Post date: Jan 27, 2018 5:23:11 PM
Dear Room 25 Families,
1. Assignment scores for first semester: Each kid got 3 score sheets last week, one for English, one for social studies, and one for science. These sheets show the points earned and points possible for each assignment of first semester and the kid should have totaled things up to find their percentage in each subject. The meaning and importance of these numbers should be considered in conjunction with a few other very important factors including the levels that will be shown on the skills-based levels that will show up in Novare after February 14, the examples of student work that you've seen all year, and the (most important) discussions that you hopefully have with your student about their academic, social, and emotional life at school.
2. Gift essay: The final product for this month-long writing task will be turned in this coming week. If your kid is on schedule, they should be asking you to read the essay with them this weekend and make changes based on your feedback. Please, if possible, have discussions about their writing that go beyond grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I'm pushing these kids to add well crafted sentence structure, well organized paragraph structure, and well refined voice. Their product should be something that evokes a sense of pride rather than just the relief of assignment completion.
3. Interest-Driven Knowledge: The teaching and learning sessions during "IDK" time seem to be going very well. Some of the kids are showing passion and advanced knowledge as they teach individuals and small groups about the subject of their choosing. Also, some (many) are being curious learners and engaging in great in-depth conversations about each other's topics. The photo on the IDK page shows the "fill your row and column" progress as of Friday (ask your kid about it) and I think we'll have the full purple-to-yellow conversion by the end of this coming week.
4. Science unit calendar: The physics curriculum map that I showed at the beginning of the year showed intended dates for each unit or topic, but I think it is safe to say that we're intentionally not sticking to it. There have been valuable tangents and other topics that took priority, but the physics and chemistry that they've learned has been good and we'll continue to do the same for the rest of the year. Most of the kids are coming to class prepared by the reading from the night before, adept at asking good questions, and receptive to participate in whatever physics activities will bring the concepts to life (including pushing the ol' Corolla last week to experience the F=m*a aspect of Newtons' laws of motion. The current unit (Forces and Motion) will wind up this coming week, and then we'll get into work, machines and energy (February-March); electricity & magnetism(March-April); and waves, sound & light (April-May), and something sex-ed-ish for part of June... maybe earlier.
Calendar:
January 29 (Monday): Geography Bee practice session. Room 26 after school.
February 1 (Thursday): Geography Bee
February 5 (Monday): Prospect, Westmont, and Del Mar to DCS
February 6 (Tuesday): Selective Sign-ups for 8th Graders
February 14 (Wednesday): Skills-Based Progress reports available on Novare
February 16 (Friday): First Semester Selectives End
February 19 to 23 (Monday to Friday): President's Week
March 1 (Thursday): 8th Grade to the Exploratorium
March 9 (Friday): Laps for Learning
March 9 (Friday): Staff-Student Basketball Game
March 10 (Saturday): Parent Work Day
March 14 (Wednesday): Pi Day
March 16 (Friday): Staff Development Day
March 21 (Wednesday): Discovery Has Talent
March 23 (Friday): Middle School Dance
March 26 to 30 (Monday to Friday): Room 26 Walkabout & San Francisco
March 28 (Wednesday) K-5 Science Expo
April 3 to 6: Room 25's San Francisco Trip
April 9 to 13 (Monday to Friday): Spring Break
April 25 (Wednesday): Middle School Science Fair DCSscience.com website.
April 30 to May 4 (Monday to Friday): Conferences
May 11 (Friday): Middle School Dance
May 13 (Sunday): Mothers Day
May 14 to 17 (Monday to Thursday): CAASPP Testing
May 18 (Friday): DCS to Maker Faire in San Mateo
May 28 (Monday): Memorial Day
May 30 (Wednesday): Field Day & BBQ
June 1 (Friday): Final Middle School Dance
June 5 (Tuesday): School Musical
June 6 to 8 (Wednesday to Friday): 8th Grade River Rafting Trip Information is here
June 11 (Monday): DCS Maker Day
June 11 to 14 (Monday to Thursday): Early Dismissal
June 13: (Wednesday): Graduation! Practice at Westgate Church 9 to ~12, ceremony 5 to ~6:30, dance 7:30 to 10 .
June 14 (Thursday): Last Day of School
June 16 (Saturday): Parent Work Day
July 8 (Sunday): DCS Alumni Boating and Barbecue at Vasona
Student Article:
Yaseen wrote about Homeschooling and Experiences at DCS