Friday 9/22

Grade Level News for 6th Grade

Update from the Principal's Desk:

Parents and Guardians,

We hope you have a wonderful and relaxing fall break. Our first weeks were the best start of the school year that I could have asked for. When we return, we will be full-on into fall activities. Teachers will share FLEX sessions, Friday Academy test make-ups are in full swing, and we will have many fine arts and CTSO activities. Creative Scoops, a branch of Creative Enterprises, will be visiting our school in early October (10/10-10/12) and selling ice cream for $3.00 during FLEX time. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to support these young adults.

When we return from break, I will be sending out a survey for our parents to complete that provides our South Community (SFHS, SFMS, LKMS, HCES, DCES) with information for our Parent Night. Similar to Parent University, this will be an opportunity for all of our SFMS parents to learn more about the elements of our vertical work (vertical math curriculum, transition to high school, digital safety, International Baccalaureate, etc.). Please complete that survey when you receive it October 2.

We had 50 parents complete our parent survey about your preferences. Thank you. Updates regarding the changes:

Our students are recognized monthly for meeting our RISE expectations. These student awards are not based on grades, but rather on RESPONSIBLILITY, INTEGRITY, SAFETY, EMPATHY. We value these items as much as we do achievement. It is important for all of our kids to know both achievement and character are important.
Some want newsletters weekly. Some say they are too long. We are trying to be very specific in our dates in subject areas about upcoming quizzes, projects and tests. Managing middle schoolers as parents is hard, so dates are important! Students have calendars in all 6th and 7th grade Enrichment classes that list all major tests and quizzes. These should also be written in their agendas! Please check your child's agenda.
We do not have an 8th grade promotion ceremony, but we do have a Recognition Night at the end of the year and all grades are recognized. They are recognized for progress and RISE expectations.
This year we are bringing back our All A's Breakfast in the winter and spring, and we will most likely recognizing 500-600 students!
Teachers meet as grade levels regularly to try their best to space out tests and quizzes. Although it isn't always possible based on our curriculum expectations, they always take student wellness into account when looking at the calendars.

Thank you!

Molly Bradley

Upcoming Dates:

9/25-9/29 - Fall Break
10/5 - Scoliosis Screening
10/10 - Football game vs. RMS @LHS
10/10 - Chorus Concert Pt. 1
10/11 - Chorus Concert Pt. 2
10/12 - Fall Band Concert
10/16 - Club Pictures
10/18 - Family Connect Night
10/19 - Online Learning Day
10/20 - Student Holiday

English Language Arts News

As students have completed their first cold read summative assessment, we are excited to share that they will soon be wrapping up their story snippet summative writing assignment after fall break. To make the submission process smoother for our young writers, they will be using Canvas, and will have access to their handy writer’s checklist for guidance. Looking ahead, we are moving into our informational unit of study. This unit is designed to equip our middle schoolers with valuable skills for understanding and working with informational texts.

Math News

On-level

Current Unit: Rational Number Explorations, Part A. This unit includes operations with decimals.

Quiz 2 – 9/20
Summative Assessment – 10/3

Extra review and study resources are available in Canvas on the Course Resources page. Please remind students to check Canvas daily! Flex sessions for extra help for all on level math students on Tuesdays with Mrs. Tan, Mrs. Bridges, or Mr. Groover.

Advanced

Current Unit: Rational Number Explorations. This unit includes operations with positive and negative fractions, decimals, and percents.

Quiz 2 – 10/11
Quiz 3 – 10/23
Summative Assessment – 10/27

Extra review and study resources are available in Canvas on the Course Resources page. Please remind students to check Canvas daily! Flex sessions for extra help for all advanced math students are available with Mrs. Bridges on Wednesdays.

Accelerated:

Following the Fall Break, 6th grade Accelerated Math will begin a new unit to develop student's Number System Fluency. Here are our upcoming assessment dates:

· October 11: Decimal Quiz

· October 24: LCM/GCF Quiz

· October 30: Fraction Quiz

· November 3: Number System Fluency Summative Exam

Just a reminder: Accelerated Math students have homework at least 4 nights a week. Be sure to check Canvas nightly for assignments. Assignments are sometimes adjusted during the day based on what we are able to cover in class.

