Team Pyxis

Spaghetti Dinner 2/23

2012-02-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Families,

This is to remind you that the Spaghetti Dinner will be February 23rd from 5:00 - 7:00 followed by the Phantom Tollbooth at 7:00. The cost of the dinner is by donation and the Phantom Tollbooth is $5.00. You do not need to go to both.

In order to make this dinner successful, WE NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT and encourage people to attend. Please spread the word at your place of worship, around town, at work, etc. The more people we can get to come the better. Because everything is donated, all of the money raised goes directly to the Boston trip.

We are looking for the following items to be donated.

Parmesan Cheese
Salad Dressing
Salad Ingredients
Drink Mix
Baked goods for dessert
Bread

If you make a donation and/or your child helps out at the dinner this will count towards one of their 3 fund raisers.

Thanks,
Joe Smith

jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org

Portfolio Conferences Coming Up!

2012-02-09T09:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Pyxis Families,

How time flies! We are already well into the third quarter of the school year and it is already time for our second round of Portfolio Conferences! Educational research tells us that children benefit greatly from having meaningful conversations about their learning with important adults in their lives. To that end, we hope that you can attend a Portfolio Conference where your child will present to you artifacts of his or her learning – work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth.

In addition to presenting artifacts of academic growth, your child will also discuss their progress with the Universal Habits we have been working on this year: Managing Self, Relating to Others, Constructing Knowledge, and Participating and Contributing.

For your convenience, we are scheduling conferences on the evening of Thursday, February 23, and on the morning of Tuesday, March 6. Anyone is welcome – parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. If no adult is able to attend on these dates, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time.

Please visit http://bit.ly/pyxisconferences2 to indicate your preferred conference times.

If you wish to meet one on one with Pyxis teachers, we would be more than happy to schedule a meeting when we see you at your child’s Portfolio Conference.

We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

The Teachers of Team Pyxis:
Karen Allard
Nathan Caswell
Jana Fabri

Bottle Drive Fundraiser This Saturday!

2012-02-08T13:15:00.000-08:00

I want to thank everyone who participated in the calendar raffle. We sold 702 tickets, raising over $7,020! This was by far the most successful fundraiser we have ever done.

Bottle DriveOn February 11th, we will be going around town to collect bottles. If you are interested in helping drive or if you would like to have your bottles picked up please contact Rob DeCicco at rdecicco@mtsd-vt.org or 893-3230 ext. 622 or Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or 893-3230 ext. 217. You can also drop your bottles off at Rene’s starting on February 4th and tell them that you would like to donate the bottle refund to the 8th Grade Boston trip.

Thank you,
Joe Smith

Academic Eligibility for Activities

2012-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

On Team Pyxis, we support and celebrate all the activities that make us well-rounded and active individuals. We are happy that so many of our students play school sports, participate in the middle school play, help with student council, etc! While we want all of our students to pursue a wide range of interests and activities, we must also ensure students attend for their academic responsibilities. To that end, we will hold students to a "three strikes" academic eligibility policy. A "strike" is recorded each time a student fails to complete an assignment on time. We will inform parents after the second strike. Upon receiving a third strike, the student will lose academic eligibility for one week so that he or she can get caught back up with academics. After the week off, if the student is back on track, he or she may return to the activity.

If you have any questions about this policy, don't hesitate to contact us.

The Teachers of Team Pyxis

1/12 Humanities

2012-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

There are some exciting things happening in class right now:

-Students have completed the first book of their spelling program and are in the process of taking the post-test to move onto the next book. Please check PowerSchool to see if your child is caught up with the requirements for this.
-We wrapped up our class reading of The Hunger Games last week to a round of applause by the students. What a fantastic read. It has helped to set the backdrop for our discussion of the role of government. Students are culminating their reading of the book by creating a representation of some aspect of the novel.
You are invited to a gallery walk of their work next Friday (1/20) from 1:30-2:30 in the library.
-Students are continuing to build their knowledge of the formation of the U.S. government. Students have been researching a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and we will be holding a Mock Sock Convention next week. Please check PowerSchool to see if your child has completed the various aspects of this assignment - the overview, the biography, and the script.

If your child starts making strange requests of you - needing spare socks, dirt, food, googly eyes, etc. - don't be alarmed. Our two ongoing projects are craft-heavy right now and I've encouraged folks to scrounge and reuse what they can. Thanks for your cooperation.

8th Grade Boston Update

2012-01-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This is a reminder that the second installment of $25 for the Boston trip is due on January 20^th.

