October 13

Hello Questers!

We hope you have been able to enjoy this incredible weekend!


ESB:  We are wrapping up our science unit this week.  We have been studying particles (molecules) and how they behave in solids, liquids, and gases.  There have been several hands-on experiments, scientists' circles for discussions, and model building.  We completed an engineering task during which we had to separate "toxic dust" from the environment.  The unknown toxins were glitter and unidentified black specks (iron filings), and our earth was bits of gravel. Our students were very creative in their methods of separating the toxins, and in the process, we ended up with a very glittery classroom.  Go future engineers!

We will continue with our work from LA into ESB, studying the African American experience in the New World.  This will lead into a study of the colonies beginning in November.

QWB:  Next week we will take our western states quiz on Monday, October 20th.  Students will then have a week and a weekend to study for the all states geography test on Monday, October 27th.  We are impressed with the increase in studying, and the increase in grades!  During the week of the 20th, students will be choosing a state to research and study for the rest of October, and the beginning of November.  Students will participate in a States Fair before Thanksgiving.  Details about this to follow.

LA:  Students continue to read Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone.  Some students continue also working on Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac.  We are learning how the voyages were not so pleasant to the new world, and about the different perspectives of the Native Americans, and the early English settlers.  We have completed two related close reads, one a chapter from a text book regarding Roanoke Colony,  the other the poem Sea Fever by John Masefield.  There will be a project concerning this time period later this month.  This week's POW is regarding fall.  The information for this is attached to the calendar, and is in your student's email.

Math:  Students are currently learning about ratios and rates, and have been challenged to find real world examples of how ratios and rates are used.  Students who come to class with examples will be entered to win a sweet treat!  We are now using Goal Sheets daily, and they are a great way to check to see what students are working on in the classroom.  Students will begin to fill these in at home and reflect on their learning.  Our next areas of study include working with fractions and decimals on number lines as well as the first formal learning of percents.

Quest clothing:  We will be ordering more Quest clothing!  Please look for order forms to be coming home by the end of the week.  They will be due back by the end of the month.

Parent / Teacher / Student Led Conferences:
We are interested in your opinion!  We will be having student - led conferences in the spring.  We would like to know which you prefer for the Fall. We polled people at the Open House, and the vote came in 50 / 50 teacher led vs. student led.  If we have teacher led conferences, please know that each conference will be approximately 10 minutes, and will need to fit to a tight schedule.  Please fill out the form at the following link so we know your vote!  Please fill it in, even if you filled one out during conferences.  Click here for the link.

Questions to ask:
What strategy did you use to separate the "toxic dust"?
How are ratios and rates used in the real world?
Which Quest students left CBMS?
How are the particles in solids, liquids, and gases different?

September 14

Northern Lights

We had an excellent field trip to Northern Lights center in Essex, Vermont.  Students and staff participated in low ropes elements, in which we practiced our team work, and got used to our harnesses.  We participated on a variety of climbing walls, including one with a wooden bridge on which students could walk and toss rings to each other, forty feet up in the air.  We also were able to go up into the trees, and participate in elements far above the ground.  The zip line was a great way to end the high ropes elements.

We are very proud of our students.  Students were supportive of each other, cheering each other on, and helping out with encouraging words.  Many students faced fears of heights head on.  Others realized their limits, and knew when to stop.  Some took the opportunity of their love of heights to push themselves to different limits, and to learn how to encourage others who did not share this love of heights!

It was a beautiful day, and we are very happy to have spent it with our students at Northern Lights.

Photos from the trip.

LA

Students have been focusing on writing Personal Narratives.  Our instruction has included general structure of a personal narrative, different brainstorming techniques, sensory language and transitions.  This week we will look more closely at paragraph writing.

For reading, students are working on their independent reading books.  We are writing "book entries," for which the students write about their books, and I respond.  The students are being tested this week for their level of reading using the DRA.  I am testing them one at a time.

Next week we will we begin our more intensive reading unit.  We will be reading Blood on the River 1607 by Elisa Carbone.  This is a novel about the founding of Jamestown, the first successful American colony.  We will be learning history and literature standards together in this unit. All students will read primary source material to compare it to the readings from the books.  Some students will read both this title and Pocohontas  by Joseph Bruchac side by side.  This will give them the perspective of this topic from two different authors (Joseph Bruchac, a Native American includes more primary source materials from the Powhatan).  Other titles for the year will be discussed at Back-to-School-Night.

