South  Central  Middle  School  We  Have  the  Right  Mental  Attitude!  

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Upcoming  Events  Page  2  

6th  Grade  News  Page  2  

SOM  Announced  

Page  2  

March  31,  2015  

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News  from  the  Sixth  Grade  

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The month of March has been busy for 6th graders. It is hard to believe we are heading into the fourth quarter already. We finished the first round of the PARCC and AIRS testing and the students worked really hard! We are so proud of them.

Some of the sixth graders are able to participate in genius hour this year. It is a time for the students to explore things and research topics that interest them. We recently asked the students to research a location that they would like to visit. The students created presentation of different locations around the globe and then presented them to their classmates. The students took us to place such as Panama City Beach, Kelvin Ukraine and Italy. The students are currently working on a topic of their choice and will be presenting soon.

In math this month we have been focusing on statistics. The students have been analyzing data and learning about different graph types. We

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have been collecting our own data in the classroom and creating graph types that the students are not familiar with. They are applying what they have learned in the previous years about data analysis and put it to use in this unit. The students are doing great things in class. This unit is allowing them to be creative and they are having fun with it. We are working on a project that is cross-curricular right now. The students are tracking weather in another city. They had to use their map skills to locate the city and find the distance the city is away from where they live. We will collect the weather data and graph it in a few weeks. Mrs. Dendinger's/ Mrs. Lillo’s Math class has been working on graphing. We paired with Mrs. McCormack's 1st grade class to survey them about their favorite colors. After the information was tallied, we created bar and circle graphs to share with our 1st grade friends.

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In Science, we have explored the human body and the cells that make it up. We are moving on to discussions about matter, physical and chemical changes, volume, mass and density. Soon we will be looking at things like motion and acceleration. Right after Easter break, we will have a special guest come and talk to the students about soil horizons. We also hope to go on a “mini-field trip” by taking a short walk across the road to a farm field to study some actual soil samples. More information will be coming home with your student. It will be great to get out and smell the fresh air and learn at the same time!

In Social Studies, we are learning about the economy and the factors that cause the economy to change. Students will learn about supply and demand, producers and consumers, and many other aspects of global trade and economy.

In reading, we have started the novel, The Watsons go to Birmingham ~ 1963. This novel is centered around the Watson family who are an African American family living in Michigan in the 1960s, but travel to Birmingham, Alabama. Once in Alabama, the characters are thrust into one of the most tragic events of the Civil Rights Movements. They then are forced to deal with the reality of racial discrimination for the first time. The book is told from the perspective of the main character, Kenny who is a 10-year-old boy. This books if funny, but has a serious message that will hopefully stick with the students long after we finish the book.

In English, we are tying into our novel by researching several topics dealing with the Civil Rights Movement. Students were given a choice to five to six different topics/individuals to research. They are creating a visual presentation and a handout/flyer of the project. Students are working in groups and independently on this project depending on their personal preference and will be presenting their projects to the class. I am anxious to see what they learn through this experience.

During the third nine weeks, students in Multimedia 6 generated several spreadsheets in Google Sheets adding formulas and graphs to represent the data. More recently in Multimedia, students presented a persuasive or informative project using PowToon, a user-friendly and intuitive software that allows a student to create an animated presentation.

Our 6th grade field trip has been planned and we are so excited about it. We will be traveling to Olmsted Township to Swings-n-Things on May 22, 2015. They have a great Edutainment program that mixes Science and Math with the activities offered at their establishment. The students will learn the scientific and mathematical reasoning for how each activity works and then they get to enjoy the attractions in the afternoon.

As many know, our classmate, Hunter Slone has been unable to attend school because of illness. We wanted to show him how much we miss him and wish the best for him so we made him a personalized quilt for his 12th birthday. Each student decorated a fabric square and then Mrs. Warrick’s mom put them all together in a beautiful quilt for Hunter. Hunter really liked the quilt! Thanks to Connie Smith for her hard work. ~Submitted  by  Mrs.  Blankenship,  Mrs.  Kluge,    

                                                       Mrs.  Lillo,  Mrs.  Oney  and  Mrs.  Warrick

Student  of  the  Month  &  Terrific  Trojan  

5th  Grade:  Ethan  Terry  (not  pictured)  6th  Grade:  Hunter  Cooper  (Hunter  Slone:           Honorary)  7th  Grade:    Christian  Pittenger  8th  Grade:  Kelsey  Lauderman  Terrific  Trojan:  Madison  Prater  

 

 

Upcoming  Events  April  2nd-­‐3rd:  No  School.    Spring  Break  

6th:  Make-­‐up  Calamity  Day  

7th:  Track  at  Crestview  

9th:  Track  at  Buckeye  Central  

14th:  PAC  Meeting  

16th:  5/6  grade  Social  from  2:30-­‐4:30  

18th:  Art  Show  from  1-­‐3;  Quarter  Auction  for  

Hunter  @  SCMS  from  6-­‐9.  

20th:  School  Board  Meeting;  Track  at  St.  Paul  

23rd:  Track  at  Willard  

27th:  Track  at  Buckeye  Central  

May  8th  is  the  8th  grade  Farewell  Dinner.    More  

information  to  follow.