I also wanted to give you a quick update on our fundraising efforts. As of today, we have raised over $12,000. However we still have a little over $15,000 to go, so we need to continue the good effort in raising the funds to ensure that we are able to go on this trip. We are currently selling the tickets for the Calendar Raffle. We will also be doing a bottle drive after the weekend of the Super Bowl and a Spaghetti Dinner, which the date is still to be determined. Please remember that each student does need to participate in at least three fundraisers or sell 20 calendar raffle tickets.

There has also been a change to the itinerary for the Boston trip. Blue Man Group was sold out and therefore we will be going to see Sheer Madness instead, which is a comedy whodunit, where the audience is part of the show.

As a reminder, the date for the field trip is from May 23-25, 2012. You can pay the remainder of your balance at any time. The third installment of $25 will be due February 24^th and the final installment will be due April 6^th. A full refund will be offered until April 1^st. No student will be denied going on this trip because of financial concerns. If you need a scholarship, please let us know.

Below is the tentative itinerary for Boston:

May 23 7:00 a.m. Leave Milton Middle School
11:00 a.m. Arrive at Emerson College
1:00 p.m. Go to Museum of Science
5:00 p.m. Pizza at Emerson College
8:00 p.m. Sheer Madness

May 24 Small group exploration of Boston: Students will break into groups of 8-10 and visit different museums, such as the Mass Museum of Art, Franklin Zoo, Fenway Park, etc., based on their interests. Do you have any info about dinner that night – will this be on the students?

May 25 9:00 a.m. Leave Emerson College, walk Freedom Trail, eat lunch at Faneuil Hall
1:00 p.m. Boat cruise of Boston Harbor
3:00 p.m. Leave Boston
7:00 p.m. Arrive back in Milton

If you have any questions, please contact your student's team's Boston representative:

Aquila – Tom Keblin ext. 646 tkeblin@mtsd-vt.org
Cassiopeia – Joe Smith ext. 217 jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org
Pyxis – Jana Fabri. ext. 658 jfabri@mtsd-vt.org
Tucana- Amira Bakr ext. 678 abakr@mtsd-vt.org

Thank you,
Joe Smith

Science Test on Thursday 1.12

2012-01-10T08:52:00.000-08:00

Students will take a major unit test in Science on Thursday. Student should study their notes on the following concepts learned in class:

Feeding relationships, food webs and trophic levels.
Food energy, photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Cell structures.
Diffusion.

8th Math Unit Test on Friday

2012-01-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

The 8th grade will take the unit test, covering many of the 8th grade algebra standards, on Friday. This is a major assessment for the 2nd quarter. Students are reminded to review their work from the Moving Straight Ahead and Thinking With Mathematical Models books, and to be sure to complete all of the practice assignments this week. Be ready to do your best!

Christmas Tree Pick-up

2012-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Families,

On January 7th, we will be doing a Christmas Tree Pick-up. Donations will be accepted for the 8th Grade Boston trip. If you are interested in having your tree picked up, please contact Joe Smith at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org.

Families, if you could please spread this information in you neighborhoods it will be greatly appreciated. Also we will be looking for a few parents with pick-up trucks to help out.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope you have a Happy New Year!

12/18 Humanities

2011-12-18T17:12:00.000-08:00

The last week before the holiday break will find us continuing our in-depth read of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. We are reading this book in conjunction with our exploration into the role, function, and history of government in the United States. While the bulk of our reading will take place in class, students may be asked to finish a chapter if we don't have time to during the school day. Please encourage your child to stay apace with the reading so that he or she can fully participate in our class discussions and activities around the reading.

Most students still have work to do in order to meet the standards that were assessed on the revolution reports. Please check PowerSchool for more information.

Students will be quizzed on Tuesday on lessons 19-20 of their spelling books. This is the last quiz of the book before they have a post-test in preparation for the next level. Students will need to have completed their spelling packets before they can take the post-test.

That should get us through the week. I hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing, and safe break.

Boston Update and Calendar Raffle

2011-12-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Families,

This year, we have been doing a great job on fundraising for Boston. Thanks to the work that you all have done, we are in the best position financially that we have ever been in. We only need to raise $18,000 more. As you may know, we have just started the Calendar Raffle. Since the calendar raffle is put together all by donated items, we get 100% of the profit. This means if each student in the middle school sells five, we could earn approximately $15,000. That would put us very close to our goal.

Before I explain the raffle, I just wanted to acknowledge that we raised over $900 with the candle fundraiser. I want to publicly thank Paula Cary and Aneita Menard for putting this together. We are hoping to get the candles out to students before break.

