Team Berlin Update 21

Fri., Jan 17.: No School, Teacher Workday

Mon., Jan. 20: No School, MLK Jr. Day

Fri., Jan. 24: Last day of Term 2

Mon., Jan. 27: No School, Term 2 Records Day

Maya Utley and Turk Suros!

As reflective students, they thoughtfully consider the world and their own ideas and experience. They work to understand their strengths and weaknesses in order to support their learning and personal development.

Lunch Recess Support: Team Berlin teachers often make themselves available daily for extra help or just time and space in getting assignments done. Students need to plan this ahead of time so they can get a hall pass and make sure that teacher is actually available.

Wednesday CEA Reading and Completion (W104): Ms. Trenkle will begin hosting students on Wednesdays to read and start their CEA summary during recess. Students will sign up that Monday for a pass.

Thursday Academic Advising: During Advisory students have the opportunity to work on assignments in their Advisory class or may arrange to visit a particular class and teacher to complete an assignment.

Hello Scientist,

This week, students were busy investigating the origins of our universe by organizing its timeline of events from the Big Bang to current time as well as understanding the spatial properties of celestial bodies such as how big the moon is compared to an artificial satellite like the Hubble telescope.

Students also completed their Distance vs Dimness lab which gave them further understanding as to the importance of studying stars and what data scientists use to study them. Finally, students explored the life cycle of a star and how matter cycles through our universe.

Next week, students will explore constellations and why we view stars differently depending on which hemisphere we live in. They will have a fun opportunity to “discover” a new constellation by participating in a narrative writing exercise describing their constellation. Also, students will be taking their middle of year MAP testing.

As a reminder, we will not have new Root words until the end of January.

That’s all for now. Enjoy your long weekend!

lydia.ballantine@k12.dc.gov

Amazon Wishlist

Math 6
This week students continued to divide complex numbers and simplify solutions in preparation for their RCT Assessment (Thursday/Friday). In the coming week students will work on evaluating exponents with whole number and fractional bases and take the MOY (Middle of the Year Assessment) Wednesday-Friday. Included in our virtual classroom is a link to a portion of Illustrative Mathematics website curriculum dedicated to allowing parents to give support of current topics from home.

Math7
This week students began interpreting and analyzing negative numbers. In the coming week students will work on applying addition and subtraction of signed numbers to solve problems in an unfamiliar context and explain (orally and in writing) the solution method. Students will also take the MOY (Middle of the Year Assessment) Wednesday-Friday. Included in our virtual classroom is a link to a portion of Illustrative Mathematics website curriculum dedicated to allowing parents to give support of current topics from home.

ATTENTION

Interested in math tutoring from advanced 8th graders? Please fill out this form if you are interested. This form will gauge interest but is not binding or a guaranteed spot. There will be 18 kids allowed in tutoring in room C205 every Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:30 starting January 7. (This program is open to students who are not participating in AMP).

Deal will continue to offer an in-person, Summer Math Acceleration Camp (SMAC) and an Online Asynchronous Math Course (Zearn) for our current 6th and 7th graders during July of 2025 (July 7 - July 31; 8:45 am - 12:00 noon).

SMAC Math 7

This intensive course is for 6th graders currently taking Math 6 who become eligible based on the iReady MOY and EOY Assessment. Students who successfully complete this in-person course and the final assessment will be placed in Math 8 in the Fall of the 2025 - 2026 school year.

Zearn 7

This online asynchronous course is for 6th graders currently taking Math 6. Only students who qualify based on their MOY i-Ready score will become eligible. Students who successfully complete the course and the final assessment will be placed in Math 8 in the Fall of the 2025 - 2026 school year

SMAC Math 8

This intensive course is for 6th & 7th graders currently taking Math 7 who become eligible based on the MOY and EOY iReady Assessment. Students who successfully complete this in-person course and the final assessment will be placed in Algebra I in the Fall of the 2025 - 2026 school year.

Zearn 8

This online asynchronous course is for 6th or 7th graders currently taking Math 7. Only students who qualify based on their MOY i-Ready score are eligible. Students who successfully complete the course and the final assessment will be placed in Algebra I in the Fall of the 2025 - 2026 school year.

marcus.brown@k12.dc.gov

jeremiah.gawthrop@k12.dc.gov

This week we took our mid-year MAP Reading Growth assessment. More information to come on this. For now I want to say that students are doing a fantastic job of READING, recommending books, and finding what interests them. Let’s keep it up.

