Important Information for 8th Grade Luncheon and Closing Exercises

 June 1, 2016  EIGHTH GRADE LUNCHEON DRESS CODE

Dear Parents and Guardians,

            Our Eighth Grade Luncheon is approaching. The luncheon will be held on Friday June 17^th in the Bache Library (menu to follow).  We are going to have a no uniform day that day, BUT there is a dress code.  All students will still need to be dressed appropriately.  Please make sure that your children follow the dress code below so they will be able to participate in the day’s activities.

GIRLS: Girls should wear an outfit that would be appropriate for a nice social event—not for a picnic or club! Please be aware that you should dress modestly and be covered from shoulder to knee.

• ALL shorts/skorts/dresses/skirts must be fingertip length (when arms are held straight down at sides, shorts/skorts/dresses/skirts must be at the same length as fingertips).
• Please wear clothes made from cloth that is not jean cloth or denim.
• Shoes MUST completely enclose the foot—sandals are fine IF they have a back strap.
• Flat heels only.

BOYS: Boys should wear long pants and a collared shirt. Please be aware that you should dress modestly and be covered from shoulder to knee.

·       Wear long pants.

·       Please wear clothes made from cloth that is not jean cloth or denim.

·       Boys MUST wear a collared shirt to this event

·       Pants MUST be at waist and belted (NO underwear visible).

·       Shoes MUST completely enclose the foot—sandals are fine IF they have a back strap.

Keep in mind that this is a nice event for the students, and they should dress accordingly. Please help your child pick out an outfit that adheres to these rules so they will not be disappointed on the day of the luncheon.  Any student NOT adhering to the dress code will have to call a parent to bring them appropriate clothes OR be excluded from the luncheon.  Thank you for helping us to provide our students with a rewarding 8^th grade luncheon.

June 2, 2016

Important Closing Exercise Details

For Bache-Martin 8^th graders and Families

·      Closing Exercises will be held on Tuesday June 21st at 9:30 AM.  We will start PROMPTLY at 9:30 AM.

·      The Ceremony will be held at Franklin Learning Center (FLC)—located at 616 North 15^th Street, 19130

·      Students should arrive at FLC no later than 9:10 AM on the 21^st, please do not arrive earlier than 9:00 AM, no one from Bache-Martin will be there to greet you.

·      Please bring your 8^th grader to the Franklin Learning Center, NOT Bache-Martin.  No one will be able to transport students from Bache to FLC on the 21st.

·      Please be advised there is no parking lot for parents at FLC. Please find street parking or use the pay lot at Broad and Spring Garden.

·      Students should wear their gowns to the ceremony. Boys should wear a collared shirt and nice pants, girls should wear a nice dress or pants outfit.

·      Please be aware that no balloons are allowed inside the school.

·      Each family will receive 8 tickets to Closing Exercises.

·      We will have a cake to celebrate immediately following the ceremony.

We are looking forward to a wonderful day!  Thank you,

The Eighth Grade Team

Proposed 8th Grade Costs

April 8, 2016

Dear Parents & Guardians of Eighth Graders,

Below is an estimate of the anticipated costs for Closing Exercises and 8^th grade activities. Please read carefully and sign the notation about non-refundable deposits at the bottom.

PROPOSED CLOSING EXERCISES & EIGHTH GRADE ACTIVITY COSTS

8^th Grade trip to Baltimore--proposed for May 26^th:                      $75.00

    ****$20.00 deposit due April 14^th, 2016

*****FINAL Payment of $55.00 due May 1, 2016

Yearbook (approximate cost—to be determined):                            20.00

Gown for closing exercises (no caps):                                                      $20.00

Class Luncheon:                                                                                                 $20.00

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

IMPORTANT! Please sign below and return JUST this portion to your child’s homeroom teacher:

Because reservations must be made and paid for ahead of time, we will be UNABLE to refund any amount paid if a student is unable to participate in an activity because of poor behavior or absenteeism or any other reason.     

I, _________________________________, parent of  ______________________________________,

understand that all trip and 8^th grade activity funds are non-refundable.

