Announcements: February 3-7, 2014

WORDS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

8^th GRADE TRIP

The 8^th grade will be traveling to Asheville, North Carolina in April for its capstone trip.  Our host will be the Mountain Trail Outdoor School located at the Kanuga Conference Center.  This trip was also taken and enjoyed by last year’s 8^th grade.  2014 marks the final transition year for these trips.  In 2015 the 8^th grade will be traveling to Washington, D.C. for its capstone experience.

While at the Outdoor School students will participate in activities that enhance leadership skills, team building, and the ecology of rural North Carolina. We will also take a trip to tour the Biltmore Estate and enjoy downtown Asheville.

Details for the trip:

Depart Monday, April 14^th at approximately 6:00 am.  We will travel in the Hancock bus and two rented mini-vans.  Arrive at the Outdoor school in time for lunch and afternoon activities.

Return Thursday, April 17^th following lunch (about 1:15) and arrive back at HDS around dinner time.

Cost will be between $300 and $350 dollars. This will be finalized next week. Along with the exact cost we will publish dates for deposits and final payments to be made.

An exciting time!

UPCOMING FIELD TRIP

The 7^th grade will be going to the Jepson Center on February 13 to see the Robert Henri exhibit entitled “Spanish Sojourns; Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain.”  The trip will be discussed in the both the Art (Ms. Oosterhoudt) and Spanish (Ms. Hughes) curricula.

ADMISSIONS

The admissions season for high school is coming to a close. We have one final set of applications to deliver to the Habersham School next week. Then it is wait and see where our students will be accepted. In the spring I will be hosting an evening program to discuss with parents the next steps for a successful transition to high school. What role does the family play at this point in advocating for and developing your child’s high school program?  We have families that have many varied experiences that I hope to share that evening.

OPPORTUNITY

St. Vincent’s will be offering a 3 session Study Skills workshop.  Sessions will be Thursday, February 13^th and Friday, February 14^th 3:30 – 5:30; Saturday, February 15^th 9:00 – 2:00.  Cost is $85/student.  Ms. Edie has information to share or contact Jody Riddle at St. Vincents, jody.riddle@svaga.net. 

ACTIVITIES

Middle School dance tonight, 6:30 – 8:30 in Hancock Hall.

SPAL basketball tournament begins next week. Hancock will hosting the 5^th grade tournament with playoff games Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Championship games on Thursday.  6^th and 7^th grade tournament sites and schedules are being developed. The format will be the same with playoffs early in the week and championship games late in the week. PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT OUR ATHLETES AND CELEBRATE THEIR HARD WORK!

6TH GRADE NEWS

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

In the week ahead sixth graders will work on writing a persuasive essay pertaining to The Outsiders.  We will also begin a new unit in Wordly Wise and review types/kinds of sentences.  Students can expect a short quiz over these grammatical concepts on Thursday, February 6^th.

Math 6 with Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Math 6, students will take their math facts quiz on Monday, February 3 and their Chapter 7 test on Wednesday, February 5. On Thursday and Friday, we will explore Chapter 8 by learning about ratios and rates.

6th Earth Science with Mr. Crawford

Mother Nature derailed my schedule so I am now officially slightly behind my plans!  We’ll get caught up!  Monday – Wednesday of next week we will wrap up our discussion of Earthquakes. Students will be completing a project in class to explore the major earthquakes.  Thursday and Friday we will begin our discussion of volcanoes and how they are related to the overall discussion of plate tectonics. Homework Monday will be to write about an assigned earthquake using notes and data researched in class. Tuesday will be to read the handout “Volcanic Activity.”  Wednesday we will discuss characteristic of volcanoes.  Homework questions 1-3 page 4. On Thursday night students will read the handout “Volcanic Eruptions.”

6th Earth Science with Mrs. Blake

 Due to our unexpected days off this week, the sixth graders just had their quiz over telescopes and the electromagnetic spectrum today.  Next week they will begin their look at the U. S. space program which was pushed to the forefront by the 1957 launch of Sputnik I by the Soviet Union.  They will look at all three projects that led to the moon landing in 1969.

6th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Due to the short week, the 6^th graders will now be taking their Chapter 3B test on Tuesday, February 4^th. We will also begin a new unit discussing locations in a community, leisure activities, and use of the verb “ir”. Students will continue to work with interrogative words in Spanish.

