Word of The Week: Qanikcaq - means snow in Yup'ik Listen here

Please visit this link to stay up to date on all that is going on in our program Indigenous Education News.

Ms. Smith

smith_mirandah@asdk12.org

Students are expected to go to Canvas to access their assignments. Zoom sessions are scheduled to answer questions and assist students with completing their work. The morning Zoom Session is from 10:30a-11:30a and the afternoon Zoom Session: 2:00p-3:00p. Please remember Zoom sessions are optional.

Next Friday, November 8, we will celebrate Veterans' Day in a morning assembly.

If you have a veteran you would like to honor, please upload a picture and the information requested in the Photo Submission Google Form (linked here) before Wednesday, 11/7, at noon.

MPR, 7p-9p.

"Reading is my Superpower" pre-k-8th grade @ Mears Middle School for students enrolled in our Migrant Education Program

Please join us at 10:00a in the MPR for our annual community Veterans Day Assembly. Guest speakers Erica Rivers & Colonel Jess Regni (Air Force) will be providing the keynote address.

Student dance from 4:15p-5:45p. Tickets, $3, are sold during lunches this week. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the dance.

In-Service Day for Staff

6:30p-7:30p, In the Mears Library

Tomo No Kai will be celebrating the Japanese Immersion Program at the TNK Fall Family Dinner on Saturday November 16 at Mears, doors open at 5:45p.

No School, the building is closed.

No School, the building is closed.

Congratulations to our first recruits to the M.M.C. program. This is a great learning opportunity, if you were not chosen in the first group, wait ….contact will be made, we are attempting to get as many students into the program as possible.

Please submit a 1 page paper copy of why you would be a good applicant to Mr. Anderson Room 122, it's how I keep track of who has submitted, been accepted, and is ready to train new recruits.

We will have students bring their laptops on Fridays to check grades and missing work assignments. A minimum grade of “C” is required in all courses. We started just as the quarter changed so that everyone had a fresh start with all A's. We look forward to your application letter!

FIRST ROUND RECRUITS:

Asher Stanley

Ava Louwerse

Noah Inhason

Astrid Rabe

Meeting times are TUESDAY Through FRIDAY 4:15 - 5:15pm.

Training will be through 2 flight simulators that replicate actual flying. This does NOT replace actual flight schools, but it does prepare for actual piloting.

The Mears PTSA is has Volleyball hoodies and stickers for sale in the school store. We are always open during lunch waves! Stop in today to purchase your volleyball swag!

Students got to work with Google Drawing and Adobe Illustrator to create some amazing vector drawings this week.

In FCS, we have been learning to make musubi, sewing quilted cases for our Chromebooks, hand stitching wall hangings, and so much more!

We are wrapping up Project Pie Face and counting donations. We will have the results of how much we gathered for the Food Bank and WHO GETS PIED! Thank you so much for your support.

We are gearing up for service projects for Quarter 2. If you have an idea or an area of need please reach out to NJHS member or bookman_gabriella@asdk12.org

This Week’s Tip For Success: Charge your Chromebook and take it to and from school! It is an important resource in case of remote learning days. You can also use it to check grades on Student Connect and Canvas.

Students have really been getting into their builds in Project Lead the Way! Halloween was especially fun watching all of them in their costumes running their builds and collaborating with their teammates.

Sometimes we wear our work.

Happy Halloween from your Marvel teachers!

Team Nexus presents Romney Jones as our Student of the Month. Romney comes to all of his classes prepared to take on every challenge with a great attitude. Your teachers appreciate your persistence and diligence in his pursuit of academic achievement.

Team Fusion thanks all the families that attended conferences! Quarter 2 is off to a strong start!

Our focus for quarter 2 is organization and communication.

Math: We reviewed the class contract and expectations. We are moving on to decimals.

ELA is focused on internal and external forces within the movie UP and soon to include Walk Two Moons.

Social Studies: Students are focusing on Alaska Studies. They have designed flags that highlight the things that make Alaska memorable.

Science: Classes are working on the scientific method and answering the age old question, “How many likes to the center of a Tootsie Pop?”

REMOTE LEARNING EXPECTATIONS:

Go to Canvas, click on your period number, then click under calendar – October/November and see what is in the box for that day. Zoom sessions are scheduled to answer questions and assist with completing your work. You are expected to check your Canvas at 10:00am. to see if you can complete the work ok and if not join the zoom session to get help. Zoom sessions are optional.

ELA students are revising and editing their essays: we have learned how to write our essays and figure out the ‘title’ after we start writing the essays; the ‘title’ will emerge from something you have written in the essay. We have some great ‘titles!’ The essays are ‘Outstanding.’ After all our ‘Front-loading,’ on great writing techniques and grammar skills, our students are using these skills and strategies to create their essays. We can’t wait to use these techniques for our ‘Multi-media,’ Myth projects.

