Thank you to everyone who showed up to school today! We had a great day. 6th grade
won the OTA spirit award for field day! 🙂 Goooooo Ninjas!
LESS THAN 2 WEEKS OF SCHOOL ARE LEFT! We all need to work hard so we can have fun on the field trip (6/5- 6/6) and enjoy the last week of school!
Happening this week:
It’s time for one last 6th grade outdoor adventure! Next Friday June 5th, we are excited to once again return to one of our favorite campsites in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park area. The plan is for the 6th grade to come to school as usual on June 5th, and then caravan to the Green Valley Falls campground to explore one of the coolest sections of the San Diego River. Optional Side Trip : I will take a few students/parents to fish at Lake Cuyamaca…they apparently stocked the lake with a few thousand pounds of trout recently. We’ll eventually meet up and set up tents in 5 sites at the Paso Picacho Campground…all the while our 6th graders will be preparing all 4 meals. After breakfast Saturday morning, we’ll all plan to summit Stonewall Peak for a 4 mile roundtrip hike that is purported to have one of the best views in San Diego County. We then plan to return to OTA around 2-3pmish Saturday 6/6.
In order to continue the success of our outdoor education program, we are looking for a few parent volunteers to drive to, back and/or both + camping (preferred course!) More details will follow but please contact jmajor@otacharter.org regarding any questions about the trip. 
Happening this week:
Thank you all for the wonderful flowers, fruit, and notes this week! 🙂
During the past few weeks, we’ve been going over the force of gravity and force of drag with the sixth graders while they’re working on their bottle rockets.
Drag is the force produced by the resistance of the air to the forward motion of the airplane. Swish your hand rapidly side-to-side and you will feel that resistance on your hand.
Gravity is a force of attraction that exists between any two masses, any two bodies, any two particles. Gravity is not just the attraction between objects and the Earth. It is an attraction that exists between all objects, everywhere in the universe.
Here are some photos from their test launches! It was a wet and wild day!
Keep up the good work, guys!
Happening this week:
Happening this week:
Yearbook Order forms due by May 22nd!
*Testing is going on this week so please be sure to get lots of sleep and eat breakfast before you come to school!
**Reminder: Half day (12:00 p.m. dismissal) Wednesday, May 6th**
Thank you all for being patient as the blog was down!
Thank you to everyone who attended Grandparent’s Day and OTA’s Wine and Dine!! We appreciate your support! 🙂
Things due this week:
This experience has changed to kayaking through La Jolla sea caves, then a choice of a hike, snorkel or surf lesson!! 🙂
OTA’s Wine & Dine is April 25th! Get your tickets. Online auction ends Thursday, April 23rd. Visit the auction now! If you’re feeling adventurous, come spend the day with me biking down Mt. Soledad, then kayaking the La Jolla sea caves! Check out the site. We had a blast kayaking in Catalina…let’s kayak again 🙂 You can also get to know Mr. Watts by exploring an airport and having lunch with a Chief pilot, or have fun playing laser tag with Mr. Cohick! Theres so much more…check out the auction site if you haven’t already!
OTA needs families to provide dinners at the SUFK Center on the following dates:
If you are interested in helping or would like more information, please contact Bob Hamm at bob.hamm@yahoo.com.
Thank you for helping families in need!
HALF DAY TOMORROW, 4/15- 12:00p.m. dismissal
I hope everyone had a wonderful break! Now it’s time to work hard again 🙂
Happening this week:
**NO after school project club this week. Project club will be held on Mondays beginning next week, April 13th**
Track Meet Registration is due TOMORROW (4/7)-click for registration 2015 Form 1 and Form 2 ($10 by tomorrow, $25 after the 7th).
WINE & DINE is April 25th! Help support OTA and buy your ticket ASAP!
Next half day is Wednesday, April 15th
Meet our new addition to 6th grade…Aidan.
Class book orders will be shipped tomorrow, 3/17. Please bring to school if you have not done so yet. Each book is $19.95.
Happening this week:
Thank you for being patient as I try to update Engrade! One last busy week before the quarter ends. Keep up the good work 🙂
Be Prepared for the Start of 7th Grade: Check Vaccine Records Now
Make your appointments now. Avoid the back-to-school rush!
