MS 50 Weekly News: 10/16/23
October 16, 2023

MS 50 Updates: Week of October 16, 2023
Family Curriculum Support Hub
Starting this week we are launching a new resource: the Family Curriculum Support Hub! Many of you have asked for more ways to support your student's learning at home and this is one way we are trying to help make that easier. This Google Drive folder contains informational resources for each grade's math and ELA curriculum, letting you know what is being studied, why it is important, and the basic skills needed to understand and master each topic. New resources will be added monthly and the folder will be linked below the "Classroom Spotlight" each week!
In this Issue:
- i-Ready Homework Reminder
- Classroom Spotlight: Science
- School Tours Start Tomorrow
- PTA Updates
- Upcoming Events
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i-Ready Homework Reminder
One of our goals this year is for every student at MS 50 to complete 30 minutes of i-Ready ELA lessons and 30 minutes of i-Ready math lessons as part of their homework every week. Teachers will check the previous week’s work every Monday. Students can use their @nycstudents account to log into i-Ready by visiting clever.com.
Classroom Spotlight: Science
6th Grade- Ecosystems and the Diversity of Life
In this unit students explore Earth’s ecosystems. Students begin by analyzing and interpreting data in order to understand the relationships among organisms, populations, and their resources. Students narrow their focus even more to construct explanations about specific organism interactions. Students develop models to represent the flow of energy and cycling of matter within ecosystems. Students should be able to develop arguments about how changes in the ecosystem affect the populations in these ecosystems, understanding that some communities need more energy than others to maintain stability. This unit also presents multiple opportunities for students to understand these concepts through a mathematical lens by analyzing data and creating graphs and mathematical models to represent these ecosystem interactions. The learning opportunities in this unit add a layer of understanding about predicting changes in our world.
7th Grade-Density and Measurement
8th Grade-Characteristics of Life and Living Things
All living things share a set of unique characteristics and processes that define life. While reviewing basic laboratory and microscopy techniques, students will explore the similarity and differences between cell types. Deeply investigating different domains and kingdoms of life allows for an introduction to the history of life on Earth, common ancestry, and evolution, which are key concepts spiraled throughout the remainder of the course.
School Tours Start Tomorrow
Do you know any 4th or 5th grade families who would be a great fit at MS 50? We have school tours starting tomorrow at 5:00PM and on three more Tuesdays in October and November. Interested families can find more details and sign up for a tour at ms50.org/admissions
PTA Updates
October Meeting Summary
At our October Meeting we discussed different ways to support our school community and other parents through social groups and volunteer opportunities. We are currently looking for volunteers for our family laundry room, our Title I committee, and for running our lunchtime snack sale table. If you are interested in helping or learning more about any of those opportunities, please email our parent coordinator.
Halloween Dance Donations
We are looking forward to supporting the Halloween Dance on October 25 from 3-5pm. Snacks and drinks, especially small bottles of water, are our biggest need. Please email our parent coordinator Edda if you are interested in donating.