Friday, Sept. 11, 2026
Good afternoon, parents and guardians,
Hopefully we’ll see many of you tomorrow morning at our Annual Pancake breakfast fundraiser for Calwood!
Cal-Wood: We’re going on an overnight, outdoor education field trip in October, in Jamestown Colorado!
Here are our trip lists for Cal-Wood: Trip 1 and Trip 2
Paper permission slip packets will be sent home Monday, and due Friday.
*Here is the link to the student medical form for Cal-Wood. Please fill it out as soon as possible.
*If you are a parent chaperone, please fill out this form as well.
I think I’ve heard back from all interested parents. If by chance I missed you, please let me know.
The $275 trip fee will be placed on RevTrak soon. Keep in mind that scholarship information is made available by contacting Mrs. Jackson at sarah.jackson@bvsd.org in the front office, and that general CalWood information can be found at www.calwood.org or watch this video.
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): We continue to work on our first research project of the year. Students should have finished all 11 paragraphs by Friday and are beginning to put their slideshow together. We’ll continue this next week as well.
Language Arts (Ms. Hand): This week in Language Arts we began with a quiz that covered material on finding central ideas and writing “Great Short Answer” responses. Then based on the quiz data, we jumped into a review of finding evidence from the text to support our multiple choice answers. We will continue to cover this topic more frequently to support growth in our multiple choice.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): This week we continued making quantitative observations, and began learning how to graph these results.
Reading (Mrs. Techmanski / Ms. Aria): This week we began working on citing textual evidence and determining the central idea of an article. We will continue to practice these skills after reviewing vocabulary tests from last Friday.
Math (Mrs. Allison): Sixth grade math will finish our look at rational numbers next week with a test on block day. We will then move on to dividing fractions. Advanced 1 will finish our look at dividing fractions with a test on Tuesday. Our next module will be a quick review of all decimal operations.
Good afternoon, parents and guardians. It’s September already! We are really enjoying this group of sixth graders. Starting next week, this weekly communication will come from Mark Haxton.
PTA: Here is some information from our Parent Teacher Association, including info about the upcoming Harvest Fest which is scheduled for Friday, October 2nd.
Picture Day: School pictures are scheduled for Tuesday, September 22nd. A flyer was sent home with students this week. You can order photos through mylifetouch.com and use the code EVTFPGK78.
Hygiene Request: We’d love some help reminding students that in 6th grade, deodorant should be part of a daily hygiene routine :) Those conversations go much smoother happening at home than here at school.
Cal-Wood: We’re going on an overnight, outdoor education field trip in October, in Jamestown Colorado!
Here are our trip lists for Cal-Wood: Trip 1 and Trip 2
If you didn’t return a Trip Selection Form, your student was placed on a trip with their friends. If your child’s name is not on the list, it’s because they told us they aren’t planning on going.
If changes need to be made, please contact Lisa Sumerfield, but please understand space is incredibly limited.
Permission slip packets will be sent home next week. ***This is a change, since Cal-Wood has made one of their forms electronic.
We still need dads for our trips…Please contact Lisa Sumerfield if you can join us. Otherwise, I think I’ve heard back from all interested parents. If by chance I missed you, please let me know.
The $275 trip fee will be placed on RevTrak soon. Keep in mind that scholarship information is made available by contacting Mrs. Jackson at sarah.jackson@bvsd.org in the front office, and that general CalWood information can be found at www.calwood.org or watch this video.
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): We started our first research project of the year this week. This will carry us through next week as well. Students chose a country in the Western Hemisphere (the area of the world we cover in 6th grade) and began researching the 5 themes of geography and how they relate to their specific country.
Language Arts (Ms. Hand): This week in language arts we have continued unit 2 of the CommomLit curriculum. Students have solidified their learning of “A Great Short Answer” and have continued to write multiple responses about 2 different nonfiction texts this week. Students then completed a small poster that included a visual to separate out the steps of writing a paragraph in order to review for their quiz Friday. Students were quizzed on Friday about the steps of “A Great Short Answer” and finding the central idea.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): This week we made qualitative and quantitative observations, and practiced making quantitative measurements with rulers and triple beam balances in metric units. Lab Safety Quizzes were also returned to students.
Reading (Mrs. Techmanski / Ms. Aria): Today is Mrs. Techmanski’s last day before maternity leave, and Ms. Aria will be picking up the reins starting September 8th. Thank you for your patience during this transition. In reading class this week, students had a vocabulary quiz on the Story Elements Vocabulary words, and also reviewed their beginning of year Commonlit data. This paper should be in their homework folder for you to see as well. There are slides posted in Schoology for how to interpret the data (these slides were explained in class today). If you have any questions about your child’s Commonlit data, please reach out to Ms. Hand as she will be able to explain.
