January 12-16

                                                

Fantastic job of raising 1, 605 pounds of food for America's Second Harvest!

NOTES FROM THE HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL 

REPORT CARDS GOING HOME FRIDAY

Two copies of your child’s report card will be sent home Friday.  Please sign one and have your child return it on Monday.

SPORTS IN FULL SWING

All of our basketball teams are playing two and sometimes three games per week.  Please take the time to come support our student athletes!  Use the information provided by our teachers (below) to help your child plan his or hers study time.

3 X 3 BASKETBALL LEAGUE TO START PLAY

Our 3 on 3 basketball league will open play later next week.  Students are organizing themselves into teams with exciting name like Team Intimidating, Ankle Collectors and AG and the Crew!  League play will culminate in May with our annual tournament.  Come watch an exciting game any day between 1:00 and 1:20.

WASHINGTON TRIP

We concluded a very successful fund raising activity to support the 8^th grade trip to Washington, D. C.  Thanks to everyone’s support we were able to reduce the cost of the trip significantly.  With these funds the trip cost was reduced from $650/student to $475/student.  We received deposits of $250 from each family last fall.  The final payment of $225 is due and payable by January 21^st. 

Over the next few weeks the students will be working with Mrs. English to put the finishing touches on the trip’s itinerary and plan what to take on the trip.  Reminder, we will depart Tuesday, February 24^th and return Friday, February 27^th. 

6TH GRADE NEWS

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

The sixth graders have just started reading The Outsiders.  In conjunction with the reading, students will be responsible for answering recall and analysis questions for each chapter.  We are also studying contextual vocabulary words.  On Tuesday students will take a quiz over the book’s first three chapters, and questions over chapters 3-4 will be due on Wednesday.  Friday I will collect questions over chapters 5-6.  Additionally, we will also practice identifying dependent and independent clauses in our GUM books.

6th Math with Mrs. Reardon

This week in Math 6, we will continue in Chapter 6 by subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers.  Integers can be a difficult concept for some, so it is important that your child come in to see me for help if he/she is struggling.  On Thursday, we will review for the Chapter quiz that will take place on Friday, January 16 over sections 2 through 5.

6th-7th Pre-Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will be finishing Chapter 5 by reviewing dividing fractions and then learning about solving equations and inequalities using multiplicative inverses.

6th Earth Science with Mrs. Reardon

This week in Earth Science, we will continue in Chapter 12 discussing the different types of volcanoes.  On Tuesday, students will begin an in-class 2 day project where they will be assigned a famous volcano.  Students will use the laptops to research specific information about their volcano.  On Wednesday, they will be putting together a half-size poster board (this will be provided) with pictures and information on their volcano.  Thursday, students will have a quiz over sections 1 & 2 in their text.  Friday, we will wrap up the chapter by discussing igneous rock features.  Students should be prepared to take their Chapter 12 test on Wednesday, January 21.

6th Earth Science with Mrs. Blake

 The sixth graders have been busy this week studying the different types of volcanoes.  They are learning about the composition of each type and how moisture and silica content influence the eruption force for each volcano.  On Monday, they will start a volcano project and spend two days in class gathering information on their volcano.   They will present their information near the end of the week.  Their test over volcanoes will be Wednesday, Jan. 21.

6th Spanish with Ms. Dixon

We’ve had a great first week of 2015. On Tuesday, students received their Mid-Term exams and we reviewed together. On Wednesday, students were introduced to SER vs ESTAR. We’ll continue to explore this concept together next week, and there will be a quiz covering the material on Friday, the 16^th. We’ll review together on Thursday. 

6th Ancient Civilizations with Mrs. Hannah
 Welcome back! I hope everyone had a restful, relaxing break, because we are getting ready to jump headfirst into the study of Ancient China. Next week we will have a quiz on Wednesday over the geography of China, then begin studying the different dynasties that ruled the civilization. The students will be assigned a project over Ancient China next week as well. As always, I am in my room around 7:30 each morning for any questions or clarification your student may need. 

