Announcements: Jan. 21-24, 2014

7th graders show off their timeline projects!

WORDS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

NOTES FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

Short week next week so we can celebrate the life of Martin Luther King. New clubs will be starting on Wednesday. Offerings will be chess, dance, film, reading for pleasure/quiet study, board games, Junior National Honor Society and student government.

Our new basketball goal has arrived and is ready for use!  This should expand the activities available to students during their lunch break.  I am working with the President of Student Government and his team to define what other items/games we can put in our area.

HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATIONS

The first group of high school applications were delivered today to St. Andrews.  Next Friday marks the deadline for Savannah Country Day. The high school team is working with families to complete recommendations and assemble documents for this process.  As mentioned before, completed applications are then mailed directly to the high school from the HDS main office.  If you have not yet informed us of your plans, please do so as soon as possible. The process of assembling a quality application with recommendations and supporting documents takes a couple of days and we prioritize them by deadline.  If you need more information, please do not hesitate to call.

FIFTH GRADE VISIT!

On Tuesday, January 21^st the Middle School will host our 5^th grade students for a visit to Middle School classes. The schedule calls for students to join us during our break at 10:20 and then attend short (5 minute) classes from 10:30 – 11:00 to meet our team. Other activities will follow throughout the semester.

BASKETBALL

‘Tis the season!  Our teams are in full swing with games every Tuesday and Thursday and some Saturday mornings.  Not always winning, but ALWAYS EXCITING!  Please come and support our students and teams!

Here at Hancock, we value community service. Here is a segment from a letter by Lily Horton and Caroline Massey explaining their service with the Human Society:

This year we raised money for the Humane Society of a Greater Savannah. We sold rubber              band bracelets from one to two dollars. We decided to do this fundraiser because animals               mean a lot to us. We need to respect them just as we respect others. If there's a will, there's a             way!

6TH GRADE NEWS

6th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. O'Connor

Sixth graders have a quiz over chapters 4-7 of the The Outsiders on Tuesday, January 21^st.  Questions over chapters seven and eight will be checked on Wednesday, and questions over chapters nine and ten will be checked on Friday.  We will also explore complex sentences in our GUM books and begin working on a persuasive essay.  Remember that our test over The Outsiders is scheduled for Tuesday, January 28^th.

6th Earth Science with Mr. Crawford

Next week we will be concluding our study of plate tectonics and moving into a study of earthquakes. Homework due Tuesday is a vocabulary word search worksheet. Homework for Wednesday and Thursday will center on completing an internet lab exercise on earthquakes.  Thursday we will also review for a test on material this semester to date which will be Friday.

6th Earth Science with Mrs. Blake

The sixth graders will start a new chapter on Space Exploration next week.  The first topic to be addressed is the different types of electromagnetic waves.  They will learn about everything from radio waves to gamma rays and the uses of each.  This information will help as they look at the various instruments used to study space.

6th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish, the 6^th grade will continue to work on their recipes and begin a new chapter. Chapter 3B will talk about food and beverages for dinner, descriptions of what people are like, and health and exercise choices. Students will have a quiz over the new vocabulary on Friday, January 24^th. 

6th World Civilizations with Mrs. English
This week in World Civilizations we will continue our discussion about Greek myths. We will begin Chapter 8-Lesson 3 on Greek City States. Students should expect a geography quiz on Mediterranean geography on Friday. Have a nice long weekend!

7TH GRADE NEWS

7th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. O'Connor

I will be checking questions over chapters six, seven, and eight of The Hobbit on Wednesday the 22^nd.  Seventh graders also have a quiz over chapters 5-10 of The Hobbit (and contextual vocabulary) coming up on Thursday the 23^rd.  Additionally we will continue exploring subordinate clauses, types of conjunctions, and complex sentences in our GUM books.  Our test over The Hobbit is scheduled for Thursday, January 30^th.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will be learning how to solve absolute value equations and calculate absolute deviation (6.5).  We will then take a quiz at the end of the week on solving compound inequalities and absolute value equations (6.3 – 6.5).

7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Blake

This week the seventh graders started their study of invertebrates. Thus far they have learned about sponges.  Next week we will begin the first student led class. Each presentation includes a visual presentation of a phylum with notes. Also the students will administer a quiz on their specific phylum. I have been impressed with how hard they have worked putting together their presentations.  

7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 7^th grade will finish presenting their charities and we will wrap up Chapter 8B. They will have a chapter test on Thursday, January 23^rd. On Friday we will begin a new unit discussing entertainment, things you have recently done, and “gustar-like” verbs.

7th American History with Mrs. English

This week we will introduce the fighting during the Revolutionary War.  We will see how the colonies united against the biggest empire in the world. Have a nice long weekend!

8TH GRADE NEWS

8th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. O'Connor

Eighth graders are continuing to read The Hound of the Baskervilles.  Students have a quiz over chapters 9-13 coming up on Tuesday, the 21^st, and questions over chapters 11-15 will be checked on Friday, the 24^th.  Next week we will also begin working on an essay in which students will analyze the different ways in which Doyle establishes mood in the novel.  Our test over the book is scheduled for Tuesday, January 28^th.  

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Blake

The eighth grade will spend next week reviewing the periodic table and valence electrons.  They will learn about Lewis electron dot diagrams and how these diagrams help to illustrate which elements will chemically combine to form compounds.  At the end of the week they will look at the different types of bonding.  

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will be learning how to solve absolute value equations and calculate absolute deviation (6.5).  We will then take a quiz at the end of the week on solving compound inequalities and absolute value equations (6.3 – 6.5).

8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Advanced Algebra/Intro to Geometry class (Grade 8), we will use our discoveries involving medians of triangles and the centroid to build mobiles whose pieces hang perfectly parallel to the ground.  We will complete our exploration of triangles by discussing the triangle inequality (4.7).  We will then have a day of review and our Chapter 4 test at the end of the week.

8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 8^th grade will finish presenting their biographies and we will wrap up Chapter 4A. They will have their chapter test on Thursday, January 23^rd. On Friday we will begin a new unit discussing manners, customs, and special events. Students will continue to work with reflexive verbs and the imperfect tense.

8th American Government with Mrs. English

This week we will have a  quest on the Legislative Branch on Wednesday. We will also work on our President debate projects where students will debate against each other to determine who is the best American president. Have a nice long weekend!