Pacific Intermediate Newsletter

April 2023

A Word From Our Principal~Mr. Agee

Pacific Intermediate families,

We have arrived at the last two months of the school year, and are looking forward to a fantastic finish!

On April 12th (5th grade) and April 13th (6th grade) students will be attending a STEM field trip to Main Event in Chesterfield. There is a cost with this trip, however, we do want all students to attend and if you need assistance please contact the main office. During this trip, students will be engaged with practical applications of principles in science and engineering. We did this trip last year, and the students really had a great experience. Food is provided for lunch (pizza) and outside food is not allowed unless there are students with allergy concerns.

MAP testing will also start the last week of April. 5th grade students will be testing for three weeks over math, science, and English. 6th grade students will start testing the first week of May. Their tests are over math and English. Most testing is taking place on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday during the first few hours of the day. We ask that you partner with us in making sure that your child has plenty of sleep each of those nights, eats breakfast, and is at school on time ready for the day. Attendance at school is especially important during April, as we catch the final concepts to be taught for the year and review what we have learned throughout the year.

As a reminder, we are off school on April 7th and April 10th. As we wrap up the year, I’d like to share a little bit of wisdom from Ted Lasso, “Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, you’re probably doing it wrong.”

Our school dashboard can be found at https://www.mvr3.k12.mo.us/o/pi/page/building-goals

Yours in Education,

Matt Agee

Pacific Intermediate Principal

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SAVE THE DATE!!

Our Spring Band Concert will be held on Tuesday, May 16th at 6:00 pm in the Pacific Intermediate Gym.

CHICKASAW TRIBE

Mrs. Alcorn~Math

Mr. Gilcrease~Language Arts & Reading

Mrs. Bielicke~Science & Social Studies

MISSOURIA TRIBE

Mrs. Aubuchon~Math

Ms. Shearin~ Language Arts & Reading

Mr. Wengler~Science & Social Studies

OSAGE TRIBE

Ms. DiBlasi~Math

Mrs. Menley~ Language Arts & Reading

Mrs. Jackson~Science & Social Studies

Math

During the month of April, math will be finishing up curriculum with multiplying and dividing decimals and working on customary and metric conversions. We will then start working on more spiral reviews and practicing performance events in order to get ready for the MAP test. 5th grade will be starting their first round of MAP testing the last week of April and it will move into the first two weeks of May.

Language Arts & Reading

Currently in ELA, students have been working on nonfiction text structures and features. We continue to work on comprehension and looking for text evidence. Students have also been working on writing topic sentences, giving supporting ideas, adding details, and concluding sentences. We will be finishing the year with a research project, so students can showcase that writing talent!

Science & Social Studies

5th Grade Science:

Students will spend the month developing models to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. We will measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of the matter is conserved. Students will also plan and conduct investigations to separate the components of a mixture/solution by their physical properties (sorting, filtration, magnets, screening). We will conclude our physical science unit by conducting an investigation to determine whether the combining of two or more substances results in new substances.

5th Grade Social Studies:

Students will be moving on to WWI, The Great Depression, and WWII in the upcoming weeks. We will identify political, economic, and social causes and consequences throughout each of these significant events in US history. Students will continue to share their understanding through project-based learning methods.

OTOE TRIBE

Math~ Mrs. Voss

English~Mrs. Boling

Science~Mrs. Vondera

Social Studies~Mr. Effan

QUAPAW TRIBE

Math~ Mrs. Weil

English~ Mrs. Stumborg

Science~ Mrs. Todahl

Social Studies~ Mr. Slaughter

6TH GRADE READING TEACHER

Reading~Mr. McMahon

Happy Spring!

We are definitely ready for some warmer weather! Please make sure that hoodies and jackets are getting washed and that your child has plenty of deodorant. It would be greatly appreciated. Please continue to check your emails and Tyler SIS. As always if you need anything from us, please let us know.

6th Grade Social Studies:

In social studies, we are currently studying the Early Roman Republic. We are comparing the government of Rome with that of the United States. We will also be finishing that unit and discussing the rise of the Roman Empire.

6th Grade Math:

6th-grade math will get to Integers and Graphs before we start MAP review in May. Advanced math will continue with the 7th-grade skills and will cover Expressions and Percents before we start MAP review in May. Your child may bring a calculator to use in class. Email your teacher if you have any questions or if you need a link to the suggested calculator.

6th Grade Science:

We have just wrapped up our Earth Surface unit and will be diving into our last unit, Ecology. We will be doing several projects, posters, comic strips, and hands-on activities for this unit. Please check our weekly emails to stay up to date.

6th Grade English:

Students in 6th grade English wrapped up their argumentative writing unit. Next, we are beginning our unit on research. Students will complete research in books and online. We will focus on choosing good sources, creating research questions, and choosing the best way to showcase the information students find.

6th Grade Reading:

We are currently reading A Long Way from Chicago. All the assignments are located in the student's Google Classroom. There will be a test for comprehension at the end of the novel. This has been a fun unit that has provided many unique reading opportunities.

Counselor's Corner~Ms. Diamond

This school year has been going very fast. The 22-23 academic school year ends on May 25th. There are only eight weeks left of school! This time of year, everyone is tired and ready for summer. Please encourage your child to finish strong. If your child has any D’s or F’s, please contact the teacher in order to discuss ways of him or her improving their grade.

Both 5th and 6th graders have tentatively registered for next year's classes. They had a presentation on similarities and differences by grade level and buildings, along with descriptions of elective class options. Student selections have been shared with 6th grade parents and parent approval has already been requested. 5th graders tentative registration sheets will be sent home to parents with a brief description of elective classes which will allow parents to talk to their child regarding choices and either change or approve. If approved, parents/legal guardians will sign and return to school for creation of next year's student schedules. As always, we want students and parents involved together in education.

We will be hosting the CHADS Coalition for Mental Health on Tuesday, April 4th, to facilitate an evidence-based Signs of Suicide (SOS) program to all sixth grade students during one of their class periods. The evidence-based program is designed to help students recognize the symptoms of depression or warning signs of suicide in themselves or their friends and teach them the appropriate action steps they should take to get help. This program is in line with sixth grade curriculum for Health/Physical Education classes and has been approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. This is a voluntary program and parents have been given the opportunity to opt out. Your child will not be missing any of their regular class periods to attend.

The Missouri Assessment Program, (MAP), will start to be administered in our building for some special education students the week of April 17th. Most 5th graders will start their annual MAP assessments on Tuesday, April 25th and will continue to be administered on Tuesday-Thursday though May 11th. 5th Graders will be assessed in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics and Science. 6th Graders will start taking their MAP assessments on Tuesday, May 2nd and will continue taking Tuesday-Thursday through May 11th. The 6th graders will be assessed in the areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics. Mondays and Fridays will be used for students needing additional time or to administer assessments to students who were absent. Most students will be taking assessments in the morning from 7:45-9:45 am, and then they will have their normal classes for a shorter time. Your help in making sure your child is at school on testing days would be greatly appreciated.

Have a great Easter with friends and family.

Sincerely,

Ms.Diamond

Pacific Intermediate School Counselor

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