Friday, December 21, 2012

Week of December 17

A Note From Ms. Wesnak
Dear Voyager Families,

As some of you may have heard from your student already, after my first knee surgery I was told I would need a second surgery. Going into my first surgery there were 3 things that needed to be fixed. My ACL and meniscus repairs were both very successful, and I made a quick recovery through a lot of physical therapy and determination. The cartilage defect (the 3rd piece of this puzzle) however is much larger than my surgeon and his team had anticipated. Due to the size of the defect I need to have a second, separate surgery to have it fixed. The surgery was originally supposed to be prior to holiday break, but because of some obstacles that seem to always get in the way, the surgery had to be cancelled and rescheduled. I finally received word on Tuesday of this week that my surgery has been rescheduled for January 2nd. I will be taking a couple weeks off for surgery and recovery. I am planning to return on January 22nd. There is a very slight chance that my surgery will need to be rescheduled (yet again), but all plans are in place for it to happen on the 2nd. I will be sending out an email blast over the vacation as soon as I find out a definite word.
I just want to thank (again) all of Voyager House for their continued support around this. It is not easy being away from this house! I wish everyone a relaxing break and a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Lauren Wesnak  

Book Fair Teacher Wish Lists
Many thanks to those of you who contributed to our book collections by purchasing books from the book fair.  The kids have already signed out many of the requested titles and are enjoying the benefits of many new and exciting books.  

FAPAC December Meeting Highlights

To:  Voyager Parents
From:  Sue Scheer, Lori Mele, Ann Schmidt, FAPAC Representatives

The FAP Advisory Council met on December 13th.  Check out the full minutes in a PDF format by clicking HERE.  Below are a few highlights:

Williston Wins:  The Williston Wins campaign is officially over but your tax-deductible donations can still be made by check or cash at any time.  We will be reviewing the future of Williston Wins in the next few months.  

School Budget Input:  This month's meeting largely involved a review of budget decision packets.  The minutes include great detail on many of the decision packets submitted by school staff along with narrative about the discussion that followed.  So please check out this information!!!  If you have input on any of the decision packets, you are welcome to contact a member of the School Board, which is outlined in the minutes.

Important Change:  The next FAPAC meeting is on Thursday, January 10th at 6:30 pm.  The topic is the House Placement Process.  All are welcome!!!  

Please contact me at apechaver@yahoo.com if you have feedback or questions on FAP.  Thanks.

Heifer Change War
Students raised $314.57 for the Heifer Project.  We will be sending this out for the New Year.  You should all be proud that your children are so committed to a worldwide perspective and altruistic action.  They were so pleasantly surprised when we counted up the money!  Talk about making some family’s NEW YEAR! And thanks for the change!
⅚ Social Studies
This week we continued our study of the three branches of government.  We focused on the Executive Branch, learning about the “Seven Hats” of the presidency.   We also started the Geo Bee, a national competition that every student participates in.  We will be completing 7 rounds of questions to determine the Voyager ⅚ representative for the school wide competition.

⅚ Language Arts
This week we started building our Tier 2 word (frequently used words that are more complex) lists.  Students searched for words in their independent reading books and made a list.  We then considered strategies that could be used to understand the meaning of these words without going to a dictionary.  Finally, students talked about their word lists and the meaning of those words during a rotating partner activity, sharing their word lists and adding new words from their partner’s list.

5/6 Science
This week we explored three chemical reactions, one that produced two color changes, another that produced a reaction in which heat was released (warmed up) and the last, which demonstrated heat absorption (got colder).  Students practiced a lot of inquiry science skills this week as chemistry requires following directions faithfully and measuring accurately.  Our week ended with a final quiz on physical and chemical change.  Our engineering unit will begin in January.

Last summer I took an engineering course and as part of my coursework, I am required to participate in an evaluation.  I have sent a letter home regarding the nature of this evaluation for your information.  You only need to send it back IF you do not wish me to use your child’s data in the evaluation.  There is not pressure to participate, but it does help me become a better science teacher.  I will attach this letter in a separate voice posting for your information, in case it doesn’t come home?!

