JA Journal! Volume 1, Issue 1 February 2011

T H I S M O N T H I N J U N I O R A C A D E M Y

2/4 Report Cards Mailed Home

2/9 Count Day

2/14 NAAPID - National African-American Parent Involvement Day

2/15 Board Meeting

2/17 Curriculum Night

2/21-22 No School/Mid-Winter Break

Junior Academy Creates Newsletter Second semester begins with emphasis placed on student success, parent involvement

Mr. Wallace Assistant Principal

As we move past the halfway point of the school year, the Junior Academy staff has committed itself to the monthly JA Journal, which will be chock full of helpful information, interesting news, and timely reminders. Please look for the monthly editions of this newsletter during the first week of each month!

The second semester began on January 31, and the 2nd Quarter report cards will be mailed home in early February.

It is important that parents and teachers work together to insure the success of all students. Remember parents, all students have daily planners that are used to record homework assignments and other information that affects student grades. Also, some students receive daily homework logs to communicate student’s daily responsibilities. Also, passwords are available for Parent Portal, which allows parents to check grades on PowerSchool. Check it out!

33Uniform Reminder

To insert linked text boxes in a document, click Text Box on the Insert menu. Click and drag in your document where you want to insert the first text box, and insert additional text boxes where you want the text to flow.

To select the first text box, move the pointer over the border of the text box until the pointer becomes a four-headed arrow and then click the border. Click the right mouse button, click Create Text Box Link and then click in the text box where you want the text to flow. Repeat these steps to create links to additional text boxes.

In the first text box, type text that you want. As the text box fills, the text will flow into the other text boxes that you’ve linked. To let the reader know that an article will continue on another page, insert a small text box under the text box, choose the Jump To style, and then type

Quick Reminders Uniform and other policies still hold true

Mr. Wallace Assistant Principal

Don’t forget….

The uniform policy is still in effect. Remember that all-black boots can be worn by ladies if they can be covered by pants. Also remember that non-uniform sweatshirts and sweaters are not permitted.

Doing The Right Thing!

We are very proud of Kennedi French, who did the right thing last week after school.

After Dance practice, a young lady left her clothes and other items in the room by mistake. She called the room after leaving school and asked for someone to hold on to her things until she came back to get them.

Kennedi, who took the call in the classroom, held on to the items, but had to leave as well. She stopped by the Security office and dropped off the girl’s clothes before leaving. The girl was able to pick up her clothes the next day.

This is an example of great character on Kennedi’s part. She showed responsibility by turning in the items to an adult when she wasn’t able to give them to the girl. Thanks Kennedi!

See Page 4 to learn how to edit or replace this picture.

Detroit  Service  Learning  Academy,  21605  W.  7  Mile  Rd,  Detroit,  MI  48219      www.Detroitsla.org      (313)541-­‐7619  

8th Grade Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 1 February 2011

I M P O R T A N T 8 T H G R A D E D A T E S

2/4 $50.00 Deposit for 8th grade Washington D.C. Trip is due.

3/4 2nd payment ($110.00) for 8th grade Washington D.C. Trip is due.

4/8 3rd payment ($110.00) for 8th grade Washington D.C. Trip is due.

DSLA’s New Dace Team is founded by 8th Grade Teacher

The  new  DSLA  Dance  team  consists  of  5th  through  8th  graders  that  will  bring  out  unique  talent  to  the  Basketball  Games  as  well  as  the  African  American  History  Program.    Come  out  and  support  us  and  all  of  the  teams!  

Ms. Johnson’s ELA Class January:  Figurative  Language  Raps-­‐-­‐Students  were  creative  in  using  a  Hip  Hop  or  R&B  beat  to  teach  their  peers  about  similes,  metaphors,  personification,  idioms,  onomatopoeia,  alliteration,  and  hyperboles.      January:  My  eighth  graders  blew  it  out  the  water  with  their  power  points,  book  reports,  collages,  artistic  drawings  and  storyboards  for  the  Make  Lemonade  Project.    February:  My  students  will  be  assigned  a  creative  project  for  African  American  History  Month.    They  will  choose  an  inventor  or  scientist  and  creative  that  invention.    They  must  also  dress  up  as  the  person  they  choose,  as  well  as  type  a  brief  description  about  the  person  and  how  their  invention  helped/changed  society.  

Mrs. Pack’s Science Class Current  Mrs.  Pack’s  science  class  is  covering  Particles  and  Matter.  

The  year’s  2nd  and  final  Science  Fair  is  due  in  April  11th.    The  final  Science  Fair  projects  has  involves  more  requirements  than  the  first  as  well  as  a  research  paper.    Be  sure  to  review  the  assignment  packet  for  more  details.        

small text box under the text box, choose the Jump To style, and then type the words “Continued on Page.” Click Cross-reference on the Insert menu. Choose Heading from the Reference type drop-down list, and Page Number from the Insert Reference To. Select the name of the follow-up heading from the For Which Heading list box and then click Insert.

