Friday, February 26, 2016

February 29th - March 4th

T3 Scheduling Notes:
Our third and final trimester will be starting on Monday, February 29. With that comes a change in Eagle Op and Specials scheduling. Listed below are the letter days each grade will have P.E. during Eagle Op and/or Specials:


6th Grade: A, B, and C days
7th Grade: B, C, and E days
8th Grade: A, C, and D days


This coming Monday is an A day, so the 6th and 8th grade students will need their P.E. uniforms. Students will be given their new schedule on Monday.


*There will be a Middle School Dance on Friday, March 4th from 7PM-9:30PM in Hancock Hall.*


8th Grade Yearbook Reminders:
*Please remember that your ad is due NO LATER than Wednesday, March 2nd.
*Please select one baby picture to go on a “When They Were Young” yearbook page. If it is one of your ad pictures, please note that when you turn in your ad. Thank you!


NOTES FROM 8th GRADE

8th Grade Physical Science Mrs. Huennekens
We will begin our unit of study on Physical Science.


8th Grade Algebra 1 Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra we will continue in Chapter 8 by defining and using zero and negative exponents as well as using scientific notation. Students will have a quiz over sections 1-4 on Thursday, March 3.  Friday we will do an activity involving exponential growth and decay with M&M’s!


8th Grade Geometry Mr. Lanfear
Welcome back from Washington, D.C.!  Next week, we will be starting Chapter 8, which involves properties of quadrilaterals.  We will learn theorems about the interior and exterior angles of polygons (8.1), properties of parallelograms (8.2), rhombuses, rectangles, and squares (8.4).  We will also learn how to prove that a quadrilateral is a parallelogram using various theorems learned throughout the year (8.3).


8th Grade Advanced Algebra Mr. Lanfear
Welcome back from Washington, D.C.!  Next week we will start our unit on Trigonometry.  Students will learn where the trigonometric ratios of sine, cosine, and tangent come from, as well as using them to find the side lengths and angle measures in right triangles.


8th Grade Language Arts Mrs. O’Connor
I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous trip to D.C., and I’m excited to welcome you back!  Next week we will explore some short pieces of nonfiction as we study the various organizational structures of different texts.  We will also examine persuasive devices, bias, and the characteristics of an argumentative essay.  Additionally, we will be working with vocabulary words in unit 14 of Greek and Latin Roots as well as identifying complex sentences.  Students will take their first quiz over the trimester on Friday covering two nonfiction selections from the textbook.


8th Grade History Mrs. English
This week we will continue our study of the Great Depression. Readings and homework will come from Chapter 23. Expect a quiz on The Great Depression at the end of the week.


8th Grade Spanish Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish class, the 8th grade will begin to create their Spanish news broadcast. This will include a top news story, sports, entertainment, and weather completely in Spanish. The vocabulary quiz will be Wednesday, March 2nd.


NOTES FROM 7th GRADE



7th Grade Life Science Mrs. Huennekens
We will finish up Chapter 13. The chapter test date will be announced as soon as possible.


7th Grade Algebra 1 Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra we will continue in Chapter 8 by defining and using zero and negative exponents as well as using scientific notation. Students will have a quiz over sections 1-4 on Thursday, March 3.  Friday we will do an activity involving exponential growth and decay with M&M’s!


7th Grade Pre-Algebra Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will learn how to solve percent problems using proportions or the percent equation (7.2, 7.4).  We will have a quiz covering sections 7.1 - 7.4 on Tuesday.  We will then complete Chapter 7 by learning how to find the Percent of Change (7.5), real-world applications of percent problems (7.6), and calculating simple interest (7.7).  There will be a Chapter 7 Test early next week.


7th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Hannah
We will have a quiz Tuesday over vocab lesson five, and will be reviewing phrases all week to prepare for a test on Thursday. Seventh grade will also analyze aspects of fables, and work with a partner to create an original fable to share with the class. We will finish our unit on myths, epics, and fables with a test next Tuesday, 8 March.


7th Grade History Mrs. English
This week we will present our presidential projects and introduce our President Madness competition. We will also continue our study of the Constitution and checks and balances.We will have a quiz at the end of the week on the material we learned in our Constitution unit.


7th Grade Spanish Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish class, the 7th grade will continue to work on their travel projects. The projects are due Thursday, March 3rd. The grammar quiz over thepersonal a” and the verb ir in the preterite will be Wednesday, March 2nd.


