Upcoming Events:

Spirit Days:

Tuesday Nov. 10 - Red White and Blue or military/camo for Veterans Day

Friday Nov 13 - Blackout for Friday the 13th.  

November 11:  No school

November 13:  End of the 10 week marking period.

November 19 and 20:  Parent teacher conferences.  Students dismissed at 11:30am.

Athletics:

Tuesday November 10: Modified Girls Basketball Home at 4:30

Tuesday November 10: Modified Boys Basketball at UV at 4:30

**Schedules are posted in Schedule Galaxy as well**

Guidance:

This school year we continue to implement our character development program PurposeFull People.  Our character trait for October is Gratitude.  Please see the attached parent information sheet to kick-off our November trait.

~ We have had several generous donations to both our clothes closet, the Hawks Hanger, and our school supply closet.  Please encourage your child to see me or the school nurse, Mrs. Barber, for any supply needs they may have. 

~  Please feel free to reach out to me with any student questions or concerns- KStarkSp@oxac.org- (607)843-7185 ext. 2518

5th Grade:

5th Grade ELA

Core Reading: Students are reaching a key turning point in Esperanza Rising. We continue using graphic organizers to analyze Esperanza’s emotional journey throughout these pivotal changes. The students are doing a wonderful job locating specific text evidence to support their analysis.

Vocabulary: This week’s vocabulary focused on character identification and character roles—essential knowledge for our upcoming final assessment. Alongside character analysis, we emphasized proper noun capitalization rules.

Writing: Most students are concluding their rough drafts or transitioning to final drafts for their independent book project. Details regarding our next required independent reading selection will be shared soon.

Looking Ahead: Over the next two weeks, students will study foundational academic vocabulary that will serve them throughout 5th grade, 6th grade, and beyond.

Reminders & News: Scholastic Book Club ordering instructions were sent home. Our online class code is DX6KD. Orders are due by November 13th. Please reach out if you have any questions!

5th Grade October Reader of the Month: Mason Williams 

5th Grade math, we worked on word problems. We drew pictures, wrote equations, and showed our work to solve each problem. We even created our own word problems for classmates to solve! We also added and subtracted fractions, which requires finding common denominators. Knowing our math facts comes in handy when working with fractions! We ended the week with a quiz. Enjoy the weekend! 

5th Grade Social Studies- We wrapped up another fantastic week of learning! Students finished up their unit on types of government and economic systems, demonstrating their understanding of how different societies organize power and manage resources on their unit assessment. We also kicked off our upcoming unit on Native American Cultural Regions with a quick intro lesson exploring early humans in the Americas during the Paleolithic time period. To cap off the week, students completed a vocabulary quiz to reinforce key terms and participated in a lesson on gratitude from PurposeFull People, reflecting on how expressing thanks builds a positive classroom community.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions. Have a wonderful weekend!

5th Grade Science is working on water health and matter.  This week we tested our water samples for pH and chlorine.  We are also looking at what is still in water samples after they are filtered.  Next week we will be exploring matter properties to help explain this.  The next vocabulary quiz will take place on Tuesday November 10th.  This will be the last vocabulary quiz before the close of the first ten week marking period.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.   

6th Grade:

6th Grade ELA

Core Reading: We are nearing the conclusion of Bud, Not Buddy. Students have been deeply engaged with this historical fiction novel and its rich U.S. history connections. Our final assessment  will be soon.

Vocabulary: Over the next two weeks, students will focus on core academic vocabulary terms that will support their reading and writing for years to come. The 6th graders are already accustomed to applying these terms in our daily classroom discussions.

Writing: The majority of students have completed their rough drafts and are working on final drafts of their independent book projects. Many have already selected and outline-approved their next novel!

Reminders & News: Scholastic Book Club order forms and instructions have been distributed.  Our online class code is DX6KD.  All orders are due by November 13th. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

6th Grade October Reader of the Month: Paysen Wildenstein 

6th Grade Math: This week, we focused on finding the greatest common factor (GCF) and least common multiple (LCM) of numbers, as well as solving related word problems. Next week, we’ll move on to dividing fractions and whole numbers. Have a great weekend!   