6th World Civilizations with Mrs. English

This week in World Civilizations we will have our Chapter 8 Greece test on Monday February 3^rd.  We will also introduce Chapter 9 on the Greek Golden Age.

7TH GRADE NEWS

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

Seventh graders will take their test over The Hobbit on Tuesday, February 4^th.  After the test we will begin working on a character analysis essay.  We will also begin working on a new unit in Wordly Wise in the week ahead.

Pre-Algebra with Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will start into Chapter 8 learning about relations and functions, linear equations in two variables, and using intercepts to graph equations. On Thursday, we will review for the Chapter quiz on Friday over sections 8.1 – 8.3.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will finish our discussion of Chapter 6 and inequalities by learning how to graph linear inequalities. This process involves graphing a line (either dotted or solid) and then shading the appropriate half-plane (side) of the line.  There will be a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 6 Test on Friday.

7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Blake

The unexpected days off this week will postpone the seventh grade chapter test until Tuesday of next week. They will spend Monday reviewing. After the test, the students will begin looking at complex invertebrates starting with mollusks and segmented worms. There will be a quiz over mollusks near the end of the week.

7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 7^th grade will continue to work with the new vocabulary and grammar points in Chapter 9A. Due to the short week, the Chapter 9A test has been moved to Tuesday, February 11^th. 

7th American History with Mrs. English
This week in American history we will be discussing the Declaration of Independence and major battles of the American Revolutionary War. Students will be expected to memorize their section of the Declaration of Independence and present as a class on Friday February 7^th. 

8TH GRADE NEWS

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

Eighth graders will continue working on their mood essay over Hound of the Baskervilles next week.  Rough drafts of this will be due on Wednesday, February 5^th, and final drafts will be due on Monday, February 10^th.

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Blake

The unexpected days off this week will postpone the eighth grade chapter test until Wednesday of next week. They will spend Tuesday reviewing. After the test, the students will start a new chapter in which they will look more closely at chemical reactions. After reviewing the characteristics of chemical changes and chemical formulas, they will learn about chemical equations. A chemical equation is simply a shorthand method of showing what occurs during a chemical reaction. Because of the Law of Conservation of Mass these equations must be balanced.  We will spend the last half of the week working with balancing equations.   

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will finish our discussion of Chapter 6 and inequalities by learning how to graph linear inequalities.  This process involves graphing a line (either dotted or solid) and then shading the appropriate half-plane (side) of the line.  There will be a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 6 Test on Friday.

8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Advanced Algebra/Intro to Geometry class (Grade 8), we will be continuing our exploration of Chapter 8 involving the areas of various polygons.  We will start with the basic rectangles, squares, and triangles, and then move on to areas of parallelograms, trapezoids, and finally circles (8.3 – 8.7).

8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 8^th grade will continue to work with the new vocabulary and grammar points in Chapter 4B. Due to the short week, the Chapter 4B test has been moved to Tuesday, February 11^th. 

8th American Government with Mrs. English
This week in American Government we will begin our study of American campaigns. Students will learn the ins and outs of how election campaigning works. This unit will prepare us for our Hancock class campaign project starting in a few weeks.  We will also finish our presidential debates this week.  Students should look for a Chapter 12-Section 1 Quiz on Friday February 7^th.  

Announcements Jan 27-31, 2014

WORDS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

STUDENT COLDS

By now most of our families have been touched by one of the two “bugs” traveling around the Middle School, the dreaded stomach bug or the sinus/head cold. These have hit our students (and faculty) hard with symptoms ranging from minor to fevers.  If your child appears to be coming down with an illness, please keep him/her home. That will help minimize the spread to other students. If you child is out, email Ms. Edie and she can get assignments together that can be completed at home. 

STUDENT SERVICES

From time to time I hear from people, businesses or agencies that are providing educational services.  I am going to start passing along this information. This information is forwarded as a resource for families and unless specifically noted, comes without recommendation. 

This week I met with Sally Greenberg, the tutoring coordinator at the Royce Center.  The Royce Center does one on one tutoring as well as broader programs that are offered both during the school year and during the summer.  The Center just provided me with information about a Study Skills program they are offering from February 10 – April 14 on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 for $250.  We offer Study Skills once a week for our students.  This might be something you would like to consider to supplement that as the classes are small (generally 6 – 8).  I have a flyer at school and Ms. Greenberg can be reached at sgreenberg@roycelc.org for more information.

HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS

The admissions season grinds on for our 8^th graders.  Please keep an eye on any deadlines for submission of applications.  Many are coming up and some have gone by already.  Most of the admissions packets that were submitted to us to process are complete and forwarded onto the appropriate school.  I will be sending emails to our 8^th grade families next week confirming our submission of your student’s admissions packet.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

The intramural program is looking for students to assist on Saturday mornings with the basketball program.  Duties include running the clock and preparing the gym for the games.  There are two times available each Saturday, 8:45 – 11:00 and 10:45 – 1:00.  An EXCELLENT opportunity to help our the HDS community!  Sign up in Ms. Edie’s office.

ACTIVITIES

The first Middle School dance of the year will be Friday, January 31st, 6:30 – 8:30.  The students are planning a stylish event! 

Here is a list of things that would be helpful for parents to provide:

Mr. Lanfear: desserts (brownies, squares, cookies, candy etc.)

Mrs. Blake: Finger foods and apps (chicken fingers, chips and dips etc.)

Mrs. Reardon: 2 liters, tea, lemonade, water

Ms. Hughes: 2 liters, tea, lemonade, water

Mrs. O’Connor: Paper products (cups, plates, napkins, cutlery)

The regular basketball season concludes the week of January 27^th and the SPAL tournament begins the week of February 3^rd.  Bring on February Madness!

Second Harvest of America is a great organization to volunteer community work hours. What they do is give food to the less fortunate by getting food donations and either bag it and send it to the people receiving the food or they stock it in their mobile food pantry which is a place where people can come to the warehouse in Second Harvest. I usually go to the warehouse to bag the groceries, but this year, as a class, we went to stock the Mobile food pantry. We also got a tour around all of Second Harvest and got to learn about how they are helping the community. America's Second Harvest is a great organization and is a great place to donate some of your time to help them out. --Philip Dusek, 8th grade

6TH GRADE NEWS

6th grader creations from art

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

It’s been a quick week, and the sixth graders are rapidly concluding their study of The Outsiders.  Questions over chapters 11-12 are due on Monday, and students will take their test over the book on Tuesday, January 28^th.  On Wednesday we will begin working on a persuasive essay exploring some themes from the novel.  Students will also continue working on compound and complex sentences in their GUM books.

Math 6 with Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Math 6, we will wrap up Chapter 7 by learning about functions and equations, as well as graphing functions. On Wednesday and Thursday we will review for the Chapter 7 test and on Friday, January 31, students will take their Chapter 7 test.

6th Earth Science with Mr. Crawford

Remarkably I am adhering to my New Year’s resolution and remaining basically on schedule for the semester!  We will continue our exploration of earthquakes this week.  Friday (1/24) night’s assignment is to read “Measuring and Predicting Earthquakes” and answer questions 1 & 2 found on page 6. Monday we will discuss earthquakes and prepare for an examination on Plate Tectonics and the underlying hypothesis’s (Continental Drift and Sea Floor spreading) that surround that theory. Tuesday is the exam; homework is to complete the last two bulleted questions on page 6 of the “Measuring” paper. Wednesday and Thursday will be working on a project exploring the major earthquakes that have struck the United States. While we will be completing a majority of the work in class, Wednesday night’s homework might require some online research. Thursday night homework is to read “The Nature of Earthquakes.” Friday we will wrap up our discussion of earthquakes and prepare to move to volcanoes.

6th Earth Science with Mrs. Blake

 Next week the sixth graders will continue their study of space exploration.  They will look at the beginning of the “Space Age” and NASA’s various missions.  Also, they will construct a time line of the milestones of the program. They will have a short quiz on Wednesday.

6th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 6^th grade will continue to work with the new vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 3B. This includes stem-changing verbs and ways to maintain one’s health. The students will present their skits over healthy decisions on Monday and will finish their Spanish cookbooks throughout the week. The 6^th grade will have their chapter test on Friday, January 31^st.

