“HAPPY AUTUMN”

Mrs. Seminack

Room 213

I would like to extend to all families some great tips and ideas to help maintain your childs study habits. Please review the following on a daily basis to assist in continual academic success:

 

*               Paying attention in class.

*               Taking good notes.

*               Keeping an organized notebook for each subject.

*               Knowing the purpose of each assignment.

*               Asking questions in class.

*               REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

                 It can help retain 80% of the information.

*               Planning a definite time and place for studying each day.

*               Studying for awhile and taking short breaks.

*               Avoid cramming for hours the night before a test.

*               Study a little bit each day.

*               Think Positive...Do Your Best!

 

~Dear Parents and Students~

 

I am so excited for this new school year! We have so much to discover and learn here in sixth grade at Nativity of Our Lord.

 

Over the summer Lab Learner was installed, and I had the opportunity to perform some of the very experiments you will be conducting. How cool!!! We will begin discussing the topic of Matter, discovering various properties. This includes such topics as elements, compounds, atoms, subatomic particles, electrons, protons, neutrons, density, volume, mass and the list goes on. This is sure to be exciting. Your science world is going to be innovated!!!

 

Also, please be aware that this year is even more exciting because you will be receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit; Confirmation. I know each and exveryone of you will work so hard to prove to your parents, teachers, and most imporatnaly God, that you are ready for this wonderful opportunity. In releigion this year, along with focusing on and prepping for Confirmation , we will be studying the Old Testament. Studnets will focus on the main messages of God conveyed through the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

In Social Studies we will focus on tseveral areas of the world; Europe and Russia, Asia and the Pacific, and Africa. Studnets will have the opportunity to explore the physical geography of each country as well as rich history and fascinating culture.

 

In Integrated Language Arts, students will have the opportunity to create/write many papers from their invidual perspective. During the first trimester students will focus on understanding the writing process. We will look at each step/stage at length and comprehend the objective/purpose. During the first trimester students will write a Personal Narrative, a Diamante/Free Verse, and a Characterization.  Studnets will  be required to write a minimum of one to two page papers. This will assist in prepping them for the years to come. Also please encourage your students to take pride in their penmanship as it is a reflection upon them.

 

Students’ reading anthology will now be provided by Prentice Hall, which requires more analytical and comprehensive stories. Studnets are free to take home an anthology book should they choose to do so. Otherwise they will remain on the book shelf in the classroom. Studnets will be required to take various approaches in reading which will assist them in obtaining the focus/perpose.

 

This year in grammar students will continue to explore the eight parts of speech. Studnets will be required to apply these skills through various assessments. This year I would like to incorporate writing centers, which will give students the opportunity to explore grammar and writing together from a creative aspect. Students will also continue to explore grammatical parts of speech through diagramming.

 

This year we are alternating spelling and vocabulary. Students vocabulary will consist of twenty words biweekly. On the alternating weekds students will work on two spelling lessons (each consisting of ten words) to correspond with the vocaubulary amount. Both vocabulary and spelling tests will be given on Fridays!!!

 

I encourage you to check your students homework EVERY night. However, now that students are in sixth grade (middle school) they must begin to take responsibility for themselves. This includes writing down homewrork correctly, bringing home the correct books,  turing in assignments on time, and getting materials such as tests and quizzes signed.

 

Should any materials not be signed and turned in by the the end of the two day period, a one point demerit will be issued. In regard to homework, after three homeworks are missed in one subject area a five point habitual lateness demerit will be issued, then a one point dmerit for each homewrork missed there after. Again this stems back to students responsisbility!!!!  If your child is going to be out from school, they are able to make up any missed homework, tests, or quizzes upon their return. We are unable to provide students with make-up work before their departure.  Please keep in mind that they are responsible for any and all missed work.

 

Best of luck to a new school year!!!

“I want to be all that I am capable of becoming.”

Katherine Mansfield