This week, students are studying the many Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt and their mythology.  Today, students selected a God or Goddess they would like to learn more about.  Students will be conducting research to create a Pokémon-like card for their God/Goddess.  These will be hung in the front windows of the classroom.  Check them out if you happen to be on campus.  Students will present their God cards on Monday.  We will be moving on to the Pharaohs next.

Science

PE/Rembrandt: Our first unit of the new year entails learning more specifics about what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. Students will learn the fundamentals of exercise physiology, healthy food choices, and the role of sleep in helping to keep your body healthy and strong. Students will produce a small poster at the end of the unit to show their knowledge and understanding. We will continue to have a variety of fitness activities and whole class games each week, weather permitting.   

Study Skills: Students have done a great job with public speaking and showed real improvement throughout their How-To speeches. It was enjoyable to watch their presentation skills grow. We are now transitioning into our Digital Citizenship lessons, where students will learn how to be responsible, respectful, and safe online.

Choir is close to finishing up and I'm thinking we'll start ukes and keyboards the week we get back from Ski Week.  The kids appear a bit burned out on singing and are looking for a change, so we'll make that happen in Feb.  We weren't super into the choral arrangement of "ABC," so tomorrow we'll be moving to a song from the play Dear Evan Hansen called, "Waving Through a Window."  

What a great start to 2026! 

Routines & Community

This week in language arts, we spent time getting to know one another and building our routines and expectations. The week started with creating a 'Student Creed' and sharing personal artifacts from our lives. So many different interests and hobbies among this group of students. I loved learning about their passions, hobbies, and experiences through this activity. I hope they learned something about one another.

Reading Expectations

Please review and support the following reading expectations at home.

• 100 minutes or more of weekly independent reading at home 

• Complete 3 books per trimester = 9 books for the school year

• Weekly reading response on Wednesdays. Students will have a reading response to turn in every other week. Details to come.

To prioritize independent reading, students are no longer required to complete two iReady lessons per week. However, if your middle schooler is reading below grade level (see fall's iReady diagnostic in Aries), they should continue to complete these lessons.

January Writing

This winter, our language arts class will be immersed in the writing process - writing both a narrative piece and a literary essay. Writing is both incredibly hard and rewarding. As challenging as writing can be, it’s also where students’ voices shine, and I’m excited to watch their confidence and skills grow.

Due Date: Shoe Vision Board due Monday, 1/12

We’ve begun our new unit on Integers and Absolute Value! Students are exploring real-world applications of integer operations and building confidence with positive and negative numbers.

We are also working on the i-Ready Diagnostic, which provides a snapshot of each student’s current mathematical understanding and helps guide instruction for the rest of the school year.

Quiz #6 was given this week, and retake opportunities for Quizzes #5 and #6 are now available for students.

As a reminder, please check that your student is coming to class prepared each day. For math class, students should have:
• Math notebook
• Math folder
• Planner
• Pencil pouch
• At least one pencil