Friday, November 9, 2018
Fusion Communication: November 9
Hi all,
It’s definitely starting to feel like the week before Thanksgiving:) We’re still rolling on Team Fusion, with assessments and final projects before the end of the first trimester. The weather will be much colder next week - students should be prepared to spend 25 minutes in mid-20s next week.
Movember Madness - for the BRMS Food Shelf
BRMS will engage in Movember frenzy this coming week. The BRMS Movember campaign attempts to raise awareness of the needs for wellness during the winter months, but also seeks to raise food items for the BRMS food shelf. During the holiday months, the BRMS school community supports several families with food and personal hygiene items; these families are unable to meet their needs through the area food shelves (or cannot access them because of work schedule, transportation issues).
The basics:
- Any staff member (or 8th grader who checks in with Mr. Pless)can be a participant
- They adopt a "persona" about wellness and make campaign posters to place around the school. For example, Mr. Pless will be "The Man" Mr. Pless (see The Killers "The Man" official music video)
- The more food and personal hygiene items the participants raise, the more "votes" they get in the competition
- Families can donate non-perishable food or personal hygiene items by placing them in boxes by the office. Gift cards to area grocery stores and pharmacies can also be donated (please leave those in Mr. Pless's mailbox).
- There will be the annual Movember parade through the school Friday, November 16 from 8-8:20am.
Laptops should be at school over the weekend:)
Calendar:
November 14: Delayed Start
November 16: Grades Close - 1st trimester
Normal day of school (no fun day but academics will be “low key”)
November 19-23: School Break (teacher inservice Nov. 19-20)
November 30: First ⅞ Dance of the year! Woot!
November 30 (tentative): 7th Grade field trip to International Festival
December 3-7: 1st Trimester Report Cards released
December 12: Delayed Start
December 24-28: No School - break
January 2, 2019(!): School resumes
January 9: Delayed Start
Curriculum Updates
LA
Students should be reading 30 mins a day outside of class (study hall is fine). Reading notebook jotting work will resume after the break.
7 -- Narrative Assessment on Monday and Tuesday -- Students are encouraged to revise and resubmit their pre assessment.
8 -- Information Writing Assessment on Monday and Tuesday -- Students are encouraged to revise their pre assessment and resubmit.
Math
7- This week we finished up the last investigations of our current unit. These involved order of operation, distributive property, and the application of the skills from this unit to word problems. Next week we will be reviewing a unit assessment planned for Thursday.
8- This week we explored modeling by creating lines of best fit for different data plots, developed different strategies for finding the equation of a line between two given points, and in a technology based activity, applied our understanding of linear models to predict the amount of time it takes to charge a phone battery. Next week we will be doing to some small group work to extend individuals understanding of linear relationships and modeling and problem solving.
Science
7 - Students switched formats a bit this week - interpreting interactive digital models of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to help them visualize these microscopic processes. They also conducted an experiment to look for evidence of photosynthesis using a chemical indicator that changes color in the presence of carbon dioxide! They will complete a final assessment for this unit next week.
8 - Students completed a mini-research project on a mineral of their choosing. They focused on the physical and chemical properties of this mineral, as well as how it is used by society. They constructed “mineral cubes”, which are hanging from the classroom ceiling and display the results of their research! Next week will include one final assessment on molecular structures before the end of the trimester.
SS
7 - Students finished up their assessment for the culture unit; these projects will be available mid-week for families to see what is the “culture” of our students. We will take a break this coming week to work on the first phase of the Sovereign State Activity, which will involve a deeper dive into geography and natural resources.
8 - Students have been practicing A LOT of inquiry over the last few weeks; all has been in preparation for the district assessment next week and to be more critical, thoughtful citizens:). The district assessment will have the students apply their analysis of historical documents, maps and discussions to create an argument about the American Revolution’s roots. Please be checking with your child about their level of preparation and focus for this final assessment.
Looks like we’ll be embracing winter again next week. If you have not received an emergency test (phone call or email) from the district, please contact Central Office: 434-2128.
The Fusion Team
Friday, November 2, 2018
Fusion Communication: November 2
Hi all,
It has been a couple of weeks since the last communication - and what a busy two weeks it’s been. A field trip to Canada, end of fall sports, rain never ending, and many assessments. The next two weeks represent the end of the trimester… which means assessments galore and grades closing. Good time to check in about assignments, have a Schoology sit down. Most students will need a look at school supplies - one thing most are missing: earbuds/headphones.
Montreal Field Trip - Thanks and it went very smoothlyThanks to the following for chaperoning: Elizabeth and Larry Lamphere, Heidi Little, Jennifer and Luke Roberge, Stephanie Sleeper, Allison Surks, Lee Rosen, Katherine and Paul Strek, Lisa Lavoie, Mat Zimmerman, Gina Howard, Suzanne Harvey, Laura Hill, Tamra Yandow and our wonderful support staff of Kim Bouffard, and Penny Kellner.
Trip went exceedingly well - your children were a delight, the border crossings were (almost) boring, and there were many stories of students learning a little more about life beyond our walls.
Laptops should be at school over the weekend:)
Calendar:
November 14: Delayed Start
November 19-23: School Break (teacher inservice Nov. 19-20)
November 30: First ⅞ Dance of the year! Woot!
November 30 (tentative): 7th Grade field trip to International Festival
December 3-7: 1st Trimester Report Cards released
December 12: Delayed Start
December 24-28: No School - break
January 2, 2019(!): School resumes
January 9: Delayed Start
Curriculum Updates
LA
Students should be reading 30 mins a day outside of class (study hall is fine).