6th Grade Social Studies- 6th graders had another exciting week exploring the world of early humans! Students investigated major early human advancements, comparing how the Paleolithic Era was defined by the discovery of fire and a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, while the Neolithic Revolution brought transformative inventions like the wheel, agriculture, and permanent settlements that paved the way for early civilizations. Ask your student about the diet of early humans. To wrap up the week, students completed a vocabulary quiz on key historical terms and participated in a lesson on gratitude from PurposeFull People, reflecting on how expressing thanks builds a positive classroom community.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions. Have a wonderful weekend

6th Grade Science is working on weather and climate.  This week we looked into why density plays a part in temperature and weather conditions.  The next vocabulary quiz will take place on Tuesday November 10th.  This will be the last vocabulary quiz before the close of the first ten week marking period.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.   

7th and 8th Grade:

ELA 8 Weekly Highlights

Bell Ringers

This week, students practiced grammar, mechanics, and usage skills by editing and rewriting quotes from WNBA player, Caitlin Clark. We are continuing to focus on the importance of using clear handwriting and taking pride in everyday work.

Independent Reading Project

Students were assigned their first Independent Reading Project and have been given daily class time to work on it.

• The Assignment: Students will design a picture postcard based on their novel, featuring a written message from one of the main characters.

• Grading: This is a double-weight summative assessment grade.

• Due Date: Monday, November 9th

All students should have an independent reading book with them at all times. The next page check will take place on Thursday, November 12th.

Reading Competition Standings 🏆

• 🥇 1st Place: 8th Period – 10,768 pages

• 🥈 2nd Place: 5th Period – 4,137 pages

• 🥉 3rd Place: 7th Period – 3,504 pages

Thank you for encouraging your student to read at home and for supporting their learning! Your partnership makes a huge difference.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out at ncrandall@oxac.org. I look forward to another great week of learning!

Best regards,

Mrs. Crandall

ELA 8 Readers of the Month for October

Big congratulations to our October ELA 8 Readers of the Month: Abel Banner, Macie Vincent, and Adalynn Williams! These outstanding students lead by example through their passion for reading every day, always keeping a book on hand, and inspiring others by sharing what they read. Fantastic job, everyone! 

8th grade math, we will start our new unit on functions. 

7th grade Social Studies students have a unit test on Tuesday, November 10.  They should be bringing home a review sheet on Monday.

8th grade Social Students have started their next unit on Industrialization and Immigration.  They will be doing a project with political cartoons soon.

ELA 7:  This week ELA students continued with our novel unit for A Long Walk to Water. 

Students read several excerpts of non-fiction articles to develop background knowledge for the novel.  To gain an understanding of the gist of them, students read  and annotated these articles.  Students were later assessed on their ability to locate and cite text-based evidence to support their analysis of them.

Earlier this marking period, students were assigned their first independent reading assignment of the school year.  On Monday students completed an in-class assessment in which students demonstrate an understanding of the book they read over the previous several weeks.. 

On Tuesday, students were assigned their second Independent Reading Assignment of the year.  Students must choose a book of at least 210 pages (420 for graphic novels).  Students must complete an Independent Reading Book Choice Form (found in Google Classroom) by 11/10.  The second Independent Reading Assignment is scheduled for 12/4.  Please encourage your student to read daily.

Math 7: This week we solved ratio and proportion questions by using cross multiplication to solve equations.  Next week we'll continue exploring proportional relationships by analyzing graphs and writing our own equations to solve proportions.   

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

FFA:

In conjunction with the Craft & Vendor Fair being held on November 14th, Ms. Johnson (HS Agriculture Teacher) is looking to host a Youth-Entrepreneur portion of the day! Ideally for students in grades 5-12, this is an opportunity for a student with a business mind to learn first hand how to turn a passion project into a small business. Learning basic skills, students will be able to have their own table at the event!  ***See Graphic below.** 

Parents should email rjohnson@oxac.org for the sign up form and details. 

    September Students of the month:

 Advisory:  7th graders took part in a community and school grounds clean up.  Well done!

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• The end of the Quarter will be next Friday November 13.

• Report cards are sent out through Parents Square.  Please be sure you have access.

• Thank you for sharing your children with us.

• Be great everyone.