Vaccines required for 7th grade (California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 17, Section 6020) include:
· 1 dose of Tdap
· 2 doses of measles-containing vaccine: most students will have received these before starting Kindergarten, but some may have missed doses along the way.
· Other vaccines encouraged but not required for 7th graders include meningococcal and HPV vaccines.
6th Graders have been working so hard lately! Only a couple more weeks until spring break and the end of the quarter. Keep up the hard work!
Happening this week:
We’ll miss you Isabel! Good luck in Virginia!
StandUp For Kids is a national organization dedicated to directing homeless and children living on the streets toward lifelong personal growth.
Sixth Grade Volunteer families are needed to provide dinners to the homeless children at the local StandUp For Kids Center. We need volunteer families for Thursday March 26th.
Happening this week:
We had some fun weaving today 🙂
Happening this week:
**6th Grade has FREE DRESS Friday, Feb. 27th (from jog-a-thon)
**OTA movie night is THIS Friday, Feb. 27th: Big Hero 6
**6th grade will be having a bake sale for movie night. Please bring in baked goods on Friday to sell at movie night. Individually packaged to sell in $1, $2, $3, increments. Some 6th graders will also sell rainbow looms.
**A couple parent volunteers are needed to help run the bake sale. Please email me at mschurch@otacharter.org if you can help out! Thank you 🙂
We are visiting the Copley Symphony Hall tomorrow(2/19)! The San Diego Youth symphony is performing “Coming to America.” 6th grade will learn about immigration in Q4, so this is a little preview.
Please wear your outdoor ed. uniforms and bring a sack lunch. We leave OTA at 10:00, walk to the trolley, and return back to OTA between 1:00-1:30 p.m.
If you haven’t turned in your permission slip/ $7 for trolley and symphony, tomorrow a.m. is your last chance!
I hope everyone had a wonderful 4 day weekend! 
Happening this week:
OTA Parents, please join us Thursday night to learn more about a new charter high school for San Diego. Bill Hixson, lead developer of the project-based STEM High School, will be there to tell you more about his new school. Bill is a software entrepreneur who after selling his company “retired” into a second career in teaching. He focused on STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) education and worked on school turn-around teams in NYC, in addition to teaching on the faculty of Colombia Teachers College.
We believe this school will be a good fit for OTA students, with a strong faculty and a curriculum focused on independent learning (the school will be incorporating Project Trees) and mathematical & scientific literacy. Internships will be a large part of the program starting in 11th grade, and its project-based, blended learning model will integrate in-class and online learning activities within each project.
The projected opening date for the new high school will be the 2016-2016 school year. All parents are welcome but parents with students in grades 5th-8th are particularly encouraged to attend Thursday to learn more.
Things happening this week:
*No school Friday, Feb. 13th and Monday, Feb. 16th: President’s weekend
Why Piano Maestro? OTA Students started their piano journey with Soft Mozart, a perfect introduction to musical notation and the keyboard. But now they are ready to move up to the next level. The program is free on iPads for students at OTA (Download App, sign in, register w/ Anthony Kaneaster as teacher): all you need is an iPad and a keyboard (no cables!).
We have some fun art projects planned for Q3, but I would love some help with supplies. If you have any of the materials lying around or are willing to donate, please bring in by week 4 (Feb. 17th). Thank you! 🙂 SignUp Genius
Yarn: variety of colors
*Field trip planned for Feb. 19th: San Diego Symphony $7 (We are planning on taking the trolley and have room for 2 more adults).
Report Cards went home today…please be on the lookout!
*My goal is to have engrade up and going again by the end of this week. If you need the username/password again, please let me know: mschurch@otacharter.org.
Congratulations to Ava and Domenic for being the top Geo Whizzes for 6th Grade! They are moving on to the finals on Tuesday, January 27th and competing among the top 4th-8th graders!
Friday (tomorrow) is the last day of Q2! Please make sure all work is completed by tomorrow! Friday is also a half day- 12:00 p.m. dismissal
OTA needs families to provide dinners at the SUFK Center on the following dates:
If you are interested in helping or would like more information, please contact Bob Hamm at bob.hamm@yahoo.com.
Thank you for helping families in need!
