November 5, 2019 page 1

LSMS News to Know November 5, 2019

Friday, Nov 8

[6th Grade] Field Trip to the Contemporary Art Museum

[8th Grade] Overnight Camping Trip

Monday, Nov 11

NO SCHOOL (Veteran ’s Day)

Thursday, Nov 14

1pm Dismissal (Schedule Change)

Friday, Nov 15

Star Breakfast 7:30-8:30

[7th Grade] Field Trip to the Contemporary Art Museum

Thursday, Nov 21

Family Teacher Conferences 3:30-5:30pm

Tuesday, Nov 26

1pm Dismissal

Nov 27-29

Thanksgiving Break—NO SCHOOL

In this Issue

Homecoming 2019 .............. 1

Teacher Newsletters............ 2

EnCompass News ............... 3

Important Links

La Salle Middle School website

Tyler Parent Portal

Calendar of Events

Teacher Websites

1106 N Jefferson Ave | St. Louis, MO 63106 314-531-9820

We celebrated homecoming during the week of October 21. Activities included Hoodie Day, Blue and Gold Day, and Wacky Tacky Day. The week culminated with our annual Homecoming Dance for 7th and 8th Grade students. This year’s Homecoming Court:

HOMECOMING 2019

8th Grade Queen: DeMea King: Jai

7th Grade Princess: Maranda Prince: ViNaz

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Ms. Gabrian’s Math & Science Showcase

Hello all! My name is Jennifer Gabrian, the new 6th grade Math and Science teacher. I have been an educator for eight years working primarily in North St. Louis. I have a Master's degree in Gifted Education and am currently seeking my Doctoral Degree in Instructional Leadership.

We are currently resetting the 6th grade behavior by reestablishing policies, procedures, and expectations across the board. This will be our primary focus in the next couple weeks. In science, we will begin by discussing the lab expectations so that we can move into more hands-on activities such as looking at different things under the microscope and creating models. In mathematics, we are currently working on greatest common factors and least common multiples so that we can transition into fractions. Please continue to support your student and I as we continue this beautiful journey into learning. Thank you!

Ms. Howard’s Math Talk

Welcome to the 2nd quarter! 7th and 8th grade students attend math WIN every other day to work to understand and master math concepts from earlier grades that are challenging to them. Each student has

individual assignments on topics specific to their learning needs and receives individualized assistance to clarify misunderstood or missing math foundations. Daily warm-ups and nightly homework include word problems for reading, planning, and solving practice.

Students are able to access the Accelerated Math practice program at home using the following link:

Https://hosted165.renlearn.com/1315137/HomeConnect

In Algebra, we have just begun our units on slope and functions. All 11 students made it through the 1st quarter with solid effort and achievement, and we now begin the core material of Algebra. It will be challenging work but they all have a solid base and are highly motivated to be math lead learners.

Students in Algebra also have

accounts in Accelerated Math. They can use the link above for additional math practice; I have assignments posted for them.

Mr. Gaylor’s PE/Health News

This month marks the beginning of indoor sports as the weather will be changing. Physical Education will highlight daily workouts consisting of upper body emphasis or lower body emphasis determined by the day of the week. Children will learn to push their bodies in order to create a new lifestyle involving physical abilities. We will incorporate sports such as volleyball, basketball, and badminton in hopes to allow the children to learn proper techniques involving these games. The Health portion of the class will change speeds from bodily systems to mental health and healthy lifestyles. Understanding the correlation between lifestyle and mental health is essential in today’s society as many food companies value the “dollar” over nutrition. There are many diets that may be cheap in price yet expensive in health. “Food Deserts” have many of our children harming their bodies without knowledge. In other wards, we are seeking a way to get of the “hot fries”, yet understanding why. The weekly format of Health to Physical Education will remain the same in hopes of continuing the great pace we have set from the beginning of the school year. Looking forward to the upcoming months as we approach Winter Break.

Current Events in ELA from Ms. Hargrove

Hello parents and guardians. October has come to an end and we are entering a new month which brings cooler weather and the leaves are changing colors. With excitement I wish to state that the Halloween stories that the students created were AWESOME! They worked very hard to complete these stories. Our main concentration was how to use punctuation and figurative language. We also focused on vocabulary terms and phrases that will “spice “up their writing. I am SO proud of each and every one of them!