QWB 
In Questers Without Borders, students will begin to learn the geography of the United States.  We will have a geography quiz each Monday starting September 22nd.  Students will label and color maps of the Northeast United States tomorrow with the quiz coming a week later.

iBlock
We are in our final week of the first session of iBlock.  Starting September 22nd, the iBlock groups will be shuffled and most students will begin a new area of work.  With the goal of addressing each student's individual needs during this time, we surveyed Questers to get their input about what their academic needs were.  We will use this information along with assessment data and teacher observation to make our decisions about placement.  iBlock sessions will usually last between 3-6 weeks depending on the area of study.

ESB
We ended our study of culture with groups of students creating their own restaurants based on a country of their choosing.  This week, our ESB will take a more scientific bent with the study of gases, and then liquids and solids.

Math
Students just completed the first investigation of 6th grade around factors and multiples.  If your student struggled with this unit, here is a link for multiplication apps that can help as a refresher.  There are also help videos linked to the Quest webpage.  We will continue this unit as we explore common factors, common multiples, and factorization.

Students have a unit project, "My Favorite Number", due on October 1st.  Guidelines for this project can be found here.  The goal of this project is for students to be using vocabulary that we have learned in class.  The rest of the project is up to their imagination and creativity.

Back to School Night
Back to School Night is on Thursday, September 25th.  The night will run from 6:15-8:00.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Questions to ask your student
What are you working on during iBlock?
What is the difference between factors and multiples?
What is your personal narrative about?  (The one you are writing in school?)
During your restaurant project, what culture did you study?
What number did you choose for your math project?
What is sensory language?
What was your favorite obstacle at Northern Lights?

September 1

Hello Quest Families!
Welcome Back!!
Here are some nuts and bolts of the start of September:

Field Trip
Next Tuesday, September 9th, the Quest team will be heading up to Essex, VT to participate on the Northern Lights Rock and Ice Challenge Course.  Here is a link for more details about what students should bring on the trip.  We almost have all of our permission slips in, so thank you for your effort in getting this returned.

iBlock
This Tuesday, September 2nd, marks the beginning of our first iBlock session. The Quest iBlock will take place from 12:30-1:00 every day.  At this time, Quest students will have access to 10 CBMS staff members, who will deliver small group instruction based on student need. This session will last 3 weeks.  First session iBlock classes include Guidance, Band, Independent Research, Challenge Math, Reading Support, Math Review, Organization, Study Skills, and Writing Support.  iBlock is a school wide initiative, with each team receiving it's own block of time for access to these teachers.

Homework Board
Just like last year, homework can be found on the Quest Homework Board as well as in your student's planners.  Students will be required to write down assignments in their planner each day, so please check here first.  If a student is absent, left their planner at school, or happen to forget to write down an assignment, they will be listed on the Homework Board on the Quest website.

ESB
Our first unit in ESB began last week with a study of 'Culture'.  Students brought their own experiences along with knowledge from last year's Music class to create a definition of culture and what it looks like in our country.  We will continue to study culture this week through a project in which students create their own culturally sensitive fast food restaurant.  Our next unit will focus on the properties of matter.

Math
This year we will be using the Connected Mathematics Program along with other resources to cover the Common Core standards in Mathematics.  We started our first unit, Prime Time (Factors and Multiples), and students completed their first homework assignment.  Here is a helpful link for parents who are new to the Connected Math Program.  This link also provides great questions to ask your student if you are helping with homework.  If there is a point when your student reaches an unhealthy level of frustration, feel free to stop and send a note/email in with your student's homework.  This shows that your student took responsibility for their work and was able to communicate their need for help.  Most assignments come with an 'Extension' for those students needing an extra challenge.  If your student is breezing through assignments, encourage them to try the extension problems.  Students will receive homework in Math 3-4 times a week and can be expected to spend about 20-40 minutes on each assignment. 

Language Arts

We will begin our year with writing personal narratives.  I have been reading memoirs aloud, and we have been noting what makes for good memoir writing.  For the next week, students will be collecting stories from their lives and writing them in their notebooks.  The POW for this week is in regards to this writing unit. We will also be looking at our independent reading books, and preparing book shares for the class.  In two weeks, we will merge Language Arts and Social Studies to read Blood on the River, 1607.  There will be other books available to read with this book including Pocahontas by Joseph Brucahc and Morning Girl by Michael Dorris.  Students will be in small book groups to discuss the history learned in these books, and to decipher corresponding primary sources.

