Peoples Academy Middle Level ~ Lower House: 5th & 6th Grade ~ (802) 888-1401

Friday, November 2nd

• Calendar Items:
  • 11/2: PAML Dance for Grades 6, 7, and 8 (7:00-9:30 in cafeteria)
  • 11/5: NCAL Fundraising Bake Sale Starting at 2:15 pm
  • 11/9: No School (Teacher Inservice)
  • 11/19: Middle Level Sports Meeting (5:15 in the auditorium).
  • 11/20: Lower House Thanksgiving Feast (in classrooms)
  • 11/21-11/25 Thanksgiving Break
  • 11/30: Trimester 1 Ends
  • 11/30: Lower House Field Trip to the International Festival

• Reading Log Expectations: Students are expected to read four days out of the week for 20 minutes. This is in addition to any reading they do during Lit. Packs. Our hope is to increase the amount as the year progresses.

• Step it Up: This is an opportunity for students to stay after school and get additional support on assignments or specific skills. Step it Up has been moved to Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00. All students are welcomed and encouraged to come.

• TA Thanksgiving Feast: An annual Lower House tradition is to have a Thanksgiving style lunch in our classrooms on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break. The teachers will provide the turkey, and the cafeteria will provide mashed potatoes, salad, and green beans. Students can volunteer to bring a dessert, side, or drink if they wish. The intention of this tradition is to celebrate our Lower House community, and give thanks for a wonderful start to our school year.

• International Festival Field Trip: The Lower House has a wonderful opportunity to attend the International Festival in Essex Jct, VT on Friday, November 30. There will be opportunities for students to see performances, try new foods, and speak with adults and children from a variety of countries.

• Reminders:
  • iPads: iPads need to be charged every night to 100%, and brought to school each day. They will be left at school on Fridays (or the last day of the school week) for the weekend.

• Pencils: If possible, please send your student to school with pencils. It is a great time of year to check in with your student to make sure they have the supplies they need.

Friday, September 7th

• Calendar Items:
  • 9/10: Lit Packs and Math Acceleration begin, along with nightly math homework
  • 9/12: Picture Day
  • 9/17: STAR assessments begin in Math and Lit Packs, Unbound begins after school
  • 9/20: PAML Open House
  • 9/21: Lower House Field Trip to Lake Elmore
• Band and Chorus: Both 5th and 6th grade band and chorus classes are up and running! Small group band lessons begin next week.
• iPads: On Monday, students will begin carrying their iPads to classes throughout the day and returning them to their TA teachers by 2:45. iPads will not be going home just yet. Please be sure you have signed the required forms and squared away any tech issues with the office.
• Safety/Respect/Responsibility: Our unifying theme for the year at PAML is "The Pack Gives Back." We have been discussing this theme with students regularly, as well as practicing how to be safe, respectful, and responsible students in all areas of school. It has been an incredibly positive first couple of weeks, with a successful first evacuation drill on Tuesday!
• Project-Based Learning (PBL): This year the Lower House will be implementing Project-Based Learning that will connect to each subject area. Common themes will be discussed in each core content class (Humanities, Science, and Math), and students will have designated "PBL" time on Fridays to pursue independent, community-based projects related to the theme. Our first PBL theme for the year is Population. In Science class, students will be raising monarch butterflies; caterpillars arrive soon, so Mr. Speers and Mrs. Zuccarello would like to remind students to bring in milkweed!

Please be in touch with your student's TA teacher with any questions or concerns. We have been so encouraged by this productive, respectful, and FUN first two weeks of school!

Welcome to the Lower House at Peoples Academy Middle Level. We are so excited for the year ahead! We are made up of two teams of 5th and 6th grade: Team Quest and Team Adventure. These two teams work closely together on a daily basis. We place an emphasis on community, collaboration, and critical thinking. Our guiding principles of safety, respect, and responsibility serve as a foundation for our learning environment.

The homework calendar, class assignments and assignment scores, learning targets, and feedback are posted in Schoology for all classes. Parents and guardians can view these items by creating a parent account. Instructions on creating a parent account can be found HERE.