Weekly Letter

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September 17, 2021

Dear Parents,

This week in ELA, we wrapped up our Book Commercial project. The goal of the project was to “sell” a book you’ve recently read and enjoyed! Check out the links below for a few of the commercials! 

The 47 People You Meet in Middle School (Evan, Kessler, and Manny)

The Babysitter’s Club (Camden and Harper)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Commercial by Elliott, Exploris Middle School, 6th Grade

Virtual Curriculum Night: Our Curriculum Night will be on Thursday, September 23rd at 7:30pm! This will happen on Zoom and we will send out the Zoom link closer to the event. We will record and post if you are unable to attend. Also, remember families who have not yet had a chance to visit our buildings in person can sign up for a Self-guided walking tour for Wednesday, Sept. 22nd. 

Weekly Overview: Each week (typically on a Friday afternoon) we will post our “Weekly Overview.” This slideshow will list class topics and activities, homework assignments, and contact information. Click here to view this week’s overview.

On-site COVID Testing: You should have received an email to register your students for on-site COVID Testing. Please register your student. Contact leadership@exploris.org if you did not receive the email or have questions.

The Allies Are Back! The Allies are our Gay/Gender-Straight Alliance student-led lunch club. The purpose of this club is to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender teens, as well as their allies, to form friendships and talk about important issues. The Allies will meet for lunch every other Tuesday starting September 21st at 12:30 pm. Email Cori at cori@exploris.org or Mary at mmcway@exploris.org if you are interested in receiving an invitation to join us for lunch.

SIXTH GRADE PARENT FACEBOOK GROUP: Join here!

PICTURE DAY: Amy Ames will be back with us to take school pictures on Tuesday, Oct. 19th at the elementary school and on Wednesday, October 20 at the middle school.  All students will have their picture taken on those days for the yearbook, and families will have the option of purchasing photo packages.  Amy is also offering some mini-sessions on Friday, Oct. 22nd for families; sign up using this Sign-up Genius link if you’d like to have a mini-session with adults, siblings, or even family pets.

Amazon Wishlist: link: 

Exploris Leadership & Student Services:

  • Exploris COVID Protocol Flowchart: LINK  FREE COVID TESTING NEAR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Free Covid testing open 6 days a week, 7 am-7pm.  The Kidd Rd location is just a few minutes from Exploris Elementary.
  • PTO BLOG – Make sure you are following the Exploris PTO blog! Link: https://explorispto.org/
  • Students can refer themselves to a counselor.  LINK
  • School Lunch: Thanks for your patience as we worked out the new system and vendor. Green Planet Ordering will be up and running tonight at 5:00 pm. You can create an account and add students now. Important Information regarding lunches:

Your Team,

Brennan, Devon, Loren, and Shannon

Weekly Letter

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September 10, 2021

Dear Parents,

This week we launched our expedition with a “Big Bang” explosion at Halifax Mall! Over the next several weeks, students will be participating in two case studies. Brennan and Loren’s Crews are currently in the “Change Matters” where students will learn about the properties of matter and energy transfer. Devon and Shannon’s Crews will be learning about atoms and elements! Crews will switch after fall break. 

Big Bang Explosion Video Link

ASYNCHRONOUS DAY/FLEX DAY ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH: 

ELAComplete Nouns Scavenger Hunt SlidesRead independent reading book for 20-30 minutes
MathComplete Fractions Slides 5&6  (Many of you are done.)Adding/ Subtracting Quizziz – Assigned in Google ClassroomWatch Video on Multiplying Fractions and take notes.
ExpeditionLoren & Brennan Crews Phases of Matter in Google Classroom.

Weekly Overview: Each week (typically on a Friday afternoon) we will post our “Weekly Overview.” This slideshow will list class topics and activities, homework assignments, and contact information. Click here to view this week’s overview.

SCHOLASTIC ORDERS DUE TODAY!: You can order books from Scholastic and you can choose to have your books shipped to your home or delivered to school with our class order. With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

GOOGLE CLASSROOM: Parents and guardians should have received an invitation to receive Google Classroom summaries. If you are not receiving daily or weekly Google Classroom updates, please contact your Crew teacher.

Amazon Wishlist: THANK YOU to those of you that have already purchased items off of our wishlist. We are so appreciative of your support as we begin the school year. For those that would like to view our wishlist, here is the link: 

QUARANTINING? If you or your 6th grader is home quarantining due to a positive family member or due to a positive covid test themselves please be sure to let us know as soon as possible. According to the state, they are allowed to work remotely (only if quarantining or positive) and be marked “present remote” on the attendance records. We will post work on google classroom daily and students can email with us with any questions. We may incorporate more formal daily check-in times as needed over the next week or so. Students absent for other non-Covid related reasons should also make up the work they miss, but will not be able to be marked “present remote” in attendance records. 

  • Exploris COVID Protocol Flowchart: LINK  
  • FREE COVID TESTING NEAR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Free Covid testing open 6 days a week, 7 am-7pm.  The Kidd Rd location is just a few minutes from Exploris.

Exploris Leadership & Student Services:

  • PTO BLOG – Make sure you are following the Exploris PTO blog! Link: https://explorispto.org/
  • Students can refer themselves to a counselor.  LINK
  • School Lunch: Thanks for your patience as we worked out the new system and vendor. Green Planet Ordering will be up and running tonight at 5:00 pm. You can create an account and add students now. Important Information regarding lunches:
  • SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED: Exploris needs subs!  If you or anyone in your network would like to be trained and get on our sub list, please reach out to MParkerson@Exploris.org.  Subbing is a great way to get to know the school, teachers, and kids, and is a flexible way to earn some extra $$s!  Our next sub training will be on  Thursday, Sept. 9th at the Elementary campus. 

Your Team,

Brennan, Devon, Loren, and Shannon

Weekly Letter

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September 3, 2021

Dear Parents,

This week, students learned different methods of note taking. Students learned the outline method, Cornell notes method, and practiced mind-mapping. Ask your student what their preferred method of notetaking is! Students also participated in a “Book Tasting” in ELA and set reading goals for themselves. 

Please remember that there is no school on Monday or Tuesday! We look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday, September 8th!

FLEX DAY ON SEPTEMBER 13TH: Our first Flex Day is coming soon!  On Monday, September 13th, most students will be learning from home and will not attend school in person that day. All students will have asynchronous work to complete. Staff will be receiving some specialized training and will be working with small groups of students who need extra support. These days are part of our Covid learning recovery plans and will allow us to better serve all our students.  Families, your crew teacher will be contacting you if your student is part of the groups that will be meeting on campus that day. 

SCHOLASTIC ORDERS: You can order books from Scholastic and you can choose to have your books shipped to your home or delivered to school with our class order. With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Weekly Overview: Each week (typically on a Friday afternoon) we will post our “Weekly Overview.” This slideshow will list class topics and activities, homework assignments, and contact information. Click here to view this week’s overview.

Amazon Wishlist: THANK YOU to those of you that have already purchased items off of our wishlist. We are so appreciative of your support as we begin the school year. For those that would like to view our wishlist, here is the link: 

Exploris Leadership & Student Services:

  • Exploris COVID Protocol Flowchart: LINK  
  • COVID SYMPTOMS: Families, please remember that ANY new illness symptoms should be treated as a potential Covid case.  Please help us protect our whole school community and keep kids home if they have a new symptom of congestion, runny nose, fever, sore throat, headache, or upset stomach. 
  • FREE COVID TESTING NEAR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Free Covid testing open 6 days a week, 7 am-7pm.  The Kidd Rd location is just a few minutes from Exploris Elementary.
  • Students can refer themselves to a counselor.  LINK
  • School Lunch: Thanks for your patience as we worked out the new system and vendor. Green Planet Ordering will be up and running tonight at 5:00 pm. You can create an account and add students now. Important Information regarding lunches:
  • For this first time, we have extended the deadline to order from Sunday to this Tuesday, September 7th at 11:59 pm for the week. As a reminder- it is more cost-effective for you to place one order for the entire month. I attached the menu for the month for you to reference as well (please note we added the option of a sandwich each week and this is not on the menu attached but will be in the ordering system).
  • Free/Reduced Lunch Program: Please note there is a separate ordering process- DO NOT create an account- contact conselor@exploris.org if you have questions or if you have not enrolled and would like to. Reduced lunch payments will go through the school and you may contact me for details.
  • SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED: Exploris needs subs!  If you or anyone in your network would like to be trained and get on our sub list, please reach out to MParkerson@Exploris.org.  Subbing is a great way to get to know the school, teachers, and kids, and is a flexible way to earn some extra $$s!  Our next sub training will be on  Thursday, Sept. 9th at the Elementary campus. 

