It seems like just yesterday I was still explaining how to do things in kindergarten.  It is fun to watch the children becoming so self-directed.  It is fun to ask the children to prepare for math or reading and watch as they all collect what they need and go on their way. 

Reminder: The Dean asked me to give a reminder about where parents should be before and after school.  All parents should remain outside unless there is a reason to come into the building.  Anytime a parent comes into the building from 7:45 -3:00 he/she MUST sign in at the office.  This is a district-wide policy and it must be enforced.  For those of you who may not know, we have middle school in the building with longer hours than the elementary, so this is why the enforcement time is a bit longer than the regular kindergarten schedule.

January: We had a super month in January studying Antarctica and the weather. The students learned a lot about Earnest Shackleton and his explorations to the South Pole. We also learned that Antarctica’s name means opposite of the Arctic and that a polar bear and a penguin would never live together in the wild. Our stories were fun this month in language arts.  The students loved the stories of King Midas, Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood. We also began our curriculum for February this past week.

February:  February is one of my favorite months when it comes to the topics that we cover.  We study about the four presidents of Mount Rushmore.  This includes Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt.  We will learn about each of their lives and why some people thought they were great presidents.  The students will be amazed at the size of Mount Rushmore and the time and skill that went into making such a monument.  We also talk about our current president, who is eligible to be president, Independence Day, the American flag, democracy and the Statue of Liberty.  Wow! That is just social studies.  In science we will be learning about the needs of animals and doing a writing activity with this topic.  These topics may run over into March.

Reading:  Our last two tests were better than I expected.  I was incredibly surprised at the number of really high scores.  On the last test, almost everyone got an “A” grade. This means that you are really helping at home and I am very proud of everyone. The bookmarks are really doing their job in helping us remember to read. I have looked at the next test that is coming up for Lesson 100.  You will notice that there was a sentence to read on this last test and this will continue in the future. The children should never miss a spelling word if they listen to the “rule of the day.”  For example, they are told if the words use a combination or end with an /e/.  You will also notice that the words that are on the test are not different than the ones that are practiced on each of the previous homework sheets?

Math: We are progressing very nicely in math.  We are learning to use new math equipment like the geoboards and the balance.  We continue to work on counting and recognizing numbers to 100.  We will be doing a lot of addition using counters.  The children are not required to memorize any math facts this year. If your child is getting the hang of adding and you would like him or her to have more practice, you could visit mathfactscafe.com and there are adding games to play under the topic of flashcards. Please continue to review ordinal numbers and recognition of coins.

It is a joy for me to see the children every day. 

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The children learned so much about Antarctica.  It’s the coldest, driest, windiest, and highest continent in the world!  We practiced being good father penguins and found that it was difficult to keep even a make-believe penguin chick balanced on our feet for very long. After saying good-bye to the cold continent we have moved on to explore Africa.  We will drum and sing as we learn about some of the many countries of Africa. We will locate the Nile River (one of the longest rivers in the world) and Madagascar…and more

Our Core Knowledge History lesson this month will take us into the past to meet former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. We will also discuss our country’s government and the current president. 

While we are in Africa, our Science class will take us into the forests to capture a glimpse of Jane Goodall’s and her life’s work with chimpanzees. 

Please take a moment to check your son or daughter’s P.E. shoes.  The children are growing and often the shoes that were sent to school five months ago don’t fit anymore. Also, those extra shoes can serve as clean indoor shoes or as a back-up pair of shoes when your child steps in or falls in the mud.  Don’t laugh.  It happens every year.

Mrs. Syverson’s Reading Class
We will cover lessons 83 to 98 this month. Please continue to read the lesson each night and sign the bookmark. Test Date:  Feb. 14

Mrs. Syverson’s Math Class
We will cover lessons 77 to 92 this month.  Test Dates:  Feb. 7, 15, 27

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Literature- We will enjoy more fairy tales this month.   We will continue to discuss the story elements, story problems and solutions, and identify the beginning, middle, and end of the stories.  Our fairy tales will include, Jack and the Beanstalk, the Frog Prince, and Puss in Boots.   Our poetry will include Hope by Langston Hughes.

History- The first graders have spent the first part of the school year learning about world history.  Our focus for the remaining school year will be American history.  We begin by learning about colonization.  We will talk about Sir Walter Raleigh and the Lost Colony, the settling of Jamestown, Plymouth, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Science- We will focus on planet Earth this month. We will learn about its layers, the formations and characteristics of metamorphic, igneous, and sedimentary rocks, and some important minerals in the earth.  We will also learn about volcanoes, geysers, fossils, and dinosaurs.

Grammar- We will continue to classify sentences and work with sentence fragments.  We will also be learning how to write two-point expository paragraphs. Wow, first graders writing paragraphs!  We have an outline that we follow that really helps us get started. 

Spelling - Spelling patterns emphasized this month are: /ll/ sound at the end of a short word is usually spelled with two letter l’s;  and the /vv/ sound at the end of words is usually spelled with the letters ve. 

Reading -  Both reading groups continue to progress one lesson a day.  Please check your child’s homework each night to make sure all parts are completed.    In Mrs. Palomaki’s class, the reading passage on the tests will increase to 66 words to be read within 1 minute.   A good way to practice is to count out 66 words on a page and see if your child can read it within 1 minute.  It is very important to have your child read to you each night to help increase their pace and build fluency.  Mrs. Osorio’s class is concentrating on reading with expression.

Math - New skills/concepts in Saxon 1 are: adding 2 digit numbers, identifying and making congruent shapes, telling time to the half hour, adding 10 to a given number, and doubles plus one addition facts.  New skills/concepts in Saxon 2 are: identifying place values of 3 digit numbers, showing 3 digit numbers using base ten blocks, telling time to 5 minute intervals, writing numbers in expanded form; subtraction facts: -4, -5, and -6. Please continue to practice 100 addition facts in five minutes. The children will continue to be tested on them throughout the year.

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2ND GRADE
 Mr. Bomann and Mrs. Campshure
February 2012 News

A few notes of importance in this short month.  You may have noticed an emphasis on responsibility reported to you when you read your child’s report card.  Second grade is all about teaching and building the student’s responsibility.  One very important part of that is the assignment notebook.  Daily signatures from an adult are required.  Some children are neglecting to secure this signature.  Up until the last quarter of second grade, the card flip chart is used to modify behavior.  Starting in the 4th quarter, the card flip will be used to shape both responsibility and behavior.  The assignment notebook is a communication tool between school and home.  It is primarily used for assignments which ties into gimmes but it can also be used for other messages.  Both of us check notebook signatures first thing every day and talk to the children about responsibility as part of the teaching process.  If your child is having trouble in this area, please work with them on a plan for improvement.  We stress that it is the child’s responsibility to present the book to you not the parent’s responsibility to “just sign it.”  Starting in the 4th quarter, the children will have a card flip for each missing notebook signature, per school policy, and of course we want to avoid doing that if we can!  Thanks for your help with this!

Reading Mastery 2 – Keep practicing with your child every night.  The most recent “check-out” was a pleasure because everyone in class passed with 2 or less errors in less than one minute.  Please check the corrected workbook with your son and daughter so that they can learn from previous errors.  Thanks.
Reading Mastery 3 – The students are progressing well.  Keep reading each night with your child, at least one page of the next story.  Please watch that their finger is under each word as they practice.  This will help them eliminate errors, especially the kind where they omit or misread small words such as and.  Some students are having a bit of trouble with the check-outs now that they are 120 words.  Nightly reading will help this.  You may have noticed the children have to answer one question from their textbook in a complete sentence.  This is to help build their skills for future literature work once this book ends.  I will eventually be requiring two sentences daily with lots of details in each sentence.  I work with the kids each day so they know what I expect.  I think they are all doing great! 