Math 5
Students completed investigations on multiplication and division this week and will return fresh in January for the next unit.  Over break, it would be great if students committed to a week’s worth of FASTT math.  The second benchmark assessment is expected at the end of January, and it will be fabulous to see the growth.  Thanks for giving your child some computer access to this program.

Math 6
Students completed work in Bits and Pieces I this week and will begin fresh in January to work on positive and negative numbers.  Please encourage FASTT math over the break. The second benchmark assessment is expected at the end of January, and it will be fabulous to see the growth.  Thanks for giving your child some computer access to this program.

The Week in Ms. Wesnak’s Room
~ I hope everyone has a relaxing and wonderful break! ~

7/8 Language Arts
This week students worked on descriptive writing. As a class we zoned in on the 5 senses and learned how to incorporate them into our own writing. We did a variety of journal writing, smell tests, and taste tests. Using our senses we wrote about what certain tastes and smells remind us of. Students were also introduced to our next writing project. Students are being asked to find a family member, teacher, or friend of the family who has been an eyewitness to history! We discussed what makes an event historic and students brainstormed who they know that they think may have witnessed a history event. Over the break students should finalize who their person and event is and come back to school with that information. Talk to your child about family members or friends who have witnessed a historic event.

7/8 Social Studies
This week we continued learning about immigration in the 1900’s. We looked at a variety of photographs, data, a segment of a documentary, and we also watched “An American Tail”. Talk to your child about how well this animated movie connected to our class and really showed what immigration was like during that time period. Through all of our classes, students were really able to understand and get a feeling for what immigration was like. We will continue to move through 20th century history, with our next stop being focused on WWI.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Week of December 10


Housekeeping
Thank you to the wonderful Voyager Families who came out to celebrate the kick-off to
the Holiday Season with us!  What a special time to hear all of the beautiful voices of our students and share time together as a community.  Thanks to your generous donations, we raised $534 that will go into our student account to support field trips and activities for all Voyager students.

Portfolios
Please be sure to send your students portfolio back to school before the holiday break.  Students will be using these to reference goals or collect evidence for the next trimester.

We have decided to host a portfolio breakfast some time in the early spring!  Something to look forward to!

Heifer Project Change War
We all we have to say is...5th graders stop stealing your parent’s change!  The 5th grade alone have raised enough money to buy a heifer and more! Here’s a little pressure on the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade...don’t let those younger Voyagers show you up!  Bring in your change and let’s see how many more animals we can purchase for families in need around the world!

Secret Snowflake
Each Voyager on house received a name of another Voyager for our secret snowflake event.  We ask that each Voyager make something for his/her secret snowflake for a one day gift giving next Friday.  Some students felt that a gift under $5 was manageable but really, homemade gifts are the best!  You decide.  But have your gift here by next Friday labeled with the Secret Snowflake name!

Mr. Merrill’s Wrap Up
Language Arts

This week in Language Arts, we focused on keyboarding skills.  In the past, students have had access to programs like Type to Learn, but either did not use the programs or developed bad habits using the program on their own.  In the computer lab, we practiced using proper technique, with a focus on “home row.”  The Type to Learn program has been recalibrated, with a requirement of 85% accuracy to move on to the next lesson.  Students will be required to complete the first 20 lessons and 5 assessments on Type to Learn this year.  Students can access this program at home, or use it during down time at school.  To access Type to Learn from home, go to http://www.cssu.org/page/1065 and use the account code - 102904.


Social Studies
Following an introduction to key Constitutional concepts, like checks and balances and separation of powers, we started focusing in on the legislative branch of government.  We watched a short video on the legislative branch, learning what Congress does and reviewing the process of how a bill becomes a law.  We wrapped up the week with a small group role play activity with each group taking on the role of an interest group or a member of Congress and her staff.  The interest groups had to convince the Representative to vote in their favor at a public hearing.  The Representative and her staff had to explain their decision at the end and take questions from the special interest groups.


The Week in Ms. Wesnak’s Room

7/8 Language Arts
This week 7th and 8th graders wrapped up their work with poetry by handing in and sharing their poetry books. We had some fun on 12/12/12 and did a variety of journal writing around the number 12. Students shared and wrote about their top 12 best moments of their life so far and/or their top 12 scariest moments. Students also wrote about what life may look like in 12 years. It was a fun day in LA and a great way to celebrate the day. As the week continued on we dug a little deeper into understanding the exposition of a story. We did a read-aloud of Winnie the Pooh and watched several movie trailers trying to identify the exposition in each story.

