December 10th - December 14th

NOTES FROM MR. CRAWFORD

HANUKKAH IN HANCOCK HALL

Rabbi Haas will visit to speak to the middle school students about Hanukkah on Wednesday, December 12 from 10:15am to 10:45am in Hancock Hall.

ALL SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY

There will be a Spirit Day for all students on Friday, December 14.  Wear your favorite HDS gear or green and gold!

SOCIAL MEDIA AWARENESS

Recently on CNN, Lisa Ling presented a piece entitled “Addicted by Design.”  It details the challenges faced by today’s teens (and adults!) with our growing fascination with our digital devices.  The video is presented for parents to view. After reviewing the content, you may or may not want to watch it with your child.  It can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpbwUlRVZeE&t=11s

DUKE TIP OPPORTUNITIES - GRADE 6

• PSAT 8/9 registration deadlines approaching

Time is running out to sign up for the PSAT 8/9! The online registration deadline for the January 19 test is next Monday, December 10, and the deadlines for the February test dates are quickly approaching.  Information about this opportunity can be found at: https://tip.duke.edu/programs/4th-6th-grade-talent-search/psat-89-testing?utm_source=tipsforeds&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=456gts

Registration deadlines and available test sites can be found on the Duke TIPr web

• The 2018 Writing and Illustration Contest is open!

The Duke TIP Writing and Illustration Contest invites all 4th–6th Grade Talent Search participants to submit a creative short story, an illustration, or both!  The writing component takes place first, and the illustrations are based on writing contest winners. Information and deadlines can be found at:  Writing Contest! It's now open to all 4th–6th Grade Talent Search participants.  Students have until January 22 to submit their best story.

• Additional TIP programs

Fourth to sixth grade students may now apply to the spring terms of Academic Adventures and eInvestigators. Students interested in researching the impact of a viral pandemic will want to check out the summer 2019 CRISIS Program, which opens February 5.

STUDENT GOVERNMENT - GINGERBREAD HOUSE COMPETITION

Members of Student Government made a gingerbread house for the annual competition at the Westin - Savannah Harbor.  They will be taking a trip on Monday morning to see their entry. Stop by the Westin and see our Christmas in Holland entry!!

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 starting in January.  The cost will be $75 for 6 weeks.  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 other materials.   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.

Calling all Runners and Walkers! Start your year on the right foot with The Women’s Board of Bethesda and our fabulous community sponsors by joining us in the 2019 Yates-Astro Resolution Race and Pancake Breakfast. This event continues to grow each year, attracting runners and walkers from all over the region who want to kick off the new year by running to support Bethesda. This race is super unique and special because it is the only 5k in Savannah that goes through Bethesda's picturesque campus, past cows, marshland and Brownie the donkey. Following the race, our participants have the chance to take home medals for their winning race time or prizes for the most family, school or business participation.  Best of all, everyone gets to celebrate with a fabulous pancake breakfast! To the Women's Board, everyone is a winner for helping us to enrich the lives of the students of Bethesda. To register for the race, please go to: https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Savannah/Resolution.  All of our students receive a discount to run! Just enter STUDENT19 when registering.  As this race is a fundraiser, this discount code is for students only and not transferable to family or friends. We also offer discounts to active military and servicemen and servicewomen.  Please contact one of us for more information. Thank you for supporting the future of the young men of Bethesda Academy.  We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, January 12, 2019! With grateful appreciation,

Tracey Tollison Ansley Threlkeld

2019 Race Chair 2019 Sponsorship Chair

Feed the Hungry will host their annual Savannah Christmas dinner for the community on December 23rd at 5pm at the National Guard Armory on Eisenhower Drive.  Those interested in volunteering to help serve food can call 912-436-7380 to sign up.

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 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.  The next packing date is 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 appreciation 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 5 by using linear equations in slope intercept form and writing linear equations in point-slope form and standard form.  On Thursday, we will review for the Chapter Quiz 5.1-5.4 that will take place on Friday, December 14.

Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue Chapter 4 in our Geometry portion by learning about the Exterior Angle Theorem of triangles (4.2), the Base Angles Theorem (4.3), the Pythagorean Inequality (4.4-4.5), and medians and the centroid (4.6).  There will be a quiz on Friday covering 4.1-4.6.

Geometry - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will complete Chapter 6 by learning how to use the Triangle Proportionality Theorems (6.6) and using dilations on the coordinate plane (6.7).  There will be a quiz on Tuesday covering 6.1-6.5. There will be a day of review on Wednesday and the Chapter 6 test on Thursday. We will then begin Chapter 7 by reviewing the Pythagorean Theorem and the Pythagorean Inequality Theorem (7.1-7.2).

Physical Science - Ms. Hoffman

This week in science eighth grade started off with an in-class research day working on their science fair project. Then we reviewed potential and kinetic energy and focused on using the mathematical formulas to calculate values for specific examples, and discussed the Law of Conservation of Energy.  At the end of the week, we began learning about conduction, convection and radiation, which are the three primary forms of heat transfer. We will continue with this topic next week by creating a heat transfer booklet and participating in a lab about heat insulation. During this two day lab students will construct a basic container to minimize the melting of an ice cube.  All this information will be on our Unit Test on Tuesday, 12/18/18. There may also be a “pop” quiz next Thursday on heat transfer.

The students have been working hard on their science fair projects. Each student chose something of interest to them and are either conducting a science experiment using the scientific method or designing and creating something using the engineering process. I am really looking forward to seeing all of their results.  Below is a list of all remaining due dates for the Science Fair Project. Each of these due dates shows the progress students are making on their project and are counted as one homework grade. The four parts of this assignment that will be turned in when totally completed and their grade value are as follows: Formal report (end of trimester project grade), triptych (test grade), log book (homework grade) and presentation (classwork grade.)  All rubrics for these are found in the Science Fair Information Packet handed out the beginning of November and posted on Google Classroom. Please let me know of any questions you have or if you need to borrow any materials from me. As a reminder, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:30-8am are designated to helping the eighth graders with their project.

Science Fair Project Remaining Due Dates

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

English Language Arts - Mrs. Boyer

Literature: We will be reading: “Harriet Tubman: Guide to Freedom”, “Baseball”, “Forest Fire”, “Why Leaves Turn Color in the Fall”, “Lost in Space”, “Sharing the American Dream”

Assessments: Nonfiction Test - A Record of Our World on 12/18.

Vocab: We will be picking up the pace in regards to vocabulary. I will be combining units for the rest of the year.

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

Extra Credit 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 we started our World War I unit by discussing the events that led to war including imperialism, militarism, and nationalism. We will look at how this war entered the world into the modern-era with huge advances in technology. Topics of interest this week include trench warfare, the Christmas Truce, Battle of the Somme, and the Russian Revolution. We also will pair War Horse, a Steven Spielberg film with our study of new technology vs old tactics. Be on the lookout for a permission slip coming home about the film. Looking ahead, our World War I test will be on Wednesday, December 19th.

Spanish - Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish class the 8th grade will continue to work with the vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 3B. They will use the irregular affirmative commands and the irregular present progressive verbs to create a Guía Del Buen Conductor (guide for new drivers). Students will also get to act as a Spanish Siri, and give directions to their classmates using maps and the new vocabulary. The grammar quiz is Friday, December 14th

7TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS

Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Algebra, we will continue in Chapter 5 by using linear equations in slope intercept form and writing linear equations in point-slope form and standard form.  On Thursday, we will review for the Chapter Quiz 5.1-5.4 that will take place on Friday, December 14.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue Chapter 5 by learning how to divide fractions (5.5), use multiplicative inverses to solve equations (5.6), and solve equations and inequalities involving rational numbers (5.7).

History & Gov’t I - Mrs. English

This week in American History I we will continue our study of the events that led to the American Revolution. Readings and homework will come from Chapter 5-Section 4. Events covered will include the early battles of the American Revolution including the Battle of Bunker Hill. Students will also work on their Illustrated Timeline (due December 14th). This timeline should help students study for their test next week. Students will have their Chapter 5.1-4 test on Friday, December 14th.

