February 25, 2024 Tburg MS Weekly Update

Middle School

Weekly Update

Week of February 25th

CONTENTS

Calendar

3/1: Staff Slam

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Office Updates

From Mrs. Lomax

I hope that all of our middle school families enjoyed the winter break and are looking forward to the warm weather in the forecast.

Unfortunately, we have had a number of reports of students taking selfies in our school bathrooms and posting them on social media. This is problematic for a number of reasons. Our school rule is that cell phone use is prohibited during the school day; students should keep phones in their lockers or turned off completely in their backpacks. Additionally, even public bathrooms are legally considered spaces in which people have a reasonable expectation of privacy, so students should understand that taking photos in bathrooms can get them into a tricky legal spot. Finally, who thinks that fluorescent lighting and a background of toilet stalls is a good look? Nobody.

Please talk to your student(s) about appropriate cell phone and social media use, and join us in the fight against bathroom selfies!

5th Grade

5th Grade Daily Planner (Please bookmark for your use). Please check your students’ take home folders and planners with them daily. Calling ALL PENCILS!!! Please remind students to bring spare pencils from home with them to school (either daily) or to store in their lockers! We are giving them the same messages here at school. THANK YOU!!!

ELA: This week students began their 3rd week of our New Year, New Book unit. Students should be past the half-way point of their novels and working on completing their Week #3 Response that is assigned on Monday and due on Friday. This response is to be completed outside of ELA class so students should use their study halls, stay after school on Tuesday or Thursday and of course can work on it at home. In class we read about Jackie Robinson’s early life and discovered the Jim Crow Era along with the Great Migration.

Math: This week students received their graded tests from their module 3 end of unit assessment. We spent time learning about a former NFL player who was also pursuing his PhD in mathematics. We also spent the week analyzing a variety of line plots involving measurements. When we get back from winter break we will begin our 4 unit on multiplication and division of fractions.

Band : Mrs. Posegate’s Lesson Schedule Fifth grade band members received one of the pieces we will be playing on our Spring concert - “Bugler’s Dream”. This is also the song they will try to teach a grown-up for the “Penny Band”.

6th Grade

6th grade planner (please bookmark this link)

***Students are in need of pencils-please make sure your student has pencils for school. Check their backpacks!!

Social Studies: Students had a gallery walk of their Ancient Egypt projects. The projects look amazing!

Math: Students started graphing ratios to see the relationship between two ratios. Students will start getting into unit rate after break.

Band: Mrs. Posegate’s Lesson Schedule 6th grade band members have LOTS to practice if they are home for break. They should work on our 3 band songs, their NYSSMA solo and the music for the Staff Slam. Speaking of Staff Slam - 6th grade band members are invited to play in an informal pep band for the first of the 3 games at the Staff Slam. Students who would like to play should arrive around 6:45 and be ready to play by 7.

Chorus: MP3 Lesson Schedule / MP3 Lesson Groups

THRIVE: After-school tutoring is in progress. Fill out this form to sign-up.

Health 6: Be sure to ask your child about media balance and finding quality health information online! Next week, as we apply knowledge learned about the brain, students will better understand ways to practice self compassion. Lesson topics and key terms for this week: self awareness, mindfulness, stressor, prefrontal cortex, self care.

7th Grade

7th Grade Digital Planner (Please bookmark this link.)

Please remind students to bring pencils, their Chromebook charger, and a water bottle to school.

Science: We finished the penguin project! We looked at how penguins have changed over time. After analyzing data students decided (and were correct) that the modern Emperor is the closest relative to ancient penguins. Have a great break!

ELA 7: This coming week, we will start reading the novel Touching Spirit Bear. Students will have a reading calendar and need to read a chapter a night outside of class and to answer very short comprehension questions before they come to class each day.

Chorus: Lesson Schedule / Lesson Group s

Music: We are wrapping up our ukulele unit! Students will be playing a YouTube play-along of their choice for their assessment.

7/8 Band: If students have not completed their Level 1 playing assessment (pink sheet), they will be finishing up at the first lesson after break. Next up: playing assessments on the 3 band pieces will happen in March. NYSSMA prep for students who are participating begins as soon as the Level 1 assessment is complete. Reminder: the practice rooms are available during studyhalls, after school and during tutorial for students to practice!

7/8 Band Lesson Schedule/Groups- week of 2/26

8th Grade

Parents: Reminder--Students should be emailing their teachers when absent -- that way they can know what was covered in class. Also please follow the below steps to check assignments in your child’s Google Classrooms.

Algebra: Students explored the different methods of factoring a polynomial. Techniques included GCF, difference of squares, and unFOIL. After vacation we will use these methods to help solve quadratic equations in our next unit.

Math 8: Students looked at scatterplots and we discussed linear vs nonlinear associations as well as positive and negative relationships. They also began to look at the square root function and its relation to perfect squares. When we come back from break we will further explore the use of square roots when we discuss the pythagorean theorem.

Kotler’s ELA 8: Students read passages from “Little Rock Girl 1957” and “A Mighty Long Way” to gain perspective on the Little Rock Nine’s experience with public school integration in 1957.

Social Studies: Students are doing a deep dive on one particular reason the 1920s were called the 1920s, like improved transportation, sports mania and the changing role of women. Students will be sharing their information in groups & performing a brief skit.

Chorus: Lesson Schedule / Lesson Groups

7/8 Band Lesson Schedule/Groups- week of 2/26

Google Classroom for Parents

Looking for your student’s assignments? Follow these steps:

Clubs & Activities

Student Council

Next Student Council meeting will be coming up soon. We will be working to plan the next dance and other exciting events for the coming spring.

You must sign up for the late bus with Mr. Begeal or Ms. Salib by 1:00 PM on Tuesday.

Drama Club

Please check the Drama Club website for the rehearsal schedule.

Washington, D.C. Trip

8th Grade Washington DC trip - Our trip is scheduled for June 12 -14th. There will be a mandatory parent meeting later in the spring to go over the logistics of the trip. We will also have a student meeting prior to the trip to discuss expectations and polices. Stay tuned for more info.

Yearbook

Yearbook Club will meet in the Media room (next to the Tech room) on Thursday, Thursday, February 29th, from 3-4:00pm.

*Students needing to ride the bus will be dismissed at 3:35pm to get on the late bus. Students getting picked up/walking home will be dismissed at 4pm.

Any student participating in Yearbook Club who needs to ride the late bus must let advisors Lisa Magee or Tammy Parker know by 12:00pm on the day of the meeting.

Future Meeting Dates:

February 29th

March 7th

March 26th

March 28th

PTO

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