Welcome to our class website.
I hope you will come back often to find out about all the cool things we have going on here at SAA!
Welcome to Week 31!
We are well into 4th Quarter now and there are only two more weeks until we begin FSA math tests.
We are also very busy getting ready for the musical and preparing for our End of Year Trips.
This week will continue some significant changes to the way we operate in class. Starting last week we began "doubling-down" on math lessons until we get past the testing. Each science class will give students the chance to practice the math skills that are used in science that will also be assessed on the Math FSAs. Once past the test window we will return to regular science lessons. On Monday this week, we begin ELA testing please make sure your children come to school well rested and ready to show what they know. Having a good, healthy breakfast is a good way to give them the energy they need for performing their best. Please discourage them from eating candy and energy drinks for breakfast.
In Math class, we will work on the sequenced lessons in the Math book in order to get them ready to take the very important FSA tests from Apr. 28th - May 2nd.
With this quarter, all grades will be transmitted digitally. No more paper report cards will be printed, unless by special request with the county. Everything will be accessed over the computer, so if you haven't yet gone to the parent/student portal at www.sarasotacountyschools.net to set up your account, the time has arrived. There you will find step-by-step directions on how to set up your account so you can stay in the loop.
In order to maximize their math skills, all students have online access to our math readiness program, i-Ready. Students can access the site at https://login.i-ready.com
Their login information is their N number and the password is their 5-digit lunch PIN.
I have spoken to many of you and I'm glad we have had opportunities to meet in conference. I am available after school from 4:15 to 5:15 pm most days and would be happy to meet with you if you have questions or concerns about your child's academic performance. You can also email me at any time - [email protected]
This week's focus:
Science - This week we will work on developing and reviewing individual math skills and gain opportunities to earn stars on our Star Chart. This provides learning incentives, giving students a chance to earn trips to the treasure box for 'showing what they know'.
We are having a Flapjack Fundraiser at Applebee's on Fruitville Rd. this Saturday, April 16th. If you are not familiar with this fundraiser, it is one of our most popular. Students are selling pre-printed breakfast tickets for $10.00, of which the school gets to keep $6.00 per ticket, and any tips generated. The students will come to Applebee's and take the roles of servers, host staff, and bussers. It is a good sized breakfast for the price so everyone walks away a winner! If all students sell the 6 breakfast tickets they were issued, that raises $36.00 of the $33.00 they need to pay for the End of Year trip to KSC. The price per student needed to be refigured as we only have 36 students instead of the 40 I initially projected. The tickets are numbered and the students are responsible for bringing back sales proceeds and any extra unsold tickets as they need to be accounted for. If anyone needs extra tickets, please let me know and I can assign some extras. I CAN NOT make copies of the tickets assigned if anyone loses their tickets.
Funds Raised and Extra tickets must be returned to school by Wednesday, April 13th so Applebee's can plan accordingly for their part of the fundraiser. I hope you will help your child sell those ticket, and I hope to see you all there Saturday morning. Also changed, we have room for not 5, but up to 10 parent volunteers to come along for the Space Center trip at no additional cost. I only have one parent who has expressed interest in coming along so far, so I hope to hear from many more of you soon.
Here's what else is coming up academically this week . . .
Math - We are reassessing Chapter 7 - Equations and Inequalities.
We will continue working with finding volume and area of three-dimensional objects this week as we
continue working through Chapter 8. These are all skills that will be assessed on the test next month.
Students will also continue to receive targeted skills worksheets to work on in the evenings to build their skills prior to taking the FSA exams. Successful completion of these skills will earn them stars on our progress chart that they can redeem for prizes. The more accurate their work, the quicker they will receive trips to the treasure box. All students also have extra skills lessons assigned to them through their i-Ready account. please encourage your child to work on their i-Ready nightly at www.i-ready.com.
