Sunday, February 24, 2019

Mr. Sassman's 6th Grade Class Blog

Woodriver Elementary School

Mr. Ribbens here.  I am beginning my full-time student-teaching this week.  I am excited to have the opportunity to teach for three weeks straight.  Overall, there will only be minor changes to the class procedures and routines that we have grown accustomed to.

Last Week...

Last week was a busy week.  I appreciated seeing many of you during parent/teacher conferences.  The class loved the ancient Rome (Italian food) potluck.  Thanks for all of your contributions.  The reward field trip to "How to Train Your Dragon III" was also very well received by the students. 

Just a quick reminder: Our class Read-a-Thon starts this coming Friday.  Students should be gathering sponsors this week for their endeavors! Thanks so much for your support on this :)

This week...

This will be another busy week.  Students will be beginning a new round of literature circles.  The first time we did literature circles was very successful.  For "S" groups, I will be giving students their unit test on ancient Rome.  Ms. Wagner is continuing to teach about ecosystems and Mr. Kinder is teaching students about ancient Greece.  Now that students have some background on ancient Greece and Rome I will be introducing a project on Greek & Latin roots.  On Tuesday, Mr. Kinder will be teaching the first of a series of lessons on post-secondary options.  Mrs. Brashear will be teaching a lesson on ALICE procedures on Friday.  

Monday looks like:

9:00 - 9:20

10-Minute writing prompt: You are digging a hole in your backyard and find an ancient book.  You clean off the cover and open to the first page...

Class Meeting - New Seats, New Jobs

9:20 - 10:30

Walk to Math

10:30 - 10:40

Break - Snack and Read Aloud - Counting by 7s

10:40 - 12:00

Ancient Rome Test

12:00 - 12:30

Eat

12:30 - 1:00

Play

1:00 - 1:40

Health Lesson - Infectious Diseases

1:40 - 2:15

P.E.

2:15 - 3:30

"The Big Wave" - Class Novel & Art Project

MATH HOMEWORK 

Monday, February 25, 2019
--Practice 10-6
Tuesday, February 26, 2019

--Practice 10-7
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
--Test Review Topic 10
Thursday, February 28, 2019
--Take Home Test Topic 10

Please regularly check your child’s grades in PowerSchool and update the Web and Technology Use forms. I would appreciate it if you gave permission for your child’s picture to be published on the class blog. The forms are located under the Registration section. Please refer to this link for details: https://www.k12northstar.org/Page/3162  

DATES TO REMEMBER (more to come)

Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Field Trip to UAF Museum
9:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Please send in $5 with your kiddo for bus transportation. Two chaperones needed, please.

March 7 & 8, 2019
Science Fair

March 11-15, 2019
Spring Break

Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Field Trip to Ryan Middle School for 7th grade tour.
9:45 - 11:00

As always please feel free to contact Mr. Sassman or myself with any questions.  If you need to email me, I am available at joel.ribbens@k12northstar.org.

--Mr. Ribbens

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Mr. Sassman's 6th Grade Class Blog

Woodriver Elementary School

Student-led Parent-teacher Conferences are this Monday and Tuesday. I have posted the schedule here (look below), sent home notices, and even spoken with some parents that have needed to reschedule for other times. Out of respect for other students and parents, please arrive on time for your appointment. In some cases, there are multiple presentations lined up back-to-back, so time is precious. Lastly, please make sure your student is present, the conferences are student-led. If they are unable to make it, let me know and we can easily reschedule.

Monday, February 18, 2019

8:30 AM - Alanna

8:50 AM - Bode

9:10 AM - KyLee

9:30 AM - Madison

9:50 AM - Brenna

10:10 AM - Wallace

10:30 AM to 11:30 AM - Reserved for Math Conferences (parents may pop-in to chat)

1:00 PM - Lucien

1:20 PM - Joey

1:40 PM - Dom

2:00 PM - Chris

2:20 PM - Aiden

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

8:30 AM - Maddy

9:10 AM - Alejandro

9:30 AM - Noah

10:10 AM - Carter

10:50 AM - Charlie

11:10 AM - Will

11:30 AM - Aaliyah

1:00 PM - Izzy

1:20 PM - Jesse

1:40 PM - Walker

2:20 PM - Kaylob

3:20 PM - Nevaeh

This week...