6th World Civilizations with Mrs. English
 This week in World Civilizations we will finish writing our Greek myths and complete our study of Chapter 8-Lesson 4 on life in Sparta and Athens. Students will see how the cultures of Sparta and Athens were starkly different from one another.  Students will have a test on Chapter 8 on Friday January 31^st. 

7TH GRADE NEWS

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

The seventh graders really seem to be enjoying The Hobbit!  Questions over chapters 9-14 are due on Monday, and our test over the novel will be on Friday, January 31^st.  This is a change from the original reading calendar, and I have announced the new date in class several times.  We will spend some class time reviewing and preparing for the test.

Pre-Algebra with Mrs. Reardon

 Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will review for the Chapter 7 test on Monday, students will take their Chapter 7 test on Tuesday, and on Wednesday we will do an in-class project that will help students calculate sales tax and tips on restaurant bills. Thursday, we will start into Chapter 8 learning about functions and linear equations in 2 variables.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Intro to Geometry class, we will begin discussing general facts about polygons (Chapter 8).  We will discuss classifying polygons (convex/concave/equilateral/equiangular/regular) (8.1). We will also discover for ourselves a way to find the sum of all the interior angles of any polygon (8.2). We will then begin discussing area formulas for different polygons (8.3 – 8.6).

7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Blake

The seventh graders continue their student led study of invertebrates. They are now learning about two phyla of simple worms-the flatworms and the roundworms. Next week they will have a short lab in which they will look at slides and specimens of representative animals from the four phyla studied thus far. Their test over this chapter will be on Friday, Jan. 31.

7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 7^th grade will begin a new unit covering television shows, movies, and entertainment. The grammar points will cover “gustar-type” verbs and discussing about events that just occurred. Students will begin a project where they will create a movie trailer and the project will count as a quiz grade. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, January 31^st. 

7th American History with Mrs. English

This week in American History class we will finish our news articles on the Battles at Lexington and Concord. We will finish our notes on Chapter 5-Section 4—“War Begins.”  Students should expect a Chapter 5 test on Thursday, January 30^th. 

8TH GRADE NEWS

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

This week students finished reading Hound of the Baskervilles and submitted their final set of questions over the novel.  Our test over the book will take place on Tuesday, January 28^th.  Students will spend the latter portion of next week working on a literary analysis essay explaining the how mood is established in the novel and why it is significant.  

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Blake

The eighth graders have finished their review of atomic structure and the periodic table.  Next week they will work on electron dot diagrams. Also, they will learn about the different types of bonds. They will have a short quiz on Wednesday.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Intro to Geometry class, we will begin discussing general facts about polygons (Chapter 8).  We will discuss classifying polygons (convex/concave/equilateral/equiangular/regular) (8.1). We will also discover for ourselves a way to find the sum of all the interior angles of any polygon (8.2). We will then begin discussing area formulas for different polygons (8.3 – 8.6).

8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will finish our exploration of inequalities in Chapter 6.  We finished last week by learning how to solve absolute value equations.  We will begin the week with learning how to solve absolute value inequalities (Chapter 6.6).  We will also explore graphing inequalities (Chapter 6.7), which involves the ever popular shading of graphs (cue dramatic music).

8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

 Next week in Spanish class, the 8^th grade will begin a chapter over family celebrations and other celebrations in Spanish-speaking countries. Students will continue to use the imperfect tense when discussing these events. We will also begin to use both the preterite and the imperfect tenses together. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, January 31^st.

 

8th American Government with Mrs. English
This week in American government class we will start the presidential debate bracket.  Students will debate about who is the greatest U.S. president of all time. Student’s speeches should be five minutes long and persuade listeners that their president is the greatest in American history. These speeches will count as a quiz grade. We will also examine president Obama’s State of the Union address. Finally, students will be assigned their roles for the February campaign project. 

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!

January 10, 2014

WORDS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

 

WINTER ATHLETICS – Our basketball schedule got into full swing this week.  While there a couple of dramatic mismatches, games were exciting and our students represented HDS very well.  When Ms. Edie returns next week we will be sure to have photo coverage!  Please support our students, they REALLY appreciated it!  Game are Tuesday and Thursdays with an abbreviated schedule on Saturday mornings. 

