February 8, 2013

It's been a while since I've posted a blog of general classroom information: the 5Ws of the now.  To a point, that's okay because I have been in pretty constant contact in one way or another: specific blogs for specific things, like science fair, the field trip, etc; we've recently had PTCs whether in person or by e-mail; we've also recently had report cards, which I generally love writing comments for.  There are so many positive things for all these kids  I just love them, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Regardless, here's the 411 on the current goings on:

In math, we are currently finishing up the last of our Expressions and Equations units.  Believe it or not, we only have two more math units before we've taught everything they'll need to learn in sixth grade.  Crazy!

We've moved away from our textbook during Language Arts time.  We've started reading the book Tuck Everlasting.  It brings up a really interesting concept.  If there were a well of infinite youth, that would allow you to irreversibly live forever, would you drink from it?  We haven't gotten quite that far in the  book, but it will be a fun discussion  to hold.

We've now finished about two thirds of our science curriculum.  We've gone all through microorganisms.  We've finished up with heat, light and sound.  We've learned about the moon phases, though it is something we are not done touching on.  It is a harder concept to learn to actually understand all eight phases: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter, waning crescent, and then back to the new moon.  Here is a picture of one of the projects we've done based around the phases.  As you turn the plate, it gives you an look at what all eight of the phases look like, the white part of the ping pong ball being the lit half of the moon, and the colored side being the ball being the shadowed side of the moon.  The moon being displayed in the picture is the waxing gibbous moon.

Other than that, just keep in mind what all we have going on.  The field trip is this Thursday.  Do not forget that we are meeting at the train station that day and that the kids need to be in field trip uniform: white top, blue bottom.  There will some time outside, so they'll want to have a coat as well.

The other big project we currently have going on is the Science Fair.  Remember the blog below that has all of the information for the science fair, including the calendar which each part of it comes due.

Also remember that we have tightened up on missing assignments, and we've gone through the first round of zeroes this last Monday, with another one coming up this Monday.  Each week I have given the students a missing assignment list, so as long as I hold up to my end of the bargain, I'm expecting that they do as well.

Other than that, we truck along!  Let me know if you have any questions, and I'll keep you up to date as often as possible.  Thanks for everything you do from home to help support us here at school!

"The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually afraid you'll make one." ~Elbert Hubbard

Science Fair

It is time once again for the Science Fair. I know, I know, you're all super excited for it, but please try to contain your excitement as we prepare for this project.  The students received a packet on Monday, January 28, 2013, which will guide them through the entire process.  On the bottom of this entry, I will copy the parent letter that is coming home with it.  It is the first assignment required to be returned by Wednesday of this week.  You need to go through the packet and rules with your students.  After doing that, please sign the parent note and have them bring their packet back to me.  At no time do they ever need to take anything out of the packet.  I will either take a quick look to see if it's done, or I will have them turn in the whole packet.  At the start of the packets there is also a calendar which gives them every due date for things involved with the science fair packet.  There should be no question on when something is due.  Science Fair does need to be completed by each student, and will be worth 30% of their third term grade, so I do recommend they get started as soon as possible as to give it their best effort. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Mr. Pratt, apratt@syracuseartsacademy.org.

Dear Parents and Students

The annual Science Fair will be held March 4-7, 2013.  You may enter one of the following projects:

Experiment – a display and explanation if an experiment which follows the scientific method. Volcanoes will not be accepted. Mentos/Coke experiments will not be accepted either.

Invention – a working model which solves a specific problem or makes a job easier to do.  Inventions should test a variable and follow the scientific method.

Biological and zoological projects are accepted at the discretion of the student’s teacher.  However, live and preserved specimens may not be displayed at the Science Fair.

All fifth and sixth grade students are required to turn in a project. Your classroom teacher will give you additional instructions on his/her requirements.

Please see and review the science fair rules, located in the back of the packet, with your child.

Parents are encouraged to guide students, but not build the project.  Remember, a good project is planned and developed over a period of time.  Start planning now!

Sincerely,

SAA 5^th and 6^th Grade Teams 

Annual Jazz/Usborne Reading Contest

The annual Jazz/Usborne Reading Contest is upon us!  There are two different aspects of this contest.  The first is the Jazz Contest.  If our school can be in the top 10 schools in the contest, we will be privileged enough to have a Utah Jazz player come to our school.  Being the amazing school we are, we have been in this elitist category every year we've entered this contest.  I expect this year to be no difference.