Saxon Math Level 2 – Second graders are more than half way through the program and most all students are doing very well.  Mastery of material with this program is 85% or better.  The work is getting harder so I am reminding the kids to complete work and read directions carefully.  Concepts coming up are subtracting 2-digit numbers, counting quarters, rounding numbers to the nearest 10, adding three 2-digit numbers with a sum greater than 100, telling time to the 5 minute mark and using dollar signs with money.  Please keep practicing those addition and subtraction facts!  We will learn the subtraction facts the same way we learned the addition facts and subtraction is usually more challenging for the children. 

Saxon Math Level  3 – Students should know how to count by 3’s to 30, 7’s to 70, and 12’s to 120.  Before the end of the month, they should be able to count by 4’s to 40. You can begin working on their multiplication facts (x0, x1, x7 and x10).  If your child did not reach 25 on a fact assessment, keep practicing those facts until your child knows the facts without counting. Check your child’s returned work and help them learn from any errors.

Spelling Mastery Level B – Second graders are more than half way through the book and most all students are doing very well.  Mastery of material with the program is 85% or better and most children are at that mark or above that mark.

Literature --- Our poetry this month is Harriet Tubman by Eloise Greenfield and Lincoln by Nancy Byrd Turner.  We will read the following stories: Beauty and the Beast, The Emperor’s New Clothes and The Fisherman and His Wife. Our sayings are Don’t Judge a book by its cover, and Two heads are better than one. 

History/Geography – We had such fun with the westward expansion unit.  The children really got a chance to experience what life was like for the adventurous spirits who lived in those times.  In February we will be learning about the Civil War.  The children will learn about what life was like in the North and South and some background that led up to the war.  They will learn about slavery and Harriet Tubman.  We will be studying Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation.  They will also learn about Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.  The geography of the north and south will be discussed during the history lessons this month.  Second graders will also have a visit from a civil war soldier from the Oshkosh Public Museum. 

Science - The children will learn about the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation.  We will also be talking about cloud types such as cirrus, cumulus, and stratus. 

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3RD GRADE
Mrs. Holcomb
February 2012 News

LITERATURE 
We are continuing our journey following the Toad and his reluctant friends through adventures in The Wind in the Willows.  Tying in with our plantation studies, we will be taking a look at some literature by African Americans, “Dream Variation” by Langston Hughes and The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton.   Our saying this month will be “touch and go”.

HISTORY
In addition to our colonial studies, each student will be writing a report on one of the colonies.  We will place these reports on a colonial time line.  The students also will be learning about some famous colonists during this time period including Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and William Penn.

GRAMMAR 
The students are doing a great job at recognizing helping verbs and conjunctions.  They also have become proficient at telling the difference between a simple sentence and a compound sentence. 

SPELLING 
Many students have become very skilled at dividing words into morphographs.  We will be learning the rules that apply to CVC words.  (consonant, vowel, consonant)  Keep up the good practice on the lists before the tests. 

LITERATURE 3 
We are reading an exciting science fiction novel, A Wrinkle in Time.  Read along with your student as they discover the mysteries of the location of Mr. Murray and determine who the “three W’s” really are.

SAXON MATH 3 
Most of the students know their addition facts, but some are still struggling on their subtraction facts.  Keep working at those facts.  They are crucial to a strong foundation in math.  The students need to know how to multiply by 0, 1, 2, 5, and 7 so far and they are subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers and working on some geometry.  It is essential that the students complete their homework each evening.

MONDAY’S FIELD TRIP 
Third grade is attending a field trip on Monday.  We are going to Appleton West High School to hear the Appleton’s Boy Choir.  The chaperones are Mrs. Spitzley, Mrs. Ogden, and Mrs. Lacroix.  There are two more events in third grade for which we need volunteers.  On Thursday, May 3rd we are going to Barlow Planetarium and we need one more chaperone.  Also the first week in June, we will be playing croquet which supplements the book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.  Let me know if you would like to help with either of those.

STUDENT AND CLASSROOM NEEDS
• Please send an extra pair of socks with your child.  We don’t keep dry socks at school and many of the students are coming in from recess with wet feet.
• Please send a chapstick that your child can keep in his or her desk.
• Send an empty Pringle can which we will be using this spring for a project.

DATES TO REMEMBER
February 14 – Spirit Day – Wear your school colors!
February 17 and Feb. 20 – No school

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3RD GRADE
Mr. Lind
February 2012 News

LITERATURE 
We are continuing our journey following the Toad and his reluctant friends through adventures in The Wind in the Willows.  Tying in with our plantation studies, we will be taking a look at some literature by African Americans, “Dream Variation” by Langston Hughes and The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales by Virginia Hamilton.   Our saying this month will be “touch and go”.

HISTORY 
A part of our colonial studies will be learning the location of each of the 13 colonies.  The students will also need to designate which of the colonies were New England, Middle and Southern colonies.  The students will be learning about some famous colonists during this time period including Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson, and William Penn.

GRAMMAR 
The students will soon learn Pattern 2 sentences with direct objects and verb transitives.   The new pattern is:  Subject noun, verb transitive, direct object, pattern 2 check.   Also we will be focusing on writing some descriptive paragraphs and literary responses throughout the rest of the year.

SPELLING 
The students have become very proficient at dividing words into morphographs.  Keep up the good practice on the lists before the tests. 

READING MASTERY 3 
As we progress through book 2, keep up the practicing at home each night.  In class, we have been practicing some useful (and fun) strategies for improving our fluency.  Ask your child about “popcorn reading.”  Also, if your child is seems to be taking an excessive amount of time to read the stories (more than 15 minutes), please let me know. 

SAXON MATH 54 
As we progress into division, fractions, and multi-digit multiplication, the importance of knowing multiplication and division facts becomes clear.  Most of the students are proficient with their facts, but some have slipped.  Regardless of how well your student knows their facts, it is important to practice them on a regular basis.  Flash cards are a great way to practice, and I have supplies for students to make their own cards.  Also, there is a link to a great resource for extra math practice on the Classical School website. 

http://www.classicalcharter.com/ForKids/MathFacts.html

MONDAY’S FIELD TRIP
Our field trip to Appleton West is on Monday.  Thank you to Mrs. Smith (Erica), Mrs. Delfosse, and Mrs. Stephenson for volunteering to go along.  I know that there was more interest in helping than I had spots for chaperones, but there are two more opportunities to help out this year.  I’ll update you as we get closer to the dates.  I know I’ve said it before, but it is SO GREAT to have such strong parental support this year! 

STUDENT AND CLASSROOM NEEDS
• Please send an extra pair of socks with your child.  We don’t keep dry socks at school and some of the students are coming in from recess with wet feet.
• We are starting to run low on pencils.  Some have already sent extras in (thank you), but if you have extras at home, please send them in. 
• Send an empty Pringle can which we will be using this spring for a project.

DATES TO REMEMBER
February 6 – Field trip to Appleton West for the Young Men’s Choral Festival
February 14 – Spirit Day – Wear your school colors!

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4TH GRADE
Mrs. Chen 
February 2012 News

February is loaded with exciting curriculum.  If you are following along on your curriculum matrix, you know that we are almost at the completion of our body systems unit.  During the month of February, we introduce chemistry terms and concepts that will be more precisely defined in future grades at Classical School.  Students will learn about atoms, matter, elements, electrical charges, mass, volume, density, etc. as listed in the matrix. 

In history and geography, we continue with our study of medieval Europe.  Historical people will be discussed during the month such as William the Conqueror, King Henry II, Thomas Becket, and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  We will learn about the events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta and the beginning of trial by jury.  Concluding the unit is a lesson on the Black Death that swept across Europe.  The research paper will be a big part of third quarter for both classes.  This assignment is huge and has firm deadlines, so please make sure your son/daughter is continuously working on it. 

