TA’s Notes:
Reminder that all snacks brought in for sharing need to be nut-free!
No school Wednesday, Sept 23rd.
FAPAC September 2015 Meeting Highlights Information
To: Voyager Families/Parents
From: Shani Varricchione, FAPAC Representative
cc: House Teachers and Teaching Assistant
The FAP Advisory Council held its first monthly meeting of this school year on September 10th. FAP is Williston's equivalent of a parent-teacher organization. We meet each month, our meetings our open to all, and you will receive an email like this every month with highlights of the meeting and a link to the FAP website for the full minutes. Check the full minutes in a PDF format by clicking HERE. Below are a few meeting highlights:
Administration Report — It was great to spend time with our new District Principal, Greg Marino, at this month’s meeting. He spoke about his transition, about next steps for the satisfaction survey results, about communication strategies so we can “Tell the Story of Our School,” and about the important work being done by an engineering firm looking at our school facilities. Please check out the full minutes for the details!!
Williston Annual Fund — This fund pays for your children's school field trips, among other educational items. So please send in your donation today or you can do it online by clicking HERE.
WSD Technology Talk — FAP is hosting this event on Wednesday, October 7th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm in the Dining Room at WCS. Please join us for this evening parent session where you'll have the opportunity to get hands on and try out some of the Google tools students are using, with guidance from Bonnie Birdsall, WSD Technology Integration Specialist. There will be time for dialogue and questions as well.
We Need Your Help — FAP is your parent-teacher organization. Parents can serve as House FAP representatives on the FAPAC (specifically Harmony is looking for a co-rep and Voyager needs one or more reps). We are also looking for a parent interested in learning about the responsibilities of being a treasurer for our organization, as our current treasurer’s term is up after this year. If communication is your thing, we need someone who might want to help with School Bell articles, with our website, and with other parent communication. Parents can also help with/on various FAP committees, many of which organize our community fundraisers. Click here for more information on these and send an email to willistonfap@cssu.org. Thanks for your consideration.
School Sport Events — Just a reminder that directions to all school sport events are on the Athletics section of the school website. If you click HERE it will take you to that location.
Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Events -- Dates have been set for many FAP Community Events; check the School Bell over the coming weeks for more information on these. Those coming up in the next 60 days are listed below and all events are on the calendar on the FAP section of the school website:
• Craft Fair at Williston Central School -- Saturday, November 7th
• Scholastic Book Fair in the Williston Central School Dining Room — Monday, November 9th-Friday, November 13th
Our next meeting is on Thursday, October 8th at 8:15 am in the Dining Room at Williston Central School. We hope you can attend!!!
Please contact me at willistonfap@cssu.org if you have feedback or questions on FAP. Thanks.
This week with Ms. Sherman:
Most years, I have offered some initial support after school to students, especially to 5th graders around the topic of organization and planning. Many students struggle with this and I would be happy to do some after school sessions about this again. However, in the past, those students that REALLY could use the extra help, were not the ones that stayed after for the support. If this is something that you would like to see happen for your son or daughter, could you please email me at: csherman@cssu.org. This way, I can start thinking about what the group size might be and what to target based on the kids that would attend. Thanks!!
Also- Our homework club has been off to a great start. If you ever have questions or concerns about it, please direct them to me at the above email address!
HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
The Week in Mr. Merrill’s Room (⅚ Humanities):
We kicked of the week with a core meeting. We had a fun greeting, a quick share about the weekend, and we played two truths and a lie. The students had a lot of fun learning about their classmates.
For our current events activity, we watched CNN Student News, students completed an exit card, identifying the big issues of the day and explaining why one story is important or could be resolved.
We continued our read aloud of “I Am Malala” and went back to the book throughout the week. Students added 10 - 12 new words to their Reading Response Notebooks and made several graphic organizers to collect evidence on some themes that are coming up in the book. The students have collected a lot of evidence!