Signature:  ________________________________________________                                                                                                                                   

URGENT! Parent Clearences Needed

URGENT UPDATE 1/5/16

SECOND REQUEST

10-26-15

Urgent Message to Parents of Eighth Graders:

Dear Parents,/Guardians,

As you may have heard, the School District of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are requiring that all volunteers that work with children obtain Child Abuse and PA State Police background Checks. This INCLUDES parents or guardians who accompany us on field trips. These clearances are free for volunteers. The 8th grade needs to have 4-6 parent chaperones apply for and get clearances in order for us to plan any kind of 8th grade field trip. We cannot begin planning until we have chaperones with clearances. Please consider obtaining these clearances so we can plan an enjoyable, educational, and rewarding end-of-year trip for our 8th graders.

Link: http://www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov/clearances/index.htm


Thanks, The Eighth Grade Team

Kristin Luebbert, krluebbert@philasd.org

Jeffrey Rupertus, jrupertus@philasd.org

Jaqueline Bennett, jbennett@philasd.org

Urgent Message to Parents of Eighth Graders

10-26-15

Dear Parents,/Guardians,

As you may have heard, the School District of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are requiring that all volunteers that work with children obtain Child Abuse and PA State Police background Checks. This INCLUDES parents or guardians who accompany us on field trips. These clearances are free for volunteers. The 8th grade needs to have 4-6 parent chaperones apply for and get clearances in order for us to plan any kind of 8th grade field trip. We cannot begin planning until we have chaperones with clearances. Please consider obtaining these clearances so we can plan an enjoyable, educational, and rewarding end-of-year trip for our 8th graders.

Link: http://www.keepkidssafe.pa.gov/clearances/index.htm


Thanks, The Eighth Grade Team

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT

Dear Parents/Guardians of 7^th and 8^th grade students,

            Welcome back to a new school year at Bache-Martin School. The seventh and eighth grade team is excited to begin the new school year with our students. We would like to invite you to attend Bache-Martin Back-to-School-Night on Wednesday, September 16, 2015 from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM.

            During the evening, we will go over our course contents, explain the goals and expectations we have for our students, talk about homework and behavior policies and expectations, discuss with you the best ways for us to communicate with each other, and answer any general questions you may have.

            Please make every effort to attend our Back-to-School Night—it is an important opportunity for us to meet each other and get started on a productive school year! We look forward to seeing you on September 16^th.

Sincerely,

The 7^th and 8^th grade team:

Trina Allen (Math) tdallen@philasd.org

Jacqueline Bennett (Learning Support) jbennett@philasd.org

Kristin Luebbert (Reading and Writing) krluebbert@philasd.org

Jeffrey Rupertus (Science) jrupertus@philasd.org

Ashley Zimmer (Social Studies) azimmer@philasd.org

ATTENTION Parents of 8^th Graders:  We have scheduled a parent meeting to discuss

Eighth Grade Promotional Exercises and Culminating Activities. This Meeting will take place on Wednesday October 7^th, 2015—time 4:30 PM.  It is crucial that you make every effort to attend!

Classwork and Homework Goals and Expectations for 7^th and 8^th Grade Reading and Writing-- 2015-2016

In 7^th and 8^th grade, students will gain a deeper understanding of the common core standards through literacy. Our goal is for students to be able to read, respond to, discuss, deeply question, and write about all forms of text. This goal will be realized by improving their reading ability, their writing skills, and their critical thinking and questioning skills. (Please see the Pennsylvania State Standards on the reverse of this page).

How will we accomplish these goals?

·      We will be reading/interacting with (questioning), writing about and discussing many types of texts: fiction (short stories, plays, novels), poetry, non-fiction (essays, news articles, biographies, autobiographies).

·      We will be writing, editing, and performing all types of pieces: narrative, opinion, informational, fiction and poetry.

·      Student voice: students will often have a choice of types of assignments, which questions to respond to, and in guided reading—which books to read. For projects, students will most often have a choice of project topic and presentation type.

