First Weeks of Middle School!

The first couple weeks of middle school have been great! Students have figured out their lockers, and are adjusting to class schedules, new teachers, and new classmates. We have taken a lot of time to get to know students so far, and are just starting to dig into some academic items.

I first wanted to give a BIG THANK you for contributing to our 6th grade fundraiser, "Middle Schoolers on the Move". We have fully funded 30 pairs of snowshoes (about $2,500!) and our order has been placed. I've recently received some classroom supplies from our Amazon wish list, too. THANK YOU! I appreciated your generosity and know that the students are looking forward to utilizing the snowshoes this winter, and appreciate having a classroom with the necessary basic supplies!

As outlined on our classroom syllabus from open house, students will use Schoology (our online platform for classes) if we are in a school closure, or if students are absent for any reason. Today, we worked on learning to use our Gmail account, and practiced sending formal/professional emails to teachers. We will learn how to read, reply, and delete emails so that students can learn to keep their online content organized, too.

Tomorrow, students will get an introduction/re-introduction to Schoology. This is where students will receive the daily lesson and any assignments that go along with it. Students are responsible for checking in online when they are absent, and they also have access to their grades online. I am including a 3-minute tutorial that explains how students check Schoology and grades on Parent Portal. At home, students will always need to use cadillacschools.schoology.org and their school gmail address when working on emails or other sites requiring a log-in. This short video will be great for parents, so that you can help from home, too!

Lastly, we are trying to build a class supply of magazines for students to read in class during independent reading time. We would like educational, high-interest, and age appropriate magazines such as: Time, National Geographic, Girl's Life, Bop, U-14, cooking magazines, fishing, hunting, baseball, etc.

If you would like to send in a magazine for us to add to our collection, we would really appreciate it! We have many readers that prefer magazines instead of chapter books. If you would like to purchase a subscription so that it gets mailed to us monthly, we would love that, too!

I am looking forward to a great week!

-Mrs. Powell