November 13th-16th

Dear Parents/Guardians,
  Progress Reports went home today.  Please look them over and sign them or send a note saying that you have received it by Friday.
  Our Thanksgiving Feast is next Tuesday, November 20th.  Thank you to all who have already sent in money for turkeys!  If you have not sent money, please send at least $1 no later than Tuesday.  This is an easy way to help ensure that all LPA students eat a delicious Thanksgiving dinner this year.
  Our annual 6th grade field trip is scheduled for December 17th.  I will be sending out Permission Slips as soon as all details are finalized.  We will be travelling, by bus and school vans, to Biosphere2.  The cost  will be $10 per student.  We will need two parent/guardian volunteers to chaperone.  The trip will be a fun and educational ending to the Biome/Ecosystem unit that we began just over a week ago.  Before the end of the semester, students will be making posters reflecting what they have learned about a particular biome of their choosing to present to the class.

Here are the Spelling Words for the week:

1. rodent
2. consistent
3. narrative
4. ailment
5. autumn
6. rely
7. imitate
8. perimeter
9. camouflage
10. fasten
11. vehicle
12. notify
13. prose
14. display
15. revolve
16. statistic
17. predict
18. rigid
19. character
20. associate

 Have a great short week!
-Ms. Vasquez

November 5th-9th

Dear Parents/Guardians,
  Thankgiving is approaching quickly.  This year, 6th grade will be contributing money to buy the turkeys for our annual Thanksgiving Feast.  Mrs. Stewart will purchase all the turkeys and Albertson's will prepare them for us. Please send $1-$2 in the next 2 weeks so that we can have a successful and delicious feast!

Here are the Spelling Words for this week:

1. article
2. cautious
3. decent
4. vital
5. citizen
6. adjective
7. liberate
8. chemical
9. exaggerate
10. explore
11. immense
12. manual
13. novel
14. continual
15. install
16. definite
17. district
18. partially
19. alternate
20. satisfactory

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

October 29-November 2

Dear Parents/Guardians,
  Last week was extremely busy with our "Just Say No!" activities and contests and with our Harvest Fest preparations.  Thank you to the families who donated candy.  We had another successful Harvest Fest.  Our class also did a great job decorating our door with our anti-drug theme.  Special thanks to Danae, Jaycey, Julian, and Christian for their hard work and creativity. 
  Please remember that October Reading Logs are due this week!  November Logs will go out Thursday.  Students should continue to read 400 minutes per month.  Junior and Michael not only read more than 400 minutes, they also turned their Reading Logs in early!  Good job. 
  Currently, we are working on a Writing, Social Studies, and Character unit based on Heifer International.  This non-profit organization provides livestock and education to people in poor areas throughout the world.  We will be donating some of our Duds for Dollars money to the purchase of animals.  Please keep an eye out for a Bake Sale announcement as well.  After student groups present finalized persuasive essay proposals to the class, please keep an eye out for a Bake Sale announcement.  The class is very excited about doing charitable work that will make a real difference in people's lives.

These are the Spelling Words for this week:

1. coincidence
2. column
3. debut
4. defend
5. determine
6. disappoint
7. drought
8. effort 
9. examine
10. knack
11. knock
12. mingle
13. orchestra
14. prediction
15. quantity
16. surgeon
17. vacuum
18. relay
19. mammoth
20. significant

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez 

October 15th-19th

Dear Parents/Guardians,
  Thanks to all of you who took the time to come see me or have a phone conference last week.  Some of you will hear from me this week as I wrap up my first round of conferences.
  This week we will be busy with Galileo testing.  These tests are designed to help teachers adjust our curriculum to ensure that students are on track to learn the state standards for this school year.  Tests will be given Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday morning.  As a special treat, we will also be watching Hoot today and tomorrow.  This is a continuation of our Hoot reading unit.  Students will begin papers comparing and contrasting the book and the movie on Wednesday. 
  Wednesday is a special Dress Down day on Wednesday.  All proceeds will go to the Susan B. Komen Foundation.  Students who dress down must wear pink.  Donations of $1 or more are required for dress down.  The class that collects the most money will receive an Eegee's Party
  Currently, we are also having a candy drive for our Harvest Festival. Please send in bags of candy to help make our Harvest Fest a success.

Here are the Spelling Words for this week:

1. inhabit
2. advance
3. lenient
4. despise
5. shiver
6. pedestrian
7. exception
8. monstrous
9. machinery
10. hereditary
11. axle
12. barrette
13. adjust
14. seize
15. distant
16. quench
17. exaggerate
18. supreme
19. arrangement
20. immediate

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

October 8th-12th

I hope you had a nice Fall Break.  Now we are pushing ahead into the second quarter of the schoolyear.  If you have not yet signed up for a Parent-Teacher Conference, please stop by and sign up on my door or see if I'm available when you stop by before or after school.  If you aren't available to speak in person around school hours, let me know when you would like to have a phone conference or email me with any questions, suggestions, etc.

