RAMON CORTINES, Ph.D
SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
CHERYL HILDRETH
INSTRUCTIONAL AREA SUPERINTENDENT
CHRISTINA WANTZ
PRINCIPAL
January 26, 2015
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are excited to announce our 8th grade cross-curricular project-based learning assignment for the Spring 2015 semester. We are asking student teams to consider the following question:
How does the Bill of Rights apply to me and us in the 21st century?
Student groups will research the various components of the Bill of Rights in each of their core classes: English Language Arts, Physical Science, Math, and Social Science (History). Students will investigate how the Bill of Rights applies to themselves and a 21st century society. Student teams will also research how society's essential documents are preserved throughout time and engineer their own document preservation device.
We will be using rigorous and engaging curriculum in which students will master Content, Common Core, and Next Generation Science Standards. We hope you’ll be encouraged to discuss our upcoming learning experiences with your child. Students are encouraged to use creativity in this project and express their ideas.
Students will showcase their projects at our STEAM IN ACTION Night, March 19, 2015, and Parents/Guardians and community members will be invited to view students’ final products and discuss with students their findings.Students are required to participate in the STEAM IN ACTION Night Event as it is tied to 10% of their project’s grade.
We are very excited for this upcoming project. We know it will not only be fun and educational, but also engaging and memorable. If you should have any questions or concerns or would like to offer any support, please contact Ms. Schultz at Wright MS STEAM Magnet at 310-258-6600 or via email at .
Sincerely,
Your Wright Middle School 8th Grade STEAM Team
Mr. Chris Brinkley, English Language Arts Teacher
Ms. Nadia Guajardo, Math Teacher
Ms. Caprice Lacey-Windham, Physical Science Teacher
Ms. Roxanne Schultz, History Teacher
Ms. Ivey Willwerth, English Language Arts Teacher
ATTACHED: “Entry Event” Permission Slip
1/26/2015
Dear Parents or Guardians,
Your child will be involved in analyzing how the Bill of Rights applies to themselves and a 21st century society as his/her PBL project. The first phase of launching any PBL project is an “Entry Event,” and its purpose is to motivate, build interest, and ignite curiosity in your student.
It is our intention to use the movie The Hurricane (1999), MPAA rating—R (for language and some violence), on Wednesday, January 28, 2015 and Thursday, January 29th, 2015 as part of the project launch “Entry Event.” This letter is being sent to you in compliance with the District policy requiring parents/guardians to approve the intended use of filmed programs in any format (including videocassette, 16mm film, DVD, CD-ROM, broadcast television, or streamed file) which are not owned, broadcast, or
recommended by the District prior to their scheduled showing. As part of that policy, we ask you
to complete the form below, authorizing or exempting your child from the videotape showing.
Please return your completed form to your child’s teacher by Wednesday, January 28, 2015.
Students exempted from this showing will be required to complete an alternative assignment.
Should you have any questions regarding the program listed above, please contact me.
Ms. Schultz
8th Grade Team Lead Teacher, Wright MS STEAM Magnet
Signature of Principal: ______
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Wright Middle School STEAM Magnet
Name of student: ______
Please check A or B:
A. ____ I give permission for my child to view The Hurricane.
B. ____ I prefer that my child be given an alternative assignment.
Signature of parent or guardian: ______Date: ______
Our intention is to foster belonging and make possible transformation for every child who walks into our school while promoting diversity and pride in self and school.