| The biggest challenges of my life and some of the most beautiful and successful years of my life have been as a Bulldog in the hallways and classrooms of Washington Caldwell School. I am leaving behind my desk and my lesson plans, my file cabinets and my inflatable solar system planets for grad school... but what I leave behind means nothing compared to what I take with me. I am taking every memory, every moment, and every smile from my 10 years here. I am taking every lunch time study hall and hidden smiley face on my dry erase board. I am taking every year book picture in the gym and every track and field day at the high school. I am taking every sports practice and every genius hour, every home game and every theater production. I am taking my students and their families, fellow staff members and my friends that became my family. I will not be sad, but I will be reminiscent. I will not be lonely, but I will be independent. And though it will never be the same, I hope to find inspiration in our memories together. I hope to see all of you again, and will be sure to stop in and say... "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much. Helen Keller. Go Bulldogs - WOOF" Wishing you all a wonderful summer, a beautiful school year, and an awesome lifetime to come, Forever and always a Bulldog, Mrs. Kelly Maass <- here are some memories from the years... |
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While we are closed as a school, I wanted to let you all know that we are never done as a community. Remember to seek out the old - to look at how far you have grown and reconnect with good memories and people. Remember to seek out something new - ideas and goals you can be excited about and work on to better yourself. Something borrowed - borrow some time, or help family members make time, to do something together and borrow ideas and inspiration from pinterest or online and try and create some thing you can do with others. Something blue? Well, I challenge you to find the blue skies and sunshine in even the stormiest of times... my blue - I married my best friend on Friday. We were smart and safe, and still had a lovely time starting the next journey in our lives together. Remember - alone we can do so little, together we can do so much - Helen Keller Go Bulldogs! Woof! - Mrs. Maass Below are a list of helpful websites and interesting resources to help keep your students curious and learning while the building is closed - just because the lights are off at school doesn't mean the lights are off in their heads! Keep them engaged and excited to learn : )
An excellent source for a variety of topics and subjects for kids - free subscriptions https://swingeducation.com/resources/education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions-and-content-online/ Scholastic Learn at Home https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html Khan Academy khanacademy.org Hour of Code - online coding activities that can be filtered by age and device Code.org National Geographic Kids https://swingeducation.com/resources/education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions-and-content-online/ How Stuff Works https://www.howstuffworks.com/ Fun Brain - fun for their growing brains https://www.funbrain.com/ Museum in San Francisco https://www.exploratorium.edu/ BBC Kids HIstory https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/forkids/ Time for Kids https://www.timeforkids.com/ 6 Science has begun learning about Space Science - we will start looking at different forms of what people thought our solar system looked like, how the planets formed and also the life of a start. We will be using our etextbook app, Google Classroom, and picCollage for our assignments and students will be emailing me their homework over the course of the school closure.
7 Science will be learning about the human body systems - respiratory, skeletal, digestive and so on. We will start by learning about how the body - as a whole - relies on these systems to operate and function, then go into each one in greater detail. We will be using our etextbooks, PicCollage and Google Classroom for assignments and students will be emailing me their homework over the course of the school closure. 8 Science is bidding farewell to PLTW and will start learning about Ecology and the Environment before changing it up for May with a refresher in Physics. We will look at how different parts of the environment interact with one another and the different cycles that contribute to life on our planet. We will be using Google Classroom, PicCollage and etextbooks for assignments and students will be emailing me their homework over the course of the school closure. 7 Social Studies will be continuing to work on their Greek God or Goddess Project. These will be due upon return (April 6th or so). We will also continue to work ahead with our studies of the Ancient Greeks using our etextbook OR online textbook, reviews I post in Google Classroom, and email for PicCollages or key concepts, ideas and so on. 8 Social Studies wrapped up it's focus on Jefferson as President, now onto the changing culture and society of the United States in the early 1800s. We will be studying international relationships between the US and foreign countries, war within the nation between a spreading towns and villages and indigenous nations, and also learn more about early American Art, Literature and Culture in the days ahead. Students need to be using their etextbook OR online textbook to access the reading materials, and should also be checking Google Classroom for reviews and assignments. Their will PicCollages assigned for several areas of focus, as well. Reminder for students - Take the time given to grow and show what you have been learning about, and stay current with the readings and posted assignments. We are still teaching to help prepare you for the growth and learning ahead, take assignments and discussions seriously. Grades will still be entered, emails need to be checked - that is how we will be communicating with you (like texting, but on the ipad or computers instead of your phones). We all need to take time to educate ourselves so we come out of this in a good place for the rest of the year. 8th grade - please continue to send in your pics for the slideshow at the end of the year - I will be working on the slides over the school closure. 