Communication

• Bi-Weekly Newsletter• Messaging System: e-mails and phone calls• Website- http://mcauliffe.dpsk12.org• Edmodo• Parent Portal in Infinite Campus• Call us at 720-424-4793 or e-mail

kurt_dennis@dpsk12.org

Parents as Partners

To whom do I direct my administrative questions?• Questions or concerns regarding school

policies, administration, finances, personnel, safety, and other general school issues should be sent directly to the principal.

Parents as Partners

To whom do I direct my instructional questions?• Questions or concerns regarding curriculum,

instruction, or your child’s classroom experience should be sent directly to the teacher.

• If you feel that your questions or concerns have not been adequately addressed, the Director of Achievement, Kristen Atwood, is the next point of contact.

Parents as Partners

Parent concerns that cannot be resolved at the school level should be directed to the DPS Parent Constituency Office at 720-423-3054.

Updates and Info

Walking/Biking to School• Funding is secured for 2 crossing guards (one

at MLK/Syracuse and one at 35th/Central Park).• If you know anyone that would be interested

in being a crossing guard, please call or e-mail the school.

• Additional bike racks have been ordered for the SMIS campus.

Early Fall Sports

• The DPS Prep League Early Fall Schedule is available at http://athletics.dpsk12.org/ms_sports/MSFall2012.htm

• Athletic Fee: $25 due by September 7th

• Students that leave early for school sponsored athletics and activities will have an excused absence.

• They will need to make arrangements with the teacher to get any make up work and notes that they missed. They will have one day to finish the make-up work and return it to the teacher.

• The teachers and students are using Edmodo so that all missing work and info is available online. Students will not receive ZAPP unless they fail to turn in their make-up work by the due date.

Early Fall SportsSoccerCoach Malik 303-588-8797

• Sept. 17th PittWaller at McAuliffe - 4:15pm• Sept. 19th McAuliffe at Noel – 4:15pm• Sept. 26th MLK at McAuliffe – 4:15pm• Sept. 27th Howell at McAuliffe – 4:15pm• Oct. 2nd McAuliffe at Greenwood – 4:15pm• Oct. 4th McAuliffe at Smiley – 4:15pm• Oct. 5th McAuliffe at Vista – 4:15pm• Oct. 10th DMIS at McAuliffe – 4:15pm

Buses will be provided by DPS to and from all athletic competitions. Home games in RED

Cross County Coach Pablo 720-939-9531

Sept. 5th at Washington Park – TBD Sept. 14th at Harvard Gulch – 3:10pmSept. 20th at Bear Valley Park – TBD Sept. 28th at Bear Valley Park – TBD Oct. 3rd at Cheesman Park – TBD Oct. 9th at Bear Valley Park – TBD

Fundraiser

• The Reach For The Stars Direct Giving Party is on Saturday, October 20th from 6:30pm to 9pm at Hangar 61 in Stapleton.

• The goal of the fundraiser is to raise enough money to pay for the Enrichment Program at McAuliffe and to send every student to the Keystone Science Camp in the spring.

Bond/Mill Levy

• The DPS bond proposal on the November ballot includes a new 6 – 12 campus north of I-70 for 900 students. The projected cost of the facility is $38.5 million.

• The cost of the bond and mill levy per $100,000 of home value is $5 a month or $62 a year.

Humanities

Humanities at

McAuliffe

SpringBoard Language Arts

Curriculum

Reading and Writing

Workshops

Geography Alive!

Curriculum

Humanities

Changes in Me

map skills

narrative writing

expository writing

Changes in My World

the geography of the US and Canada

freshwater ecosystems

migration

short stories

TV news production

Changes in Self-

Perceptionthe geography of Latin America, Europe, and

Russia

land use conflict

populations dilemmas

voice/letter-writing

literary analysis

Measuring Changes in

Me

the geography of Africa and Asia

the significance water and land features

revsising, reflecting, and publishing

Changing Times and

Places

the geography of Oceania and

Antarctica

global warming

research

oral presentation

HumanitiesHow do I find out about my student’s progress?• Parent Portal will house all assignments and grades.

https://campus.dpsk12.org/campus/portal/icprod.jsp What is the purpose of EDMODO?• EDMODO (dpsk12.edmodo.com) will provide students a way to submit a writing assignment and allow

teachers to respond to their work. EDMODO will be our writer’s workshop online tool. It’s essentially FACEBOOK for educators.

How will I communicate with my child’s teacher? • The best way to communicate with your Humanities teachers is through email or phone. I am happy to

answer any questions or concerns first hand.

What should I ask my child at the dinner table?• What are you reading now? What is the book about? Did you find a wonder word in your book?

What was your Essential Question today? Did you write anything you would like to share with me today?

What should be coming home with my child daily?• Student Planner, Choice Novel, and Writer’s Notebook.

