Gearing Up For A New School Year

Summer 2014

Greetings to the students and families of House C,

We are already looking forward to the 2014-2015 school year at Milton Middle School. We are eager and excited to begin our work together in August! Our learning community on House C consists of 90 students in grades six, seven and eight. The teachers of House C are: Mr. Caswell (Science); Mrs. Thibault-Cote (Mathematics); Mr. Dabritz and Ms. Fabri (Literacy and Humanities); and Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Gordon (Consulting Teachers).


This year, our focus in Humanities will be on developing our literacy skills through the lens of U.S. and World History. We will examine literature and other media to explore moments in our country's history, so that students will come to see that history is a living, breathing, dynamic set of different perspectives and stories that contribute to our overall understanding of the current state of our country and the global community.

In Science, students will hone their inquiry skills as they answer questions and test predictions about Earth's geologic, weather, climatic, and solar systems.

Students will further develop their abstract and quantitative reasoning as they become skilled mathematicians in using fractions, decimals, percents, proportionality, negative numbers, equations, linear functions, the geometry of three-dimensional shapes, the Pythagorean Theorem, and more!

House C Blog - You're Here!

Our primary mode of team-home communication will be through this blog, where we will post all manner of information about student learning, assignments, and announcements. Please sign up for email updates, or visit often for daily updates during the school year:

Meet and Greet

As a new team, we think it’s important to spend some time getting to know each other. To that end, we hope you will join us at the school in rooms 214 and 215 on Tuesday, August 26th from 5:00-6:30 for a “sweets and apps” potluck. Please bring a small number of your favorite dessert or appetizer to share. This is a great opportunity to chat with the teachers, preview your classrooms, and meet other families on House C.

Tree Nut Allergy Allert

A student on House C has a serious peanut/tree nut allergy - the food allergy that claims more lives each year than any other. Tree nuts include: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, pistachios, and Brazil nuts.  A child with a serious peanut/tree nut allergy can suffer a reaction by touching a peanut/tree nut-containing food.  Therefore, we are putting the following safety guidelines into effect: Please do not send peanuts/tree nuts, or foods containing peanuts or tree nuts to be eaten as snacks in the classroom.  It is fine to send these products for lunch, which is eaten in the cafeteria. We will not be doing any classroom projects that involve peanuts/tree nuts.  Please do not send any of these projects into the classroom with your child.

Supplies

Binders

You will store and organize your paperwork in a three-ring binder. If you wish to keep everything in one place, you will need a larger (2” to 3”) binder. If you prefer to keep separate binders for each subject, you will need up to three smaller (1” to 1½”) binders. You will also need a separate 2” binder for your portfolio.

Paper

Get several packs of three-ring lined paper. You’ll be surprised how quickly this is used up!

Dividers

Two packs of five tabbed dividers.

Pencils

Being prepared for class with a pencil is a must. Don’t be caught without one!

Sharpener

A simple handheld pencil sharpener.

Highlighters

Two or three different colors.

Dry Erase Markers

For math class

Composition Book

College ruled, for humanities class.

Light Pocket Folders

Two, with prongs (one for math and one science).

For materials such as paper, pencils, and markers, we suggest that you send a limited amount at the beginning of the year and keep a reserve at home for when these supplies run low throughout the year.

We look forward to seeing you in August. In the meantime, be in touch if you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy your summer and we’ll see you soon!

Sincerely,

Nathan Caswell

Charles Dabritz
Jana Fabri
Maria Gordon
Megan Smith
Catherine Thibault-Cote