6 Science will be wrapping up our study of light this week with a quiz on Thursday. We will review all major concepts on light, lenses, mirrors, colors and eyeballs on Tuesday and Wednesday to help get us all geared up and prepared to show what we know. 7 Science will be having their Quiz on Cells, DNA, Traits and Punnett squares this Friday. We will spend Wednesday and Thursday reviewing and preparing for our test on Friday. Then, it is on to human body systems and PLTW! 8 Science is going to be studying resistors and controlled flow of electrons. We will look at how different types influence a circuit and are used in electronics, and also work through a few gates before we wrap up PLTW for the year. Our final area of focus will be ecology and the environment. 7 Social Studies will be learning more about the evolution of the Ancient Greek culture this week. We will learn about their mythology and the many nature influenced and inspired myths that surrounded and influenced their daily life, look at early Greek government, and also look at the impact that the civilization has had on modern times. 8 Social Studies will be learning about Lewis and Clark this week - and the importance of resources and indigenous cultures that they encountered on their journey. The students will also be conducting a Socratic Circle for this area of study as well as watching a short documentary on the epic purchase and exploration of the region known as the Louisiana Purchase. Genius Hour - Tuesday March 10th 3:45 - 4:45 Academic Bowl - Wednesday March 11th 9-12pm Bake Sale - Friday March 13th - Bring your change for some goodies! 6 Science will be continuing our study of light and perception by diving into the human eye this week - rods, cones and vitreous humor, oh my! We will look at the importance of good eye health, how color is picked up in our eyes and talk about what "floaters" in our eyes really are. 7 Science will be learning about biotechnology - how heredity has changed over time due to selective breeding of different species, how technology has allowed for UV reactant fish, and also how we can learn about mutations earlier on. We will be having a quiz the week of March 9th, so please have them review in advance. 8 Science is continuing to work on their PLTW circuitry with a lot of attention to diodes and light emitting diodes. We have created motor circuits and learned about the use of PN Junctions in a circuit. We will be moving on to scenarios and types of resistors in the days ahead. 7 Social Studies is continuing on with their study of the Greeks. Geography will be discussed, and we have looked at the importance of geography in terms of the oracle at Delphi and trade in the region. We will be looking at achievements and the great works of architecture and artwork that inspired so many following cultures. 8 Social Studies is finishing looking at President Washington's time in office, the next President in line - Adams, and then get a good look at Jefferson's time in office. We will also look into the Louisiana Purchase, the journey of Lewis and Clark and how their exploration changed the face of our Nation. 6 Science is continuing to focus and delve into the world of light energy. We learned about the visible light spectrum last week, now it is on to mirrors and lenses. We will be looking at different types of images, convex versus concave surfaces and how light waves interact with them to help produce images. 7 Science will be creating some monsters using punnett squares to demonstrate their understanding of heredity of a specific trait and ratios. We will also look into probability this week, and work towards our final lesson on selective traits. 8 Science will begin working with our snap circuit kits to create different types of circuits. They have done a nice job creating their motors last week and ready to move on to our next group of demos. 7 Social Studies is wrapping up our focus on Judaism this week. We will be looking at how changes of leadership affected the Jewish community how the Roman's changed and challenged the Jewish faith, and the beginnings of Hanukkah and other holidays. 8 Social Studies will be wrapping up Citizenship this week and dive back into history to George Washington's presidency, Alexander Hamilton's battle with the National Bank, and looking at how our other early presidents took on the role to establish our Nations foundations. 6 Science is continuing to work through and learn about our unit on Light Waves and Technology. We are going to be learning about how light interacts with the world around us through refraction and reflection, how the light we see is the only color not absorbed by a material or object. We will be doing a couple small labs with this unit, including finding our blind spot! 7 Science is going to be working through punnett squares and inheritance of traits. I think they will enjoy learning about how traits are passed on and along through species. We will be having a quiz on the topic, but not in the next week. I will share a review with them, and we will be doing a lot of examples and demos and labs to get some hands on experience with probability and inheritance. 