11/23 - Announcement 3 - Tomorrow, 11/24 is another asynchronous learning day in 6th grade science. Be sure to log into your google classroom and take your test
11/23 - Announcement 2 - When we return from Thanksgiving break on Monday, 11/30, Virtual classes will start at 9 am (due to that unusual Monday schedule for the days a new cohort group starts face to face school for the first time)
11/23 - Announcement 1 - All cohort B students should attend Mr. G's office hours at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, 11/24 for important information about starting back to school face to face on Monday, 11/30
11/17 - Announcement 4 - Test on Weathering/Erosion/Deposition/Rocks/Rock Cycle will be given on Tuesday, 11/24
11/17 - Announcement 3 - Earthquakes/Volcanoes Retest will be available in Google Classroom this Thursday and Friday. Retests must be completed by Friday night. Grades and tests for first Earthquakes/Volcanoes test will be returned by Tuesday evening, 11/17 or earlier
11/17 - Announcement 2 - If you got an Incomplete (INC) or an F (below 60) for a Quarter 1 Final Grade, you must make up all missing Quarter 1 Tests and Retests by this Friday. NO ONE ELSE should be submitting any work from Quarter 1 (between August 17 and October 19)! Quarter 1 Grades have closed for all students except those with a Quarter 1 Average of F or INC!
11/17 - Announcement 1 - Wednesday, 11/18 is an Asynchronous Learning Day. Students will use Google Classroom to find and complete their assignments. They will not log in to google meet classes or attend classes at DDMMS on this day.
11/16 - Announcement 4 - If you got an Incomplete (INC) or an F (below 60) for a Quarter 1 Final Grade, you must make up all missing Quarter 1 Tests and Retests by this Friday. NO ONE ELSE should be submitting any work from Quarter 1 (between August 17 and October 19)! Quarter 1 Grades have closed for all students except those with a Quarter 1 Average of F or INC!
11/16 - Announcement 3 - Test on Weathering/Erosion/Deposition/Rocks/Rock Cycle will be given on Tuesday, 11/24
11/16 - Announcement 2 - Earthquakes/Volcanoes Retest will be available in Google Classroom this Thursday and Friday. Retests must be completed by Friday night. Grades and tests for first Earthquakes/Volcanoes test will be returned by Tuesday evening, 11/17 or earlier 11/16 - Announcement 1 - Start "regular" schedule again tomorrow and for remainder of week EXCEPT Wednesday is an Asynchronous Learning Day so Students will do work in google classroom (they will NOT attend DDMMS or google meets on Wednesday.) Schedules are in students' google classrooms
11/9 - Announcement 2 - Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics Retest will be in everyone's google classroom late tomorrow morning- No Sign-ups necessary- If you want to take it, you must submit it by Thursday evening.
11/9 - Announcement 1- Another new schedule for tomorrow's classes: Core 1 starts at 8:30 am - complete schedule is in your google classroom
11/6 - Announcement 2 - Earthquakes/Volcanoes Test Thursday
11/6 - Announcement 1 - Please review the information in the 11/5 Lesson Guide and the 11/6 Lesson Guide with your child. The guides are in their Google classroom and provide links to all the videos Ms. Feldman wants them to watch as well as important information about the different schedules we will follow on Monday, 11/9 and then another from 11/10 on for the rest of the week.
11/4/20 - Announcement 2 - Our Earthquakes/Volcanoes Test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, 11/12
11/4/20 - Announcement 1 - Important!! Cohort C Students will report to DDMMS on Monday, 11/9 to begin face to face classes. All of Mr. Gilewicz's and Ms. McKnight's other students will report to Ms. McKnight's google meet on Monday. The meeting code for her meet is in the 11/4 lesson guide in students' google classroom (under classwork then under "Land Beneath Our Feet-Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics") We will notify our Cohort C students of their transportation information and all the preparation work (watching the videos, reading the information, filling out the paperwork, etc.) they should be doing with the information that Ms. Feldman has been sending out for the last few weeks.
11/2/20 - No class tomorrow, 11/3; Earth's Layers Retest will be in google classroom Tuesday morning and must be submitted by Tuesday night; Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics Test will be Wednesday during class.
10/31/20 -Announcement 1 - I came back and co-taught with Mr. Gilewicz on 10/29 and 10/30. We will continue to co-teach under Mr. Gilewicz's google meet code until face to face teaching (for those who chose to go face to face as soon as possible) starts at DDMS (currently scheduled for 11/9. More information will go out as we get closer to that date. And I'm sorry there are so many announcements to read through now but I wanted to get you up to date with everything that has been going on (my return, co-teaching with Mr. Gilewicz, retests, tests, and other due dates.)