MathWhat is my student learning in math this year? Year-at-a-Glance: • We will post weekly updates in our libraries on Edmodo to inform you of weekly learning

targets and the Common Core Standards.

Course 1 (August –January)• Positive Numbers, Negative Numbers, Multiplying and Dividing Fractions, Ratios, Rates,

Percents, Algebraic Expressions.

Course 2 (January – June)• Equations and Inequalities, Coordinate Plane, Area, Surface Area, Volume, Introduction to

Statistics, Measures of Central Tendency.

What are the expectations for my students in math?• Students are expected to bring their math binder, pencil and homework to class every day.• Homework will vary for day to day and teacher.

Math

What are the expectations of me as a parent?

• Check Infinite Campus for the most current grades• Check Edmodo for periodic updates and “dinner table questions”

you should be asking your child. How will I be informed of my student’s performance/progress?

• Infinite Campus Parent Portal will provide the most current information.

• Periodically check the section in your student’s binder called “tracking/goals” .

ScienceWhat is my student learning in science this year?

The sixth grade science curriculum is Earth Science: • rocks and landforms• plate tectonics and structure of the Earth• astronomy• water and the hydrosphere• atmosphere, climate, and weather• the nature of science and the scientific method. What are the expectations for my student in science?

• to come to class prepared each day with the proper materials and completed assignments• to be willing to work with others and try new things• to work in groups to solve problems, develop questions, conduct investigations, and practice inquiry• to be safe in the science classroom• to complete small assignments (10 minutes or less) at home. These assignments are tied directly to

our learning activities in class.

ScienceWhat are the expectations of me as a parent?

• support your child in his/her study of science• encourage him or her when it gets challenging• find ways to reinforce what students are learning in class• use Edmodo to be aware of what your student is doing in science

How will I be informed of my student’s performance/progress?

• At the beginning of each unit, students will be given a paper to put in their binders with an overview of the unit objectives. On this sheet, students will track their understanding. Talk with your student regarding their understanding of the scientific concepts we are studying.

• Student progress on the standards will be reported through Infinite Campus. Updates to IC will be made weekly. I encourage you to check in with your child about their progress on IC.

What should I be asking my student about science?

• ask what the highlight was from science class that day• use Edmodo to help guide the conversation

Physical EducationWhat is my student learning in P.E. this year?• SPARK P.E. with an emphasis on fitness & nutrition

What are the expectations for my student in P.E.?• 100% effort. Students do not have to be the best at the skill, but they do have to try. It

will get easier with practice. What are the expectations of me as a parent? • Please support your student in living a healthy lifestyle (exercise, rest, healthy meals).

How will I be informed of my student’s performance/progress?• Students perform regular fitness assessments and are graded on a rubric for each unit

What should I be asking my student about P.E.?• What were your highs and lows in P.E. today? What were the exercises you did today for

warm up? Can you show me how to do it? Did you do any new stretches for cool down today? What unit are you working on?

World LanguagesWhat is my student learning in Beginner Spanish or French this year? • The French/Spanish alphabet and sound system• Basic greetings and courtesies• Numbers and colors• How to tell time• Asking about and describing people• How to talk about the weather• How to express likes and dislikes• Ask about interests• Offering and accepting food• Asking for and giving opinions• And most importantly…How to have fun learning a second language! While learning French/Spanish we will be learning several GRAMMAR topics: • Regular and Irregular Verbs • Present Tense• Future Tense using • Introduction to using the Past Tense will be learning about its culture, art, literature and music

World LanguagesWhat are the expectations for my student in Spanish/French?

• Students are expected to bring their French/Spanish notebook, binder and a pen or pencil to class each day.

• It is their responsibility to turn in all assignments on time.• Students will have a small vocabulary or conversation assignment to practice French/Spanish at

home at least once a week.

What are the expectations of me as a parent?

• give your student time to practice at home using online resources• ask students how to access classzone.com and Rosetta Stone at home• find extra resources listed under the class “Library” on Edmodo

Support world languages and cultures at home: • download language applications and games! There are tons of Apple Apps for French and Spanish

fun. • take time once a week to look over your student’s notes and quiz them on it (give them numbers in

English and they should be expected to say the numbers in Spanish, etc.)

World LanguagesHow will I be informed of my student’s performance/progress?

• Students will have an up to date status of their grade every Monday on Infinite Campus.

• Stay tuned to Edmodo, you will find useful links, websites, and teacher information that will be useful for your student.

What should I be asking my student about World Languages?Ask them….• If they have practiced on Classzone.com or Rosetta Stone lately• How are they are doing (in the target language)• To recite their numbers / days of the week / etc.• If they need you to be their partner as they say a French/Spanish skit out loud.

Thank you!

At this time, you will be able to walk through your student’s schedule, meet teachers and turn in your questions for the FAQs page on the McAuliffe website.

Thank you so much for coming to Back to School Night!