8 Science will be finishing their build with the telegram devices. We have been looking at how electromagnets can take on charges and channel energy to be useful to humans. Next up we will be learning about generators and how energy can take on different forms and be harnessed for our use. 7 Social Studies is doing a great job learning about the roots of Judaism - we have also been reading "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" off and on as a class. We will be having a quiz on Judaism, and a review will be provided for them. Right now, we are focusing on the Diaspora, or divide, that occurred within the faith, and then we will start to look at the important texts and practices that are still tradition today. 8 Social Studies is done with Amendments and focusing on how a bill becomes a law and the powers of the three branches and how they check one another. From there, we will also learn about responsibilities that each citizen has to one another and the nation, including voting, registering to serve, ties to the community and also - the all time favorite - jury duty! Next week we have Genius Hour and Carnation Sale Slips are both due on Tuesday, with Carnations being handed out on Friday, February 14th. 6 Science will begin studying the way that light interacts with different materials, how we sense light and color and also how different aspects of light have been utilized to create some remarkable pieces of technology. 7 Science will start learning about traits, heredity and the difference between genotypes and phenotypes. We will be using some SpongeBob Squarepants scenarios to create punnett squares to study patterns of inheritance, and also have a scavenger hunt around the classroom to look at transcription and translation. 8 Science is done with their PLTW lesson on static electricity - we will next be moving on into DC voltage and electrical currents. reminder that their PLTW notebooks are not only their notebooks for taking down notes, but are also part of their lab grade and assessment grades - Neatness, Spelling and using complete sentences to convey ideas and respond to conclusion questions are part of their grades and they need a reminder from the home front about quality of work. 7 Social Studies is sharing their take on ancient Chinese inventions ono Tuesday - students were given two weeks to create their version of the early prototypes of creations from the period and will be displaying those in the cases near the office as museum artifact-type work. We have also begun studying the religion of Judaism and will be having a quiz at the end of the chapter - a review will be provided, as always, in google classroom. 8 Social Studies has made progress through our study of the organization of America's government, the branches and positions within, as well as the Preamble. This week we will focus on checks and balances, how a bill becomes a law and also how a president is elected. Media Night on February 3rd and 5th NJHS Meetingon Monday February 3rd Girl's Volleyball Practice begin this week WASBF on Friday 6 Science is going to be wrapping up sound with a final lesson looking at sound technology before our quiz on Thursday. A review is posted for the kids in Google Classroom - I have shared it with them and we have looked at the ideas and vocabulary terms that are one it. I strongly encourage them to start studying now so that they can have a good grasp of the ideas and terms that will be on the quiz. 7 Science will be having a quiz on mitosis and meiosis on Thursday. The group seemed to figure out the challenging concepts almost effortlessly - we will still have a review for the quiz in school the day prior. The worksheets that we have done in class that make up their mitosis / meiosis packet are the perfect review for them, as we have read and discussed and drawn our way to a strong understanding by using them in our learning. 8 Science will begin looking at some activities more closely this next week. We have been learning about atomic structure and how the type of element and its placement on the periodic table can indicate its ability to allow for electrons to flow. I know the kids have been taking a lot of notes, they have asked why, and I respond with - a building needs a good foundation to stand, and we need strong ideas to help understand. They have been doing a great job in class this week. 7 Social Studies is going to be aiming to recreate some early artifacts from ancient China. Each student has picked an achievement that they want to focus on and are writing a small piece to accompany their object. The written portion is due Monday - we had some time to work on it in class and brainstormed important information to include in its description. The artifacts that they are reproducing are due on February 4th - a Tuesday. I am hoping that will give everyone enough time to get materials they need to together to make some pretty cool artifacts. 8 Social Studies is focusing on the Preamble and the ideas of a unified country, justice, safety, welfare, and liberty. They will be taking a short quiz on it on Friday of this week, and then we will start looking at the ideas that follow - our many amendments that protect the rights and liberties of our nation's citizens. Honor Roll Assembly January 29th at 2:45pm |
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March 2020
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