Hi all,
What a whiplash-like three days - Team Fusion hopes your children are coming home tired, but positive. For those of you receiving this communication for the first time, Team Fusion sends home a weekly communication email. Generally, the email contains a description of the week’s academics and any important dates and events coming up in the next few weeks. Given school just started, academic summaries will be very short this week.
As we will be digging into academics more next week - please be sure students have all of their needed supplies. The summer letter (which has the supply list) has been attached to this blog.
Computer Contracts
The computer contracts will go home for students early next week. A student must return their contract before they will be allowed to take home their laptop home. Starting next week, laptops will be issued for in school use only.
Students Leaving Early for Medical Reason
If your child calls to ask you to pick them up, please make sure they are calling from the nurse’s office. Students may not request for a pick-up without first checking in the the nurse. Please contact the nurse’s office with questions.
Revised Requirements to Field Trip Chaperone
The district has revised the requirements for parent/non-district persons to chaperone field trips.
All persons who want to chaperone and be alone with a student group MUST be fingerprinted. This requirement is causing the team to put a pause on our Burlington and Montreal field trip planning until the process for this additional level of security is clarified. Please contact Mr. Hamilton with questions or for more information.
Calendar (field trips will be entered after Labor Day):
September 3: Labor Day - No School
September 12: Delayed Start (school start time is 10am on these days)
September 25: BRMS Open House
October 10: Delayed Start
October 19: Non-student day
November 19-23: School Break
Reading
All students were asked to get a book this week (from the library or brought in from home). Books should be brought to all study halls and LA class each day.
Language Arts
This first week of LA was all about establishing expectations and coming together as a community of readers and writers. We spent some time talking about books we have loved -- students really enjoyed giving and receiving recommendations. Ask students about ‘The Book of Awesome and the writing that went along with it -- this was a great opportunity to pause and focus on the positive things in our lives while having some fun with writing. Finally, all classes had the opportunity to spend some time in the library browsing for Realistic Fiction books to support our first reading unit: A Deep Study of Character. Next week we will dig into some content.
Math
In both grades, we have started out by identifying traits and actions to be successful this year in Math focusing on Growth Mindset principles as we begin to build expectations and norms for the year. Next week we will be doing some more expectation and team building activities while also beginning the regular curriculum for the year. For Tuesday, students should have their binder, paper, and dividers as we will be putting together and organizing our binders and setting organization expectations for the year.
Science
All science classes focused on a few basics of how we practice science in the classroom. Seventh graders participated in several observation and inference activities. Eighth graders worked in collaborative groups developing and critiquing scientific arguments related to items needed for survival on the moon. All students will need their science binders, paper, dividers, and writing utensils for class on Tuesday!
Social Studies
7 - Students explored the various map projections and how they all distort, in some way, the way we view the world. We also spent some time creating (or really trying) a map projection on an orange - there were some very creative interpretations of the continents.
8 - The first unit uses examples of American painting to illustrate the difference between the common narratives about American history and what might be missing or misinterpreted about those narratives. Students tried to classify several works art through the words “conscious” and “conscience” - very heady stuff for the first few days:)
Thanks and have a great Labor Day Weekend,
The Fusion Team
