February 20th - February 24th
Dear Parents,
It is so exciting for us to be able to have student-led conferences in the Middle School on Friday, March 3rd. Student-led conferences are an opportunity for parents and students to emphasize the process of learning and de-emphasize the focus on grades. In the conferences, your student will share pieces of work they have completed and their reflection on those pieces of work. It is our hope that through reflection, students will gain a greater understanding of how they learn and be able to identify things that impede their learning. Shining a light on improvement, progress, effort, and understanding is a healthy and sustainable way to encourage students to become lifelong learners with growth mindsets. To help you plan ahead, you can reference the student-led conference schedule:
It is recommended that parents/students spend approximately 10-minutes in each class to go over the student’s Digital Portfolio for that subject. Students/parents may need more time in some classes, and that is expected. Students/parents will be mostly self-directed as they travel from class to class on conference day. Student-led conferences are mandatory for all students, and it is expected that all students will have at least one parent attend their assigned session with their child on conference day (siblings may not attend student-led conferences).
We look forward to seeing you with your child on March 3rd.
Kind regards.
Jack Cargile
Head of Middle School
STUDENT SIGN IN/OUT REMINDER
Just a friendly reminder that all students, grades 6th through 8th, should be signed in and out of the middle school office by their parent.
MARCH LUNCHES
Registration for March lunches is open now through February 17th (TODAY).
** Reminder to 8th grade families: DO NOT sign up for lunches the week of March 6th through 10th, as students will be in Washington, D.C. **
After logging into Family Portal, click Student Information
Click Lunch. The lunch calendar displays.
Click Create Web Order to create a lunch order for the student. The lunch order form will display, listing each student in the family.
Click the student name for which you wish to place an order. The lunch order form will expand, listing each date an order may be placed. A blank day denotes a school holiday or 1/2 day.
Click the date to place an order. The lunch item list will expand.
Type in the quantity for the student in the quantity column. The total column will display the cost.
Repeat for all dates and all students. The grand total will be listed at the bottom.
Click Submit Order. The charges will now display for the student on their Family Portal portal to be paid on the Financial screen. Lunch will not be provided unless paid in full for the month.
Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Melissa Gordon
8TH GRADE GRADUATION INFORMATION
DETAILS FOR FAMILIES
We will be having our 8th grade graduation and reception at Isle of Hope United Methodist Church on Wednesday, May 24th. Students will need to arrive for pictures by 9:45am. Graduation will begin at 11:00am in the Sanctuary. Immediately following the graduation, the 7th grade will be hosting the reception in the Anchor Room for graduates and their families. We are looking forward to this exciting event! Please email Mrs. Mannarino if you have any questions.
SLIDESHOW
Every year we display a slideshow of the 8th grade class during their reception following graduation. Families are asked to provide five (5) pictures of their choice (baby pictures, family pictures, friends, etc.) and the high school they will be attending in the Fall. Please submit this information to Mrs. Mannarino via email by Friday, May 5th. For an example of a past slideshow, please click here.
8TH GRADE GRADUATION RECEPTION (7TH GRADE FAMILIES)
If you are interested in participating in the Hancock tradition of hosting the reception for the graduating 8th grade class on May 24th, please follow this link for more information and sign-ups!
HONORS ASSEMBLY - PRESIDENT’S VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARD
8th Graders interested in earning a PVSA at our annual Honors Assembly will need to submit their community service hours by Friday, March 24th.
Gold Award (100+ hours)
Silver Award (75 - 99 hours)
Bronze Award (50 - 74 hours)
ASSESSMENTS AND PROJECTS CALENDAR
Parents and students have an easy way to look at upcoming assessments and projects. THIS LINK leads to a Google Sheet that will have the next 2 weeks of assessments. The link below will lead to the 6th grade assessments, but by using the tabs in the lower left corner (shown below), you can navigate to 7th grade and 8th grade assessments, as well.
Different subjects will appear in different colors:
History is black, Science is green, ELA is blue, Spanish is red, and Math is pink.
Please bear in mind that Middle School Assessments may be added, removed, or changed at any time. This Sheet will always be up to date, however - once a teacher assigns or adjusts an assessment, this Sheet will reflect that change.
Each middle school student is required to complete ten hours of community service over the course of the school year. Please remember to list hours worked on a daily basis, do not log the total sum of hours worked over an extended period of time. See below for a few upcoming service opportunities. Click HERE for a log form or see Mrs. Mannarino in the office.
Current Middle School Community Service Opportunity
Where: Second Harvest, 2501 E President's Street (look for the sign that says "Grace's Kids")
When: Friday, April 7, 2023
Time: 9:00am to 12:00pm
Click HERE to sign up!