10/31-20 Announcement 2 - Due dates for the work Mr. Gilewicz assigned:
- Continental Drift Interactive Notes- due Monday, 11/2
-Continental Drift Station Lab- due Wednesday, 11/4
-Plate tectonics Station Lab- due Monday, 11/2
10/31/20 - Announcement 3 - Some upcoming office hours info
- Monday, 8-8:30 - session will be devoted to students (especially Mr. Gilewicz's classes) understanding how I communicate with students and parents (website information, google classroom information, lesson guides, etc.) This will be helpful when Mr. Gilewicz starts teaching face to face classes and I take over his virtual classes.
Monday, 3-3:30 - Test prep session for Wednesday's Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics test
10/31/20 - Announcement 4 - Important!! - All students were asked to check their Google Classrooms Friday afternoon (10/30) and advised to look at a number of resources that I loaded there to help them prepare for the upcoming tests and retests including:
- the Earth's Layers' Retest Sign-up form
- the 10/30 lesson guide
- the MT-study guide (a study guide about Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics
- the Candy Bar Plate Tectonics Activity Answer sheet ( they are expected to know all of that information for Wednesday's test
- a paper they can print and use to make a seafloor spreading model if the want (strictly voluntary, not for credit, and they saw what a completed one looked like in class)
- Quarter 2 Divider ( a brief overview of some of the important information we will be studying this quarter)
- Quarter 2 NCFE Review ( A powerpoint presentation that reviews most of the important information that we will cover in Quarter 2. It explains major concepts, includes lots of images and we usually use it to at the end of the year to help students prepare for our end of grade test, the North Carolina Final Exam {NCFE.} I put it in their google classroom now so they could use it to review for the Earth's Layers retest (slides 2-18) and for the Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics Test ( slides 19 -48 and slide 51 [excluding fault and stress types]) They can also use it to get an idea of what we'll be studying next.
10/31/20 - Announcement 5 - The Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics test is on Wednesday, 11/4.
10/31/20 - Announcement 6 - Students who want to take the Earth's layers retest must submit their Earth's Layers Retest form (in their Google Classroom) by Sunday, 11/1 at 6 pm. They will take the retest on Tuesday, 11/3.
09/24/20 - Voluntary Review Session for Eclipses & Tides tomorrow, Friday, 9/25 at 8 am. Look for Meet Code as an announcement (Stream) in Google Classroom around 7:45 am tomorrow morning
09/21 - Announcement 3 - Retests for Trying to Improve Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Test Grade - The Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Retest will be offered this Friday, 9/25 during lunch. This is the only time the retest will be offered. A retest sign up form will be placed in students' google classroom on Wednesday for those that wish to take the retest at that time. Retest Sign-ups must be received by Wednesday night
09/21 - Announcement 2 - Deadline for Making Up Missed Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Test - Anyone who missed the First Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Test must make it up by this Wednesday, 9/23 at lunch. Otherwise the 0 will stay and the students will need to take a retest if they want to raise that grade.
9/21- Announcement 1 - Attendance - I am getting a lot of questions about attendance. To try to help you better understand, here are the basics: Students who sign in to the Google Chat more than 5 minutes after the start of the Google Meet are marked as Tardy. They are given numerous verbal reminders in the first few minutes of opening the google meet and a welcome slide with Announcements and our Warm-up are posted for all to see, which also includes a reminder to sign into chat. Students who do not sign into chat at all will be marked as absent, unless I happen to be able to do an attendance check while students are working independently during class or that day. We enter unexcused for all absences we put into Powerschool. Parents can notify the Data Manager, Ms. A. Williamson, about the reason for any absences and she then follows DDMMS and WCPSS guidelines to decide if an unexcused absence should be changed to excused. Teachers do not make those decisions. I hope this answers some of your questions. Students who make up any missed work after an absence can notify teachers (preferably in writing) and can have their absences changed to Present-Off Site.
09/18 - Any student who wants to take a retest on the "Thinking Like A Scientist" test to try to raise their grade must submit their Google survey form no later than 11:59 tonight. Once the student has selected their choice and time, they must stick with that choice. Loading all the different test versions, dates, times, core classes and students is incredibly time-consuming. Trying to change them is a logistical nightmare and would open too much chance for error. Students must remember to follow the directions in today's Lesson Plans (that were reviewed in class today) and report for testing at the correct time. Students who forget to come will not get additional chances to take the retest.