Is a short week, but we have a lot packed into it. To begin and as you may know, all of the sixth-grade students are grouped differently from their homerooms for a portion of the day, three times per week, in “S” Groups. For a variety of reasons, this has been both enjoyable and successful across several subjects. In my class this quarter, we have been diligently learning about Ancient Rome. When I made a couple of suggestions about how we should conclude our unit, the kids enthusiastically voted on a potluck. This time it will be much smaller in size compared with our Family Traditions Feast back in December. Each “S” Group will have their own potluck (I will be hosting three groups on three different days). 

Recipes? I want to recognize that the average Ancient Roman did not have a diverse and exquisite daily cuisine. Italian food we know today has evolved from many influences in the region over thousands of years, however, the kids elected to set the parameters to an “Italian” dish. If you are able, please send your kiddo in with something to share (enough to serve 2-4 people) on the week of February 20 – 22, 2019. They should bring in their dish on their "S" Group day in here - ROME. I had every student fill out a form to bring home last week. They will receive extra credit on their unit-end test if they return it on Wednesday.

The students are excited about this culminating event and are eager to bring something. They may choose to bring a dessert, salad, main dish, or an appetizer. It could be something from the store or even a recipe with some deep cultural connections (family recipe perhaps J). 

On Friday, February 22, 2019, the sixth-grade team is taking our kids to the movies! This is a "Rewards" field trip and the teachers' will be paying for the kids' movie passes. We ask that you send in $5.00 with your child for transportation. Kids may also purchase concessions on their own. We will be leaving Woodriver at 11:45AM and return at 2:45 PM. Any students with an "F" in a subject as of Friday the 22nd, or have more than one recent Discipline Referral (DR) on file will not be able to participate in the field trip. Those students will stay back at school with Mr. Ribbens to catch up on missing or late assignments. I sent home a letter last week about this and so far I have one chaperone signed up. I am looking for one more, please. Your ticket will also be paid for.

Mr. Kinder and I have been busy scheduling multiple field trips for the fourth quarter. Those will be published soon. Many of the excursions are academic, and some are just plain old "fun." The grade and discipline policy will remain in place for any "fun" field trips. Academic field trips will not be restricted. I have also added a trip to the UAF Museum on March 6th, 2019 in the morning. I could use two chaperones, please. The entry to the museum and guided lessons will be paid for through school funds. I will also ask for $5.00 for bus transportation on this one.

As far as fundraising...I will introduce our spring classroom fundraiser during conferences this week and then again to the kids on Wednesday. I will be asking the kids to participate in a classroom Read-a-Thon. It is a simple, effective, and positive way to keep kids reading over spring break while raising funds for our fourth quarter outings. If we meet our goals (which is modest), we will use those funds for transportation, and I can stop bothering you for $5.00 at a time :). If we do not reach our goals, the funds that we do raise will lessen the expenses regardless. I will also post more on this in future blog posts, as this one is already long!

Q3 TDLs via Google Sheets are published. I gave them to the kids this week and here it is for your viewing pleasure! I will also have copies for you at your conference.

The Big Wave is our next class novel. It is a short read, but worthy and will conclude with a great art project. Literacy Circles will conclude on Wednesday. One of our classmates has made it to the District Spelling Bee, tying for first place during the competition last week! Way to go Joey!

Lastly, for now. Mr. Ribbens' full-time student-teaching starts on Monday, February 25, 2019, and will go for three weeks. This is a major requirement in the UAF Teacher-Preparation Program and I know he will do well. He has been working diligently planning some great lessons. Our regular classroom routines will not change. I will, of course, be here should the need arise. 

Wednesday looks like:

9:00 - 9:20

10-Minute writing prompt: Describe your dream tree house...aaaaand go.

Class Meeting

9:20 - 10:30

Walk to Math

10:30 - 10:40

Break - Snack and Read Aloud - Counting by 7s

10:40 - 12:00

"S" Groups Potluck

12:00 - 12:30

Eat

12:30 - 1:00

Play

1:00 - 1:40

Class Novel - The Big Wave

1:40 - 2:15

Music

2:15 - 3:30

Writer's Workshop

TDL

MATH HOMEWORK 

Thursday, February 21, 2019
--Practice 10-3
Friday, February 22, 2019

--Practice 10-4

Please regularly check your child’s grades in PowerSchool and update the Web and Technology Use forms. I would appreciate it if you gave permission for your child’s picture to be published on the class blog. The forms are located under the Registration section. Please refer to this link for details: https://www.k12northstar.org/Page/3162  

DATES TO REMEMBER (more to come)!

