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Mrs. Bernier - Social Studies

Hello! I am super excited to be back at school! I have been a 6th grader my entire teaching career (20 years!), so I know a thing or two about 6th grade. Social studies is my passion!

I have 3 children (a 18 year old daughter and twin boys who are 16!) and we live in Saco. We spent a lot of this summer at a friend’s camp and any other body of water we could find. But not much of the ocean… I am not a fan of ocean water. We took a trip to Connecticut and Rhode Island and had a great time!

When I am not here at YMS, I love being with my kids, watching movies, reading, live music (outdoor concerts are the best!), and spending time with my family playing games.

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Social Studies Class

Units of Study:

SS Teacher on team:

Citizenship
Government - Ancient Athens democracy & US Democracy
Economy

SS Teacher off Team:

Geography

Map skills
Physical and human characteristics
Human-Environment Interaction (HEI)

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6th Grade Schedule

Highlights:

All 5 classes are seen every day
Advisory happens at the end of the day on Mondays
All teachers are available during TLT to work with students
We still rotate classes to see students at different times of the day.

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Ms. Hammer - Math

Hello! I look forward to teaching your mathematicians this year!

This summer, my fiance and I visited San Francisco. We had so much fun exploring the city, walking across the Golden Gate Bridge, and cheering for the Red Sox at Oracle Park.

When I’m not at school, I love to run, read, do puzzles, travel, and spend time with my family and dog, Salty.

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Math Class

Daily Classwork
Lesson Quizzes, Unit Tests
Homework (60 minutes of MyPath with 1 lesson passed, recorded on a weekly log)

* Tests, Quizzes, and Projects will go into PowerSchool as letter grades

*Classwork and Homework are generally H.O.W.L.s in PowerSchool

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Homework Log

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Math Class

Quarter One

Quarter Two

Quarter Three

Quarter Four

Exponents
Order of Operations
GCF and LCM
Multiplying and Dividing Fractions, Decimals, and Whole Numbers

Ratios and Unit Rates
Percents and Proportions
Factoring and Distributing Expressions
Algebra (solving one-step problems with variables)

Integers, Absolute Value, and Coordinate Planes
Area and Volume

Statistics (Mean, Median, Mode, Range, Measures of Central Tendency and Variation)
Data Visuals (Stem and Leaf Plots, Histograms, Box and Whisker Plots)

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Grading: HOWLs

Respect

Responsibility

Perseverance

I will follow school rules and expectations as listed in the student handbook.
I will politely communicate with others.
I will work effectively with others.
I will model considerate behavior.

I will turn my assignments in on time.
I will arrive for class prepared with my materials.
I will use my time wisely and remain on task.
I will take initiative with my work.

I will use directions, exemplars, and rubrics as a guide to complete my assignments.
I will seek out help when I need it.
I will show high and consistent effort.
I will model grit.

HOWLs are standards that measure our habits of working and learning.

Students may receive HOWLs grades for classwork, group work, homework and more. Projects often have a letter grade and at least one HOWLs grade.

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Grading: Letter Grades

Letter grade rubrics are unique to every class and assignment/assessment.
Students with a C may choose to do a retake or revision to improve their grade.
Students who score a D+ and lower are expected to complete a retake or revisions.

Students have 48 hours after a graded assignment is returned to indicate interest in a retake or revision.
Students have 2 weeks to execute a plan for improvement and retake/revise their work.
The two grades will be averaged with a B as the highest score a student can receive.

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Formative vs Summative Assessments

Formative Assessment

Summative Assessment

Formative assessments measure a student’s progress towards mastering a standard.
Formative assessments (typically):

may look like exit tickets, homework, and classwork.
appear in PowerSchool, but do not impact a student’s overall grade.

Summative assessments measure a student’s mastery of a standard.
Summative assessments:

happen at the end of a lesson or unit and may look like a quiz, test, project, or paper.
shape a student’s report card grade in each class.

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Ms. Knight - English Language Arts

It’s great to meet you! This year has started off wonderfully, and I’m thrilled to be working with such fantastic students.