09/16- Announcement 3 - Students who wish to participate in the Voluntary Oreo Cookies Lunar Phase Modelling Activity tomorrow should have 8-10 Oreo (or generic brand Oreo) cookies, a paper plate, a spoon and some paper towels or napkins. Students who do not participate in this hands-on activity will still be able to see and hear the information as I demonstrate the activity in front of the camera.
09/16 - Announcement 2 - Any students who missed Monday's test on Rotation, Revolution. Seasons, Solstices & Equinoxes must make up their test by the end of the day on Wednesday, 9/23 or receive a zero for that test grade. Please see Ms. McKnight to make arrangements to complete that test.
09/16 - Announcement 1 - Thinking Like A Scientist Tests will be returned to students for their review this evening and we will go over the questions and answers tomorrow in class. Students who wish to try to raise that test grade by taking a retest (a different test on the same material) must complete their Thinking LIke A Scientist Retest Survey (in their Google Classroom under Classwork then under Thinking Like A Scientist) by this Friday at midnight to ensure I have time to get the tests loaded correctly. Students may choose one of the following dates/times the retests will be offered: Sunday, 9/20 at 1pm; Monday, 9/21 at 12:00 noon; or Tuesday, 9/22 at 8:00 am. Once students have made their selection, dates and times will not be changed except in case of extreme emergency. It is the student's responsibility to remember to take the test at their chosen time.
09/14 - Announcement 1 - All "Thinking Like A Scientist" Tests must be completed by Wednesday, 9/16 by 3:30 pm or those test grades will be scored as 0. Students who do not make arrangements to make up that test and end up with a zero may still take the retest when it is offered.
9/14 - Announcement 2 - Home Base/Powerschool will be down for DPI's (Department of Public Instruction's) routine monthly maintenance from 5pm Friday, 9/18 until 6 am Monday, 9/21.
09/08/20 - (Announcement 3) - Students who missed the test on Friday must contact me as soon as possible to schedule their make-up test. Once I have all the make-up tests in, all students will receive their graded tests so they can see the questions they missed and what the correct answers for their missed questions were. We will also review the test information in class then to answer any questions students have about the test. Once we have reviewed the correct test information in class, students who wish to take a retest to attempt to raise their grade will be offered a few dates & times to sign up for to schedule their retests. The higher of the two grades (first test or retest) will be the one that is entered in the gradebook for report card purposes. The grade on the lower test will still show in the comment section of Powerschool (HomeBase) so that students, parents and guardians can track students' progress.
09/08/20 - (Announcement 2) - Today in class I announced the following office hour times that will be specifically aimed at teaching or reteaching of subjects and how to sign up to attend:
- Today, Tuesday, 9/8 - Introduce 3 programs that may be particularly useful for students who are learning English as a 2nd language and or for students who reading does not come easily to: Read Aloud, Translate, Talk to Text. Session runs from 3-3:30. Students must email me by 2:45 if they plan to attend and I will send a google meet code for that session.
- Wednesday, 9/9 (8-8:30 am) - Reteach/review material taught in last week's Thinking Like A Scientist unit. Good time to come if student was absent and missed some important information, or if student wishes to prepare more to take a retest - Students must email me by 6pm on Tuesday if they plan to attend so I can send them the meeting link.
- Wednesday, 9/9 (3-3:30pm) - Reteach/review material being covered Tuesday, 9/8 and Wednesday, 9/9 on Rotation and Revolution. Students Must email me by Wednesday 9/9 at 2:45 to receive the meet code for that session.
- Thursday, 9/10 (3-3:30 pm) - Reteach/review material being covered on Thursday, 9/10 and Friday, 9/11 (Seasons, Solstices, Equinoxes). Student must email me by 2:45 on Thursday to receive the code for that session.
- Friday, 9/11 (8-8:30 am) - A repeat session for Reteach/review material taught in last week's Thinking Like A Scientist unit. Good time to come if student was absent and missed some important information, or if student wishes to prepare more to take a retest - Students must email me by 6pm on Thursday if they plan to attend so I can send them the meeting link.
