1. VBMS Rising SIXTH GRADE Information Night “All In for Every Student; Every Day”

2. VBMS SIXTH GRADE The MIDDLE SCHOOL CONCEPT aims at developing the “whole child” through core teams, exploratory and elective classes, clubs, and activities. The TEAM CONCEPT gives students and teachers the feeling of belonging to a group with common goals. To promote this, each student is assigned to a core team. Currently there are two core teams at VBMS: the Red Foxes and the Tree Frogs.

3. VBMS SIXTH GRADE ACTIVITIES Before & after school clubs and activities Fall sports are football, boys’ & girls’ soccer, cheerleading, and debate – Try-outs for cheerleading will be in the spring. – Try-outs for the other fall sports will be in August. PLANNER Every student at VBMS is issued a planner the first week of school. The planner is for writing down assignments and used as a hall pass. MY SCHOOL MAIL You may sign up on our homepage to have the homework emailed to you nightly. LOCKER Every 6 th grader is issued a locker at VBMS. SCHOOL NET Through Parent Portal, parents can monitor student performance and attendance.

4. SIXTH GRADE SCHEDULE HR/BELL 1 9:25 – 10:15 BELL 210:18-11:08 BELL 3 (ELECTIVE)11:11 – 12:06 Bell 4 (LUNCH/ADVISORY)12:09 – 1:04 BELL 5 (ELECTIVE)1:07 – 2:02 BELL 62:05 – 2:55 BELL 7 2:58 – 3:50

5. Extra Help After School Support After school English and Math support sessions are offered and transportation is available. Sessions are designed to help students recover missing knowledge and prevent a declining trend in their grades. After school support concludes at 5:20 and students can take the activity bus home if needed. Academic Support Any student with grades below average (D’s and/or E’s) are placed in academic support instead of an elective for the nine-week period. SOL Remediation Students not passing a 5 th grade SOL may be placed in SOL Remediation beginning the first nine weeks.

6. ENGLISH 6 Who should take Advanced ENGLISH 6? Students should have several of the following criteria for Advanced English placement : Reading level is two years above current grade A or B average in Grade 5 English 85% or above on Grade 4 English Stanford 10 test 85% or above on VBCPS standardized assessments Pass Advanced score on Grade 5 English SOL test Independent and collaborative worker Good work habits regarding homework, independent reading, and classroom activities Recommendation from Grade 5 English teacher

7. English 6 Students analyze literary elements from stories and selections in the Elements of Literature and Holt Reader texts. Students acquire basic grammar skills which are reinforced and re-taught through individual writing and the Warriner’s Handbook text. Students focus on using correct punctuation, proper subject-verb agreement, and simple, compound, and complex sentences in the writing strand. Students experience guided reading and writing activities using various novels. Students analyze, generalize, organize, and compare literary elements using the Elements of Literature and Holt Reader texts, and selected novels. Students write in a variety of forms for different audiences, select vocabulary to achieve a mature voice and tone, and expand ideas and sentence complexity. Students experience more independent activities in the reading and writing strands using more challenging novels. advancedcore

8. UNITS of STUDY CORE ENGLISH 6 The Search for Identity Passages and Challenges Acceptance Exploration and Reflection ADVANCED ENGLISH 6 The Search for Identity Passages and Challenges Acceptance Exploration and Reflection

9. SCIENCE 6 6 TH & 8 TH grade S.O.L.’s PH Physical Science text 6 th grade S.O.L.’s PH Science Explorer text CORE advancedVS. Who should take Advanced SCIENCE 6? Students should have several of the following criteria for Advanced Science placement: Maintain an “A” in 5 th grade science Attain Pass or Pass Advanced score on the 5 th grade science S.O.L. Score at or above 80% in reading, math, and science on standardized tests Work independently Demonstrate good work habits regarding homework and class activities Receive teacher recommendation

10. UNITS of STUDY Advanced SCIENCE 6 Matter Chemistry Energy Force & Motion Light & Sound Space Core science 6 Matter Chemistry Space Sun Air & Atmosphere Energy Water

11. Science Sequence Advanced 6 th grade Advanced Science 6 7 th grade Advanced Science 7 8 th grade S.O.L. test at the end of the 7th grade year 8 th grade Earth Science* *High school credit-bearing course Core 6 th grade Science 6 7 th grade Life Science 7 8 th grade Physical Science 8 8 th Grade S.O.L.

12. SOCIAL STUDIES 6 UNITS of STUDY North America Before 1500: The Land and the People European Explorers and the Clash of Cultures Colonial America The American Revolution Forming a New Government Building an American Identity The Age of Jackson: Social, Political, and Economic Change Manifest Destiny The Road to Civil War The Civil War

13. Math Course Sequence OPTION AOPTION BOPTION C Grade 5Grade 5 Math Grade 6Pre-AlgebraAdvanced Math 6Math 6 Grade 7 Algebra I Honors Advanced Math 7Math 7 Grade 8 Geometry Honors Algebra I (Honors or Series) Math 8 Grade 9Algebra II/Trig Geometry (Honors or Series) Algebra I Series Grade 10Math AnalysisAlgebra II/TrigGeometry Series Grade 11AP CalculusMath Analysis AFDA or Algebra II Grade 12 AP Statistics or Dual Enrollment AP Calculus Trig, Prob/Stat, Discrete

14. 2016-2017 is going to be a great year! We look forward to working with your child.