We look forward to this quarter and will be inviting you into the classroom to watch your students “Myth/legend/folktale/folklore/Fable Mult-media projects. Students are learning ‘presenting and public speaking,’ techniques this quarter.

“If you want me to speak for an hour, I am ready today. If you want me to speak for just a few minutes, it will take me a few weeks to prepare.”

Parchman_tina@asdk12.org

It’s been a really fun Spirit Week with the team! Getting back into the swing of things after conferences was fun, too. On Halloween we even got to squeeze in some fun Kahoots and Blookets that centered around the “science of Halloween” (even peeking into some chemistry territory!) and also a really good one all about candy but really it was about sugars, carbohydrates, dopamine, and the body!

jones_kristin@asdk12.net

ZOMBIES have wandered onto the range!!

Students had a zombie shoot this week. The zombies moved closer with each missed shot. Students found it tougher to shoot a target that was looking at you!

Remember Bing Bong, the lovable imaginary character from the first Inside Out movie, and the scene when Bing Bong is riding with Joy (another character) on the "train of thought?" As they go over a bump, two crates fall, and their contents mix together. One crate is labeled "facts," and the other is labeled "opinions."

Joy quickly tries to sort everything back into their original crates, but laments, "Oh no, these facts and opinions look so similar!" Bing Bong, like a toddler trying to help you clean up toys, quickly shoves them indiscriminately into the nearest crates and says, "Ah, don't worry about it! It happens all the time."

Bing Bong's right: Getting our facts and opinions mixed up does happen quite a bit. It's especially tricky since news and entertainment are often seen in the same place: social media. And it's not just teens using these platforms for news! According to a Pew Research survey , today, 39% of adults under 30 say they regularly get news on social media, compared with much smaller shares of adults age 30 to 49 (19%), 50 to 64 (9%) and 65 and older (3%). While there are experts and reputable news organizations posting content, there are plenty of opinions stated as facts, alongside mis- and disinformation. Algorithm-created filter bubbles and AI-generated content just complicate these issues further.

With an election on the horizon, helping students evaluate facts and opinions—and deliberate deception—within the complex world of online news has never been more critical. Your role as parents in shaping the next generation of informed (digital) citizens starts with discussing media (linked here are some movies with discussion questions) and giving them the tools to think critically.

Common Sense Media (an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children) shares the article (linked here) “How To Help Kids Spot Misinformation and Disinformation” as a way to support kids in identifying fact from fiction.

In an era of information overload and "fake news," the ability to critically evaluate news and media isn't just an academic skill teachers teach. It's essential for participating in a democracy. Setting aside some time to integrate news and media literacy into a family discussion can make a difference. And as Bing Bong would say, "To Infinity and Beyond!" Wait, somebody fact-check that!

(Adapted from Common Sense Media for Educators… families may sign up for Common Sense Media newsletters, too!)

Our front office is busy with calls in the mornings and afternoons and if you do not leave a message on our attendance line, the office can not process early dismissals and issue blue passes in a timely manner. If you know you are in need of a blue pass you can always email the attendance line the morning of or day before. We do not accept blue pass requests after 3:15 pm and blue pass requests need to be in 1 hour prior to the pick up time.

Remember, all fees and fines are paid through Q Parent Connect this year. If you do not have the ability to make an electronic payment, or you have difficulty with Q, please email Ms. Robin in the office. spartz-hays_robin@asdk12.org

Is your child going to absent from school? Save time and send a quick email to our attendance email box, mearsattendance@asdk12.org or you can call the school at 907-742-6400 and select the Attendance Line option to leave us a voice mail, either option is a great way to notify us!

Our office staff is available daily, please don't hesitate to reach out if we can help you in any way, our hours are 8:45-4:15. Thanks so much, we are here to help serve you!

We do not accept, Door Dash/Uber Eats/ETC, food deliveries for students before, during, nor after school. We will NOT accept deliveries of any kind. We have a school meal program offering balanced meal choices daily. In addition, the Black Cat Cafe offers smart snacks daily for purchase

Lunch Detentions are held daily during each lunch wave in Room ST6.. Students are expected to check-in with the supervisor at the beginning of lunch. Students who need to purchase food from the cafeteria will be issued a fast pass to procure their food and return to Room ST6 to serve the assigned lunch detention.

Eighth Grade: Mrs. Nogg

Seventh Grade: Mr. Edwards

Sixth Grade: Mrs. Trawicki

Detentions are 8:45 am-9:15 am, in Room 212, with Mr. Bennice Tuesday-Friday. Please drop-off your student at the NORTH entrance to access the building. Mr. Bennice will greet your student, they will sign-in on the attendance sheet and be escorted to Room 212. Please contact AP Svendsen or AP Matthews with any questions.

Everyone

Accepted

Respected

Safe

Email: marquand_carla@asdk12.org
Website: https://www.asdk12.org/mears

YouTube: @JaneMearsMiddleSchool

Facebook: Mears Middle School
Location: 2700 West 100th Avenue, Anchorage, AK, USA
Phone: 907-742-6400