As Learning Coach, I work with students, parents, and teachers to offer support and strategies throughout the year. Please reach out to me if I can be of any assistance to you and your child/ren. I will share ideas and strategies often in this space. My email is: tguggenheim@hancockdayschool.org. My phone extension is 327.
I look forward to working with you!
Tricia Guggenheim
20. Stay organized throughout the year.
Place your items in the correct folder. If you are using a three-ring binder to keep papers organized, take the time to open the metal prongs and place them securely in it. If someone helps you organize your papers, take the time to continue putting everything in its place. If your papers are not three-hole-punched, see Mrs. Guggenheim and borrow her three-hole puncher. Dating each handout and writing your name also helps to keep the papers in chronological order and helps when your paper is found by someone else.
Talking to your middle school student about peer pressure is a great way to help them develop strategies to navigate tricky situations before they encounter them.
Creating a family “code word” or “code phrase” is a simple tool that enables your child to indicate they need assistance to leave a potentially dangerous environment. See the link below for tips on how to implement this.
Resources:
6 Ways to Help Your Child Deal with Peer Pressure
Please feel free to get in touch with me at amaher@hancockdayschool.org if you have any questions or concerns.
ALGEBRA 1 - Mrs. Taylor
Systems of Equations (Chapter 7) is going very well. More practice is needed for further understanding so we are slowing down and will have another quiz over 7.2-7.4. (Elimination and Substitution)
ADVANCED ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete Chapter 7 by having the quiz covering 7.1-7.5 on Tuesday. Then we will begin our unit on trigonometry! We will learn what sine, cosine, and tangent mean as well as how to use SOHCAHTOA to find missing side lengths and missing angles in right triangles.
GEOMETRY - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Geometry, we will begin Chapter 9 by learning about vectors (9.1) and using them to perform translations in the coordinate plane (9.2). We will also learn about adding, subtracting, and multiplying matrices (9.3) as well was performing rotations and reflections in the coordinate plane (9.4-9.5).
ELA - Mrs. Boyer
Your students have finished Night by Elie Wiesel. This is a memoir of Wiesel’s time in the Holocaust concentration camps. This is the first year that the schedule has worked out so that I am able to teach the novel/content before the Washington, D.C. trip at which they will be visiting the United States Holocaust Museum.
This unit is about reflection, awareness, respect, and diving into the unanswerable question…WHY?
Students will work through this novel using the following:
Night Reflection Packet- Class Warm Ups, Night Comprehension Questions, Journal Entries
Yom HaShoah Contest Packet- All 8th graders will be entering the Jewish Education Alliance’s Annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust Art and Writing Contest. Your child will receive this information on Monday, and their homework will be for you to read and sign.
Night Unit test on March 1st/2nd.
Dear Parents,
During the next several weeks your child will be completing their Yom HaShoah Contest Project. This project is a large part of each student’s overall grade for the third trimester and failure to complete it may result in a failing grade in English Literature for T3.
Besides weekly homework grades as outlined in the dates below, there will be four additional grades accessed for the project based on each individual part required. These are the submission brainstorm, the contest submission piece, formal report/class presentation, and the Reflection Journal/Packet. Each of these will count for the following grade: formal report= test grade, the contest submission piece= test, reflection journal packet- project grade, and the presentation= classwork grade.
Supplies needed for this project will include a report cover and any specific art materials needed to complete your child’s experiment. Students needing any assistance with these materials should see Mrs. Boyer.
There will be multiple days in class for working on these assignments; however, the majority of the work for the contest submission piece should be completed at home. Students are also encouraged to come in and work on their projects during morning tutorial times.
Contest Pieces will be due the week AFTER SPRING BREAK!
Please sign the cover sheet of the form to acknowledge the receipt of information about the project and its importance in your child’s ELA class. This form is due by 1/31 (E &F) and 2/1( C). If you have any questions about the project, please do not hesitate to email me at oboyer@hancockdayschool.org. I will be glad to offer any assistance I can to ensure your child is successful in their project.
Yom HoShoah Due Dates
***In 8th grade it is critical that students need to be completing their homework each night. This is a KEY component to success for 8th ELA. POP Quizzes are continuing…Students are learning that it is critical for students to annotate their books in regards to characters and key details. For students to do well on these assessments, please use the following strategies:
Read and annotate (check annotations with Mrs. Boyer’s book).
Ask for practice questions
Come in and practice writing prompts
Spend a solid 30 minutes each night on reading, review, etc.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman
Next week on Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be having our test over Chapter 3: simple machines. This has been a very short unit but we are moving into our next larger unit, forces and fluids! This unit will contain our egg drop project where students will be designing a contraption to keep an egg safe from a story high drop. Students should still be reviewing notes outside of class and checking their understanding by redoing worksheets given in class or assigned as homework.