As mentioned, we are continuing to use mental math strategies. Please encourage them to use mental math at home. If they ask you math related questions, encourage them to figure it out themselves, help walk them through but let them do the solving. This will help them immeasurably as they move forward.
Additionally, many students are arriving late to school and treating 1st period science as an extended breakfast hour. Students should only be bringing breakfast into class if they are a bus rider and the bus arrives late. Otherwise, students are expected to have their breakfasts finished before the beginning of class at 8:00 AM, Also, students are bringing in all manner of inappropriate food and beverages into class for breakfast. Red Bull/Monster Energy Drinks and sugary donuts/ Frappe's and Starbucks Macchiatos may be acceptable for adults at work, but please help your children avoid getting cranked up on sugar and caffeine before beginning their school day.
We do have a policy of no beverages in class but clear water. This has been expanded school-wide to students being allowed water breaks in between classes and not during. Students are now especially encouraged to bring in a refillable water bottle as trips out of the room for drinks during instructional time were abused and now eliminated.
Thank you for your help in this endeavour.
Just a reminder, each evening students are expected to read for 20 minutes. On occasion, if an assignment is not completed in class students will be expected to complete it at home.
Frequently Visited Pages
Textbook Links (Students will have log-in and passwords in agenda)
http://www.bigideasmath.com
http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/login.do (all social studies and science texts can be found here)
Tablet Program
We are experiencing mixed results with our Tablet Pilot Program. This is designed as an exciting new program that increases the ways students can dynamically interact with their lessons and makes our school more competitive with other Middle Schools in getting our students ready to meet today's technological challenges. I'd like to thank again the parents that were able to attend the last back to school night and have been able to assist their students in using the tablets for educational purposes at home. We do have a small minority of sixth grade students that are having challenges with remembering to bring their tablets, or forgetting to charge them in the evenings.
To work efficiently, at home the tablets may need to log on to your WiFi at home. Please discourage your child from downloading games, social media apps, etc. from the Google Play store. If there is any questions about what apps are approved or not, please contact myself or another school adult. Parents, please check to see if your students have what they need for school each day; this would include do they have their tablet? Paper and a pencil to write with? Their agendas? Have they eaten breakfast?
Because of the accessibility to tablets, Sixth Graders have no real need for their cell phones in class. Please remind your children to keep their phones turned off and away while in class, following the rules laid out in the student handbook.
Just a word about myself as I only had a brief chance to meet the parents at our back to school events:
My name is Mr. Koci, but I do answer to Mr. K. I am originally from Minnesota, but have been in the Sarasota/Bradenton area for more than 25 years. I received my Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida and have been teaching for thirteen years including the last two years at SAA, coming aboard for our first year as a Charter School. I have a lifelong love of the arts and I try to infuse my lessons with different means of artistic expression. I have a passion for theatre and have worked both sides, talent and technical, for stage, screen and TV. I have been married to my wife for 21 years, and we live in Bradenton with our dog Steve and our cat Thaddeus. I look forward to getting to know all my students and their families better over the course of the year.
Policies:
Grading:
In grading my classes I follow a ten percent plan.
A 90 - 100% Exemplary
B 80 - 89% Above Average
C 70 - 79% Average
D 60 - 69% Approaching Average
F Below 59% Not Acceptable
Classwork/Homework is weighted as 25%
Quizzes are weighted as 25%
Tests are weighted as 50% of the quarterly grade.
This means 1 test grade carries the same weight as 2 assignments.
I try not to assign too much homework, generally just whatever problems the students do not finish in the time allotted in class. This may change as we begin using the tablets though. This is still a new program and we are still working out all the details. One rule I do stick to though is no homework is assigned on performance nights.
Behavior:
Our goal is to create a respectful learning environment so all students can achieve. During the Middle School years, students are frequently high-energy so we need to focus on and remain accountable for our classroom behavior. Besides following the School Code of Conduct and Dress Code which were agreed to and signed by students and parents; my Classroom Rules are simple - just remember to have a SWAG day:
S - Stay Focused
W - Work Hard
A - Act Appropriately
G - Give Respect
Our Procedures are equally simple:
*Raise your hand and wait to be called before speaking.
