Weekly Update 11/16/12

This week's bloggers have a project for the homeless.

 Here is their picture:

Mrs. Ziegenfuss donated some coats that they don't use at her house.

This is one of the boxes that are around the school. 

From left to right they are Jackie, Annie, Emilia, Patricia, and Cassandra

This is just what was in one box! We are collecting clothes for men, children, and maternity women's clothing. Also, we are collecting bedding and toiletries (gently used or new, PLEASE). If you have something to donate, please bring it to Thomas so we can collect them by December 14th. Thank you!

In Social Studies we made maps of the Fertile Crescent and Mesopotamia, using yarn to learn where everything was located. In our group we had to label different places that would be on our test.  It helped us all and it was fun, too. 

Rocco and Keatyn

Lorie, Annie, and William

Connor and Charlie

Carol, Emma, and Claire

Math Videos:

In math, we made math videos for different topics like:

Absolute Value, the Coordinate Grid, and more!! All of the videos were interesting, so we're going to let you watch them yourselves!! In the convenience of our blog!! Enjoy!!! Also, congratulations to Annie and Jackie, for getting their math video on the home page of SchoolTube!!!

WEX Personal Narratives

This week we wrote our personal narratives about an important moment in our lives.  We used all of the writing skills we've been practicing this year, especially showing not telling, and using strong verbs and sensory details.  Below we are editing with our partners. If you want to read then, you have to go on google docs or wait until we can bring them home.

Rhea and Mrs. Lavidas

William and Owen

Ben and Trey

                                                 Nathan W., Nathan H., and Sean

                                           Matt, Claire, Lorie, Michael K,, and Alex Y.

Veronica and Patrycja (Me!)

Classroom Spelling Bee Winners!  On Tuesday we participated in our classroom spelling bees.  Good job to Morgan and Owen in period 4/5 and Tyler and Conner in period 7/8 for making it to the school spelling bee!  They will compete in the all-school Bee on December 13.  

Connor (runner-up) and Tyler (first place)

Owen (runner-up) and Morgan (first place)

∑igma Celebrations:

Pizza Party:  

On Friday we had a pizza party to celebrate 6-12 for finding the most red ribbons during Red Ribbon Week.  Mrs. Ziegenfuss was nice enough to share with Mr. Aho's homeroom. 

Thank you, Mrs. Ziegenfuss, and thanks to PTA for sponsoring this party!

Here are the boys in Mr. Aho's room

And the girls and a few boys in Mrs. Ziegenfuss's room

Look at how much pizza we ate!

Congratulations to Paw PRIDE Students of the Month for November, Claire and Trey!! 

 

Weekly Update 11/9/12

Guess what sign this week's bloggers made with their bodies?

Front to back: Owen, Rhea, Michael B., Henry, Keatyn

Iceman Research Presentations

These are some examples of our best research presentations, as chosen by each class.  Each group researched different topics and presented their information to the class in whatever way they wanted. Michael B learned that there was a man in ice that was thousands of years old. He did not even know Ötzi existed!  Rhea learned that two hikers found Ötzi, a man from the Neolithic Era, and he had a copper axe.  The two hikers almost accidentally destroyed his body.

How Ötzi was mummified:  Nathan W., Rocco, Alex Y., Cassy

Theories of Ötzi's Death skit, featuring a "time machine":  
Cecelia, Claire, Ben and Devin

Veronica, Kayce, and Annie as funny scientists studying the state of Ötzi's body:

 Patrycja, Sean, and Michael P. made an iMovie about the importance of the discovery of Ötzi:

Math:  Election 2012
In math we learned about the Electoral College and how it greatly decided who the President was. This way we were able to follow the election. You need 270 electoral votes to win. Obama got plenty over 270 votes in both of our classes.  It was pretty obvious that Obama won the election and that he had won President in our math classes. 

Period 4/5 Electoral College votes:
Obama 357, Romney 181
Period 7/8 Electoral College votes:
Obama 295, Romney 243

In school we had an election, and all students voted during their social studies classes.  In the chart below, you can see that Obama won by 20 percent.  Thomas voted somewhat the same as the country did in the real election, except Obama didn't win by as much in the actual election as he did in our Thomas mock election.


TMS Mock Election Results:

Wonder and Sigma's Precepts:

On Thursday we finished Wonder, our class read-aloud in LA.  We were really sad that the book is over, but it ended in a positive way. In the book, one of Auggie's teachers had the students write about a precept or motto for life each month.  Yesterday we came up with our own personal precepts for life and explained why we chose them on our individual blogs.  Some of us used words from writers, songs, or movies, and some of us wrote our very own mottos.

Here are all of our own personal words to live by:  

Don't give up; keep on trying.

~Trey (Bruno Mars)

I'm lovin' it!

~Ben (McDonald's jingle)

You have to move on with the hard times.

~Emilia

There are always bullies.  There are always friends.  Be a friend, not a bully. 

~Owen

Wisdom is not always good for you.

~Rhea (from The Sea of Monsters)

Dance like nobody's watching,

Love like you've never been hurt,

Sing like nobody's listening,

Live like there's heaven on earth.

