Fusion Communication: March 22, 2017

Hi all,

So much for the Spring. We can’t check on the groundhog - it’s under 3 feet of snow.  Well, some things are a bit more predictable - school is back in session and Fusion continues moving forward. See below for updates and upcoming events.

8th Grade Only: Career Unit

Career unit is in full swing - about half of 8th grade students have completed their career shadows.  Please check in with Mr. Pless if you feel your child will need support for the career unit. Job shadows should have been completed by this Friday.

Reminder from Nurse’s Office:

Please know that if your child texts, emails or calls you from school due to illness or injury,  it should be from the Health Office. The protocol is that if a child is not feeling well or is injured, he/she is sent to the Health Office. We, with your student,  will decide  if a call home to a parent/guardian is warranted. Please ask your student  if she/he has been to see the nurse first if there is a request to be picked up. Thank-you for your help on this important matter.

Calendar

February 24 - close of Trimester 2 report card

February 25 - March 6: Winter Break

March 17 - ½ student day/Parent Conference Day

April 11 - 8th Grade Career Presentations during school hours

April 12 - Delayed Start

April 13 - 8th Grade Career Fair 5:30-6:30pm in Vivace Team Area (all team students are welcome): 8th graders are not required to attend but receive extra credit for doing so.  All posters, artifacts and interactives should be present for fair.

April 24 - 28: April Break - no school

May 16 - Delayed Start

Spectrum Sleepout

Happening this Thursday Night!  Let Mr. Martin know if your child is interested or you wish to make a donation.

Curriculum Updates

LA

7th - We will be watching the movie Holes in class on Monday to celebrate finishing our class novel. Next up -- Companion Books. During our information writing unit students will create Companion Books or guide books to accompany a familiar text. Students are able to use the class novel, Holes to write this paper OR they may choose to revisit an old favorite book. The challenge option is to select and read a new book (students choosing this options should have already started the book and aim to complete it by the end of next week).

8th - We will be wrapping up our class novel, Holes the next week or so. Up next -- Position Papers. We will be examining a social issue (The Refugee Crisis) together as a class. Students will have an opportunity to look at the issue through one of three lenses: Families, Political or World. Each selection will be scaffolded a bit differently. This writing piece will include argument, narrative, explanation and procedural sections.

Math:

7th: We are nearing the end our current unit, Comparing and Scaling. This one has seemed to drag on bit due to the long break and the snow days and half day today. However, we should be wrapping this up towards the end of next week with a final unit assessment.

8th CMP: We have begun a new unit, Butterflies, Pinwheels, and Wallpaper.  This introduces the concepts of and explores coordinate relationships of the different types of geometric symmetry: reflectional, rotational, and translational. This week we worked with introducing reflectional and rotational symmetries and performing geometric constructions of these. We will continue with translational symmetry next week.

Algebra: In order to mirror the current Algebra 1 curriculum at the high school this year, we are adding two new units to our curriculum this year while removing some material that will be covered in later years of high school. We will be using CMP materials in order to do this as our math consultant and curriculum team found them to be more than adequate to cover the concepts.  This week we have begun a new unit from the CMP program, Butterflies, Pinwheels, and Wallpaper.  This introduces the concepts of and explores coordinate relationships of the different types of geometric symmetry: reflectional, rotational, and translational. This week we worked with introducing reflectional and rotational symmetries and performing geometric constructions of these. We will continue with translational symmetry next week.

SS

7th - Students have begun the Economics and Geography Unit. Students continued with the Sovereign State Game - ask about the “Code Red Virus” challenge.  Ms. Menard, the student teacher from Johnson State College, is leading the curriculum the next two weeks.

8th - Students have begun the Industrialization unit - ask them about the videos they have watched about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and “Made in Bangladesh” documentary. Ms. Menard, the student teacher from Johnson State College, is leading the curriculum the next two weeks.

Career Unit Overview

Link to document

Fusion Communication: February 24

Hi all,

So much for the snow. Maybe onward to spring?

Parent Conferences in March

The team has filled conference times - if your family needs to reschedule, please contact the team as soon as you can. For families that need a time outside of the times already offered, contact Mr. Pless directly.

8th Grade Only: Career Unit

The career unit was introduced during the last PLP meeting (Monday, 2/20).  Please read through the attached letter; please note - there is a job shadow expectation for this unit.  February Break is a great time to get those completed.

Career Panel February 22

Thank you to all our panel members: Shaun King, Leslie Dee, Ryan Mercer, Jason Ritter, Deputy Sheriff Brian Welch, and Kristen Barker.

