December Letter

 

 Dear Parents and Families,

 

 

Going into winter break, the middle school students will have a lot of work to be proud of and a solid foundation to build on throughout the year.

 

Now that we’ve completed our first class reading of Lord of the Flies, students have been working on writing analytical essays. These essays require students to develop critical thinking skills in relation to a piece of literature, and more importantly, to express their ideas using evidence and logic. Students have been working hard on these essays and will have their final drafts done by next week. Please ask your son or daughter to share their essays with you.

 

For our next unit in English, students will continue to develop their reading skills through independent book circles. Students will be placed in small groups based on reading levels, and each group will choose a book from a recommended list. Each member of the group will have specific roles, and the group will have time in class to meet and discuss their books. In addition to book circles, we will also be making our own sketch books. This will be a collaboration project with the arts committee and local artist, Linda Illumanardi, who will help students create their own personalized sketch journals. Students will then use these journals to do observational sketches and writing about the local botany and animal life in Altadena. In order to make our books, we will need some basic supplies. Please stay tuned for a list of supplies to be donated for this project.

 

In History, students are wrapping up their final projects on the fall of the Roman Empire. Some students are working on newspaper articles, some are working on performance based raps, and others are creating illustrated booklets. Again, please ask your son or daughter to share this work with you.

 

As always, thank you for your continued support and communication. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

 

Happy holidays and enjoy the break.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Daryl Bilandzija