US HISTORY - Mr. Gauthier
Next week the Refrain speeches are due (23rd and 24th). The students have been working on them all week. Also, group research projects are due 3/1 and 3/2, students have also been working on those this past week. After the trip to Washington DC we will go deep into WW2
SPANISH - Ms. Crocker
Looking at the calendar…we just have SIX class periods before the students head to D.C.! We are doing a mini-unit on the environment this week and next.
ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Brown
Our What we eat in a day video projects are complete. Students enjoyed watching their peers’ work and lending a hand in the grading process.
Many of them had never experienced an in depth video project (mapping out exact scripts based on prompts, planning out/reserving desired locations for filming, editing all content to meet specific requirements shared to them) and based on the smiles on their faces, I am confident that the work the required was worth it in the end. It was an impactful way to end the trimester for sure!
ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Crocker
This week we are starting a unit on el medio ambiente (the environment). The kids will have a quiz next week and we will be starting a project!
ALGEBRA 1 - Mrs. Taylor
Systems of Equations (Chapter 7) is going very well. More practice is needed for further understanding so we are slowing down and will have another quiz over 7.2-7.4. (Elimination and Substitution)
PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete the rest of Chapter 6 by learning about probability and odds (6.7) as well as the counting principle (6.8). There will be a day of review and then the quiz covering just 6.7-6.8 on Friday.
ELA - Mrs. Buchner & Mrs. Boyer
Students have completed their Theme Park Projects! Look for pictures in next week’s blog! :)
We will begin Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Students will be reading the abridged version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as they dive into a mini unit of Shakespearean text in order to prepare them for 8th grade. Students will be researching themes/culture of Europe in the 1600s, acting out/performing the play with their peers in class, completing a reflective notes packet, engaging in reading checks, and constructive responses.
It is imperative that with this unit, students come in early to ask questions, review homework with Mrs. Boyer and Mrs. Buchner, engage with their studies at home for at least 25 minutes, dive into the creative and reflective process as they prepare for reading checks, constructive responses, and complete their reading comprehension assignments. Mrs. Boyer and Mrs. Buchner are looking to see a ‘boost’ in effort and engagement with this unit. Let’s truly push ourselves before we have our week break! Remember: We are preparing for 8th grade.
Mrs. Boyer and Mrs. Buchner are both available for morning tutorials. If your student needs assistance with journal entries or just a quick check to see if they are completing them correctly, please have them drop by.
Students should have a Dark Blue or Black ink pen for class every day. Points will be deducted from packet responses if they are not writing in ink going forward. They may use an erasable pen if needed.
Assessments/Assignments:
Theme Park Final Draft-TEST Grade-Due Friday 2/17
Shakespeare/A Midsummer Night’s Dream Packet-Various Due Dates(see GC)
Shakespearean Sonnet- Due Monday 3/6
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Completed Packet- Due 3/10
Students are highly encouraged to come in for extra help if they are having any difficulty with any assignment. Mrs. Buchner and Mrs. Boyer are available weekday mornings from 7:45 am to 8:15 am.
Strategies for Home:
-Students should be rereading scenes read in class of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and working on the packet each night for homework.
-All homework assignments are in Google Calendar and Our Weekly Google Slide Presentation.
-Students should be coming in from 7:45-8:15 am to review/ask questions/work on their homework or review their journal entries with the teacher.
**As students continue into their 7th grade year, it is imperative that they keep up with their reading, annotate their novels, and come in for extra help. The foundation of this class is heavily based on student reading and the sharing of ideas; students will need to participate to be able to engage with the material in a productive manner. All class activities are based on the reading completed prior to class time.
LIFE SCIENCE - Mrs. DuRant
Next week, we will begin the Digestive System. Our focus will be on labeling a diagram of the Digestive System and exploring the functions of the organs of this system. Students will also be able to apply prior knowledge on the body systems we have already studied to see how they interact with the Digestive System. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom each day for announcements, assignments, and study materials.
US HISTORY - Mr. Gauthier
The unit on LORD OF THE FLIES is continuing. All students have drawn their images of the island. Next, they will be put into groups and will try to survive on an island. They will be given various simple resources and have to come up with a plan for survival. They will need to elect a leader, come up with a set of rules and delegate responsibilities.
US HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer
Next week in American History students will continue our examination of the U.S. Constitution. We will continue this process by looking at how The Enlightenement thinkers influenced our Founding Fathers as they set out creating the document that would be the foundation of laws and guiding principles for our nation.
ACCELERATED MATH - Mrs. Taylor
Chapter 7 is th3 beginning of true Pre-Algebra. Students will take 2 quizzes and a test on this Chapter. The first quiz will be on the first two sections of Chapter 7 Thursday, February 23.
PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete the rest of Chapter 6 by learning about probability and odds (6.7) as well as the counting principle (6.8). There will be a day of review and then the quiz covering just 6.7-6.8 on Friday.