7/8 Social Studies
This week we wrapped up our studies on the United Nations and students put all of their thoughts to paper by creating their own logo for the United Nations. As we wrapped up our work on the United Nations and the week came to an end students participated in a couple of simulations. These simulations or activities allowed students to have a hands on, lifelike experience of what it feels like to be a refugee and an immigrant. Students went on their own journey’s with “family members” having to tackle obstacles similar to obstacles refugees and immigrants have to face. We all really enjoyed these activities and we were able to have some really nice reflection and discussion following each. These activities are leading us into our next integrated unit on 20th Century History. Our journey through 20th Century History begins with immigration in the 1900’s.


Ms. Q's Corner
Math 7
This week we investigated how slope is found from rise and run.  We also practiced order of operations and solving equations using cards and dice.  It was Students completed Check-up 2 for Moving Straight Ahead.

Math 8
We have been practicing rewriting linear equations moving from slope intercept form to standard form.  We are looking at more problems where there are three variables.   The class also played card games and dice games with order of operations.  The Shapes of Algebra Check-up was handed back.

Science 7/8th The Koke Chillin Challenge began this week.  Students are competing to create a "Koka-Kola"  chiller that will decrease room temperature water quickly and efficiently.  Teams are designing, building and researching ways that thermal energy can be transferred.  We will have the exciting finale on Thursday when the "Koke" Executives come to see the experiment results and hear each team's  "pitch". We look forward to the culmination of this exciting event.

News from Ms. O
Math 5
Wow!  We had a week filled with division!  Although many students already have the division algorithm under their belts, the focus of our work on division has been on how we can model division and make sense of remainders.  Students are leaning heavily on base ten pieces and their understanding of the area model for multiplication in order to model a division story problem.  Students will finish Unit 2 next week with an assessment on Thursday.  

Math 6
We entered the land of percents this week and have been making connections between fractions and decimals and percents.  Students have been utilizing different strategies for comparing fractions, with the focus this week, on renaming those fractions as percents.  Sometimes students can rename a fraction like 1/10 as a decimal and percent with a simple understanding of place value, while other fractions like 5/20 or 4/25, may not have a place value name (the denominator of these numbers are not tenths, hundredths, thousandths).  A different strategy is necessary for these kinds of fractions, including renaming those fractions with an equivalent that is a place value name.  The stickiest of fractions are those that have denominators that are not multiples of factors of 10 or 100 or are not factors themselves, of 10 or 100 etc.  So we have employed the strategy of fractions as division, numerator divide denominator.  Assessment next Thursday to finish Bits and Pieces.

Science
We have spent our week looking at physical and chemical change. Students have observed a physical change, by dissolving salt or sugar in water and witnessing the rearrangement of atoms, but not the changing of the original substance as well as the ‘disappearance’ of water through evaporation.  Also, we did a baking soda and vinegar combination to look at a simple chemical change where carbon dioxide is produced.  We will explore one more chemical change that involves a temperature and color change and then finally move on to the engineering unit on energy!


Friday, December 7, 2012

Week of December 3

Voyager Housekeeping

Grade Cards
Cozy up by the fire with some hot cocoa and YES, with your Voyager student’s portfolio!
Report cards were distributed today.  For those of you who are new to Voyager, the reports were  generated from the list of assignments on Jupiter Grades.  The reports include:

  • A summary of the semester learning
  • A list of learning standards addressed (VT grade level expectations and common core standards)
  • A Proficiency Menu
  • A final proficiency score in standards

The report cards should be inside the black portfolio binders that you purchased during the 5th grade year.  Accompanying those reports are many of the evidences used to evaluate students. Dig deep into the binder sleeves, your Voyager student has done an immense amount of good work.  You should be proud!

Voyager Family Night
6:30-8:30 at WCS Cafeteria then Auditorium
This is a change of venue!  We want all who ‘voyage’ on this evening to celebrate to be sure to NOT go to the Old Brick Church.  COME TO THE WCS CAFETERIA AND AUDITORIUM!  That’s where we will be.