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We’re getting close the end of second quarter! Things happening this week:
*No School Monday, January 19th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
*Last day of Q2 is Friday, January 23rd-HALF DAY
*First day of Q3 is Monday, January 26th!
Great job to everyone who participated in the Airplane Contest! Everyone’s planes looked amazing!
Now, on to the winners of the competition.
And the winners are….
CONGRATULATIONS again! Keep up the good work!
-Ms. Salazar
I’m out sick today so there will be no after school project club.
Please take care of yourselves! There are a lot of 6th graders sick. Just having the flu shot isn’t enough. Washing your hands with soap and water and not touching your face are extremely helpful!
Happening this week:
THANK YOU for all the wonderful and thoughtful gifts! I feel extremely grateful to be working with such great students and families. I can’t thank you all enough!
I hope everyone is having a fun and safe break. Happy 2015! Enjoy the rest of break and I’ll see you back at school Monday, January 5, 2015 🙂
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Happening this week:
*Winter break December 20-January 4th. School resumes January 5th.
Every year, OTA sponsors a sock drive for the homeless children at the Stand Up For Kids Center, here in San Diego. The sock drive goes through December 19th.
We are asking OTA families to be generous in helping these kids whose homes are the streets of San Diego. Every year OTA has delivered many socks to the SUFK center to be distributed to the homeless kids. These kids depend on us to help them, and to make the holiday special for them!
Please bring in packages of NEW socks throughout the sock drive. The eighth graders are collecting them daily through December 19th.
Get in the spirit of giving this holiday season and help OTA make a difference in the lives of these children! Thank you for helping OTA make the holidays special for the homeless kids at Stand Up For Kids!
Happening this week:
Thank you to everyone who drove!!! We got a behind the scenes look at Renaissance and Baroque artwork. The kids were amazed to see ORIGINAL artwork! We learned the stories behind the paintings, light, movement, and shape.
Tomorrow’s field trip is a go! Please bring a sack lunch to school tomorrow 🙂
Future trips:
I hope you all had a wonderful break. We have 3 full weeks until winter break.
Happening this week:
Q1 Grades are going home today.
Last week students took home log-in information for engrade. Engrade is an online grading system. Students and parents will be able to track their grades throughout the quarter. Please let me know if you have trouble logging in.
Most students are off to a great start and have turned in work for Q2 already! Grades should be visible on Engrade.
Students are currently working on writing a biography of a person of their choosing. Isaac Newton’s biography will be coming up soon.
Due this week:
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Hello All!!
I hope you all are ready for Quarter 2 to begin tomorrow! 🙂 Let’s work hard and efficiently this quarter!
Please bring your Jog-A-thon sponsor forms to school. Tomorrow is the last day to turn them in! The jog-a-thon award ceremony is Friday, November 14th at 8:30 a.m. Parents are welcome to stick around for the ceremony.
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*Slideshow–-3 Days of Catalina, 2014!
Students are scheduled to embark at 1 PM and arrive in Long Beach at 3:15. We will keep you posted on traffic and arrival times back at Old Town Academy. ETA 6 PM at OTA
*Slide show….Day 3
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*Catalina Day 2 Slideshow (New photos will be added as they come in)
Saw dolphin and jelly fish on the way… ocean calm… only one child seasick!
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Slideshow will be updated throughout the day with new pics…
Tomorrow is the big day! I hope you all are as excited as I am!
Please arrive at OTA @ 6:00 am so we can be on the road by 6:15 a.m.
Looking at the traffic this morning, made me realize we need to leave earlier than originally planned!
Catalina is supposed to be beautiful the next few days!
Below is the packing list: Please bring a reusable water bottle
The 6th Grade Catalina Trip is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!
Some more information:
:00 a.m.
Everyone did a great job at the Jog-A-Thon Friday! It’s not too late to get sponsors! Thank you Mrs. Celentino for organizing the event!
This Week:
The medical release form and permission slip went home today.
Due this week:
*Optional Projects are due by November 4th. Late projects accepted until Nov. 4th (partial credit)
Picture Day is Tomorrow!! Tomorrow is outdoor ed., so please bring an OTA polo shirt to wear for the picture.
This week:
**Catalina Meeting will be held next week. In the meantime check out:
We are officially half-way through Q1!