Classwork Expectations:

·      Work done in class is carefully planned to give students a supported opportunity to deeply engage with the texts we are reading and interpreting. This is not just “busywork” – the points possible are simply there to give the students a structure as they work to understand and master the skills and  content.

·      Upon entering the classroom, students will immediately do a short “grammar check” item (5 minutes) and then transition into a journal/quick write prompt (10 minutes). Both items are checked and graded daily—students receive either a ‘0’ or a ‘+’ for these two assignments.

·      We will then move into our main work for the class period. This may include shared reading (reading as a class), guided reading (reading independently in small groups), vocabulary work, and various writing prompts and assignments. All work is checked and graded for completion and mastery of content daily. Students will be informed of the number points each assignment is worth before they start. Point ranges for in-class assignments are from 10 to 25 points.  Students can only earn the highest number of points by demonstrating that they have engaged with the work by analyzing, synthesizing, critiquing, and/or applying concepts as they are asked.

·      Our goal is to have our students master skills, concepts, and content-- not simply finish work in a haphazard manner.

Homework Expectations:

·      Homework assignments will support the concepts and skills covered in class and will help the students gain mastery of the concepts.

·      All students are expected to do thirty minutes of choice independent reading EVERY night (weekends included).

·      All other regular homework assignments are given weekly. Homework is assigned each Friday and is due to be handed in the following Friday.  Because this system gives students plenty of time to complete homework, no late assignments are accepted. Each weekly homework assignment is worth 20 points. Even though homework is collected weekly, students should be working on the homework a little bit each day.

·      In addition to regular homework, students will usually be working on a long-term writing assignment or project. When these are assigned, students will receive an assignment explanation and timeline.  It is important that students keep up with these assignments as well as the regular homework.

Pennsylvania Standards for Reading and Writing

·  1.1: Reading Independently

·  1.2: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Text

·  1.3: Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Literature - Fiction and Non-Fiction

·  1.4: Types of Writing

·  1.5: Quality of Writing

·  1.6: Speaking and Listening

·  1.7: Characteristics and Functions of the English Language

·  1.8: Research

·  1.9: Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy

To view and read about each standard in detail, please visit the PA standards page at http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/VerticalStandard#25991

September 8, 2015

Dear Parents and Guardians of Seventh and Eighth Grade Students,

                  Welcome back to the Bache-Martin School.  We are all looking forward to this coming school year.  My name is Kristin Luebbert and I will be your child’s Reading (ELA) and Writing teacher this year.

                  Seventh and eighth grade are important years for our students--they will be applying for and transitioning into high school; therefore, it is crucial that your child works hard all year to the best of his/her ability.

                  One of our goals at Bache-Martin is for all our seventh and eighth graders to have a choice of High Schools to attend.  In order to reach this goal, it is critical that we all work together.  Our seventh and eighth graders rotate between four teachers (plus specialists), receive many complex homework assignments, and are expected to manage time well and stay organized.  Please help your child be successful by helping him/her stay organized and on schedule with assignments. (Standards, classwork, and homework information are on the reverse of this letter).

                  A supply list will be given to your child today. Please have all supplies by Monday, September 14, 2015.  Please help your child get and stay organized.  Organization is critical to success in middle school.  Below you will find the classroom rules for our room.

CLASSROOM RULES:

1.     Respect yourself and others.

2.     Give your best effort at all times.

3.     Use kind and respectful language.

4.     Keep your area neat and clean.

5.     Keep your hands and feet to yourself.

6.     Eat in class ONLY with permission.

7.     NO gum.

****School starts promptly at 8:26 AM—attendance is taken in the Auditorium.  Any student arriving after 8:26 will be marked late. Students are expected to be in full school uniform every day (Gym uniform on PhysEd day)—see attached.  Lunch for your child is at 12:45 PM, dismissal is at 3:00 PM for grades 6-8.

Thank  you,

Kristin R. Luebbert M. Ed, MS.Ed.

krluebbert@philasd.org

School phone: 215-684-5450

Cell phone:  267-626-6455 (no blocked numbers accepted)

Class Blog:  http://bmgrade8.blogspot.com/