Team 72 Newsletter 25-26

Mrs. Britt: Social Studies

Ms. Nugent: Math

Mrs. Elder: English

Mrs. Mendes: ESL

Mr. Zorilla: Science

We finished The Giver, and now we will be moving forward with designing our own Utopias! We spent time analyzing how events influence and change the characters over time. We worked on making predictions, using descriptive language, and participating in group discussions.

Moving forward, students will be designing their own utopian societies. They are already hard at work coming up with rules and structures that will be the foundation of these communities. Soon, students will be building dioramas, creating maps, and designing brochures to market and describe their utopias. We will present science fair style to other students, and the goal will be to persuade their peers to join their societies. They will use all of the skills needed to write narratives for this hands of project. By developing residents (characters), creating a community (setting), and creating resident testimonies (plot + conflict), students are crafting narratives in a non-traditional way.

Some students may choose to construct and build pieces of their project. Students are encouraged to bring cardboard and any other materials they would like to use for their projects, Additionally, if you have any materials you’d like to donate, please feel free to send them in!

Questions to ask to connect “real life” back to English Class:

• What freedoms (if any) would you sacrifice in order to have stability?
• How would you design your own “perfect” society?
• What works well in our society? What doesn’t?

We wrapped up our Operations with Integers module around Thanksgiving. In this module, students learned to add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative numbers and apply the order of operations.

We are now moving into Operations with Rational Numbers. Students are starting to build on these skills by working with fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers, converting between forms, combining numbers in different forms, and understanding repeating and terminating decimals. These skills help students become more confident and flexible thinkers. You can support your child by connecting math to real life—like budgeting or measuring—encouraging questions, and celebrating their progress. Feel free to ask students to show you our Google Classroom space, where I post weekly assignments and extra resource materials. Also, as we begin the new trimester, please keep on top of their PowerSchool grades. Please reach out anytime to discuss your student’s learning!

We wrapped up our study of South & Central Asia by answering our Unit 1 Essential Question: How did geography, beliefs, and leaders influence societies in South and Central Asia? Students worked collaboratively in table groups to connect key concepts from the unit’s lessons, and then used their understanding to write well-structured paragraphs responding to the essential question.

We are now diving into Unit 2: East Asia! In this unit, we’ll explore countries such as China, Japan, Mongolia, and the Koreas. Students will analyze and ask questions about a variety of sources to discover how geography, belief systems, and governing styles have shaped societies across the region. Stay tuned—this is going to be a fun and engaging unit!

Here are some pictures from our Unit 1 Jenga Review Game!

This week in Mr. Zorrilla’s class, students engaged in several meaningful opportunities for personal reflection, community building, and creative expression. From decorating our shared space to sharing their hopes for the course, students brought an energy that made the classroom feel alive. Mr. Zorrilla has truly enjoyed witnessing their excitement and joy unfold.

At the start of the course, students wrote short reflection letters to Mr. Zorrilla. This exercise was designed to help everyone get to know one another better and to understand what each student is looking forward to in the coming days. Additionally, students played a key role in transforming the classroom environment. Together, they created "My DNA" structures, which they decorated with designs that represented their personalities, identities, and unique perspectives.

Students also completed surveys that provided valuable insight into their strengths, learning preferences, and interests. These early activities laid a strong foundation for the learning ahead. Starting next week, Mr. Zorrilla and his students will dive into the curriculum and begin collaborating more actively as the course progresses.

As Mr. Zorrilla prepares for the coming weeks, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the course. He looks forward to the rest of the school year with this year’s team and group of students!

Hello families!

This month in our ESL class, we are continuing our deep dive into the exciting world of novel studies!

We finished our novel, so what's next?

A novel study is when our whole class reads the same book together. Instead of just reading from a textbook, we get to explore one complete story, get to know the characters, and discuss big ideas. For our English language learners, this is a powerful way to build language skills in a fun and meaningful way.

How Novel Studies Boost Reading Skills

Reading a whole book together helps us practice many important skills. The goal is to build confidence and help students not only learn English but also learn to love reading in English.

Here are some strategies we use in class:

• Making Predictions: Before we read a new chapter, we ask, "What do you think will happen next?" This teaches students to look for clues in the story.

• Reading Aloud: We often read parts of the story aloud as a class. Hearing the words helps with pronunciation and fluency, and it makes the story come alive!

• Using Story Maps: We use graphic organizers (like story maps) to keep track of important information:

  • Characters: Who is in the story?

  • Setting: Where and when does the story take place?

  • Problem & Solution: What challenge do the characters face, and how do they fix it?

• Unlocking New Words: Every novel has new vocabulary. We don't just skip these words. We act them out, draw pictures of them, and practice using them in our own sentences.

From Reading to Creating: Showing what we've learned!

A novel study isn't just about reading; it's also one of the best ways to practice writing. The book gives us great ideas and models for our own work. Our next step is to move from reader to creator. We will use the story to create our own pieces.

Here are some of the options for our book project:

• Storyboards: Students may choose to create storyboards to map out the plot and how the characters move through the story. Students will also include details about the setting and conflict in their storyboards.

• Recreating a chapter or scene: Students may recreate a scene by putting their own creative spin on an existing part of the novel. Students will be able to infuse the existing narrative with their own ideas about the characters, plot, setting, and conflict.

With both of these options, students will be able to use a variety of tools, digital and paper-based, to express themselves. One of our goals is for students to include their own voices, experiences, and backgrounds into their work. This is a great opportunity to share and celebrate our different cultural backgrounds! I am so excited to see what they come up with!

How You Can Help at Home

Your support makes a huge difference! Here are a few simple ways you can continue to help your student during our novel study:

• Ask Questions: You don't need to have read the book! Just ask your child to tell you about it in your home language.

  • "What did you like about the book?"

  • "What are you going to create for your project?"

• Encourage All Reading: Any reading is good reading! Encourage them to read graphic novels, magazines, or books in their first language. It all builds skill.

• Watch a Movie (After!): If the novel has a movie version, plan to watch it together after we finish the book. It's a great reward and a fun way to talk about the story.

Thank you for your partnership in your student's learning journey! If you have any questions about our novel study, please feel free to contact me.

Click this link for directions for the step-by-step instructions for adding MFA so that kids can sign into their school accounts from home.

Reading improves academic success and social emotional growth, especially during middle school. Students who read regularly outside of school tend to perform better across all subjects as it strengthens vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking skills. It also helps develop their ability to connect with others and manage their emotions. Encourage your child to spend at least 15 minutes a day reading at home.

Thank you for helping to foster a love of reading and for supporting your child’s learning journey!

Trimester 1 ended at the beginning of this week. Grades are all updated in PowerSchool.

Meet our Team 72 student of the month! Liam brings positive energy to our classrooms every day! He consistently gives full effort into his work, and he participates with a positive attitude. Liam is friendly, helpful, and he has a great sense of humor! We are so happy to have Liam in our classes, and we know his peers feel the same way.

Thank you Liam!

Click here to contact us!

Other ways to get in touch include email and Talking Points. We look forward to hearing from you!

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تاسو کولی شئ د یوې تڼۍ په کلیک کولو سره دا خبر پاڼه په اسانۍ سره وژباړئ! په پورتنۍ ښیې کونج کې، "ژباړه" کلیک وکړئ. کله چې د ډراپ ډاون مینو ښکاره شي، مهرباني وکړئ یوه ژبه غوره کړئ او خبر پاڼه به په اوتومات ډول . که تاسو مرستې ته اړتیا لرئ یا کومې تېروتنې ته اړتیا لرئ، مهرباني وکړئ د پرنسپل مک میلن سره اړیکه ونیسئ