Math (Mrs. Allison): Beginning of the year MAP scores were handed out to students on block day. They were instructed to bring them home and show you. Please let me know if you did not receive them and need an additional copy. Sixth grade math will deepen our understanding of interpreting and comparing rational numbers in this module. Advanced 1 has moved on to dividing fractions.
Math (Ms. Weisflog Advanced 2): Students wrapped up Module 1 and started Module 2 on constructing shapes with given constraints. Students can borrow supplies for this unit as needed, but should turn them back in as soon as they are done (compass, protractors, rulers, etc.).
Math 180 /Read 180 (Ms.Zoppa): We have begun our rotations of online modules as well as small group lessons. Math 180 students began their units on fractions or decimals and integers. Read 180 students are working on finding text evidence and main ideas in non-fiction stories about heroes.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Katie Hand katherine.hand@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Lia Weisflog lia.weisflog@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Beth Zoppa elizabeth.zoppa@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Good afternoon, parents and guardians. Thank you for joining us for Back-to-School night if you were able to attend! We enjoyed meeting you and telling you a bit about our classes. HERE is the 6th grade parent packet if you were not able to attend.
PTA: Here is some information from our Parent Teacher Association, including info about the upcoming Harvest Fest which is scheduled for Friday, October 2nd.
Cal-Wood: We’re going on an overnight, outdoor education field trip in October, in Jamestown Colorado!
Here are our trip lists for Cal-Wood: Trip 1 and Trip 2
If you didn’t return a Trip Selection Form, your student was placed on a trip with their friends. If your child’s name is not on the list, it’s because they told us they aren’t planning on going.
If changes need to be made, please contact Lisa Sumerfield, but please understand space is incredibly limited.
Permission slip packets will be sent home next week.
We still need dads for our trips…Please contact Lisa Sumerfield if you can join us.
The $275 trip fee will be placed on RevTrak soon. Keep in mind that scholarship information is made available by contacting Mrs. Jackson at sarah.jackson@bvsd.org in the front office, and that general CalWood information can be found at www.calwood.org or watch this video.
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): We began our study of the 5 Themes of Geography. We will continue working on this next week as well. Here is a link to my Back to School Night presentation if you are interested.
Language Arts (Ms. Hand): This week in Language Arts we began our Commonlit unit on nonfiction texts and finding the central idea of a text. We began our work by learning the short response format “A Great Short Answer” and then used that format to answer questions about our articles throughout the week. We will continue building those skills by writing responses about the central idea of nonfiction texts in the next week.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): This week we wrapped up our study of Lab Safety, and learned to expect a certain margin of error when we make measurements in science, yet we’re hoping to recognize trends when analyzing data sets.
Reading (Mrs. Techmanski / Ms. Aria): This week Ms. Aria joined us on Monday to meet the students and become familiar with our classroom routines and procedures. Students took the beginning of year Commonlit assessment and will have access to their scores early next week.
Math (Mrs. Allison): This week both Advanced 1 and 6th grade math worked on rational number concepts including comparing positive and negative numbers, ordering integers on a number line, and absolute value. We will have our first module assessment next Tuesday.
Math (Ms. Weisflog Advanced 2): This week, Advanced 2 students began exploring Transformations on the coordinate plan, and will be assessed on their understanding next week on 9/2. Students should check the weekly agenda for extra credit opportunities. All module 1 extra credit will be due on 9/2. Any late or missing work from Module 1 will be due on Friday 9/4.
Math 180 /Read 180 (Ms.Zoppa): This week we have completed our MAPS placement tests, and are starting our true rotations in the Math 180 and Read 180 program. If your child has not yet asked for a picture for their student profile (Read 180), they should do that this weekend. If they cannot find one, I can take a pic and print it.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Katie Hand katherine.hand@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Lia Weisflog lia.weisflog@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Beth Zoppa elizabeth.zoppa@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Good afternoon, parents and guardians. Thank you for taking the time to read our weekly updates!
Cal-Wood Outdoor Education Center - We’re going on an overnight, outdoor education field trip in October, in Jamestown Colorado!
Cal-Wood Trip Selection Forms were sent home on Monday, and they were due today. Due to the size of the camp, we will be dividing the 6th Grade class into 2 trips. Students will attend one of the 2 trips. The dates are as follows:
Trip 1: October 5-7
Trip 2: October 7-9
***Thanks to those guardians who volunteered to chaperone the trip. We will get back to you soon.
More information and permission slip packets will be sent home in the next few weeks. If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Sumerfield at lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
For more information on Cal-Wood, check out the school programs at www.calwood.org or watch this video.