Our language arts time will focus on poetry, sayings, and values this month.  We will recite Humanity by Elma Stuckey and Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay.  Integrity, Perseverance, and Compassion are our focus values, and they coincide well with medieval history.  Our sayings are beauty is only skin deep, the bigger they are, the harder they fall, bull in a china shop, and seeing is believing.  A Door in is a wonderful tale of the Middle Ages that fourth graders have the opportunity to read.  We will also finish tales of King Arthur and other medieval heroes.

In grammar we are almost finished with chapter 5 and have focused on the split predicate, parts of speech, what constitutes a complete sentence, and how to combine thoughts to make compound sentences.   The great benefit of this unit comes from practice with recognizing fragments, run-ons and complete sentences.  This is one of the most valuable units for 4th graders and their writing! The students are doing very well with the question and answer flow, but they are making a lot of mistakes on the exercises involving capitalization and punctuation, as well as plural possessives.

In math we continue with more difficult concepts.  I urge you to check your child’s homework daily!  Also, additional practice with multiplication and division facts is always beneficial. We have had some really great work accomplished recently, due in part to the crackdown on sloppy homework by having to do corrections.

During February, Robin Hood will inevitably turn out to be a class favorite in reading class (Mrs. Coenen’s) as it fits in perfectly with the middle ages studies, and Mrs. Chen’s class is enjoying the enchantment of Peter Pan. 

Spelling classes are going well.  Suddenly, it seems, the daily words have gotten longer, and it’s amazing how students rattle off twelve letter/3 morphograph words quite quickly.  But the tests are getting more difficult - it is often necessary to apply the knowledge of rules previously learned.  Word lists need to be reviewed.

On a very happy note, we will begin to prepare for our Medieval Feast.  This is a huge endeavor, so I hope every family will be able to help with a couple of important items:  decorating, contributing to the feast by preparing medieval food, watching and encouraging the children, and cleaning up afterward. Plans are underway, and the date has been set, so look for information soon!

As always, thank you for your support at home.  Your commitment to education is apparent in the work ethic of your remarkable children!

4th grade Writing Timeline

1 Fiction story in Core Middle Ages or Island theme 4th Quarter
2 Poetry in Core: nature metaphor and or Dreams poetry rewrites (1st quarter) Diamond and/or Middle Ages(2nd quarter)
1 Journal entry in Reading class during The Little Prince
4 Descriptive paragraphs in Core: nature object (Sept.), battle or person (Oct.), heart/lung dissection (Feb.), Great Wall/island or pirate theme (May)
4 Literary responses in Reading class during The Borrowers, Pollyanna, Robin Hood, Pinocchio
4 Short reports in Core:  Geology-volcano (Sept.), Revolutionary person, event, or poet (Oct.), Geology -tsunami or ocean trenches (Nov.) or fossils/mountains (Dec.), chemistry PowerPoint (Feb.) 
2 Friendly letters in Core: letter to a friend (Sept.), historical fiction letter (Nov.)
2 Summaries in Core: Dr. Charles Drew or Wm. Harvey (choice), (Jan.) Elizabeth Blackwell (Feb.)
1 Research essay (more of a report/paper) in Core Middle Ages topic (Feb.-April)
 

4TH GRADE
Mrs. Coenen
February 2012 News

February is loaded with exciting curriculum.  If you are following along on your curriculum matrix, you know that we are at the completion of our body systems unit.  Also during the month of February, we introduce chemistry terms and concepts that will be more precisely defined in future grades at Classical School.  Students will learn about atoms, matter, elements, electrical charges, mass, volume, density, etc. as listed in the matrix. 

In history and geography, we continue with our study of medieval Europe.  Historical people will be discussed during the month such as William the Conqueror, King Henry II, Thomas Becket, and Eleanor of Aquitaine.  We will learn about the events leading up to the signing of the Magna Carta and the beginning of trial by jury.  Concluding the unit is a lesson on the Black Death that swept across Europe.  Students have chosen a topic for a research paper relating to the Middle Ages and should be working notes, outlines, and a rough draft. 

Our language arts time will focus on poetry, sayings, and virtues this month.  We will recite Humanity by Elma Stuckey and Afternoon on a Hill by Edna St. Vincent Millay. 

Grammar lessons still include pattern one sentences.  We have been working on compound sentences and the two ways to punctuate them.  Also in class we have continued to practice editing for capitalization, punctuation, homonyms, spelling, and verb tense. 

Our Latin lessons are going very well, and we have had several successful quizzes.  Practicing Greek and Latin roots requires very little time at home. About ten minutes two times per week should be sufficient, yet if a student is not continuously practicing then they are cramming in the material just for tests.

In math class we will learn lesson 73 tomorrow and have a test next week.  I urge you to check your child’s homework daily, and it is a good idea to correct any mistakes on daily work prior to tests.  Also, additional practice with multiplication and division facts is always beneficial.

During February, Robin Hood will inevitably turn out to be a class favorite in reading class.  We will enjoy his thirst for adventure, and his kindness to the needy. 

Our spelling class is currently on lesson 74.  Spelling rules continue to challenge many students.

On a very happy note, we will begin to prepare for our Medieval Feast.  This is a huge endeavor, so I hope every family will be able to help with a couple of important items:  decorating, serving the royalty and nobility (your children), preparing food, and/or cleaning afterward. Plans are underway, and the date has been set. This year I do not have a room parent, so I will be coordinating the feast via email. 

As always, thank you for your support at home.  Your commitment to education is apparent in the work ethic of your remarkable children!
 

5TH GRADE
Mrs. Tirimacco
February 2012 News

Unbelievably, we are in the third quarter of the school year.  This means that gimmees started again.  Please remember to check the last page of your child’s assignment notebook for an update on their gimmees count. 

Our geography bee was a success.  We are very proud of Claire Rettler was represented our class at the Classical School Spelling Bee.  Congratulations also go to Hersh Pareek who was our alternate. 

STUDY SQUARES – We are working on how to study.   I believe this is a very important skill that will serve them throughout their educational career.  As part of this goal, I am assigning them 30 minutes of study time per evening.  This is something they must do at home (or at after care).    It must also be confirmed by you with an initial.    These study skill sheet are worth 25 points weekly.       Many students are taking a zero for this since they do not return the sheet, filled out and signed by you.   Please speak to your children and let me know if you have any comments or questions about this. 

Thank you to Mr. Mike Counter for coming in last week to speak about public speaking.  The class was very interested as he spoke about his work in the broadcasting business.   Students learned about projection, annunciation and good posture.    We all appreciated his visit very much.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!       Friday, February 10 at 12 noon, the students will be presenting A Renaissance Talk Show.     The students will use the knowledge they gained from their research papers to put together a presentation.  You are all invited to attend. 

April 27th is the date of our Civil War Living History Day.      It will take place at Pierce Park and will be an all day affair.   Save the date, parents are able to come and go as they please throughout the day and watch the events.   You will be receiving much more information as the date gets closer. 

Each year, as a February tradition, I have the students write down what they admire about each of their classmates.  This is done anonymously and retyped for them to take home.  It will be distributed to them on February 14th.    I choose this activity to remind each one of the students how much they are admired by their classmates.  Be sure to ask your child to share it with you on the 14th. 

FEBRUARY CURRICULUM:

Language Arts 5 – We will be continuing our reading of Little Women.   The vocabulary is challenging but the students are doing well.    The main themes of this novel are social classes, coming of age and making and achieving life goals.

Shurley Grammar – We are currently working on Chapter 7 of Shurley Grammar.  Direct Objects, Indirect objects and antecedents have been our focus this week.

Spelling – We have just completed test 65.   Keep up the studying!

Math: Saxon 76 – Checking and double checking is the key to successful math work!

Science -   We will be studying plant and animal cells. 

HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY: Westward Expansion before the Civil War
 Early exploration of the west
 Pioneers
 • Getting there in wagon trains, flatboats, steamboats
 • Many pioneers set out from St. Louis (where the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers meet).
 • Land Routes:  Santa Fe Trail and Oregon Trail
 • Mormons (Latter-day Saints) settle in Utah, Brigham Young, Great Salt Lake
 • Gold Rush, ‘49ers

 Geography
 • Erie Canal connecting the Hudson River and Lake Erie
 • Rivers:  James, Hudson, St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Columbia, Rio Grande
 • Appalachian and Rocky Mountains
 • Great Plains stretching from Canada to Mexico
 • Continental Divide and the flow of rivers:  east of Rockies to the Arctic or Atlantic Oceans, west of Rockies to the Pacific Ocean
 Indian resistance
 • More and more settlers move into Indian lands, treaties made and broken
 • Tecumseh (Shawnee):  attempted to unite tribes in defending their land
 • “Manifest Destiny” and conflict with Mexico

5TH GRADE
Mr. Traas
February 2012 News

Date Change of Civil War Living History Day!
Our date for the 5th Grade Civil War Living History Day has been changed to:  Friday, April 27, 2012.

Safety Note: Our class room is a peanut-free classroom.  Please do not send treats or snacks that contain peanuts.  The safety of our classroom depends on it.  Thank you.

Math:  We continue to have math tests every five lessons.  Tests follow lessons divisible by 5 (i.e. following lessons 55, 60, 65, etc.) and I will continue to provide a sample practice test to the students.  The practice tests are not homework but are very similar to the actual test.  Practice tests are a “B” version and the actual tests are the “A” version.  February will have us studying the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percentages.  We will see that these are different ways of representing the same value.  We will also continue our study of measurement, prime numbers, area, and averages (mean, median, and mode).

History/Geography:   In February our class will end its study of World History with a unit on Feudal Japan.  The remainder of the year we will study American History.  We begin our American History study with Westward Expansion before the Civil War.

Science:  We conclude our study of cells this month and turn our focus to studying vascular and nonvascular plants, photosynthesis, and plant parts.

Literature:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare draws to a close this month as we finish viewing the play produced by BBC and Time-Life Films.  Our next novel is excerpts from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  We will specifically be reading The Red-Headed League and The Adventure of the Speckled Band.

Greek/Latin Roots: We continue to study and review our Greek and Latin roots.  It is a pleasure to see so many students work diligently and regularly on this area of study.  We are over half way through the study of our roots for the year.  Our tests are every Friday and new roots are introduced every other Thursday.  New roots do not appear on the test the same week they are introduced.  Tests are always cumulative.
Noteworthy Achievements: 

Pegasus Flier:  Please return the Pegasus Flier, signed, promptly so that we can assure that you continue to receive necessary school information.  It should be returned no later than the following Tuesday.

Up & Coming:
February 14 – Spirit Day
February 17 – No classes (K-8)
March 16 – Knowledge-a-thon Kickoff 10 am.
April 20 – Knowledge-a-thon Day.
April 27 – Civil War Living History Day for Grade 5 at Pierce Park.
 

6TH GRADE
Mrs. Foley
February 2012 News

Happy February!

I can’t believe we find ourselves beginning February already!  Not only that, but I can’t believe how mild our winter has been!  Hopefully I did not just jinx us!

We have been working hard in our classroom all January!  You can tell that, even though we have had decent weather, the students are longing for Spring!  There are a couple of items that I would like to discuss regarding issues that we are having in our classroom and on the playground.  Please take a moment to go over these items with your child.

• Behaviors:  We have had several issues with students disrespecting each other’s space and personal items.  A popular game that has developed is that of “keep away.”  They are playing this game with people’s hats, jackets, backpacks, personal items, and even food.  We have talked at length with individual students as well as the entire 6th grade about how it is inappropriate to be touching or taking anything that doesn’t belong to you.  The students have been warned that any further behaviors like this will result in an automatic blue card.

• Assignment Notebooks:  Please be advised that when your child does not come back to school with their assignment notebook signed, they serve a 5 minute card flip.  The assignment notebook is a valuable way for us to remain in contact if necessary as well as a away for you to keep track of daily assignments and gimmes.  Please take a minute to review your child’s assignment notebook each night.  Guide them through the use of this assignment notebook in their homework completion.  They should have this out and open as they complete their homework as to make sure that all of their work is completed.  You should then initial stating that you have seen it.  We have had many students serving time since our break due to their planner’s not being signed.  Please help your child remember this at home as to avoid spending 5 minutes of their recess inside.

• Study Skills:  We are still working hard on study habits.  Unfortunately, at this point in the year, we usually see a bit more progress in this area.  Students are still struggling with the concept of nightly review.  Please go over with your child how important it is to be reviewing material they learned nightly.  This should really only take them 5 minutes TOTAL for Science and History.  They have items such as study guides in their binders that they can use.  They should avoid studying the night before a big test in order to avoid things like test anxiety and low test scores.

• Research Paper:  We have begun our research paper.  At this point, we are writing our second body paragraph (Independence movements).  This process can seem overwhelming and at times, it may seem as though they have a lot to do or a lot of deadlines to keep track of.  Please review with your child nightly where we are with the process, and review deadlines with them.  We do have time to work in class as well, so if they are coming home with much to do, they may not be using their time wisely during their work time at school.  While some students are ready to handle a project like this on their own, there are many that are going to need parental guidance.  Please check with your child to see where they are at and whether or not you should be helping them through this process.  We have daily check-ins, so please refer to their assignment notebook for due dates and refer to their binders for information regarding HOW TO complete the assignments as they have examples and reference pages.

Reminders:
1. Assignment Notebook:  Please check your child’s assignment notebook very carefully to see that all of their work is completed.  We fill this out together each day so it can be as accurate as possible.
2. Gimmes:  Remember that we keep track of all gimmes in the back of their assignment notebook, so please remember to check this on a daily basis as well.  Each student is given two gimmes per class per quarter. 
3. Study Habits:  Students should be studying all history and science on a daily basis whether we have homework in this class or not (5 minutes).  We work very hard on learning our study strategies, and this is definitely an important one.
4. Homework:  All homework must be in complete sentences and in cursive unless otherwise instructed.  Please remind students of this when you are checking over their homework.
5. Study Hall:  Each day students are given 30-45 minutes of work time to complete their work.  This is not including time at the end of individual classes to begin their work.  If they are coming home with a lot of homework, you may want to ask them how they are using their time throughout the day.

Class Summaries

Grammar 
We will not be having Grammar until March due to our Research Paper.

Writing 
Working on:  Research Paper
Our research paper will be on a Latin American Country.  Your child has all the information they need to complete this paper in their CORE binder in their writing binder.  Please use their assignment notebook to prepare them for all deadlines.  Research papers will be turned in BEFORE spring break.

Greek/ Latin Roots
Roots:  We introduce two new root words each week. Tests at this point are every week as we have experienced some lower tests scores.  Students should be reviewing at least 2-3 times per week or as needed.

Sayings: 
We are on Lesson 6 of our Core Sayings and Phrases.  We will be having a test on Friday of this week.  We do one lesson a month.  Each lesson contains 4-5 sayings in which the students must recite word for word.  The information is located in their CORE binders.

English 6 
Working on:  The Odyssey by Homer.  This book is the “after” story to The Iliad.  This book contains 24 books, and we read about one book per day.  Students have information necessary for completion in their reading binders.  Daily assignments consist of reading and answering responses.  Students will be writing an essay upon completion of this story.  We are currently on Book 1 of this story.

History 
Working on:  We are finishing our unit on the French Revolution.  This unit is very content heavy, and it is brand new, so the students should really take time to review our material nightly.  They have a study guide in their binders.

Science 
Working on:  Energy Resources

All information is found in their Science section of their CORE binders.  Students are able to ask for printed flashcards to help them with their nightly review, and they are also located on our website.

