Orange Grove Picks of the Week: Our Weekly Family Update updated 8/25/17

	THIS WEEK Aug 28 – Sept 1	NEXT WEEK Sept 4 - 8
M	28	4  NO SCHOOL - LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
T	29 ❏    Afternoon ZAP until 4:15	5 ❏    Afternoon ZAP until 4:15
W	30 ❏    Wed AM ZAP 7:00 ❏    Afternoon ZAP until 4:15 ❏    SSP  (606)	6 ❏ No late start, School begins at 7:30 a.m.
T	31 ❏    Afternoon ZAP until 4:15 ❏    Back-To-School Night 6:00 – 7:30 (6th	7
F	1 ❏    Happy Friday!	8 ❏    Happy Friday!

 

Orange Grove PICS of the Week: Eclipse!

Our students had a (safe) and fun time watching the eclipse. We can’t wait until 2024 for the next one!

Students demonstrated safe viewing of the phenomenon.

What’s better than seeing 59.5% of the sun eclipsed by the moon?

The trees made eclipse poetry with light – acting like pinhole cameras with thousands of holes, they projected the crescent image of the sun on the ground.

Curious and inventive students in Mrs. Hoenshell’s class created and implemented their own scientific study. Hypothesis: as the sun’s rays are blocked, the shadows of objects will also diminish. They set up a camera to record time-lapse photos and marked the sidewalk at consistent intervals to collect data. Stay tuned to find out their results!

Students practiced making “hand-made” pinhole cameras, by creating tiny apertures with interlaced fingers – focusing the light and projecting images of the eclipse on the ground.

ZAP is coming!

ZAP, or Zeroes Aren’t Permitted, is starting again.  ZAP is a before- and after-school mandatory opportunity (😊) to ensure that students complete their missing work in a timely manner – while the work and learning is still relevant to class.

Deadlines are important. In our district, we do not use grades as a consequence for deadlines, because we want grades to reflect a student’s mastery of academic standards. However, missing deadlines does have a consequence in many real-world settings, and it will have a consequence at Orange Grove: as Rick Wormeli has said, “The consequence for not doing the work is … doing the work.” All of the work our teachers assign is important – either to assess student skill or to give students the practice they need. We expect our students to complete all of it.

Beginning soon, you will receive automated alerts, based on information teachers provide in StudentVUE/ParentVUE, when your student misses an assignment. Whenever a student is missing 3 assignments, they will be assigned to ZAP. Teachers may also opt to assign students to ZAP in other cases when they determine that students need a structured and supported environment to complete work.

ZAP is held at Orange Grove, by invitation only:

• Tuesday after school, until 4:15 (late bus leaves afterward)
• Wednesday before school, starting at 7:00
• Wednesday after school, until 4:15 (late bus leaves afterward)
• Thursday after school, until 4:15 (late bus leaves afterward)

Parents / guardians are expected to arrange for transportation to or from ZAP.

If your student ever has serious trouble completing work, have them complete it badly, and then have them follow up with the teacher for extra support. Very often, a child’s fear of imperfection keeps them from beginning work that seems challenging. It is normal for all of us to make mistakes while we learn something; it means we are pushing the edge of our abilities. Our teachers will always help your students succeed – but we expect our students to tackle all tasks, even when they are frustrating or challenging.

 Back-to-School Night is Coming! Thursday, August 31, 6:00pm-7:30pm

Back-to-School Night is coming! Relive the wonders of your own middle school career, and follow in your child’s footsteps on the magical night of Thursday, August 31.

Your student will bring home a schedule next week with their classes and teachers listed. It would be good to have them sit down with you, and have them teach you the best ways to cross campus in time to make it on time for all of ‘your’ classes.

You will meet all of your child's teachers, learn about their classroom expectations and practices , and be able to attend optional sessions on ParentVUE or ways to be engaged in our school and community.

While Back-to-School Night is a fantastic way to relive your own middle school memories and get a taste of your child’s middle school life, it is not a time for individual conversations about students with teachers. Please make an appointment with your child’s teachers if you want to have an individual conversation about your child's progress in their class. You don’t have to wait until the official Parent Conferences to meet – and meetings are always better if the student is present.

 We look forward to seeing you next Thursday at 6 o'clock!

Because we have limited space, this event is open for adults only.

A special session for parents of six graders in our gifted program will begin at 5:30 in Mr. Bindschadler’s room: Room 206. 

Parentposter Sp Color (1) by Anonymous iX6KV9LZzo on Scribd

Youthposter Eng Color (1) by Anonymous iX6KV9LZzo on Scribd

Youthposter Sp Color (1) by Anonymous iX6KV9LZzo on Scribd