Mrs. Kerrissey’s 8th

Grade Humanities Class

Hello Faubion families, Spring is in the air and students have just completed the Language Arts portion of their state testing. I was so impressed with their dedication and attention to detail during the process. They absolutely rocked it! As I am sure most of you know, I will officially be going on maternity leave starting March 30th. However, my substitute and student teachers are amazing and I am 100% confident that the students will be in great hands during my absence. It has been an absolute pleasure to teach such a talented group of students and I will miss them tremendously. I do plan on being present for 8th graduate so that I may wish them well before their high school journey begins! In Language Arts, students are continuing with their argumentative essay writing unit. We are practicing how to make claims and support them with evidence and data. Students are also learning about counterclaims and rebuttals. Soon, they will start preparing for their debates! We have begun reading our new novel for book club, The Giver. Students are learning how to appropriately quote and support their answer with textual evidence. I am so impressed with their skill level! In Social Studies, students are about to begin their new unit on Manifest Destiny and westward expansion in America. They will learn all about life in the west and how it affected different people that settled in those regions. Students will continue practicing how to cite textual evidence to think and read like historians! Sincerely, Carissa Kerrissey

Faubion Middle School Bulletin

Middle School Contact Information: Phone: (503) 916-5686 Special Education, Matt Walker mwalker@pps.net 6th Grade Self Contained, Gabriella Quintana gquintana@pps.net 6th Grade Self Contained, Keven Walker kwalker4@pps.net 7th Grade Humanities, Phyllis Madison pmadison@pps.net 8th Grade Humanities, Carissa Kerrissey ckerrissey@pps.net Middle School Math, Michelle Akron mackron@pps.net Middle School Spanish, Nelson Quiroz nquiroz@pps.net Middle School Chinese, Li Wei lwei1704@163.com Middle School Science, Melanie Ramsey mramsey@pps.net

Edition #8 April 7th, 2016

Mrs. Madison’s 7th Grade Humanities Class

Greetings Fabulous Faubion Families,

April finds us in the middle of Smarter Balanced state testing. At this point 7th graders have started English Language Arts Computer Adapted and English Language Arts Performance Task assessments. Your child still has a series of Math tests this month.

When students are not testing, they will be diving into poetry. They will explore some famous poets such as Langston Hughes, Phillis

Wheatley, Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, Tupac Shakur, Toni Morrison, Brenda Cardenas, Eduardo Corral and many more.

Our young poets will also practice their skills at writing traditional styles of poetry and free verse expression. Students will perform their work in front of the class and some will be published on the school website next month.

Reminder: There will be no school on April 8 in order for teachers to prepare 3rd quarter report cards. We will also have a late start on

April 20 for professional development.

Phyllis Madison

Portland Public Schools recognizes the diversity and worth of all individuals and groups and their roles in society. It is the policy of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education that

there will be no discrimination or harassment of individuals or groups on the grounds of age, color, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation

in any educational programs, activities or employment.

District Title VI & Title IX Contact: Greg Wolleck, HS Regional Administrator (503-916-3963) District 504 Contact: Tammy Jackson, Director, Student Services (503-916-5460)

American Disabilities Act Contact: Human Resources (503-916-3544)

Middle School Special

Course Offerings:

*Percussion Ensemble * * Book Club * Choir * * Bio-Engineering *

Dance * Chess * * Drama * Guitar *

* Launchpad Tutoring*

Upcoming dates of interest:

Friday, April 8th No School *Teacher Planning Day All Day

Wednesday, April 13th Little Bulldogs in Training 8:30-9:30am 8:30-9:30am

Wednesday, April 13th Bulldog PK/Kindergarten Club Workshop 10:00-11:00am

Tuesday, April 19th Grandparents Workshop 2:00-3:00pm 2:00-3:00pm

Friday, April 29th Choir Show Performance (Mandatory Parent Meeting)

9-10am OR 3-4pm

Monday’s April 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th Monday’s & Wednesday’s Choir & Band Practice Choir @ 3:15pm

Wednesday’s April 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th Monday’s & Wednesday’s Choir & Band Practice Band @ 4:15pm

Ms. Li Wei’s Mandarin Chinese Class

Dear Faubion families,

How nice the weather is now! It’s good to see everybody’s energy is up! In class, I encourage students to finish the daily

task of mandarin learning as soon as possible, and then they can win some free time, which really works. We have talked

about places we go to, food we want to eat, activities we like to do and seasons we like. In order to have more oral practice,

we are having Chinese circle most of days, in which we stand in a circle and take turns to say new vocabularies and

sentences without repetition. Students love to do this. Students also enjoy themselves when we do flash card game. They

practice what they’ve learnt in games to win character cash. Students also know how to ask price now! This will really

help them out if they go to visit China sometime. Everybody, enjoy yourself in this beautiful spring and have a good start

for study or work!

Best,

Li Wei

Mr. Merrick – Middle School Academic Adviser

Dear Faubion Middle School Families, Here at Faubion we are working hard to help our students make the best decisions about schoolwork, peer and teacher relationships, developing a positive self-image and growing strength in character. I was thinking about inspiring our teens to practice work habits that will lead them toward being respectful and successful adults. It came to me that that the key to helping teens develop healthy habits, involves getting teens interested in being the best version of themselves. But how does that work? Take the time to view yourself as the hero in your own movie. Before reacting to negative stimuli, think about what the hero would do. When someone else is in need, doesn’t the hero provide assistance? Always look for ways to rise above the negativity. By holding ourselves in the best possible light in terms of our capability for good, we develop and instill a positive self-image. However, most teens find it difficult to do this on their own. Teens need examples of respectful habits modeled for them. Allow your teens to see positive relationships between mom and dad, sisters and brothers, home and school by modeling these behaviors yourself. Parents, we appreciate your support in helping your children have a productive school year. Please continue to expect the best from your children. Continue to ask about their planners, homework, peer relationships, and relationships between them and their teachers. I wish you all a very happy and fruitful April! Sincerely, Mr. Merrick

