MS PTC Date Change

Hello, parents & students!

I hope you’re all enjoying your snow day today!

Due to the cancellation of PTCs on Monday, I will be available for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, November 12! I look forward to seeing as many parents as possible!

Also, students, please make sure you remember to bring your supplies for the balloon-powered car project. We will be constructing them in class on Thursday and Friday.

Enjoy the rest of your day and be safe in your travels!

Balloon-Powered Car Project Reminder

Students should be collecting recyclables at home in order to build a balloon-powered car in class next week!

Students, make sure you have ALL of your materials in your locker by Wednesday (this gives you an extra day before we build, in case you forget).

We will build our balloon-powered cars on Thursday and Friday (November 14 and 15) in class. Students will also work on the “creative” aspect of their cars (design, personal touches, etc.). They will then take their cars home for testing over the weekend. We will conduct final testing on Monday, November 18!

Parents, please help remind your students to bring all of their needed materials for the project to school next week! Thank you!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s),

I look forward to meeting with you at Parent-Teacher Conferences!  I will be available to meet with parents in Room 217 on the following days:

*Elementary (4th & 5th Grade):  Thursday, November 7 3:30-6:30
*Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th Grade):  Monday, November 11 3:30-6:30

In order to meet with as many parents as possible, please try your best to limit individual conference time to five minutes. 

الاهل / الاوصياء الاعزاء

إنني أتطلع إلى لقائكم في مؤتمرات الآباء والمعلمين! سأكون متاحًا للقاء أولياء الأمور في الغرفة 217 في الأيام التالية

* المرحلة الابتدائية (الصف الرابع والخامس): الخميس 7 نوفمبر من 6:30-3:30

* المدرسة الإعدادية (الصف السادس والسابع والثامن): الاثنين 11 نوفمبر من 6:30-3:30

من أجل مقابلة أكبر عدد ممكن من الآباء ، يرجى بذل قصارى جهدكم للحد من وقت المؤتمر الفردي إلى خمس دقائق.

Reminders

Happy Friday, everyone!

I have just a few quick reminders for students:

  1. Tuesday, October 29: Cancer Unit Vocabulary Quiz – (Matching)
    *This will count as a summative assessment
    *There may be another summative assessment (graphic organizer)
    using the Cancer Unit Vocabulary in the near future; this will help
    me better assess your ability to apply the vocabulary you learned!
  2. Wednesday, October 30: Bellwork/Take 5 Notebook Check #2
    *Bellwork Check will cover 22 entries: September 30-October 29
    *Bellwork notebooks/binders must be organized by date (highlight
    dates), handwriting must be legible, and responses must represent
    the 3-5 sentence requirement for full credit.

Friday, November 1 will be the last day of the first marking period! Make sure you are prepared for the two items listed above!

Have a great weekend!

Conclusion of Cancer Unit

I just wanted to share with you how proud I am of my students who completed their “Cancer Cell Removal Tool” lab activity today!  Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, we studied a unit on cancer.  The students used the Engineering Design Process (EDP) to help them create prototype “cancer cell removal tools” (they were given constraints in order to help them develop their problem-solving skills).  In their teams, they identified the problem/need, researched it, developed possible solutions, selected the best solution, constructed a prototype, tested and evaluated the solution, communicated the results in their lab write-up, and redesigned their prototypes.

The students truly enjoyed the activity and were very impressed with the success of their prototypes!  We might have some Biomedical Engineers in the future! 🙂

I am proud of my students for their teamwork skills and their application of the EDP! They showed serious interest in such an important topic and gained valuable knowledge and skills to help them in their futures!

Election Day: Exercise your right to vote on November 5!

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, November 5, 2019!

BRICS BOND Information you need to know:

BRICS stands for Buildings, Renovations, Infrastructure, Capacity, and Safety. These are the main focus areas identified by the Citizens Task Force as the most critical needs in the District. 

The BRICS Bond proposal was developed by a group of about 60 community members who spent three months learning about the needs of the District, touring buildings, and gathering information before making their recommendations to the Board of Education.    

The $240 million in funds generated by the sale of these bonds will go to replace aging infrastructure. Items such as boilers (used to heat the buildings), roofs, parking lots, windows, classroom furniture, bathrooms, electrical and plumbing will be addressed through out the district.  

This proposal will not increase the current school millage (tax) rate 

Do not refer to this as a “Renewal”, “Continuation”, or “Replacement”.  This is a new bond proposal that will not increase the current millage rate. 

The district has 34 buildings and 3.2 million square feet of space to maintain that is twice as big as Ford Field Stadium and five times more space than the Henry Ford Museum.

Average age of our buildings in 65 years old with 12 buildings over 90, 12 between 60-75, 6 between 20-59, and 4 under 20. 

By law, bond funds cannot be used for items such as salaries, books, or supplies. Bond funds must be used for specific projects included in the application approved by the Michigan Department of Treasury. 

The City of Dearborn and Dearborn Public Schools are two separate government bodies. They do not share tax dollars or tax revenue. Assessments on property in Dearborn is done by the City and the school district has no part in that process.  

Marking Period 1 Ends November 1

The first marking period will come to an end on Friday, November 1. Students, please remember to turn all of your assignments in on time and to come to class prepared to learn everyday! Parents, please remind your children that the only way they can fulfill their potential is to give their best effort all the time!

Students were given an extra credit opportunity to create an 8.5″ x 11″ colorful visual display of the eight steps of Engineering Design Process (EDP). They were provided with several examples of the assignment expectations. This extra credit assignment must be turned in by the start of each class period on Friday, October 25.

This is the informational visual that was provided in class
*Students must add artwork to their extra credit EDP assignment

Last but not least, I will conduct a Bellwork/Take 5 notebook check during the week of October 28-November 1. Students are aware of the expectations for Bellwork checks (complete Bellwork entries that consist of 3-5 sentences, entries are labeled and organized by date, organization of Bellwork responses in a notebook or folder, etc.). Bellwork/Take 5 notebook checks are done during class and cannot be submitted late unless a student is absent.