Important Dates
September 26-27- No School (Inservice)
September 28- STEAM Day (we’re super excited about this!!!)
October 7 - Walk/Ride to school day
October 13—5th grade parents/students invited to DMS @6:00—Device Intro
October 20—5th grade parents/students invited to DMS @6:00—Device Intro
Opportunity for Parents:
See attached link (Click Here) for information on a workshop available for parents: Steps for Growing Respectful and Responsible Kids.
Ala carte:
Students at the middle school can purchase food a’la carte. Lunch accounts are charged according to what the student purchases. These are items that would in addition to the regular meal charge. We are seeing many students purchase a’la carte. Please be sure to have a conversation with your child about a’la carte purchases as expenses add up quickly (and we don’t want you to be surprised!). There is a feature of the lunch account program that allows you to block or limit these purchases, if needed. You can log on to your account and make those changes. You may call Kristi Roffman at 382-4208 for assistance.
Planner writing:
Students have been learning about using the planner to keep track of assignments. At the middle school, we are moving toward independence and do not require parents to sign planners, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look at it to guide your student. We encourage parents to check the planner and encourage good study habits.
Middle School Parents Still Make a Difference- September Issue
The Parent Institute (Education’s #1 Source for Parent Involvement Information) provides a free resource for parents of middle school aged students. The monthly publication provides articles relevant to issues middle schoolers (and their parents) face. Check it out out here.
Study Buddies:
All DMS students are invited to Room 220 (Mrs. Suhr’s room) after school Monday - Thursday until 4:00 to have a quiet place to do work. Staying for Study Buddies is voluntary; students come when they have homework to do and only stay until their work is done! If your child is interested, ask for or have them get a form from their PrimeTime teacher and return the form to school. Be sure to communicate with your child about where to go or meet you when they are done each day.
NEWS FLASH!!
From Mrs. Halweg:
Math- In math this week we practiced adding and subtracting decimals. Your student did this using the traditional algorithms, as well as by shading hundredths grids to determine the sums and differences. Our next math assessment will be on Tuesday, October 4 over these skills.
From Mr. Kelley:
Social Studies - Students have studied how American Indians adapted to different environments in North America. Students performed research and create a picture collage representing how the Inuit used natural resources to adapt to their environment.
Reading and Language: Students continue studying narrative text. This week we discussed how to find the theme of a literary text. In language, students are working on character development and other narrative elements.
From Mrs. Nowack:
Science: This week’s lessons focused on systems and subsystems. We’ve spent a few days learning about the Earth as a system and the biosphere as a subsystem. On Friday three high school students came to our class to teach us about how redworms work to recycle and turn waste into compost (which is all part of the biosystem)! We will have an assessment over living systems next Wednesday. We wrapped up the first part of our Living Systems unit and spent a few days discussing how the biosphere and hydrosphere interact (and how it’s affected by flooding).
Reading: This week’s lessons focused on genre, setting, character traits, and plot. This week, students recorded themselves reading a short passage; we’ll use this video as a baseline for the students’ fluency progress throughout the year. Mini-lessons this week focused on how to talk about books, making good predictions, and making connections.
Students are expected to read at least two good-fit “IR” (independent reading) books/quarter (most students will read many more than this). . Books should come to school each day and go home each night.
Language: This week students finished their collaborate posters showcasing the six pillars of good character and we began a writing unit on memoirs. we read a mentor text, analyzed the features of memoirs, and brainstormed ideas for our own memoirs.
VIP: week of October 3rd- the VIP will be Mason
From Mr. Peterson:Science: We are creating models of food webs for next week to learn about the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems. Reading and Writing: We are learning about what makes a good story; in particular, we are exploring themes in literature and how to find and talk about them. Check out our classroom website: peterson210.edublogs.org
From Mrs. Suhr:
Social Studies - We have been learning about Native American tribes that lived here before the Europeans came to this continent. Many tribes settled in areas of plentiful resources. Some had to adapt to harsh climates and fewer resources. The test for this unit will be Sept. 30.
Language - Spelling lists are always handed out on Friday for the next week. Spelling tests are always on the last day of the week. We are practicing grammar and writing skills through DLR and Daily Writing. The students are brainstorming ideas for a “Memoir”. They also are learning about tricky verbs.
Star of the Week: Next week’s star is Caden B.