09/08/20 - It has been an interesting day for remote learning today. Core 1 proceeded as usual. We lost some time in Core 2 when all the class learning materials would not load into their Google Classroom for several tries. (I assumed it was a problem on my end that I couldn't figure out.) Eventually I was able to get those materials into the classroom and we were a little behind, but were able to cover most of the material on the lesson guide. Core 3, bless their hearts, were incredibly patient as I was unable to load their materials or pull them up to show them from my screen. I spent a majority of the class trying to troubleshoot the issue for them. They did get the introductory information and announcements, but we stayed as a group instead of breaking into groups and tried to cover the basics without using any of the videos, articles or most visuals. During lunch I scrambled to contact our DDMMS tech person and he and I did everything we could think of to solve the issue or find a workaround. Eventually he contacted the WCPSS help desk to see if they could help me be able to get into my google materials before Core 4. At that time he was notified that there was a worldwide issue with Google that they were working to resolve. I did figure out a way to show some of the material to Core 4, but still was unable to give them their own set of materials in their Google Classroom. As of 2:20 this afternoon, I was able to put all of the materials in all 4 Core Class Google Classrooms. I will adjust the homework assignment on tonight's homework page from the homework posted on the 8/8-8/9 lesson guide to reflect the lost class time due to the technical issues.
09/04/20 - School is closed Monday, 9/7 for the Labor Day Holiday. We'll see everyone back in remote classes on Tuesday. Enjoy your long weekend!
09/03/20 - Students should check their school email this evening to see if they have any special instructions for tomorrow's test. Not all students will have special instructions so there is nothing to worry about if they don't have an email from me. But if they do have one, it is important that they read it before coming to class tomorrow!
08/31/20 - I am putting a copy of the daily slides I use in class into students' google classroom as materials under Classwork then under the appropriate category. The slides reflect what was planned for the day, but could differ from what we actually completed during the day. For actual completion information, please check the daily summary on this website under the correct Quarter's tab (Qtr 1 for Quarter 1 right now,) The slides often have links to websites and materials we used in class, and should be helpful if students find they are falling behind, or when they are absent. Additionally, I have put a number of additional links and resources for our current topic (Scientific Inquiry) on this website under the "Other" tab, then under "More Topic Resources/Links" then under "Scientific Inquiry/Scientific Method." Those resources can be helpful for students who want to learn more about a topic we are studying as well as for students who might be confused and need to see/hear the information presented in a different way or for students who want more practice with a topic.
08/28/20 - Beginning Monday, 8/31, students will no longer have Dragon Days time on their schedule. Their Homeroom period will be from 8:00-8:30 am and their Core 1 Class will go from 8:35-9:35 am. The remainder of the schedule will be the same as we have followed all week.
08/25/20 - If you did not receive your DDMMS agenda (planner) in your bag when you received your Math & ELA books at last week's distribution days, please pick one up during school hours at the main entrance of the school. I was told they would be right at the front door for you to pick up. Please be sure to wear your mask.
08/24/20 - The information on this website is now current
08/21/20 - If you were not able to pick up your child's Math and ELS supplies at the 6th Grade Distribution Day on Tuesday, today from 8:30-9:30 am is the make-up distribution day. Go through the carpool lane, be sure to stay in your car and bring identification to show the staff members so they can assist you.
08/21/20 - Last night we were asked to remove Google Meet Codes from our websites to improve the security of our Google Meet classes. I have removed them from this website. Please note that the Google Meet Codes are now listed on the Streams of each Google Classroom.
08/19/20 - The information in the Qtr 1 Tab is now current and being updated daily with our essential question, activity, handouts, papers collected and homework for the day
08/16/20 - There will be no classes for 6th graders on Tuesday, 8/18. Instead, on that day, Parents/Guardians of 6th grade students should drive to the DDMMS Carpool Lane between 8:30 and 10:30 am or between 3:30-5:30 pm to pick up their Math and English/Language Arts materials for the 1st quarter. Please be sure you STAY IN YOUR CAR. Staff will come to you! Please be sure to have your child's name and ID ready for Staff.
08/14/20 - I hope you are as excited as I am about school starting on Monday. I will send a Talking Points message out on Sunday reminding everyone of class start times, how to sign in to the Google Meets, and the codes for Google Meets and for my Google Classroom. But here are the codes for those of you who just cannot wait until Sunday for that information (and I understand, because I can hardly wait to meet all of you and learn all about you...Monday just feels so far away!) Here is the info (Please note, the times below are for the first 2 weeks. After that, a schedule with revised start and end times will be issued):
- Homeroom/Dragon Days - starts at 8:15 am - Google Meets Code is In the Core 1 Google Classroom.
- Core 1 - starts at 8:55 am - Google Meets Code is in the Core 1 Google Classroom .
- Core 2 starts at 9:40 am - Google Meets Code is in the Core 2 Google Classroom.
- Core 3 starts at 10:45 am - Google Meets Code is in the Core 3 Google Classroom.
- Core 4 starts at - 12:50 pm - Google Meets Code is in the Core 4 Google Classroom.