Details on the Calendar Raffle

How the calendar works
+ They cost $10
+ A winner is drawn for each day in February
+ If you win, your name gets put back in the drawing
+ There are over $1000 worth of prizes and each day is at least a $40 value

What do the students need to do?
+ Get the calendars and raffle tickets from their advisory teacher.
+ Sell the calendars, student receives $10 and gets the red ticket with the name and phone number, the customer keeps the calendar and the lower portion of the red ticket.
+ The student the money and the tickets to their advisory teacher.
+ Any unsold calendars are returned to the advisory teacher.

Incentives
+ Top advisory gets a ice cream party
+ Top seller gets 2 tickets for the new water park at Jay Peak
+ Any one who sells 10 tickets gets a pizza party and a movie

The calendar raffle was put together by Michelle Anemikos and Heidi Slayton. They really put a lot of time and effort into this project. Please thank them the next time you see them.

I appreciate the hard work that everyone has put in and I can guarantee that your student will have an unforgetable time in Boston. This will be a trip that they will remember the rest of their lives.

Thanks,
Joe Smith
jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org

Science 12.8

2011-12-08T12:04:00.001-08:00

The lab report for the self-designed food energy experiment is due on Friday. Students have been working for several days on this major assignment.

Maths 12.8

2011-12-08T11:57:00.001-08:00

7th Grade
Students will demonstrate their skills with ratios, proportions and unit rates when they take the unit test on Friday. Students should complete the practice questions of their choice from the practice worksheets.

8th Grade
Students continue to explore linear models in tables, graphs and equations.

Science 12.5

2011-12-05T12:45:00.001-08:00

Today students should have turned in the "good" draft of the lab report for the "Food Energy" investigations they designed and conducted. This is a major assignment for the second quarter. Parents - please check with your child to ensure they are on track with this assignment.

Maths 12.5

2011-12-05T12:44:00.001-08:00

7th Grade
Students are becoming experts at setting up and using proportions to solve problems. There will be a unit test on Friday. The following practice is assigned for Tuesday: 4ACE #4, 16, 17.

8th Grade
Students continue to develop their skills with models of linear relationships. There will be a quiz on Tuesday. The following practice is assigned: 2ACE #24, 33 and "Skills Practice" worksheet.

12/4 Humanities

2011-12-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Hello folks,
I have a BIG week for updates:
The students have been deeply involved in their revolution research papers. At this point, the expectation is that students have completed a first draft, received feedback from me and some of their peers, and have completed a second draft. It is this second draft that I will be assessing against the standards. Students are encouraged to revise their papers until all standards have been met. PowerSchool is updated so that you can see whether or not your child has completed the first and second drafts of this piece. I would encourage you to view your child's report on our team wiki so that you can see the progress being made. Just to remind you, the focus of this piece was to make a claim about the relationship between media (communication of information) and a revolution or other major movement. It's important to note that we will not be using any more class time on this part of the unit. Students will need to work outside of class (clinic, before/after school, recess, at home) to complete the written portion of this unit.
At the students' request, we will now shift the lens on this unit of study and students will represent their new knowledge in a visual way (movie, digital story, etc.) By the end of this week, they will present these projects to the rest of the team.
As we prepare to move into our next unit on the Foundation of Government, we will begin a full-team, in-class reading of Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Although many students have already read this book independently, we will be reading it in a guided way, making connections between the fictional government of Panem and our own government. Additionally, I plan to model reading strategies and allow for the students to construct new understandings based on group discussions. Stay tuned for more details on this.
Lastly, I wanted to give you a heads up that on Monday 12/5, the students will have the opportunity to hear a presentation on the state of education in Sudan, Africa. Through a connection of mine, two college students have arranged to come in and present to the students, keeping the focus on students examining their own access to education. This may or may not lead to some further opportunities for service learning projects, depending on how the students respond to this lesson. I invite you to sit in on this presentation if you are able (it will be presented at 9:00am and 10:00am). If not, please engage your child in a discussion about this important topic.
Students will be quizzed on WEDNESDAY of this week on lessons 15-16.
Phew – that should do it for now.

Maths 12.2

2011-12-02T08:18:00.001-08:00

7th Grade
In Problem 4.1, students are learning to set up proportions to reason about related quantities and solve problems. Complete the following practice before class on Monday: 4ACE # 1, 5-13(odd only).

8th Grade
In Problem 2.3, students continue to develop their skills with modeling linear relationships with tables, graphs and equations. Complete the following practice before class on Monday: 2ACE #24, 25, 33.

Maths 11.29

2011-11-29T14:44:00.001-08:00

7th Grade
Students took a quiz on rations, proportions and unit rates today. The quiz will be returned tomorrow.

8th Grade
Students continue to practice writing equations to model linear relationships. The following practice is due on Wednesday: 2ACE #1, 2, 7, 8, 35.