August 22

Hello Quest Families!

Welcome to 6th grade!   We are looking forward to getting the school year started with Quest students!  Our new Quest planners ($3.50 per student) have arrived and look fantastic.  New to CBMS this year is iBlock, which will be time each day when students will meet with teachers in smaller groups to address individual goals/needs.  More information to follow.

We are excited to let you know that the Quest team will be taking a field trip on Tuesday, September 9th to Northern Lights Rock and Ice in Essex, VT.  We will be leaving school at 8:00 and returning at 2:00.  Students and teachers will be participating on the ‘challenge by choice’ course as well as completing team building activities.  Through challenges involving group problem solving and personal goal setting, Questers will have the opportunity to grow as both a team and as individuals.  

Attached to this packet are three forms that need to be filled out and returned to Quest teachers by August 29th in order for each student to participate.   We are also asking for each student to contribute $10 towards the cost of the trip.  Please let us know if this is a problem and we can help cover the cost.

Thank you for all of your support,

Melissa, Diane, and Curtis

mwilliams@wwsu.org

ctaylor@wwsu.org 

Permission slip

Waiver form

Health form

June 6

Hello Quest Families!

Field Trip 
On Tuesday, June 17th, Quest students will be taking an end of year field trip to the Reservoir.  Here is a link to the permission slip which is due on Wednesday, June 11th.  Students will be participating in team building activities in the morning and have free time in the afternoon.  Please see the permission slip for information about what to pack.

Step Up Day 
Quest students participated first ever "Quest Step-Up Olympics."  We had relay races, tug-of-war, and capture the flag!  Many students then helped in the cafeteria as "lunch ambassadors."  They sat with the incoming fifth graders to answer their questions.

Talent Show
On Wednesday, June 18th, Questers will have their final team talent show as 5th graders.  This will take place at the end of the day at the outdoor classroom. 

Human Body Websites
For the past few weeks, students have been busy learning about different systems of the human body, careers in the health field, and ways to keep our bodies healthy.  The culminating project of this unit is a website that students have been designing in small groups.  The bulk of the website work has been completed during ESB class time.  At this point, students are to finish their websites during Guided Study or at home.  Students are also welcome to work on these websites after school.  Here is a link to the requirements for the websites.

Last Day of School
On Thursday, June 19th, students will be headed to the pool for most of the day.  At the pool area, students will be able to play different games such as basketball and soccer, as well as swim in the pool.  The first 45 minutes of the day will be spent on teams, closing out the year.  After team time, students will travel with their AGs to the pool.  They will return from the pool with their AGs as well.

Last Week of Homework
Next week  (6/9-6/13) will be the last week for homework assignments.  We will not be assigning homework during the final week of school.

Math
Students have been exploring growing patterns with their first introduction to using variables in mathematics.  This unit involves making tables, graphs, and writing expressions with variables.  We will finish this unit next week.  During the later half of the week, students will be working an engineering task with a partner.  They will have to design and build a skyscraper using only certain materials.

LA
We are finishing the year creating book trailers for our favorite books of 2013-2014.  We are creating these trailers using iMovie.  Students will be expected to read five books over the summer.  We are creating these trailers with the intention that students might get some ideas on what to read for the summer!  The trailers will be linked to the library website, and some will be included in next year's DCF introduction.

May 16th

Hello Quest Families!

In ESB, students are studying one of the Human Body Systems.  We are building 3 dimensional models!  We had planned on having students bring items from their recycling bins at home to make these models, but the students had other plans!!  They were all a buzz when someone mentioned edible systems!!  Going along with the enthusiasm, I piped in, how they could make edible systems out of items such as kale and celery! but I don't think anyone is jumping at that opportunity.....If you have been asked to go shopping for items that look like the heart, that is for this in class project.  We will be completing it on this coming Monday.

To encourage healthy habits, students will be taking the information they learn about their systems, and will be interviewing experts about how the systems work together, and how they can keep these systems healthy.  These interviews are occurring on Wednesday morning.  However.....

We need more people to interview!!

Do you have expertise in any of the following?

