Good morning parents and guardians! We are five weeks in and rocking and rolling with our contents. We are finding this group of 6th graders to be hardworking, resilient, and really fun to teach!
Cal-Wood: We’re going on an overnight, outdoor education field trip in October, in Jamestown Colorado!
Some students who are on our Trip lists have indicated that they may not be going to Cal-Wood. If you have changed your plans, please let us know by emailing any one of the 6th grade teachers. Thank you.
Here are our trip lists for Cal-Wood: Trip 1 and Trip 2
Trip-specific Permission Slip Packets and Parent Information Packets were sent home a week ago. The white, pink, yellow and blue permission slips were due today. If you didn’t send them into school yet, please do so as soon as possible.
Please keep the white Parent Information Packet at home. The last page of the Parent Information Packet is the packing list. All starred * items can be borrowed from Cal-Wood, so the packing list is not a shopping list.
We still need 3 dads for Trip 2…Please contact Lisa Sumerfield if you can join us.
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): We started our first big project in Social Studies this week. Students are doing research on a country in the Western Hemisphere and applying their knowledge of the 5 themes of geography. Please check in with your child to see if they are on track to finish on time next week. They should have “Location”, “Place”, and “Human Environment Interaction” paragraphs done by the end of the day on Friday.
Language Arts (Mrs. Techmanski): This week students learned the elements of plot. They began planning their Personal Narrative by using a plot diagram. Ask them which story they chose to tell! Next week we will be drafting their stories.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): Continuing our study of basic science, we made qualitative and quantitative observations this week and began some graphing basics.
Reading (Ms. Weisheit): Students have been reading this week and completing a vocabulary packet on story elements. We reviewed the CommonLit assignment to learn strategies that help us with comprehension when reading. We continue to work on writing Great Short Answers when we respond to a reading prompt.
Math (Mrs. Allison): This week 6th grade math has been working on comparing rational numbers using a number line and using our knowledge of the numbers. In Advanced 1, we have been dividing fractions and mixed numbers, focussing on using both models and understanding the algorithm. Both classes will be ready for an assessment by the end of next week.
Math (Mrs. Gilmore Advanced 2): Please refer to this slide for information from Mrs. Gilmore.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Brenda Weisheit brenda.weisheit@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Good afternoon parents and guardians. We hope you’ve had a nice week.
Cal-Wood: We’re going on an overnight, outdoor education field trip in October, in Jamestown Colorado!
Some students who are on our Trip lists have indicated that they may not be going to Cal-Wood. If you have changed your plans, please let us know by emailing any one of the 6th grade teachers, as Cal-Wood needs our official numbers for meal and lesson planning. Thank you.
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 changes need to be made, please contact Lisa Sumerfield, but please understand space is incredibly limited.
Trip-specific Permission Slip Packets and Parent Information Packets were sent home today, the white, pink, yellow and blue slips are due by Sept. 12th. No green form is needed if your student doesn’t need to take medication at camp. Please read the instructions carefully and keep the white Parent Information Packet at home. The last page of the Parent Information Packet is the packing list. All stared * items can be borrowed from Cal-Wood, so the packing list is not a shopping list.
We still need 2 moms and 2 dads for Trip 2…Please contact Lisa Sumerfield if you can join us.
The $255 trip fee has been placed on RevTrak. Keep in mind that scholarship information is made available by contacting Mrs. Erichson at mandi.erichson@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 had a slight change of plan for this short week. We reviewed the 5 themes of geography and we’ll start our first project next week.
Language Arts (Mrs. Techmanski): This was a busy short week in ELA! Students reviewed the writing process, and learned the 7 types of literary conflict. Next week we’ll be embarking upon the Personal Narrative writing assignment! Stay tuned for more details on this summative project.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): We completed our Lab Safety unit this week, and will practice basic science skills next week. Cal-Wood information packets and Permission Slip packets were sent home today from Science class.
Reading (Ms. Weisheit): Students read a story called, “The Scholarship Jacket” this week. Ask them about Marta and what she learned.
Math (Mrs. Allison): Both 6th grade math and Advanced 1 are finishing their first module this week with our first assessment this Friday. Next week, 6th grade math will continue our exploration of working with rational numbers while Advanced 1 will move on to dividing fractions. Students are slowly getting used to completing assignments regularly and remembering to put their names on their papers.
Math (Mrs. Gilmore Advanced 2): Please refer to this slide for information from Mrs. Gilmore.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Brenda Weisheit brenda.weisheit@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Good afternoon, parents and guardians! Thank you to all parents who joined us for back-to-school night this week. It was great to meet you, and we hope you enjoyed getting a small taste of what your students’ daily experience is like. We are enjoying getting to know your sixth graders. In the 13 days these students have been in middle school we are seeing tremendous growth in their ability to open their lockers, manage their time, complete assignments and care for others.
Blue/Silver Rotation: Here is a copy of the Blue/Silver rotation schedule.
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 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 2 moms and 2 dads for Trip 2…Please contact Lisa Sumerfield if you can join us.
The $255 trip fee has been placed on RevTrak. Keep in mind that scholarship information is made available by contacting Mrs. Erichson at mandi.erichson@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 learn more about the 5 Themes of Geography this week. Next week we’ll start our first project of the year. It was great to see many of you at back to school night. Here is a link to the slides that I shared that evening.
Language Arts (Mrs. Techmanski): This week students learned the ‘Great Short Answer’ format for crafting a short constructed response which includes Claim, Evidence and Reasoning. We spent time color coding our writing and practicing this format. There is no Language Arts homework this weekend.
