Newsletter

Friday October 24, 2014

Middle School Conferences November 3, 6
Art Show!!
The conference art show will feature artwork of the entire 6
th
grade class. A special
Impressionist exhibit will be displayed down the south wing towards the art room.
Students will be able to teach visitors about this style of art and its uniue
characteristics. Students will also help visitors learn how to discuss and critiue
artwork by recogni!ing certain elements in the piece and forming an opinion"
without #ust saying the artwork is $pretty% or $I don&t like it%. All will be impressed
by the exceptional work and creativity of these 'ne artists(
Social Studies-Mrs. Larsen
Connee.Larsenindianola.!"#.ia.us
)e have started using the *iddle School&s new +hrome ,ooks to do
some researching of -arth&s physical features. )e are completing a
picture dictionary that will include a list of three real"life examples of
each feature. )e love using the new technology( Students have
asked if they may work a little on these pages at home or in the
library for guided study. It is 'ne with me if they want to work ahead. but we do plan
to spend two more class periods on this pro#ect.
Math-Mrs. $etter
alisha.vetterindianola.!"#.ia.us
This week in math we continued /nit 0"1perations with
)hole Numbers and 2ecimals. )e continued reviewing whole
number and decimal place value. and adding and subtracting
decimals. multiplying by powers of 34. )e also spend time
multiplying decimals. checking where the students& current
math fact status is and setting goals in regards to their math
facts. These goals will be shared at conferences.
Next week we will continue working on multiplying decimals. dividing whole
numbers and decimals and working with Scienti'c Notation for large and small
numbers.
%lease contact me with an& 'uestions or concerns.
%hone( )6"-)*3+ e,t. 3"-.
/ave a su0er wee!end! 1n2o& the nice weather!!
Language Arts with Mr. Kotz
Hello all! This week we began with lesson 15, Team Moon. We began reading the
main selection on Thursday of this week and hope to finish it by the end of the day
on Friday. We hae spent time focusing on our ocabulary and hae made great
progress.
!e"t week we will be introducing a newsletter pro#ect. This will include the students
applying their knowledge of non$fiction te"ts and using graphic and te"t images to create a
newsletter about a short book about the %pollo missions
Lesson 15:
Main Selection: Team Moon
Big Idea: &ometimes you hae to gie it all you'e got
Essential Questions: How do te"t and graphics show a crisis in space(
Target Sill: Te"t and )raphic Features Target Strateg!: %naly*e+,aluate
"luenc!: -ntonation
#oca$ular! Strategies: &uffi"es .ous/ $ic/ $ure
Target %oca$ular!: lunar, hoering, ascent, likelihood, impending, perilous, option, presumably,
unpredictability, random
"urther &otes:
0our loed one will receie a hard copy of their grades this Friday. 1lease e"pect those at home, and gie
them a hug and high$fie for their efforts. Thanks!
Please feel free to use this link of our text book to have your students our main selection
outside of class:
http2++www$k3.thinkcentral.com+content+hsp+reading+#ourneys+na+gr3+ese45678596:38:884+launch.html;
%s always, please feel free to contact me if you hae <uestions or concerns.
=onathan.kot*>indianola.k1?.ia.us
515$531$55:8 e"t. :117
Com0uters 3 Mrs. %etersen
4ath&.%etersenindianola.!"#.ia.us
In +omputers. students will be completing a pretest on word searching. It will be
presented in the form of a Scavenger 5unt. Students will continue their progress on
6eyboarding 1nline. It is important that all students learn all the keys using proper
techniue. and I am hoping that all students will have learned the keys 7through
8esson 339 by the end of this semester. Students may work on 6eyboarding 1nline
at home if they are behind. In addition. my lab is available every morning and
during guided study times.
Science 3 Mrs. Sim0son
5orisa.Sim0sonindianola.!"#.ia.us
This week students have been 'nishing up a lab called *ix : *atch *ass.
They have been using balances. graduated cylinders and miscellaneous
o;ce supplies to help them become more familiar with measurements of
