So far, so good. I think most of us are getting the hang of 7th grade!

In class, we are beginning to discuss very important reading strategies that can be applied in all classes. Please ask your student to share them with you.

Next up? A short story by Gary Soto that is ever so appropriately titled, “Seventh Grade.” Students will incorporate the reading strategies and focus on comprehension.

Please remind your student to have a pleasure reading book for class, as well as a charged Chromebook. Also, keep checking Google Classroom for updates.

Keep reading! It’s good food for the brain. :)

Any questions please email me at: atheriault@wbridgewater.com

It’s been a great start to the year!! The Bystander or The Revealers, summer reading, has come to a close with the “Stand Together Against Bullying” Project. The kids have done an excellent job on their collages, tests, and packets. We’ve also spent a lot of time on grammar and writing, which will continue into October. Let the creative juices flow! In mid to late October, we will also be diving into some of the spooky stories and poems of Edgar Allen Poe to get ready for Halloween!

Please continue to check Google Classroom and the planner for homework updates. Please make sure you are checking Aspen to see your child’s grades. If you have questions about Aspen, please email John Collins at jcollins@wbridgewater.com. Please feel free to email me at any time as well at maiellojones@wbridgewater.com .

We’ve been bridging the time gap between the 1970's and today comparing the Outsiders novel to our new novel Long Way Down. The students really seem to be getting into this novel even though it really is a long poem! :) We’ve also spent a lot of time on boosting our writing and adding to our grammar folders from last year. This will continue as the year progresses.

In October, we will unearth Frankenstein and his monster, in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and jump into a few other spooky stories along the way.

Please continue to check Google Classroom and the planner for homework updates. Please make sure you are checking Aspen to see your child’s grades. If you have questions about Aspen, please email John Collins at jcollins@wbridgewater.com. Please feel free to email me at any time as well at maiellojones@wbridgewater.com .

We have had a wonderful time reviewing Geography and completing the first chapter in our social studies book on The Beginnings of Human Society. We have traveled back in time to learn about the Iceman, turned ourselves into archaeologists for a class, tried to make a shelter as a challenge and made a life-size timeline with clothespins and a clothesline!

In store for October is a unit on The Fertile Crescent where we will learn about the development of writing in Mesopotamia as well as creating our own accounts of what happened in early civilizations. We will be looking at maps, interpreting timelines and discussing primary and secondary sources within this time period. Homework and assignments will be posted on Google Classroom every class so please keep an eye on that! Email me if you ever have any questions! jmartin@wbridgewater.com

This has been a great start to the year, we have learned so much already! We have been using iCivics to learn about the beginnings of our government, what inspired it, what started it and why is it the way it is. We also are working on becoming global citizens so we watch CNN 10 each day. If you ever want to watch them, they are easily found online. It is a great resource in our classroom! We also had our first test. As we move forward, students will continue to watch the news, look at primary sources and explore our government! Google classroom has everything you need to be successful in class so make sure you check it on a regular basis! Email me with any questions! Jmartin@wbridgewater.com

A student asked me in class when we will move on from negatives. I told the student, “Never.” We’ll use everything we’re doing right now for the rest of the year. We will continue to review things so students will get multiple chances to learn the material. Which brings us to our first test. The first test is usually a student’s lowest test grade of the year. I’m not trying to make the test difficult, but the students are still trying to figure out the class. If the test score is low, I will make sure the student will still have an opportunity to pass for the term, but they are going to have to do better on our second test. I’ll be after school every day before the test.

We did start our online assignments. On average, the students will be assigned 2 IXL assignments and a Khan academy assignment each Monday which will be due by Sunday night. If they wait until Sunday, they will more than likely forget to do it or will have some difficulty finishing it. It should be a total of about an hour worth of work each week (not one hour each night). On IXL, they need to get a score of a 70 to get full credit, but they can try to get a higher score to practice. On Khan, they are only expected to complete the assignment to receive full credit.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

We’ve been working on equations and scientific notation, and we’re now ready for our first test. I think you all know how difficult middle school math can be. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the students get a low grade on the first test. If the student does get a low grade, he or she will have a chance to get his or her grade up before report cards with the second test. There shouldn’t be too many surprises this year, I’m running the class very similar to last year's course. The one big change is the lack of a tutor this year. I’ll be after school a lot, and I don’t want you to think there won’t be any extra help. The extra help will fall on my shoulders this year. I’ll be available most days after school until 2:35 unless I have a meeting. I’ll try to post these times on Classroom.