Maths 11.28

2011-11-28T12:05:00.001-08:00

7th Grade
Students will take a quiz on unit rates on Tuesday. Be sure to review your notes and do some practice questions from the ACE section.

8th Grade
Students continue to develop their skills in writing equations to model linear relationships from text, tables, graphs and coordinate pairs. Be sure to complete question A from problem 2.2 before class on Tuesday.

Celebrating Home Catalog Fundraiser

2011-11-28T12:02:00.001-08:00

Orders for the Celebrating Home catalog fundraiser are due this week. Please bring in your orders as soon as possible!

Science 11.14

2011-11-14T15:00:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow, students will take a quiz on food webs, where they will be asked to create a food web to represent feeding relationships in an ecosystem. Review your notes on food webs!

11/9 Humanities

2011-11-09T13:06:00.001-08:00

We are launching a research project which will build upon the work done during the unit on the American Revolution. Students have selected a revolution and are researching the who, what, where, when, how/why of it, as well as examining what impact the media has had on human involvement in that revolution. The product will be two-fold: a write-up of the research and a digital story to present the findings to the rest of the team. I anticipate this work taking us into the first week of December. For now, students are doing the bulk of their research in class so that I can support the process. Once the writing begins, there will be some out-of-class expectations. Check in with your son or daughter on the chosen revolution - there are some fascinating topics out there.

As always, students should be progressing through their spelling programs. For those in the formal program, we are on lessons 11-12 this week - to be quizzed next Tuesday (11/15). Please support your child in this effort by checking off on his/her spelling progress chart. Students have received a stark reminder that actually doing the lessons ahead of time has a direct correlation with quiz scores (and vice versa).

Conferences November 21 and 22

2011-11-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Pyxis Families,

Educational research tells us that children benefit greatly from having meaningful conversations about their learning with important adults in their lives. To that end, we hope that you can attend a Portfolio Conference where your child will present to you artifacts of his or her learning from the first quarter – work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth.

In addition to presenting artifacts of academic growth, your child will also discuss their progress with the Universal Habits we have been working on this year: Managing Self, Relating to Others, Constructing Knowledge, and Participating and Contributing.

For your convenience, we are scheduling conferences on the evening of Monday, November 21, and on the morning of Tuesday, November 22. Anyone is welcome – parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. If no adult is able to attend on these dates, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time.

Please visit http://bit.ly/pyxisconferences to indicate your preferred conference times, or you can use the form that was sent home with your child today. We will get back to you to confirm your scheduled conference time.

We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

The Teachers of Team Pyxis:
Karen Allard
Nathan Caswell
Jana Fabri

11.1 Maths

2011-11-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students continue building their skills in comparing ratios. The following practice is assigned: 2ACE #4, 5.

8th Grade
Students are practicing comparing linear and non-linear relationships in Problem 1.2. The following practice is assigned: 1ACE #1, 11.

10/31 Humanities

2011-10-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hello folks,

There has been much going on in the world of humanities since the last update. Students have moved on from the historical examination of the American Revolution and are now shifting their focus to the role of media in revolutions throughout history. We have been using current events, especially those having to do with the theme of revolution, to practice some reading comprehension strategies and are looking at how the newspaper 'revolutionized' (pun obviously intended) the American Revolution. Students have been using primary sources to examine bias in how history is reported. We recently took a look at two famous lithographs of the Boston Massacre as well as two textual accounts of this event and discussed the similarities and differences as we sought to discover the "truth" about this pivotal moment on the road to the Revolution. As we wrap up this skill work, students will be charged with the task of choosing one revolution to report upon and to discuss the role that the media played in that revolution. This project will culminate in either a video or newspaper product that will be shared with the team. Stay tuned.

A reminder that this is the last week of the first quarter and we will spend some time making sure students are up to date with all class expectations. Please make sure you and your child review the spelling progress chart (there is a spot for parent initials).

Tuesday - Revolutionary News packet due
Wednesday - Spelling quiz on lessons 7-8

Science 10.31

2011-10-31T15:55:00.000-07:00

Students are learning about food webs and food chains as they study feeding relationships in ecosystems. The mini-ecosystem plan is was due today!

Maths 10.31 Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students continue building their expertise at comparing quantities using ratios and fractions. Students should complete both sides of the first page of the pizza tables worksheet.

8th Grade
Students are building skills in graphing and recognizing linear relationships in Problem 1.1. The following practice is assigned: 1ACE #1, 11.

Maths 10.28

2011-10-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students continue to practice comparing quantities using ratio, fraction, percent and difference in Problem 2.1. No practice is assigned over the weekend.

8th Grade
We started a new unit today. In Thinking with Mathematical Models students will further develop their algebra skills as they model linear and non-linear relationships.