Our Peace One Day unit is wrapping up with Peace Day approaching - 9/21. Students completed their first project of the year, creating an inforgraphic on a peace maker. Students completed research on a well known peace maker, identifying the who, what, where, when, and a quote to use. They then worked in groups to take notes on a shared google doc, and organize an inforgraph (using google draw). This was a wonderful collaborative project - students had to communicate effectively and cooperatively on the Google apps in real time.
We also came up with our own pledges for peace on Peace Day. Students pledged to create an activity to bring people together, or work on a broken relationship on September 21.
We wrapped up the week with a reflection on our learning this week and made peace pinwheels to put on display on Monday as a school / community activity to show our commitment to the day.
If your student is missing work on Jupiter Grades, I do have some work in my “No Name” folder, this would be a place to check if your student believes he/she passed it in.
Also, I am available to students for additional support every Wednesday from 3-4. Just let me know by email if your student will be staying and the pick up plan.
Missing work - For ⅚ students that are missing work or need time to catch up, Katie Fieldsend will be notifying parents on Monday by email that we would like your student to stay for Homework Club on Tuesday to catch up.
The Week in Ms. O’s Room (⅚ Math & Science):
Math 5
- Conference Google Docs are out! Please sign up for your conference today. Conferences for 6th grade are Friday, October 9th and for 5th Grade on October 23rd. Thanks!
- Planners were handed out! Please take a peek!
- Brad’s Baseball Shop took a turn this week as we investigated volume (how many baseballs in a rectangular prism shipping box) and surface area (how much cardboard do we need to build the box?). Students generalized strategies for solving both volume and surface area problems. Made for some interesting conversations.
- Also, the Baseline Assessment due by the end of September, will be given in pieces. Students began today and will continue to do this in pieces and parts until complete.
Math 6
- Conference Google Docs are out! Please sign up for your conference today. Conferences for 6th grade are Friday, October 9th and for 5th Grade on October 23rd. Thanks!
- Planners were handed out! Please take a peek!
- We began solving problems using our understandings of multiples and factors this week. We began the week with two problems, AT THE SAME TIME, problems. The first was about ferris wheels, the second about cicada emergence. Both problems inquired, when will the events happen again at the same time? It turned out that thinking about multiples was the way to solve these problems. Today we looked at a problem, an apple and trail mix problem that required thinking about, FAIR SHARE. The solution to this problem required students to think about factors. We will continue to work on WHEN multiples are the appropriate strategy or factors to solve given problems.
⅚ Science:
- Conference Google Docs are out! Please sign up for your conference today. Conferences for 6th grade are Friday, October 9th and for 5th Grade on October 23rd. Thanks!
- Wanna buy a bag of compost for us? Thanks to Luna’s mom, Deb, we have a new raised bed outside our classroom. We would love to grow some fall greens, so donate a bag of compost so we can get going! Where should you bring it? Just drop it outside of our classroom doors (along the bus parking area!) You’ll see the raised bed and rainbarrel by my classroom door!
- We expanded our understanding of electromagnets this week by learning more about the circuit. Today’s discovery, that an electric current creates a magnetic field was subtle, but a powerful one! It provided renewed interest in Wily Coyotes mechanism, the U magnet with an electric current moving through it. No wonder he brught the Eiffel Tower into his desert laboratory!
- Our first science reflection is due next Friday. 5th Graders were able to get a jump on that today. To date, no 5th Grader finished. They have next week to complete the Google Classroom assignment. Please ask your child to show you the assignment on Google Classroom. 6th Graders did not begin. I will get them moving on that assignment next week.
- Upcoming Events
- Investigation of an engineered electromagnet and use of data to construct explanations about power of a magnet.
- Motors and Generators!
- Homemade Telegraphs! What?!! You should come in for this one!
The Week in Ms. Wesnak’s Room (⅞ Humanities):
Tweet the Week:
- Peace research, #Seussosophy, infographic
- This week: Seussosophy, peace work, and creative writing, oh my!