Back to School Night: Please join us on Tuesday, August 25th from 6:00 - 7:30 for our middle level back to school night! During this time, you’ll hear a presentation from our admin and then have the chance to meet all of us while you run through your child’s 8 period schedule. Please have access to their schedule through Infinite Campus or a physical copy of their schedule so you know where to go! We’re looking forward to meeting you and helping you learn a bit about each of our classes. Keep in mind - back to school night will provide general information about each class and is not a parent teacher conference.
PTA Information: Our PTA has asked us to share this PTA FLYER with you! Also, this flyer about joining and supporting out PTA.
Class Updates
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): We started our first assignment which was due on Block Day this week. It was an activity with a menu of tasks that allowed me to get to know your child better. Feel free to have them show it to you (Assignment 101). We’re off to a great start so far.
Language Arts (Ms. Hand): This week in Language Arts we finished up our first assignment which was an acrostic poem that the students completed using their name. We also began to dive into thinking about nonfiction texts and how we can use evidence from the text to find the central idea. By the end of the week students completed a mini poster over a nonfiction text of their choice. Next week we will continue to work with nonfiction texts and determining central ideas.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): This week we completed our Classroom Tour, and started our study of Lab Safety. Ask your student about their Lab Safety Poster, and thank you for signing their Lab Safety Contracts!
Reading (Mrs. Techmanski / Ms. Aria): This week in reading class students visited the library, read a short story, set up our Reader’s Notebooks and became more familiar with our classroom routines. Next week students will take the beginning of year Commonlit assessment so we can get an idea of their reading abilities. FYI - Mrs. Techmanski will be taking maternity leave starting September 8th and Ms. Aria will be taking over for her at that time.
Math (Mrs. Allison): This week we finished setting class norms and took our beginning of the year MAP test. Next week both 6th grade math and Advanced 1 will begin looking at rational number concepts including positive and negative numbers and absolute value. Homework will begin on most days next week.
Math (Ms. Weisflog Advanced 2): This week we’ll continue getting to know each other and complete a few math tasks. We will also develop our code of collaboration! Students will need their chromebooks WED-FRI in math to complete MAP testing.
Click HERE to see what we’re doing and important due dates! (Updated every morning!)
Math 180 /Read 180): Our first few weeks have been spent talking about growth mindset, courage and classroom norms. This week we finished our MAPS assessments and have started digging into the curriculum.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Katie Hand katherine.hand@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Lia Weisflog lia.weisflog@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Beth Zoppa elizabeth.zoppa@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Good afternoon, parents and guardians! We’ve made it through the first few days of 6th grade! We are truly enjoying these sixth graders, and it’s been fun getting to know them. Students are figuring out their schedules, lockers, passing periods, and more. We enjoyed welcoming students to Aspen Creek on Wednesday and loved hearing students and parents participate in Profe’s welcome song! The song rings true, “Every little thing is gonna be alright!”.
Each week on Fridays, you’ll receive this email update from us. Typically, you’ll find a description of what’s happening in each of our classes, including important information about upcoming projects, due dates, and other relevant details. Some parents find it helpful to read this email with their child and ensure all three of us (student, family, and teachers) are on the same page. If you would like us to include anyone else on this email, such as grandparents, tutors, etc., please reply to this email with the information needed.
Class Pet: Mrs. Allison has a class guinea pig, Pumpkin. Before Pumpkin comes to school, we like to check to ensure there are no allergies that need to be considered. Please reach out to Mrs. Allison if you think that a class pet may not work for your child. Thank you.
Support Plans: If your student is coming from a school not in BVSD and they are on a support plan such as a 504, IEP or ALP, please let us know. Sometimes record transfers are not seamless and we want to ensure we are supporting your child.
Reading Survey: Please share your insights into your child’s reading history on the Reading Survey assignment which students should be bringing home. The more information we have about your child as a reader, the better we are able to support them!
Chromebooks: Students are going to need their chromebooks in Social Studies class on Monday. Please remind them to charge them over the weekend.
Science Lab Safety Contracts: Science students are bringing home their Lab Safety Contracts. We reviewed them in class today, but please review them with your student and sign and date them. They’re due on Tuesday, so if by chance the contract didn’t make it home, you’ll still have Monday to get them signed. Thank you!
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Katie Hand katherine.hand@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Lia Weisflog lia.weisflog@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website