~Kayce (Mark Twain)

The glass of water is half full, not half empty.

~Charlie

JUST DO IT.

~Rocco (Nike)

Always live your life to the fullest.

~Annie

I've got issues, I know I do,

And I've got to work on them with you.

~Jackie (Big Sean)

Here comes the sun.

Little darling smiles returning to faces.

~Paul (The Beatles)

There is no respawn in life, and if yours is bad keep changing your life to do good to respawn.

~Jack S. created this precept.

The power of one can change all.

~William

Friends will change: life will change, but you will always be you, so don't change the way you are, because you are perfect.

~Cecelia

Doing many kindnesses in secret is better than doing one in public where many are watching.

~Devin

LIFE IS SHORT.  BE KIND.

~Cassy

Semper Fidelis  (Always Faithful)

~Ziran (Marines, WWII)

Love life!

~Keatyn

Here comes the sun. 

~Henry (The Beatles)

If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it.  Now quiet, they're about to announce the lottery numbers.

~Michael B. (Homer Simpson)

Have no friends not equal to yourself.

~Matt (Confucius)

Keep calm and carry on.

~Michael P. (WWII slogan in Great Britain)

Never let  problems take over you; you take over problems.

~Jack B.

Everyone is good on their own, but everyone is better when they are "Them" instead of "I."  YOU are the best when you work on a TEAM.  

~Emma

Winners never quit, and quitters never win.

~Alex Y. (Vince Lombardi, Green Bay Packers coach)

Carpe Diem.  (Seize the day.)

~Colin (Horace)

If you have been taught well, you will make it.

~Sean (Adapted from Master Plo Koon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.)

Please.  Thank you. Attitude. And effort.

~Claire (my dad)

Life is a highway,

I wanna ride it.

~Tyler (Tom Cochrane;  Rascal Flatts)

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

~Carol (Mahatma Gandhi, used in the movie Monte Carlo)

Be yourself.  There is always something that you are better at doing than everyone else.

~Patrycja

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

~Veronica (Dr. Seuss)

There are some days that you want to last forever, but there are some days that you just want to end.

~Alex S.

Life isn't about finding yourself; it's about creating yourself.

~Lorie (Ally Gawrys on Instagram, originally by George Bernard Shaw)

Kind words do not cost much.  Yet they accomplish much.

~Nathan W. (Pascal)

This is not the friend you are looking for.

~Connor (Adapted from Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars)

People say my brain is wired funny.  I agree with them.  They say it makes me weird.  I think it makes me special.

~Isabel

I won't be a part of their games.

~Michael K. (from The Hunger Games)

If you believe it's possible, then it is possible.

~Nathan H.  

The "Tommy Works It" video has been temporarily removed until we receive permission to post the song online.  Sorry!  Please check back later for the video.

Weekly Update 11/2/12

This week's bloggers are ready to eat candy! 

(Three Musketeers,  it looks like)

Michael P., Tyler, Rocco, Om, Paul

Spirit Week: 

TMS Student Council sponsored Spirit Week because of Halloween, and we had fun dressing up in different themes each day.

Monday: Crazy/Lazy Day

Kayce, Tyler (me!), Matt, Jack, and Isabel 

Sean, Carol, Emma, Cassy, Annie, Charlie

 Cecelia, and Emilia in front

Jersey Day

Jack, Isabel, Michael K., Kayce, Lorie, Colin, Tyler (me!), Paul, 

and Emilia in front

Period 3 showing their spirit!

Halloween

Emilia, Rhea, Annie, Kayce, and Connor

Period 3 in their costumes

Twin Day

Trey and Matt (and Sean photobombing)

Jackie and her friend Laura

Patrycja and her friend, Steffani

Paw PRIDE Spirit Day

Period 2

Period 3

GO SIGMA!

Mock Election:  On Thursday in social studies we got the chance to vote for president and congressperson in the Thomas mock election.  PTA volunteers including Mrs. Delahanty helped organize this fun event.  We are awaiting the results of our Thomas vote.

Isabel and Keatyn casting their votes

Lining up to vote

Ziran and Tyler voting

Devin and Jackie casting their votes on iPads

Visit from Mr. Ronzio:  

Last Tuesday Rocco's dad, Mr. Ronzio, volunteered to visit our team and tell us all about engineering.   He was a very interesting speaker, and we all enjoyed listening to his presentation and asking him lots of questions.  

Thank you, Mr. Ronzio, for taking the time to visit Thomas!!

Mr.Ronzio giving us an engineering problem to solve.  

At the end of the period, Nathan W. had the right answer!

Mr. Ronzio explaining all the different types of engineering.

Here we all are watching the presentation. 

                                           Rocco anxious to get his turn to ask his dad a question.

Rocco and his dad

∑igma Celebrations!

Congratulations to everyone on a GREAT first quarter of 

sixth grade!

Michael P. made this cool ∑igma logo using a website called Tagxedo.com.

Trey carrying a lot of history books with Jack, showing their Paw PRIDE by being responsible.

Colin's static hair!