September 26-27- No School (Inservice)
September 28- STEAM Day (we’re super excited about this!!!)
October 7 - Walk/Ride to school day
October 13—5th grade parents/students invited to DMS @6:00—Device Intro
October 20—5th grade parents/students invited to DMS @6:00—Device Intro
Opportunity for Parents:
See attached link (Click Here) for information on a workshop available for parents: Steps for Growing Respectful and Responsible Kids.
Ala carte:
Students at the middle school can purchase food a’la carte. Lunch accounts are charged according to what the student purchases. These are items that would in addition to the regular meal charge. We are seeing many students purchase a’la carte. Please be sure to have a conversation with your child about a’la carte purchases as expenses add up quickly (and we don’t want you to be surprised!). There is a feature of the lunch account program that allows you to block or limit these purchases, if needed. You can log on to your account and make those changes. You may call Kristi Roffman at 382-4208 for assistance.
Planner writing:
Students have been learning about using the planner to keep track of assignments. At the middle school, we are moving toward independence and do not require parents to sign planners, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look at it to guide your student. We encourage parents to check the planner and encourage good study habits.
Middle School Parents Still Make a Difference- September Issue
The Parent Institute (Education’s #1 Source for Parent Involvement Information) provides a free resource for parents of middle school aged students. The monthly publication provides articles relevant to issues middle schoolers (and their parents) face. Check it out out here.
Study Buddies:
All DMS students are invited to Room 220 (Mrs. Suhr’s room) after school Monday - Thursday until 4:00 to have a quiet place to do work. Staying for Study Buddies is voluntary; students come when they have homework to do and only stay until their work is done! If your child is interested, ask for or have them get a form from their PrimeTime teacher and return the form to school. Be sure to communicate with your child about where to go or meet you when they are done each day.
NEWS FLASH!!
From Mrs. Halweg:
Math- In math this week we practiced adding and subtracting decimals. Your student did this using the traditional algorithms, as well as by shading hundredths grids to determine the sums and differences. Our next math assessment will be on Tuesday, October 4 over these skills.
From Mr. Kelley:
Social Studies - Students have studied how American Indians adapted to different environments in North America. Students performed research and create a picture collage representing how the Inuit used natural resources to adapt to their environment.
Reading and Language: Students continue studying narrative text. This week we discussed how to find the theme of a literary text. In language, students are working on character development and other narrative elements.
From Mrs. Nowack:
Science: This week’s lessons focused on systems and subsystems. We’ve spent a few days learning about the Earth as a system and the biosphere as a subsystem. On Friday three high school students came to our class to teach us about how redworms work to recycle and turn waste into compost (which is all part of the biosystem)! We will have an assessment over living systems next Wednesday. We wrapped up the first part of our Living Systems unit and spent a few days discussing how the biosphere and hydrosphere interact (and how it’s affected by flooding).
Reading: This week’s lessons focused on genre, setting, character traits, and plot. This week, students recorded themselves reading a short passage; we’ll use this video as a baseline for the students’ fluency progress throughout the year. Mini-lessons this week focused on how to talk about books, making good predictions, and making connections.
Students are expected to read at least two good-fit “IR” (independent reading) books/quarter (most students will read many more than this). . Books should come to school each day and go home each night.
Language: This week students finished their collaborate posters showcasing the six pillars of good character and we began a writing unit on memoirs. we read a mentor text, analyzed the features of memoirs, and brainstormed ideas for our own memoirs.
VIP: week of October 3rd- the VIP will be Mason
From Mr. Peterson:Science: We are creating models of food webs for next week to learn about the flow of energy and matter in ecosystems. Reading and Writing: We are learning about what makes a good story; in particular, we are exploring themes in literature and how to find and talk about them. Check out our classroom website: peterson210.edublogs.org
From Mrs. Suhr:
Social Studies - We have been learning about Native American tribes that lived here before the Europeans came to this continent. Many tribes settled in areas of plentiful resources. Some had to adapt to harsh climates and fewer resources. The test for this unit will be Sept. 30.
Language - Spelling lists are always handed out on Friday for the next week. Spelling tests are always on the last day of the week. We are practicing grammar and writing skills through DLR and Daily Writing. The students are brainstorming ideas for a “Memoir”. They also are learning about tricky verbs.
Star of the Week: Next week’s star is Caden B.