NOTES FROM 6th GRADE



6th Grade Earth Science Mrs. Huennekens
Next week in Earth Science we will wrap up our Oceanography unit by discussing the sources and effects of ocean pollution as well as how the pollution can be controlled. We will do a lab on Wednesday to show the effect that pollution has on marine life.  Students should expect a brief quiz on ocean pollution on Thursday.  There is a tentative field trip planned for Friday, March 4.  Stay tuned for more info.


6th Grade Earth Science Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Earth Science we will wrap up our Oceanography unit by discussing the sources and effects of ocean pollution as well as how the pollution can be controlled. We will do a lab on Wednesday to show the effect that pollution has on marine life.  Students should expect a brief quiz on ocean pollution on Thursday.  There is a tentative field trip planned for Friday, March 4.  Stay tuned for more info.


6th Grade Math Mrs. Reardon
Next week we will wrap up Chapter 7 by graphing functions!  On Tuesday and Wednesday we will review for the Chapter 7 Test that will take place on Thursday, March 3.  It is imperative that students are practicing the concepts that we learn in class.  Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers MUST be mastered because students will continue to use this concept within other concepts!!


6th Pre-Algebra Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will learn how to solve percent problems using proportions or the percent equation (7.2, 7.4).  We will have a quiz covering sections 7.1 - 7.4 on Tuesday.  We will then complete Chapter 7 by learning how to find the Percent of Change (7.5), real-world applications of percent problems (7.6), and calculating simple interest (7.7).  There will be a Chapter 7 Test early next week.


6th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Guggenheim
As the research portion of our project is over, we will spend time in class working on the presentation. Presentations will be the following week. List 9 vocabulary will be introduced, and the quiz will be 3/8/16. We will also begin working on prepositions.


6th Grade Ancient Civilizations Mrs. Hannah
We will finish our study of China this week! We will discuss the Han dynasty Monday and Tuesday, review Wednesday, and have a test over the Qin and Han dynasty Thursday. Next week, we will begin studying Ancient Greece!


6th Grade Spanish Ms. Sotomayor

We have had a wonderful time learning a new favorite category of vocabulary words: food! There’s been lots of great discussions in Spanish alone stemming from questions such as “What’s your favorite dish” “What do you know about Latin food?”, and “What Latin-inspired flavors do you like in your own meals?” We’ve also discussed the latest in modern Mariachi music in Mexico and how American food companies and supermarkets incorporate Latin cuisine into American dish favorites. Apart from food, the students had a blast discussing videos for MovieTalk. And last but not least, they have enjoyed creative writing with new words such as “encontrar” (to find), “buscar” (to look for), and “saber” (to know). Next week, we will continue focusing on a lot of reading comprehension from interesting text followed by discussion in Spanish and will discuss prepositions.

Our 8th graders have had a wonderful D.C. trip!








Friday, February 19, 2016

February 22nd-26th

8th GRADE WASHINGTON, D. C. TRIP REMINDER

No 8th grade classes on Monday, February 22nd.  Time to pack and get organized for Washington!

Important travel information:
Departure:
Tuesday, February 23rd
Toys R Us parking lot off Eisenhower
Arrive at bus NO LATER THAN 6:45 AM!
Bus rolls at 7:00 AM

Arrival Home:  
Friday, February 26th
Toys R Us parking lot
9:00 - 10:00 pm
Students will call to confirm arrival time when we are about 2 hours outside of Savannah

Final agenda is coming home with students on Friday and will be emailed to parents.  We ARE going to see the White House and the Pentagon!!

CARPOOL REMINDER!!!
If you arrive on campus before 3:10 please park your car in a marked parking space.  DO NOT LINE UP EARLY - it blocks the passage of cars going to the GOLD zone.  

NOTES FROM 8th GRADE

Next week the 8th grade will be on their Washington, D.C. trip.

NOTES FROM 7th GRADE


7th Grade Life Science Mrs. Huennekens
We are studying Arthropods and Echinoderms this week. Mrs. Libby Blake will be substituting for me while I am in D.C. with the 8th grade.

7th Grade Algebra 1 Mrs. Reardon
All next week we will be working on a fun, real-world application of math called “If I had a Million Dollars”.  Students will be given a rubric and the entire week of class time to complete this project.

7th Grade Pre-Algebra Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will finish Chapter 6 by learning about the Counting Principle (6.8).  We will have a quiz on probability (6.7 - 6.8) on Wednesday.  Then we will start Chapter 7 and learning about percents (7.1 - 7.3).

7th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Hannah
We will be reviewing phrases in grammar, and beginning our literature study of myths, fables, and epics. We will also return to our study of Latin and Greek roots by completing lesson five. Students will have a quiz over lesson five toward the end of next week.