We did start our online assignments. On average, the students will be assigned 2 IXL assignments and a Khan academy assignment each Monday which will be due by Sunday night. If they wait until Sunday, they will more than likely forget to do it or will have some difficulty finishing it. It should be a total of about an hour worth of work each week (not one hour each night). On IXL, they need to get a score of a 70 to get full credit, but they can try to get a higher score to practice. On Khan, they are only expected to complete the assignment to receive full credit.

Please let me know if there are any questions.

We have gotten off to an excellent start in science class -the students have been learning all about mechanical and chemical weathering, and we are starting erosion. This has been a very timely topic with the current weather patterns that we have seen this month across the US. We will be able to see some of these processes at work soon, when we begin our Weathering and Erosion Lab exercise - a hands-on activity that uses dirt, sand, pebbles, and other materials to show the students how weathering and erosion works.

In October we will begin our discussion of earthquakes and volcanoes, as well as thinking about soil formation and conservation and renewable and non-renewable resources.

Please check ASPEN and Google Classroom for grades and all other announcements/updates that are science related! We just began our first weekly research assignment, so be on the lookout for those, and try to read over student answers before they submit!

I am always available for any of your questions/concerns! Please email me: jparenteau@wbridgewater.com

We have gotten off to an excellent start in science class -the 8th graders have started our Earth Science unit by discussing some astronomy topics - including Earth’s tilt and revolution around the sun, and how this causes the seasons, as well as thinking about gravity and how it impacts the orbits of planets around the sun. We have watched a Ted Talk that gave us some background about the “3-D Atlas of the Universe,” and discussed the important implications that gravity has within our solar system and galaxy.

In October, we will continue our brief venture into astronomy by creating a model of Earth’s orbit, discussing the existence of the other celestial bodies including taking a closer look at the planets - within our solar system. We will be doing an in-class planet project, so check in with your student and ask about his/her progress in the coming weeks!

Please check ASPEN and Google Classroom for grades and all other announcements/updates that are science-related! We just began our first weekly research assignment, so be on the lookout for those, and try to read over student answers before they submit!

I am always available for any of your questions/concerns! Please email me: jparenteau@wbridgewater.com

Powerblock Representatives will be chosen in the next couple of weeks. Reps will be meeting once a month to plan activities for the middle school. October will be dues collection month. We use dues to help offset costs of field trips and activities. Dues for both 7th and 8th grade is $10 per year. You have an option of paying for one or both years now. Dues can be paid to the powerblock reps during powerblock. If paying by check, please make it payable to WBMSHS. Thank you. Contact Amy Wilder: awilder@wbridgewater.com or Jaimee Martin: jmartin@wbridgewater.com with any questions or concerns.

Mr. Ferris the freshman counselor from Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School will be here on Wednesday, October 2nd. He will talk to both 7th and 8th graders about the opportunities a vocational education can provide. If your 8th grader is interested in applying to SE, the application can be done at any time and is completely online (https://www.sersd.org/). If you are considering a private high school for your student, simply send in the transcript request portion of the application and we will send along everything they require.

For any questions, concerns or to submit transcript request contact me, Ms. Wilder at awilder@wbridgewater.com, 508-894-1220 ext 1310

In other news…

• Our “Sports” Homeroom names have been chosen. They are:

• A-J’s All-Stars

• Theriault’s Tip Offs

• Martin’s Spartans

• Parenteau’s Penguins

• Hyde’s Hoopers

• The field trip the YMCA was a huge success! The kids enjoyed being outside and working as team in the numerous activities put on by the counselors.