FMS Parent Information SMORE

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SCIENCE: MS. DOWNUM

Good afternoon parents! Your young scientists have been working hard on their projects. I am currently working on grading those and hope to have the grade in by the end of the week. We have finished our Ecosystems unit on Tuesday and are starting our new unit called Forces and Motion (Waves) on Wednesday. The test for our Forces and Motion or Waves for short will be on December 4th. This is the unit that the students are most excited for because they will be dissecting a cow eye. There are a few requirements for completing the lab. The first is no missing assignments for this unit as the practice is very important for this lab. Wearing all safety equipment and hair pulled back. If a student doesn’t feel comfortable doing this, the lab, or they aren’t able to complete the lab they will be given an alternate lab with the same practice.

Something I noticed today (Monday the 23rd) when I did notebook checks with the students. Not all of them are keeping up with their vocabulary. This is on canvas and printed on a desk for them to copy down in their notebooks. Why is it so important for them to do vocabulary? Science is very vocabulary heavy meaning there are a lot of technical terms they need to know to understand what we are learning. Not keeping up with vocabulary automatically makes science harder for your student. It also affects their quiz grades. I am going to help them out with it this time and treat it as done or not done. If a student did more than half of their vocabulary I will give them full points. If a student didn’t do half of it I will exempt them from this. Please talk to your student about a way they can stay organized with their assignments. I told them each when they didn’t do much or any of the vocabulary they might need a planner or even just an extra notebook to use as a planner to keep them organized. Vocabulary assigned on September 27th was available on canvas and on paper.

We have an upcoming NC check-in for Math and ELA. The ELA one is tomorrow Thursday the 26th and the math one is November the 15th. Please make sure your student is well rested, eaten breakfast, and wearing comfy clothes.

SOCIAL STUDIES: MR. CALDERON

Greeting Families,

As we close out the first quarter of school I want to let you know that your children have incorporated well to the class and are able to understand the information given about all the different people from ancient times. As we continue moving up through history and societies it's important that they stay focused and complete all works given in class. The last two weeks we have talked about Mesopotamia and the Phoenisians. Currently we are engaged in The Egyptian People and will continue to do so for the next couple of weeks, due to their rich history. Finally, I emailed each one of you with a list of supplies your children will need in my class, please get the items at your earliest convenience.

Classwork: While we have ample time to do the work in class I am in need of your help to ensure that your child completes all the classwork either in the classroom or at home. I give them all the work in class but I also put all the classwork in Canvas for them and you.

Class Behavior: While most of the students are well behaved I ask for your help by reiterating to your child on class behavior and to follow all non-negotiable. In addition, explain to them that when they are disruptive and disrespectful it affects their classmates and the flow of the lesson.

If you have any questions or concerns please email me at luiscalderon@fschools.net

MATH: MR. MITCHELL

Hello families and thank you for reading! I’ve broken up the material into a couple different sections so please see the information below:

Content:

We are in the middle of Unit 3 which covers Ratios, Proportions, and Percentages. We will be testing late next week and all students will be sent home with a test review sheet that they can use to study for the upcoming test. If time permits, please take a second to sit down and go through this review with them. They will benefit greatly from your assistance.

Also, as we work towards EOGs, students are given about 12 questions from last year’s 6th grade EOG to take home and study at the end of each week. Please ask your students about these papers. They are called ‘From the Jump’ assignments and all students should be taking them home to study. The better they get at these questions, and questions similar to those, the better they will do on the EOGs.

Grades:

Students need to be completing iReady minutes and lessons. 60 minutes and 2 lessons passed are required each week.

Behaviors:

Classes are continuing to run smoothly and I appreciate your support in this endeavor. Parent support has been at an all time high this year. Please know that the classroom and your student’s education benefits greatly from the support you provide us as teachers.

Again, thank you for all of your support and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions at brandonmitchell@fcschools.net

Thank you for reading!

ELA: MS. CRUDUP

Greetings Families,

ELA: MS. BAECHLE:

Good afternoon students and guardians. As we near the end of Q1, please be sure to check in with students about end of quarter requirements. No late work will be accepted past this evening which is a week prior to the end of the quarter, as stated in the syllabus. Students have been made aware of my expectations and provided reminders frequently for weeks. It is key to make sure students are taking accountability for their work.

Students have their first ELA Check-in one tomorrow and I know they’ll do great! They have been working really hard with the content, their expansion of vocabulary, and overall annotation and test-taking strategies. Please encourage them to try their best and to take their time.

Expectations: Overall, students have done a solid job with maintaining a positive behavior in class, as well as keeping up to date with their work. I appreciate you speaking with your students about their personal and academic goals on a regular basis, and when they may need a reminder.

Curriculum: We are coming to a close with our first text “Lyddie” within the next week, or two and students are completing their Q1 projects, which are due this Friday 10/27, as stated in several prior Smore letters. The project is linked below:

Q1 Project: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ey4PRCrPqOy3T2Dm-2oCVhLqjM_vI6rFVXFqaKHPnF0/edit?usp=sharing

Students continue to enhance their overall level of reading comprehension, and are strengthening skills in the areas of: annotation color-coding skills, analyzing text with textual quotes, in-text vocabulary, content anchor charts, and Check-in one review.