By Monday, we will finish our second novel, Hoot by Carl Hiaasen.  Next week we will watch the movie of the same title as a special treat.  It is a PG movie based on the book that was released in 2006.  Students will be comparing and contrasting the book and the movie in a short essay.

Here are our Spelling Words for the week:

1. coarse
2. compress
3. common
4. contrary
5. defender
6. enormous
7. exhibit
8. expert
9. hoax
10. infuriate
11. irresistable
12. pact
13. pedestal
14. pursue
15. reliable
16. service
17. shrill
18. submarine
19. technical
20. venom

I hope to see all parents soon!
-Ms. Vasquez

September 24th

Dear Parents/Guardians,
  This is the final week of the first quarter.  All work from this quarter - with the exception of Reading Logs, our bean project logs, and Reading Journals - have already been collected.  Reading Logs must be signed and turned in by Wednesday or students will receive zeros. Bean plants will be sent home by Thursday.  At the beginning of next quarter, I plan to meet with a parent or guardian of each student so that we can discuss your child's progress.  A sign up sheet with available times will be on my door by the end of the day, please sign up there or email me your preferred time so that I can work you into my schedule. 

  This week, we are doing a review of frequently misspelled words that we've discussed this quarter.  Many of the words were suggested by students. 

1. bonus
2. could
3. because
4. went
5. which
6. does
7. can't
8. their
9. February
10. Vásquez
11. until
12. weird
13. write
14. favorite
15. believe
16. exercise
17. won't
18. piece
19. necessary
20. Phoenix

Have a great week! I hope to see all of you soon.
-Ms. Vasquez

Sept. 17th-Sept. 21st

  We are loving Science in Room 319 this quarter! We are in the second week of our bean study and many of our plants seem to be growing.  We are also writing persuasive essays about whether or not having your genomes sequenced is a good idea. 
  Please remember that, with the exception of Reading Logs, this is the last week for students to turn in work to be included in the first Report Cards.  Reading Logs will be accepted no later than Wednesday, September 26th.  Report Cards go home on Friday the 28th. 

This week's Spelling Words:

1. hectic
2. transport
3. practical
4. suspicious
5. probable
6. ceremony
7. delicious
8. prolong
9. wonderful
10. synonym
11. contribute
12. deceive
13. delay
14. restaurant
15. movement
16. lyric
17. grieve
18. actual
19. refuel
20. tranquil.

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

September 10th

Parents/Guardians,
  The end of the first quarter is approaching quickly!  Students need to continue turning in all work on time.  I am not accepting late work unless a student has been absent or has a green character card.  Also, please remember that students should all be reading approximately 20 minutes per day.  September Reading Logs (350 minutes) are due by September 26th.  Report Cards will be sent home on September 28th.
  Our Entertainment Book Fundraiser ended last Wednesday.  Many students have not returned their Entertainment Books yet.  Please get the books or the money for the books in to school as soon as possible!
  Today we are starting an ongoing Science experiment in class.  We will all be growing bean plants and determining which conditions are best for germination and growth.  This goes along with our botany unit in Science.
  It is clear that many students are doing a great job of studying Spelling Words.  Please keep up the good work!  Some students who need to do more studying still have time to pick those grades up.

This week's Spelling Words:

1. squalor
2. impatient
3. deny
4. women
5. advisor
6. solve
7. desire
8. absence
9. rival
10. discuss
11. compete
12. necessary
13. financial
14. detail
15. ancient
16. pastime
17. visualize
18. possess
19. conflict
20. manipulate 

Thank you, and have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

September 4th-7th

Dear Parents and Guardians,
  Thank you so much for visiting our classroom during Open House last week!  The main event of this week is the sending home of Mid-Quarter Progress Reports today.  Please sign and return the Progress Report, or send a short note indicating you received it, by Friday.  Any work listed as missing must be returned with the Progress Report.  I typically do not take any work that is more than one day late.  Instead, missing work is converted to a zero on the second day. 
  Please remember that students need to continue to read at home throughout the school year.  Tomorrow, I will send home Reading Logs.  Because this is a short month, and the quarter ends on September 28th, only 350 minutes of independent reading are required this month.  Reading Logs are due on Wednesday, September 26th.

