November 12th - November 16th

NOTES FROM MR. CRAWFORD

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO DRIVE

MIDDLE SCHOOL COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT Annually, the Middle School completes two community service projects, one with the Savannah Tree Foundation and one with Second Harvest. This year it was not possible to schedule our food drive in the fall with Second Harvest - look for it in February or March! This fall we will be working with the Savannah Tree Foundation maintaining the trees at the Jennifer Ross Complex. This community service replaces our regular classes on Friday, November 16th.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION! LOCATION: Jennifer Ross Soccer Complex DRESS: Dress for working outdoors doing gardening chores. STUDENTS MUST WEAR CLOSED TOE SHOES! DROP OFF: Students should be dropped off at school during regular carpool. We will depart for Jennifer Ross via a parent carpool at 8:30. PICK UP: Student pick up is at Jennifer Ross at 11:30 by individual families

HELP US SHOW OUR SPIRIT OF GIVING AT HDS! The NJHS students have extended the collection for Hurricane Michael victims in Panama City through next Wednesday. Please help us fill the tubs with supplies for the students and teachers who are trying to return to school. CLICK HERE for the list of items.

DRESS CODE REMINDER

With the end of the fall season, we need to refocus our attention to the dress code.  Students should be dressed in the approved Hancock uniform each day. Team jerseys and team shirts are not part of the regular dress code.  Team hoodies are acceptable outerwear options.

2ND TRIMESTER READING ASSIGNMENT
As the new trimester begins, the English Language Arts Department is altering the format of the Reading Log in order to promote student engagement and creativity.  In place of assigning 360 minutes of reading this trimester, students will choose one age-appropriate book to read during the course of the trimester. Before beginning to read, students must share the title and author with their ELA teacher for approval.  The book may be of any genre, fiction or nonfiction. After reading this book, students will create a brief book review using a 5 x 7 note card, which we will supply. Click HERE to view more information regarding this new assignment.

AFTER SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

ART CLUB
Ms. Dubick will be offering an after school art club from 3:15-4:30 every Monday during second trimester.  The cost will be $150 for the term.  There is a five student minimum in order for the club to run, there is a cap of twelve students.  Art club participants will explore mediums and projects not covered during art class. Alcohol ink, wire sculptures, detailed clay projects and glazes will all be covered, among others.   Please email Ms. Dubick to sign up or for questions. cdubick@hancockdayschool.org.

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

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 total sum of hours worked over an extended period of time.  See below for a few upcoming service opportunities.

PACK, a local nonprofit that delivers weekly bags of food to children at risk of experiencing hunger, seeks volunteers to help pack bags on the first Sunday of each month.  Upcoming dates are November 4th, December 2nd, and January 6th. More information can be found here.

America’s Second Harvest needs volunteers to help prepare monthly bags of food for senior citizens in our community.  Upcoming packing dates are November 17th, and December 15th. Volunteers should arrive by 7:45 and must wear closed-toe shoes.  Contact Bryce Seuntjens at bryce@helpendhunger.org for more information.

GUIDANCE & CHARACTER EDUCATION

This month we are exploring respect as our virtue of the month. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Ms. Pedrick at apedrick@hancockdayschool.org

8TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS

Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Algebra, we will continue in Chapter 4 by taking a more in depth look at slope and rate of change, as well as graphing using slope-intercept form.  On Wednesday and Thursday, students will be completing an Algebra common writing assessment. The assessment will count as a project grade and will allow the students to investigate slope-intercept form using their critical thinking skills. The challenge problem that was distributed on Monday, November 5th is due on Monday, November 12.

Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue the second half of Chapter 11.3-11.5 by learning how to solve radical equations (11.3) and use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of missing sides of right triangles (11.4).

Geometry - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue Chapter 5 by learning about the medians and the centroid of triangles (5.4) and the altitudes and orthocenter (5.4).  We will also learn how to use the Triangle Inequality to determine if three side lengths can form a triangle (5.5) as well as the Hinge Theorem and its converse (5.6).

Physical Science - Ms. Hoffman

We have officially started the 2018 HDS Science Fair Project! It consists of four components with the following grades attached to each:  Formal Report (end of 2nd trimester exam grade), triptych (test grade), logbook (homework grade) and presentation (classwork grade). There are also eight homework assignments as outlined below and included in the parent letter sent home and the HDS Science Fair packet on Monday, 11/5/18.   (This is also posted in Google Classroom.) Students also had a research day in class on Friday 11/9. See below for photos of our sample science project the students created in class. They had to create, using detailed materials and procedures an experiment using tennis balls, golf balls and/or baseballs.  Then they switched with another group to see if they could follow their directions without having to get clarification.