Trout Feeding over Break

Most of the trout are happily feeding when given the opportunity.  A few families have reached out to me inquiring about feeding them over this vacation.  If you would like to help out, please email me at lisa.windhausen@cesuvt.org with a day and time that works for you and I’ll add you to a feeding schedule.  I will leave instructions on the tank.  You can expect that it will take ~20-30 minutes, as they should be acclimated to the light for about 15 minutes before feeding, then covered up again after they feed.  Thank you!

Calendar

February 24 - close of Trimester 2 report card

February 25 - March 6: Winter Break

March 17 - ½ student day/Parent Conference Day

April 12 - Delayed Start

May 16 - Delayed Start

Trout Update

Reminder from Nurse’s Office:

Please know that if your child texts, emails or calls you from school due to illness or injury,  it should be from the Health Office. The protocol is that if a child is not feeling well or is injured, he/she is sent to the Health Office. We, with your student,  will decide  if a call home to a parent/guardian is warranted. Please ask your student  if she/he has been to see the nurse first if there is a request to be picked up. Thank-you for your help on this important matter.

Spectrum Sleepout

Message below is from Greg Martin:

Dear BRMS Student and Parent(s),

Sleeping Outside overnight on March 23rd is hard and uncomfortable! Imagine having to do it EVERY NIGHT? The perspective and experience gained in participating with us in the Student Sleep Out will be a powerful and meaningful one. Please consider joining us by;

1. Joining our team, raising $ (raise $25 and you get a hat), sleeping out, having fun, SUPPORTING SPECTRUM PROGRAMS AND HELPING LOCAL HOMELESS TEENS.

Click here;

http://give.spectrumvt.org/site/TR/Events/TeamRaiserWorkshop?team_id=1232&pg=team&fr_id=1070  Click “Join Team” link, BRMS RAIDERS.

1. Signing up, all of the above, but just come for the PRESENTATION from 7:00-8:00pm on 3/23 and eat pizza. Go home and know you’ve helped and make a difference! *Best for students participating in the play on Friday 3/24.

1. Sponsor our TEAM or one of our PARTICIPANTS by giving $ to Spectrum here;

http://give.spectrumvt.org/site/TR/Events/TeamRaiserWorkshop?team_id=1232&pg=team&fr_id=1070 Click “DONATE NOW.” Know you’ve helped provide meals, shelter and services for a local, homeless teen!

Thank you for supporting the Spectrum's Sleep Out! You just made sure a struggling teen or young adult will be able to get help when they need it most.Each year, Spectrum provides 2,000 youth with basic needs like food and shelter, coaching and mentoring on life skills, and substance abuse and mental health counseling. If you'd like to find out more about their innovative programs, visit www.spectrumvt.org. Thank you again for making sure Spectrum's doors are open for the next youth who needs help!

*This is my 4th year organizing this event here at BRMS in honor of my younger brother who was homeless and struggling with drug addiction. I'm pleased to say that he is now over one year clean and sober and doing well. Agencies, like Spectrum, have been a lifeline for people in need, like my brother. This is means A LOT to me, so thank you sincerely for your generous donation of time and/or money!

Gregory Martin

5th & 6th Grade School Counselor - BRMS

Team Fusion Communication: February 17

Hi all,

Wow - lots of snow to play in (or move) this weekend! Students have been enjoying the snow at recess, and seem happy to have a real winter.  Team Fusion will be wrapping up the trimester with a bowling trip on Thursday of next week; then their will be a whole school activity on Friday.  Please let the team know if your child will not be attending school on next Friday.

Parent Conferences in March

The team will release the conference sign-up schedule over the next few days.  The priority will be for 8th grade parents, as they will be transitioning to MMU next fall.  An email will go out to 8th grade parents first, then to 7th grade families. As always, the team will do its best to accommodate families whose schedules conflict with the scheduled conference times.

8th Grade Only: Career Unit

The career unit will be introduced during the next PLP meeting (Monday, 2/20).  Please read through the letter; please note - there is a job shadow expectation for this unit.  February Break is a great time to get those completed.

Career Panel February 22, 8-9am

The 8th graders will be starting the annual career unit this coming Monday.  The team would like to provide a panel of Fusion parents willing to discuss their career choices, the pathways they took to their present career, and the challenges/rewards of that career with these 8th graders. Right now the team has five confirmations for the career panel - we would love for a couple more people to join.