The Filling and Wrapping unit test was returned to students today. Corrections are due on Monday. There will be a meeting on Monday after school for students who wish to make a study plan and prepare for a re-do.

Maths 10.26

2011-10-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students continue to practice their skills comparing quantities using ratio, fraction, precent and difference. For homework, students should complete Problem 1.3 question A.

8th Grade
Students took the unit test on surface area and volume of boxes, cylinders, spheres and cones. No practice is assigned.

Maths 10.25

2011-10-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
This week, the 7th grade is beginning a new unit, called Comparing and Scaling. In this unit of study, students will become skilled in making mathematical comparisons using ratio, fractions, percent and difference. Students will also learn to identify and use unit rates, and use proportions to solve problems.
The following practice is due on Wednesday: Complete 1.2 question B and 1ACE #4-7.

8th Grade
This week, we are wrapping up the unit Filling and Wrapping. Students will take the unit test on Wednesday. Students should complete the study packet to prepare for the test.

Calendar Raffle

2011-10-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

For the next couple of weeks, we will be soliciting donations for our February Calendar raffle. Prior to February, people will buy a calendar and during each day of the month they will have a chance to win a prize. We already have movie tickets and a couple of Vermont Teddy Bears. We have already asked several local businesses to donate to this raffle. We know that we have many awesome parents who work at some very cool places and we are wondering if your place of employment will would consider donating to our cause. If you have something to offer, please contact Michelle Anemikos at 893-4547 or anemikos@comcast.net or contact Heidi Slayton at sherw05468@comcast.net or contact me at 893-3230 ext. 217 or jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org.

Middle School Dance Friday

2011-10-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

This Friday is the Middle School Halloween Dance, from 6:45-9:00. It is $3.00 with costume, $5.00 without. Because of the football game, students should be dropped off at the back of the school, where the buses drop off and pick up students, and enter at the back door. Once inside the dance, students are not allowed to leave the dance until 9:00, unless they are being picked up early by an adult. All proceeds will go towards the Milton Middle School Boston Trip.

THANK YOU! Boston Fundraising Update

2011-10-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

The Tag Sale was a big success. We raised $1228.50 from the tag sale itself. We also got a $1,000 grant from the The Redducs Foundation. The grant was a very pleasant surprise.

I would like to thank all of you who help out. Whether it was through donating items, working at the storage unit, baking goods, setting up, or taking down, without you this event would not have been a success.

I would also like to thank ACE Storage in Milton who so kindly donated their space to hold the goods for our tag sale. I would recommend that you would support them for your storage needs.

Schwan's raised just over $1,000.

We are now have $23,000 to fundraise.

Thanks!
Joe Smith

Portfolio Binders

2011-10-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

To document and celebrate their learning, students will be collecting and presenting artifacts of their learning in student portfolio binders. Each student will need a 1.5" binder dedicated to his or her portfolio. Please have your binder at school by Wednesday, October 26. If this is a hardship, please let us know and we will provide a binder for you.

Help Needed for Tag Sale Saturday

2011-10-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

The Tag Sale is this Saturday from 9:00 - 3:00. We need help at the following times.

6:30 - 9:00 Set Up - More information to follow.
9:00 - 11:00 Collecting Money
11:00 - 1:00 Collecting Money
1:00 - 3:00 Collecting Money
3:00 - 4:00 Break Down

We also need baked goods. You can drop them off at the Tag Sale.

Please contact me at jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org or 893-3230 ext. 217 to sign up for any of these time slots.

Thanks,
Joe

Maths 10.17

2011-10-17T11:59:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students will take the Stretching and Shrinking unit test on Tuesday. Students should study and practice their skills with similarity, scale factor and adjacent ratios.

8th Grade
Students are learning the relationship between the volume of cylinders and spheres. The following practice is assigned:
3ACE #8-12, 22

Nut Allergy Update

2011-10-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Dear Families of Team Pyxis,

We have a student on our team with a severe nut allergy. Please continue to send healthy snacks to school with your student, but please ensure that the snacks you send do not contain nuts. It is important that we keep our classrooms nut free.

Thank you!

Schwan's Order Pickup

2011-10-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

For folks who have not yet received their Schwan's orders: the Schwan's truck will be at the school on Tuesday October 18 from 4:30-6:30. Please pass this along to anyone you know who has not yet picked up their order.

Items Needed For Tag Sale

2011-10-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

The Middle School is looking for donated items for the Tag Sale for Boston.