mass using grams. Next week we will collect our data. graph our data and
spend time analy!ing it. )e will also start working with thermometers and
continuing to become more familiar with the metric system. )e have been
working with the science focus vocabulary and in#ecting it into our class
conversations. Students should know and understand the following < terms
from the =ocus >ocabulary 8ist for the year? Science. ,alance. @raduated
+ylinder. @rams. *ass. *easure. *illiliter. >olume. Students will be formatively
assessed over this vocabulary in the near future.
This week&s 8earning Targets?
I can explain the similarities and diAerences of graduated
cylinders.
I can explain how to 'nd the mass of 34 pennies using a balance.
I can give examples of when I would use mass outside of the
Science classroom.
Ms. Loneman 3 Lan6ua6e Arts
This week students were introduced to lesson 15 vocabulary and the lesson 15
target skill, text and graphic features. Students also took the STAR test for the
second uarter progress check. !ook for these results in your child"s conference
folder during conference ti#e.
$n %onday, students will listen to the #ain selection, &Tea# %oon,' and students will
be introduced to the lesson"s suffixes &(ous,' &(ic,' and &(ure.' The rest of the week will be
spent digging deeper into the #ain selection and reviewing the vocabulary and target skill.
)ue to student(led conferences the week of *ove#ber +
rd
, the lesson 15 assess#ents will
be on ,riday, $ctober +1
st
.
Students will also be introduced to their next graded pro-ect which will be a nonfiction
newsletter. This pro-ect will assess the students" abilities to use text and graphic features to
organi.e infor#ation, to su##ari.e using #ain idea and details, and to use grade(level
appropriate spelling and gra##ar. !ook for a handout explaining this pro-ect next week.
Important Dates:
$ctober /0
th
1%s. !one#an will be absent all day for a #eeting
$ctober +1
st
1!esson 15 2ocabulary and 3o#prehension Assess#ents
*ove#ber 4
th
15andwritten *onfiction *ewsletter *otes )ue
As always, please contact #e at any ti#e with co##ents, uestions, or concerns.
Email: melissa.loneman@indianola.k12.ia.us
Phone: 961-9530 et. 313!
"#itter: @msloneman $t#itter.%om&msloneman'
(e)site: msloneman.#ee)l*.%om
+a,e a -reat #eekend.
Librar& News-Mrs.7anama!er
4arma.7anama!erindianola.!"#.ia.us
8he Middle School 9oo! :air will soon be here!
Blease stop by the book fair during conferences. The hours of the
,ook =air will be as follows? *onday November C and Thursday
November 6 D E?44 p.m."F?C4 p.m. Also )ednesday November G D
0?C4"E?44 p.m. Students should be receiving brochures in their
H-A2 class. All money will be used to buy materials for the library.
)e could also use volunteers to help staA the book fair during those
days. Blease contact *rs. )anamaker if you can help.
There is also an online book fair. Iou can purchase books and have them
delivered right to your door( The school still receives credit for all of the
purchases. 1ur school book fair is open online ;ctober #)-November "<
at this address?
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/indianolamiddleschool

Art-Mrs. Smith
lisa.smithindianola.!"#.ia.us

(e)site: ###.artinspired)*li/e.%om

8his wee! Students accom0lished these 6oals(
Started creating their impressionist paintings
Applying the terms tone. tint. value in their paintings
Applying the impressionist techniue of short uick brush strokes
LAS8 5A= 8; ;>51> S?@A>1 " A>8 AS M;N5A=! The back of the
catalog has ordering instructions. It is simple and preferred if ordering is
done online. but check or cash payments are also accepted. If you lost the
access code to order online please email me and I can get that to you.

Broducts will be in by November ".th. I hope all families will take
advantage of this great opportunity to order custom gifts with your childJs
artwork on it. Thank you for your support and participation( =unds will go
towards additional technology and art supplies for the Art
Box Tops
Send to school an&time! Collection tubs are located in
Lan6ua6e Arts roo's
and 'ain o((ice.
2ept.