Introductory letter grade 7

 NEUSE CHARTER SCHOOL SCIENCE GRADE 7

                                                                                                                    

Welcome to seventh grade Science!  It is my pleasure to teach your child.  This year will be a year of discovery and exploration.  We will cover various themes over the semester:  Severe weather, the human body and its systems, and genetics.  Grade 7 is not a tested year so your child will NOT take the End of Grade test in Science.  Students will explore scientific concepts in a variety of ways:  by reading and questioning, assignments, multimedia, experiments, models, games, simulations, and other hands on activities.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Many students have already brought in supplies.  The school supply list may also be found on Neuse Charter school’s website:  www.neusecharterschool.org.  For Science, students will need two spiral notebooks, a hand held pencil sharpener, a Science folder, and a $5.00 Science fee.  The Science fee will be collected by Grades 5-10 and will be used to buy Science equipment and experiment materials.  Other materials to be replenished through the year are loose leaf paper, pencils, erasers, and pens (red/blue/black).  Wish list items for the Science are:  markers and colored pencils for the class, a class pencil sharpener, Lysol wipes, expo board spray, and Kleenex.

GRADING

Every effort will be made to ensure your child is learning, engaged, and thinking critically.  The vast majority of children do very well in Science and enjoy it very much.  However, if your child is falling below grade level – below 77% or C – then I will contact you and we will discuss ways to improve your child’s grade. 

CONTACTS AND SCIENCE INFORMATION

Weekly information on themes we are covering and when tests and assignments are due may be found on the Neuse Charter School website:  www.neusecharterschool.org.  Click on the “More…” tab and then the “Teachers Blogs” link.  If you have any questions or concerns you may email Christine Rennie at crennie72@gmail.com , May Tsai at maytsai701@yahoo.com or call the school at 919-938-1077. 

We look forward to exploring Science with your child this year!

Sincerely,

Christine Rennie and May Tsai

Grade 5 Introductory Letter

NEUSE CHARTER SCHOOL SCIENCE GRADE 5

                                                                                        

Welcome to fifth grade Science!  It is my pleasure to teach your child.  This year will be a year of discovery and exploration.  We will cover four themes over the year:  Weather, Newton’s Laws of Motion, Landforms, and Ecosystems.  In May your child will take the End of Grade test in Science.  Students will explore scientific concepts in a variety of ways:  by reading and questioning, assignments, multimedia, experiments, models, games, simulations, and other hands on activities.

TEXTBOOKS

This year your child will receive their textbook Competitive Edge.  This will be a shared textbook.  However, if your child wishes to have his/her own textbook in which s/he can write, you may purchase one for a mere $15.00.  I highly recommend this option as your child can also take this textbook home to study for chapter tests and use the Practice questions to study for the EOG.  You may pay by cash or make the check out to Neuse Charter School.  Please have all money in by September 2^nd so the school may order your book.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Many students have already brought in supplies.  This school supply list may also be found on Neuse Charter school’s website:  www.neusecharterschool.org.  For Science students will need two spiral notebooks, a hand held pencil sharpener, and a Science folder, and a $5.00 Science fee.  This Science fee will be collected by Grades 5-10 and will be directly used to buy Science equipment and experiment materials.  Other materials to be replenished through the year are loose leaf paper, pencils, erasers, and pens (red/blue/black).  Wish list items for the Science class are:  markers and colored pencils for the class, a pencil sharpener, Lysol wipes, expo board spray, and Kleenex.

GRADING

          I have very high expectations for your child and believe every child can learn.  My grading system is as follows:

40% tests

40% assignments and labs

10% participation

10% homework

TESTS:  Students will be allowed to rewrite one test per quarter if s/he received below 70% or D.  I will reteach any concepts that are repeatedly missed on tests.  Please look for tests and other assignments in the Friday folder.  Concepts on tests are directly related to what your child will be tested on the EOG.

ASSIGNMENTS/LABS:  Many assignments will be done in class, but some, such as projects will also need to be worked on at home.  If assignments are turned in late they will receive a maximum late mark of 70%.

PARTICIPATION:  Your child’s enthusiasm, participation in discussions, and discipline will determine his/her participation grade.

HOMEWORK:  Homework will be marked as complete or incomplete and 0.5 to 1% will be taken off each time it is not completed.  This includes if it was completed but students forgot to bring it to class.  If there is an extenuating circumstance, please write a note for your child and I will give him/her an extra day to complete the homework without penalty. Parents will receive an email or phone call if homework is not completed consistently.

Every effort will be made to ensure your child is learning, engaged, and thinking critically.  The vast majority of children do very well in Science and enjoy it very much.  However, if your child is falling below grade level – below 77% or C – then I will contact you and we will discuss ways to improve your child’s grade. 

CONTACTS AND SCIENCE INFORMATION

Weekly information on themes we are covering and when tests and assignments are due may be found on the Neuse Charter School website:  www.neusecharterschool.org.  Click on the Teachers Blog tab.  If you have any questions or concerns you may email me at crennie72@gmail.com or call the school at 919-938-1077. 