LATE ARRIVAL/EARLY DISMISSAL – A clear expectation of HDS is that we know where your child is at all times!  Another is to keep an accurate school register of student attendance.  To ensure that we are meeting both of these expectations it is critical that we accurately account for a child’s late arrival or early departure.  Therefore, if you are late arriving, please drop your child off at the main door of the Lower School and report to Mrs. Monson.  If you are picking up your child early, please reverse the process picking up your child at the main door of the Lower School.  The Middle School team will try and add some consistency to this process by releasing early dismissals through Mrs. Monson.

HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATIONS – If you have application packets to be completed have your child bring them to Ms. Edie.  She will distribute them to the appropriate teachers and the see that HDS mails the documents to the high school (except for Savannah Arts where they will be returned to the parent).  This will ensure everything is processed accurately and in a timely manner.

6TH GRADE NEWS

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

Sixth graders are continuing to read The Outsiders and study contextual vocabulary in the week ahead.  Students have a quiz coming up on Tuesday, January 14^th,  over chapters 1-3.  The quiz will include the vocabulary words we are studying, as well as the grammatical concepts we have practiced this week (Lessons 11 and 12 in GUM).  Students also have questions due over chapters 3-4 on Wednesday, and questions over chapters 5-6 due on Friday.  Students will have reading homework every single night next week, so I encourage them to budget their time carefully in order to ensure that they do not fall behind.
 

Math 6 with Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Math 6, we will be solving equations by using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  We will then put all of the operations together to solve 2-step equations.  We will review what we covered Monday through Wednesday in class on Thursday and then the students will take a chapter quiz over sections 7.3-7.5 on Friday (1/17).  If possible, please have your child take advantage of Thursday afternoon tutoring sessions from 3:10-3:30 – they seem to be less crowded than the morning sessions.

6th Earth Science with Mr. Crawford

The beginning of the second semester presented several challenges for which I did not plan.  As a result, the schedule that I sent last week never got completed.  For a while we fell behind in some areas and still are.  In another area we are ahead!  Over the weekend I will be rescheduling several items.  At this time I do know that the lab we planned on doing will be on Tuesday.  The quiz that was planned for Friday (which I actually postponed due to a 6^th grade overload!) will be on Wednesday.  The quiz will cover the handouts on Continental Drift, Sea Floor Spreading and Plate Tectonics.  The assignment due Monday will be a question sheet on those three topics.  Further details will be emailed Monday.

6th Earth Science with Mrs. Blake

The sixth graders just finished their chapter on volcanoes and started a quick research project.  On Wednesday, students will present their specific volcano to the class.  At the end of the week, there will be a quiz on the last two sections of this chapter.  We also will resume our current event presentations next Friday. 
 
6th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 6^th grade will continue to work with their new vocabulary from Chapter 3A. Students will begin a project where they will choose one of their favorite recipes and translate it to Spanish. We will then compile everybody’s recipes and create a “Spanish Class Cookbook”. The Chapter 3A test will be on Friday, January 17^th.

6th World Civilizations with Mrs. English

This week in World Civilizations we will be continuing our study of Ancient Greece.  We will see how the early Greeks developed their culture.  We see how literature like the Odyssey and Greek myths played a huge roll in Greek society.  We will have a Quiz on Chapter 8-Lessons 1 & 2 on Thursday January 16^th. 

7TH GRADE NEWS

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

Seventh graders are busy reading The Hobbit and exploring contextual vocabulary.  Questions over chapters 1-3 are due on Tuesday, January 14^th, and students have a quiz over chapters 1-4 on Wednesday, January 15^th.  This quiz will include the contextual vocabulary words from list one.  Questions over chapters 4-5 will be due on Thursday.  Students will have reading homework every single night next week, so I encourage students to carefully plan their time to ensure that they do not fall behind.

  Pre-Algebra with Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will be converting percents to decimals, learning the percent equation and change of percent.  We will review what we covered Monday through Wednesday in class on Thursday and then the students will take a chapter quiz over sections 7.3-7.5 on Friday (1/17).
  7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (7/8) class we will be continuing our exploration of inequalities.  We will be discussing compound inequalities (6.4) and having a quiz on inequalities.  We will then move on to solving absolute value equations (6.5).

 

7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Blake

The seventh graders have started their survey of the animal kingdom.  They began by learning about animal characteristics and symmetry.    The students are currently doing research for their invertebrate phylum project.  Their presentations will begin the week of January 20.   Also next week, they will be introduced to the phylum Porifera.  This phylum is made up of sponges-the simplest animal. 
 