The school has offered various rewards to help push the students.  The top readers in the class will get the opportunity to throw a pie at their teacher (if he or she volunteers, which I will).  There are also medallions they can receive if they read at least 2,500 minutes. There will also be several events such as the PJs and Pancakes Party to help encourage more reading during this time.

Additionally, I add several motivators from within the classroom.  First off, rather than turning minutes in weekly, I like to have them turn in daily as daily reminder they should be reading.  So when they pester you day in, day out for initials on their reading calendar, you can thank me.  On the opposite of that, if your student isn't having you sign the calendar, you might want to bring it up with them.  Each day, those who turn in their tickets receive a ticket for use within the classroom.  Top reader each week will receive 5 tickets.  I have also brought in three prizes  for the top readers.  They are  varying prizes so the readers will get to choose which one they want in the order of placing.

We have also set a class goal of 72,000 minutes.  To reach that goal, these kids will need to read, read, read.  If they achieve the goal, I have agreed to buy them all donuts.  They wouldn't even settle for Krispy Kreme, they wanted Madbrook, so I went with it.  If they can reach that goal, which is WAY up there, I will buy them Madbrook donuts.

The final aspect to the contest is the Usborne side of it.  They have a sponsorship competition.  The kids will try to get people to sponsor them in their  reading.  For each dollar they get sponsored, they will get books worth half that amount and the school's library will get the other half.

In any event, please, between now and February 19 encourage your students to read their hearts out.  Push them read and surpass anything they ever thought they could.  What could it hurt?  Nothing, but it can help so, so much, not just in the contests, but in their minds.

"You're the same today as you will be in five years, except for the people you meet and the books you read." ~Charlie Jones

Equal Rights For All

Every year, around Civil Rights Day, I take the time to present Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech.  Granted, this speech was originally presented back in 1963 and had a focus on the rights of African-Americans, but I think it still stands true today, if not more relevant, for the rights of all people. African-Americans, Asian-American, Catholic, Jew, LDS, gay, straight, men, women, rich, poor, we all have one thing in common:

"It would be like white people saying they are European-American. That is totally stupid. I was born here, and so were my parents and grandparents, and, very likely, my great grandparents. I don't have any connection to Africa,no more than the white Americans have to Germany, Scotland, England, Ireland, or the Netherlands. The same applies to 99 percent of all the black Americans as regards to Africa." (Dr. Willian Henry "Bill" Cosby)

Mr. Cosby has very similar meaning behind this quote as Mr. King in his speech.  We are all Americans. We're not African.  We're not German. We're not British. We're not Asian. We are Americans. We should all act like Americans.  We should all treat each other as Americans.  We should all be treated like Americans.  It's as simple as that.  I've yet to figure out why people make it any more difficult than such.

So I do have a dream.  It is a dream where I hope that our children can grow up in a world where they are judged by the content of their character.  Skin color matters no more than hair color. Religion matters no more than shoe size. Weight and height matter no more than eye color.  Orientation matters no more than food preference.  We are all the same people.  We should all be treated as such.

So what is your dream? What difference are you going to make?  How are you going to make the world a better place not only for the next generation, but for now?  There is nothing that says this world cannot be a better place now.  Let's make it so!

Clark Planetarium

Dear Parents,

                The sixth grade is planning an exciting field trip this year.  With the second half of the science core focusing on space, each year we take a trip to the Clark Planetarium.  This year, it will be a little different, adding a new level of excitement.  Rather than renting busses, which get more and more expensive each year, we are going to take the Frontrunner.  This does add a couple of challenges though. 

First off, rather than meeting at school, we will be meeting at the train station in Clearfield.  Getting to the station does present the first challenge as we know some parents rely on carpool to get their students to school.  Please return this form as soon as possible so we know if you will be able to get your student to and from the station, or if we need to arrange a carpool for you. We will then create a carpool committee which has a volunteer (possibly the class captain) from each class to help arrange the rest of the carpools needed for each class.

Since we are taking the train, we need more volunteers to go with us.  We are looking for 5 parent volunteers per class.  Each parent will be assigned to a group of students, allowing the teachers to supervise and make sure order is maintained.  If you would like to volunteer for the day of the trip, please return this form as soon as possible.  Due to the Planetariums’ constraints, no younger children will be allowed on the field trip.  We will take the first five volunteers. To keep it fair, if there are more than five that turn in on the same day, we will pull five names out of a hat.  Thanks in advance to anyone who is willing to volunteer.