Monday and Tuesday, February 18-19, 2019
Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, February 22, 2019
Field Trip - Regal Cinemas
"How To Train Your Dragon 3"
11:30AM - 2:30 PM
Please send in $5 with your kiddo for bus transportation. The teachers will pay for the movie ticket. Concessions can be purchased individually. One chaperone needed, please.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Field Trip to UAF Museum
9:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Please send in $5 with your kiddo for bus transportation. Two chaperones needed, please.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Field Trip to Ryan Middle School for 7th grade tour.
9:45 - 11:00

"It's a good life."
--Mr. Sassman

Monday, February 11, 2019

Mr. Sassman's 6th Grade Class Blog

Woodriver Elementary School

It was a full week of...writing!

Preparation for student-led parent-teacher conferences. Please be sure that your student is present during our meetings, as they will be an integral part of the process. I sent home notices of conference times with the kids last week. Feel free to call the office if you need to adjust your time or need to reschedule. Thanks.

Q3 TDLs via Google Sheets are published. I gave them to the kids this week and here it is for your viewing pleasure!

We finished our class novel - My Side of the Mountain, and our read aloud - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The kids have completed reading packets along the way and will be able to use their notes during the test this coming week. We will start The Big Wave as our next class novel. It is a short read, but worthy and will conclude with a great art project.

Literacy Circles: Many kids were not prepared last week and this week is the last week of meetings. Superhero stories drafted and expository books on their way. School Spelling Bee is this Tuesday...We will have a class competition this afternoon.

Happy Valentine's Day! It is this Thursday. Our class will have a small Valentine’s Day celebration at the end of the day. If any students want to bring Valentine's cards or candy, I ask that they bring cards for every student. I will provide class rosters for if needed. 

Ongoing info...in case you missed it...

Please turn in your Box Tops for Education. Each Box Top is worth ten cents for our school and you would be amazed at how quickly it adds up. Thank you. 

The Sixth Grade Team is planning multiple field trips for the third and fourth quarters. To participate, every student must have exhibited excellent behavior, maintain passing grades in every class, consistently follow instructions, and strictly adhere to all safety requirements. A student who earns two or more formal detentions or discipline referrals may be excluded from participating.

For Social Studies this quarter, Mr. Kinder will be teaching the students about the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. He will finish the Greeks in the second half of the quarter. I will be teaching the students about the Romans. Due to the two Social Studies classes, there will not be a STEAM class this quarter. For Science, Mrs. Clark will be teaching the students about Classification and Ecosystems.

Monday looks like:

9:00 - 9:20

10-Minute writing prompt: If you could make a robot, what would it do? What would it look like?

Class Meeting

New Jobs

New Seats

9:20 - 10:30

Walk to Math

10:30 - 10:40

Break - Snack and Read Aloud - Counting by 7s

10:40 - 12:00

Writer's TDL

12:00 - 12:30

Eat

12:30 - 1:00

Play

1:00 - 1:40

MSOTM Test

PTC Prep

1:40 - 2:15

Gym

2:15 - 3:30

Class Spelling Bee

The Big Wave

MATH HOMEWORK 

Tuesday, February 12, 2019
--Topic 9 Review
Tuesday, February 13, 2019
--Practice 10-1
Tuesday, February 14, 2019
--Practice 10-2
Tuesday, February 15, 2019

--Practice 10-3

Please regularly check your child’s grades in PowerSchool and update the Web and Technology Use forms. I would appreciate it if you gave permission for your child’s picture to be published on the class blog. The forms are located under the Registration section. Please refer to this link for details: https://www.k12northstar.org/Page/3162  

DATES TO REMEMBER (more to come)!

Monday and Tuesday, February 18-19, 2019
Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences

Friday, February 22, 2019
Field Trip - Regal Cinemas
"How To Train Your Dragon 3"
11:30AM - 2:30 PM
Please send in $5 with your kiddo. The sixth grade class funds will pay for the movie ticket. Concessions can be purchased individually.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019
Field Trip to UAF Museum
9:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Field Trip to Ryan Middle School
9:45 - 11:00

"It's a good life."
--Mr. Sassman

Monday, February 4, 2019

Mr. Sassman's 6th Grade Class Blog

Woodriver Elementary School

A couple of notes...