The following link is for families, who are able, to participate in the potluck event!
http://voyagerfap.wikispaces.com/

Heifer Project Change War  
In the spirit of giving....Students will be competing in a change war to raise money to buy a heifer for a family in need this holiday season.  Jars will be in designated areas and the competition is between the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades.  The grade that raises the most money will win an ice cream party after the holiday break!  This project is made possible by efforts of one literature group on house but involves everyone!  It won’t be possible without your change.  Thanks for making a donation!  Dollars are acceptable, too!

Voyager House FAP Meeting Update
  • Great to see the parents that attended Thursday's FAP meeting.  For those of you who did not have a chance to attend, here is a recap.  We had a lively discussion on the current state of The Williston Wins Program.  The program is coming to a close for this year and it has fallen short of meeting its goal.  The program garnered $13,000 less donations than last year.  Your input is important and will be shared with the council at the next school-wide FAP meeting taking place on Thursday, December 13th at 8:15 am in the WCS Dining/Meeting Room (this meeting is open to all if you'd like to attend.)  Parents shared opinions and information regarding their support of the program.  It is important to note that because the program did not meet its goal, it is likely that we will need to shift gears for increased school-wide fundraisers to support the funding for field trips and other needs.  Another alternative is that next year, parents will be asked to pay individually for field trips (reverting to what was done in the past.)  So, for example, this year's trip to Siskin Ecological Center was fully funded by the House FAP funds, next year, each family may be asked to pay for whatever team-building adventure that is scheduled.  Your voice and opinion is important, thank you for sharing your thoughts on that issue.  If you missed the meeting and would like to share your opinion, a formal survey is being created by the FAPAC that will be distributed in January.

  • Our Type III field trip this year is a 7/8 trip to NYC.  Type III field trips are overnight trips that are out of state.  They are not funded by The Williston Wins Campaign.  There will be a number of fundraisers held throughout the year to raise money to reduce the cost of the field trip for every family.  No student will be denied access to the field trip due to a financial challenge.  The goal of fundraising is to keep the cost of the trip somewhere between the $250 - $350 range for each student.  Our number to reach to make this happen is $11,000.  With the Craft Fair Book Sale and Zumba Dance, we have raised a total of $1,291.50.  We have many fundraisers 'in the works' over the course of the school year, so please be supportive of these and I encourage all Voyager parents and families to help where they can.  Here is a brief breakdown of the upcoming events scheduled:

  • Voyager Family Night:  Next Thursday, December 13th from 6:30 - 8:30.  The event will be held in the WCS Cafeteria and the Auditorium.  We needed to move it from the OBC to make sure it is accessible to all students.  Please keep this event on your calendar!  A wonderful way to gather and share time with our community and raise funds!  There is a suggested donation of $10.00 per family at the door, but please note that this is an opportunity to donate ANY amount you feel comfortable in support of our overall Voyager fund.  The money from this event can support all house field trips (not just the 7/8 one!)

  • Dog Makeovers: January 26th.  Stay tuned for this fun event where Voyager Students will help 'clean up' some canine friends at a local pet store.

  • Voyager-sponsored Dance:  Feb 1.  We'll be in touch with some fun concession ideas to increase profits from the dance.

  • Voyager Kids Cook/Tasting Event: An event slated for early March, we'll work with students to create a culinary tasting dinner/event in our cafeteria.

  • Voyager Recycle Sale:  Our Annual 'indoor yard sale' is our biggest money-maker.  It will be held on April 6th this year.  Please begin earmarking items you'd like to donate to that sale.

  • We will also hold a 'Mexicali' night (date TBD) as well as another large fundraiser on May 6th (TBD.)

  • Your support of this activity will have a dramatic impact on the success of the field trip for all Voyager families, so thank you very much in advance for your support and participation in these events.  To help out, WIKIs will be created and you will get information on a on-going basis from our FAP reps Sue Scheer, Lori Mele and Ann Schmidt.

  • The meeting was closed with an update on the current curriculum.  The first semester has gone really well and the teacher team is very happy with the results of our new classroom set up and student configuration.  Parents offered very positive support and feedback.  If you did not have a chance to attend the meeting, please feel free to contact our FAP reps at any time.