I look forward to exploring Science with your child this year!

Sincerely,

 Christine Rennie

Awards Assembly and Student Led Conferences

Dear parents,

You are cordially invited to the Awards Ceremony for middle school which will take place Friday June 3rd at 8:00 am at the Basketball Courts behind the gym. 7B class is also invited to student led conferences Thursday June 2nd from 2:45 to 3:15.

C. Rennie

Field Day items and SACs binders for 7B

We are very near the end of the year and Field day is fast approaching! Field day will occur on June 3rd and we will need assistance with donations. Each class is responsible for bringing lunch for Field day. Please bring the following lunch donations for 7B to Ms. Rennie’s room before June 3rd:

60 hotdogs
60 hotdog buns
40 individual bags of chips
1 package of freezer pops
1 can of powdered Gatorade
4 gallons of water

Last year’s volunteers worked really hard at saving items to be re-used at Field day this year. Below are the items that need to be replaced. Parents may donate an item from this list at the front office, or make a monetary donation toward Field day. We are in need of:

4- beach balls
100 -clothespins, clothesline, clothes
5 -beach chairs
5- towels
2- 5 gal bucket
10- cones
1 small bag baking potatoes
3- foot balls
5- tables
4- hockey sticks
5- small pools
10- buckets
5 bags of charcoal

On another note, Neuse Charter School is undergoing an accreditation process called SACs. Under this process we must document students work and we are in need of many 3 inch binders with plastic covers. The plastic cover on the front is needed for us to slip in a title page. Dr. Harris is requesting that each parent donate one 3 inch binder with plastic cover per child. Thank you very much for your generosity and support!

Award Assemblies and EOGs

Dear parents,

The results from the EOGs will come back Monday May 23rd. If your child scores a Level 3 or higher, teachers will not phone you. However, if your child scores a Level 1 or 2 (below grade level), we will phone you Monday afternoon and let you know about remediation and retests.

The award assembly for this year for Grades 5-9 is June 2nd.

Grade 5: Weeks of May 23rd to June 3rd

Biome Project Outline

Grade 5 will complete a project on a specific biome. This project will mostly be done in class and is a mini-project. Notes, research, the food web, and writing of the research paper wilI be done in class. I will provide books on biomes, but if students do not finish your research or other assignments in class, they will have them for homework.

Due dates are the following and might change depending on our schedule:

May 25th Notes due (15 marks)
Minimum 5 notes on each: Climate, Special Characteristics, Animals and Plants (types and adaptations), and Pollution in the Biome

May 26th Food web of the biome due (10 marks)

May 27th Research paper due (10 marks)
Research paper is based on notes we took. *Students may not plagiarize.

May 31st to June 1st Presentations (10 marks)

Please sign student's biome project sheets when they arrive home.

Grade 6 and 7: Weeks of May 23rd to June 3rd

ENVIRONMENT PROJECT

We will complete a project on pathogens, or disease causing microbes. There will be seven elements to this project:

1. Notes: due May 26th (10 marks)
2. Research: one print out, magazine, or book due May 24th (5 marks)
3. Bibliography: due May 26th (5 marks)
4. Written research paper: May 27th (20 marks)
5. A power point (regular power point, or Prexis) or poster on Glogster: May 27th (10 marks)
6. Presentations: May 31st and June 1st (10 marks)
7. Participation: 10 marks

There will be time in Science class and Technology class to complete work, but students will need to bring in one piece of research to Science class. Any work that is not completed in class must be completed at home. Students will present in partner groups, may do the power point or poster together, and may help each other as needed. However, notes, research paper, bibliography, and research must be done individually and each student will receive an individual mark for his/her efforts.

The research project will consist of the following paragraphs:

1. Introduction: introductory statement, define the environmental problem, and what you will discuss in your essay.

2. Causes: what caused the environmental problem; or why people have chosen to use this type of energy over other renewable sources.

3. Effects: what effects does this problem have on humans, the atmosphere, animals, plants, etc.

4. Solutions: describe various solutions, practicality, costs, and challenges to their implementation.

5. Case study: choose a place in the world that has experienced this problem on a more severe level. You may use the teacher’s suggestion or choose your own.

Suggested case studies:
• Nuclear energy: Chernobyl or Japanese power plants 2011 earthquake
• E waste: Guiyu, China
• Overpopulation: one child policy, China or India or Indonesia
• Air pollution (fossil fuels): coal burning plants in North Carolina or Linfen, China
• Water pollution and shortages: aquifer Mexico City, cholera, or bilharzias
• Climate change: rainforest, landfills or prominent scientists for/against climate change
• Deforestation and endangered species: Amazon rainforest or highlight an endangered species
• Toxic waste: Love Canal, NY or Bhopal, India
• Oil spill: Exxon Valdez spill or Gulf of Mexico
• Garbage: garbage and recycling in North Carolina
6. Conclusion: summarize your conclusions and give the reader your most important points.