and physical properties of elements and substances.  On Friday, students completed the first of several quizzes in this lengthy unit on properties of matter and chemistry.  Next week, we begin to look at properties of gases.  

SS

7 - Students have embarked on a project called “My Vermont”, which will also serve as the district assessment for the Culture Unit.  The project takes three weeks to complete and involve students interviewing family and community members, creating surveys and taking photos. Families should already have seen planning assignments this week - if not, contact Mr. Pless.  In the coming weeks, students will be creating the materials needed for the assessment, which may ithe students asking families to get involved with: a drive or two to locations students have selected to photograph, contacting relatives for interviews.  Please contact Mr. Pless with any questions or concerns at any time during this project.

8 - Students started the district assessment which is a series of assessments regarding events and ideas leading to the American Revolution. Some students have created Instagram accounts based on their Profile 1763 characters.  The other students are creating fake “Facebook” Google slideshows based on their Profile 1763 characters. Mr. Pless encourages families to check in (or even follow) the Instagram accounts; his own account: geowash_vt

Math

7: We started our new unit, Filling and Wrapping this week, reviewing strategies for calculating surface area and volume for rectangular prisms as well as coming up with strategies for reducing surface area of a fixed volume by adjusting the dimension of that figure. Next week we will looking at what happens to a the volume and surface area of a rectangular prism when we scale up the dimensions.

8: This week we finished up our exploration of inverse variation and started exploring scatter plots, correlation, and their relationship with lines of best fit.  Next week we will explore dava variation with Mean Deviation and Standard Deviation.  We will also analyze bivariate data tables.

Stella weekend ahead - hope everyone enjoys the downtime.

The Fusion Team

Fusion Communication: October 19

Hi all,

Whew - we made it! First break of the year - the students definitely need it.  Lots going on with Team Fusion after the break - see below for all the happenings.

School Dance - Friday, October 27

The first 7/8 dance of the year is being sponsored by Team Fusion - and it is the only fundraiser the team has for the year! Families are asked to contribute items that can be sold at the dance.  Some examples below:

• Box of fruit snacks
• Individual bags of popcorn
• 10-12 servings (please respect the limit) of one of the following:
• Baked goods
• Cookies
• Brownies
• Rice krispie treats
• Bottled water, juices, seltzers (please, no large bottles - individual serving sizes)

The “No Thank You” list:

• Candy
• Soft drinks
• Anything with nuts

For 7th Grade families:

• Dances are from 7-9pm
• BRMS dances are only for students enrolled in the school. Any guests must be approved by Mr. Hamilton and Mrs. Archambault
• There is a $5 admission fee
• Food items are for purchase only - usually .25 to $1 per item

Parent Conferences

The team appreciates all the families that signed up for these conferences - always a pleasure to see you.

 

All Laptops are at school over the break

No school issued laptops should be at home over the break.  In the event a laptop does make its way home, please bring it back to the team on Thursday morning - we will be at school for the morning. Emails will be sent home to families whose students did not leave their laptops in the carts on Wednesday afternoon.

Calendar

October 20 - No School/School Recess

October 27 (change!) - Fusion Sponsored School Dance (donation of food/drink item from each family for no more than 10 people - basically, no more than 10 servings:) See the write-up above for more information.

November 8 - Two Hour Delay

December 1 - 7th grade field trip to Vermont International Festival ($5 fee - looking for a few chaperones)

December 13 - Two Hour Delay

December Break - December 25-29, January 1

Reading

Books should be brought to all study halls and LA class each day.

Curriculum Updates….

LA

*** Reading Journals are due today! ***

7 - Students browsed topics and began research for their first writing piece this week. This information writing unit focuses on the various text structures authors use to inform their readers. Students will receive mini lessons on seven text structures. They will then select three to use in their essays which we will draft and revise over time in class. Graphic organizers were provided in class to support students with research and drafting.

8 - Students began drafting their investigative journalism pieces this week. This genre of writing combines observation, research and interviews to inform and sway a reader. We will revise this writing next week in class. Graphic organizers were provided in class to support students with research and drafting.

Science

7 -  Following several investigations using microscopes to examine a variety of cells and microorganisms, students reviewed main ideas and skills in preparation for a check-up quiz on Wednesday.  This will give me information on how ready they are to move forward after the short break.  If ready, we’ll move on to study bacteria and fungi!

8 - Students wrapped up the universe unit last week, and are now investigating a mystery mixture!  Their job is to use observation skills to correctly identify the 2 substances in the mystery mixture, while practicing their ability to describe characteristic properties of 9 substances that look very similar.  This is the first investigation in the Properties of Matter unit, which will carry us into winter.

SS

7 - Students spent time processing the information collected during the field trip, making Thinglink! Interactive pictures and typing up the interview responses.  See examples in the link below:

https://goo.gl/exLvoT

After the break, students will embark on project called “My Vermont”, which will also serve as the district assessment for the Culture Unit.  The project will take three weeks to complete and involve students interviewing family and community members, creating surveys and taking photos.

8 - Students finished their Profile 1763 projects end of the last week.  Students spent time this week exploring the NFL anthem protests through the lens of free speech and boundaries of that right.

After the break, students will start the district assessment which is a series of assessments regarding events and ideas leading to the American Revolution. As part of the lessons supporting the assessments, students will have the option to create Instagram accounts based on their Profile 1763 characters - this option will only be available if your child has parental permission and access to a mobile device.  Please contact Mr. Pless if you have questions or concerns about your child using the social media platform.

Math

7: We wrapped up the Shapes and Designs unit on Wednesday with a unit assessment. Our next unit will be Filling and Wrapping. This unit explores surface area and volume of prisms and cylinders.

8: This week we continued to explore different examples of inverse variation functions as well as how these are different from linear relationships. Next week, we will wrap up our investigation into inverse variation and begin to review and, for those students who are ready, extend the concepts for the first half of the unit. We will be shooting to have a mid-unit assessment for this content by the end of the week.

The Fusion Team