This week's Spelling Words:

1. disaster
2. blunt
3. unwrap
4. identical
5. ravenous
6. develop
7. error
8. labeled
9. stomach
10. miniature
11. authentic
12. publish
13. instruct
14. religious
15. result
16. cushion
17. burial
18. global
19. hereditary
20. immigrant

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez   

August 29th - Open House

  This has already been an eventful week in Rm. 319.  On Monday, we conducted an experiment to investigate how to best inflate a balloon using yeast, different varieties of sugar and water bottles.  We had a great time and learned a lot about the scientific method.  Thank you to Danae's family for providing so many materials for our experiment!
  Tonight, the excitement continues with open house being held from 6 to 8 pm.  We invite everyone to visit us in our classrooms, in the cafeteria for informative assemblies, and in the library for our Scholastic Book Fair. 
 Please remember that there is no school Monday in celebration of Labor Day.  On Tuesday, students will be taking Mid-Quarter Progress Reports home.  Please sign and return them, or write me a short note indicating you recieved them, by Friday, September 7th.

Here are the Spelling Words for this week:

1. poverty
2. massive
3. crept
4. deposit
5. verbal
6. judgment
7. endurance
8. sluggish
9. detach
10. monarchy
11. reinforce
12. release
13. dessert
14. dormitory
15. swift
16. except
17. political
18. government
19. destination
20. requirement

I hope to see you tonight!
-Ms. Vasquez

August 20th-24th

Students and Families,
  Thursday afternoon will provide us a great chance to support our tackle football program, including four students from our own classroom!  Come to the first game of the school year on the LPA Central Field.  Students may also dress down for $1 to support the team.  School colors are preferred.
  Thank you to everyone who is selling Entertainment Books this year!  They are a great way to earn money to be used to improve each classroom. 
  Students, please remember to bring your planners to school and take them home everyday.  Parents, students should be writing all assignments they have not finished, along with any work specifically assigned as homework, in their planners everyday. 

Here are the Spelling Words for the week:

1. inquire
2. vary
3. janitor
4. desert
5. source
6. infinite
7. garment
8. discreet
9. cafeteria
10. athlete
11. attire
12. directory
13. salmon
14. bizarre
15. delivery
16. aluminum
17. camouflage
18. blouse
19. profit
20. frugal

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

This week we will start the Entertainment Book fundraiser.  Students will be bringing home a copy of this year's Entertainment Book to show to friends and family.  This is a great opportunity to raise money for technology, new curricula, and other classroom aides.  Please return the books if your family does not plan to participate in the fundraiser.

Some students are still in need of personal school supplies - especially notebooks.  I have been buying extras from Fry's for $0.25 (there is a 10 notebook limit per visit).  If any families can provide more notebooks to your own student or to our classroom supply for current and later use, we would really appreciate it.  It is great to take advantage of back-to-school sales now when supplies are so inexpensive.  Thank you all for the great supplies you have already provided students this year!

This week's Spelling Words:

1. raccoon
2. halo
3. prominent
4. surgery
5. bachelor
6. knack
7. immune
8. survey
9. quiver
10. knives
11. possible
12. saucy
13. instead
14. petition
15. voluntary
16. prefer
17. imaginary
18. impress
19. naive
20. debris

Thank you and have a great week!
Ms. Vasquez

August 6th-10th

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students,
   This is our first full week of school so we will now be operating on a regular schedule as much as possible.  Today, for example, we started the day with Spelling morning work (5 times each).  The first lesson in our Math book and a Spelling Packet followed before P.E. and lunch.  Next, we moved onto Math Drills and then Reading (1 chapter from Number the Stars, followed by questions answers in students' Reading Journals).  Finally, we finished the day with afternoon break and then Science Worksheets.

Important Notes:
  This year all students are required to use a planner on a daily basis.  Students will write any homework assignments or assignments they didn't finish in their planners at the end of the day.  This is a good way for them to remember what they need to do and practice responsibility.  It is also a good way for parents to make sure that students are getting everything done. Parents/Guardians please check on the planners at least once a week to make sure that students aren't falling behind.  I might write notes in planners from time to time as well.

Spelling Words

1. visual
2. illustration
3. violence
4. efficient
5. preference
6. retrieve
7. skirmish
8. collide
9. resource
10. envelop
11. appreciate
12. accident
13. steady
14. serious
15. arise
16. perish
17. trousers
18. visible
19. introduce
20. cabinet

Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

Welcome 6th Graders of the 2012-2013 School Year!

Dear Parents and Students,
  I'm excited to start another year teaching 6th grade.  This year will bring a lot of new faces to me and bring a lot of new knowledge to students.  I look forward to seeing all the students on Thursday morning.  I will be posting information on this blog most Mondays.  Included will be information about upcoming events, what we are studying, Spelling words, etc.
What to Expect this Year
  In Room 319 students will study Reading, Writing, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  Additionally this year we have a new Music teacher, and our returning P.E. coaches.