I hope you had a nice weekend and possibly enjoyed watching the Superbowl! Last week, I introduced a few new academic initiatives to the kiddos and they responded well. The students received two large lists of frequently used spelling words and the Scripps National Spelling Bee words to pull twenty words from for their spelling packets. I am currently going through work from last week, and grades should be updated on a rolling basis this week. Mr. Ribbens has created new GeoNotes for the second half of the year, and they are heavily focused on Worl Geography. 

Next week, we will begin our reflections on all the work we have accomplished this year in preparation for student-led parent-teacher conferences. Please be sure that your student is present during our meetings, as they will be an integral part of the process. Thanks.

This week, the students will continue to make updates to their Q3 TDLs via Google Sheets. Last quarter, each student was introduced to the program and made their own working spreadsheet. They will make modifications to coincide with their most current (individualized/personalized) To Do Lists!

We will finish our class novel - My Side of the Mountain, and our read aloud - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 

I gave the kids until today, Monday, to finish their Literacy Circles entry 3, as many students were not prepared last Thursday (short week?). The kids have been matched with appropriately leveled classmates and books per their MAP Lexile Ratings. For the kids that had it done, I gave them extra credit points. 

For our Writer's Workshop this week, we will make a big push to get our superhero stories drafted and expository books on their way. 

We will take a break from GeoNotes (Global Edition) and spelling. Again, spelling will be personalized this semester. Kids will pick twenty words from the Sitton Spelling 1,200 High-Frequency Words List. Then they will choose from a list of tasks (provided) to demonstrate their mastery of said words. And yes, I will be checking to make sure the words are challenging enough :)

The kids have been matched with appropriately leveled classmates and books per their MAP Lexile Ratings.

Ongoing info...in case you missed it...

Every student is strongly encouraged to participate in the optional school Science Fair. Packets are available at the office. All participants will receive a full letter grade bonus (+10%) in both Writing and Science grades for the third quarter. Please visit Woodriver’s Science Fair website for details at https://www.wolfpups.org/science-fair.html

Please turn in your Box Tops for Education. Each Box Top is worth ten cents for our school and you would be amazed at how quickly it adds up. Thank you. 

The Sixth Grade Team is planning multiple field trips for the third and fourth quarters. To participate, every student must have exhibited excellent behavior, maintain passing grades in every class, consistently follow instructions, and strictly adhere to all safety requirements. A student who earns two or more formal detentions or discipline referrals may be excluded from participating.

For Social Studies this quarter, Mr. Kinder will be teaching the students about the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incas. He will finish the Greeks in the second half of the quarter. I will be teaching the students about the Romans. Due to the two Social Studies classes, there will not be a STEAM class this quarter. For Science, Mrs. Clark will be teaching the students about Classification and Ecosystems.

Monday looks like:

9:00 - 9:20

10-Minute writing prompt: Describe your Superbowl Sunday?

Class Meeting

New Jobs

9:20 - 10:30

Walk to Math

10:30 - 10:40

Break - Snack and Read Aloud - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

10:40 - 12:00

DOL

Writer's TDL

12:00 - 12:30

Eat

12:30 - 1:00

Play

1:00 - 1:40

Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain

1:40 - 2:15

Gym

2:15 - 3:30

Literacy Circles

TDL

THIRD QUARTER AGENDA AND TDL (some of these have not been introduced yet)

Literacy Circle
Spelling
Superhero Narratives
Expository Book
DOL
Word Work
Paragraph Development
Read Aloud
Class Novel - My Side of the Mountain
Winter Haikus
Zentangles
Owl Pellets
Diamante Poetry
What I love About Winter???
The Big Wave

MATH HOMEWORK 

Tuesday, February 5, 2019
--Practice 9-1
Tuesday, February 6, 2019
--Practice 9-2
Tuesday, February 7, 2019
--Practice 9-3
Tuesday, February 8, 2019

--Practice 9-4

Please regularly check your child’s grades in PowerSchool and update the Web and Technology Use forms. I would appreciate it if you gave permission for your child’s picture to be published on the class blog. The forms are located under the Registration section. Please refer to this link for details: https://www.k12northstar.org/Page/3162  

DATES TO REMEMBER (more field trips to be posted soon)

Thursday, January 31, 2019
Early Dismissal - Staff Training Day

Friday, February 1, 2019
No School - Staff Training Day

Monday and Tuesday, February 18-19, 2019
Student-led Parent-Teacher Conferences

"It's a good life."
--Mr. Sassman