This month, both 7th and 8th grade will continue or complete our novel. From there, we will discuss, compare and contrast as well as discuss the theme of each novel. This month, the

students will focus on new skills, creative writing projects, and various group projects.

In conclusion, students will be assigned another writing project that can be completed in groups, pairs, or individually. Information about this project will be forthcoming.

Parents and guardians, thank you for your continued support.

Let’s Get LIT! with Mrs. Martin

Happy Harvest Month Families! Scholars are on fire for learning! In addition to using the Engage NY curriculum and Accelerated Reader, we have several things in place to development students' ELA skills. This year we’ve implemented Reading Plus during ELA WIN, which is an adaptive literacy intervention program, designed to better assess and support student achievement. The program helps students establish efficiency and fluency, increase comprehension skills, and expand vocabulary while broadening interests and building knowledge. The program includes three instructional components: Reading (See Reader), Vocabulary, (Read Around), and Visual Skills (iBalance). See Reader is the primary component that provides structured, scaffolded silent reading, development of academic vocabulary, and offers increasingly complex text selections. After reading, students demonstrate understanding by answering rigorous selected and constructed response questions.

Scholars also participate in DEAR time. At this level students move from learning to read to reading to learn. On DEAR Days, students Drop Everything And Read informational texts. Students read anything from newspaper and magazine articles to biographies and essays for enjoyment and to enhance their ability to read and comprehend nonfiction text.

Lastly, students participate in FREEwrite Fridays during WIN. Freewriting is a writing activity that allows students to thrive developmentally given structured time for self-expression and creativity.

Let’s not forget the LSMS Reading Challenge. Scholars are assigned to read nightly for 30 minutes Monday through Thursday for homework as a

(Continued on pag 3)

TEACHERS’ NEWSLETTERS

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Fall 2019 College Exposure Trips

Every year, we have the opportunity to exposure La Salle Middle School’s students to a variety of universities and have some fun in new cities. A huge thank you to all those who make these trips possible!

This year's trip itinerary included visits to Saint Louis University, Fontebonne University, Lindenwood University, Southeast Missouri University, Austin Peay State University, Fisk, University, Tennessee Tech University, University of Illinois, Lewis University, and Maryville University.

7th grade had a great time traveling to Chicago, Illinois. Students saw the Lewis University and University of Illinois-Chicago campuses where they visited different colleges including Aviation, Pharmacy, Medicine and Theatre. Fun activities included Chicago Sky deck and City Exploration.

8th grade travelled to Nashville, Tennessee and saw five different universities and had the chance to talk to college students on each campus. Students learned about the historical significance of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and saw what it might be like to be a student at Tennessee State University! While at Tennessee Tech University students toured campus and saw the nursing labs.

8th Grade Takes Part in the Gateway to the Great Outdoors Program 8th grade students are participating in the Gateway to the Great Outdoors (GGO) program this year. GGO is unique in that it integrates the strength of weekly, STEM-based classroom enrichment, monthly outdoor activities, and year-round mentoring by local university students and community members. This fun and hands-on program, facilitated by Washington University in St. Louis and St. Louis University students, will teach your students how to be leaders and work together as a team. Additionally, students will learn about science, sustainability, and the outdoors.

During the first field trip, students explored different science activities in St. Louis's largest city park. Students tested pH levels of streams and explored river geomorphology. Thank you to Forest Park Forever for partnering with us to provide such wonderful immersive educational experiences!

8th students visited Meramec Caverns this past Friday and will participate in an overnight camping trip at Camp Manitowa this weekend.

GGO students today... microbiologists, geologists, and entomologists tomorrow.

ENCOMPASS NEWS

way to help increase reading stamina. Students are expected to record their reading, and on Fridays submit their weekly Reading Log. Logs are not accepted without an adult signature. Students are recognized and rewarded all around for their participation and achievement! Families, please continue to encourage your scholars to put forth their best effort toward each initiative. We want our STARS to #STAYLIT and keep their flame for learning a burning!!!

Currently, in ELA WIN scholars are reviewing and working on mastering the following learning targets:

I can determine the structure of a text.

I can provide an objective summary of text.

I can apply before, during, and after reading strategies to read and comprehend informational text.

I can use textual evidence to support my thinking.

I can apply the RACE strategy to construct a written response.

(Teachers’ Newsletters, Continued from page 2)

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