Spelling 
Lesson:  Lesson 66

Tests are every 5 lessons.  The students should be studying the previous four lessons before a test to examine and memorize rules and morphographs, as well as the lists in the back of their books.

Back to the top 

6TH GRADE
Mrs. Schroeder
February 2012 News

Sixth-Grade Syllabus

Energy Flashcards

Happy February!  Second semester is off to a great start!  I am honored to have such a great classroom of children! 

In honor of Valentine’s Day, we will celebrate with a pizza party.  Students will be asked to make a $2 donation toward the purchase of pizza, and we will have other treats available as well.  Students are allowed to bring in Valentine’s Day cards if they wish, but it is certainly not a requirement.  In regards to bringing in Valentine’s Day cards, Classical School has established the following policy:

• Please be sure to include a card for each student in the classroom to avoid hurt feelings by leaving some students out.
• Students may include one small, inexpensive treat or prize per Valentine card such as a pencil, small set of stickers, or a small candy treat. 

Please continue to work on study strategies with your child.  Consistent review of material is so helpful with recollection of material.  This focuses on the goal of being a life-long learner!

Please continue to sign assignment notebooks after you have checked with your child about homework completion.  You are also able to check grades via the parent portal at http://portal.aasd.k12.wi.us.

Algebra 1/2
As of Thursday, February 2nd, we are through Lesson 76.  It has been emphasized for students to work on the most difficult problems in class in order to receive help from me rather than waiting to solve those difficult problems at home.  The material is getting harder, so it is important for students to come up with effective strategies for homework completion.

English 6
We are currently reading The Odyssey.  We are focusing on the multiple themes of this epic as well as the multitude of strengths and weaknesses in our epic hero, Odysseus.

Spelling Mastery F
As of Thursday, February 2nd, we are through Lesson 68.  Word lists and the four most recent lessons should be used for studying purposes; we highlight words within our spelling book that will be part of the upcoming test.

Writing
We are well on our way with our research papers, and the students are working diligently.  For continued success, it is important for students to stay on top of all assignments and due dates.

Greek and Latin Roots
We continue to examine two new roots per week; we have studied 38 roots thus far.  Students are responsible for the definition, example words, and origin for each of the roots.

Grammar
We have taken a “hiatus” from new grammar content while we are working on our research papers; however, we will continue to work on incorporating various types of sentences with correct structure into our writing.

Science
We will be finishing our energy unit with an emphasis on energy transfer. Our next focus is on the circulatory and lymphatic systems.  With this unit, the students have the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge from previous grades.

Use the link in my Classroom News section of Classical School’s website for CIRCULATORY SYSTEM flashcards…

History/Geography
Mrs. Foley and the students will be completing their study of the French Revolution and Romanticism.  The next unit is on the various revolutions and independence movements that have taken place in Latin America.  We have already studied the geography of this region.

Here are a few dates to put in your calendar for the month of February:

• Friday, February 3rd – Classical School 50’s and 60’s Dance (6:00 pm)
• Tuesday, February 14th – Spirit Day
• Tuesday, February 14th  - Sixth Grade Valentine’s Day Party (Lunch)
• Tuesday, February 14th – Advisory Council (6:00pm)
• Friday, February 17th – No School 
• Monday, February 20th – No School
• Tuesday, February 21st – MidQuarter grades updated on parent portal by 4:00pm
• Wednesday, February 29th – Classical School store will be open (2:50-3:20 pm)

Please check out the Classical School website at www.classicalcharter.com.   If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me at 832-4968 or schroedersara@aasd.k12.wi.us. 
 

It’s hard to believe we are already half way through this school year.   Several exciting activities take place during the month of February for the seventh and eighth grade students.  For starters, our last ski trip will take place on Friday, February 10th..  Classical School’s Forensic Team will also have two meets right here at Classical School on February 4th and 25th.  Please check out other upcoming events on the side of this newsletter!

While we are already in February, spring seems so far off.  During the winter months, roads are a bit difficult to traverse.  Please give yourself enough time in the morning to travel safely and still be to school on time.  The first middle school bell rings at 7:45.  Students are required to be in homeroom by 7:50.  It is important for students to arrive to school on time; arriving late often sets the tone for the rest of that student’s day.

As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.  Email seems to be the best way to make sure that I have received your message and ensure a timely response. 

English 7
January and February are busy months for us here in English 7.  We are just finishing up Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl.  This story is so sad and yet so very important for us to read!  We will be moving into the land of poetry after we finish this tragic story.

In the world of Spelling, Roots, and Foreign Phrases, we added 6 new spelling words, 6 new Greek and Latin roots.  Please remember that all tests are cumulative! 

I.  Spelling Words: 
persuade              politician             prejudice              probably              recognize 

achievement, address, analysis, anonymous, argument, beginning, business, college, conscience, control, criticism, definite, definitely, description, despise, doesn’t, environment, excellent, existence, grammar, hypocrisy, immediately, interpret, knowledge, lieutenant, medieval, muscle, muscular, occasionally, offense, particularly 

II.  Roots:
 Latin/Greek Root     Meaning  Examples
ab [L]    away from   abnormal, absent
 ad [L]    to, forward  advocate, advance
 amo [L]    love   amiable, amorous
audio [L]      hear   audience, inaudible
 auto [G]    self   automobile, autocrat
 bene [L]    good/well   beneficial, benefit

circum [L]    around   circulate, circumference
celer [L]     swift   accelerate
chronos [G]   time   chronological
cresco [L]     grow   increase, decrease 
cum [L]                     with/(like co-)  cum laude, cumulative, compose, accommodate
curro [L]     run   current, cursive, course

demos [G]   people   democracy, epidemic
erro [L]    wander, stray  error, erratic
ex [L]    from, out of  exclaim, exhaust, extinct
extra [L]    outside   extravagant, extraordinary
facio [L]    make   effect, affect
fero [L]    bring, bear  confer, defer, reference

fragilis [L]    breakable   fragile, fragment
finis [L]    end   confine, finality
homos [G]   same   homogenous, homophone (to, two) 
hyper [G from “huper”]  over, beyond  hypertension, hyperactive
hypo [G]    under, beneath  hypodermic, hypothesis, hypothermia
jacio [L]    throw   eject, interject, reject

judex [L]    a judge   judge, prejudice
juro [L]    swear   jury, perjury
makros [G]   long   macrocosm, macron
malus [L]    bad   malady, malice
manus [L]    hand   manufacture, manuscript, manual
morphe [G] form   metamorphosis, amorphous

neos [G]   new   neophyte, neoclassical
pan [G] all    panorama, panacea
pedis [L]   foot   pedal, biped
polis [G]   city   metropolis
pro [L]    before,for  proceed, propose, prodigy
pseudos [G]   a lie   pseudonym

III.  Foreign Phrases Commonly Used in English:

ad hoc—concerned with a particular purpose; improvised [literally, “to the thing”]

 bona fides—good faith; sincere, involving no deceit or fraud

 carpe diem—seize the day, enjoy the present

caveat emptor—let the buyer beware, buy at your own risk

de facto—in reality, actually existing

in extremis—in extreme circumstances, especially at the point of death

in medias res—in the midst of things, in the middle of a narrative or plot 

in toto—altogether, entirely

modus operandi (singular)--a method of procedure/ modi operandi (plural)—methods of procedure

modus vivendi (singular)—a way of living, getting along/modi vivendi (plural)—ways of living, getting along

persona non grata—an unacceptable or unwelcome person (not used with an article)

prima facie—at first view, apparently; self-evident

pro bono publico —for the public good

pro forma—for the sake of form, carried out as a matter of formality

quid pro quo—something given or received in exchange for something else

requiescat in pace, R I P—may he or she rest in peace [seen on tombstones]

sic transit gloria mundi––thus passes away the glory of the world

sine qua non—something absolutely indispensable [literally, “without which not”]

sub rosa––secretly

English 8
Our eighth grade English classes recently began studying Pride and Prejudice.  It always amazes me when students dislike reading this novel since it really has so many of the same issues they are dealing with in middle school (well except for the marriage aspect—hopefully)!

