5th and 6th grade Math

  It has been a pleasure getting to be part of a new Team and four classes of new mathematicians!  We spent the first three days of school focusing on classroom culture and habits of math interaction.  I used the work of Jo Boaler from Stanford University to refresh the students on Growth Mindset and her "low floor, high ceiling" tasks to get students thinking and talking about math again.  Here's a link to her site with more information than you can use:

YouCubed

5th Grade

   The 5th graders will be using a combination of Bridges In Mathematics and Connected Math 3 as tools to get at the Common Core Standards and our Learning Targets.  The first unit we are working on deals with Multiplication Expressions, Equations and Volume, with an brief trip into division.  Students had a great deal of work with multiplication facts and using area models last year in 4th grade, and we are hitting the ground running.  A great deal of focus is being put on manipulating equations and efficiently representing multiplication different ways.  It's great number sense work!  

Here students are manipulating numbers in an equation that will allow them to later on deal with larger, more complex equations. 

   Students have started to approach volume through multiplication and the use of their favorite manipulative so far!  They explored the different ways to make 24, building upon area concepts and going 3D!

  Your child can expect explorations in class that will foster whole group conversations about concepts.  They will also be completing class work that will be turned in and tracked using JumpRope.  Exit tasks will be used as Formative Assessments so I can adjust my teaching as needed, and a Summative Assessment (Unit Test) will be used to wrap up the unit.  These scores will be tracked in JumpRope as well.  Here is the Unit overview from the Bridges Site:

Unit One Letter

6th Grade

   The 6th graders are starting off the year with the Decimal Ops unit in Connected Math.  Early work has been on making sense of decimal place values, estimating, and using ratio tables with decimals.  Current work includes adding and subtracting with decimals, and then we will move into multiplication and division with decimals.  Finally the unit wraps up with percents.  

Here is student work on finding the unit rate, or one, with decimals "disguised" as money!

Here is more student work around ratio tables with a more complex decimal relationship.

   Your child can expect explorations in class that will foster whole group conversations about concepts.  They will also be completing class work that will be turned in and tracked using JumpRope.  Exit tasks will be used as Formative Assessments so I can adjust my teaching as needed, and a Summative Assessment (Unit Test) will be used to wrap up the unit.  These scores will be tracked in JumpRope as well.

   Let me know what questions you have and I look forward to the challenge and inspiration of working with new levels of math with new math thinkers.

Michael

ELA Update

Our first unit in ELA is on Digital Citizenship.  Through various activities and assignments, students are learning about the following elements of DC:

• Digital Footprint
• Cyberbullying and Digital Drama
• Creative Credit and Copyright
• Internet Safety

Students are documenting their learning using Google Slides, and their learning will culminate with sharing their slide presentation with others.  View this link to see the Digital Citizenship Learning Target and Checklist.

In addition, students have begun their weekly Young Writer's Project (YWP) writing assignments.  Ask your student to show you the weekly prompts and their work at peterson18.ywpvt.org

Please let me know if you have any questions.  It is so great to welcome the returning 6th graders, and getting to know all of the new students!

Social Studies Election Unit

The first unit of the year for Social Studies this year is our focus on the election. We are looking at the Learning Targets associated with Claim and Evidence. We have done some lessons specifically around how to make good claims and how best to get credible evidence. We had a guest teacher (Emily Rinkema) come in and work with us on the evidence by exploring whether or not catamounts still exist.

We began the year exploring the question "What do I stand for?" and used that to guide us into our unit. We have looked at what information and dates candidates need to know in order to get on the ballot. We've explored how best to contact our local and beyond politicians and now we're preparing for the candidate forum. Williston Central School has hosted a candidate forum for over 20 years. This year we will have 10 candidates coming on Friday, October 5th. 5th and 6th grade students across the school are researching a specific candidate and creating a campaign poster for them. Ask your student who they were assigned!

If You Haven't Signed Up Yet, Intergen Book Group - Deadline extended to: Friday Sept 28.

Last call for student participants for the intergen book group! 

What is intergen?:  A book group that brings together WCS middle school students, seniors from our community and parent volunteers.  Each book group will read and discuss 5 books over the course of the school year. Meetings take place during school hours, once a month from October through March.

How does it work?: The program will kick-off on October 3rd with a “Get Acquainted” potluck luncheon.  The book groups will then meet during school hours on the first Wednesday of the month (October - March) to discuss the assigned books in a relaxed and fun setting. 7th & 8th graders will meet from 11:35am-12:15pm. 5th & 6th graders meet from 12:30pm-1:10pm

If your 5-8th grade child is interested in being considered for this program, please register by Friday, September 28th. We are also seeking parent volunteers!  Use this online link to register your child or to sign up as a volunteer.

This year's book selections are:

Brown Girl Dreaming 

The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade  

The Girl who Drank the Moon 

It Ain't so Awful Falafel 

Phineas Gage

If you have any questions, please contact Karen Olson (karen@willistonruns.org) or your child's Language Arts teacher.