*Get the teacher's permission before leaving your seat.
*Keep our hands, feet, and other objects to ourselves.
*Be respectful of other people and their property.
For housekeeping purposes I ask the following:
*Only clear water for drinking in classroom (no soda, kool-aid, energy drinks, gatorade, etc.)
*Snack time is from 10:00 - 10:05 am. Food should be put away at all other times.
Consequences:
If students choose not to follow these procedures or act in a disruptive manner, I have a three strike policy:
Strike 1 - Verbal or proximity warning, name goes on the board.
Strike 2 - Check next to name on board, I will contact parent by email regarding the situation.
Strike 3 - Student will be referred to Ms. Owens in the office. Parent phone call.
In case of extreme disruption or dangerous situation, student may be referred without following the three step plan.
Rewards:
Treasure Box Trips
Pizza Parties
Student of the Month Nominations
Participation in Field Trips
*other stuff too!
We have several exciting field trips planned this year. To take part in the field trips students must maintain their academic focus and acceptable behavior. Students earning too many trips to the office; lunch detentions; in, and out-of-school suspensions may find themselves on a behavior plan which may prohibit their taking part in certain fun activities.
I arrive early at school and usually leave late. If you would like to speak with me regarding your child's progress, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. Otherwise I am available most mornings from 7:30 to 7:45 or after school from 4:15-5:00. I believe in keeping lines of communication open and I will try to respond to any contacts within 24 hours. Usually it is much less than that though.
I have the current user names and passwords to most of the online textbooks. We are still waiting on codes for some of the Math textbooks. I'll be distributing these codes this week as we begin issuing the tablets to the students whose parents have returned signed Acceptable Use agreements.
I hope you will come back often to find out about all the cool things we have going on here at SAA!
Welcome to Week 31!
We are well into 4th Quarter now and there are only two more weeks until we begin FSA math tests.
We are also very busy getting ready for the musical and preparing for our End of Year Trips.
This week will continue some significant changes to the way we operate in class. Starting last week we began "doubling-down" on math lessons until we get past the testing. Each science class will give students the chance to practice the math skills that are used in science that will also be assessed on the Math FSAs. Once past the test window we will return to regular science lessons. On Monday this week, we begin ELA testing please make sure your children come to school well rested and ready to show what they know. Having a good, healthy breakfast is a good way to give them the energy they need for performing their best. Please discourage them from eating candy and energy drinks for breakfast.
In Math class, we will work on the sequenced lessons in the Math book in order to get them ready to take the very important FSA tests from Apr. 28th - May 2nd.
With this quarter, all grades will be transmitted digitally. No more paper report cards will be printed, unless by special request with the county. Everything will be accessed over the computer, so if you haven't yet gone to the parent/student portal at www.sarasotacountyschools.net to set up your account, the time has arrived. There you will find step-by-step directions on how to set up your account so you can stay in the loop.
In order to maximize their math skills, all students have online access to our math readiness program, i-Ready. Students can access the site at https://login.i-ready.com
Their login information is their N number and the password is their 5-digit lunch PIN.
I have spoken to many of you and I'm glad we have had opportunities to meet in conference. I am available after school from 4:15 to 5:15 pm most days and would be happy to meet with you if you have questions or concerns about your child's academic performance. You can also email me at any time - [email protected]
This week's focus:
Science - This week we will work on developing and reviewing individual math skills and gain opportunities to earn stars on our Star Chart. This provides learning incentives, giving students a chance to earn trips to the treasure box for 'showing what they know'.