Your Team,

Brennan, Devon, Loren, and Shannon

Scholastic Book Orders due September 10th

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Dear Families,

You can order books from Scholastic and you can choose to have your books shipped to your home or delivered to school with our class order.

With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS).

Class Order Due Date: 09/10/2021

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/L6VMN

Shop Digital Flyers for Our Grade with Your Child: https://clubs.scholastic.com/middleschool

All orders also earn FREE Books for our class.

Thank you for your support!

-6th grade

SCHOLASTIC Class Code: L6VMN

Make sure your student has headphones/earbuds!

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Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

Please check that your student has a pair of headphones or earbuds at school. These should be in backpacks each day. Students do not need fancy headphones or earbuds. You can often find earbuds at the dollar store, grocery store, drug store, Amazon, etc. It is also super helpful if headphones/earbuds are labeled with your student’s name. Some students are keeping them in a labeled ziploc bag or container which is helpful. Thanks!

Weekly Letter

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August 27, 2021

Dear Parents,

We had another great week! This week students worked on a Puff Mobile design challenge! The goal for each group was to design an air powered vehicle that can travel the farthest distance using only a few materials and the core value of Innovation. Students have also been working on the core value of Collaboration and have learned how to be a contributing team member and reflected on their contributions as a group member. Ask your student about their puff mobile! They designed, tested, reflected, and redesigned! Final races will take place on Friday afternoon. 

Puff Mobile Pics and Videos

Families, please remember that ANY new illness symptoms should be treated as a potential Covid case.  Please help us protect our whole school community and keep kids home if they have a new symptom of congestion, runny nose, fever, sore throat, headache, or upset stomach. 

SCHOOL PHONE NUMBER: Families, please add the school phone # to your  allowed contacts for One-call and for emergency notifications, family check ins, needs to pick up a sick kid etc.

(919) 715-3690

FLEX DAY ON SEPTEMBER 13TH: Our first Flex Day is coming soon!  On Monday, September 13th, most students will be learning from home and will not attend school in person that day. All students will have asynchronous work to complete. Staff will be receiving some specialized training and will be working with small groups of students who need extra support. These days are part of our Covid learning recovery plans and will allow us to better serve all our students.  Families, your crew teacher will be contacting you if your student is part of the groups that will be meeting on campus that day. 

SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED: Exploris needs subs!  If you or anyone in your network would like to be trained and get on our sub list, please reach out to MParkerson@Exploris.org.  Subbing is a great way to get to know the school, teachers, and kids, and is a flexible way to earn some extra $$s!  Our next sub training will be on  Thursday, Sept. 9th at the Elementary campus. 

Weekly Overview: Each week (typically on a Friday afternoon) we will post our “Weekly Overview.” This slideshow will list class topics and activities, homework assignments, and contact information. Click here to view this week’s overview.

FREE COVID TESTING NEAR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Free Covid testing open 6 days a week, 7 am-7pm.  The Kidd Rd location is just a few minutes from Exploris Elementary.

Amazon Wishlist: THANK YOU to those of you that have already purchased items off of our wishlist. We are so appreciative of your support as we begin the school year. For those that would like to view our wishlist, here is the link: 

Exploris Leadership & Student Services:

  • Get to Know your School Counselors!
  • School Lunch: Great news! Green Planet’s Hot School Lunch Program is coming soon. We will implement school-wide starting September 8th. Prior to September 8th, we will pilot with a small group at each grade level to ensure we have the new system and process running smoothly. If you have questions please feel free to contact counselor@exploris.org
  • 2 – Parent Volunteers Needed: Parents to pick up Panera donations for Exploris. Panera Bread Sign up
  • Please scour your house for any school devices and chargers and bring back asap
  • Exploris uses the One-Call Now system for weekly brief updates and for emergency announcements such as school closures. Please add One-Call to your allowed calls so key updates from school don’t go straight to your spam 
  • Yearbook: We are looking for two parent volunteers who can help on Friday afternoons!  Please contact Deborah@Exploris.org if you are interested!