7th Grade History Mrs. English
This week students will be working on their Presidential research projects. Rubrics and guidelines will be passed out on Monday and students will have all week to work on it. They already received their president choices today. These projects will be due on Monday, February 29th.

7th Grade Spanish Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish class, the 7th grade will work on their travel project. Each student will research a Spanish-speaking country and present the information to the class using the new vocabulary from Chapter 8A. Students will also plan a vacation to this country under a tight budget. The vocabulary quiz will be Wednesday, February 24th.



NOTES FROM 6th GRADE


6th Grade Earth Science Mrs. Huennekens
We are studying Oceanography!  This unit covers the seafloor, life in the ocean and ocean pollution. Mrs. Reardon will be substituting for me while I am in D.C. with the 8th grade.

6th Grade Earth Science Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Earth Science we will continue in our Oceanography chapter by identifying the mineral resources found on the continental shelf and in the deep ocean, describing photosynthesis and chemosynthesis, listing the key characteristics of plankton, nekton and benthos, and comparing and contrasting ocean margin habitats.  On Thursday, we will use a microscope to observe a sample of ocean water and look for the different types of plankton.  Students should expect a quiz over sections 1 and 2 on Friday, February 26.

6th Grade Math Mrs. Reardon
Next week we will continue in Chapter 7 by solving inequalities and writing and evaluating functions.  We will review sections 5 through 7 on Wednesday and students will have a quiz over those 3 sections on Thursday, February 25.

6th Pre-Algebra Mr. Lanfear
Next week we will finish Chapter 6 by learning about the Counting Principle (6.8).  We will have a quiz on probability (6.7 - 6.8) on Wednesday.  Then we will start Chapter 7 and learning about percents (7.1 - 7.3).

6th Grade Language Arts Mrs. Guggenheim
We had a great field trip to the public library! Some of the students want to go back with you and get a library card so they can check out books. One perk of having a library card is having the ability to use the public library’s awesome research database, which Ms. Katie showed us today. A few put books on hold (Oglethorpe Mall branch). Next week, students will be researching their topic in class using the Chromebooks, and the following week they will be working on the presentation portion in class as well. We introduced List 8 (Greek/Latin roots) this week. The quiz is Thursday, February 25. As I explained in yesterday’s email, I will be in Washington, DC with the 8th grade. Mrs. Churchill will be my sub, and you may direct any questions to Mrs. O’Conner or get information to Mrs. Chandler in the MS office.

6th Grade Ancient Civilizations Mrs. Hannah
We will complete our study of Ancient China by analyzing the Qin and Han dynasties. We will begin the Qin dynasty on Monday and discuss the importance of standard measures. We will also analyze different types of government and how this led to the unification of China.

6th Grade Spanish Ms. Sotomayor
The students have been enjoying a new introduction to warm-ups and assignments as we bring in the new trimester: Duolingo! This is a special language learning program that is student and classroom friendly. Make sure to ask your child about how they are sharpening their Spanish with Duolingo. Also, the rubrics that were sent home on Wednesday to be signed by the parents are important to look over. 2 out of the 4 are simply informative and helpful. The other 2 templates are the rubrics I will be using as class grades to assess individual student and group work in the class. Presence in class, both physically and mentally, is key to success in learning and effectively using the Spanish language. Finally, we are doing MovieTalk where we use short, interesting films to generate questions, sentences, and all together conversation in the Spanish language. IMPORTANT DATE: First test of the trimester is Thursday, March 10th. More details to follow. MORE INFO ON DUOLINGO: https://schools.duolingo.com/help

Friday, February 5, 2016

February 8th-12th

NOTES FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS


EXAM WEEK IS HERE!
Second trimester exams will be administered in the Middle School next week.  The listening and speaking parts of Spanish will be given on Monday and Tuesday in the Spanish classes.  The written portion of this assessment will be Wednesday in class.  

The remainder of the assessment schedule is:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH
8:30 - 10:00
Grade 6 - Ancient Civilizations - Hannah
Grade 7 - American History and Government - English
Grade 8 - American History and Government - English
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH
10:30 - 12:00
Grade 6 - Earth Science - Reardon & Huennekens
Grade 7 - Life Science - Huennekens
Grade 8 - Algebra - Reardon
Grade 8 - Advanced Algebra - Lanfear
Grade 8 - Geometry - Lanfear
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH
8:30 - 10:00
Grades 6 - 7 - 8 English/Language Arts - Guggenheim/Hannah/O’Connor
10:30 - 12:00
Grade 6 - Math 6 - Reardon
Grade 6 - Pre Algebra - Lanfear
Grade 7 - Pre Algebra - Lanfear
Grade 7 - Algebra - Reardon
Grade 8 - Physical Science - Huennekens
The Middle School will be dismissed at 12:00 on Thursday, 2/11, and Friday, 2/12.  There will be no extended for Middle School students.

You can support your student by ensuring that he/she gets enough rest, eats a healthy breakfast, and arrives at school on time each day next week.  Research shows that while many middle school students prefer to study while listening to music or watching TV, they are much less likely to retain information when studying in that way.  Encourage your child to study in a quiet space without distractions and to stick with instrumental music for background noise if needed.

8th GRADE WASHINGTON, D. C. TRIP REMINDER

To give the 8th graders time to pack and get ready to be at the bus at 6:45 am on Tuesday, February 23rd, there will be NO 8th GRADE CLASSES ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22nd.  

Friday, January 29, 2016

February 1st-5th


NOTES FROM MR. CRAWFORD


MIDDLE SCHOOL EXAMS APPROACHING!
The second trimester examination period will be held on February 11 - 12 for all core subjects except Spanish. These will be traditional assessments that are 1 ½ hour in length.
 
The Spanish assessment for all three grades will be given during the regular class period in two parts. Part one is the oral assessment, given on Monday, February 8th and Tuesday February 9th. Students should come prepared both days. Part two, the written exam, (55 minutes in length) will be administered in class on Wednesday, February 10th.
The remaining exam schedule is as follows:
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH
8:30 - 10:30
Grade 6 - Ancient Civilizations - Hannah
Grade 7 - American History and Government - English
Grade 8 - American History and Government - English
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH
10:30 - 12:00
Grade 6 - Earth Science - Reardon & Huennekens
Grade 7 - Life Science - Huennekens
Grade 8 - Algebra - Reardon
Grade 8 - Advanced Algebra - Lanfear
Grade 8 - Geometry - Lanfear
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH
8:30 - 10:00
Grades 6 - 7 - 8 English/Language Arts - Guggenheim/Hannah/O’Connor
10:30 - 12:00
Grade 6 - Math 6 - Reardon
Grade 6 - Pre Algebra - Lanfear
Grade 7 - Pre Algebra - Lanfear
Grade 7 - Algebra - Reardon
Grade 8 - Physical Science - Huennekens
The Middle School will be dismissed at 12:00 on Thursday, 2/11, and Friday, 2/12.  There will be no extended for Middle School students.

Middle School had an overwhelmingly successful fundraiser last week collecting money to purchase blankets for Senior Citizens.  Students were able to purchase the opportunity to carry their own blanket each day of the week, a remarkably popular concept believe it or not! Thanks to their generosity $500 was raised and then matched by Southeastern Lung to bring the total to $1000 to support the homeless on these cold January days and nights. Talk about illustrating Compassion!

6TH GRADE NEWS

6th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. Guggenheim
Lit - We have finished The Giver and are preparing for the end of the book test on 2/2. We will also be working on our Utopia Project with a partner. It is due 2/4.

READING LOG minutes!

6th Math with Mrs. Reardon
Next week in 6th grade math we will continue in chapter 7 by simplifying expressions and solving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations.  On Thursday, we will review for the quiz over 7.2-7.4 that will take place on Friday, February 5.

6th-7th Pre-Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 6 with a day of review on Tuesday and the test on Wednesday.  After that, we will begin review for the 2nd Trimester exams.


6th Earth Science with Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Earth Science we will continue discussing longitude and latitude as well as Greenwich Mean Time and time zones.  Students will be able to locate cities and landmarks by using longitude and latitude. There will be a quiz over what we’ve learned in class on Friday, February 5.



6th Earth Science with Mrs. Huennekens
We have started a brief study of latitude and longitude. There will be quiz on Friday, February 5th. We will then begin our review of the second trimester. The exam will cover only the second trimester material.

6th Spanish with Ms. Sotomayor
I have enjoyed reading and even seeing the scripts come to life for last week’s project, “Paper Man Spanish Script”. What creative students we have! Next week, we will continue to explore the many practical uses of phrases with the verb “Tener” as well as expressing likes and dislikes in Spanish. IMPORTANT DATES: February 8th and 9th (Monday and Tuesday) will be the oral portion of the final exam while Wednesday, February 10th, will be the written portion.



6th Ancient Civilizations with Mrs. Hannah
Because sixth grade has been working so diligently on the China research project, I want students to be able to finish without rushing. Students can still turn their project in Friday if they have finished and have met the requirements listed in the rubric. However, students can choose to work over the weekend to create the tri-fold presentation and turn in the final product Monday morning. Since everything should be typed and printed by the end of class Friday, putting the information onto the tri-fold should require minimal time at home! Please let me know if you have any questions.
We will be sharing our projects with the class at the beginning of next week, then beginning to review for our second trimester exam. I will return all student work by the middle of next week, and we will identify major topics that will be on the exam. We will also discuss study methods and planning strategies to ensure success! The Ancient Civ exam will take place on Thursday 11 February.

7TH GRADE NEWS
7th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. Hannah
Seventh grade has been working so diligently on their propaganda videos, and I want to give them more time to edit and finalize. I am so excited with the progress I have seen so far, and I want to make sure students are comfortable with the editing process. I already have students who have completed the video and shared the final product with me. However, we will have one final day to film and edit on Friday. Students can choose to share the video with me Friday, or they can choose to make final changes over the weekend. The final edit of your video must be finished, published, and shared with me by 8:15 Monday morning! Let me know if you have any questions.  
We will discuss chapter 10 of Animal Farm on Monday, and have a quiz over chapters 8-10 on Tuesday. The novel test will be on Thursday 4 February, and we will begin reviewing for exams on Friday. The ELA exam will take place on Friday 12 February.

7th-8th Algebra I with Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra we will wrap up Chapter 7 by solving special types of linear systems and inequalities (yes, we will be shading graphs again!).  We will review for the Chapter 7 test on Wednesday and Thursday and take the Chapter 7 test on Friday, February 5.

6th-7th Grade Pre-Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 6 with a day of review on Tuesday and the test on Wednesday.  After that, we will begin review for the 2nd Trimester exams.



7th Grade Life Science with Mrs. Huennekens
We are now studying mollusks. There will be a quiz on Friday, February 5th. We will be reviewing for our second trimester exams.
.
7th Spanish with Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish class, the 7th grade will begin to review for the trimester exam. The exam will have three parts: speaking, listening, and writing. Students should begin preparing for the exam by organizing their binders and looking over old test and quizzes from Chapter 6A-Chapter 7B.


7th American History Part I with Mrs. English
This week students will continue studying Ch. 7.2 and the American government formed by the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.  We will have a Chapter 7.1 & 2 Quest (small test) on Wednesday. We will devote the rest of the week reviewing for the exam.  


8TH GRADE NEWS


8th Grade English Language Arts with Mrs. O'Connor
The eighth graders have finished reading Night, and at this time students are editing rough drafts of their essays and preparing for Tuesday’s test over the memoir.  Final drafts of Night essays are due on Thursday (2/4).  Students have already received material to help guide their review as they prepare for our trimester exam.  After the Night test we will devote significant class time to reviewing some key concepts that students will need to know.  As always, I’m happy to work with students before or after school if they need any additional help.  

7th-8th Algebra I with Mrs. Reardon
Next week in Algebra we will wrap up Chapter 7 by solving special types of linear systems and inequalities (yes, we will be shading graphs again!).  We will review for the Chapter 7 test on Wednesday and Thursday and take the Chapter 7 test on Friday, February 5.
8th Advanced Algebra with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete discovering the area formulas for polygons and have a test covering most of Chapter 8 (8.1 - 8.6) on Wednesday.  After that, we will begin reviewing for the 2nd Trimester exams.

8th Geometry with Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Geometry, we will be reviewing for the 2nd Trimester exams.

8th Grade Physical Science with Mrs. Huennekens
This week and next, will begin exploring topics that are related to Physics. We will also be reviewing for our second trimester exams. The exam will only cover material studied during the second trimester.
     
8th Spanish with Ms. Hughes
Next week in Spanish class, the 8th grade will begin to review for the trimester exam. The exam will have three parts: speaking, listening, and writing. Students should begin preparing for the exam by organizing their binders and looking over old test and quizzes from Chapter 1A-Chapter 4B.



8th American History Part II with Mrs. English
This week we will watch our silent films on Monday and finish up the trimester with a Geography Test on Thursday (Europe, Middle East, and East Asia).  The rest of the week will be devoted to reviewing for the trimester exam.  

Science Club: This week in Science Club, the students made BLOBS in a BOTTLE! They had a lot of fun!       







The 7th Grade’s STOMP Musical was a huge hit!






May 21st - May 25th

NOTES FROM MR. CRAWFORD Important Dates for all Families! All middle school students were provided information regarding end of ye...