Science Fair Project Dates

Wednesday 11/7/18 Signed parent letter due

Friday 11/9/18 Science Fair Topic/ Purpose/ Hypothesis due

Wednesday 11/28/18 Science Fair Materials/ Procedure due

Wednesday 12/5/18 Science Fair log book check/  Rough draft of literature review due

Wednesday 12/19/18 Science Fair data/ results review /  Sketch of triptych due

Wednesday 1/16/19 Science Fair log book check/  Final draft of literature review due

Wednesday 1/23/19 Completed formal report due

*Wednesday    1/30/19 Science Project due (triptych and log book)

*Presentations will also occur this week

In other physical science news...we have completed most of our chemistry unit learning about chemical equations and how to balance them.  This also included a speed reaction lab to demonstrate the change in reaction rates based on surface area and concentration. (See photos below for our lab.)  We will be beginning information on energy and participating in a pendulum lab next week. Students will also be going to Savannah State University as part of GIS (Geographic Information Sciences) Day on Wednesday, 11/14/18.  There they will learn about compasses, GPS and orienteering, complete a mapping simulation for land use and participate in a gallery walk of current topics displayed on posters, and be able to speak guest speakers focusing on using technology in today’s world.

English Language Arts - Mrs. Boyer

Literature: We are diving in to our Unit on The Power of One Voice. Students should be half way through I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, and they will be reading short stories regarding education, standing up for one’s beliefs, and important historical events. There will be frequent reading checks that will be classwork grades. Students may use these to check their comprehension. Students should also be annotating in their novels as they read.

Writing: Students will be writing a persuasive speech (test grade) and completing a project that centers around the power of one voice on a nation (project grade).

Assessments: Because I am Malala is an autobiography, the assessment will be based on the ideas surrounding her story, the short stories read, and the discussions had in class. The first quiz will be on 11/15.

Vocab: We will be picking up the pace in regards to vocabulary. I will be combining units for the rest of the year. Students will have from 11/5 to 11/27 to complete the Unit 10 & 11 Exercises in the workbook. The quiz date will be announced after the break.

Reading Novel Card:  Due before or on February 1st.

Extra Reading Opportunity: Students will have an opportunity to read a small fictional novel regarding the same topic as their in class novel study over I am Malala. There will be an assignment regarding this; the rubric for the assignment is on GC. This opportunity will be due on December 14th.

History & Gov’t II - Mrs. English

This week in American History we will study the geography of Europe. Students will learn about the major rivers, mountain ranges, and political borders of Europe. This mini-unit will prepare students for America’s role in global affairs entering into the 20th century. They will have a quiz on countries of Europe on Thursday, November 15th.  

Spanish - Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish the 8th grade will present their towns they created using the grammar and vocabulary from Chapter 3A. Students will learn about the Sister Cities International program and discuss what it means to be a youth ambassador. The grammar quiz will be Thursday, November 15th and will cover irregular preterite and direct object pronouns.

7TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS

Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Algebra, we will continue in Chapter 4 by taking a more in depth look at slope and rate of change, as well as graphing using slope-intercept form.  On Wednesday and Thursday, students will be completing an Algebra common writing assessment. The assessment will count as a project grade and will allow the students to investigate slope-intercept form using their critical thinking skills. The challenge problem that was distributed on Monday, November 5th is due on Monday, November 12.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue the second half of Chapter 4 by learning about negative exponents and their meaning (4.6) and writing numbers in scientific notation (4.7).  There will be a quiz on sections 4.5-4.6 on Wednesday.

History & Gov’t I - Mrs. English

This week in American History I we will begin our unit on the Revolutionary War by studying events leading to the American Revolution. We also will continue our taxes simulation and discussion about the role of taxes in a country. Topics covered will include the French and Indian War and George Washington’s debut in the British colonial military. Readings and homework will come from Chapter 5.1 & 2. Looking forward to a great week!

Spanish - Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish the 7th grade will continue to work with the grammar and vocabulary from Chapter 7A. We will discuss traditional clothing and currency in different Spanish-speaking countries. Students will begin their “desfile de moda” or fashion show project as well. The grammar quiz will be Tuesday, November 13th and will cover stem-changing verbs and demonstrative adjectives.