- #Seussosophy is a philosophy, #peaceday infographic fo 3 days
- Real world connections with Dr. Seuss and peace making.
- Seussing some Seuss stories.
- We learned about Dr. Seuss and peace day and peacemakers.
- Yay! Peace is beast. September 21st #cantdescribeit
- Seussosophy is the best!! Peace Day --> 9/21
- Seussosophy and Peace Day. Read alouds and Research. Full week!
- Dr. Seuss story --> make your own story! #Peace
- AM = Seussosophy is #1. PM = Peacemakers for dayz.
- Peace, war, Seussosophy
- Sept.21 is bae because peace day
This week started off with our Monday Morning Lit Rotations. We had groups of students reading, working on vocab, and meeting with me to talk about their books. Each week students will rotate working on vocabulary or reading comprehension. As the week continued on we completed a short unit titled “Seussosophy” in which we read multiple stories by Dr.Seuss that had underlying messages about social justices and injustices. We also uncovered messages around peace and conflict. Students participated in multiple discussions, completed in-class reflections and exit tasks, and identified what makes Dr. Seuss stories different from others. After our time with Dr. Seuss students were challenged to take inspiration from the stories we heard and create their own Dr. Seuss-like stories connected to real world conflicts and social justices and injustices. Students are taking this challenge in stride and are developing some great and creative stories! A lot of students were so surprised that children’s books such as “The Butter Battle Book” and “The Sneetches” had such deep and rich underlying messages about life and the world!
Our afternoon classes have been dedicated to our Peace One Day study. Students developed some beautiful infographics using LucidChart to spread the word about the benefits of an International Peace Day. We then completed a read aloud of the book “Planting the Trees of Kenya”. We learned about the Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai who started the Greenbelt Movement and planted trees throughout Kenya as part of a peaceful protest. Students made a pledge for Peace Day describing how they will make peace or celebrate peace. We closed up the week by starting our Recipe for Peace project and doing a little research on great peacekeepers and peacemakers.
Below are some examples of one of the 7/8 Infographics!
The Week from Ms. Q’s Room (⅞ Math & Science):
CMP7
This has been an amazingly busy week. As a class, we were gearing up for my Best Practice Studio Class that took place on Wednesday. Over the last five years, I have been taking classes on helping students to engage in math in a positive, thoughtful and intellectually challenging way. Caitlin Bianchi, our WCS Math Coordinator, has been co-teaching with me for the last few weeks to prepare for the big day when math teachers from our district observe our practice in mathematics. The class did exceptionally well. They possessed grit, intellectual curiosity, perseverance, and enthusiasm as we worked through a tricky geometric problem. They genuinely talked about their math process and thinking. Kudos to our Voyager students!
As a side, students began their online skill work on Mobymax. (45 minutes per week)
CMP8
We have done a lot of data collection! Bridges and weight bearing loads, truss building, and leaky faucets allowed us to see both linear and nonlinear models. We did more investigation on what a line of best fit entails, and we ended the week with some general skill building. Incidentally, we are checking out a math skill website call IXL. Students will work 45 minutes per week on specific skills based on their summer math packet to enhance their understanding.
Science 7th/8th
We began the week with a reintroduction to the microscope. We looked at the specific parts, how magnification works, and how to prepare a wet mount slide. We looked at some interesting prepared sides, and then we turned our attention to bugs. I actually raided my neighbor’s pool filter for all the dead bugs. Each dyad pair was given a “bug” and was asked to draw and identify them through online sources. They then removed different body parts to see what they looked like microscopically. The big question was: What can you find out about form and function by looking at a specimen microscopically?
We saw a fly’s honeycomb eye, a spider’s hairy leg, and a beetle’s striated abdomen, to name a few examples. This observation process required students to observe and conjecture about the specific structure and the function it played in the life process of the creature. We ended the week with a review of cells and their function.
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