08/11/20 - Click here to see the bell schedule beginning on 08/31/20
08/11/20 - Click here to see the bell schedule for the first 2 weeks of school
11/23 - Announcement 2 - When we return from Thanksgiving break on Monday, 11/30, Virtual classes will start at 9 am (due to that unusual Monday schedule for the days a new cohort group starts face to face school for the first time)
11/23 - Announcement 1 - All cohort B students should attend Mr. G's office hours at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, 11/24 for important information about starting back to school face to face on Monday, 11/30
11/17 - Announcement 4 - Test on Weathering/Erosion/Deposition/Rocks/Rock Cycle will be given on Tuesday, 11/24
11/17 - Announcement 3 - Earthquakes/Volcanoes Retest will be available in Google Classroom this Thursday and Friday. Retests must be completed by Friday night. Grades and tests for first Earthquakes/Volcanoes test will be returned by Tuesday evening, 11/17 or earlier
11/17 - Announcement 2 - If you got an Incomplete (INC) or an F (below 60) for a Quarter 1 Final Grade, you must make up all missing Quarter 1 Tests and Retests by this Friday. NO ONE ELSE should be submitting any work from Quarter 1 (between August 17 and October 19)! Quarter 1 Grades have closed for all students except those with a Quarter 1 Average of F or INC!
11/17 - Announcement 1 - Wednesday, 11/18 is an Asynchronous Learning Day. Students will use Google Classroom to find and complete their assignments. They will not log in to google meet classes or attend classes at DDMMS on this day.
11/16 - Announcement 4 - If you got an Incomplete (INC) or an F (below 60) for a Quarter 1 Final Grade, you must make up all missing Quarter 1 Tests and Retests by this Friday. NO ONE ELSE should be submitting any work from Quarter 1 (between August 17 and October 19)! Quarter 1 Grades have closed for all students except those with a Quarter 1 Average of F or INC!
11/16 - Announcement 3 - Test on Weathering/Erosion/Deposition/Rocks/Rock Cycle will be given on Tuesday, 11/24
11/16 - Announcement 2 - Earthquakes/Volcanoes Retest will be available in Google Classroom this Thursday and Friday. Retests must be completed by Friday night. Grades and tests for first Earthquakes/Volcanoes test will be returned by Tuesday evening, 11/17 or earlier 11/16 - Announcement 1 - Start "regular" schedule again tomorrow and for remainder of week EXCEPT Wednesday is an Asynchronous Learning Day so Students will do work in google classroom (they will NOT attend DDMMS or google meets on Wednesday.) Schedules are in students' google classrooms
11/9 - Announcement 2 - Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics Retest will be in everyone's google classroom late tomorrow morning- No Sign-ups necessary- If you want to take it, you must submit it by Thursday evening.
11/9 - Announcement 1- Another new schedule for tomorrow's classes: Core 1 starts at 8:30 am - complete schedule is in your google classroom
11/6 - Announcement 2 - Earthquakes/Volcanoes Test Thursday
11/6 - Announcement 1 - Please review the information in the 11/5 Lesson Guide and the 11/6 Lesson Guide with your child. The guides are in their Google classroom and provide links to all the videos Ms. Feldman wants them to watch as well as important information about the different schedules we will follow on Monday, 11/9 and then another from 11/10 on for the rest of the week.
11/4/20 - Announcement 2 - Our Earthquakes/Volcanoes Test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, 11/12
11/4/20 - Announcement 1 - Important!! Cohort C Students will report to DDMMS on Monday, 11/9 to begin face to face classes. All of Mr. Gilewicz's and Ms. McKnight's other students will report to Ms. McKnight's google meet on Monday. The meeting code for her meet is in the 11/4 lesson guide in students' google classroom (under classwork then under "Land Beneath Our Feet-Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics") We will notify our Cohort C students of their transportation information and all the preparation work (watching the videos, reading the information, filling out the paperwork, etc.) they should be doing with the information that Ms. Feldman has been sending out for the last few weeks.
11/2/20 - No class tomorrow, 11/3; Earth's Layers Retest will be in google classroom Tuesday morning and must be submitted by Tuesday night; Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics Test will be Wednesday during class.
10/31/20 -Announcement 1 - I came back and co-taught with Mr. Gilewicz on 10/29 and 10/30. We will continue to co-teach under Mr. Gilewicz's google meet code until face to face teaching (for those who chose to go face to face as soon as possible) starts at DDMS (currently scheduled for 11/9. More information will go out as we get closer to that date. And I'm sorry there are so many announcements to read through now but I wanted to get you up to date with everything that has been going on (my return, co-teaching with Mr. Gilewicz, retests, tests, and other due dates.)