Drop off days are:

At the ACE Storage Units on Landfill Road, Unit # 32 and 47
Wednesday, October 12th from 4:00 pm. - 7:00 pm.
Saturday, October 15th from 9:00 am. - 1:00 pm.
Wednesday, October 19th from 9:00 am. - 1:00 pm.
OR
At the Milton Middle High School
Saturday, October 22nd 7:00 - 10:00

If you cannot make these times, please contact Joe Smith 893-3230 ext. 217 or jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org for alternative arrangements.

Thank you in advance for your support.

10/11 Humanities

2011-10-11T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hello all,
I apologize for not updating you on last week's classes. This week, when not in NECAP testing, students will be continuing their work on the book units, taking a closer look at the main characters of the books those characters' motivations. When the books are completed, we will be writing an in-class response to literature about this topic, so students have started organizing their thoughts to that end. It grows even more critical that students keep apace with the nightly readings so they will be able to best show what they've learned about the characters. Thank you for your continued support around this.

In addition to the book units, students have begun delving into the first writing trait - ideas. We have taken a look at some benchmark papers and debating their merits in this trait. Students have passionately argued their positions and it's giving us all a better sense of what makes a strong written piece in terms of its ideas. We will soon revisit a piece that was written earlier this year and revise it along these lines. Ask your child what the difference is between snorkeling and scuba diving.

As always, feel free to be in touch with any questions or concerns.
Jana

Maths 10.6

2011-10-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students continue to grow their skills in using scale factor, adjacent ratios and angles to identify similar figures and find missing measurements. The following practice is due on Friday:
4ACE #1, 3, 4

8th Grade
Students continue to build their expertise in surface area and volume of cylinders. There is no specific practice assigned, but students should be completing at least 20 minutes of work from their checklist each night.

Huge Tag Sale to Support Boston Trip

2011-10-05T16:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

On Saturday, October 22nd, we will be holding a tag sale at the Milton Middle School from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. This will be in conjunction with Milton Elementary School's Team Expedition's tag sale being held at the Elementary School. The idea is to create a "Come to Milton" campaign to visit our two gigantic tag sales. Here is how you can help.

1) Clean out your house, garage, shed, barn, closet, attic, car, office etc. and donate any gently-used goods to the tag sale. Items can be dropped off at Ace Storage, Unit # 14 on Landfill Road in Milton. People will be there to collect goods on:

Wednesday, October 12th from 4:00 pm. - 7:00 pm.

Saturday, October 15th from 9:00 am. - 1:00 pm.

Wednesday, October 19th from 9:00 am. - 1:00 pm.

You can also drop goods off at the school on October 22nd from 7:00 am. - 10:00 pm.

If these times do no work for you please contact me, Joe Smith, at 893-3230 ext. 217 or email jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org to make alternative arrangements.

2) Help collect donations at Ace Storage at the above times. We need someone to unlock the unit and be there while people bring their items.

3) Help set up the day of the tag sale. Set up will take place from 6:30 am – 9:00 pm. We will be looking for a truck to help move the goods from the storage unit to the school.

4) Help break down the tag sale. Breakdown will be from 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm.

5) Bake delicious food. Please drop off at the school on the 22nd between 8:30 am and 12:00 pm.

6) Spread the word. Let your family members, friends, and co-workers know about the tag sale. Post on Facebook, Tweet, or any other place where people will see it. Encourage them to donate goods and to shop on the 22nd. One person's refuse is another person's treasure.

7) Shop at the tag sale and find all those hidden treasure.

Please remember that we are asking all 8th grade families to participate in at least three fundraisers. Here is an excellent opportunity for you to participate for those of you who are not comfortable going door-to-door selling items.

Please contact me to let me know how you can help.

Thanks,

Joe Smith

jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org

Follow the Mitlon Middle School Boston Trip on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Milton-Middle-School-Boston-Trip/

NECAP Testing Wednesday and Thursday

2011-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

7th and 8th grade students will be taking NECAP tests on Wednesday and Thursday. To be most prepared for doing your best, please remember to:

Eat a healthy breakfast;
Bring a water bottle and drink lots of water;
Bring a book to read for when you finish the test.

Come to school ready to give your best effort. We know you'll do great!

Science 10.3

2011-10-03T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today students began researching how to write scientific procedures. Be sure to have completed the first two questions of the wiki page before class on Tuesday.

Maths 10.3

2011-10-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students learned about using ratios to find side lengths of similar figures. For practice, students should find the "unit ratios" for the Fish worksheet.

8th Grade
Some students reviewed finding surface area of a box today. For practice, students should find the surface area of all of the boxes in Problem 2.3.
Other students are learning surface area and volume of cylinders, using a guided checklist. Those students should complete at least 20 minutes of work tonight.

Picture Day Tomorrow

2011-09-28T06:32:00.001-07:00

Look sharp! School photos will be taken on Thursday, September 29.