Field Trip Permission Form

Please check in with your child regarding the field trip permission form to Spare Time on Thursday, Feb. 23rd.  We are still missing a few.  Thank you.

Calendar

February 20 - Introduce Career Unit to 8th Graders

February 22 - 8th grade Career Unit Panel, 8-9am

February 23 - Field Trip to Bowling/Lunch of Pizza and Chinese

February 24 - Day before break: All school activity in afternoon (please notify team if your child is not attending school that day)

February 24 - close of Trimester 2 report card

March 17 - ½ student day/Parent Conference Day

April 12 - Delayed Start

April 13 - Career Unit Fair - 8th Grade only (7th graders are welcome to attend)

May 16 - Delayed Start

Curriculum Update

LA -  

Because both grades are currently in a reading unit, NO reading logs will be assigned until after the February break! Students will be completing daily and weekly tasks to demonstrate comprehension of events and details in these texts.

7th -- In preparation for our next writing unit, we have begun reading the novel Holes by Louis Sachar together as a class. Once we have completed the book, students will begin working on their next writing piece -- Companion Books. This writing piece will combine argument, narrative and information writing skills.

For this piece, students will be able to choose from the following options:

1. Write a companion book about our class novel, Holes
2. Re-read a favorite book and write a companion book about it.
3. Challenge Option: Read a NEW book independently and write about that.

8th -- We will likely wrap up reading our class novel, Chains a week or two after the February break. Students will complete a short assignment demonstrating their understanding of the book. Next, we will move into our final writing unit for the year. During this information writing unit, students will examine social issues that exist in the world. We will look at one issue together as a class, to model the writing process. The structure of the essay will be problem/solution Students will then duplicate this process with a topic of their choice for the on demand assessment at the end of the unit.

Science

7th -  Students completed the final assessment within the cells and heredity unit today!  We will carry several topics into next week, and will begin a unit on body systems after the break.

8th - Students used prisms to refract visible light into different colored wavelengths this week, and are putting visible light into the context of the electromagnetic spectrum.  Mike Longevin, the Resource Officer at MMU will join our class on Monday bringing with him tools of his profession that make use of different forms of radiation.   After the break, we begin to explore properties of matter.

SS

7th - The Sovereign State Challenge got off the ground this week - ask your children about the first challenge: the country of Genosha’s lack of respect for other nations’ sovereignty.  Students also began working on the district assessment, which is a project.  Students were allowed to bring home their laptops to complete the district assessment over the weekend.  Please ask your child about their progress.

8th - Students finished their investigation of the Bill of Rights and are starting the district assessment.  Please see the notice above about the career unit.

Math

7th: We continued with Comparing & Scaling this week developing strategies for comparing ratios. Today we purchased our first stocks in the Stock Market Game.  Students have a login and password and should be able to share with you their purchases so far.

8th Grade CMP: We are in the processing of reviewing for a unit assessment for next Wednesday. Yesterday we purchased our first stocks in the Stock Market Game.  Students have a login and password and should be able to share with you their purchases so far.

8th Algebra: We are in the processing of reviewing for a unit assessment for next Wednesday. Yesterday we purchased our first stocks in the Stock Market Game.  Students have a login and password and should be able to share with you their purchases so far.

Fusion Team Communication: February 10

Hi all,

Things are starting to bubble a bit on Team Fusion - two weeks until break.  Some students just need a quick reminder from families about their two jobs at school: taking care of each other and doing their best as we finish the trimester.

8th Grade Families Only: MMU Recommendation Forms

Please review and then sign the form.  Questions about specific courses should be referred to the content teacher or Ms. Wisniowski. Forms are due back to Ms. Wisniowski no later than today - Friday, February 10.

Career Panel February 22, 8-9am

The 8th graders will be starting the annual career unit this coming Monday.  The team would like to provide a panel of Fusion parents willing to discuss their career choices, the pathways they took to their present career, and the challenges/rewards of that career with these 8th graders.

Please note - the team wants all parents comfortable participating on this panel to volunteer, but teachers may need to pick from this pool to provide a broad spectrum of careers.  Thank you for understanding.

Field Trip Permission Form

Please check in with your child regarding the field trip permission form to Spare Time on Thursday, Feb. 23rd.  We are still missing a few.  Thank you.

Calendar

February 10 - 8th Grade High School Course Recommendation Forms due back.