• Fitness
• Health care
• Nutrition
• Mental health
• Circulation
• Digestion

Are you a(n):

• EMT
• Nurse
• Health practioner
• Doctor

Do you have time on Wednesday between 8 and 9:45 to be interviewed?

If so, please let us know!  We would LOVE to have you come :)  Just email Curtis, Melissa, or Jen Hill, and we will have it arranged!


LA:  The Word Study unit continues!  Each day students are working on spelling, a word project, or vocabulary / comprehension in Small Steps.  There will be a test each Friday.  Details about the test (spelling list, roots to know for the week) will be linked to the homework board.


Quest Clothing:  The Quest clothing came in, and it looks great!  We will put in another order in the fall if you would like to order, and were unable to this time around!

Homework: We have had some troubles getting homework in from students.  On Friday afternoons, we have implemented a time for either extra recess, or time for those students to do finish homework that did not get finished during the week.  If your student needs reminding, please have them check their planner, or the homework board.

Have a great weekend!

May 9th

 Teacher Appreciation Week
Thank-you so much for an amazing Teacher Appreciation Week.  From breakfast to lunch, and enough snacks to fill us in between, we were glowing with praise for our PTO and all who contributed to the feasts.  We felt well cared for, and well appreciated.  Thank-you!

Greek Plays
The drama unit was a success!  Students did very well putting on the two plays last week.  We were very proud of their hard work, and their collaboration with each other.  Thank you to all who could make it to see the plays!  If anyone has any photos / videos from these, we would love to see them!

Spelling/Word Study
This last LA unit of the year focuses primarily on spelling and word study.  Students have begun reading Small Steps by Peg Kehret.  This book is a biography of a girl who is diagnosed with polio.  It is a well loved book, and it is a nice fit with our human body unit.  We will be focusing primarily on vocabulary in context with this book, as well as drawing details from a text.  Students will be working in a variety of groups, as well as working independently to complete written assignments.  Students who finish the book early will be reading historical fiction books regarding the Middle Ages.

Students have begun spelling tests.  Students have individual lists which they should study for a test each Friday.  I have chosen words based on words they will most likely use in their writing.  Students will be completing various exercises on these words including dictionary use, synonyms, and different types of sentences using the words.  Originally, the words were going to be based on a pretest, but many students are begging me to "just give me a list!" so we will see if we can come to some sort of compromise!

The POW this week is a Project of the Week based on a word root to which they will be assigned this Monday.  The project is due Friday, although they will have time on Monday to work on it.  Students will begin teaching these word roots to their classmates beginning on Monday, May 19th.  Four students will teach each Monday.  The following Friday, the 23rd, students will be quizzed on their spelling words as well as the four word roots taught in the beginning of the week.  The word roots will be posted on the Homework Board.  The following week, there will be an idiom project which students will complete instead of their regular POW.

Vocabulary, responding to text, reading, spelling, sentence structure, word roots, and idioms will take up our month of May in LA!

Book Orders
Mrs. LaRock distributed book orders last week.  These are due this Friday, May 16th.

ePals
Students who have penpals in Poland received cards this past week.  We forwarded our personal biographies to a class in Ghana who will be choosing epals to match the students in their class.  We will be exchanging recipes with them soon!

Human Body Unit
For the past two weeks, students have been studying cells.  Students have been using microscopes to see a variety of cells, and have been using stop animation to demonstrate the transfer of materials through the cell membrane.
On Monday, we will be starting a project based learning unit on the systems of the human body.  Students will become experts with one of the systems of the human body and work with a health plan group to develop a website.  Throughout this unit, students will also be participating in social learning with a focus on developing skills for working in groups. 

Math
We have been focusing on solidifying our multiplication strategies in Math this week.  Thank you to all adults who took the time to explain their strategies to Questers.  By the end of this year, students should have an efficient strategy for multiplying multi-digit numbers (standard algorithm-the way most of us were taught OR the partial products method).  Next week we will refine our long division strategies with a focus on place value and number sense.  Students will not be introduced to the standard algorithm for division until 6th grade.  They are still at the point of sense making. 


Questions to ask:
When is your chorus or band concert?
What did you see under the microscope?
What is stop-motion animation (Cell membrane project)?
What is Small Steps about?
Do you prefer the standard algorithm or partial products for multiplication?