TWIS 10/31-11/4

Parents,

   Here's to another wacky week at school!  Just some highlights coming up-

Monday- Halloween parade and classroom parties begin at 2:30.  6th graders DO NOT dress up or participate in the parade; we will decorate our classroom so younger grades may walk through and enjoy our halloween themes, though!  Your student may ask to bring materials to decorate- as long as it's "G" rated, I'm cool with it (if you are).

Also, these parents have signed up to donate treats for the classroom (we have 29 students)-

Healthy Snacks- Val E and Mischa T

Sweet snacks- Makell M and Mindy P

Drinks- Jen T

Cups/napkins/plates- Andrea F

Thank you for your support and for your mindfulness on classroom food allergies!

Friday- This is an early dismissal day for teacher report card writing time.  Conferences are November 15th and 17th.  If you have yet to sign up for a conference, please do so by following these directions:

1. Visit the school’s homepage http://www.cfschools.org/schools/southdale and select the Online Scheduler icon/link. 
2. Choose your student’s school from the drop down list and click “GO”
3. Enter the school password = southdale
4. Enter your student’s “Student ID”.  If you do not know their Student ID, use the LOOKUP STUDENT ID button to access the system.
5. Verify the student’s birth date 
6. A list of your student’s teachers will be displayed.  Check the box next to the name of each teacher(s) you would like to meet with.
7. If you have more than one student in the school you can see all of your students’ teachers’ schedules at one time by answering YES to this question “Do you want to schedule conferences for another student?” then repeat the steps above for your other students.  If you only have one student, answer NO to that question.
8. You will then see the available time slots for each teacher you selected.
9. Select the times that work best for your schedule. 
10. Enter your email address (**highly recommended**) if you would like an email reminder sent to you. (Your email address is kept private.)
11. Once you have finished you can confirm your appointment details and print your conference schedule.
12. ***Write down the Confirmation Number*** (you will need this number to cancel or edit your appointment)

Here's This Week in Switzer:

Math: We are finishing our Benchmark test over the first 4 topics in the math book.  This test gives us a chance to see what material is "sticking" with our students and which concepts we may need a little more work on.  Some great news: All of our 6th graders have passed the first 4 Common Formative Assessments (CFA's) with at least an 80% or higher.  That means every 6th grader has a minimum B- in Math... our goal is to make sure every 6th grader leaves elementary school with no lower than a B- in Math, Reading, and Writing.

Reader's Workshop: Students are dutifully writing and reading everyday.  Our goal is still 30 minutes per night- we've been logging all of our minutes everyday.  We will begin another Book Club book this week- make sure to ask your student about what their reading each night.

Writing: Students are working on their Doggy World articles and finishing up this unit on Research writing.  

Social Studies: Students took a test last week and are making corrections before they begin their next unit.

Science: We do a final test of our Thermal Energy Mugs on Tuesday and write up our lab reports this week.  The lab reports are serious work and may require a little extra computer time at home this week.

Have a great week!

--

Matthew Switzer

6th Grade Teacher, 

Southdale Elementary