10/31-20 Announcement 2 - Due dates for the work Mr. Gilewicz assigned:
- Continental Drift Interactive Notes- due Monday, 11/2
-Continental Drift Station Lab- due Wednesday, 11/4
-Plate tectonics Station Lab- due Monday, 11/2
10/31/20 - Announcement 3 - Some upcoming office hours info
- Monday, 8-8:30 - session will be devoted to students (especially Mr. Gilewicz's classes) understanding how I communicate with students and parents (website information, google classroom information, lesson guides, etc.) This will be helpful when Mr. Gilewicz starts teaching face to face classes and I take over his virtual classes.
Monday, 3-3:30 - Test prep session for Wednesday's Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics test
10/31/20 - Announcement 4 - Important!! - All students were asked to check their Google Classrooms Friday afternoon (10/30) and advised to look at a number of resources that I loaded there to help them prepare for the upcoming tests and retests including:
- the Earth's Layers' Retest Sign-up form
- the 10/30 lesson guide
- the MT-study guide (a study guide about Continental Drift & Plate Tectonics
- the Candy Bar Plate Tectonics Activity Answer sheet ( they are expected to know all of that information for Wednesday's test
- a paper they can print and use to make a seafloor spreading model if the want (strictly voluntary, not for credit, and they saw what a completed one looked like in class)
- Quarter 2 Divider ( a brief overview of some of the important information we will be studying this quarter)
- Quarter 2 NCFE Review ( A powerpoint presentation that reviews most of the important information that we will cover in Quarter 2. It explains major concepts, includes lots of images and we usually use it to at the end of the year to help students prepare for our end of grade test, the North Carolina Final Exam {NCFE.} I put it in their google classroom now so they could use it to review for the Earth's Layers retest (slides 2-18) and for the Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics Test ( slides 19 -48 and slide 51 [excluding fault and stress types]) They can also use it to get an idea of what we'll be studying next.
10/31/20 - Announcement 5 - The Continental Drift/Plate Tectonics test is on Wednesday, 11/4.
10/31/20 - Announcement 6 - Students who want to take the Earth's layers retest must submit their Earth's Layers Retest form (in their Google Classroom) by Sunday, 11/1 at 6 pm. They will take the retest on Tuesday, 11/3.
09/24/20 - Voluntary Review Session for Eclipses & Tides tomorrow, Friday, 9/25 at 8 am. Look for Meet Code as an announcement (Stream) in Google Classroom around 7:45 am tomorrow morning
09/21 - Announcement 3 - Retests for Trying to Improve Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Test Grade - The Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Retest will be offered this Friday, 9/25 during lunch. This is the only time the retest will be offered. A retest sign up form will be placed in students' google classroom on Wednesday for those that wish to take the retest at that time. Retest Sign-ups must be received by Wednesday night
09/21 - Announcement 2 - Deadline for Making Up Missed Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Test - Anyone who missed the First Rotations/Revolutions/Seasons Test must make it up by this Wednesday, 9/23 at lunch. Otherwise the 0 will stay and the students will need to take a retest if they want to raise that grade.
9/21- Announcement 1 - Attendance - I am getting a lot of questions about attendance. To try to help you better understand, here are the basics: Students who sign in to the Google Chat more than 5 minutes after the start of the Google Meet are marked as Tardy. They are given numerous verbal reminders in the first few minutes of opening the google meet and a welcome slide with Announcements and our Warm-up are posted for all to see, which also includes a reminder to sign into chat. Students who do not sign into chat at all will be marked as absent, unless I happen to be able to do an attendance check while students are working independently during class or that day. We enter unexcused for all absences we put into Powerschool. Parents can notify the Data Manager, Ms. A. Williamson, about the reason for any absences and she then follows DDMMS and WCPSS guidelines to decide if an unexcused absence should be changed to excused. Teachers do not make those decisions. I hope this answers some of your questions. Students who make up any missed work after an absence can notify teachers (preferably in writing) and can have their absences changed to Present-Off Site.
09/18 - Any student who wants to take a retest on the "Thinking Like A Scientist" test to try to raise their grade must submit their Google survey form no later than 11:59 tonight. Once the student has selected their choice and time, they must stick with that choice. Loading all the different test versions, dates, times, core classes and students is incredibly time-consuming. Trying to change them is a logistical nightmare and would open too much chance for error. Students must remember to follow the directions in today's Lesson Plans (that were reviewed in class today) and report for testing at the correct time. Students who forget to come will not get additional chances to take the retest.