February 10 - ⅞ Dance (Fundraiser for Team Fusion - donations of food to the dance)

February 16 - NAEP testing (8th Grade only - Afternoon)

February 17 - YRBS questionnaire (7th and 8th grades only - morning)

February 22 - 8th grade Career Unit Panel, 8-9am

February 23 - Field Trip to Bowling/Lunch of Pizza and Chinese

February 24 - Day before break: All school activity in afternoon (please notify team if your child is not attending school that day)

February 24 - close of Trimester 2 report card

Curriculum Update

LA -  

Process Pieces (Competitive Sports Essay -7th and Literary Essay - 8th) were due last Friday. Both grades will be taking a break from writing and focusing reading units this week. This means no reading logs for both groups until break! Students will be completing in-class reading tasks related to each grade’s respective reading units. Both 7th and 8th grade students will be taking on demand writing assessments next week. See below for specific details:

7th - Students have already begun research to prepare for the Argument Writing Assessment that will take place in class on Monday February 13th.

8th - Students will begin preparing for  in class on Monday for their Argument Writing Assessment taking place on Wednesday, February 15th.

Science

Trout Update!  Students are having a great time tracking the development of our brook trout!  The trout are currently at the “swim-up” stage, learning how to swim to the water surface and to consume food.  Apparently, if the trout are not offered food at the right time, they may miss the opportunity and never learn how to feed!  We will be planning to feed them several times per day, hoping that most of the 101 alevin become regular feeders before the vacation.

7th -  Besides tracking the trout, students dissected flowers this week, identified male and female structures, and studied the processes of pollination and fertilization.  Next week, we look at the advantages and disadvantages of asexual and sexual reproduction.  We’ll have a quiz before moving on to a quick study of the Madagascar hissing cockroach!

8th - We finished our background work understanding the properties and interactions of waves last week, and learned more this week about how engineers design and plan for the energy that different types of waves apply to human structures, such as building and bridges.  Next week, we will focus on light waves and other types of electromagnetic radiation.

SS

7th - 7th graders spent a lot of time preparing for the Sovereign State Challenge.  In preparation, students spent time reviewing propaganda techniques, the role of the United Nations, gross domestic product, and creating a world map - see the picture. Next week, the students will start SSC in earnest, with the district assessment portion assigned early in the week.

8th - The focused continued to be on the Bill of Rights, especially focused on the 3rd and 2nd amendments.  There is a quiz Monday over the Bill of Rights and the district assessment project will be assigned on Tuesday.

Math

7th: We finished the first investigation of Comparing and Scaling this week. We investigated setting up and solving proportions using “between” and “within” relationships. We have also begun to launch the stock market game. In teams, student with simulate having $100,000 to invest in the stock market. This simulation helps teach real-world mathematical and economic concepts. More information is available at www.smgww.org.

8th Grade CMP: We continued our work with exponents this week with working with Scientific Notation and Exponential Decay. We have also begun to launch the stock market game. In teams, student with simulate having $100,000 to invest in the stock market. This simulation helps teach real-world mathematical and economic concepts. More information is available at www.smgww.org.

8th Algebra: We have explored 3 methods for solving a system of equations: Graphing, Substitution, & Elimination. We will be having another unit test before break. We have also begun to launch the stock market game. In teams, student with simulate having $100,000 to invest in the stock market. This simulation helps teach real-world mathematical and economic concepts. More information is available at www.smgww.org.

Team Fusion Communication: February 3

Hi all,

Shorter communication this week.  It’s been busy:) Make sure to take a look at the calendar - lots coming up.

8th Grade Families Only: MMU Recommendation Forms

8th graders are bringing home a recommendation form for MMU classes.  Please review and then sign the form.  Questions about specific courses should be referred to the content teacher or Ms. Wisniowski. Forms are due back to Ms. Wisniowski no later than Friday, February 3.

Dance Donations

A message was sent earlier in the week about the dance on February 10.  Team Fusion is using the dance as the annual fundraiser for the end of the year field trips.  Please use the link below to sign up for a baked good or water donation:

https://goo.gl/tz04Cs

Penguin Plunge 2017

The Plunge takes place this weekend - Saturday, February 4, 11am at the Burlington Waterfront (by the Coast Guard station).  It is a great event and the 13th year for BRMS to participate as a school. Plungers should meet Mr. Warren and Mr. Pless in Burlington City Hall Park by 9:30am.

There are 76 students, staff and community members signed up and over $16,000 raised to date!

Calendar

February 3 - 8th Grade High School Course Recommendation Forms went home.

February 8 - Two Hour Delay

February 10 - 8th Grade High School Course Recommendation Forms due back.