We are having a Flapjack Fundraiser at Applebee's on Fruitville Rd. this Saturday, April 16th. If you are not familiar with this fundraiser, it is one of our most popular. Students are selling pre-printed breakfast tickets for $10.00, of which the school gets to keep $6.00 per ticket, and any tips generated. The students will come to Applebee's and take the roles of servers, host staff, and bussers. It is a good sized breakfast for the price so everyone walks away a winner! If all students sell the 6 breakfast tickets they were issued, that raises $36.00 of the $33.00 they need to pay for the End of Year trip to KSC. The price per student needed to be refigured as we only have 36 students instead of the 40 I initially projected. The tickets are numbered and the students are responsible for bringing back sales proceeds and any extra unsold tickets as they need to be accounted for. If anyone needs extra tickets, please let me know and I can assign some extras. I CAN NOT make copies of the tickets assigned if anyone loses their tickets.
Funds Raised and Extra tickets must be returned to school by Wednesday, April 13th so Applebee's can plan accordingly for their part of the fundraiser. I hope you will help your child sell those ticket, and I hope to see you all there Saturday morning. Also changed, we have room for not 5, but up to 10 parent volunteers to come along for the Space Center trip at no additional cost. I only have one parent who has expressed interest in coming along so far, so I hope to hear from many more of you soon.
Here's what else is coming up academically this week . . .
Math - We are reassessing Chapter 7 - Equations and Inequalities.
We will continue working with finding volume and area of three-dimensional objects this week as we
continue working through Chapter 8. These are all skills that will be assessed on the test next month.
Students will also continue to receive targeted skills worksheets to work on in the evenings to build their skills prior to taking the FSA exams. Successful completion of these skills will earn them stars on our progress chart that they can redeem for prizes. The more accurate their work, the quicker they will receive trips to the treasure box. All students also have extra skills lessons assigned to them through their i-Ready account. please encourage your child to work on their i-Ready nightly at www.i-ready.com.
As mentioned, we are continuing to use mental math strategies. Please encourage them to use mental math at home. If they ask you math related questions, encourage them to figure it out themselves, help walk them through but let them do the solving. This will help them immeasurably as they move forward.
Additionally, many students are arriving late to school and treating 1st period science as an extended breakfast hour. Students should only be bringing breakfast into class if they are a bus rider and the bus arrives late. Otherwise, students are expected to have their breakfasts finished before the beginning of class at 8:00 AM, Also, students are bringing in all manner of inappropriate food and beverages into class for breakfast. Red Bull/Monster Energy Drinks and sugary donuts/ Frappe's and Starbucks Macchiatos may be acceptable for adults at work, but please help your children avoid getting cranked up on sugar and caffeine before beginning their school day.
We do have a policy of no beverages in class but clear water. This has been expanded school-wide to students being allowed water breaks in between classes and not during. Students are now especially encouraged to bring in a refillable water bottle as trips out of the room for drinks during instructional time were abused and now eliminated.
Thank you for your help in this endeavour.
Just a reminder, each evening students are expected to read for 20 minutes. On occasion, if an assignment is not completed in class students will be expected to complete it at home.
Frequently Visited Pages
Textbook Links (Students will have log-in and passwords in agenda)
http://www.bigideasmath.com
http://connected.mcgraw-hill.com/connected/login.do (all social studies and science texts can be found here)
Tablet Program
We are experiencing mixed results with our Tablet Pilot Program. This is designed as an exciting new program that increases the ways students can dynamically interact with their lessons and makes our school more competitive with other Middle Schools in getting our students ready to meet today's technological challenges. I'd like to thank again the parents that were able to attend the last back to school night and have been able to assist their students in using the tablets for educational purposes at home. We do have a small minority of sixth grade students that are having challenges with remembering to bring their tablets, or forgetting to charge them in the evenings.
To work efficiently, at home the tablets may need to log on to your WiFi at home. Please discourage your child from downloading games, social media apps, etc. from the Google Play store. If there is any questions about what apps are approved or not, please contact myself or another school adult. Parents, please check to see if your students have what they need for school each day; this would include do they have their tablet? Paper and a pencil to write with? Their agendas? Have they eaten breakfast?