Schwan's Fundraiser Orders Due 9/30

2011-09-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

The proceeds from this event will go to the 8th Grade Boston trip. You can order from your student using the order forms that were in their packet or you can do it online at www.schwansfundraising.com/ and use campaign ID # 36454. Orders can be picked up on Sunday, October 9th, at 26 Bombardier Road.

6-8 Reconfiguration Meeting

2011-09-27T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Middle School Reconfiguration Committee is holding a public informational forum to discuss details and questions you might have about the middle school reconfiguration.

MES Library - Wednesday, October 12 at 6:30pm - Light refreshments served

We hope you will join us!

For more information, please contact Libby Johnson at 893-3210 x1110

9/27 Humanities Update

2011-09-27T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

We're off to a great week full of excellent discussion as we begin to explore the many histories out there regarding one of our most controversial historical figures, Christopher Columbus. By using interactive reading strategies, students are examining two different nonfiction texts about him and comparing and contrasting the stories that they tell. This is an exercise that I want students to become comfortable with as it will form the basis for a long-term project that we will be undertaking - rewriting a U.S. History textbook. More on that later...

As we gear up to begin our first book unit, the students have been learning about the road to the American Revolution in order to set the context for the novels we will be reading. I will send along an update with reading assignments when the time comes.

For Tuesday, students were to have come to school having read all of chapter 1 of A Young People's History of the United States with the interactive reading symbols.
For Thursday, students should have their Venn diagrams of the Columbus readings complete.
For Friday, students should be done with their portion of the American Revolution timeline.

Thanks for your continued support of our students~
Ms. Fabri

Science 9.20

2011-09-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

Our first unit of study in science this year is Inquiry and the Scientific Method. Today, students explored the question, "what makes a good testable question?" We will continue this work tomorrow. No practice is assigned tonight.

Maths 9.20

2011-09-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

7th Grade
Students are well into learning about mathematical similarity and scale factor in the unit called "Stretching and Shrinking." Today, students summarized their learning so far by completing Mathematical Reflections 2 on page 37. This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday.

8th Grade
Students are well into learning about surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes in the unit called "Filling and Wrapping." Today, students were assigned a Self-Paced Learning Checklist to guide them through Investigation 2, where they will practice and refine their skills with surface area and volume of rectangular prisms (boxes). Students will need to complete some homework each night this week in order to complete the learning tasks by Friday's deadline.

Schwan's Food Fundraiser

2011-09-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Families,

Last Friday, your student received a fundraising kit for Schwan's Food. The proceeds from this event will go to the 8th Grade Boston trip. You can order from your student using the order forms that were in their packet or you can do it online at www.schwansfundraising.com/ and use campaign ID # 36454. Orders can be picked up on Sunday, October 9th, at 26 Bombardier Road. All order forms need to be in by September 30th.

Thanks,
Joe Smith
jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org

9/19 Humanities Update

2011-09-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

For those of you who were able to make it to Open House, it was wonderful getting the chance to meet you/see you again. It's always nice to put a face with the name and open the lines of communication.

As many of you have seen, the students have been working hard developing their personal learning plans for the year. The plans, which reflect the learning we've done around growth vs. fixed mindsets and multiple intelligence theory, consist of four goals which have been written within the framework of the four universal habits - managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing, and constructing knowledge. In the coming weeks, students will begin to self-assess their progress toward each goal and compile a portfolio of evidence of their growth. These will form the basis of their student-led conferences in the fall and spring. Stay tuned...

This week in humanities, we will work on the building blocks of reading (reviewing strategies of strong readers), writing (reviewing the 6+1 traits of good writing), and the social sciences (reviewing inquiry skills and qualities of being a historian).

I wanted to also mention that as we are now offering reading/writing clinic four days per week during our midday block, students are no longer receiving their 25 minutes of reading time that the state of Vermont recommends for all students. As such, I highly recommend that students get into the habit of reading at home every night (weekends, too!) As the growth mindset suggests, the more hours we spend on a pursuit, the better at it we will be. Please help encourage your child in this and let me know how I can support you.

Due Tuesday - the entire Personal Learning Plan (including four goals) should be typed on the wiki.
I will update you later in the week as I see how the writing activities progress in class. If any of the work needs to be completed at home, I will follow up with another post.

Enjoy the week~
Jana

After School Bus Starts September 19

2011-09-14T08:43:00.000-07:00

The After School Activities bus will start running again this coming Monday, September 19. The bus will depart the middle/high school at 4:15. This bus is for students who stay after school for homework clinic or other organized activities.

Come one, come all - Open House!

