Canaan Middle School Update

Dear Canaan Middle School Families,

We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of the AWS Think Big Space on Monday, November 13th. This space is a testament to our commitment to providing innovative learning opportunities for our students. To celebrate this milestone, we invite you to a Family Open House from 3:00 PM to 3:45 PM. We would be delighted if you could join us for this special occasion.

Next week, we will be conducting our second MAP assessment. This assessment comes a bit earlier in the school year, allowing us more time to utilize the information gathered to enhance our instruction throughout the year. We appreciate your continued support in helping us provide the best education for your children.

In addition to our academic focus, we have some exciting events planned for our students. Thanks to the success of our recent fundraiser, we have a magician scheduled to perform for all students in both 5th and 6th grade. This is a well-deserved treat, and we want to express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the fundraiser.

As we approach Thanksgiving Break, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for our incredible students and families. Time and again, our students have exemplified the core values we emphasize at Canaan - kindness, caring, and respect. We are also deeply thankful for the unwavering support from our parents. Your involvement and encouragement make a significant impact on our school community.

Gratitude is a prevailing theme in our middle school right now, and students will be actively participating in recognizing and expressing what they are thankful for. There is so much to be grateful for, and we look forward to sharing in this spirit of appreciation with our students.

Thank you again for your ongoing support, and we hope to see you at the AWS Think Big Space Grand Opening on Monday.

Warm regards,

Mr. Walter, Principal

Canaan Middle School

In 5th grade math, we are finishing up Unit 2 in our Bridges program which focuses on adding/subtracting fractions. Our Unit 2 Test is on Tuesday, November 14th. Students have at least 5 different strategies to help them solve fraction addition/subtraction including Money Pieces, Fraction Clocks, Double Number Lines, Ratio Tables, and Mathematical (finding common denominator mathematically). The best tools to help students prepare for the test are in their Bridges Student Book, Bridges Home Connections, Math Journal, and Green Math Folder. Also, a quick reminder that we will be taking our second round of Math MAP testing on Thursday, November 16th.

In science, we have expanded our learning of "food chains" into "food webs". The worms have arrived, and we will be putting together our very own ecosystems next week! Students will now experience the vocabulary terms and their definitions evolving before their very eyes! The students are very excited to begin this project.

6th grade science students will be visiting the Think Big Space at the high school November 27-30th. Miss Bumgarner's A Day students will visit on 11/27 B Day students will visit on 11/28. Mrs. Gavrilescu's A Day students will visit on 11/29 B Day students will visit on 11/30. These visits will take place during their science class and more information will be coming your way through talking points the week before Thanksgiving.

All 6th graders completed a gummy bear lab in science class. During this lab they made a hypothesis about what would happen to the size, shape and color of a gummy bear after it had sat in liquid for 24 hours. Students got to pick which liquid they put their gummy bear in. The liquids students got to pick from were salt water, Pepsi, oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Students were really excited about the results of this experiment and were shocked at what the gummy bear looked like after sitting in the liquid. Some students were so excited at what the gummy bear did in Pepsi that they wanted to go home and try it.

Counselor’s Corner - Mrs. Hein

The digital citizenship lesson with 6th graders focused on the following objectives:

• Identify and reflect on personal values and what is most important to them

• Consider how different values are supported and/or compromised by technology

• Learn about connections between our values, behaviors and well-being

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.

Families: Please add the following dates to your calendar.

November 13: CMS AWS Open House

November 13: AWS Think Big Space Grand Opening

November 13: Board of Education Meeting at Canaan Middle School

November 17: CMS Magic Show Assembly

November 22-24 Thanksgiving Break

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.