We will be turning our attention to poetry as well as selections from Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as the month comes to a close. 

In the world of Spelling, Roots, and Foreign Phrases, we added 5 new spelling words, 6 new Greek and Latin roots. Please remember that all tests are cumulative! 

I. Spelling Words:
lightning          maintenance          mileage          necessary          occurrence

absence, accommodate, analysis, attendance, believe, bureau, capitol, colonel, committee, correspondence, counterfeit, courageous, curiosity, defendant, dessert, desperate, dissatisfied, extraordinary, fascinating, foreign, guarantee, hygiene, independence, laboratory, library

II. Roots:
Latin/Greek Word Meaning  Examples

aequus [L]   equal   equal, equation
ago, acta [L]   do, drive   agent, enact, transact
anthropos [G]   man, human being  anthropology, misanthrope
ars [L]   art   artist, artifact
brevis [L]   short   brevity, abbreviate
canto [L]   sing   chant, cantor

caput [L]   head   captain, decapitate
clino [L]   to lean, bend  incline, decline
cognito [L]   know   cognizant, recognize
copia [L]   plenty   copy, copious
credo [L]   believe   credible, incredulous
culpa [L]   blame   culpable, culprit

dominus [L]   a lord, master  dominate, dominion
duco [L]   lead   abduct, introduce
fido [L]   to trust, believe  confide, infidel
fundo, fusum [L]  pour, thing poured  effusive, transfusion
genus [L]   kind, origin  generic, congenital

holos [G]   whole   holistic, catholic
jungo [L]   join   junction, conjugal
lego, lectum [L]  read, thing read  intellect, legible
locus [L]   a place   local, dislocate
loquor [L]   speak   eloquent, loquacious
medius [L]   middle   mediate, mediocrity

missio [L]   a sending   emissary, mission
morior [L]   die   mortal
nego [L]   deny   negate
nihil [L]   nothing   nihilism, annihilate
occido [L]   kill   homicide, suicide
pathos [G]   suffering, feeling  sympathy, apathy

pendo [L]   weigh or hang  depend, pendant
per [L]   through   perceive, persist, persevere
phobos [G]   fear   phobia, claustrophobia
plenus [L]   full   plenty, plenary
positum [L]   placed   position, opposite
porto [L]   carry   transport, export

III. Foreign Phrases Commonly Used in English:

au revoir -- good-bye, until we see each other again

avant-garde – a group developing new or experimental concepts, a vanguard (the forefront of an action or movement)

bête noire—a person or thing especially dreaded and avoided (literally, “black beast”)

c’est la vie—that’s life, that’s how things happen

carte blanche—full discretionary power (literally, “blank page”)

cause célèbre—a very controversial issue that generates fervent public debate (literally, a “celebrated case”)

coup de grâce—a decisive finishing blow

coup d’état—overthrow of a government by a group

déjà vu—something overly familiar (literally, “already seen”)

enfant terrible—one whose remarks or actions cause embarrassment, or someone strikingly unconventional (literally, “terrible child”)

fait accompli—an accomplished fact, presumably irreversible [something that is over and done]

faux pas—a social blunder [literally, “false step”]

Madame, Mademoiselle, Monsieur—Mrs., Miss, Mr.

merci—thank you  (Merci beaucoup—thank you very much)

pièce de résistance—the principal part of the meal, a showpiece item

raison d’être—reason for being

savoir-faire—the ability to say or do the right thing in any situation, polished sureness in society (literally, “to know [how] to do”)

tête-à-tête—private conversation between two people (literally, “head to head”)

Humanities 7
The students just recently finished their study of music history.  Have your heard any Cole Porter in your house lately? 

We will begin studying and writing Shakespearean sonnets this month.  The 7th grade will have the task of writing their 14-lines of iambic pentameter about love—not exactly their favorite subject, but it should be interesting! 

Also, students finished writing their dramas back in December and have been given the task to film these future masterpieces.  I encourage the students to film at school; however, they have the option of filming outside of school as well.  All scenes should be filmed by the middle of March! 
 

Humanities 8
The students just recently finished their study of Art History since the Industrial Revolution.  We will be moving into sonnet writing as February begins.  This year, the eighth graders are writing Petrarchan sonnets on the theme of  something they dislike very much, which is a bit easier than writing about love, which was the topic last year!

Please watch for a note that will be going home  soon for permission to show the movie version of 84 Charing Cross Road in class.  We will begin studying this charming book next month, but it helps to set the tone with a few scenes from the movie! 

Also in humanities 8, students finished writing their dramas back in December and have been given the task to film these future masterpieces.  I encourage the students to film at school; however, they have the option of filming outside of school as well.  All scenes should be filmed by the middle of March! 
 

Geometry
Mrs.VanRyzin

December and January 2011 News

December

Flowchart and Paragraph Proofs
Altitudes and Medians of Triangles
Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem
Properties of Parallelograms
Finding Arc Lengths and Areas of Sectors
Right Triangle Congruence Theorems
Writing Equations of Parallel and Perpendicular Lines
Inequalities in a Triangle
Finding Perimeters and Areas of Composite Figures
Inequalities in Two Triangles
Ratios, Proportions, and Similarity
Finding Distance from a Point to a Line
Construction: Perpendicular through a Point Not on a Line
Chords, Secants, and Tangents
Applying similarity
Introduction to Coordinate Proofs
 

January

Triangle Similarity: AA, SSS, SAS
Circles and Inscribed Angles
Indirect Proofs
Introduction to Solids
Geometric Mean
Nets (Investigation)
Properties of Isosceles and Equilateral Triangles
Properties of Rectangles, Rhombuses, and Squares
45-45-90 Right Triangles
Representing Solids
Triangle Midsegment Theorem
30-60-90 Right Triangles
Finding Perimeter and Area with Coordinates
Tangents and Circles, Part I
Construction: Tangents to a Circle
Finding Surface Areas and Volumes of a Prism
Proportionality Theorems
Geometric Probablitity (Investigation)
 

7th and 8th Grade History/Saxon 76
Mrs.Meyer (Sub for Mrs. VanRyzin)

December and January 2011 News

Saxon  76
We will continue to work with fractions, decimals and probability in the next several lessons before moving on to polygons, quadrilaterals and prime factorization.

7th Grade—December 
European landforms and bodies of water
Italian Unification—Garibaldi
German Unification—von Bismarck
European imperialism and rivalries in Africa
Berlin Conference and the “scramble for Africa”
British in Egypt/ Suez Canal
French in North Africa
Defense treaties and alliances
Causes of WW I
—nationalism, militarism, colonialism
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
Western Front/ Eastern Front:
 Battle of the Marne (I and II)
 Battle of the Somme
 Verdun
 Gallipoli
New weapons for WW I
—tanks, machine guns, airplanes, submarines,
     chemical warfare
The US entrance into WW I
—Zimmerman note, sinking of the Lusitania

8th Grade—December
China—Opium Wars, Boxer Rebellion
New leaders—Liang, Sun Yat-sen
Communist leader—Mao Zedong
The Long March
Nationalism and Chiang Kai-shek
Soviet-Communist Relations
The Great Leap Forward
The Cultural Revolution
Tiananmen Square
Geography of China
Demographics of China

7th Grade—January
America in the Twenties:
Isolationism,  restrictions on Immigration, Red Scare, Sacco and Vanzetti, Ku Klux Klan
The “Roaring Twenties”: flappers, prohibition, 
gansters, St. Valentine’s Day massacre, Al Capone.
The Lost Generation: Hemingway, Fitzgerald
Scopes “Monkey Trial”
Women’s Suffrage
Harlem Renaissance:
Du Bois, Hurston, Cullen, Hughes, Garvey,  Ellington, Armstrong
Technological advances: 
Model T, assembly line, residential electrification, radio, movies with sound, Lindbergh, Earhart.