EARTH SCIENCE - Mrs. DuRant
The volcano project is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday, February 21. Students have had plenty of time to complete their project in class and most have already turned in their project. However, if your student has not completed their project, they must complete it at home and have it prepared to turn in at the beginning of class on Tuesday. The instructions and rubric are in the Google Classroom under the topic: Earthquakes and Volcanoes. We will begin presentations on Tuesday. Next week, students will also use mapping skills to plot the location of volcanoes around the world. Students will have a quiz on volcanoes on Friday. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for announcements, assignments, and study materials.
EARTH SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman
Our volcano projects are coming along nicely, with most everyone finishing up today. Some students who are absent will be taking theirs home to work on them and the rubric is posted to Google Classroom! Next week, they will present their posters to the class and work on their presentation skills. I am very excited for this! We will continue working with volcanoes and earthquakes next week before moving on to rocks and minerals. Please keep checking Google classroom for any announcements or changes.
ELA - Mrs. Buchner
We have finished reading The Outsiders this past week. This week students will be working on their last five journal entries as we uncover literary elements through mini-lessons in class. All journal entries (and the completed journal) will be due on Friday 2/24.
Students will begin a character PROJECT when we finish viewing the film. They will work on this the week prior to Spring Break at both school and at home. It will be over the character they have chosen to trace throughout the novel as they read. This will be due on Friday 3/10. That week we will also have a TEST over the entire novel on Tuesday 3/7.
GREASERS DAY! I will be sending home a permission slip this week in order to allow students to view the movie version of The Outsiders in class on Tuesday 2/28 and Wednesday/Thursday. There will also be a link where you can sign up to supply snacks, drinks, napkins, and bowls. Thank you in advance for helping make this a special event for your student. Students will be dressing up as their favorite character from The Outsiders on Tuesday February 28th. You can start working on those Greasers or Socs outfits. Students should dress as a teen from the 1960s. Greasers: White Tshirt, Blue Jeans, Leather or Jeans Jacket, Tennis shoes or cowboys boots; Socs: Think preppy-khaki pants, madras plaid, loafers; girls-pencil skirts, collared sweaters, button down Peter-Pan collar blouses. Girls are welcome to dress up as a girl-greaser, as well. We will view the film over two class blocks, but dress up and snacks will ONLY be on 2/28.
Students should already be reading their next Independent Reading book. Students should use the graphic organizer in the Google Classroom Assignment to assist them in collecting evidence on FIVE questions as they read their book. I am extending the due date for the Independent Reading Project to allow students more time to read and prepare for an assessment over their Independent Reading Book on Tuesday March 28th. This will provide students with extra time to complete the Independent Reading Project and Graphic Organizer. Students will bring the completed Graphic Organizer (typed) in Google Classroom to use on the TEST on Tuesday 3/28
Homework assignments can be found in your student’s Google Calendar, as well as the weekly Google Slide Presentation in their ELA Google Classroom. All of the reading/journal entry assignments for The Outsiders are located in the Google Classroom Assignment. Weekly chapter reading assignments should be completed by Wednesday(D & E) & Thursday (A); Journal Entries for the week are due on Fridays for all classes. Students are highly encouraged to come in for help on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 7:45-8:15 a.m. Tutorials are available weekly on Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 a.m.
Upcoming Assessments/Assignments:
Reading Check over Chapters 10-12-Friday 2/24
Entries #16-20: Due Friday 2/24
TEST over entire book on Tuesday 3/7
The Outsiders Character Project-Due Friday 3/10
February/March Independent Reading PROJECT/TEST- Due Tuesday 3/28
INTRO SPANISH - Ms. Brown
Students are all at different stages of their Cooking video projects and are learning so much along the way; script writing, video recording, editing on Wevideo, CapCut, and iMovie, doing voice overs in Spanish, and more! They are enjoying themselves and seeing the benefits of capitalizing on each minute of class time to create the best final product possible.
Since some students pre to be very industrious with the video platforms, they are already done and have begun working on the last leg of the second trimester work packet.
WORLD HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer
Next week in World History students will switch “gears” and begin our investigation of the Industrial Revolution. Students will discover how the Industrial Revolution was a time of a sweeping transformation in how people worked and lived. We will examine how new innovations transformed governments, economic systems, and workers’ rights.
Good day HDS Community! This week students are working on projects connected to time and place. Sixth graders capture the motion and colors of spring inspired by Alma Thomas, from Columbus Georgia and first woman of color to have an artwork exhibited in the White House. Seventh graders observe the everyday life and strategies of artist Romare Bearden to select materials for their mixed media art depicting a day of their life. Jacob Lawrence illustrates The Great Migration in 60 colorful panels using simplified imagery. Eighth graders are illustrating a picture book for the rising classes depicting favorite memories as a Hancock Eagle.
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