Announcements

  • 9/11 – Twenty-two years ago, the world changed as we knew it. I remember I was teaching when the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. After the second tower was hit, all classes were glued to the TV. America knew she was under attack, and parents came to get their children from school. I had one daughter at the time; she was 7 years old. I remember when she would fly by herself to visit her aunt, I was able to walk her to the gate. That stopped. I remember going through security and only my bags had to be checked. That changed. Now, we have agencies like TSA and Homeland Security, which never existed before 9/11. So many lives were drastically changed because almost 3,000 lives were lost. Today, take a moment to share with your child your memories of that day.
  • Weekly Progress Report – Last Friday, I emailed all parents the first weekly progress report. It took me a while to send them because many students did not give their parents my syllabus, which asked for email addresses. So, I had to search for them. In addition, the 5th and 6th grade team had a lot of movement on our rosters, so I needed to wait for that to settle down. Moving forward, I should be able to send weekly progress reports. If for some reason I am not able to send a progress report, please know that this is a courtesy, not a requirement. I have other systems in place for you to know what is expected of your child and how they are performing, such as:
    • Aspen
    • Weekly Announcements
    • Notes on my website
    • Weekly Homework Calendar
  • Conferences w/Dr. Brown – I added a link to the For Parents menu that allows parents to set up conferences with me based on my availability. Conferences are first come, first serve. Since I have over 100 students, I cannot have ongoing conferences with the same parent. I’m hoping most of your concerns can be addressed via email. 
  • Emails – After the weekly progress reports were emailed, I was inundated with emails. I love the concern and responsiveness of parents; however, I will need two school days to respond to emails. 
  • Water Bottles – On days less than 90 degrees, students will not be allowed to have water bottles in my classroom. It is more of a distraction than it is helpful. So, this has to stop, if they are going to learn math. You will not believe how some students abuse this privilege.
    • When I start talking, they start squeezing the bottles to make it crackle. 
    • There is a spill every day.
    • Some students bring other beverages to drink (i.e., pop, Frappuccino, Gatorade, lemonade, etc.)
    • Students get two restroom breaks per day. However, when they drink water (the way some of them do), they ask to go the restroom multiple times during a 70-minute class period.
  • Retake Tests – I am still working on my retake test policy. I’m not sure if I want to allow retake tests. If I do every student who earns less than a C on a test, will not qualify to retake a similar test especially if they have done no homework or class activities to practice the skills.
  • Weekly Homework Calendar Link

5th Grade Math

6th Grade Math

Learning Objectives

  • Compare decimals.
  • Order decimals. 
  • Round decimals.

Important Dates

  • 09/14/23 – Reach Performance Assessment
  • 09/14/23 – Test on Decimals

Learning Objectives

  • Multiply fractions and mixed numbers.
  • Divide fractions and mixed numbers.
  • Solve word problems involving multiplying and dividing fractions and mixed numbers.

Important Dates

  • 09/12/23 – Star 360 Assessment
  • 09/14/23 – Reach Performance Assessment
  • 09/14/23 – Test on Fractions