Update- 11 January, 2013! Dear parentsWe have started off the second semester with a flurry of activity!

I hope all of you had a super holiday and that you got to spend some good times with family and friends. I wanted to let you know that next week we will be having a writing assessment in English for all students. This will occur over two blocks for each class next week. This assessment will not be added to the grade book, but will be used to look at the current level of student writing in grade 6. After the assessment, we can pinpoint areas of proficiency, and areas to work on for each student; this writing will also be assessed for those students who are applying for Honors English in grade 7. Students do not need to study or prepare in any way, but it would be wonderful if everybody arrived to school having had a good nights sleep every day next week. Next week in English: Students are excited about our new novel project and they have all chosen a novel they will use for the remainder of the quarter. Right now, they are reading, reading, reading! As they read, they will use their metacognitive strategies and complete reading tasks along the way. Please ask them about their novels; so far almost everyone has given me a thumbs up on their choices! Next week in Social Studies: Today, students have each chosen a city that they will begin to research for their 21st Century city/country Relocation Guide. This guide will be completed over the course of the quarter. They will be exploring such areas as: The people The Impact of the past on the present How and why people have changed and adapted the landscape Things not to miss City and country maps A persuasive piece to sell their city

This was a very popular and engaging project last year, and I know it will be a favorite again this year. I hope you all have a relaxing weekend and get over the last of your jetlag! Kind regards, Meg