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): This week we learned to use triple beam balances to measure mass in grams, and we finished our study of Lab Safety. Next week we’ll take our Lab Safety Quiz (summative) and the district’s beginning of the year benchmark test (this score will not be a part of students’ grade).
Reading (Ms. Weisheit): Students completed the Beginning-of-Year CommonLit Assessment this week. Here is my slide presentation from Back-to-School Night.
Math (Mrs. Allison): We began working on Module 1 of our curriculum for both 6th grade math and Advanced 1. We are learning about negative numbers, how to compare all kinds of rational numbers, and finding absolute value. There is homework for math almost every day. Feel free to check our Schoology page if you have any questions about what is due.
Math (Mrs. Gilmore): Please refer to this slide for information on Mrs. Gilmore’s math class.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Brenda Weisheit brenda.weisheit@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Greg McDonald (6th Grade Counselor) greg.mcdonald@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Good afternoon, parents and guardians. Thank you for taking the time to read our weekly updates.
Students are becoming more acclimated to their lockers and schedules. For anyone who missed it, check out this video of the first day of school last week.
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 6-8
Trip 2: October 8-10
***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.
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): We finished our first assignment this week, 101 Let’s Get Techy. The purpose of this assignment was to see how well they can read and follow directions. We are starting our first geography unit on the 5 Themes of Geography.
Language Arts (Mrs. Techmanski): This week, students shared their Tiny T. It’s their first grade for Language Arts and is scored on participation and a self-assessment. We are continuing to get into our routines for writing. Today I introduced the ‘A-Z Ideas List’. Students should brainstorm 50 ideas by the end of the day Monday. Keep in mind that they have Transitions class time to work on assignments such as these.
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 (Ms. Weisheit): We have started our daily reading routine, where students read their book of choice for the first few minutes of class. They may be asking you to take them to the library. Monday, we will be visiting our Aspen Creek library. Students will be completing the Beginning-of-Year Common Lit. Assessment this next week, starting on block day. It is not a timed test, and we’ll all test in my classroom, where I will have a quiet environment with minimal distractions.
Math (Mrs. Allison): This week we continued to practice working collaboratively solving problems, including figuring out the mathematical reasoning behind a card trick. We are setting norms and expectations for working as a small group and as a class and discovering that math can be fun. Most students were able to complete their beginning of year MAP assessment which will give us data on any supports or extensions they may need.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Brenda Weisheit brenda.weisheit@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Kim Jacobs (6th Grade Counselor) kimberly.jacobs@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.
Each week on Fridays, you’ll receive this email update from us. Below, 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.
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.
Social Studies (Mr. Haxton): It was great to finally meet all the new sixth graders. We played a get to know each other game today in class. We will begin using chromebooks in class on Monday, so please remind your child to charge them over the weekend.
Language Arts (Mrs. Techmanski): This week we’ve done some community building activities to get to know each other. Students received their first assignment, the ‘Tiny T’, today in class. It’s homework now and is due BLOCK DAY next week (Wednesday for periods 2 and 4, Thursday for periods 1, 3 and 7).
Science (Mrs. Sumerfield): This week in science we organized our classroom supplies, and learned that our science binders and notebooks will stay in class. We also did some community building activities, and received our first Lucky Pencil of the year. Ask your student to share the details related to their pencil:)
Reading (Ms. Weisheit): Students have started their daily reading routine. The Reading Survey is due on Monday.
Math (Mrs. Allison): We have spent this week in math exploring patterns and practicing working collaboratively in groups. We have had the opportunity to try out the vertical whiteboards around the room and worked on norms for communication around math. Next week we will have our beginning of year MAP test on block day for each period. Those results will be reviewed to ensure students are getting the challenge and support they need. You will be contacted only if changes need to be made.
Thank You!
Mark Haxton mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Brenda Weisheit brenda.weisheit@bvsd.org
Chelsie Techmanski chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Jeri Tagawa jeri.tagawa@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison kirsten.allison@bvsd.org
Kim Jacobs (6th Grade Counselor) kimberly.jacobs@bvsd.org
Link to the 6th Grade Website
Hello 6th grade families! Welcome to Aspen Creek. We are so excited to teach your 6th grader this year. Here is some information about the first day of school for 6th graders.
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 13th. Please drop students off no earlier than 8:30 and no later than 8:40. Note: this first Wednesday is NOT a late start day. Students will meet in front of the school for a quick welcome from our middle level assistant principal, Profe. Then, parents/guardians will be invited into the library for an introduction to our principal, Amanda Jones and other staff. Sixth graders will head into the cafetorium and will be led through some activities with our amazing 360 leaders.
We recommend that students bring a sack lunch for this first day. We will provide a snack for students. Please send them with a water bottle clearly labeled with their name. Students should dress comfortably (some activities will involve sitting on the floor).
Please remember that we are a gum free school and student cell phones will need to be turned off and kept in backpacks / lockers from 8:30-3:45.
Students will have some time to practice opening their lockers and will run through their 8 period schedule. All throughout the day, 360 leaders and teachers will help students understand where they need to go and what they need to bring. School supplies will not be needed on Wednesday.
We are very much looking forward to meeting your middle school student! It’s going to be a great year.
If you have any questions, please reply to this email.
Sincerely,
The 6th Grade Team
Chelsie Techmanski (Language Arts) chelsie.techmanski@bvsd.org
Mark Haxton (Social Studies) mark.haxton@bvsd.org
Lisa Sumerfield (Science) lisa.sumerfield@bvsd.org
Brenda Weisheit (Reading) brenda.weisheit@bvsd.org
Kirsten Allison (Math) kirsten.allison@bvsd.org