09/16- Announcement 3 - Students who wish to participate in the Voluntary Oreo Cookies Lunar Phase Modelling Activity tomorrow should have 8-10 Oreo (or generic brand Oreo) cookies, a paper plate, a spoon and some paper towels or napkins. Students who do not participate in this hands-on activity will still be able to see and hear the information as I demonstrate the activity in front of the camera.
09/16 - Announcement 2 - Any students who missed Monday's test on Rotation, Revolution. Seasons, Solstices & Equinoxes must make up their test by the end of the day on Wednesday, 9/23 or receive a zero for that test grade. Please see Ms. McKnight to make arrangements to complete that test.
09/16 - Announcement 1 - Thinking Like A Scientist Tests will be returned to students for their review this evening and we will go over the questions and answers tomorrow in class. Students who wish to try to raise that test grade by taking a retest (a different test on the same material) must complete their Thinking LIke A Scientist Retest Survey (in their Google Classroom under Classwork then under Thinking Like A Scientist) by this Friday at midnight to ensure I have time to get the tests loaded correctly. Students may choose one of the following dates/times the retests will be offered: Sunday, 9/20 at 1pm; Monday, 9/21 at 12:00 noon; or Tuesday, 9/22 at 8:00 am. Once students have made their selection, dates and times will not be changed except in case of extreme emergency. It is the student's responsibility to remember to take the test at their chosen time.
09/14 - Announcement 1 - All "Thinking Like A Scientist" Tests must be completed by Wednesday, 9/16 by 3:30 pm or those test grades will be scored as 0. Students who do not make arrangements to make up that test and end up with a zero may still take the retest when it is offered.
9/14 - Announcement 2 - Home Base/Powerschool will be down for DPI's (Department of Public Instruction's) routine monthly maintenance from 5pm Friday, 9/18 until 6 am Monday, 9/21.
09/08/20 - (Announcement 3) - Students who missed the test on Friday must contact me as soon as possible to schedule their make-up test. Once I have all the make-up tests in, all students will receive their graded tests so they can see the questions they missed and what the correct answers for their missed questions were. We will also review the test information in class then to answer any questions students have about the test. Once we have reviewed the correct test information in class, students who wish to take a retest to attempt to raise their grade will be offered a few dates & times to sign up for to schedule their retests. The higher of the two grades (first test or retest) will be the one that is entered in the gradebook for report card purposes. The grade on the lower test will still show in the comment section of Powerschool (HomeBase) so that students, parents and guardians can track students' progress.
09/08/20 - (Announcement 2) - Today in class I announced the following office hour times that will be specifically aimed at teaching or reteaching of subjects and how to sign up to attend:
- Today, Tuesday, 9/8 - Introduce 3 programs that may be particularly useful for students who are learning English as a 2nd language and or for students who reading does not come easily to: Read Aloud, Translate, Talk to Text. Session runs from 3-3:30. Students must email me by 2:45 if they plan to attend and I will send a google meet code for that session.
- Wednesday, 9/9 (8-8:30 am) - Reteach/review material taught in last week's Thinking Like A Scientist unit. Good time to come if student was absent and missed some important information, or if student wishes to prepare more to take a retest - Students must email me by 6pm on Tuesday if they plan to attend so I can send them the meeting link.
- Wednesday, 9/9 (3-3:30pm) - Reteach/review material being covered Tuesday, 9/8 and Wednesday, 9/9 on Rotation and Revolution. Students Must email me by Wednesday 9/9 at 2:45 to receive the meet code for that session.
- Thursday, 9/10 (3-3:30 pm) - Reteach/review material being covered on Thursday, 9/10 and Friday, 9/11 (Seasons, Solstices, Equinoxes). Student must email me by 2:45 on Thursday to receive the code for that session.
- Friday, 9/11 (8-8:30 am) - A repeat session for Reteach/review material taught in last week's Thinking Like A Scientist unit. Good time to come if student was absent and missed some important information, or if student wishes to prepare more to take a retest - Students must email me by 6pm on Thursday if they plan to attend so I can send them the meeting link.
09/08/20 - It has been an interesting day for remote learning today. Core 1 proceeded as usual. We lost some time in Core 2 when all the class learning materials would not load into their Google Classroom for several tries. (I assumed it was a problem on my end that I couldn't figure out.) Eventually I was able to get those materials into the classroom and we were a little behind, but were able to cover most of the material on the lesson guide. Core 3, bless their hearts, were incredibly patient as I was unable to load their materials or pull them up to show them from my screen. I spent a majority of the class trying to troubleshoot the issue for them. They did get the introductory information and announcements, but we stayed as a group instead of breaking into groups and tried to cover the basics without using any of the videos, articles or most visuals. During lunch I scrambled to contact our DDMMS tech person and he and I did everything we could think of to solve the issue or find a workaround. Eventually he contacted the WCPSS help desk to see if they could help me be able to get into my google materials before Core 4. At that time he was notified that there was a worldwide issue with Google that they were working to resolve. I did figure out a way to show some of the material to Core 4, but still was unable to give them their own set of materials in their Google Classroom. As of 2:20 this afternoon, I was able to put all of the materials in all 4 Core Class Google Classrooms. I will adjust the homework assignment on tonight's homework page from the homework posted on the 8/8-8/9 lesson guide to reflect the lost class time due to the technical issues.
