SIXTH GRADE NEWS
Entertaining and Impressive!
Congratulations to the sixth-graders on two winning
performances on October 26. The class truly came together
to entertain and impress the entire school as well as parents
and friends! What a great way to begin the year!
Welcome, Mr. Morrison, to the fifth and sixth-grade team!
With a wealth of knowledge and passion for language arts,
Mr. Morrison is adjusting well to daily life at Westminster
School. Most importantly, he is getting to know how
special the students and parents are at Westminster.
In English class, the sixth-graders
have launched into a strong,
multi-dimensional start to the
curriculum this year. Students
have already covered the basic
types of nouns, including
collective, compound, plural,
and possessive nouns, and they
have learned to distinguish these
from the others. Vocabulary
development is underway with
the first Wordly Wise quizzes,
and the students are adding to their spelling foundation
with regular assignments and quizzes. Furthermore, the
class has had opportunities to hone their freshly acquired
narrative element categories to short stories taken from
their Open Court readers and Dickens’s classic adventure
novel, Treasure Island. The students gathered fresh energy
as they embarked on this exciting tale together, committed
to gaining a firm grasp on the challenging diction and
plot structure. Finally, students have been empowered by
practicing proper brainstorming, journaling, and topicexpansion techniques.
As they did in fifth grade, the sixth grade took some time
to review primary and secondary sources in history class.
For instance, students examined Theodora’s speech on
the docks during the Nika Revolt, a superb example of a
particularly useful primary source, and a fascinating look
at the role women play in history. Additionally, class
sessions focused heavily on the Great Migration, especially
with regard to the Huns. On that front, the next area of
study is an in-depth examination of the Saxons, which will
ultimately lead to reading an adapted version of Beowulf.
This is the first time that many of the students will read
about the heroic Beowulf, who battles the monster Grendel
and performs other brave deeds. No doubt, they will
encounter this classic work again in high school; however,
even readers on this level can enjoy and respond to the
beauty of the language and story.
French class is always a place where students can imagine
being in another country. From the moment they step
into the classroom, the children are immersed in French
language and culture. They start thinking differently
about vocabulary and grammar, and they have to pay close
attention to their pronunciation when speaking aloud.
The sixth grade has finished a review of grammar and
verbs in French class. The class is currently studying the
verbs voir and croire, irregular adjectives, comparatives,
and superlatives. The students truly enjoyed their field trip
to the Willowcroft Winery in Leesburg. Under the expert
guidance of oenologist and Francophile, Monsieur Lew
Parker, the students learned about the winemaking process
and sampled grapes from the vineyard (both red and
white). The students were able to see where chardonnay,
merlot, and cabernet sauvignon grapes are grown!
Sixth-grade scientists are happy that science has begun
in the second quarter. However, it was great fun to study
geography in the first quarter in order to build upon
lessons learned last year. Using a political map, how
do you determine the distance from Washington, DC
to Los Angeles, California? How far is it from Cairo,
Egypt to Johannesburg, South Africa? Name a European
country through which the prime meridian runs. Having
completed their 6th-grade geography program, the
students are geographic scholars indeed! They can tell
you the difference between the hydrosphere and the
lithosphere. They can tell you what the solstices and
equinoxes are (and their calendar dates)! In addition, they
studied many features of the physical landscape that help
make the world beautiful. So they are able to answer: What
is the difference between a peninsula and a cape? How
is a bay different from a gulf? Studying geography and
the world not only increases appreciation of immediate
surroundings, it also provides great perspective when
studying French, learning about history, and discussing
modern politics.
“The pursuit of truth and beauty is a sphere of activity
in which we are permitted to remain children all our lives.”
~ Albert Einstein
SIXTH GRADE
Guys and Dolls
UPPER SCHOOL
RECAP
Congratulations to the sixth-grade stars!
Mr. Glover, Mr. LaRose, Mr. Newton,
and Mr. Valdivia share the special moment.
The school year is off to a running start with a lively, energetic
upper school—one of the largest groups in recent years. Yes,
the halls are alive with the cheerful sounds of many excited
voices as the students enjoy the company of their friends
again after the summer months, and as they exchange the
latest hot tip on friendships, activities, assignments and
plans.
The pace has been brisk since September, with four evening
events open to parents. It was so nice to see so many of the
parents at “Meet the Teachers Evening,” a busy event, all
business. The picnic afforded a more relaxed opportunity
to chat with parents and catch up on their family news. On
the 24th, a briefing session for parents and students on the
subject of applying to high school was held in the Gryphon
Theater. Information packets and guidelines, meticulously
prepared by the administrative staff, were distributed to
each upper school family. Mr. Glover, Ms. Glazier, Mrs.
Schuler, and Mrs. O’Drudy addressed the assembly on
particular aspects of the process. Eighth-grade parents
stated that they were relieved they had attended this event
last year, as there is so much detail to assimilate. At a followup evening event at Congressional School, area high schools
displayed admissions materials to prospective applicants.
Westminster School provided buses for the families to
attend. A productive evening had its social aspect as the
students traveled together.
On the September 12, under the experienced guidance of
Mr. Miller, the newly elected student officers led the 20122013 induction ceremony. All members, including the 7th
grade newcomers, were sworn in, pledging to work with
spirit and pride to make the world a better place. There
will be much to hear about their volunteer activities in the
coming months. Currently they are taking orders for the
2012 White House ornament. Community service hours
have already been accumulated, as the Builders Club spent
an afternoon picking up stray trash in the Annandale area,
in fulfillment of their “Adopt-A-Highway” pledge.
Fine acting on display!
The dancing
entertained and impressed.