2011-09-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hello families of Team Pyxis,

This is a reminder that our open house is scheduled for this Thursday (9/15) from 6:00-7:00pm in rooms 211 and 212 of the middle school. In addition to getting to meet each other or reacquaint ourselves, you will have the opportunity to learn about your child's Personal Learning Plan. This represents a culmination of the work that we have done during this first unit of the year and will help drive the work we do for the rest of the year.

Please let us know if you need any further information.

See you Thursday~
Team Pyxis

9/12 Humanities Update

2011-09-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

Hello folks,

I wanted to let everyone know what our focus has been in humanities and let you know of some work that students should be completing this week. Team Pyxis has embarked upon a unit of study around the growth mindset and what adopting such a mindset can do for one's academic performance (among other pursuits). In humanities, we have taken this opportunity to practice some reading strategies (namely identifying main idea and supporting details) as we have read various articles about this topic. This week is going to be about summarizing the new learning and thinking about how this knowledge applies to us all as learners. Students are developing a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) that will be shared with you this Thursday evening during our Open House. To that end, here are some assignments for the week:

Due Tuesday - Parts I and II of the PLP Organizer
Due Wednesday - Part III of the PLP Organizer and the entire PLP Template (to be given out on Tuesday)
Due Thursday - Typed, edited Personal Learning Plan

Please let me know if you need any clarification on the above. I look forward to meeting/seeing you all on Thursday!

Be well,
Jana Fabri

Attention 7th Grade Parents

2011-09-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

Dear 7th Grade Parents/Guardians,

At the end of 8th grade year, students go on field trip to Boston for three days and two nights. While in Boston, students visit historical sites, museums and take in the culture of a city. The cost of this trip is approximately $325 per student. To ensure that families only have to pay $100, we need to fundraise $23,000. The only way we can achieve this is through fundraising over a two-year period. I am putting together a committee of parents to discuss ways to fundraise this amount and to create a calendar of fundraising events throughout this year. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please join me on Tuesday, September 6th, at 6:00 p.m., in the library. With a group of committed parents, I am sure that we can achieve our goal and give the students an experience of a life time in Boston.

Thank you,
Joe Smith

jsmith3@mtsd-vt.org

The First Day!

2011-09-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Our first day of school today was a success! Students started getting to know each other and their teachers. Students received their planners and an information packet to bring home to parents.

Parents - the first homework assignment is for you. Please complete the information packet sent home, or better yet, complete this online form instead: http://bit.ly/p8HXaR .

It's going to be a great year!

Welcome to Team Pyxis!

2011-08-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings to the students and families of Team Pyxis,

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year at Milton Middle School. We are eager to begin our work together on this newly formed team! Pyxis is a team of 45 students in seventh and eighth grade, led by Mr. Caswell (Maths and Science), Ms. Fabri (Humanities) and Mrs. Allard (Consulting Teacher).

This year, our focus in Humanities will be on developing our literacy skills through the lens of U.S. History. By examining our nation’s history through literature and other media, students will see that history is a living, breathing, dynamic set of different perspectives and stories that contribute to our overall understanding of the current state of our country.

In Science, students will hone their inquiry skills as they answer questions and test predictions about living organisms and ecosystems.

Students will further develop their abstract and quantitative reasoning as they become skilled mathematicians in proportionality, negative numbers, equations, linear functions, the geometry of three-dimensional shapes, the Pythagorean Theorem, and more!

Please bring the following supplies:

A 1½” binder
A 1” binder
Two packs of 5 tabbed dividers
A composition notebook (journal)
Plenty of pencils
A handheld pencil sharpener
Plenty of three-ring binder paper
Highlighters

Team Pyxis Daily Schedule:
07:25 - 07:50 Advisory/Morning Meeting
07:50 - 11:00 Humanities and Science
11:00 - 12:00 Exploratory
12:00 - 01:30 Lunch/Recess/Clinic/Band/Chorus
01:30 - 02:35 Maths

Our primary mode of team-home communication will be through this team blog, where we will post all manner of information about student learning, assignments, and announcements. Please bookmark this URL in your web browser and visit often for daily updates during the school year.

As a new team, we think it’s important to spend some time getting to know each other. To that end, we are planning a team-building overnight trip to happen in the first few weeks of school. Before too long, we will also have an evening at the school for families, students and teachers of Team Pyxis to come together. Stay tuned for details about these two events.

We look forward to getting to know you over the next few weeks. In the meantime, be in touch if you have any questions or concerns.

Enjoy the remainder of your summer and we’ll see you soon!

Karen Allard
Consulting Teacher
kallard@mtsd-vt.org

Nathan Caswell
Maths/Science
ncaswell@mtsd-vt.org

Jana Fabri
Humanities
jfabri@mtsd-vt.org