Mr. Walker - Special Education

I hope everyone’s spring break went well. State testing continues with Smarter Balanced, OAKS, and ELPA. Here are some reminders to help insure your student gives his/her best effort during testing: * Get a good night’s sleep * Eat a good breakfast and lunch to nourish the brain * For longer tests have snacks (cheese sticks, energy bars) on hand for that extra boost of energy For students receiving special education services they may be allowed designated supports, such as separate setting to take the tests, and certain accommodations. The Learning Center teachers can answer any questions you may have or refer you to the right place. Matt Walker

Ms. Ramsey’s Mid-Level Science Class

Hello Faubion Bulldogs! It’s April and with it comes April Showers, or for the 7/8 physical science students…it’s time to study WATER! This unit’s

study of water--- its chemical properties, water contamination, and water treatment begins with an activity in which students determine if they can

identify bottled water by taste alone. The classes will conduct a taste test on 3 different samples of water: distilled water, spring water, and tap water.

Let’s see if there is really a difference in taste…is it worth spending money to buy water? We’ll see!

Just how does water influence our daily lives? You’re probably thinking about the water cycle that you learned in your early education; but we will take

it further.

We’re going to delve deeper into different aspects of water---besides the usual information about how water is used for drinking, recreational,

transportation, and industrial uses, the students will be conducting investigations into water pollution and contaminants, water-borne diseases, water

quality, and the chemical properties of water (e.g.) Ph or acids and bases.

One major issue that we will study, that is happening right now, is the contamination of water in Flint, Michigan with lead, a highly toxic substance.

Just how does this chemical affect people and the environment? What could have been done to prevent this? What are the short-term and long-term

effects on the people? How can it be cleaned up? How long? The list of questions and possible solutions is one that we will debate in class?

Sincerely,

Ms. Ramsey

Ms. Ackron’s Mid-Level Mathematics Class

Hello Faubion Families!

Can you believe it's March? And more importantly, can you believe it's feeling like spring? I was so surprised when I looked around at recess the

other day and saw blossoms on the trees, heard birds chirping, and felt the warmth of the sun while watching our student's play. What a refreshing

time of year it is!

As we start the second half of the third quarter and quickly approach spring break, we are moving right along in math class. Math 7 has wrapped up

their Algebra unit and is beginning to explore surface area, volume and circles, just in time for Pi Day! Math 8 is learning all about the Greek

mathematician Pythagoras and his famous theorem. Algebra is in the middle of their one variable-statistics unit and we are having fun applying math

to lots of real-life situations. Check out some of the photos from one experiment below!

Please continue to encourage your student to keep up with their weekly extra practice homework assignments, as well as reviewing their math notes

each night. Let's keep up the hard work! Please don't hesitate to call with questions, stories or concerns. I love hearing from you! Let's have a

productive, strong March followed by a relaxing, family-filled Spring Break!

Go Bulldogs!

Michelle Ackron

Mr. Walker’s 6th

Grade Class

Dear Families, We are excited about the approach of spring as the daylight hours extend. We are busy working hard in 6th grade to prepare our students for any challenges, both academic and socially, they may face. While we have made progress there is still much to be done. Thank you for your continued support, as providing our students with the best education possible is a team effort and we could not do it without you. We are digging deep into our Bits III unit in math. In this unit students are exploring and developing their understanding of decimals, fractions as well as the division and multiplication of decimals and fractions. They are consolidating their comprehension of place value and base ten in working with decimals. I am so excited to grow our students understanding of math concepts through deeper understanding of fractions, decimals, multiplication, and division. In Reading, we are working on a Nonfiction Text Unit. Students are reading nonfiction and are asked to use their active reading strategies to visualize, develop vocabulary, and connect to the text. They also stay engaged with the use of higher order thinking questions. This unit reinforces all the learning we have developed so far and extends the applications beyond fictional texts. Students have great opportunities to extend learning outside the classroom. In math, they can always reinforce their skills with Frontrow Math, online. Students log in with first and last names and the class name "mrpoll". With reading, they can choose their books and log their questions and observations in their reading logs. Reading 35 minutes per night and completing four pages in the reading log per week will develop their reading skills even more. If you ever have any question about anything please feel free to reach out through phone or email. Keep enjoying these days as the sunlight grows on. Kevin Walker

Ms. Quintana’s 6th Grade Class

Hello, bulldogs!

Spring is finally upon us! What a true joy! We have been reveling in the beauty of spring through writing poetry! This letter is an

especially important one because it is packed with information.

We will be state testing beginning the first week of April. Please make sure students are doing their study packets and, if possible,

have them take the sixth grade smarter balanced practice test at home.

Please look over the packet with your child and try to jog their memories. The test is hard and you may struggle too! It could be a

great way to bond with your child. Please model to your students that even when the work is hard, you do not give up!

During the entire month of April, we will be periodically testing. Please make sure your child has slept well (8-10 hours) and eaten

a healthy, well-rounded breakfast. Food and sleep are SUPER important!

We can do this!

WE NEED CHAPERONES!

We have field trips coming up and we need adults to supervise us! If you are at all interested, please complete the form at

https://apps.pps.net/volunteermanagement/

This must be done weeks in advance before the field trips!

-On the morning of May 4th, we will be watching a Cuban dance performance.

-On May 11th, we will be going to see James and the Giant Peach being performed by the Oregon Children's Theater. Permission

slips will be coming home very soon!