Science News

This week we concluded our work on the solar system by completing an escape room. The kids had a lot of fun solving the clues about the planets. After Fall Break, we will be learning about the moon and the moon phases. In addition, we will be learning the terms rotation and revolution. There will be a quiz on rotation and revolution on October 3rd.

Social Studies News

-We completed our Europe Geography Unit this week.

-Our Europe History Unit has begun and will go until November.

-Upcoming Topics: Causes of WWI and The Treaty of Versailles

-Be on the lookout for DBQ/FRQ Writing in Social Studies.

Enrichment

After Fall Break we will be finishing the novel Freak the Mighty and beginning a summative project on the novel. We will teach the Frayer model vocabulary strategy and turn our work into a beautiful vocabulary quilt to display in the hallways. We will also wrap up our instruction on one sentence summaries.

Upcoming Dates –

October 13th Freak the Mighty Summative Due

Connections News

Marketing:

DECA Adventure to the Fall Leadership Conference at Six Flags on October 4th!

Healthcare Science:

6th grade will be learning about Clinical Lab Diagnostics.

7th grade is focusing on Healthcare IT and Biotechnology.

8th Grade will begin Anatomy while exploring the Muscular System.

HOSA's chapter meetings will be held on Thursday 10/5 for 8th grade and 10/19 for 6th and 7th grade at 8:00 AM. If you are unable to make it a limited number of spots will also be available during flex. We will also have a popsicle Social on October 26, 2023 from 4:30-5:30. If you signed up to attend Fall Rally please complete the HOSA permission slip linked in Canvas in the Fall Rally module. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Kauffman at f22003@forsyth.k12.ga.us

PE:

Please remind your students to bring PE clothes each week.
Scoliosis screening for 6th & 8th grades and vision screening is Oct 5. There is an opt-out form if you prefer your child does NOT get screened for scoliosis.

Art:

Upcoming Club Meetings:

7th/8th Grade Art Club- 10/5

Calligraphy Club -10/10

6th Grade Art Club- 10/13

Band:

Upcoming Band Events:

10/5-Symphonic Band Rehearsal 7:30-8:40 AM

10/6 Lambert 8th-Grade Band Night at Lambert HS 5:30 PM-10:00 PM

10/12-Fall Concert #2 with Bands from 2nd, 4th and 5th period band classes.

Chorus:

Upcoming Chorus Events:

8th Grade Night at Lambert HS - 10/6

Fall Chorus Concert at CFUMC – 10/10

Accel Chorus Concert at CFUMC – 10/11

Counseling Corner

Hi everyone! It feels like the first month and a half of school has flown by, but we are in full swing with tests, projects, and extracurricular activities. Many of our students are experiencing the troubles of middle school for the first time. Please speak with your student and remind them how important it is to be organized and prepared for learning each day, and it’s important to figure out what works best for them. For example, how one person prepares for tests might not be the best fit for someone else. One student might be a visual learner, and another might be a tactile learner. Therefore, their study methods will be different. There are a lot of different resources online that can help them explore their learning style and what study techniques work best for them. One website to check out regarding a learning style quiz and strategies for each style is http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-styles.shtml - If they already know their learning style, just click on “Just Show Me the Results” in the middle of the page.

Additionally, remind your students to be on the lookout for different things happening around the school. There is a variety of important information on the morning news, regarding things like clubs, field trips, and more. It’s important they listen and look out for different things happening, so they don’t miss out! Thank you again for your continued support, and as always, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Nurse Notes

On Thursday, October 5th, our school will conduct both a Vision Screening (7th grade only) and a Scoliosis Screening (6th and 8th grade only) during Second Connection classes.
Please make sure your 7th grader wears their glasses on this day if they have them prescribed.
For the scoliosis screening it is necessary for us to view your child’s spine and we will need them to remove their shirt. If your child is uncomfortable removing their shirt, please encourage them to wear a bra, sports bra, camisole, undershirt, or bathing suit top under their shirt.
If your child has yearly well visits with a physician, they are already being screened for scoliosis by their doctor and it is not necessary for them to be screened at school. Also, some students are already under a doctor's care for the treatment of scoliosis. If you would like to refuse the screening, please log into Parent Portal, go to the Documents section, and complete the Scoliosis Refusal Form 23-24. You may also find the paper copy here. Please submit all refusal forms by Tuesday, October 3rd.