09/04/20 - School is closed Monday, 9/7 for the Labor Day Holiday. We'll see everyone back in remote classes on Tuesday. Enjoy your long weekend!
09/03/20 - Students should check their school email this evening to see if they have any special instructions for tomorrow's test. Not all students will have special instructions so there is nothing to worry about if they don't have an email from me. But if they do have one, it is important that they read it before coming to class tomorrow!
08/31/20 - I am putting a copy of the daily slides I use in class into students' google classroom as materials under Classwork then under the appropriate category. The slides reflect what was planned for the day, but could differ from what we actually completed during the day. For actual completion information, please check the daily summary on this website under the correct Quarter's tab (Qtr 1 for Quarter 1 right now,) The slides often have links to websites and materials we used in class, and should be helpful if students find they are falling behind, or when they are absent. Additionally, I have put a number of additional links and resources for our current topic (Scientific Inquiry) on this website under the "Other" tab, then under "More Topic Resources/Links" then under "Scientific Inquiry/Scientific Method." Those resources can be helpful for students who want to learn more about a topic we are studying as well as for students who might be confused and need to see/hear the information presented in a different way or for students who want more practice with a topic.
08/28/20 - Beginning Monday, 8/31, students will no longer have Dragon Days time on their schedule. Their Homeroom period will be from 8:00-8:30 am and their Core 1 Class will go from 8:35-9:35 am. The remainder of the schedule will be the same as we have followed all week.
08/25/20 - If you did not receive your DDMMS agenda (planner) in your bag when you received your Math & ELA books at last week's distribution days, please pick one up during school hours at the main entrance of the school. I was told they would be right at the front door for you to pick up. Please be sure to wear your mask.
08/24/20 - The information on this website is now current
08/21/20 - If you were not able to pick up your child's Math and ELS supplies at the 6th Grade Distribution Day on Tuesday, today from 8:30-9:30 am is the make-up distribution day. Go through the carpool lane, be sure to stay in your car and bring identification to show the staff members so they can assist you.
08/21/20 - Last night we were asked to remove Google Meet Codes from our websites to improve the security of our Google Meet classes. I have removed them from this website. Please note that the Google Meet Codes are now listed on the Streams of each Google Classroom.
08/19/20 - The information in the Qtr 1 Tab is now current and being updated daily with our essential question, activity, handouts, papers collected and homework for the day
08/16/20 - There will be no classes for 6th graders on Tuesday, 8/18. Instead, on that day, Parents/Guardians of 6th grade students should drive to the DDMMS Carpool Lane between 8:30 and 10:30 am or between 3:30-5:30 pm to pick up their Math and English/Language Arts materials for the 1st quarter. Please be sure you STAY IN YOUR CAR. Staff will come to you! Please be sure to have your child's name and ID ready for Staff.
08/14/20 - I hope you are as excited as I am about school starting on Monday. I will send a Talking Points message out on Sunday reminding everyone of class start times, how to sign in to the Google Meets, and the codes for Google Meets and for my Google Classroom. But here are the codes for those of you who just cannot wait until Sunday for that information (and I understand, because I can hardly wait to meet all of you and learn all about you...Monday just feels so far away!) Here is the info (Please note, the times below are for the first 2 weeks. After that, a schedule with revised start and end times will be issued):
- Homeroom/Dragon Days - starts at 8:15 am - Google Meets Code is In the Core 1 Google Classroom.
- Core 1 - starts at 8:55 am - Google Meets Code is in the Core 1 Google Classroom .
- Core 2 starts at 9:40 am - Google Meets Code is in the Core 2 Google Classroom.
- Core 3 starts at 10:45 am - Google Meets Code is in the Core 3 Google Classroom.
- Core 4 starts at - 12:50 pm - Google Meets Code is in the Core 4 Google Classroom.
08/11/20 - Click here to see the bell schedule beginning on 08/31/20
08/11/20 - Click here to see the bell schedule for the first 2 weeks of school