Saturday, October 31, 2020

Week 11: Reformation and Red Ribbon Week

Happy Reformation!

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the local church "bulletin board" calling people to debate the truth of the Bible and how the church had strayed from that truth.  Our class is learning about Luther's life as well as the amazing discovery he made:  WE ARE SAVED BY GOD'S GRACE  - not by good works or money or penance.  This led to a reform of the church and the creation of Protestant churches around the world.

We have read a biography of Luther written as if Luther visited sixth graders at a Lutheran school and ate lunch with them for the week, modeled after the Table Talks Luther actually had with students for much of his life.  We are also using clips from the Luther Movie made in 2003.  Though there are some fictional details added, the heart of the movie shows Luther's struggle to understand God and share with the world about God's love.  (Note if you watch- the movie is PG-13 for some violence and language.  Sections for class have been selected as appropriate for students and our study.)  Student also used modern "social media" to spread Scripture that refutes the false teaching of Luther's day through Flipgrid videos.

We will wrap up our Reformation next week as we examine Luther's motto: Grace Alone,  Faith Alone, Scripture Alone, Christ Alone.

 

 

From our class bloggers: Kayla and Mae: 

 We had a really fun time at our great halloween party. Our three winners 

for best costume go to Yuan in 3rd, Olivia and Chloe as the Skittles in 2nd. 

And can I get a drumroll please for Daniel our 1st place winner. This Week 

is also red ribbon week where we turn to healthy choices.

 (I'll add the photos of Peace out day next week - forgot the i-pod again!!)

 

  2nd step this week and next looks at healthy choices and saying, "No" to drugs and alcohol.  We discovered a lot of facts about tobacco and marijuana as well as the impact addition has on the body, relationships, and personal goals.  Next time, we will see how alcohol and drugs can affect a growing body and role play scenarios that equip us to make positive choices in peer pressure situations .

 VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP NEXT WEEK - METRO THEATRE

Families,
We are excited to provide a virtual field trip for our Junior High students.  Metro Theatre of St. Louis is providing us with a streaming option for their current play And in this Corner: Cassius Clay.   This is the theatre group that has provided an in-house play in our gym in previous years.  We are excited to offer this theatre experience next week for our students.  

And In This Corner: Cassius Clay is the story of the young man who would become Muhammad Ali. From his relationship with a white police officer who introduced him to boxing as a kid in Jim Crow-era Louisville to his gold medal-winning performance in the 1960 Rome Olympics, Cassius holds onto the faith that his potential is unlimited. But it is the friends from his childhood who are becoming Freedom Riders who ultimately challenge him to understand that there is more to life than personal success: he must use his gifts to work for the good of his community.
 
Thank you, parents, for your time for conferences!  I look forward to continuing a great year with you and your child!

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Week 10- Fall Harvest party

 Thanks to our photographers Kayla and Mae for getting shots of our Walkathon, take 2 on Friday and our fun costumes today for Fall Harvest.  A very special thanks goes to our room moms for providing party games and goodies!  The kids and I had lots of fun!

 

Remember NO SCHOOL 10/21-23 for Teacher Inservice

                  NOON DISMISSAL Thursday 10/29 and NO SCHOOL Friday 10/30 for Parent/teacher                                    conferences.  

Conferences

Report cards, AR reports, and Prodigy math registration letters will come home on MONDAY.  Please have those available for our Zoom conference.  I will send a link to the conferences next week.   Help me prepare!  Talk with your child and fill out this quick survey for me:  1st Quarter Survey 

Wondering about Prodigy math?  Here is a peek at what a parent dashboard looks like:


Reformation and Confirmation

Prayers go out for our Zion 8th graders who will be confirmed in the faith this Saturday.  Join Zion as we celebrate the Reformation at worship this weekend.  See what it's all about in the Religion tab above as that is what we are studying now!!

Advent

There have been so many changes during this unusual time.  This year students will not lead Advent worship services for Zion church. We will celebrate the Advent season in our classroom and hope to provide opportunities for devotion and worship with your family as we begin a new church year soon and looking forward again to celebrating the Savior's birth again!