7TH GRADE NEWS

7th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. Hannah
Happy New Year! It sounds like everyone enjoyed the break, and is ready to get back to business! We have begun reading The Hobbit, and each student has received a reading calendar, a packet of comprehension questions and vocabulary terms that accompany each chapter, and a character packet. Your student should refer closely to the reading calendar and associated due dates, as chapter comprehension questions are due on the day of discussion. For example, the chapter 1 and 2 discussion is today; therefore, the chapter 1 and 2 comprehension questions and vocabulary are due at the beginning of class. In the event of an absence, students are still expected to stay current with the readings and chapter questions. Students should also work on the character packet as they read the book. It will be due at the conclusion of the novel. The quiz over chapters 1-4 will be Tuesday, and students will receive information regarding the project the correlates with The Hobbit next week as well. As always, I am in my room around 7:30 each morning for any questions or clarification your student may need. 

6th-7th Grade Pre-Algebra with Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will be finishing Chapter 5 by reviewing dividing fractions and then learning about solving equations and inequalities using multiplicative inverses.

7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Blake

This week, the seventh grade classes have been finishing their study of genetics by learning about multiple alleles and sex-linked traits.  They are also learning about several genetic disorders.  The students will present their research on these disorders next week.  On Wednesday they will have their quiz over all of this information.  At the end of the week seventh grade will start their survey of the animal kingdom.  

7th-8th Algebra I with Mrs. Reardon

This week in Algebra I, we will continue in Chapter 6 by solving multi-step inequalities as well as compound inequalities.  We will also take a look at solving absolute value equations.  On Thursday, we will review for the Chapter quiz that will take place on Friday, January 16 over sections 1 through 4.

7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class the 7^th grade will continue to work with the new vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 8B. This chapter discusses community service and volunteer work. Students will be learning about indirect object pronouns as well. The vocabulary quiz will be Wednesday, January 14^th and the grammar quiz will be Friday, January 16^th.

7th American History with Mrs. English

This week in American History we will continue our study of the Revolutionary War.  Students will perform their Declaration of Independence projects on Monday.  For homework students should expect reading and questions from Chapter 6-Section 2. 

8TH GRADE NEWS

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

The eighth grade students are currently studying poetry.  So far we explored free verse poetry as well as reviewing common sound devices used in poetry.  Next week students will study poetry by Shakespeare, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as we examine poems and poets who have influenced American history.  Students will take a brief quiz over this material on Thursday, January 15^th.  We will also continue to examine parts of speech, sentence parts, clauses, and punctuation as we complete daily grammar practice.  Additionally, students will begin working on their next lesson in Wordly Wise.  

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Blake

This week eighth graders were finishing their study of properties by looking at chemical properties of matter, such as reactivity, toxicity, & flammability.  This led to learning about physical and chemical changes.   Today and Monday, they have two labs which illustrate chemical changes.  Their quiz over this information will be on Tuesday.

7th-8th Algebra I with Mrs. Reardon

This week in Algebra I, we will continue in Chapter 6 by solving multi-step inequalities as well as compound inequalities.  We will also take a look at solving absolute value equations.  On Thursday, we will review for the Chapter quiz that will take place on Friday, January 16 over sections 1 through 4.

8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear 

Next week we will have a quiz on Tuesday covering sections 4.1 – 4.2.  We will then learn about the Base Angles Theorem of isosceles triangles.  We will also review the Pythagorean Theorem and how it can be used to determine if a triangle is acute, right, or obtuse.  We will also learn properties of medians of triangles.

8th Geometry with Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will learn the Hinge Theorem and its converse.  We will also learn a NEW METHOD of PROOF, called an “Indirect Proof.”  We will review Chapter 5 on Thursday and the Chapter 5 Test on Friday.

8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class the 8^th grade will continue to work with the new vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 4B. This chapter discusses events and celebrations. Students will be learning about reciprocal verbs as well. The vocabulary quiz will be Wednesday, January 14^th and the grammar quiz will be Friday, January 16^th.

8th American Government with Mrs. English

This week in American History we will continue our study of the 1920s.  Notes and homework will come from Chapter 22-Section 1 as well as Chapter 19-Section 3.  Students will examine how women’s rights and the role of women changed during the 1920s.  Students have a quiz on Central and South American geography on Tuesday, Jan. 13^th.    

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