Homework: Students should expect homework two to three times weekly in order to continue to develop their skill-sets and to see growth. Please ask your child what work they have for homework, or have not completed on a regular basis to help keep them on track. Work is also updated regularly for access on Canvas.

Grades: Student grades are present on Canvas, and are currently up to date as of 10/25/23. Students' argumentative essays take longer to grade, though will be done by the end of this week as well. As a reminder; I allow a one week timeframe to make up work before an assignment becomes a zero. In addition, I will take any late work until the week before the end of a quarter (10/25/23) in order to allow ample time for grading and feedback.

I-Ready: Is a proven and resourceful data-driven program that allows teachers to see tri-annually where a student is at in their comprehension level by grade lexile. It also allows teachers to view the data and see where students have mastered a skill, and what areas need additional practice.

Update: Students are expected to complete two passing lessons from their pathway each week. In addition, they will be assigned a “teacher assigned lesson” which is to be completed by the end of the week for a grade. The teacher chosen assignment will focus on a skill-set currently being taught or reviewed in class in order to strengthen a specific skill.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me at any time with any questions or concerns: kimberlybaechle@fcschools.net.

Students completed their science NC Check-in today and will complete their ELA one tomorrow. Math 1 NC Check-ins will happen on Monday, November 27th and 8th Grade Math NC Check-ins will be on Monday, December 4th.

ELA: MS. FROST

REMINDER: Students take the NC Check-In State Benchmark for Reading tomorrow (Thursday October 26)

Your child will complete the first NC Check-In State Benchmark for ELA on October 26th. Please encourage your child to take this assessment seriously; utilizing the test taking strategies we have learned in class. Scores will be shared with students and the information from the assessment will drive instruction and remediation in preparation for the End of Grade State Test for ELA (EOG).

You can help your child by:

• Being aware of the testing schedule and making sure that your child is at school on time tomorrow.

• Make sure that your child goes to bed on time so they are well rested.

• Serve a healthy breakfast including protein so that your child is not hungry during the testing session. A healthy breakfast may include eggs, toast, sausage, and or pancakes. This is a sample of a high protein breakfast.

• Ensure that your child gets an extra dose of physical activity after school today. This will help them rest as well as release some of the nervous energy.

• If your child suffers from test anxiety, maybe on the testing days he/she can be driven to school to avoid long bus rides that may add to the stress.

• Encourage your child to listen to and follow all directions given by the test administrator. If they have questions, they need to be addressed before testing begins.

Testing can be stressful, and with positive reinforcement your child will be inspired to do their best!

Upcoming Test

CTE: MS. SMITH

6h Grade- Keyboarding:

All assignments and makeup work, due 10/27/2023 4:00pm.

In our recent lessons, 6th grade students have been focusing on two essential questions: "What are correct keyboarding techniques when keying using the number and symbol keys?" and "What are correct keyboarding techniques when keying using the numeric keypad?"

Students are developing a strong foundation in touch typing, which is an essential skill for the digital age. They are being taught the importance of proper hand positioning and posture to ensure efficient and ergonomic typing. With regard to the number and symbol keys, our students are mastering the correct finger placement and the use of the shift key to access symbols and special characters. Additionally, they are honing their skills on the numeric keypad, perfecting techniques that allow for quick and accurate data entry.

These skills are not only crucial for their academic success but also for their future careers in an increasingly technology-driven world. As we progress through the course, your child will continue to build their typing speed and accuracy, ensuring they have a strong foundation in this essential 21st-century skill.

7th Grade- Computer Science Discoveries II:

All assignments and makeup work, due 10/27/2023 4:00pm.

Students are learning and doing in Unit 1, Lesson 8 of code.org, where we are exploring the IOSP model. The IOSP model stands for Input, Output, Storage, and Processing, and it's a fundamental concept in computer science. In this lesson, our young learners are gaining a deeper understanding of how computers work by studying these key components. They are discovering how computers take in information (Input), process it (Processing), store data (Storage), and produce results (Output). This knowledge is crucial in helping them comprehend the inner workings of technology and prepares them for more complex programming concepts in the future. As they progress through this unit, students will also have hands-on activities and exercises to reinforce these concepts, ensuring a well-rounded understanding of the IOSP model.

8th Grade- Computer Science Discoveries:

All assignments and makeup work, due 10/27/2023 4:00pm.

Students are currently learning and doing in Code.org, specifically in Unit 3, Lesson 8, where we delve into the fascinating world of sprites.

In this lesson, your child is exploring the fundamentals of computer programming by creating and manipulating sprites. Sprites are graphical elements that can move, change, and interact with each other on the screen. Students are learning the essential concepts of sequencing, events, and loops to control the behavior of these sprites, helping them understand the core principles of coding and problem-solving. They are engaged in hands-on activities, designing their sprites, setting their attributes, and programming them to perform tasks and respond to different conditions. This lesson fosters creativity, critical thinking, and computational skills as students experiment with sprites to bring their own imaginative projects to life.