Red Ribbon Week: October 26-29 (repeat)
Every year we celebrate Red Ribbon Week and make drug awareness education a priority.
Monday: BEE Happy 
(Wear yellow and black, dress as a bumble bee with jeans or dress bottoms)
 
Tuesday: Turn your back on unhealthy choices 
(Wear your shirt backwards with jeans and dress bottoms)
 
Wednesday: Peace out unhealthy choices
(Wear a tie-dye shirt or 70's gear with jeans or dress bottoms)
 
Thursday: Bobcat Nation pledges to be healthy
 (Spirit Shirt and jeans or dress bottoms)
 











 














 

Friday, October 16, 2020

Week 9 - End of 1st Q

From Mrs. R. 

Apologies to Kayla, our photographer today.  I left the iPod at school.  I'll add her photos of our fun afternoon next week.  Walkathon pledges may still be brought in!

End of the Quarter/Conferences
 
Today marked the end of the 1st quarter.  What a blessing to already see your children's growth in faith and knowledge!

I look forward to visiting with you about your child's progress at our conference the week of Oct. 26.  Do you still need to sign up? Please refer to the Zion email from Friday 10/9 for directions on how to sign up.  Report cards and AR reports will be sent home on Monday, 10/26.  Please keep them handy for our conference.   I am eager to share your child's presentation on their thoughts about school.  I'll send a quick survey on Tuesday for you to fill out to help me prepare. 


What's Happening! 

Literature:  We completed our unit on Fiction/Nonfiction with a look at author's perspective, 
tone, inferences and symbolism.  We read a character sketch of Mark Twain written by his 
13-year-old daughter, Susy.  This will led into writing our own character sketches after watching Twain's  The Prince and the Pauper.  (The kids loved this old 
black and white film!)

S.S.   We are exploring thematic maps and using global information systems which involve layering thematic maps to find information about physical features, climate, vegetation and 

how they affect population and economic activity.  Focus: US and CANADA world region. 

We love learning more about our classmate, Yuan's home country!


TMathTested on decimals and decimal operations this week.  We introduced ch. 2 with using
 
fact families to understand how to use inverse operations to solve for a variable.  We have
LOTS of math vocabulary to learn!

GMath - Working on Chapter 2 solving 1 step algebraic equations with an emphasis on how 

to take a word problem and write an equation that follows the story plot.   

Did your child tell you s/he can isolate a variable to solve an algebraic equation? Working on the 

language of math 

 
Religion: We started the Reformation on Tuesday. Have your child bring the Luther biography

 home for break for you to read. It's quick and entertaining.If you have never heard Luther's famous

 hymn,  A Mighty Fortress, be sure to listen. It will help the students learn the words for memory.

 


 Thanks for the generosity of our Zion families, we are donating over 345 toys to Friends of Kids with Cancer!

 (Repeat) Harvest Party will be Tuesday, Oct. 20.  Appropriate costumes allowed to be worn to school that day.  Thanks to our room moms for providing treats and games. 

 

Red Ribbon Week: October 26-29
Every year we celebrate Red Ribbon Week and make drug awareness education a priority.
Monday: BEE Happy (Wear yellow and black, dress as a bumble bee with jeans or dress bottoms)
Tuesday: Turn your back on unhealthy choices (Wear your shirt backwards with jeans and dress bottoms)
Wednesday: Peace out unhealthy choices (Wear a tie-dye shirt or 70's gear with jeans or dress bottoms)
Thursday: Bobcat Nation pledges to be healthy (Spirit Shirt and jeans or dress bottoms)

 

 

Saturday, October 10, 2020

From blogger/photographers Nicky and Brooklyn:
 

Today we had the Walk-a-Play-a-Thon. It was so much fun with 9 square in the air, spike ball, giant kickball, and walking.



From Mrs. R.:  God blessed us with a beautiful day for our event.  The kids walked, ran, and played hard and had wonderful fellowship time.  Thank you for your generous donations to help Central Lutheran School.  I apologize for some misinformation earlier.  Donations will need to be in by NEXT FRIDAY, Oct. 16.  Remember checks can be made to Zion with "walk-a-play-a-thon" in the memo line.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Our quarter ends next Friday, October 16.  You received a school email Friday with information about signing up for our 1st quarter conference through Sycamore.  This is the one formal conference we have this year.  Slots will be open after school/evening of Oct. 29 and morning of Oct. 30 and will be conducted VIRTURALLY.  I was able to open a couple time slots on Tuesday or Wednesday after school/evening as well.   I will send you a Zoom link and you will enter the conference through that link.  I value our partnership and look forward to visiting with you about your child's progress.  

Tips - 1) Scheduling starts on MONDAY

           2) if you have multiple children and want back to back time slots,  look to schedule early
     

Conferences are for 15 minutes with the HOMEROOM teacher.  If you have specific questions about English and Science, please contact Mrs Donner directly.

 

Book Orders came home today. Please place orders by next Saturday, 10/17.  If ever you would like to order books as a gift for your child, please email me and I will set your order aside in the office for you to pick up when it comes in. 

Harvest Party will be Tuesday, Oct. 20.  Appropriate costumes allowed to be worn to school that day.  Thanks to our room moms for providing treats and games. 

 

 


Last Friday's Sing-a-Long

Pharaoh, Pharaoh....
Our tessellation art



Friday, October 2, 2020

Week 7: Walk-a- PLAY-a-thon Coming!!

 


Jr. High students are reaching out to help a sister school in Iowa affected by an unusual windstorm called a derecho.  Central Lutheran School in Newhall, IA is undergoing reconstruction and asbestos removal.  Our students are raising money with our walk-a-thon NEXT FRIDAY, October 9.  Information and donation forms came home today.  Money can be collected between now and October 25.  

To modify our activity for this unique year, JH classes will be kept separate for the special events of the afternoon:

    *  Spike ball

    *  In the air - 9-square

    * Big ball Kickball

    * traditional lap walk/run

Water and snacks will be provided. 

In addition to a fun-filled afternoon, students are allowed to wear a school spirit or Christian message t-shirt, Zion quarter-zip, or sweatshirt with or without hoodie, and athletic shorts/bottoms (all in good repair).  This will be  COLD LUNCH ONLY day because of our modified schedule and picnic lunch. Have your child bring a hat and sunscreen because we will be outside for the afternoon! Go Walk-a-Play-a-Thon!

 

From the class bloggers:

By Nicky and Aidan

A lot of people were sick this week. And the weather has been very cold. We

 had some tests this week and it an really fun art.So that wraps it up for the week.

 

 

From Mrs. R:

 

School Pictures - TUESDAY Oct. 6 -

Students wear their regular school polos. You may order prints through the link

 on Sycamore.

 

Super Hero chapel offerings 


Avengers Assemble!

On Friday October 16, we will be having a special Super Hero Day.  In honor of Drew Albrittons’ birthday, we will be wearing Super Hero T-Shirts and collecting superhero items that will be delivered to the superheroes at Friends of Kids with Cancer and they will distribute them to children and their siblings through the pediatric cancer treatment centers in St. Louis at Mercy Kids, St. Louis Children’s, and Cardinal Glennon hospitals. Drew’s family has donated 2,000 superhero items, in the memory of Drew, to kids battling cancer.


Drew was a preschooler here at Zion who bravely fought cancer and now is with the biggest superhero of all, Jesus!  The Albrittons thank you for your support in avenging pediatric cancer in honor of Drew.

Please bring your superhero items to your classroom by Friday October 16.
Action figures, costumes, toys, movies, backpacks, Lego sets, video games, shirts, or any items with a super hero theme are all welcome. 

Halloween Party Font clipart - Festival, Party, Halloween, transparent clip  art
 

 

 Harvest parties - To help make this year a little special, students are allowed to wear appropriate costumes to school on Tuesday. Oct. 20 on our Harvest Party day. Watch for more info to come. 

 

 

 Under the Sea - Oil Pastels

Thanks to our photographers, Yuan and Aidan for capturing a look at our halls!