Spanish - Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish the 7th grade will continue to work with the vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 7B. Students will write about some of their favorite gifts they have received in the past using the preterite tense and direct object pronouns.The grammar quiz is Thursday, December 13th.

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

Literature: We will be starting our Poetry Unit. Students will be reading poems from classic authors such as: Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, and of course, Sonnets from William Shakespeare. Students will be learning a brief history regarding Shakespeare, reading Sonnets, and beginning to conceptualize the difficulty that comes with creating a poem in Iambic Pentameter. This discussion will be a foundation for reading Romeo and Juliet in 8th grade. We will also be reading a few contemporary poems. There will be a poetry test on 12/18.

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. There will be a FINAL test on 12/12.

Vocabulary: We will be focusing on grammar and the poetry unit the holiday break. When we return in January, we will begin with Unit 5.

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

Life Science - Ms. Hoffman

This week students continued our genetics unit as they learned more about heredity and the probability of inheriting a particular trait.  We also discussed multiple alleles, pedigrees, GMO’s, and how the environment can affect our genes. Finally, we focused on the structure of DNA and chromosomes and students created their own “DNA” model with licorice and marshmallow. (See our pictures below.)  Next week we will continue learning about our genetic map and how it replicates and sometimes causes mutations and genetic disorders. We will also discuss how cells divide (mitosis and meiosis) and students will participate in a microscope lab to help identify the different phases of these cellular processes.   Our unit test on genetics will be Tuesday, 12/18/18.

 

6TH GRADE ASSIGNMENTS

Accelerated Math 7 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week in Accelerated Math 7, we will jump into Chapter 5 by adding and subtracting both fractions and mixed numbers.  On Wednesday, we will review for the Chapter 5.1, 5.2, and 5.5 quiz that will take place on Thursday, December 13. On Friday, we will play fraction BINGO!

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week we will continue Chapter 5 by learning how to divide fractions (5.5), use multiplicative inverses to solve equations (5.6), and solve equations and inequalities involving rational numbers (5.7).

ELA - Mrs. Guggenheim

LITERATURE: We are going to be learning the terms for our nonfiction unit. There will be a test over nonfiction terms 12/19.

VOCABULARY: Nonfiction terms will be handed out on Monday. The test is 12/19.

GRAMMAR: We will continue to work on simple, compound, and complex sentences as well as run-on sentences and comma splices. There will be a quiz on 12/12.

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

We are finishing up Energy with  short quiz Friday, 12/7. A review was held in class 12/6. Our last section before the unit test on 12/18 deals with renewable and nonrenewable resources which we will start, Monday 12/10. Due 12/6 were signatures from a parent and student explaining the energy project that was handed to them on 12/3 and due 12/14. The final unit test, on 12/18, will consist of weather (study the quiz), energy, and renewable and nonrenewable resources.

Ancient Civ -  Mr. O’Hayer

As we move toward our holiday break we will take a break from our normal routine and dive into the world of Egyptian gods and goddesses. We finished the chapter on Ancient Egypt so I thought, instead of starting a new chapter that we would not finish before break, we would write a small in-class paper on the Egyptian god/goddess of their choice. We will learn the steps to writing a quality biography that will serve as a solid foundation for future writing projects. This will be an in-class project.

Spanish - Ms. Dubick

The 6th graders will have a Test on Thursday covering:

-conjugating AR, ER and IR verbs

-Using Estar and Ser

-Definite & Indefinite articles

-Feminine & masculine articles

-greetings and introduction vocab.

-Puerto Rican history & immigration to the mainland United states

We will spend next week wrapping up and reviewing these topics!

Art - Mrs. Cookson

“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” - Marc Chagall

Winter and creativity are in the air in the art room.

8th: Will actually begin the architectural detail final drawings this week, as we missed class due to a field trip last week.

7th: Will continue to analyze poster design and work on sketches

6th: Will continue with our 1-point perspective drawings