• Reading:  We will read 6 novels this year, in addition to working from books and packets on Reading Comprehension.  The novels are Number the Stars, Hatchet, Out of the Dust, The Giver, The Green Book, and Bud, Not Buddy.  Students will be responsible for keeping answers to questions I post on the board each day in a Reading Journal.  These are collected approximately every 2 weeks and make up about 50% of Reading Grades.  Reading Logs will also be a requirement this year.  Students will read 400 or more minutes each month.  Signed reading logs will make up approximately 10% of Reading grades.
• Writing:  We will focus heavily on the 6 Traits of Writing this year ( Content, Conventions, Organization, Word Choice, Voice, and Sentence Fluency).  Students will be writing works from a variety of different genres including Expository Essays, Poetry, Narratives, Letters, and Research Papers.  Additionally students will have a Spelling list of 15-25 words each week.  Lists are given out on Mondays, Spelling practice assignments will be given out throughout the week and tests will be on Fridays.
• Math:  We will be putting a lot of time and effort into Math this year.  Fractions, Decimals, Probability, and basic Algebra and Geometry are some of the areas we hope to master this year.  Students can expect to have some Math homework most days.
• Science:  As was the case in 5th grade, the Science Fair will be a big part of the 3rd quarter.  The rest of the year we will be working on learning the history of Science, the Scientific process, and Life Science.  There is a good chance we will take our third annual 6th grade trip to the Biosphere 2 this year to see our learning in action.
• Social Studies:  Sixth grade Social Studies is a great chance for expanding a student's knowledge of the world.  We will study World History, and Geography, along with Government and Economics.  Later in the year, students will engage in individual or small group research projects focusing on individual countries. 

    Again, please remember that I will be posting more specific information on this blog regularly this year.  I look forward to meeting all of you in the near future.  Let's make this a great year!

Sincerely,
Ms. Vasquez

April AIMS

Dear Parents,
The next week and a half are all about review and preparation for AIMS. We will be reviewing Buckle Down books that we have been using all school year. Students will be taking practice tests and we will be going over them question by question. Please encourage your students to study at home as well. I don't want them to feel overworked, but want students to feel ready and comfortable during AIMS testing.
More than ever, it would be helpful to provide healthy alternatives to junk food during the day. There is often a noticeable difference in the attention and behavior of students who consume sugary snacks and beverages and those who choose healthier alternatives.
Finally, March Reading Logs were all due today. I have sent home notes for the last two weeks indicating that students needed to have the Logs signed and turned in on time or go to detention to complete the 400 minutes of independent reading they owe for March. As a school, we are stressing the importance of reading at home in order to improve literacy for all of our students. I am sending April Reading Logs home today. Again, students are required to read 400 minutes. They must turn in their Reading Logs no later than Thursday May 3rd in order to avoid time spent in detention making up the 400 minutes.
Please remember that I send home a newsletter about our class (including Spelling Words) every Monday.
Have a great break this weekend!
-Ms. Vasquez

Reminders and Updates

Dear Parents,
The end of another quarter is approaching quickly! All missing work is due by Monday (3/12). The final assignments to be entered as grades for the next report card will be book reports (due on 3/14). Book reports were assigned on Friday to encourage more independent reading, because it seems that many students are not doing their necessary reading at home.
Reading Logs for March were sent home on Friday and will be sent home today on the back side of my weekly letter. They are due on April 2nd. Reading Logs are mandatory. Students who do not turn them in will have detention next month.
Please remember that I send home a weekly letter every Monday. Included on my letter each week are Spelling Words, what we are working on for the week, my contact information, and important updates and reminders.
Have a great week!
-Ms. Vasquez

Happy New Year!

Dear Parents/Guardians,
We've had a full first week back to school. This quarter will be our busiest quarter of the year. By now you should have seen the Science Fair Packet and Spelling Bee packet that went out on Tuesday. Our class Spelling Bee will be held on Monday, January 23rd. Students should have chosen a Science Fair topic by now. They need to bring in a signed permission slip for the Science Fair by Tuesday the 10th.
December Reading Logs were due today. Only a handful of students have turned them in. Please send a note or the Reading Log as soon as possible. I will be deducting 10% each day it is late. Reading Logs are worth 10% of students' Reading Grades.
Please remember that I send home a weekly letter each Monday. On the letter I include Spelling words for the week, updates on what we are studying, and important information that can help you help your students. This week I also attached the January Reading Log which will be due by February 3rd. Beginning this month, students will need to read 400 minutes to receive full credit.
Thank you,
Ms. Vasquez