Team Berlin Update 20

Fri., Jan 17.: No School, Teacher Work Day

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

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 scientists!

I hope you enjoyed the extra long weekend and got the chance to romp in the snow! This past short week students took their Term 2 Roots summative and then began our Earth’s Place in the Universe unit. MAP testing has been postponed until later in January due to the snow day schedule disruptions.

Next week students will continue their journey through the universe as they examine the properties of stars. This will culminate in our Distance vs. Dimness formative, where students will explore the connection between how far a star is and how bright it looks to us on Earth.

We will not have new Root words until the end of January.

lydia.ballantine@k12.dc.gov

Amazon Wishlist

Math 6
This (short) week students continued dividing complex fractions containing decimals and the real-world application of the concept. In the coming week students will continue to divide complex numbers and simplify solutions in preparation for a forthcoming RCT Assessment (Thursday/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 continued working with Proportional relationships and percentages along with its real-world application (tax, tip, and finding the percentage) and completed a RCT Assessment. In the coming week, students will begin interpreting and analyzing negative numbers. 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.

We will host a Virtual SMAC & Zearn information Meeting for families on Teams at 6:30 pm on Thursday, January 9 - bit.ly/DEALJAN9

marcus.brown@k12.dc.gov

jeremiah.gawthrop@k12.dc.gov

With our snow days, we made a few changes to our schedule. This week, instead of starting the Tuck movie, students drafted short narrative scenes as alternate endings to Tuck Everlasting. Additionally, students have been reading their independent reading books as our daily do now. It’s great to see kids moving through books of their choice and making recommendations to friends. Next week, students will take the MAP Growth Reading assessment.

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 so much for your help!

Katy Byrns

Katy.byrns2@k12.dc.gov

Classroom Wishlist on Amazon

Classroom Wishlist on Bookshop.Org

Happy snow week! Due to the snow days, the SSEA map quiz has been moved to Monday. In Canvas are links for review, including two Nearpods, a Blooket, a Jeopardy link, and a list of all items students need to know for their quiz. We completed our thematic maps on Thursday and Friday and reviewed them in class on Friday. Students can access these thematic maps in Canvas, even though they have completed them.

On Friday students turn in their CEA Summaries—from the ones that were turned in early, I have to say I am SO impressed! I look forward to reading them and providing feedback.

Scores for the Unit 3 Summative will be entered in Aspen by Monday and returned Monday. AND postcards that we made on Friday were sent to Berlin and should arrive next week to our partner class! Stay tuned!

Next week we will begin our social/cultural part of the unit as we discuss barriers to education. Students will learn about the four types of barriers and explore case studies of each.

Students will have an in class group presentation that they complete.

Keep shining Team Berlin!

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

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 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 see Ms. Byrns, Mr. Kirschenbaum, or Mr. Reichlen.

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.