NOTES FROM MR. CRAWFORD
Community Service
Please remember that students should complete ten hours of community service each school year. Service opportunities are advertised in the blog weekly. Additionally, if you know of any service opportunities that would be appropriate for our students, please feel free to send them to Ms. Ross so that they may be included here. Completed service hours should be documented on the Community Service Form and submitted to Ms. Ross in the Middle School Office.
As always, we ask that unless a cell phone is needed for a specific assignment they not be brought to school. On days where a cell phone is needed, students are required to leave them in the Middle School office.
Party On!
The first Middle School dance is scheduled for Friday, November 17th from 6:30pm-8:30pm in Hancock Hall. The theme is Out of This World. Pizza and drinks will be provided by Student Government! Admission is 5 food items for our food drive!
Report Cards Are Coming
Report cards will be emailed home on Thursday, November 16th.
Basketball Kickoff Night
We have had a very successful football season! Congratulations to our 2017 SPAL Champions! We are ready to experience some great success with our basketball teams. To kick off the season, we will have a night of recognition and celebration of our 8 teams and their coaches. Each team will have an opportunity to demonstrate what they are learning from their coaches and show off their skills as a team. This celebration will take place on November 16 at 6PM in William Bell Gymnasium.
Thanksgiving Feast
The Middle School will enjoy a Feast prepared by Barnes on Monday, November 20th at 12:50. Mrs. Cook is looking for 6th grade parents to volunteer at this event. Volunteers would decorate and set tables at 12:00 and serve at 12:50. If you could spare an hour or two, please contact Paige Cook at pcook@hancockdayschool.org.
Hancock Day School Remembers our Veterans
The Hancock Honor Wall is taking shape to honor our veterans. If you have not already done so, please discuss as a family the significance of Veteran’s Day. On a 3x5 card or paper of similar size, write the name of a person(s) you would like to honor along with any thoughts or memories. Send the cards to school with your child so they can be added to the wall.
Hancock Day School Community Service Day
November 21, 2017 (8:30am-12:00pm)
The Middle School will be performing community service work at Second Harvest and completing a workshop at Oatland Island Wildlife Center on Tuesday, November 21st! We are looking for volunteer drivers to transport the students. Volunteers will need to stay with the students. Please call ext. 315 or email Madison Ross (mross@hancockdayschool.org) in the MS Office to sign up as a driver!
8th Grade Fundraiser
Wondering what you are going to feed the kids for dinner in-between shuffling everyone to their activities? Wondering where you can get a quick snack for everyone after school? Well, the 8th graders have the answer! The HDS 8th graders are selling McDonald’s coupon books to raise money for their Washington D.C. trip in the Spring! The books are up to $30.00 in value for ONLY $5.00 and can be redeemed at any Chatham or Effingham County McDonald’s. Please help support our 8th grade in this fundraising effort. Books will be available for purchase from any 8th grade student, at school events. Students are responsible for selling their books. Any books that are are not sold are to be returned to the Middle School office.
High School Fair
We are very excited to be having our second annual High School Fair November 29th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm in Hancock Hall! Many schools will be in attendance, giving the students a diverse look at all of their high school options. During advisory, the 8th grade will be preparing for talking to the representatives, what questions they want to ask, and how they want to express themselves as future students. This is a great opportunity for our families and students! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Pedrick, our school counselor, at apedrick@hancockdayschool.org.
8TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS
8th grade Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra we will continue in Chapter 4 by graphing using intercepts and finding slope and rate of change. On Wednesday, we will review for the chapter quiz that will take place on Thursday over sections 1-4. On Friday, we will do a fun activity in class involving slope.
8th grade Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will complete Chapter 11.1-11.2 by having 2 days of review and then the test on Wednesday. We will then learn how to solve radical equations (11.3).
8th grade Geometry - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will complete Chapter 4 by learning about using translations, reflections, and rotations in the coordinate plane (4.8). We will then have a day of review and the Chapter 4 test on Thursday. Then we will begin Chapter 5 by learning about midsegments in triangles (5.1).
8th grade Physical Science - Mr. Cooper
Next week we will cover Chapter 7 in the textbook (pages 190-211) Section 1 will cover chemical reactions in more detail. We will focus on the difference between endothermic and exothermic reactions. Section 2 will cover reaction rates. The focus will be on slowing down and speeding up reactions. We will have a quiz on Sections 1 and 2 when we come back from Thanksgiving Break. The exact date TBA.
8th grade English Language Arts - Mrs. O’Connor
Students will finish reading To Kill a Mockingbird just in time for the Thanksgiving Break. As we conclude the text students will examine major themes and symbolism. Students will take an open-book assessment over the entire novel on Friday, November 17th.
8th grade History & Gov’t II - Mrs. English
This week students will look at the Progressive Era and the many changes that American citizens tried to make in society. We will read articles and excerpts from famous muckrakers, like Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and look at Jacob Riis’ photographs from How the Other Half Lives. We will have a quiz on Friday over Chapter 19.1 & 2.
8th grade Spanish - Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish class, the 8th grade will continue to work with the grammar and vocabulary from Chapter 3A. Students will learn about different communities in Spanish-speaking countries and describe the cultural characteristics of the barrios in Argentina. There will be a graded listening activity midweek and the vocabulary quiz will be Friday, November 17th.
7TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS
7th grade Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra we will continue in Chapter 4 by graphing using intercepts and finding slope and rate of change. On Wednesday, we will review for the chapter quiz that will take place on Thursday over sections 1-4. On Friday, we will do a fun activity in class involving slope.
