Pacific Intermediate Newsletter

Pacific Intermediate Families,

This is a very exciting time of the year for our students and we are glad to be able to share December with everyone as a school community! 6th grade band students will have their first band concert on Sunday, December 4th at Pacific High School. We will have our first annual Coin War Dodgeball tournament for our winning homerooms on December 21st, and many of our students are excited, and preparations for the tournament have begun. Additionally, there are events being held in the Pacific Plaza on Saturdays in December for our families to enjoy.

As a reminder, we are no longer on a semester system. As such, we will be in the second trimester at the beginning and the end of winter break. Your student's first trimester report card was sent home on Friday, November 18th. If you need a paper copy, please contact the guidance office and they can assist you.

As the temperatures are cooling off, students at our building love to wear hoodies. We have noticed that several students are coming to school smelling of dirty clothes and body odor. We do ask that you work with your students to please wash their hoodies and coats, and encourage them to take daily showers and work on hygiene habits as their bodies are growing.

The last day before winter break is December 21st and is a full day of attendance. We hope that you have a joyous break and are able to rest up before we return to school in January.

Yours in education,

Matt Agee

Matt Agee

Pacific Intermediate Principal

Title 1 reading is sponsoring a school wide reading incentive program! Any 5th or 6th grader can participate in the Ultimate Readers Challenge. Read 10 books (at their level) and get a gift certificate to Ultimate Ninjas for a free open gym! Please see Mrs. Meyers for more details!

Band Concert!! Don't Miss This One!!

6th Grade Band Winter Concert

Sunday, December 4th, 2022

1:00 pm - PHS Gym

Mrs. Alcorn~Math

Mr. Gilcrease~Language Arts & Reading

Mrs. Bielicke~Science & Social Studies

Mrs. Aubuchon~Math

Ms. Shearin~ Language Arts & Reading

Mr. Wengler~Science & Social Studies

Ms. DiBlasi~Math

Mrs. Menley~ Language Arts & Reading

Mrs. Jackson~Science & Social Studies

Math is starting the geometry unit. We will begin with understanding the concept of volume and then applying the formula to determine the volume of rectangular prisms. After volume, we will be learning about quadrilaterals, their attributes, and finally using shape attributes to place quadrilaterals into a hierarchy.

We are finishing up with Point of View and moving to Author's Purpose. We are continuing to build spelling and writing skills. Students will be learning about possessive nouns and how to properly format titles. Looking back to the text to find answers continues to be a focus in 5th grade. This is a skill we use for both fiction and non-fiction reading material. Please encourage your student to read independently for 15-20 minutes each evening!

Science: We continue to learn the standards associated with Earth's Systems. Our Mystery Science unit for this standard is called The Watery Planet. Our first mystery will focus on the water cycle, which is mainly a review from elementary school. We will deepen our understanding by analyzing human impact on Earth's freshwater, and ways to protect our natural resource. Students will also focus on reading and creating graphs, which will help preview math concepts!

Social Studies: Students are learning about important inventions and inventors during the American Industrial Revolution from 1760-1860. This will lead us straight into The Civil War. Students will learn about the causes of The Civil War, significant battles and leaders of the late 1860s, and the impact that The Civil War had on American life.

Math~ Mrs. Weil

English~ Mrs. Stumborg

Science~ Mrs. Todahl

Social Studies~ Mr. Slaughter

Math~ Mrs. Voss

English~Mrs. Boling

Science~Mrs. Vondera

Social Studies~Mr. Effan

Reading~Mr. McMahon

Welcome to Winter!

We are all happy that we have made it to this point! Please make sure you are checking your email to keep up to date with your child's classes. Also, please make sure you are checking Tyler SIS for your child's grades and missing assignments. You should be seeing some type of homework at home. Ask your student to show you their completed work. Pencils and red pens make great stocking stuffers! If you need anything let us know. We hope that you enjoy Winter Break and we will see you in January!

6th Grade English:

English students are working on the narrative unit, in which they tell a story from their lives that they remember vividly. We will be wrapping up this project in time for winter break. When we return from break, we will be focusing on Greek and Latin root words.

6th Grade Reading:

Reading is halfway done with our novel Freak the Mighty. The students are having a fun time discovering various literary terms and examples of figurative language. The plan is to have the entire book completed by Winter break.

6th Grade Math:

Math students are busy working with decimals, fractions, and percentages. Advanced classes are going to be working on finding the volume and surface area of 2D and 3D shapes. Please make sure your child is completing their homework on a nightly basis. Getting homework completed helps them succeed in the classroom.

6th Grade Social Studies:

Social Studies will end the year by talking about ancient India. From ancient India, the world would get the religion of Hinduism and the Philosophy of Buddhism, which would have long-lasting influences from modern yoga practices to the teachings of modern psychology.

6th Grade Science:

In science, we just wrapped up the Metric Unit and have started our Sound and Light unit. We will try to wrap up this unit before the break. Please keep up with our weekly emails and keep checking to make sure your student is completing their work.

Trimester 1 ended on November 10th and report cards were emailed to parents/legal guardians on November 18th. Hopefully, you were happy with your child's grades. If not, Trimester 2 is a new opportunity to build on what he or she is doing right and improve where needed for higher grades. Reaching out to teachers for suggestions and areas of improvement can help them focus on needs to achieve higher grades.

5th grade students will participate in a two-day voluntary program called "Changes and Choices" presented by Compass Health Network. This takes the place of one of their normal daily classes. Also, 6th grade students will have a guidance lesson on "Respect for each other, themselves, authority and diversity." Students will then further develop skills discussed during the lesson on "Mix It Up Lunch Days" where students sit with different students other than they normally do. By doing this it encourages students to practice social skills by getting to know each other through sharing about themselves, learning about someone else and respecting other classmates.

During the holidays, while we are giving gifts, enjoying time with our families, reflecting on the year and what we hope for next year, it might be a good time to re-emphasize your family values and goals for your children. Most people have goals and a desire to please others. If we emphasize the importance of education and setting goals, our children will notice and prioritize their goals to meet expectations. When children set short-term goals such as good grades, making and keeping friends, and doing things to make us proud they will plan and make decisions to reach goals. When they set long-term goals, such as graduating from high school, going to college, or learning a trade they will learn to focus on their goals to overcome obstacles to their future. Children listen and care about family values even if they do not appear to listen or care.

Enjoy your break and spend some quality time discussing goals and planning for their future. Without goals…. dreams cannot come true.

Happy Holidays and here's to a great new year in 2023.

Sincerely,

Ms. Diamond

PI School Counselor

Pacific Intermediate

195 N Indian Pride Dr.

Pacific, MO 63069

www.mvr3.k12.mo.us

Phone: 636-271-1425

Fax: 636-271-1465