You may reach out to Nurse Lorrie with any questions or concerns: lchalmers@forsyth.k12.ga.us

PTO Updates:

Own a local business and want to support the PTO as a teacher lunch sponsor or community partner?
- - - We have various opportunities to spotlight our local/ community businesses. If you are willing to donate food, gift cards, please email us at ptosfms@gmail.com
Sign up for family portrait sessions with NM Photography Oct 14 & 15. - we have 7 more open spots left on Saturday, October 14.

https://book.usesession.com/s/BmI_mW5sF
A $40 payment needs to be made at the Square Link to confirm a spot for the photo session. All SFMS parents signing up for a session will also receive a reminder email including a link to the PTO's Square Payment site/ URL.

Parent Volunteer Opportunities:

Sign up HERE if you would like to volunteer throughout the school year.
We love our SFMS teachers! To our new parents, Welcome!! Each month we try to do something special to let our teachers know all of their hard work is appreciated! This first 1/2 of the year we would like to cover lunch duty on the following dates with volunteer parents:
- - - Oct 18- Concrete Craft of North Atlanta providing lunch
    - Nov 17-Cross Country Mortgage, LLC providing lunch
    - Dec 7-South Forsyth Middle School providing Coffee Bar

Volunteers stand in the cafeteria for an hour and let the kids know when to head back to class. You will be with 7 other volunteers and maybe get to embarrass your child! It is super easy! This gives the teachers a quiet time to enjoy lunch and it is a much appreciated way to give back. If you can’t come during school hours, please consider donating soft drinks for our teachers. You can send these in with your student and drop off at the main office. There is a slot for these on the sign up as well.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080944AEAC28A4FB6-sfms25

SPONSOR Thank You:

Thank you to our September Teacher Lunch Sponsor, Pinnacle Xplore, established in 2016 and providing online tutoring services to students across the US and Canada.
Thank you to our October Teacher Lunch Sponsor, Concrete Craft of North Atlanta, established in 2017 and providing new and resurfaced concrete driveways, pool decks, walkways, basements, sport courts and more.

National Charity League: South Forsyth Chapter. NCL is a multi-generational philanthropic organization connecting hearts, hands, and minds by fostering the mother-daughter relationship through an ongoing commitment to philanthropy, culture, and leadership.

They are currently seeking current 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls and their mothers who want to help make a difference in our local community.

https://members.nationalcharityleague.org/ama/orig/emails/600/49/Chapter-Brochure.pdf

Mid-Term dates

Mid-terms can not be taken early
Make-up date for mid-terms: January 3rd, 2024

DND is starting soon! Be sure to fill out the interest form to find out more information. DND Interest Form

Math team tryouts are starting!

6th Grade- Dr. Graiser FLEX 10/13

7th Grade- Mrs. Pearce FLEX 10/13

8th Grade- Mrs. Drosopoulos 10/12 & 10/13

If the FLEX session is full when you go to sign up, or you are unable to attend that day, plan on coming in BEFORE SCHOOL on 10/12 or 10/13 at 7:45am. We will start at 8am. If you arrive after 8am, you will not be given additional time.

Be sure to bring a complete application the day of your try out. Math Team Application

Paper copies of the application will also available outside Mrs. Drosopoulos’ door in the 8th grade hall after fall break.

Partners in Education - We appreciate you!

Interested in becoming a Partner in Education and being featured in our grade level newsletter? Contact Nick Sexton

(nsexton@forsyth.k12.ga.us) for more information.

SFMS Partners in Education

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