Canaan Middle School Update

Dear Canaan Families,

We hope this newsletter finds you well and that you had the chance to attend our October Parent-Teacher Conferences. It was great to see so many of you engaged in your child's education. For those who are attending on November 6th, we look forward to connecting with you.

October at Canaan Middle School is an exciting month with a plethora of events and activities that foster a sense of community and learning. Here's what's happening:

1. Muffins with Misses and Donuts with Dudes: It's a delightful opportunity for students to share a sweet treat with their loved ones and spend quality time together along with touring the building. See the dates below.

2. End of the 1st Nine Weeks: As we wrap up the first quarter of the school year, we encourage students to reflect on their accomplishments and set new goals for the upcoming quarter. The first nine weeks ends on Oct. 19th

3. Unity Day: Our Unity Day on October 19th is a highlight of October at Canaan. It's a day dedicated to teamwork and collaboration. Students come together to work on activities that teach them the value of cooperation and achieving common goals. This day also marks a special tradition for our 5th graders who will leave their handprints on our walls, symbolizing the lasting impact they've had on our school.

4. STEM Day: On October 25th, we'll be celebrating STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Day. It's a day filled with exciting hands-on activities and experiments that engage our students in the world of STEM.

We're thrilled about these upcoming events and the opportunities they provide for our students to grow, learn, and build lasting memories.

As always, if you have any questions or need more information about any of these events, please don't hesitate to reach out to the school office. We are here to support you and your child's educational journey.

Thank you for being an essential part of our Canaan Middle School community. We look forward to seeing all of you at one of our upcoming events in October!

Warm regards,

Mr. Walter, Principal

Canaan Middle School

In math, for the month of October, the fifth graders will be collecting data to see what will happen to two fresh carrots if they are left sitting uncovered in the classroom for a couple weeks. The students will weigh the carrots everyday and make predictions on what will happen to the weight of the carrots throughout the month.

The end of the grading period is coming up on October 19th. If you haven't been able to sign into Canvas to view your child's grades yet, please reach out to his/her homeroom teacher for help with getting a pairing code you can use to sign up as a parent observer.

In language arts, students finished reading our first book Out of My Mind. We've been using this read aloud to practice literacy skills, such as interpreting figurative language, analyzing plot and point of view, and comparing and contrasting. Mrs. Hanson and Ms. Cochran have really enjoyed hearing students' insights into the themes and life lessons of this book, which revolve around topics such as acceptance, inclusivity, and adversity. Throughout the year, ELA teachers will use classroom read alouds to practice and model reading skills and strategies. Students should then apply these strategies as they read their own independent books and complete their weekly reading responses.

The 5th grade team will be having their second Tiers of Success celebration on Wednesday, October 18th. Students can qualify for this event by making good choices, including following classroom expectations and completing and turning in all of their assignments. We're hoping to have all students join us for our next celebration! In order to attend, missing work should be turned in by Friday, October 13th. In order to see what your child should be working on at home each week, please see the e-planner link that's updated daily for each class.

6th-grade math students spent some time outside to do a "rates in motion" activity. Students worked as a group to find how much time it took to complete tasks such as jumping jacks, shooting hoops, hopping, and writing words in chalk. They then found equivalent tares using tables and made a comparison!

Other 6th grade updates:

1. Our Symphony 2030 t-shirts came in this week! A HUGE THANK YOU to our sponsors Smiles to Love for donating money to help lower the costs of this year's shirts for our students.

Students received their shirts on Wednesday and should have brought them home by now. We ask that NO alterations of any kind are made to the shirts (cutting, writing on them in Sharpie etc..)

Students will wear these shirts for the first time on Thursday, October 19th for Unity Day.

2. Unity Day Volunteers are still needed! Want to spend the day with our amazing 6th graders and get a yummy lunch to enjoy? Please click here to sign up.

3. Students should have brought home an orange Fall Celebration Paper with them this week as well. We will celebrate a successful 1st 9 weeks and teamwork and Unity on Friday, October 27th during our lunch.

4. The end of the first nine weeks is quickly approaching! Please check in with your child to see if they have any missing assignments in their classes. All missing work for the first nine weeks is due Thursday, October 19th.

- Students will either wear their Symphony 2030 shirts to represent being a team member to the entire 6th grade team OR can dress up with a partner or group of students in costumes that represent teamwork, cooperation and unity. Please contact your homeroom teacher if you have any questions.

Please click here if you are willing to donate treats and/or are available to volunteer during this celebration. We appreciate all of your donations and help!

This month, sixth graders learned the importance of effective communication strategies during group interactions. Students identified verbal and nonverbal “boosters and bloopers” by watching and listening to a play performed by their classmates.

Canaan Middle School's afternoon STEM classes with Mrs. Rings have begun to undertake the building of a Monarch Waystation. You may have already seen it if you have been to Canaan! The butterfly garden will be located in front of the building and has six separate flower beds. Recently, students learned about why this garden is important to the butterflies. Then they started the process of a lasagna garden, where they used cardboard and dirt to kill the grass and create a nutrient-rich soil that would be ready for spring planting! This week, students started soil tests, determining if our dirt is fertile or if we will need to problem-solve and find a natural way to increase fertility. We will also receive lab tests soon to decode and analyze alongside our own soil test results. Our next step is putting on a thin layer of mulch for weed prevention and seeding a few plants. If you are interested in helping us with seeds or providing plant donations from your own flower beds, please view the list of acceptable plants here. You can also see more information about the certification this project may receive at monarchwatch.org.

The students love getting to work on making a difference - and "playing" in the dirt is a plus too!

Thank you to our community sponsors OSU Madison County Master Gardener Volunteers, Yonie's Greenhouse, and Stalnaker Topsoil & Mulch. Thanks as well to the adults of our students who have loaned rakes and provided donations already.

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is an online tool that can help parents and students make informed decisions regarding media use. This tool can be used for many types of media, including books, movies, video games, and apps.

Canvas

Canvas is a Learning Management System that is used in grades 5-12 at Jonathan Alder. You and your student will find a lot of information about the school and your student's classroom through this platform. It is VERY important to stay connected and log on to Canvas. This link should help you log on and explain Canvas.

Talking Points

We are excited to share that our staff members will be using a safe and easy to

use two way communication tool called TalkingPoints to communicate with

families. Families have three easy ways to use TalkingPoints to communicate

with their children’s teachers for free! You can use text message, download the

app or use it on the web at https://talkingpts.org/families/. Once you log in to

Talking Points, you should be able to see your students and teachers.

Our next booster meeting will be held Monday, October 23 at 7:00 in the high school choir room. Dr. Miller will be there to start the meeting to share the strategic planning for our school district’s future. This is fantastic information!! You do not want to miss this!

JAMfest is fast approaching! It’s going to be a great event this year!! October 28 starting at 5:00. Bring a carved pumpkin to enter a contest, check out all the silent auction baskets and items, watch our talented performers, and enjoy food from our food trucks.

Families: Please add the following dates to your calendar.

October 16th: 5th Grade Muffins with Misses

October 17th: 6th Grade Muffins with Misses

October 19th: Unity Day

October 20th: NO SCHOOL for students Fall Break

October 23rd: 5th Grade Donuts with Dudes

October 24th: 6th Grade Donuts with Dudes

Email: walterro@japioneers.org
Website: https://www.alder.k12.oh.us/canaanmiddleschool_home.aspx
Location: 7055 U.S. 42, Plain City, OH, USA
Phone: 614-873-5621
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093654760627
Twitter: @canaan_middle

Click on the School Flyers icon for updated community activities and events.