February 10 - ⅞ Dance (Fundraiser for Team Fusion - donations of food to the dance)

February 16 - NAEP testing (Afternoon)

February 23 - Field Trip to Bowling/Lunch of Pizza and Chinese

Team Fusion Communication: January 27

Hi all,

We are in full swing on Team Fusion. Lots of things are coming up in the next few weeks - see the calendar.

Penguin Plunge 2017

The Plunge takes place next weekend - Saturday, February 4 at the Burlington Waterfront (by the Coast Guard station).  It is a great event and the 13th year for BRMS to participate as a school.

BRMS is doing great with Penguin Plunge fundraising! There are 67 students, staff and community members signed up and $9,457 raised to date.  If you, your child are interested, please go online to the link below and register.

https://give.specialolympicsvermont.org/fundraise/team?ftid=100279

Calendar

January 30 - Fusion Algebra Mid-Term (Rescheduled from this past Thursday)

February 3 - 8th Grade High School Course Recommendation Forms go home.

February 8 - Two Hour Delay

February 10 - 8th Grade High School Course Recommendation Forms due back.

February 10 - ⅞ Dance (Fundraiser for Team Fusion - donations of food to the dance)

February 16 - NAEP testing (Afternoon)

February 23 - Field Trip to Bowling/Lunch of Pizza and Chinese

Academic Area Update

LA

**** Both grades have essays due on Friday, February 3rd. Some students may need to spend some time working on these at home in order to have them completed by the due date. To help with this, I have taken questions off the weekly reading log to allow students more time to devote to writing. If you are supporting your student with writing at home, the Writer’s Toolkit folder on Schoology is a great place to look for resources. I have posted checklists and writing tools that we use regularly in class. ***

7th: Students have been working hard drafting process pieces for our argument writing unit. Everyone has selected a claim (either for or against kids participating in competitive sports). Students have drafted body paragraphs, added leads and endings and are in the process of revising these writing pieces into “Best Drafts.” Completed essays are due on Friday, February 3rd. After we have finished this assignment, our focus shifts back to reading. Students will be exploring interest-based topics and fine-tuning their research skills before the next on demand writing assessment.

8th: Students have spent the past two weeks planning and drafting literary essays to demonstrate their analysis of Dystopian Literature. Final drafts of these process pieces are due next Friday, February 3rd. Once this writing unit is finished we will shift our focus back to reading. As a class we will be reading Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. This novel ties in nicely with the 8th grade social studies unit on the American Revolution. There is an audio version available through the library. We will be using this in class often. Student will complete weekly and daily tasks connected to the book. Our focus will be on author’s craft (figurative language, etc.)

Science

7th Grade:  Students wrote their final explanation for how and why twins can look different from each other using their knowledge of heredity.  They also conducted a mini-research project and presented their understanding of one genetic disorder to the class.  Next week will will look closely at seeds and flowers, as we begin discussing different reproductive strategies among organisms.

8th Grade: Students completed their district assessment on force and motion last week, and began a new mini-unit on the properties and types of waves.  They completed several independent exploration stations this week, while I met with each student individually to discuss their recent assessment and their high school recommendation for science.

Math:

7th:  We have come to the end of another unit, Stretching and Shrinking. Students have learned to apply scale factor in analyzing mathematically similar shapes. This unit also lays the groundwork with proportional reasoning for the next unit, Comparing and Scaling. We will have our unit assessment on Tuesday of next week and will begin Comparing and Scaling next week as well.

8th CMP:  We have been exploring exponential relationships and developing rules for exponential functions as well as comparing these to linear functions. We will be investigating the properties of exponents next week and developing rules for simplifying exponential expressions. Also, I will be conferencing with students next week about math course recommendations for next year. These forms will go home with students on Friday.

8th Algebra: We have been preparing for the mid-term this week. We decided to postpone the test from this past Thursday to this coming Monday due to the snow day this week. Also, I will be conferencing with students next week about math course recommendations for next year. These forms will go home with students on Friday.

SS

7th: Students investigated the government of North Korea through the lens of an investigative video - Inside North Korea.  Make sure to ask your child about their thoughts about this experience. Students finished the week with a Propaganda Technique Challenge.  Next week will focus on another survey of different government types and then students will start the Sovereign State Challenge activity - that will be a multi-week project.

8th: Students continued to investigate the structure of government used by the United States. This week’s focus was on the judicial branch and student rights’ cases decided by the Supreme Court. Next week’s focus will continue on rights and the Bill of Rights.