Because of the accessibility to tablets, Sixth Graders have no real need for their cell phones in class. Please remind your children to keep their phones turned off and away while in class, following the rules laid out in the student handbook.
Just a word about myself as I only had a brief chance to meet the parents at our back to school events:
My name is Mr. Koci, but I do answer to Mr. K. I am originally from Minnesota, but have been in the Sarasota/Bradenton area for more than 25 years. I received my Bachelors in Elementary Education from the University of South Florida and have been teaching for thirteen years including the last two years at SAA, coming aboard for our first year as a Charter School. I have a lifelong love of the arts and I try to infuse my lessons with different means of artistic expression. I have a passion for theatre and have worked both sides, talent and technical, for stage, screen and TV. I have been married to my wife for 21 years, and we live in Bradenton with our dog Steve and our cat Thaddeus. I look forward to getting to know all my students and their families better over the course of the year.
Policies:
Grading:
In grading my classes I follow a ten percent plan.
A 90 - 100% Exemplary
B 80 - 89% Above Average
C 70 - 79% Average
D 60 - 69% Approaching Average
F Below 59% Not Acceptable
Classwork/Homework is weighted as 25%
Quizzes are weighted as 25%
Tests are weighted as 50% of the quarterly grade.
This means 1 test grade carries the same weight as 2 assignments.
I try not to assign too much homework, generally just whatever problems the students do not finish in the time allotted in class. This may change as we begin using the tablets though. This is still a new program and we are still working out all the details. One rule I do stick to though is no homework is assigned on performance nights.
Behavior:
Our goal is to create a respectful learning environment so all students can achieve. During the Middle School years, students are frequently high-energy so we need to focus on and remain accountable for our classroom behavior. Besides following the School Code of Conduct and Dress Code which were agreed to and signed by students and parents; my Classroom Rules are simple - just remember to have a SWAG day:
S - Stay Focused
W - Work Hard
A - Act Appropriately
G - Give Respect
Our Procedures are equally simple:
*Raise your hand and wait to be called before speaking.
*Get the teacher's permission before leaving your seat.
*Keep our hands, feet, and other objects to ourselves.
*Be respectful of other people and their property.
For housekeeping purposes I ask the following:
*Only clear water for drinking in classroom (no soda, kool-aid, energy drinks, gatorade, etc.)
*Snack time is from 10:00 - 10:05 am. Food should be put away at all other times.
Consequences:
If students choose not to follow these procedures or act in a disruptive manner, I have a three strike policy:
Strike 1 - Verbal or proximity warning, name goes on the board.
Strike 2 - Check next to name on board, I will contact parent by email regarding the situation.
Strike 3 - Student will be referred to Ms. Owens in the office. Parent phone call.
In case of extreme disruption or dangerous situation, student may be referred without following the three step plan.
Rewards:
Treasure Box Trips
Pizza Parties
Student of the Month Nominations
Participation in Field Trips
*other stuff too!
We have several exciting field trips planned this year. To take part in the field trips students must maintain their academic focus and acceptable behavior. Students earning too many trips to the office; lunch detentions; in, and out-of-school suspensions may find themselves on a behavior plan which may prohibit their taking part in certain fun activities.
I arrive early at school and usually leave late. If you would like to speak with me regarding your child's progress, please feel free to contact me via e-mail. Otherwise I am available most mornings from 7:30 to 7:45 or after school from 4:15-5:00. I believe in keeping lines of communication open and I will try to respond to any contacts within 24 hours. Usually it is much less than that though.
I have the current user names and passwords to most of the online textbooks. We are still waiting on codes for some of the Math textbooks. I'll be distributing these codes this week as we begin issuing the tablets to the students whose parents have returned signed Acceptable Use agreements.