8th Grade—January
Post WW II:
Marshall Plan, Nuremberg war crimes trials, creation of United Nations, Truman Doctrine
Communism and the West:
Containment Policy, Formation of NATO, Warsaw Pact, the “Iron Curtain,” Berlin Airlift, Hungarian Revolution, Berlin Wall, Prague Spring.
Korean War:
 Inchon, Chinese entry, MacArthur and 
Truman, partition of Korea, 38th parallel 
Communists in US:
 McCarthyism, House Unamerican 
Activities Committee, “witch hunts,” Hollywood blacklist, Alger Hiss, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Eisenhower:
Secret operations, CIA, FBI, counterespionage, J. Edgar Hoover, U-2 incident, “Missile Gap,” Soviet Sputnik satellite.
 

7th and 8th Grade Science and Algebra
Mr. Nelson
February 2011 News

Welcome to this month’s installment of Nelson’s Notes.  Here are some of the news items that we have been covering in Mr. Nelson’s Classes.

Homeroom:  A reminder to collect Box Tops for Education and bring those into Homeroom.  In addition, our school will be enjoying the Science Fair on the 27th of this month.  To remember – students will need to set up their projects after school in the Forum before they leave, then they will need to be there for judging from 4:30 – 6:15 pm.  Finally, from 6:30 – 7:30 pm the fair is open for all to see and enjoy.

Algebra:  We are now in full fledged Algebra mode.  The material recently covered includes: finite and infinite sets, solving geometric solids, subsets of real numbers, and simplifying radical expressions.  Throughout the rest of this month, students should plan on factoring trinomials, probability, scientific notion, graphing, and writing equations of a line.

Science 7:  We are completing our unit of chemistry and organic chemistry.  We will be exploring oxidation and reduction reactions as well as getting an in depth look at acids and bases.  Students will be able to test various solutions for their power of hydrogen where proton donors like acids would react differently when compared to proton acceptors like bases.  We will continue with the biochemical aspects of chemistry in future lessons.  Students have done an outstanding job on their Science Fair Projects and are looking forward to showing them off on the 27th!

Science 8:  The eighth grade science classes just completed an exploration through the different types of energy and its transformations.  Students made transformation posters that decorate Mr. Nelson’s classroom.  We also are investigating heat energy and how it is transferred.  Labs involving calculating the energy in our bodies as well as the caloric energy in foods were completed.  The upcoming weeks will include explorations in the science behind electricity and magnetism
 

7th Grade Science
Ms. Eastman
February 2012 News

This month we are studying Chemical Reactions. This unit includes several labs including pH, endothermic and exothermic reactions, and other chemical reactions. We will spend time on acids and basis and rates of chemical reactions. 

We will complete the unit on March 1st. In addition the students are completing their Science Fair projects for the February 27th Science Fair. 

February 10th  Complete Graphing Data 
February 16th   Results 
February 21st    Conclusion and Recommendations

Science Fair is on Monday, February 27th 
3-4:00 Set-Up
4:30-6:15 Judging
6:30-7:30 Viewing

Research Paper, Work Cited, Powerpoint in Handout Form will be printed by Mrs. Eastman in color. 
 

*Parent Portal: I try to update the grades listed on parent portal weekly.
Families: Please save egg shells for Cascarones for our cinco de mayo celebration!

Grade 2
We will begin each day working with the calendar and reviewing old vocabulary. Our unit will be on reflexive verbs.
Me despierto- I wake up Me ducho- I shower  Me visto- I get dressed
Me cepillo los dientes- I brush my teeth   Me acuesto- I go to bed

Grade 3
We will begin each day working with the calendar and reviewing past vocabulary. Our unit will be a fill in the blank story with actions.
Llamada- call   Hombre- man   Saca- takes out
Cabe- fits   Da- gives   Banquito- bench

Grade 4 
We will be working on conjugating present tense verbs. Memorize your endings! Don’t forget to visit the textbook website at www.phschool.com.

Grade 5
We will be working on house vocabulary and the present progressive tense (“ING” in English). Don’t forget to visit the textbook website at www.phschool.com.

Grade 7
We will be working on when to use the preterit and when to use the imperfect tenses in Spanish.

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LA CLASE DE ESPANOL - Grades K, 1, and 7
Señora Cihlar
February 2012 News

En mi mochila – In my backpack   La escuela - School
el lápiz - pencil     la mesa - table
las tijeras - scissors     la silla - chair
los crayones - crayons     el reloj - clock
el pegamento - glue     la bandera - flag
el papel - paper     el sacapuntas – pencil sharpener 
el libro – book      el basurero – garbage can 
la carpeta – folder     la pizarra - chalkboard 
la goma - eraser     la alfombra - carpet 
los zapatos - shoes     la maestra – teacher

First Grade
¡Hola!  This month we are going to be finishing our unit on the body by using the expression below to describe aches and pains.  Midway through the month we will begin a unit on clothing.  Please take some time, when you can, to practice the clothing words and expressions with your children over the next few weeks. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.  The best way to reach me is by e-mail:  cihlaranna@aasd.k12.wi.us. 

Me duele – My ____ (singular) hurts. 
Me duelen – My ____ (plural) hurt.
La cabeza – head  el codo - elbow
El pelo – hair   el brazo - arm
La oreja – ear   el pecho - chest
El ojo – eye   el estómago - stomach
La nariz – nose  la pierna - leg
La boca – mouth  la rodilla - knee
Los dientes – teeth  el pie – foot
El cuello - neck  el dedo – finger
El corazón – heart  el homro - shoulder

La ropa – clothing 
La camisa – shirt  los zapatos - shoes
Los pantalones – pants la gorra - hat
El vestido – dress  la sudadera - sweatshirt
La falda – skirt  los pantalones cortos - shorts
El suéter – sweater  los calcetines - socks
¿Qué llevas tú?  - What are you wearing? 
Llevo ___. – I am wearing.

Seventh Grade
¡Hola!  During the month of February we will be studying the vocabulary and grammar concepts from Chapter 3A:  Places in a community.  If you have some extra time, please help enrich your child’s learning by visiting the textbook’s website at home:  phschool.com.  You will find many activities that correspond to each chapter of our textbook. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.  The best way to reach me is by e-mail:  cihlaranna@aasd.k12.wi.us. 
 

LA CLASE DE ESPANOL - Grades 6 and 8
Señora Nelson
January 2012 News 

The theme for the next chapter is Experiencias and this chapter is called Ayudando en la comunidad (Helping in the community).  Upon completion of this chapter, your child should be able to talk about volunteer work and ways to protect the environment, talk about what people say, talk about what people did for others and talk about volunteer organizations.    Remember that additional help is always available through the school website and textbook link. 

Grade 8:
The 8th grade students are beginning a chapter about staying fit.  They will discuss eating habits, talk about symptoms of illnesses and their remedies  and talk about fitness.  Students will learn to give advice (talk with commands).  Students will talk about exercises and exercise equipment.  Finally students will review the subjunctive mood to talk about hypothetical events. 
Online Textbook:
Students also can access their textbooks from home using their user name and password at:  www.peasonsuccessnet.com.

Ideas for utilizing your Spanish over the summer:
1.  Go to a Mexican restaurant and order in Spanish.
2.  Go to the library and check out (AND read) books written in Spanish.  (The Menasha and Neenah libraries have really good collections in their children’s sections).
3.  Go to the library and check out computer software to practice Spanish.
4.  Go to the following websites and practice your Spanish or learn new vocabulary:
 www.studyspanish.com
 www.conjuguemos.com
www.quia.com/dir/spanish/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/index.htm
www.spaleon.com
www.classicalcharter.com  (see textbook links or other Spanish links)

5.  Practice with a sibling or parent who speaks Spanish.  Perhaps start with 10 minutes and see if you can work up to all morning talking Spanish. 