7th grade Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will complete the first part of Chapter 4 by learning how to find the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of numbers and monomials (4.4). We will then have a day of review on Wednesday and the Chapter 4.1-4.4 test on Thursday. We will then start learning about the rules of exponents (4.5).
7th grade History & Gov’t I - Mrs. English
This week students will begin their study of conflicting ideologies in the American colonies, representative government and the institution of slavery. Students will see how freedoms and rights were given to some, but restricted from others. We will have a short quiz on Friday over Chapter 4.1 & 2. Looking forward to a great week!
7th grade Spanish - Ms. Hughes
Next week the 7th grade will begin Chapter 7A. In this chapter we will talk about shopping, clothes, and making purchases. Students will learn how to indicate specific items through the use of demonstrative adjectives, and how to express preferences. The vocabulary quiz will be Friday, November 17th.
7th Grade ELA - Mrs. Boyer
This week we will be finishing the film The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, starting Vocabulary Unit 5, writing a compare and contrast essay on Light versus Dark throughout Tolkien’s world (Due November 20th), and learning about Gerund Phrases, Participles, and Transitive and Intransitive Verbs. Students will be completing The Hobbit and having a take-home test which will be completed over the week. Starting in the Second Trimester, students will be having small quiz-like activities to complete throughout the week during each class. These Exit-Tickets will act as classwork/homework grades and will serve as a guide to me towards understanding student’s comprehension. Looking forward to a great week! Chapter 16-19 Due on Monday! :) Only 32 pages!!
7th grade Life Science - Ms. Hoffman
What a great First Trimester! Students finished up their in-class science exam project on the immune system by creating a “Most Wanted” poster for a specific pathogen that causes a dangerous disease. Each student studied something different, and learned about other diseases during our class presentations Thursday 11/9. We will then display them all in the hallway to share our knowledge with the rest of the middle school. For the project students also completed some enrichment worksheets and chapter review handouts about our immune system and how it works to protect us. For Second Trimester we will begin a unit on Genetics, which will include learning about genes, chromosomes, mitosis and meiosis, Punnett Squares and much more. Our new syllabus should go home on Monday 11/13 to be returned signed by parents for their first 100 homework grade of our new marking period.
6TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS
6th grade Accelerated Math 7 - Mrs. Reardon
Next week in math we will continue in Chapter 4 by learning about equivalent fractions and least common multiple. On Wednesday, we will review for the chapter quiz that will take place on Thursday over sections 1-4. On Friday, we will do an activity involving least common multiple and greatest common factor.
6th grade Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will complete the first part of Chapter 4 by learning how to find the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of numbers and monomials (4.4). We will then have a day of review on Wednesday and the Chapter 4.1-4.4 test on Thursday. We will then start learning about the rules of exponents (4.5).
6th grade ELA - Mrs. Guggenheim
Literature: We will be working on a short poetry unit. Quiz over poetry terms on 11/30.
Grammar: Simple, Compound, Complex, Run-on sentences and Comma Splices
Writing:
Vocabulary: The introduction of List 6 will be the week after Thanksgiving.
Reading Log: Reading for the reading log begins for Trimester Two this weekend. As stated in the syllabus, all middle school students are required to read 360 minutes during the course of the trimester - reading that is outside of their regular assignments. They have a form on which to keep track of their minutes, and on Mondays in class I post their minutes in a spreadsheet. They need to obtain a parent signature to verify the minutes read. This counts as a project grade. The grading scale is written in the syllabus. Reading log minutes for 6th grade are due Wednesday, February 21.
6th grade Earth Science - Ms. Hoffman
All the students did a great job wrapping up our First Trimester with our weather unit and our Severe Weather Project. Students worked in small groups and created a google slides presentation, hands-on activity and test questions on a specific type of storm. Then they “taught” their information and shared their activity or demonstration with the rest of the class. All of the groups worked hard and did a wonderful job. I definitely enjoyed being a “student” while they shared their knowledge with the class. Our next unit of study will be on the various forms of energy and energy resources, including renewable and nonrenewable resources and our human impact on the environment. The new Second Trimester syllabus should go home on Monday 11/13 to be returned signed by parents for their first 100 homework grade of our new marking period.
6th Grade Ancient Civ - Mrs. Boyer
This week we will be learning about the Egyptian culture!! Students will be taking notes, interacting with fun mummification activities, and collaborating over videos using compare and contrast methodology. Students will have a quiz over Lesson 1 and labeling ‘new’ additions to the map on Thursday.
6th Grade Spanish - Ms. Dubick
Hello parents! The students have completed some really creative board games to illustrate their understanding of everything they have covered this trimester. I’m very impressed! Next week we’re going to cover the calendar and seasons, while also working to use ser and estar for descriptions. We’ll be starting Charlie y La Fabrica de Chocolate (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) soon! Every Wednesday and Friday morning before school I’ll be doing extra help sessions to reinforce what we are covering, any students who feel they could use the additional support are welcome to come. I have added a class Quizlet, students should use this resource to help them review.
MS Art - Mrs. Cookson
There are some interesting hidden worlds coming to fruition. Students will get to start to explore collage this week. They will work on an abstract self-portrait. Let’s hope the discipline of cleaning up continues with this new venture.
CLUBS
Science Club
This week in science club students made helicopter twirlers. They experimented with different sizes and added paper clips for weight to see if it affected the speed of the propellers as we dropped them off the top of a stepstool. Here are some of their twirlers:
