OYour child left a note for you on his/her desk. Feel free to write a response with the paper in the center of the table group.

O I have also placed a copy of a survey your child filled in about him/herself. Please add anything that you would like me to know….this will not be shared with your child

6th GradeBack to School

NightCindy Jansen

September 8, 2014

All files on “Jansen” class website – Parent Resources

Who’s Who…Principal Mr. Shawn OrtmanDean of Students Mrs. Kelly CarterGuidance Counselor Mr. Fran ChapmanOArt Ms. PalmerOMusic Ms. MudryOP.E. Mrs. LeutheOLibrary Mrs. HiriakOTechnology Mrs. Jansen

Contact InformationE-mail: cjansen@cbsd.orgPhone: 267-893-3600 and Extension #3655

The phone goes directly into voicemail during the instructional day to limit disruptions.

Email – Checked throughout the day Dismissal changes - please contact the

office directly to ensure that we receive the message.

Why Sixth Grade?Exciting Year…

ORelationships

ORelevanceORigorOReflectionOResiliency

Classroom GoalsMy goal is to prepare students by helping them to become active, independent learners.

OSafe = comfortable to try new challengesOEngaged = involved and motivatedOChallenged = experiences and activitiesOSupported = encouragement and

strategiesOConfident = belief in abilities and

openness to try new things

Classroom Routines

Class Rewards - "We Rock” for class reward

Plus Cards - (3 pluses earns a homework pass)ORecognizes individual studentsORandomly given for “Sign and Return” first

day

Missing Assignments – helps monitor completion

Choice Cards - Communicates behavior to parentsO Emphasizes the choice the student has made and what a better choice would be

Learning is a JourneyDescriptors describe the specific learning goals being reported on. These goals can be observed in several ways.

• Process: The learning behaviors demonstrated by students as they learn.

• Product: The degree to which a student reaches the reporting standard.

• Progress: The degree of growth made by a student over time.

Standards Based Reporting

Exceeding Standard

Student consistently performs beyond the standard (concepts, processes, and skills).

Meeting Standard

Student consistently achieves the standard (concepts, processes, and skills).

Approaching

Standard

Student is progressing toward the standard (concepts, processes, and skills), but has yet to demonstrate consistent mastery.

Limited Progress

Student is making minimal progress toward the standard (concepts, processes, and skills). An L rating indicates the student’s performance is well below the standard.

CBSDEffectively Communicating

Student Progress

ResourcesParent

Handbook

Cover Sheet Conference

Report Progress Report

Marking Periods 1 & 3:Conference Report

Marking Periods 1&3

Marking Periods 2 & 4:

Progress Report

Marking Periods 1&3

Parent Portal

http://www.cbsd.org/cbelementaryreportcard

Thinking Skills – To Infinity and Beyond

OLearning is thinking…OEncourages higher level thinking

skillsORecognize and communicate

thinking Oh! WOW! Now I see! Hmmm….I wonder…

Mill Creek's Homework Beliefs

Purpose: Promote student growth and reinforce what is learned in the classroom. Students independently practice what they learned as well as their time management skills.

Assessment: Homework is not graded. However, students will be held responsible for completing all assigned homework.

Time Allotment: Homework is assigned Monday through Thursday. No routine weekend or holiday assignments will be made. As a rule of thumb 10 minutes per grade level.

Differentiation: Homework can vary depending upon the specific needs of students. This may include time, amount and purpose of homework.

Long-term projects: Long-term projects are directly related to the curriculum. Such projects require children to use secure skills only. Expectations are clearly defined and timelines are established and published.

Homework Policy

District Guidelines: 60 minutes/day

Goals: Apply knowledge and develop study skillsO Assignment BookO About 20 minutes of Reading, 30 minutes of

Math, and 10 minutes of Language/Science/Social Studies.

O Tests: announced 4-5 days in advanceO Study Zones: help students learn how to studyO Time Management: Reading Log and Spelling

ReadingMaterials:O Text: Houghton Mifflin Series - QuestO Comprehension ToolkitO Read Aloud TextsO Trade Books: leveled, whole group, literature

circlesO Non-Fiction resources in the content areas Skill Focus Areas:O Comprehension –verify with illustrative detailsO Word Skills –develop vocabulary/apply

context cluesO Metacognition – learn what works for themO Genre studies – Fiction and Non-Fiction

RRAD - Read, Respond, and DiscussO Independent reading at school and at home O Flexible time at home (4 times per week)O Students will read, respond, discuss, and create projects to demonstrate understanding.

