May Newsletter

Please make sure all the students bring a bagged lunch, refillable water bottle, sunscreen and bug spray. The kids MUST wear sneakers and comfortable clothing for climbing. It will be a fun day.

MCAS is done! The students seemed to try hard on the test, and there were no problems with the technology. I have decided to end the year working on an 8th grade topic on equations. This section can be difficult, but the students have been working hard to understand the material. There will be a few videos they can use to review the material, but this section should help as they transition to 8th grade. There will be 2 different math classes next year. One class will be an 8th grade class math class taught by Mrs. Weeks that will be very similar to my class this year in work and difficulty. Every 8th grader will take this class with Mrs. Weeks. The other class will be an advanced math course that will be taught during H block. There was a placement exam in May, and the notification of who made it in the class will happen sometime before school ends. This extra math class will include homework and tests and will count as a grade rather than the other Pass/Fail courses offered during H block. This class offers students to take geometry as freshman with the intention of offering them AP Calculus BC as seniors. They are still required to take 4 years of math in high school. You will be able to opt out of this class when the notifications come out.

MCAS is over! The kids did a great job and gave it their best effort!

We will be continuing down the mighty Mississippi River in the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer! The students will take their final exam on the novel and hand in their “Tom” essay in June. Please check Google Classroom for dates. There will be a short in class project before we pack the novel away.

For the rest of June, we will be touching upon some of the great players in baseball and literature. It will be a fun way to round out the year.

Please keep checking Google Classroom for updates and homework!

Students have been enjoying the book, “Harris and Me” by Gary Paulsen. We have been reading some chapters together, some independently as well as listening to some chapters of the story on audible. All chapter questions should be answered in a doc and will be collected and graded. We have two scheduled quizzes; review of chapters 1-3 as well as vocabulary. Students- please be prepared. The end of the year is quickly approaching!

Up next, “Let’s do it for Johnny!” Summer reading for incoming 8th graders is “The Outsiders” written by S.E Hinton. We will spend some time familiarizing ourselves with the characters, background and how to access the summer reading assignments. In class, we will use a hyperdoc full of many fun activities relating to the book. Please let me know if you have any summer reading questions.

This month, we have been very busy (just like molecules being heated up) as we have studied different types of energy. We completed this unit with a conduction experiment, during which we heated, melted, timed, and ate chocolate chips! We have started to move on with magnetism and electromagnetism, and will focus on these topics for the next few weeks. We will be finishing out the year with Science Olympiad. During the final weeks of the school year, the students form teams, and compete to find/bring in the most items off of a massive scavenger hunt list, as well as to earn the most points in each challenge that we take on. The winning team from each class will receive a small prize, and the team with the most points in the entire grade will receive the grand prize on the last day of the competition! (Prizes TBA!) Please check Google Classroom for updates, for the scavenger hunt list once it is posted, and for homework, assignments, and other science announcements!

May has been filled with Ancient Rome! We made roman roads and each student helped with construction, it was successful! We learned about the city of Pompeii, Gladiators in Roman Culture and focused our attention on Roman technology, culture and more. We are working on the term project that will be due in June. Students should have filled out a project approval form and have all the requirements completed by the due date. Projects are due the 6th for ABC blocks and the 7th for E & F. All the information for the project is posted on Google Classroom and what students have created for themselves on their approval forms. Projects will not be accepted late and papers must be done individually and printed out on the day it is due. I can’t wait to see what the students have created! We will finish the year off on a great note and students will be ready for 8th grade!

5/28- No school. Happy Memorial Day

6/1 - Field Trip to Tree top Adventures.

6/6 - Half Day

6/8 - Under the Sea - Middle School Semi-formal. 7 pm- 9 pm. Tickets are $10 in powerblock, $12 at the door.

6/20 -Field day. Students are reminded to bring a water bottle and apply sunscreen prior to coming to school.

6/21- Last day breakfast and GOOD BYE!

6/26 - Report cards posted on ASPEN

Please contact any member of the team with questions.