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

You're invited!

Greetings MMS Families and Community Members,

Milton Middle School students have been engaged in a study of economics and entrepreneurship for the past several weeks. To both put their knowledge to the test and celebrate their learning, we are holding a Market Day Event. Please join us in supporting our young entrepreneurs.

What - MMS Market Day
When - Tuesday 6/10 from 12:30-2:00pm
Where - The MMS Shopping Center (the entire middle school)
What - If you can imagine it, it's likely on sale. We have a TON of food items, baked goods, beverages, customizable clothing and accessories, fishing lures, artwork, bookmarks, calendars, phone cases, health and beauty aids. Get your hair and nails done (just in time for 8th grade celebration), prank a teacher, the list goes on and on.
How - Bring your disposable income and get ready to dispose of it.

Please contact jfabri@mtsd-vt.org with questions.

We look forward to seeing you there!

MMS Humanities Teachers

Marketplace Unit

By now, you've likely heard your child talk about the economics unit we've been working on. Indeed, your child is part of a business group that is bringing a good or service to market on 6/10 when we hold the Market Day. My apologies for not contacting you sooner about this.

After having pitched their ideas to the class, 22 different goods/services were chosen to be created and brought to market. Students then applied to work for the different entrepreneurs and business groups were formed. Students have used their understanding of economics and media in order to put together business proposals and marketing campaigns. Some of the goods and services do involve start-up costs in order to bring the supply to market. Students have been instructed to determine how much they need and how the funds will be raised. In some cases, students said that they could split the cost among the group members, in other cases, they've determined they need to seek outside assistance. In that case, they have created business proposals to pitch to their potential investors (in other words, many of you) so that the investors can know the mission of the group, the description of the good/service, any costs needed, the  market research that has been conducted, and the timeline for making it happen. Students are responsible for tracking their expenses and revenue and must return money back to investors before calculating their profit. Like any investment, there is a risk. If a business does not bring in more revenue than its expenses, the investors will not be reimbursed. If you've  been asked to be an investor, we would appreciate you making sure your child is presenting his or her business proposal to you, then you are free to make a financially responsible decision.

We are assessing several speaking and listening standards this with this unit - being a member of a group, public speaking, changing your message depending upon your audience, etc. There is also a social studies standard that has been assessed by checking students' understanding of the unit terms and concepts. Ask your child to see his or her vocabulary book for more details on that.

You are all invited to the final Market Day. On 6/10 from 12:30-2:00pm, the middle school will be transformed into a shopping center filled with artwork, baked goods, phone cases, socks, music, services, etc. for sale. More details to follow.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this unit or the Market Day event.

As always, thank you for your support.

Boston Trip Meeting May 13

8th Grade Families:
There is a mandatory Boston meeting on Tuesday, May 13th, at 6:00 p.m., in the High School Auditorium for those students going on the trip.  At this meeting we will be going over what to bring to Boston, behavior expectations, and giving helpful tips to help your student navigate the city.

6th/7th Grade Families:
You are welcome to come to the Boston meeting on May 13th, at 6:00 p.m., in the High School Auditorium.  This will be a good opportunity for you to see what the trip is about and answer any questions that you may have about the trip.

Progress Reports

Dear House C Families,

On Friday, May 2, all House C students were given a Progress Report for Math, and Science. If you have not yet seen your child's progress reports, please ask him or her about them. Progress Reports for Humanities and Literacy will be given to students this coming week. As always, if you have any questions about your child's progress, don't hesitate to contact any one of us.

Sincerely,
The Teachers of House C

Milton Theatre Shines!

The Milton High School cast and crew is heading to the New England One Acts Festival. Check out this great piece from WCAX:

Happy!

Check out this video our former students made at Milton High School this week!

Fire Truck Pull!

Dear Families,

I want to thank all of you who came and supported our Spaghetti Dinner and Cupcake War. We made a little more than $1200.

Our next big event and final fundraiser before Boston is the Fire Truck Pull, on April 12, at 11:00 a.m., registration starts at 10:30. The event works like this. Collect a group of 10 people and pull a fire truck 25 feet. To enter the pull, each team needs to raise at least $100 or $10 per person. Student can solicit pledges from friends and families to pull the fire truck. In the past, we have had families gather friends or co-workers to form teams. The more teams we have, the more money we raise. Students can collect pledge sheets and team registration forms (attached) from their teachers or Mr. Smith.

We also have tables for rent at the day of event for $30. If you know anyone who sells jewelry, clothes, or other items, please let them know about this event. To rent a table please contact Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or 893-3215 ext. 1200.

Ninety percent of the pledges that the students collect will go into their Boston accounts. Students can also earn money for their account by volunteering at the event. If your student does decide to volunteer, I hope that the rest of the family will join the student and participate in the event. The more money we are able to collect, the more money that can be shared between those who volunteer.

At the event, we will have Minute-to-Win-It games prior and during the pull, food, face painting, and music. We will also be doing the pie in teacher's faces. This a great event for the whole family.

Please promote this event on Facebook and to all those who might be interested.

https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/1394728890800493/?context=create&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=49

8th Grade Families - Do not forget to turn in waivers and health forms by April 1st.

Thanks,
Joe

Portfolio Conferences March 17 & 18

Dear Families,

More than forty of you have already signed up for Portfolio Conferences on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Thank you!

If you have not yet signed up for a conference with your child, please visit http://bit.ly/housecconferences5 to schedule a time. If the available times don't work for your schedule, please let us know and we'll work with you to schedule another time.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Teachers of House C

Winter Portfolio Conferences March 17 and 18

Dear Families,

It's hard to believe that spring is right around the corner, even if the weather cannot confirm what the calendar says. Along with the arrival of spring comes our second round of Student Portfolio Conferences, where your child will present to you work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth. Any caring adult is welcome - parents, adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. Conferences will take place in the Middle/Elementary School Library on March 17 and 18, between 4:00 and 7:00 PM.

These conferences are important to your child, and represent many hours of hard work. The portfolio process helps students build life-long skills including: organization skills, self-evaluative skills, and communication skills. Most importantly, the portfolio process helps your child take more ownership of his or her learning and be more accountable for his or her academic progress. Thank you for the important role you play in this process!

Please visit http://bit.ly/housecconferences5 to indicate your preferred conference time. If no adult is able to attend at one of the times offered, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Teachers of House C