Formatting Text Boxes

You can change the look of linked text boxes by using color, shading, borders, and other formatting. Select the text box you want to format and then double click its border to open the Format Text Box dialog box. If you want to change the color or borders on a text box, choose the Colors and Lines tab. To change the size, scale, or rotation, click the Size tab. To change the

Mrs. Rossi’s Math Class We  finished  the  2nd  quarter  with  some  awesome  student  presentations  on  Two  Step  Equations.    We  are  currently  working  on  Multi-­‐Step  Equations  that  include  integers,  decimals  and  fractions.    Any  student  struggling  with  these  concepts  must  practice  them  at  home.    There  are  several  websites  and  games  available  to  help,  just  Google  the  math  concept. What’s  ahead?  –  Ratios,  Rates,  Proportions,  Percents  and  lots  of  Problem  Solving. Just  a  reminder  –  homework  is  always  posted  on  my  website.  Please  remember  that  students  must  SHOW  WORK  for  full  credit  on  all  assignments.  

Mr. Enochs’ U.S. History Class As  part  of  our  Black  History  Month  awareness,  Mr.  Enochs’  8th  grade  U.S.  History  students  will  be  preparing  Photo  Stories  on  a  topic  of  their  choosing.    PhotoStory3  (a  free,  downloadable  software)  allows  students  to  animate  photographs  set  to  music  and  record  dialogue  in  a  film  editing  format.    The  students  will  use  this  program  to  create  a  Movie  Trailer  about  their  specific  person  or  event.    The  top  5  student  projects  will  be  show  cased  at  DSLA’s  Black  History  Month  pageant  scheduled  for  the  first  week  in  March.    The  Projects  are  due  on  February  23rd.    Specific  information  on  the  requirements  of  the  project  can  be  found  in  room  253.

Field Trip News

D.C. Here We Come! The  DSLA  8th  Grade  team  will  be  traveling  to  Washington  D.C.  this  year  for  their  end  of  the  year  trip.    The  trip  is  scheduled  for  June  7th  through  the  11th.    Students  and  staff  will  travel  by  charter  bus  to  our  nation’s  capitol.    Sights  to  be  seen  include  The  Capitol  Building,  The  Smithsonian  Institute,  Arlington  National  Cemetery,  The  National  Mall,  The  White  House,  various  national  monuments  and  many  other  fascinating  sites.    The  trip  is  scheduled  to  take  a  maximum  of  50  students.    The  total  cost  of  the  trip  is  $369.00.    The  first  deposit  of  $50.00  is  due  Friday,  February  4th.    The  8th  grade  staff  will  supply  3  fundraiser  opportunities  for  the  first  50  students  who  turn  in  their  deposit  to  Mr.  Enochs  by  2/4/11.    For  more  information  on  cost  and  required  paper  work  see  Mr.  Enochs  in  room  253.

Sensational 7 Volume 1, Issue 1 February 2011

Extra Credit Has Been Issued If You Choose to Accept It

Have you seen the extra credit assignment that was sent home with all 7th graders on Monday, January 31? If not, here’s a recap:

Each school day during the month of February students may turn in 1 paragraph (8 sentences, typed) for up to 5 points extra credit IN EACH CORE CLASS. Let me repeat that. 1 paragraph may earn 5 extra points in all core classes. By the end of February, that equals up to 90 points. IN EACH CORE CLASS. That’s a whole lot of extra credit for a minimal amount of work.

The paragraph must be a brief biography of an important African-American in history. There are a couple of conditions, however. 1) The first 10 paragraphs submitted must be about a scientist (not inventor) or mathematician. After the first 10, the biographies can be about anyone important. 2) Paragraphs must be typed and error free for full points. 3) Paragraphs must be turned in by February 28. Nothing will be accepted after February 28. 4) Paragraphs can be turned in daily to homebase teachers or all of them can be turned in at once.

Service Learning Update Campaign Against Bullying

This year the 7th graders are participating in a “Campaign Against Bullying” as our service learning project. As you are aware, I’m sure, bullying has become a serious issue nationwide. With the number of cases that have been in the news recently, our students have decided to become proactive.

Each homebase is working on a different aspect of bullying.

Ms. Rogers- legal ramifications of physical, mental, and cyberbullying

Mrs. Ulishney- creating PSAs to educate the public

Ms. Chateau- creating a website with links to information, stories, and prevention suggestions

Mrs. Smith- creating ABC books for younger students

Together, the homebases are writing letters to the Michigan legislature to get Matthew’s Law passed and are working towards organizing an anti-bullying rally.

To raise money, the 7th graders have designed and will be selling anti-bullying wristbands. The wristbands cost $2 each, are available in adult and youth sizes, and sport the phrase “Bullying = Crime”.

Helpful Websites and Tips To aid in studying math each night, Mrs. Smith has recommended the following websites:

www.multiplication.com

www.coolmath4kids.com

Also, encourage your student to make flashcards or pick some up at the dollar store. Multiplication and division facts are proving to be a weakness in 7th grade this year.