7- Realistic Fiction stories are due NEXT Friday!
8- Position Papers are due NEXT Friday! Revised research notes are due by the end of class on Monday.
Math
7- We are well into our unit on operations with rational numbers. This past week we transitioned from addition and subtraction to developing rules for multiplication and division. Next week we put all of our learning from this unit together when evaluating more complex expressions using order of operations. We will be finishing up the investigations for this unit next week, and will plan to have an end of unit assessment the week before Thanksgiving break.
8- We started a new unit this week, Thinking with Mathematical Models. This unit builds on their understanding of linear relationships from the previous unit and has them apply it to creating models for real world data. It also introduces a new type of function, inverse variation. This week we performed two experiments with paper bridges, one looking at the relationship between the thickness and the strength (linear relationship) and one looking at the relationship between bridge length and strength (inverse variation). Next week, students will explore how they can models to demonstrate how they visuals patterns of growth as well . Also, students will be receiving feedback next week on their assessment from the previous unit.
Science
7 - During the last 2 weeks, students focused on the importance of water to plants. They learned how water: enters plant root cells through osmosis; travels up the plant through xylem tissue; is used in leaf chloroplasts to make glucose during photosynthesis; and exits the leaf through the stoma under the leaves! They used microscopes to search for stoma and guard cells on the house plant on my desk! As you know, they also created models of a plant leaf cell, highlighting key cell structures and focusing in on the cell membrane. This week, they used their models to explain how cell organelles work together as a system to help the leaf cell perform its main job: photosynthesis.
8 - Students began the Properties of Matter unit with a multi-day mystery mixture investigation. Students looked closely at 9 different substances, and mixed combinations of these, trying to determine which combination matched a mystery mixture. Students submitted their final claim and evidence chart last week. This week, students focused on describing different examples of matter using physical properties. They spent two days examining the color, luster, hardness, and streak color of different mineral samples. They are now learning about the elements that make up these minerals. Next week, students will research one particular mineral, while also practicing making models of different molecules and compounds.
November 14: Delayed Start
November 19-23: School Break (teacher inservice Nov. 19-20)
November 30: First ⅞ Dance of the year! Woot!
November 30 (tentative): 7th Grade field trip to International Festival
December 3-7: 1st Trimester Report Cards released
December 12: Delayed Start
December 24-28: No School - break
January 2, 2019(!): School resumes
January 9: Delayed Start
Curriculum Updates
LA
Students should be reading 30 mins a day outside of class (study hall is fine).
7- Realistic Fiction stories are due NEXT Friday!
8- Position Papers are due NEXT Friday! Revised research notes are due by the end of class on Monday.
Math
7- We are well into our unit on operations with rational numbers. This past week we transitioned from addition and subtraction to developing rules for multiplication and division. Next week we put all of our learning from this unit together when evaluating more complex expressions using order of operations. We will be finishing up the investigations for this unit next week, and will plan to have an end of unit assessment the week before Thanksgiving break.
8- We started a new unit this week, Thinking with Mathematical Models. This unit builds on their understanding of linear relationships from the previous unit and has them apply it to creating models for real world data. It also introduces a new type of function, inverse variation. This week we performed two experiments with paper bridges, one looking at the relationship between the thickness and the strength (linear relationship) and one looking at the relationship between bridge length and strength (inverse variation). Next week, students will explore how they can models to demonstrate how they visuals patterns of growth as well . Also, students will be receiving feedback next week on their assessment from the previous unit.
Science
7 - During the last 2 weeks, students focused on the importance of water to plants. They learned how water: enters plant root cells through osmosis; travels up the plant through xylem tissue; is used in leaf chloroplasts to make glucose during photosynthesis; and exits the leaf through the stoma under the leaves! They used microscopes to search for stoma and guard cells on the house plant on my desk! As you know, they also created models of a plant leaf cell, highlighting key cell structures and focusing in on the cell membrane. This week, they used their models to explain how cell organelles work together as a system to help the leaf cell perform its main job: photosynthesis.
8 - Students began the Properties of Matter unit with a multi-day mystery mixture investigation. Students looked closely at 9 different substances, and mixed combinations of these, trying to determine which combination matched a mystery mixture. Students submitted their final claim and evidence chart last week. This week, students focused on describing different examples of matter using physical properties. They spent two days examining the color, luster, hardness, and streak color of different mineral samples. They are now learning about the elements that make up these minerals. Next week, students will research one particular mineral, while also practicing making models of different molecules and compounds.
SS
7 - Students are in the thick of the final assessment for the Culture Unit: My Culture or the going beyond level, Humans of Vermont. The focus has been on supporting student needs - further understandings about the role of government in our lives, how belief systems/religion shape our day to day decisions.
The lead up to the Montreal trip demanded the students do planning for the Tour Guide presentation for the city walk, as well as develop maps and plans for the Small Group Excursion through the city.
8 - Students are practicing A LOT of inquiry skills right now - here is an example of some of the work they are doing. The class swings back and forth from the current events of national debt, racial, ethnic and religious tensions of today, which are compared to the time of rising tensions in the American colonies before the Revolution. The lead up to the Montreal trip demanded the students do planning for the Tour Guide presentation for the city walk, as well as develop maps and plans for the Small Group Excursion through the city.
Sloppy, cold, wet days on the playground - thanks for making sure students are ready to be outside.
The Fusion Team
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)