Useful websites:

www.phschool.com

http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/

http://www.quia.com/shared/spanish/

http://www.spaleon.com/index.php

Websites for practicing Spanish:

www.studyspanish.com

www.conjuguemos.com

http://www.colby.edu/~bknelson/exercises/index.html

http://www.quia.com/shared/index_top50.html
 

LA CLASE DE ESPANOL - Grade 6
Señora Meidl
February 2012 News

Mrs. Foley’s sixth grade class is working on learning the past tense.  We have practiced with the regular verbs and students love singing out loud all the endings of the verbs to the Sesame Street song.  We have also made sure that the present tense is not forgotten, we keep reviewing and recycling it.  I would like the students to be able to go back and forth between the 2 tenses.  We have also successfully completed a large shopping unit.  

Now, we are approaching all the irregular verbs, and students are doing an excellent job.  This class likes to be active, and I am working to come up with activities that keep them on task while practicing the verb forms.  Yes, they love to play games in Spanish.  Ask you son or daughter to teach the “Seven up” game in Spanish to the family.

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MUSIC - Grades K, 1, 2, and 3
Mr. Schwalbach
February 2012

EK-4: Hello all! We are preparing for our concert on March 22. It is going to be a collage of folk and traditional songs from our American heritage combined with art, acting, a bit of dancing, and of course music provided by our wonderful elementary students and some special guest players. From renditions of classic spirituals, to patriotic songs, to good old-fashioned American hoedowns, there is sure to be something for everyone! Remember to encourage singing at home.

CALLING ALL MUSICIANS IN THE CLASSICAL COMMUNITY!! 
Whether a parent, relative, family friend, teacher, or volunteer, if you have the ability to play a musical instrument, the elementary students would LOVE to have you share your talents with us at our spring concert on MARCH 22, at 1:15pm (K-6) and 6:30pm (3-6). The concert is entitled “We Sing America!,” and will utilize American folk songs, spirituals, and patriotic songs. Whether you can play banjo, guitar, marimba, piano, drums, mandolin, violin, or the spoons, send an email to Mr. Schwalbach as soon as possible (schwalbachzach@aasd.k12.wi.us) and we’ll work together to add some wonderful accompaniments to the elementary singers! Thanks for all your continued contributions to the Classical School.

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MUSIC - Grades 4, 5, and 6
Ms. Bordak
February 2012

In 4th, 5th and 6th grade general music we are in the midst of preparation for our concert in March.  We are all currently working on our featured grade piece and beginning to work on our combined pieces.  Please mark your calendars for our concert!

Spring choral concert 1:15pm for Grades K-6 and 6:30-7:30pm for Grades 3-6 [students are to arrive ten minutes early for their performance start time]
 

MUSIC -Orchestra/Chorus/Band

7th/8th Grade Chorus (Mr. Schwalbach) - February News
his month, we have introduced the Rainbow Book, a collection of exercises which allows students to work independently on musicianship skills. This is particularly useful since all students are at different levels due to experience with piano and other instruments, and can now work at their own pace! Skills included are basic rhythm reading, scale singing, and intonation exercises. We have also begun a study of African-American spirituals and gospel music, along with other traditions such as the blues.

7th/8th Grade Band (Mr. Schneider) - February  News
Congratulations to all 7th and 8th grade band students on their January 12th concert.  Both grade level bands played with a wonderful sound and very good blend, balance, and intonation.  The success of this concert will be a good point of departure for your musical advancement as we prepare for the May concert.

The 6th grade band students started full band rehearsal two weeks ago and are doing very well regarding the fundamentals of ensemble playing particularly blend and balance.

Seventh grade band students are progressing through the lesson book.  Everyone is working on some new rhythms and expanding their upper and lower register with new notes.  The clarinets in particular are working hard as they learn to “go across the break” to the upper register of the clarinet.  It is challenging and everyone has been patient as the clarinets work on this technique that is unique to their instrument. 

The 8th grade band members are preparing materials for their High School band auditions in late February or early March. 

We have a number of students preparing for the solo/ensemble contest.  All participants are now formally registered and will receive information regarding their performance time about one week before the contest.  The piano/vocal contest is February 25; the instrumental contest is March 3.  Both contests are at Kimberly HS.

Again, congratulations on your concert; keep working hard and let’s prepare as good a program for your parents in May.

4th-8th Grade Strings (Ms. Giebler) - January News
Our first concert is behind us and it was a resounding success!  Everyone played well and it was a lot of fun.  Without resting on our laurels, the string program has charged forward into the new year.
The 4th graders are working very hard on note recognition. They are making good progress on their D string notes and it is helping them become good music readers. We’ve been doing some worksheets and drilling with flashcards. It’s been fun!

Our older string students are getting ready for the All City String Festival at the PAC on April 17th. We have some lovely pieces to play, so plan now to attend. It really is a marvelous event.
7th graders are busy reading different pieces and learning how to play in minor keys with…. FLATS!! 

The 8th graders are hard at work preparing music for Solo and Ensemble. Additionally, there are some students who will be auditioning for WSMA’s middle level honors project.
It’s an exciting start to the year in the string program at Classical School!
 

ART Grades K-6/Fine Arts - Grades 7-8
Ms. Fischer
February 2012 News

7th/8th Grade Calendar-February

I don’t know about you, but the winter months sure can give me the “cabin fever” effect.  Looking to get out of the house?  Why not go to an art museum?  Places like the Trout Museum of Art here in Appleton and the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum in Neenah offer wonderful art exhibitions all throughout the year.  The admission for museums is usually minimal (the Trout has an admission fee, whereas the Bergstrom-Mahler is free), and provides families with an opportunity for a fun and (dare I mention?) educational afternoon.  Usually, museums will offer additional art classes for both children and adults, so be sure to check out their websites for what classes are offered.  The websites for each museum are:

Trout Museum: (www.troutmuseum.org)
Bergstrom-Mahler Museum: (www.bergstrom-mahlermuseum.com)

Have a wonderful February!

Lesson Highlights:

Kindergarten: 
Students are reviewing line and pattern, and creating a “secret” clay project for a gift for someone special. 

Grade 1: 
Students will be finishing their paper sarcophagus and looking at basic geometric shapes to create a still life piece. 

Grade 2: 
Students are finishing their Rousseau-inspired crazy jungle cats and looking at abstract art to create Aboriginal Dreaming pieces. 

Grade 3: 
Students are finishing The Scream-inspired pieces, and looking at American Indian works of art.  They will be creating a clay storyteller doll. 

Grade 4: 
Students are finishing their art history production piece that corresponds to the art writing they do with their classroom teacher.  We will then be studying the art of the Middle Ages and Islamic art and architecture. 

Grade 5: 
Students will be finishing their Mona Lisa parodies, and complete a clay landscape piece. 

Grade 6: 
Students will be creating a clay container piece. 

Grade 7: 
Students are learning and testing the art history portion of their Romanticism/Neoclassicism unit.  Students are also writing a compare/contrast essay. 

Grade 8: 
The first half of the month will be spent painting self portraits, completing the Abstract Expressionism unit, with the second half of the month completing the second compare/contrast essay required for Fine Arts. 

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Phy Ed: Grades K-8
Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Heurkens
February 2012 News

Physical Education Grades K-6th 
We just completed a very successfull Tumbling Unit. The students worked on balances, basic tumbling moves, and teamwork. Our next few units will be on Floor Hockey and Basketball. Skills, strategies and games will be the focus in these units. We also continue to work on the students fitness levels through stretching, running and exercises.

7th and 8th Grade Physical Education
We are in the middle of a combined unit of Basketball and Floor Hockey. They will learn the basic skills, strategies and games during the units. They will receive a study guide and have a quiz in late February.

Mr. Gilbert
Mr. Heurkens