Jog-A-Thon pledge packet went home yesterday! Please turn in the T-shirt order page by Friday (free for students!) and start looking for sponsors. This is an important fundraiser for our school! Jog-a-thon is Oct. 24th & a half day.
Picture day is October 14th. Picture forms went home last week. Please let me know if you need another one.
Father Daughter dance is November 14th.
Projects this week:
*Change in acceptance of projects– Optional projects can be turned in up until the last week (Nov. 4th for Q1). Late projects will receive 1/2 credit. Reminder: I want to see students attempt to complete a project on time, with effort. IF they turn in a project and need to keep working(make corrections), full credit can still be earned.
Reminders:
**Fun & easy to read website for more Ancient Greece research
Students worked on creating coil clay pots today in art
Quarter 1 focus is football skills. Students will be responsible for the activities on the project tree below.
**Homework Club: I will be available Wednesdays (beginning tomorrow 9/17) for students to stay after school from 3:30-4:00 for any project help or questions.**
Reminders:
StandUp for Kids is a national organization dedicated to directing homeless and children living on the streets toward lifelong personal growth. One great way that OTA’s middle school students participate in our community is through the Stand Up for Kids organization. Volunteer families are needed to provide dinner to the homeless children at the local StandUp for Kids Center.
The first day we are responsible for is September 25th. We need a family to commit to serving the homeless children that night. If you are interested, please contact Bob Hamm at bob.hamm@yahoo.com for more information concerning the commitment.
Your help is greatly appreciated by the school and, most importantly, by the homeless children!
Thank you to everyone who came to back to school night!
Tribute to 9/11-Thank you to all that serve and help our country.
Each student now has a calendar in their binder. We went over September Due dates. *Students can turn in projects or take oral quizzes as soon as they finish something. To get credit, they must attempt (turn in) a project by the due date. They can turn it in after the due date if they received a try again.
Homework: Students should not be doing hours of homework each night. They have a nightly math video to watch and short quiz. Students should only be doing the saxon book problems if they did not finish in class. They should be reading 3 nights a week and writing a reading response (3/week). A current event newspaper article needs to be brought to school on Wednesdays (there is time in class to work on the write up). Spelling City can be worked on at home as well as optional projects and finishing up projects they didn’t finish in class.
**6th Grade Camp dates have changed to November 5-7th and camp has been moved to Cherry Cove. (I received a call today that the Fox Landing Pier has been severely damaged by the hurricane). This means that all Q1 projects need to be completed, at the very latest, Nov. 4th. -we will adjust project due dates as needed
Thank you all for your support!
I hope you all had a wonderful summer and that you are ready to begin your first day of middle school!
School begins promptly at 8:10 am. Please arrive by 8:00 so we can begin on time.
**Don’t forget to bring:
*Please bring materials in a large brown paper bag(we will use to cover our math books)* If you are unable to purchase any of the materials, please let me know.
6th Graders have Outdoor Education Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:45-2:45, please be prepared tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all back at school again!
-Ms. Church 🙂
Log onto spellingcity.com
Click on the login tab in the upper right hand corner.
Enter your full name (example: Kelly Slater) as username
Enter your birthday (example: 3/7/02) as password
Login to complete your Vocabulary work on your Word Study Project Tracker
****** ***** Here is the link to Duolingo if you choose to do this project.
The first day of school is fast approaching. We have less than two weeks until the big day! Please accept this blog post as an informal hello and an initial welcome to another great year at OTA.
Through the OTA Amazon Bookstore, there is a list of recommended 6th grade reading. If you would like donate to 6th grade, any of those books would be welcomed as well as extra lined paper, printer paper, or construction paper.
🙂
Thank you.
Special Board Meeting Notice and Agenda
Coach Dan will be taking a select group of 6th and 8th grade girls to Heritage Park tomorrow, Wednesday, June 4 during the normal OE class time (~1:45 to 3).
He can be contacted on his cell phone while the group is away, please call the office if that information is necessary.
It’s that time of year for 6th grade Family Life education. Permission slips went home today. Please bring them back by tomorrow (Friday), as class starts Monday, June 1st. It is very important your child learns about this, but if for some reason you wish your child not to attend science class, please return the permission slip with the line marked no. We need to know so we can provide an alternate activity. Boys and girls will be separated during next weeks science activities.