7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 7^th grade will continue to work with their new vocabulary from Chapter 8B along with indirect objects. Students will begin a project where they will choose a charity to research and present to the class. We will have a graded listening on Friday, January 17^th and the Chapter 8B test will be the following Wednesday, January 21^st.

7th American History with Mrs. English

This week in American History we will continue to see how the American colonists were on the road towards revolution.  As the colonists gained more independence from Britain, Britain grasped tighter control.  Students should expect to read Chapter 5- Section 2, define vocabulary, and answer review questions.  We will also have a quiz on Chapter 5-Section 1&2 on Thursday January 16^th. Finally, the class timeline projects are due Friday January 17^th during class. 

 

8TH GRADE NEWS

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

Eighth grade students are currently reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Our first set of questions over the novel are due on Monday, and students will also have a quiz over chapters 1-6 on Monday.  Students will take another short quiz on Wednesday over chapters 7-8.  Our second set of questions over the novel will be due on Friday.  Students will have reading homework every single night next week, so I encourage students to carefully plan their time to ensure that they do not fall behind.

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Blake

The eighth graders are finishing their chapter on chemical and physical properties and changes.  They have already performed one lab which illustrated chemical changes and will perform one more next week.  They will have a quiz on the last two sections of this chapter next Friday.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (7/8) class we will be continuing our exploration of inequalities.  We will be discussing compound inequalities (6.4) and having a quiz on inequalities.  We will then move on to solving absolute value equations (6.5).

8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Mr. Lanfear’s Advanced Algebra/Intro to Geometry (Grade 8) class we will be exploring more about triangles.  We will discover the Base Angles Theorem of isosceles triangles (4.3) and we will discuss medians of triangles and the resulting centroid (4.6).
8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class, the 8^th grade will continue to with the imperfect tense and vocabulary from Chapter 4A. Students will begin a project where they will write a biography about one of their fellow classmates using our new tense. There will be a graded listening on Friday, January 17^th and the Chapter 4A test will be the following Wednesday, January 21^st.

8th American Government with Mrs. English

This week we will continue our study of the United States Congress by examining who is in Congress and what Congress members do in office.  For homework, students should expect to read Chapter 5- Section 2, define vocabulary, answer review questions, and read articles assigned in class. 

January 6th-10th, 2014

WORDS FROM THE MIDDLE SCHOOL DIRECTOR

 

Welcome back to HDS!  I hope everyone had a joyous holiday.

8^th GRADE RECOMMENDATIONS

It is the time of year that our 8^th grade students apply for admission to high school.  Part of that process involves our staff providing recommendations for our students.  To facilitate this process I am asking that all these requests come through my office.  Simply leave the appropriate forms off with Ms. Edie and we will see that they are completed and mailed through our office to the high school.  This will ensure that all requests are met in a timely and accurate manner.

REPORT CARDS

Report cards will be mailed home on Friday with comments from the teachers.  At this time, grades may be viewed on Power School.
 

6TH GRADE NEWS

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

Sixth graders are beginning The Outsiders by SE Hinton this week.  On Wednesday I will give students their copies of the novel as well as the reading calendar.  Our first quiz over the book is scheduled for Tuesday, January 14^th.  Students will also have a set of questions due over the first two chapters of the novel on Friday, the 10^th.  While we study this novel we will be examining contextual vocabulary, and these words will be featured on our tests and quizzes during this unit.  Additionally we will be looking at types of sentences in our GUM books.

Math 6 with Mrs. Reardon

This week in Math Course 6, we will review our exams in depth on Monday and begin into Chapter 7 on Tuesday.  Students will learn how to write expressions and equations as well as simplify expressions.  On Friday, students will have a math facts quiz – look for an outline to go home on Tuesday.  Side Note: Afternoon tutoring this week has been MOVED from Thursday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon (3:10-3:30).  Please plan accordingly if your child needs to come for additional help.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

6th Earth Science with Mr. Crawford

We are beginning a study of plate tectonics and continental drift.  I will be mailing home details of this unit as well as the schedule for the entire second semester in the next day or two.  One thing to prepare for this week will be a quiz on  the handout distributed today, “Inside the Earth.”