Your Team,

Brennan, Devon, Loren, and Shannon

Weekly Updates and Announcements

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August 20, 2021

Dear Parents,

Thank you for all of your support and flexibility this week!  Your children have jumped right into our routines, math, ELA, and crew!  One of our goals in Expedition is to leverage our curiosity and design research questions,  The second piece is to take time to reflect on how we each contribute as group members.  Please see the product of your child’s group work.

Did you get this letter from WORDPRESS?  You should have received an email from Exploris 6th grade/Wordpress with directions for following the 6th grade blog.  Subscribe by entering your Email on the blog site. Beginning next week, we will only post on the blog. Please make sure at least one parent/guardian has signed up to receive blog updates and emails. If you are having trouble signing up to follow the blog, please email Devon at devon@exploris.org.

Weekly Overview: Each week (typically on a Friday afternoon) we will post our “Weekly Overview.” This slideshow will list class topics and activities, homework assignments, and contact information. Click here to view this week’s overview.

FREE COVID TESTING NEAR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Free Covid testing open 6 days a week, 7 am-7pm.  The Kidd Rd location is just a few minutes from Exploris Elementary.

PERSONAL DEVICE SURVEY: Please complete this survey as soon as possible. This will help us plan accordingly for the distribution of school laptops. This survey should take less than five minutes. Survey link: https://forms.gle/L5TMMynAjDjRfFQe9

Amazon Wishlist: THANK YOU to those of you that have already purchased items off of our wishlist. We are so appreciative of your support as we begin the school year. For those that would like to view our wishlist, here is the link: 

Exploris Leadership & Student Services:

  • Student Vaccination Survey Families, we would like to get a count of how many of our middle school students are fully vaccinated for  Covid 19.  This will help us know what quarantine protocols we will need to follow in case of a classroom exposure, and will help teams when planning trips to places that may be requiring vaccination, for example. The sharing of this information is your choice and will remain confidential to administration; only numbers will be shared with staff, not names.  If you have more than one student in middle school, please fill out this form once for each student. 
  • School Lunch: Great news! Green Planet’s Hot School Lunch Program is coming soon. We will implement school-wide starting September 8th. Prior to September 8th, we will pilot with a small group at each grade level to ensure we have the new system and process running smoothly. If you have questions please feel free to contact counselor@exploris.org
  • Parent Volunteers Needed: Parents to pick up Panera donations for Exploris. Panera Bread Sign up

Important Announcements/Reminders

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Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! Please read below for a few reminders for the rest of the week. (IF YOU ARE NO LONGER A SIXTH GRADE PARENT, PLEASE CLICK UNSUBSCRIBE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS EMAIL!)

  1. Each week (typically on a Friday afternoon) we will post our “Weekly Overview.” This slideshow will list class topics and activities, homework assignments, and contact information. Click here to view this week’s overview.
  2. Please bring a sign/placard with your student(s) name on it to help with the AFTERNOON carpool process. You can access the carpool map here. 
  3. If your student has their own device, please remind them to bring their device AND charger to school beginning Tuesday, August 17th.
  4. 6th grade blog: You should have received an email from Exploris 6th grade/Wordpress with directions for following the 6th grade blog. Beginning next week, we will only post on the blog. Please make sure at least one parent/guardian has signed up to receive blog updates and emails. If you are having trouble signing up to follow the blog, please email Devon at devon@exploris.org.
  5. Students should wear comfortable walking shoes to school. We will be walking to various parks (Nash Square, Moore Square, and Halifax) throughout the week for lunch and recess.
  6. Amazon Wishlist: THANK YOU to those of you that have already purchase items off of our wishlist. We are so appreciative of your support as we begin the school year. For those that would like to view our wishlist, here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3FSP7H7WHS60O?ref_=wl_share

FINAL WEEKLY UPDATE

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  1. SCHOOL LAPTOPS: If you borrowed a school laptop, it’s time to return it to the school! All school devices must be turned in so they can be updated and reset for the next school year! You may drop off your school laptop and charger on Monday, June 14th from 9-1 at the middle school.
  2. SEVENTH GRADE SUMMER READING: Click here for the 7th grade summer reading list!  You will be asked to complete an assignment at the beginning of the year about one of these books. Please email seventh-grade teacher, Mary, with any questions.
  3. UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE BLOG: This will be our last weekly update for this school year so you may want to go ahead and unsubscribe from the sixth-grade blog. To do so, please click the UNSUBSCRIBE button that the bottom of this email.

We have had a wonderful year and wish you all the best!