My two sons, Ben and Sam, who are 23 and 25, are my pride and joy. Teaching has been my passion for many years, and I cherish every opportunity to learn and grow alongside my students.

This year is particularly exciting as we’re taking a cohesive approach across the grade level. We’ll be delving into Shakespeare’s world and incorporating the Harkness discussion method, inspired by Phillips Exeter Academy, into each unit. Plus, students will have the chance to earn “jobs” and salaries in our classroom economy.

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Language Arts Class

Daily Skill Work: We begin each class with focused skill practice.

Independent Reading: Students should read their chosen book for at least twenty minutes daily.

Common Reads: Our shared books include Because of Mr. Terupt and The Trail.

Writing: We cover various types of writing including narrative, argumentative, informational, and poetry.

Classroom Economy: Students have assigned jobs, receive a monthly salary, and must manage expenses such as desk rental, fines, and purchases from the student store.

Website: Join my website for weekly team photos and videos.

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Advisory & Homeroom Check-in

Monday Afternoon Advisory	Homeroom Check-in
Advisory has many purposes: Supporting students' social/emotional wellness Building strong peer to peer relationships Creating a close connection with a teacher Supporting academics As an advisor, we are able to: Build close relationships with a small group Get to know your child Help guide them through all things 6th grade	We have a 10-minute homeroom at the start of school. Some of the things we do in that time are: Attendance Student Spotlight Binder organization Check Powerschool Chat about upcoming plans Play a short game

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Mr. Goodsell - Science

Hello,

My name is Mr. Goodsell and I live in Eliot with my wife, eight year old son Luke and three year old son Logan. I am originally from Massachusetts but moved up here for college and never left. Some of my favorite things are: My family, Teaching, Camping, Running, Biking, Working out, Hiking, Oriental Food (Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, ETC), Games (video and board games) and of course SCIENCE!

I am looking forward to an amazing year full of fun, excitement and growth.

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Science Class

Chemistry- The study of matter. This unit we look into what chemistry is and how it relates to Air Quality. At the end of the unit the Maine Department of Environmental Protection comes in to talk about what we learned and how it relates to the Air Quality in Maine.
Earth Science- This unit we discuss Earthquakes, Volcanoes and plate tectonics.
Space Science- This unit we learn about the planets, scaled size and distances, types of galaxies, equinoxes and solstices, moon phases, and more.
Physics- The major component of this unit of study focuses on Newton’s three laws of motion and kinesthetic vs. potential energy.

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After School Support (Homework Club)

Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, there will be at least one teacher who is available for anyone who would like to stay after. It is an opportunity for students to work in a nice quiet place or to complete any missing assignments.

If a student doesn't complete an assignment on time, the student may be asked to stay after school on those days to finish their work. Students would contact home to make arrangement for pickup.

Students may be picked up at 2:45 or take the late bus on these days.

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Mrs. Schambach - Wellness Teacher

I am a passionate teacher of 23 years with a new role of 5/6th grade Wellness. I have two kids, 3 dogs and 3 cats and one husband of 20 years. I love getting outside and having new adventures with friends and family. This is me in Montana (one of two bucket list places I visited this summer). Looking forward to a great year!!

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Wellness Class

Review of the Health Triangle
Immune System
Communicable and Non-communicable Disease
Communication
Body Systems
Nutrition
Health & Skill Related Components of Fitness

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ExtraCurricular Opportunities for 6th Grade

YMS Sports Teams	Clubs
Fall: Cross Country Field Hockey Winter: Wrestling Spring: Track & Field	Student Council Newspaper Creative Writing Odyssey of the Mind Math Team Interact Club Spring Musical

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Thank you for attending...

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Cindy Bernier -Team Leader/S.S. cbernier@yorkschools.org

Olivia Hammer - Math ohammer-grant@yorkschools.org

Beth Knight- ELA bknight@yorkschools.org

Dave Goodsell - Science dgoodsell@yorkschools.org

Liz Schambach - Wellness/P.E. lschambach@yorkschools.org

Maureen Barr - Special Education mbarr@yorkschools.org

Mat Kiernan - School counselor mkiernan@yorkschools.org