Pacific Intermediate Newsletter

Dear Pacific Intermediate Parents,

As we venture into the month of March, I am thrilled to share some exciting updates and reminders with you all.

First and foremost, I want to highlight that the week of March 25th through March 29th marks our much-anticipated Spring break. Please note that there will be no school during this time, allowing our students and faculty to enjoy a well-deserved break.

Additionally, please be aware that there will be no school on April 1st. This is a reminder to plan accordingly for your family's schedule.

We are now at the beginning of our third and final trimester of the school year. It's incredible to see how much our students have grown and achieved thus far, and we are eagerly looking forward to the continued progress and success in the coming months.

A notable event on our calendar is the commencement of Daylight Saving Time on March 10th. Remember to set your clocks forward by an hour as we spring forward into longer daylight hours.

Mark your calendars for March 19th as we tentatively plan for a Purple and White Day! On this day, 5th graders will don white attire, while 6th graders will showcase their spirit in purple. There will be prizes for the most spirited participants, so let's see those colors shine! The highlight of this event is our attempt to capture a drone picture of our students, courtesy of Wagner Photography.

Furthermore, Spring pictures are scheduled for March 13th. It's an excellent opportunity to capture those beautiful smiles and memories as we embrace the season.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Together, we can make this trimester a memorable and successful one for all.

Sincerely from the Indian Nation,

Matt Agee

Principal, Pacific Intermediate

PI night is 3/14! Families are invited from 3:00-4:30 for pie, prizes and the book fair.

Learn more about Summer Discovery! Join the fun this summer by enrolling in Summer Discovery at your school!!

Please complete this parent survey to help us make our Title I Program the best it can be!

(Please note the survey will open on Monday, March 4th.)

Mrs. Jackson~ Math & Science

Mrs. Menley~Language Arts, Reading & History

Mrs. Alcorn~Math

Ms. DiBlasi~History & Science

Ms. Shearin~Language Arts & Reading

Mrs. Aubuchon~Math

Mr. Gilcrease~Language Arts & Reading

Mr. Wengler~History & Science

5th grade math will be focusing on decimals. We will be comparing, ordering, rounding, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and lastly converting decimals to fractions and fractions to decimals. We just have a few more topics to tackle during April and we are ready for MAP testing. Please continue to work on math facts as this is the area of concern that impacts almost all of our topics. Also, please check your child's pencil and eraser supply as we are quickly running out.

We will be starting Theme and working on Informative writing.

Science: Fifth grade scientists have recently started an Earth/Space unit called "Spaceship Earth". We have been creating models that help students understand the effects of Earth's rotation and revolution.We will begin learning about moon phases, the reason for varying amounts of gravity on planets and moons, and how to tell if an exoplanet could possibly harbor life.

Social Studies: Fifth graders are continuing to explore the complexities of the Civil War through various reading activities. Following the Civil War unit, we will begin learning about World War I.

Drinking Water Poster Contest-5th Grade Only-From the Washington Missourian

Mrs. Boling~English

Mr. Effan~Social Studies

Mrs. Vondera~Science

Mrs. Voss~Math

Mrs. Stumborg~English

Mr. Slaughter~Social Studies

Mrs. Todahl~Science

Mrs. Weil~ Math

Mrs. Carrico

Mr. McMahon

Hello-

Hopefully, the coldest weather is behind us, and we can look forward to the first signs of Spring! As always, please continue to look for our weekly emails and to check your student's grades. Please make sure coats and hoodies are getting washed. Also, check with your child to see if they need any supplies (colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, pencils, and pens). If you need anything, please let us know.

English: Mrs. Boling & Mrs. Stumborg

In 6th-grade English, students are outlining their argumentative essays, in which they determine whether or not children should be allowed to have social media. Students are currently using articles about the topic to find text evidence to support their opinions. The next steps in this process will be for students to type their essays and begin editing their work.

Math: Mrs. Voss & Mrs. Weil

6th-grade regular math classes are learning to write equations in one and two variables and how to solve simple equations. The advanced math classes have started in the 7th-grade book and will be adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing positive and negative numbers. They will finish the year with the first 5 chapters of the 7th-grade book.

Reading: Mrs. Carrico & Mr. McMahon

In reading, we have started our second novel of the year, The Unwanteds. This will be a six-week unit. We will focus on vocabulary, comprehension, and figurative language. The book focuses on a dystopian society where all creativity is stifled. The characters fight for their individuality over an oppressive government.

Science: Mrs. Todahl & Mrs. Vondera

We just finished wrapping up our Matter unit and will have a mini-unit on the Earth's Surface. We will touch on weathering and erosion. If your child is absent, they are responsible for making up all the work that was missed in class.

Social Studies: Mr. Effan & Mr. Slaughter

Social Studies will discover classical Greek and Roman Civilizations over the next two months. The knowledge and politics of Greece and Rome directly impact how our democracy works in the United States. Students will understand the connection between classical civilizations' history and our own society's history.

Spring Book Fair!

Link to our Book Fair homepage - https://www.scholastic.com/bf/pacificintermediate

Hello Families! As we celebrated the end of trimester 2 last month, we would like to congratulate the students with good grades. Your parents and PI are proud of you. To students struggling with grades, do not give up. Success can happen through effort and change.

Over the past couple of months we have been in registration mode for next year. 5th graders were able to learn all about 6th grade. We highlighted expectations, similarities as well as differences from grade to grade. Students learned about the 6th grade electives and selected which path they were interested in. Additionally, 5th graders continued working on their academic goals and their steps to achieve them. Students will be monitoring their goals monthly and adjusting as needed.

Current 6th grade students learned about goals and perseverance. A huge goal we have for our 6th grade students is to pass 6th grade and move on to Riverbend. A “short term” goal we achieved in our lessons this month was registering online for Riverbend classes. Students used the information from their elective worksheets they completed in January to accomplish this task.

This month we have a guest speaker, Autumn Colvis, joining us for a presentation on Body Safety. Autumn is from the Children’s Advocacy Center. In the program, students will learn response skills that are age appropriate in an effort to help prevent them from ever becoming a victim of abuse. Students will watch a video designed as an introduction to the topic which includes information on how to identify an inappropriate touch to their body, who to talk to if something happens to them or someone they know, and the dangers of sharing personal information online through social media and cell phones. 5th and 6th grade students will each receive a version of this program. We invite parents and guardians to visit this website where you will find an outline for each age group. All videos are provided by the Play It Safe! Foundation. Trailers and outlines are available at https://www.playitsafe.org/curriculum_gradelevels.php

Parents this is a voluntary program. Parents can decide to have their student attend or not. Non permission slips, (opt-out forms), will be sent home the first week of March. Please sign this form only if you DO NOT WANT your child participating. Please note, this program takes the place of one of their regular classes.They will not be missing any scheduled classes or work.

If you have any questions or concerns about the program please contact:

Autumn Colvis

Prevention Specialist

Children’s Advocacy Center

acolvis@comtrea.org

636-391-8388

Have a great spring break. Enjoy spending time with your family and friends!

Ms. Jeanne Diamond

5th Grade Counselor

636-271-1425 x 3504

jdiamond@mvr3.k12.mo.us

Ms. Ally Speicher

6h Grade Counselor

636-271-1425 x 3509

aspeicher@mvr3.k12.mo.us

Pacific Intermediate

195 N Indian Pride Dr.

Pacific, MO 63069

www.mvr3.k12.mo.us

Phone: 636-271-1425

Fax: 636-271-1465