Dates To Remember

Feb. 1- wristband sales begin

Feb. 28- last day for extra credit

April 8- MSU field trip (all 7th graders)

TBD- Science and Social Studies benchmark testing

TT H E H E BB I G I G SS I XI X !!

In our monthly newsletters you will see all the spectacular things going on in our classrooms. We are always doing something fun and exciting to ensure the success of every student in the sixth grade.

Parents if you have any questions for the teachers are a few options: make an appointment, give us a call, or the BEST option is to send us an email. Below you will find the email for each core class teacher in the 6th grade. Also, if you would like to stop in to see what fun lessons the students are engaged in, please feel free to do so. Please be sure to log into our PowerSchool system to check your child’s grades weekly. If you need your personal log in, please let us know and we can get that information to you right away.

Welcome to The Big Six!Welcome to The Big Six!

SENSATIONAL SOCIAL STUDIESSENSATIONAL SOCIAL STUDIES By: By: Mrs. Mrs. CC. . CutlerCutler

We have been studying Ancient Egypt and its influences on the modern world. We’ve looked at the social class structure and how students are working in groups to create a lesson to teach to the rest of their classmates about a specific topic on Egypt. *Don’t forget to watch the news for current events happening in Egypt today!

F e b r u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 1F e b r u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 1

V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1V o l u m e 1 , I s s u e 1

ELECTRIFYING ELAELECTRIFYING ELA

BBy: Mrs. T.Williamsy: Mrs. T.Williams

MAGNIFICENT MATHMAGNIFICENT MATH

By: By: Mr. R. HinesMr. R. Hines

In science we are finishing up our Life Science unit. We took the benchmark test on Tuesday, February 1, 2011. I hope you studied!!! We are now going to be adventuring into our last full unit of Earth Science. Some of the topics we will cover in Earth Science will be rocks and minerals, weathering and erosion, and plate tectonics. Finally we have been introduced to a new novel we will be reading in science class. Yes, I said we will read a novel in science! The title is “Flush” by Carl Hiaasen. If you can download it to your electronic device at home!

It is time for us to move on in English Language Arts from writing friendly letters and peer editing. We have been working diligently in class to make sure our writing is complete and taking our time while we proofread the writing of our classmates. Our next endeavor in ELA will be descriptive writing. We will incorporate all the grammar skills we have acquired and editing in order to create fantastic descriptive writing.

SPECTACULAR SCIENCESPECTACULAR SCIENCE ByBy: : Mrs. T. DelcourtMrs. T. Delcourt

In math, we are finishing our work on solving one step equations using addition and subtraction. The next concepts we will be moving into are number theory and fractions. We will dig into learning about the GCF (Greatest Common Factor) and the LCM (Lowest Common Multiple) as well as equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and finally improper fractions. Keep practicing your facts for mastery!

Sensa t i ona l Spe c ia l s

Volume 1, Issue 1 February 2011

Band News, Ms. S. Kaurich

Throughout the month of February all band students will be working towards receiving their music for the Spring Concert. This concert will be held late in May. Specific details will be coming in next month's newsletter.

Students will be reviewing and mastering techniques including, key changes, various articulations and greater range of dynamics. Students will also be briefly studying the history of African American Musicians.

Computer Lit, Ms. V. Walton Students are reviewing computer care, software applications, and hardware components. Students will also be learning how to use Office Live, which is an Internet based version of Microsoft Office. Office Live allows access to Office applications and documents anywhere there is an Internet connection. In addition to learning how to use these applications, special emphasis will be placed on Digital Citizenship which encompasses ethical and responsible use of technology. Ms. Walton’s Website Ms. Walton’s website provides parents and students with access to the curriculum, educational and fun games, and a wide variety of useful resources and references. All parents and students are invited to explore my web page: www.detroitsla.org/profiles/Valencia_Walton_Profile New! This month I added a new section to my webpage titled: “Do Now/Daily Assignments.” All Daily Assignments are listed on this page in order by date from most recent to oldest. This allows students to begin working immediately upon entering the classroom and keep track of assignments throughout the week. .

PHY ED., Mr. N. Patterson This month we will start talking and learning about African American athletes who made some type of impact in the sports world and in their own communities.

Spanish, Mr. M. Lowe Spanish classes are reviewing basic greetings and salutations, how to tell our birth date and age. Students are also responsible for knowing numbers up to 40, days of the week and months of the year. I am working on formal assessments and look forward to announcing the best and brightest soon.

Strings &Choir, Ms. K. Jones Winter, a time when all young musicians’ hearts turn to thoughts of Black History…. and love. During the month of February students in the Junior Academy Concert Choir and Strings classes are furthering their musical studies by learning songs from the Civil Rights Movement and Motown. Come hear a preview on Monday, February 14 as part of DSLA’s NAAPID activities and join us again during the first week of March and hear our selections for the Black History program!