WCS Arrival Time/Procedures

Buses begin arriving at approximately 7:55 am and students can go to their team space at that time. 

The earliest students may be dropped off is 7:30 am. 

This year, all 3-8 students will wait in the front lobby from 7:30-7:55 am. 

Students are expected to sit quietly if they arrive early.  Bringing a book, headphones with music or homework are all appropriate activities to engage with while waiting.  

Spark Session 1 Starts next Thursday

The 1st session of Spark Enrichment, an after-school applied learning program for students in grades 5-8, takes place from September 27 - October 25. These small group classes will be facilitated by school faculty and staff.  The link to the sign-up form is in the School Bell. You will be able to rank your choices for better placement!! 

Click here to view workshop descriptions.

Williston Schools Annual Fund Flyer

WCS School Counseling Classes

Dear Parents and Guardians, We hope you and your family had a restful and fun summer. We want to let you know that this school year, all students will be participating in a series of classes that focus on promoting healthy relationships in kids and adolescents. These classes are part of our health curriculum and ongoing prevention efforts to help prevent any form of child abuse. The classes will take place during one of your child’s related arts rotations or exploratory rotations: 5th/6th graders​: During their Tech Ed rotation - 1x/week for 6 weeks
The classes are in response to a VT law (i.e. Act 1). Act 1 is a child protection law which requires all school-age students to receive education that builds skills and provides information to help prevent child sexual abuse. At WCS, we are working with Prevent Child Abuse VT and using a curriculums titled: We Care​ and SAFE-T​ to guide our lesson plans. These curriculums are designed for elementary and middle school students, and promote healthy relationships and healthy behaviors, while equipping students with the skills to prevent abuse.
 Topic areas covered include: 5th/6th grades​: health relationships, empathy, coping, communication skills, support systems, establishing and recognizing boundaries, and role of bystanders.
 As always, your support and help is needed to help students learn these important skills and information. We hope that you are able to talk with your children about how to stay safe in their relationships. Please let us know if you have any questions or ideas to help us with these classes.

Continental Math League Registration

Continental Mathematics League 2018-2019 Registration deadline for grades 3-8 is September 21st (Registration for grade 2 will be announced in October.) Continental Math Online Registration 2018-2019 Grade 4-8 Meet dates: November 14, December 19, January 16, February 13 & March 13 Grade 3 Meet dates: January 16, February 13 & March 13 The Enrichment Program administers the Continental Mathematics League (CML) for motivated students seeking an additional math challenge. Interested students in Grades 2-8 participate in the Euclidean Division, which means “students participating require average reading comprehension and analytical reasoning capabilities. Their computational skill should be appropriate to their grade level.” Continental Math for grades 3-8 at Williston Central School CML is a competition in grades 3-8. For students in grades 4-8, there are five tests. They are given at ‘meets’ which are held during school hours, beginning in November and ending in March. Third graders participate in the meets in January, February, and March. In each 30 minute meet, students work as individuals on six problems; calculators are not allowed. Medals are awarded to the two students with the highest cumulative scores per grade level. Although this is a competition, the emphasis is on developing a love of mathematics while learning new strategies with other eager mathematicians. Julie Rogers is the contact person for grades 2-8. jrogers@cvsdvt.org Continental Math for grade 2 at Allen Brook School Participation in grade 2 is non-competitive. Students work in small practice groups and attend 3 informal meets. Registration for grade 2 will be announced in October. Parent Volunteers Grades 5-8: In order to limit interruptions to regular academic classes 5th-8th grade practices will be held first thing in the morning at 8:00, during lunch/recess time or during a time that teachers deem. Volunteers will need to contact their students core teacher to set up times and a practice space. Grades 2-4: Due to more flexibility within the 2nd-4th grades schedule parent volunteers who run Grades 2, 3 and 4 practice groups will work out a time to meet with the students with the teachers. The success of this program depends on volunteers who work with small groups of students, during school hours. Ideally, all students will participate in a parent-led weekly practice group. These groups begin in October for grades 4-8 and in November for 2-3rd graders as their first Meet isn’t until January. The Enrichment Program provides materials and training, while the time and place are determined by the teachers and volunteers. The practice groups provide an important component of the Continental Math program. This gives the students a chance to explore different solutions to problems, gain support from other group members, and benefit from small group instruction. We encourage both veteran and novice volunteers to attend the Volunteer Leader Training on Friday, September 21st at 8:00 AM in the Enrichment room at WCS. Volunteers can indicate their interest on the student registration form and will be contacted with more information in mid September. This training will provide valuable information about CML and Best Practices in Mathematics, which is being used in all of our math classes. If you are unable to register your child using the online registration link, kindly complete the form below. Return to Julie Rogers at WCS or ABS. Continental Mathematics League (CML) 2018-2019 Registration Form Grades 3-8 Registration Deadline – September 21st