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Driscoll- Humanities 

This week has been very exciting! We switched classes and now Mrs. Gallion and Mrs. Sanguino’s homerooms will be coming to me and Ms. Tem for the second quarter. We hit the ground running, reviewing the difference between fact and opinion and reviewing topic vs. main idea. Students started to read 3 different articles about whether chocolate milk should be served in schools, began identifying facts and opinions as well as pros and cons presented by the authors. They also began creating a t-chart to record their findings. Students were also introduced to “powerwrites,” a fun writing warm-up to increase writing endurance, and the “daily edit,” a way to practice editing and grammar skills. Students learned the roots mand/mend and created a frayer model to take notes on their definitions, and investigated how Greece’s geography influenced its settlement.

Tem- STEM

This week has been so exciting! We are off to a great start for the third quarter. We have hit the ground running and have already started with the basics for the geometry unit. So far we have covered the definition of prime and composite numbers, as well as ways to test if a number is prime or composite. In Science we have started exploring matter, and have looked specifically at the different characteristics of each state of matter (volume, shape, and how the particles are moving). We also started looking at changes within matter, such as physical and chemical changes. This has been a great week so far!

Casalengo- Humanities

Welcome to third quarter! This week in Humanities we got acquainted with each other, our new surroundings, and routines. The students chose the books they wanted to read and respond to for their Reading Group Responsibility (RGR). We also began to explore the Ancient Civilizations of Canaan, Kush, and Egypt. In writing we evaluated Daily Edits which lead to great discussions about language and how it is used. Ask your child what book she/he chose for RGR. Have a wonderful weekend!

Walker- STEM

Hello New Parents! My name is Mr. Adrion Walker. I am the 3rd quarter S.T.E.M. (Science and Math) teacher for Ms. Tem’s and Ms. Driscoll’s homeroom students. Mrs. Casalengo is my team partner for Humanities (Reading, Writing, and Social Studies). My units of study are Everything Fractions and Earth Science (The crust and below). In Science, students have been engaged in activities relates to the layers of the Earth. We began to create flip charts of the Earth’s layers. We are almost completed this activity and will began labeling and listing important details next week. We will begin working on our Unit Project next week as well. Students will be creating a fun and engaging science video (like Bill Nye the Science Guy). The projects will be available for parents to see at the end of the quarter. Look out for an invitation to our Presentation of Learning Exhibit. In Math, students began to learn about equivalent fractions with and without models. We created and compared decimal and fraction models this week. Next week, students will begin to create slideshow or teaching video to assist other students to have a deeper understanding of equivalent fractions. If you need to contact me please email me at adrion.walker@apsva.us

Sanguino- Humanities

Welcome Mrs. Casalengo’s and Mr. Walker’s classes! This week was our first week together and the students transitioned nicely. Students completed their daily edits, read an article about allergies, listened to a read aloud, and wrote summaries. Students also learned about new roots, or word parts, when they began the first chapter for social studies. In social studies, they began learning about three social scientist (archaeologists, historians, and geographers) who investigate the past. I am looking forward to a great quarter together! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at kelly.sanguino@apsva.us. Have a great weekend!

Gallion- STEM

What a great start to third quarter! Students have been excited to get started with decimals! We spent this week rocking place value. Students have been working hard to multiply numbers by powers of 10 and recognizing how many times larger one digit of a number is than the other. Decimal place values have been introduced and students wrapped up the week by representing decimals in standard, written and expanded form. In Science, we started talking about cells. Students have been investigating the organelles that make up plant and animal cells and they got a chance to look at real cells under the microscope. Have a great weekend!