Welcome to the 2nd quarter of the 2025-2026 school year. As we continue to foster a positive school culture, Irving staff remain committed to ensuring students demonstrate safe, responsible & respectful behavior consistently throughout the school day. When students feel connected to school and meet our school wide and classroom expectations, student engagement and academic achievement increases, making Irving a fantastic community to learn and grow. Expectations retaught & reviewed by all Irving staff during the first week of the 2nd quarter include: 

• Middle school cell phone/electronic device expectations (LPS policy & state law) 

• 1st 10/last 10: Students remain in the classroom the first and last 10 minutes of the class period 

• Using digital hall pass to leave the classroom: Students provided 2 passes/day to leave classroom. If students need an additional pass, teachers may create a pass for student

• On time to class all day long: School day 8:00-3:00, students provided 4 minutes to get from class to class. 

• Hallway expectations: Walk, hands & objects to self, keep moving, inside voice level

• Students remaining in seats until the end of class: Students exit classroom calmly and orderly to promote safe hallway behavior 

• Walking with classroom teacher to/from lunch/recess: Students walk with teacher to assigned lunch or recess destination 

• MTSS B classroom processes if/when disruption occurs: 

  • Student provided 1 redirect, then move to in-class movement (seat in classroom)

  • If behavior continues: students earn an out of class movement to neighboring classroom

  • While in neighboring classroom, students acknowledge their behavior and prepare to return learning in their classroom with a plan for success

• Students thrive when there are clear expectations & accountability for actions. Parents/guardians are notified any time a student earns an out of class movement. 

Linked here is the LPS 2025-2026 Special Events Calendar: Special Events Calendar

Thank you for all your partnership and support as we continue to have a great school year! 

As we start 2nd quarter I can tell our 6th graders are getting more comfortable and starting to really figure out where they fit in at Irving! Students are always able to make an appointment with me if they need to talk, have questions about their schedule or anything they might need. I'm beginning my next round of small groups so students will be invited or you can reach out if you think your student would be a good fit for a group.

As always, feel free to call or call or email me anytime with questions or concerns!

Abby Rehm

arehm@lps.org

402 436 1214

Current Chapter:  Chapter 3: Portions and Integers. 

In chapter 3, students will use a powerful new tool for finding equivalent fractions; use percents, decimals, and fractions to describe a portion of a whole; represent portions as percents, decimals, and fractions with pictures, symbols, and words; and find the decimal form of a number when it is given as a percent or fraction. 

Looking Ahead:  

Chapter 3 Assessment by October 29

Please check gradebook for upcoming assignments and assessments and to monitor your child’s progress

Resources:  Parent/Student Resources (explanation of key ideas, additional practice, and homework help) can be found at:  https://home.lps.org/math/secondary/

Mrs. Lawrey’s weekly AGENDA

Current Chapter: Chapter 4–Variables and Ratios

In chapter 4, students will write equivalent expressions using variables, as well as write ratios to represent the relationships between reduced/enlarged shapes. 

Looking Ahead:  

Chapter 4 Assessment by November 4

Please check gradebook for upcoming assignments and assessments and to monitor your child’s progress

Resources:  Parent/Student Resources (explanation of key ideas, additional practice, and homework help) can be found at:  https://home.lps.org/math/secondary/

Mrs. Lawrey’s Weekly AGENDA

Current Chapter:  Chapter 5 (Course 2 Book)

In Chapter 5 of the Course 2 book, students will:

• Find and use percentages to solve problems.

• Calculate the probability of compound (multiple) events.

• Use experimental results to make and test conjectures about unknown sample spaces.

• Describe how the relationship between experimental and theoretical probabilities for an experiment changes as the experiment is conducted many times.

• Solve situational problems using the 5-D Process.

Looking Ahead:  

Unit C Assessment (C2 Chapter 5) by October 21

Please check gradebook for assignments and assessments and to monitor your child’s progress

Resources:  Parent/Student Resources (explanation of key ideas, additional practice, and homework help) can be found at:  https://home.lps.org/math/secondary/

Your child’s 6th grade science class has started a unit called, Why does a lot of hail, rain, or snow fall at some times and not others? as part of the OpenSciEd middle school science curriculum. This unit develops science ideas about weather, climate, and water cycling. During the unit, your child will conduct investigations where they analyze data to draw models to help explain a sudden hailstorm and a large midwestern winter storm in the United States.

 Imagine a sunny day then suddenly cars and the pavement are hit with hail, some the size of golf balls! In the first half of the unit, students watch videos of such hailstorms. These hail storms occurred in different locations and different times of the year. Some hail storms accompanied strong winds and rain! Together students are encouraged to wonder and to investigate what causes hailstorms and eventually storms in general, like rain. Students then continue to revise their model drawings to help explain what causes local weather events like hail storms and rain.

In the second half of the unit, students expand their learning to think about large scale weather events, like a major winter storm. Students are shown a weather report and forecast from the Today Show from January 2019. This snowstorm traveled from the Midwest further Northeast building up snow (almost a foot of snow). Students evaluate their previous models to help explain this event. They analyze weather forecast data, identifying useful patterns to help explain this new winter storm.

Helping your child make sense of their learning:

• There is no need to teach your child vocabulary before the unit because words often have multiple meanings, and are often easier to remember once students have some experience with it.

• Encourage your child to expand and clarify their own thinking by asking to give examples, to say more, and to reiterate what they said back to them.

• Ask how they might have arrived at a particular conclusion.

• Ask your child to recall what other students have said in class, and what about the ideas did they agree or disagree with.

• If your child sees or thinks of other weather events from prior trips or shows, encourage them to share it in class the next day.

• Encourage your child’s curiosity through talking about their own noticings and wonderings.