Next week we will finally watch Tuck Everlasting and begin a compare/contrast essay relating the film to the book.

In the interest of keeping our classroom library stocked with the most in-demand books for students, I’ve finally found a way to start a classroom wish list that isn’t on Amazon. Our Amazon list is still up to date and active, but for those wanting to shop a bit smaller, I’ve made a wish list on Bookshop.org. I’ve added books from the upcoming Battle of the Books (see below) as well as titles students are requesting.

Thank you Goldstein & Suros families for the most recent additions which provided some of our Battle of the Books selections and helped to grow our collection of sports-related fiction.

Battle of the Books!

Are you into adventure and mystery? Do you like graphic novels? Do you want a chance to talk about books with friends? OR are you looking to meet some new friends in 2025? Join us for the Battle of the Books interest meeting on Tuesday, January 21st in W105 (my room!) from 3:30-4:00. Battle of the Books is a competition with other DC schools about newly-released books. Students of all grade levels are welcome! We hope to see you there. If you have any questions or are unable to attend the meeting, please just let me know! All meetings will not necessarily be Tuesday afternoons, so don't let the day & time keep you from participating. AND you know I'm going to make you read anyways so you might as well ;)

Katy Byrns

katy.byrns2@k12.dc.gov

Classroom Wishlist on Amazon

Classroom library wishlist on Bookshop.org

This week in Geography, after our SSEA Map Quiz on Monday, we have been learning about Barriers to Education through case studies. Students participated in a photo analysis, both individually and in small groups, and on Thursday presented their photo to the class.

Next week we will continue with case studies, but also begin to use those case studies in our summative activity: a mini UN committee on access to education. Next week students will learn about the UN, its purpose, and its challenges. They will also learn about the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Toward the end of the week students will learn how to read a data table and use that information as evidence in a claim and then be assigned a country for our simulation. Students will be working in pairs, as double delegations to write a speech for our simulation.

Due to the winter break, we didn’t get to see the jalapeño peppers to fruition….and have since planted cherry and golden tomatoes in our class garden. On Tuesday, 1/21, we’ll have a tasting incorporating the jalapeños….students should bring their own lunch but I will have a tasting of veggie chili (with some jalapeños) and cornbread (with jalapeños). Students who wish to have a tasting will do so during lunch and then go downstairs for recess.

Lastly, last year I was asked by a parent for a list of books that her daughter might read if interested in other parts of the world. This summer I started, and over break I finished, a list of books. Students are welcome to use the list, but it isn’t required. Students who would like to can participate in our Geography Passport Reader Assignment and collect stamps for reach of the continents they read a book about. I’ve attached the list here, as well as the passport (which I will give a print out of if a student is interested). Happy reading! :) Geography and Young Adult Books.pdf

Please find Team Berlin photos of our students in action here: https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B1g5IRuBxGAvG9 It will be updated as we go along!

Team Berlin’s Playlist can be found here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6XGJMmooyuna2fwFQ9pj9A?si=416e41ad228f4c11

amy.trenkle@k12.dc.gov

Amazon Wishlist

Click Here

Happy New Year! Let's make 2025 a great year for reading and inquiry! Check out these great resources that the library is offering in January. Check out this month's Library Newsletter below:

https://secure.smore.com/n/veq7k

Library overdue emails were sent out in December and I have heard from several families about books overdue that are owed to different schools. Please disregard titles owed to other sites. At the end of the year, I will send another notice email. Notices will only include Deal items moving forward. Sorry about any confusion!

Congratulations to our December IB Learner Profile Students of the Month for Principled: Noga Hulata and Emil Nooruddin. The IB Learner Profile states that a person who is principled is someone who respects the dignity and feelings of others, is honest and accountable, and accepts both responsibility for their decisions and the consequences that accompany them.

Congratulations to our IB Learner Profile Students of the Month, exemplifying CARING: Evelyn Fielding and Pasha Rubio. Students who are caring show empathy, compassion, and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and the world around them. From helping a friend, to picking up garbage after lunch, if you care, it will show!

INQUIRER learner profile: Alma DiRuggiero and Jake Maretich. The IB Learner Profile aims to develop students who are inquirers. Students who are inquirers nurture their curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. They know how to learn independently with others. Inquirers learn with enthusiasm and sustain their love of learning throughout life.

RISK TAKER learner profile: Camryn Jolly and Abdisa Kiyvyra. Risk takers approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; they work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. They are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.