Ms. Q's Corner’s
Math 7
What is an equality and how do you solve them? We continue to work through our investigations in “Moving Straight Ahead” with emphasis on using symbols and variables to solve equalities.  We solved the mysterious “Money Purse of Monterk” where students  used symbols  to find the number of gold coins in each purse.  Keeping things balanced on both sides of the equations and writing out our steps was emphasized.  We also reviewed positive and negative integers.
 
Math 8
The Voyagers students wanted to sell hats and t-shirts with different profit margins for each with an outcome of a $600 profit.  How can you solve a problem where there are there are three variables: profit, t-shirts and hats?  We explored the difference between the slope intercept form (y= mx +b)  and the standard form ax + by = c.

Science 7th/8th
What forms does thermal energy take and how does it travel.  We investigated through our experiments this week different forms of heat transfer.  The problem, how do you transfer the heat of hot water to the room temperature water without them touching using a baggy, index card, aluminum foil, paper clip and beakers.  We collected temperature data, graphed our results and began investigating what materials allow heat to transfer.

News from Ms. O

Math 5:  This week students finished the first part of Unit 2 on multi-digit multiplication.  This followed nearly two weeks of modeling instruction.  Students began with base ten pieces and have moved away from those into other, more efficient models for multiplication. Everyone has made the transition.  The assessments show deep learning.  Our next instructional area is on the relationship between multiplication and division.  

Math 6:  Students spent several days this week working with a hundredths grid in order to understand how to model decimals when given a fraction to rename.  Some discoveries were made around repeating decimals like ⅓ and ⅙ and many have internalized the algorithm, numerator divide denominator.  This discussion followed a rich experience last week in studio and uncovered some common misconceptions about decimals.  We are moving toward a checkpoint assessment and then finishing up this book with percents.  We will do positive and negative numbers before the holiday break.

⅚ Science:  We have just begun investigation of how matter can change and began our first investigation yesterday dissolving salt or sugar in water.  We have big misconceptions about physical and chemical change and will  work to sort these out as we continue changing matter in class.  The focus of our physical change work will be about phase change, or change of state, given the introduction of thermal energy and the reversible nature of them and differentiating this change from chemical changes which change the substance altogether and cannot be reversed.

We spent two days on a density assessment that was partially scored in Trimester 1.  I revealed some gaps in understanding and will use the rest of the unscored assessment to discuss the answers. I also believed that the density write-ups deserved a peer assessment, so these will be included in Trimester 2 grades.  My intention was to get this write-up in Trimester 1, but I want students to get the message that this is about the writing process, not the score!  Thanks for your understanding.

The Week in Ms.Wesnak’s Room

7/8 Language Arts and Social Studies
This week students started work on their Poetry Book project. Students are revising or creating a variety of poems to put into their very own book of poetry. They are also creating their own original artwork to match their poetry pieces. I am really looking forward to seeing their final projects! In Social Studies we have been reading and learning about the United Nations. We have watched videos and done readings on the history and current goals of the United Nations. Students were involved in a really nice discussion around the 8 Millenium Goals that the UN hopes to reach by 2015! Talk to your child about what these goals are all about, and if they think it’s even possible to reach these goals. Don’t forget: 8th graders are doing a bottle drop off at Williston Central School to raise money for Hurricane Sandy Relief. They will also be doing a bottle drive in Williston neighborhoods on Sunday! 7th graders will be selling shell ornaments at Paquette Full of Posies on both Saturday and Sunday!!

Mr. Merrill’s Wrap Up

⅚ Language Arts and Social Studies
Following our reading cafe, we discussed reading goals for the second trimester.  Students were to write a goal that will make them “better readers”. They also wrote a prediction for the independent book that they are reading in their reading response notebooks.  We continued our prediction making later in the week by reading a true story “cliffhanger”.  Students had to write a prediction based on the evidence in the story.  We completed the story on the following day, identifying the evidence that would lead to a correct prediction.  Be sure to ask your student about the story.  We also started a new round of literature groups this week.  Students are in small 5-8 groups, reading short stories with the common theme of “giving”.
In social studies, we continued our study of the Constitution, discussing the question, “How did the Framers limit the power of the government?” We are working towards building a better understanding of checks and balances and separation of powers, as we begin to study the 3 branches of government.