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WELCOME PARENTS!
Please read the full welcome letter for classroom information!
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I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your middle school student to a brand new school year. For some, your student is returning to the classroom as a 7th or 8th grader, but we have many fresh 6th grade faces; either way, I’m super excited for many different reasons! I want to first take the time to introduce myself, Candice Potts. I have an elementary education degree and have special concentrations at the middle school level in both math and science. This year marks my second year teaching science, but my third year as a teacher at Pope County Elementary/Jr. High. I’m excited to be a fresh face in the education world, taking pride on learning ‘out of the box’, bringing 21st century learning techniques into the classroom.
You will find below how I bring these aspects into the classroom as I want to let you know of some neat things we will be doing this year. First I want to take the time to explain some of the expectations I have for students when they enter the classroom. It is very important for students, and parents, to understand that in order to have fun in science, students must be able to follow some very simple codes of conduct. Please read on after the classroom expectations as you will find some information about the classroom. |
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NOW….ON TO THE FUN STUFF!!
Let’s talk about what’s really happening in OUR SCIENCE CLASSROOM!
I LOVE TECHNOLOGY
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STUDENTS ARE CO-CREATORS
As said before, we don’t just ‘do outlines’; we draw, chart, graph, color, create, bullet point, and even scribble at times! Students will construct their own Interactive Science Notebook, we are stepping it up this year!!! Our ISN’s are our #1’s in this class and students can be as creative and colorful as they want. Our goal is not only jr. high science, but also learning tools that will help us become great note takers in high school and college. In our ISN’s, we learn to take complex and scientific information and put it in a format that is useful and understandable!!!
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OPEN and HONEST COMMUNICATION
I believe in collaboration. I love to share ideas and students are always ready and willing to give feedback on what they like and what they find BORING (insert snoring sound....now)!!! I LOVE to try new things and even when those things fail, I know I am just one step closer to finding what does work. I encourage students to BE AWESOME at what they love and to help bring it into the science classroom! I also look forward to hearing from you. If you run across a great idea, email or call me! Better yet, stop in and check out our science room!!! If you love Pinterest, send me the pin!
Open communication means contact with YOU TOO! Email is the easiest way to get ahold of my, but I am flexible if something works better for you! You will even find a contact form on this website as well as a direct email icon on each webpage!
Open communication means contact with YOU TOO! Email is the easiest way to get ahold of my, but I am flexible if something works better for you! You will even find a contact form on this website as well as a direct email icon on each webpage!
HANDS ON LEARNING
Inquiry is where it's at
Today’s students are quite different from learners even twenty or thirty years ago. Students love to learn with their hands and science class is a great place to understand concepts through experiments in our lab. My goal this year is at least 1 lab every two weeks (per class). Labs, however, can be costly, so don’t be surprised if your son or daughter asks you to save random objects, such as empty toilet paper rolls, water or two liter bottles, because in science, we do DIY to keep cost down. Students are also able to buy classroom supplies from our science class store. These profits help to fund our lab experiments. If you are interested in finding ways to donate to our science lab, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
In general, donations are greatly appreciated. Some ideas:
glue/glue sticks colored construction paper pipe cleaners
markers white board markers fishing line/twine
clear plastic cups loose leaf notebook paper straws
1” binders science magazines calculators
(DOLLAR TREE)
Highlighters K'nex or Legos colored pencils
white or colored printer/construction paper
In general, donations are greatly appreciated. Some ideas:
glue/glue sticks colored construction paper pipe cleaners
markers white board markers fishing line/twine
clear plastic cups loose leaf notebook paper straws
1” binders science magazines calculators
(DOLLAR TREE)
Highlighters K'nex or Legos colored pencils
white or colored printer/construction paper
We are RISK TAKERS!
All scientists know big risks bring big rewards!! In science class your student will travel to the highest mountain and also to the deepest part of the ocean (ahem, that’s where ck12.org and Twig come in)! They will learn about conserving resources and making a lasting impact for future generations. That’s right, I encourage students to take risks, think outside of the box: be world changing! If your child comes home with dreams of great discoveries or of making a huge difference, encourage them! It’s a BIG world out there!!
THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN THE FALL SEMESTER: |
Science Fair Project
This year, students will have the option of either completing a science fair project to present at the annual parent night in October, or they will be able to write a paper over a science topic related to their subject matter of study for the year (6th: Earth, 7th:Life, 8th: Physical). If the student chooses to write a paper, it is a requirement of 3 PAGES, DOUBLE SPACED, WITH CITATIONS.
Projects and papers will be due at the same time. |
Science Class Food Drive
A goal this year is to give back. Students will be able to bring in nonperishable food items in December to donate locally. The class with the highest percentage of items brought in will receive bonus points as well as a compliment party!
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