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

Students are at least halfway through if not more than halfway done reading their novels for the Dystopian Universe (The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, Lord of the Flies, and Gathering Blue). Students will be working in groups on activities regarding theme, point of view, characterization, vocabulary, writing, etc. Because the students are reading a variety of novels, the quizzes and tests will be formatted in a different manner.

Literature: Students are analyzing the definition and vocabulary of the word Dystopia. Students are discussing theme, archetype, symbolism, etc.

Grammar: Gerund/Participles/Infinitives & Prepositional Phrases, Direct Objects & Indirect Objects. Students have learned the basics of all of these skills; we are now going to break them down and students will see how they are used in everyday language. The first quiz is on November 14th.

Vocabulary: Students will begin Unit 4 this week and have a quiz after the break.

Writing: Students will begin writing an essay on the dystopian concept and how their novel’s ideas can be seen in today’s world.

Reading Novel Card: Due before or on February 1st.

Life Science - Ms. Hoffman

The seventh grade has been learning about how the immune system works and helps to keep our bodies healthy. This includes learning about the various dangerous microbes, such as bacteria and viruses, and ways, including vaccines and minimizing animal vectors like mosquitoes, that are used to fight against them.  Our short test on this topic will be next Tuesday, 11/13. We also began our Pathogen Project. For this, the students randomly chose a disease to learn more about. They will create a “Most Wanted” poster specifying who can get the disease, how it is transmitted, the symptoms and how it can be treated. We used Friday, 11/9 and will use Wednesday, 11/14 to work on it in class.  This, along with three short enrichment handouts, will be due next Thursday, 11/15 at the beginning of their class. The students will then present their projects to the class. After the Thanksgiving holidays we will begin the world of genetics.

6TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS

Accelerated Math 7 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Accelerated Math 7, we will continue in Chapter 4 by finding the least common multiple of 2-4 numbers, as well as comparing and ordering fractions.  On Thursday, we will create turkey factor feathers. The challenge problem that was distributed on Monday, November 5th will be due on Monday, November 12th.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue the second half of Chapter 4 by learning about negative exponents and their meaning (4.6) and writing numbers in scientific notation (4.7).  There will be a quiz on sections 4.5-4.6 on Wednesday.

ELA - Mrs. Guggenheim

LITERATURE: The Outsiders unit test is scheduled for 11/13. We will review in class beforehand. We will then work on an in-class project using the novel as inspiration.

VOCABULARY: List 6 Greek/Latin + 7 SAT words will be given out 11/27. The quiz is scheduled for 12/4.

2nd Trimester Reading Assignment: The new Middle School reading assignment for second trimester is attached to the Blog and is also posted in my Google Classroom. It takes the place of the Reading Log. While it may be turned in at any point during the trimester, it is DUE  BY FEBRUARY 1, 2019.

Earth Science - Mrs. Taylor

Storm projects are complete and presentations have begun. So far, the projects have been super creative and well researched. The intent was to have the students “flip” the classroom and learn meteorology terminology as they researched storms. They learned about cloud types, low and high pressure, cold, warm and stationary fronts. We are continuing Meteorology and will have a quiz over Chapter 13 Lesson 1-3 (All from the Workbook) Wednesday, November 14th.

Ancient Civ -  Mr. O’Hayer

This past week both classes completed small group projects on the Nile River. Students drew the Nile and, using their notes, labeled an Egyptian Civilization. We have changed a couple of dates regarding our Lesson Quiz and Ch. Test. Our Lesson 1 and 2 Quiz is on Tuesday the 13th. Our Chapter 4 Test will be Thursday the 29th. I have attached a very informative resource on Ancient Egypt on Google Classroom. I encourage you to read it. We will go over it this week and it will be included on your test.

Spanish - Ms. Dubick

The students will continue learning about Puerto Rican American history this week. On the grammar side of things, they will be learning how to use definite and indefinite articles and will dive into telling time.

Art - Mrs. Cookson “What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but the obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.” - Eugene Delacroix

So crazy to realize we are finished with the first trimester and already half-way through November.

8th: Will complete designing and coloring their Toppling Towers

7th: Will wrap up construction of Hobbit Houses to get them ready for the kiln

6th: Will complete their collaborative painting