6th Grade Newsletter

English Language Arts: Kirsten Compton (kcompton1@dcsdk12.org)

Math: Kim Thompson (kthompson3@dcsdk12.org)

Science and Social Studies: Trevor Jones (tjones1@dcsdk12.org)

As the excitement builds for the start of the next school year, we want to share some thrilling news about a fantastic opportunity awaiting our rising 6th graders: the Stone Canyon Outdoor Education experience!

This immersive program, taking place Wednesday, 9/10/25 - Friday, 9/12/25, is a cornerstone of the transition to middle school and provides an invaluable opportunity for students to learn, grow, and bond outside the traditional classroom setting. At Stone Canyon, students will engage in a variety of hands-on activities designed to foster:

• Teamwork and Collaboration: Through group challenges and shared experiences, students will learn the importance of working together to achieve common goals.

• Environmental Awareness: Exploring the natural beauty of Stone Canyon will spark curiosity and deepen their understanding of the environment and our role in it.

• Personal Growth and Resilience: Stepping outside their comfort zones with activities like zip line and archery will build confidence and problem-solving skills.

• New Friendships and Community Building: Living and learning alongside their classmates and teachers creates lasting connections and strengthens our school community.

More detailed information about the Stone Canyon Outdoor Education experience, including packing lists and permission slips, will be shared with you in a couple weeks. Registration is live online here and will be open through the end of August. Additionally, you will now see the payment for our trip in MySchoolBucks. If you believe your family may qualify for free and reduced lunch, please see Marie in the office to discuss payment options. Homeroom teachers also have more information on scholarship opportunities.

In the meantime, we encourage you to talk with your child about this exciting adventure and the possibilities it holds. It's a chance for them to embrace new challenges, discover their strengths, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Curious about the thrilling adventures awaiting at Stone Canyon? Dive into their website and discover all the excitement in store!

The students had a great first week in ELA. They competed in an intense team challenge to build towers using only straws and tape; they explored novels in our classroom library; they created norms and expectations for various procedures that regularly happen in our classroom; and even started on their first writing piece: a letter about their lives that will be returned to them at the end of the school year. It has been incredible to see their enthusiasm and willingness to take risks, support one another, and engage in their learning.

Next week the kids can look forward to beginning a novel study. We will read Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water aloud in class, work on interactive and fun activities to support our understanding of the text, and sprinkle in Benchmark Pre-Assessments along the way.

Thank you for a great first week of school! It's going to be a fun year!

It was so wonderful having students back in the classroom this week! We are starting the year by building a strong classroom community where every student feels valued and capable. During our first few days, we got to know one another and created expectations for how we work together in groups. Next week, our focus will shift to building confidence in taking risks, persevering, and engaging in productive struggle. Mistakes are opportunities to learn, and each student has a unique perspective to contribute. In this class, we are mathematicians! We learn from each other and grow together every day.

We kicked off the school year having a good time getting to know each other, seeing what its like in 6th Grade mobile life, and creating an awesome new 6th grade community!

Next week we will begin our learning with a unit on the origins, structures, and functions of the U.S. government! Over the next few weeks, your kids will learn what government is, why we have it, and where the big ideas behind ours came from. We’ll take a trip back in time to see how history shaped the system we have today, then break down how the different branches work (and hopefully play nicely together). We’ll also look at how well our government actually does its job. By the end of the week, they’ll have a solid foundation for diving deeper next week.

8/20 - Picture Day

8/26 - iReady Beginning of the Year Diagnostics

8/27 - Run Club Starts

9/1 - Labor Day No School

9/10-12 - Outdoor Ed

9/16 - Fun Run

9/26 Field Day