The field trip will take place on February 14, 2013.  It will cost us $8 per person (volunteers included), but this cost will cover the train, the planetarium, and lunch. Home lunches will not be allowed due to storage.  Field trip uniforms still apply: white top, blue bottom. Students who show up with anything other than field trip uniforms will be sent home with the carpool that brought them.   We will meet at the Clearfield train station (1250 South State Street) beginning at 8:00.  We leave on the train at 8:30.  Please arrive by 8:15. The train leaves promptly at 8:30, and so do we.    

Weather permitting we will either walk the few blocks to the Planetarium or take the Trax. We are scheduled for events at the Planetarium from 10:00 until 12:00. The plan is to arrive early enough that we can spend some time looking at the exhibits as well. 

After the Planetarium, we will walk over to the Gateway’s food court where Subway will be catering our lunch.  There will be sandwiches, chips, water, and possibly a cookie. Lunch is included for volunteers as well.  After lunch, we will make our way back to the train station to board the 1:55 train getting us back to the Clearfield train station around 2:30.  The students will need to be picked up from the train station through the same carpool arrangements.  Parents who volunteer are required to wait with the teachers until the last student is picked up.

There is one final volunteer opportunity.  We will need one parent, who is willing to deliver the chips, drinks, and cookies to us at the Gateway.  You would need to meet us at the food court at 12:00 with the additional food.  This cannot be a parent who is coming to volunteer at the Planetarium as they will be assigned a group of students the entire time. This volunteer only needs to par for their own fuel; their lunch is free.

It has taken quite an effort to pull this together, but we are really excited about this field trip.  The train will add a new experience to the field trip that we think the students will really enjoy.  Please be sure to return all of the required paperwork as soon as possible.  This includes the permission slip, the $8 fee (per person), and the form letting us know if you are willing to help with any of the volunteer opportunities.  Thanks again to anyone who is willing to help us out.

 Sincerely,

The Sixth Grade Team

 

***If you need new copies and any of the documentation, please e-mail Mr. Pratt ~ apratt@syracuseartsacademy.org

Snow Day!

It's been several years since we've had a winter of any real magnitude.  2009 to be exact.  Posted above is one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken of my puppy.  It was taken after the storms of '09.  Honestly, those storms pale in comparison to what we received last night.  After night one of parent teacher conferences I came home to shovel around 7 inches off my driveway.  While I was shoveling I was pondering why I was doing it, because I knew I was going to have to shovel again in the morning.  As I was shoveling another 7 inches off in the morning, it hit me why I had shoveled the night before.  Could you imagine having to shovel 12-14" of snow off a driveway at once?  Not I!

I'm loving it though.  If it's going to snow, bring it on!  I would much rather a nice thick blanket of snow, than weak little storms that melt the next day.  Snow is a very beautiful thing, especially when accumulated like it is.  The funny part of it all, my dog pictured above is a little chihuahua/dachshund mix.  He's a sweet little boy, and a heck of a trooper, but sometimes, his size gets in the way, and doesn't allow him to march on!  I had to dig out some snow, just so he could find the backyard!  Poor little guy!  Lucky for him, he lives inside with the heater.

At any rate, I hope you are all enjoying the fact that you didn't have to drive your students to school this morning.  I realize not everyone is as lucky as the school teachers, so as you make your own way to work, please be safe.  Being late to wherever you're going is the far better alternative.

As for the second day of parent teacher conferences, which were cancelled today, the school is planning on making them up next Friday.  I think I'm going to stick to my original plan.  At some point this weekend, I will e-mail those of you who missed conferences, and let you know what I would have said.  Come Friday, I will plan on being at the school until 6:00.  I might specifically ask some of you to come in and chat.  Those who I don't are welcome to stop in at any time, if you want.  Just send me a response to the e-mail I send you this weekend and let me know what time would work for you.

Again, stay safe! And if you doing anything fun with this snow, please share!  I'd love to see pictures or hear stories!

"The first fall of snow isn't only an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment, where is it to be found?" ~J.B. Priestley

Happy New Year!

I don't have a whole lot I want to say.  I hope your break has been as pleasant as mine, however, in all honesty, I'm ready to be back.  My body prefers routine.  See you all soon!

"Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." ~Helen Keller