LanguageBeing a Writer / Writer's NotebookO Daily model, practice, and sharing to focus on the craft of writingO  Pre- and Post-AssessmentO One formal Process Piece per unit

Units of StudyO Narrative, Persuasive, Informative, CreativeO Research and Oral Presentations

Writing ProcessO Focus, Content, Organization, Style,

Conventions

Language SkillsGrammar: O Build a common language and knowledge of

Parts of Speech and Sentence StructuresO Apply understanding during the editing and

revising processes

Spelling: O Patterns, Base Words, Word Roots, Affixes, and Homophones

Editing/Mechanics: O Mentor Sentences and ParagraphsO Importance increases as writing becomes more

complex

English Language Arts and the Content Areas

Skills:

O Using Non-fiction texts

O Note-taking

O Study techniques

O Test-taking skills

O Presentation skills

Social Studies

History Alive: Ancient Civilizations Early Man (Hominids) Mesopotamia Egypt, India, and China (2 out of 3)

Online Textbook – www.learntci.com Students have tested their login and passwords

This curriculum provides a foundation for studies of Greece and Rome in 7th grade.

ScienceEarth's Changing SurfaceO Rivers/streams- Erosion and

SedimentationO Landforms and how they are formedO Plate TectonicsWater Pollution

O Point/Non-point SourceO Hydrologic Cycle – pollutant movementO Water Quality: Macro-invertebrates, pH

scale

Body SystemsO Cells, Tissues, and OrgansO Human body systems

Health TopicsO Yellow Dino - Internet SafetyO HIV/AIDSO Human Growth and

DevelopmentO TOAD – Tobacco, Alcohol, and

other Drugs

Looking ahead…

Sixth Grade AssessmentTesting Window: February 23 to March 10, 2015O Pre-search Topic (choose topic, explore, write question)O Research: Find information and develop sub-topicsO Write: Plan, edit and revise a 5-paragraph essayO Visual: Create a PowerPoint for the informationO Oral Presentation: Share information with an audience

PSSAsO English Language Arts (ELA) - March 13-17, 2015O Math - March 20-24, 2015

PSSA – ELA (English Language Arts)

Standard Categories:O Foundational SkillsO Informational TextO LiteratureO Writing

Text Dependent Responses:Reading responses will be assessed for their writing quality.

Combination ofReading and Writing, on grades 3-8 PSSAwill be the biggest change!

PSSA – Math Reporting Categories—

O Numbers and OperationsO Algebraic ConceptsO GeometryO Measurement, Data, and ProbabilityO Problem Solving

Mathematical practice - application is critical; it’s not just about computation

TechnologyInternet Safety

CommunicationO Word ProcessingO Presentations: PowerPoint and SmartNotebookO Projects: Audacity, Video Editing, and

PhotoStory

ResearchO Finding and evaluating sourcesO Simulations to location information

Student Login Reference

Sheet

Class WebpageOur classroom website is a resource for you and your child. Go to the district site, www.cbsd.org, and type “Jansen” in the search box. The first option will open to our class page.

6th Grade ActivitiesO Monthly Activities: Halloween Howl,

Highpoint, Bowling, and Survivor

Nights

O 6th Grade Social

O Geography Bee

O Promotion

Thursday, October 2nd and Friday, October 3rd

Challenge By Choice

Ropes CourseField Trip

Low Ropes Course

The low ropes support:

OTeam problem solvingOPlanning and

cooperationOFocus for task

completionOSafety awareness and

encouraging othersOCommunication skills

High Ropes Course

These activities: • Create individual opportunities to

“stretch” beyond perceived limitations

• Encourage to accept challenges• Teach responsibility for others’

safety• Strengthen communication skills

Supplies – Thank you, Thank you

Homeroom Parents/Parties – Mrs. Rossi

Conference Sign-ups - Online

Questions???

Math Class – 7:45 p.m.

Almost There

Math ClassesMrs. BrownRoom226

Mrs. JansenRoom 224

Mrs. JohnstonRoom 228

Emma CicchielloZach ConklinKatie DeMariaMatthew Farris Zachary FeldmanJulia HopelySarah JohnsonErin KellyAarushi Kumari

Alex BouchardZayd HossainAmy Liu Alex MeyerBryce RoachKyle RychlakLuke ShankRyan SmithMattTimofeev

Julia McDemusAmanda MillerParth PatelMatt PiotrowiscAshley RossiMaxi UmanskyLizzie Walsh