 6th Earth Science with Mrs. Blake

The sixth graders will be busy this week studying the different types of volcanoes.  They will learn about the composition of each type and how moisture and silica content influence the eruption force for each volcano.  They will start a volcano project and spend two days in class gathering information on their volcano.   They will present their information next week.

6th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

This week in Spanish class, the 6^th grade will begin a new unit discussing foods, cultural perspectives on meals, and expressing how often something is done. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, January 10^th.

 

6th World Civilizations with Mrs. English

This week in World Civilizations we introduce our unit on Ancient Greece.  We will discuss the highlights of Ancient Greece society and how geography influenced the formation of Greek city-states.  We will also continue our study of World Geography with a quiz on South America on Friday January 10^th.

 

7TH GRADE NEWS

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

Seventh graders are beginning The Hobbit this week.  On Wednesday I will give students their copies of the novel as well as the reading calendar.  Our first quiz over the book is scheduled for Wednesday, January 15^th.  Students will also have a set of questions due over the first three chapters of the novel on Tuesday, the 14^th.  While we study this novel we will be examining contextual vocabulary, and these words will be featured on our tests and quizzes during this unit.  Additionally we will be looking at types of sentences in our GUM books.

Pre-Algebra with Mrs. Reardon

This week in Pre-Algebra, we will review our exams in depth on Monday and begin into Chapter 7 on Tuesday.  Students will learn about percents and how to form proportions using percents.  On Friday, students will have a math facts quiz – look for an outline to go home on Tuesday.  Side Note: Afternoon tutoring this week has been MOVED from Thursday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon (3:10-3:30).  Please plan accordingly if your child needs to come for additional help.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

This week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will be reviewing the semester exam and beginning our discussion of solving and graphing inequalities (Chapter 6.1 – 6.3).  There will be a quiz on Thursday on dividing fractions, a topic that many students struggled with last semester.

7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Blake

This week, the seventh grade classes will start their survey of the animal kingdom.  After learning the general characteristics of all animals, the students will work in groups to research different phyla of invertebrates.  Later, each group will present their phylum to the class.

7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

This week in Spanish class, the 7^th grade will begin a new unit discussing volunteer work and ways to protect the environment. The students will also learn about indirect objects. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, January 10^th.

7th American History with Mrs. English

This week in American History we will study the Road to the Revolution.  We will examine how a series of event led American colonists to declare independence from Britain.  We will also work on our class timeline projects in class.  Finally, we continue our study of World Geography with a quiz on South America on Friday January 10^th.

8TH GRADE NEWS

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

Eighth graders will begin reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle this week.  Our first quiz over the novel is scheduled for this Friday, January 10^th.  Students will also have questions over the first five chapters of the book due on Monday, January 13^th. 

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Blake

The eighth graders will continue their study of properties by looking at chemical properties of matter, such as reactivity, toxicity, & flammability.  This will lead to learning about physical and chemical changes.

7th-8th Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

This week in Mr. Lanfear’s Algebra (Grades 7/8) class, we will be reviewing the semester exam and beginning our discussion of solving and graphing inequalities (Chapter 6.1 – 6.3).  There will be a quiz on Thursday on dividing fractions, a topic that many students struggled with last semester.

8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

This week in Mr. Lanfear’s Advanced Algebra/Intro to Geometry (Grade 8) class, we will be reviewing the semester exam and then transition to our introduction to Geometry.  We will begin by looking at different types of triangles and some theorems including the Triangle Sum Theorem (all interior angles add up to 180) and the Exterior Angle Theorem (Chapter 4.1 – 4.2).  There will be a quiz on Friday on classifying triangles and the Triangle Sum Theorem.

8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

This week in Spanish class, the 8^th grade will begin a new unit discussing the imperfect and what they were like as a child. The grammar points will cover the imperfect tense with regular and irregular verbs. There will be a vocabulary quiz on Friday, January 10^th.

8th American Government with Mrs. English 

This week in American government we will expand our current knowledge by digging deeper into the roles and duties of the Legislative Branch.  We will examine this topic by looking at the current bipartisan showdown over unemployment benefits and national healthcare.  We will also continue our study of World Geography with a quiz on South America on Friday January 10^th.