April 29th - May 3rd

APRIL PARENT.EDU
This month’s Parent.Edu will be on Monday, April 29th at 8:30am in Hancock Hall.  The conversation will be a follow-up from March’s Parent.Edu re: SMOKING, VAPING AND JUULING with the Georgia Department of Public Health.  

8TH GRADE WORLD WAR II and VETERAN’S NIGHT

The 8th grade students are currently creating a collaborative memorial to the 75 million people that died during World War II. In an effort to share our work with our community, we will host an evening honoring veterans and the armed forces. The event will take place in Hancock Hall on Monday, May 13th at 6:00pm. At the event, we will have a guest speaker Col. Patricia Blassie, sister of the Vietnam Unknown soldier, Michael Blassie, buried at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We will also have a silent auction to sell the pieces of artwork that your students created. All the proceeds will go to veteran organizations chosen by the students. Please come support your students and feel free to bring guests!

FRIDAY, MAY 3RD - HALF DAY OF SCHOOL!

Next Friday is the Lower School Field Day.  It is a half day of school for all grades, PK-8.  In the Middle School, grades 6 & 7 will have a regular, shortened schedule of classes.  The 8th grade will be completing a “Gift of Service” by running a field day for PK and K students. Friday will be a no charge dress down day for all Middle School students. PLEASE ENSURE THAT DRESS DOWN CLOTHING FOLLOWS THE GUIDELINES LAID OUT IN THE PARENT AND STUDENT HANDBOOK.  Student pick up will be at 12:00.

8TH GRADE GRADUATION INFORMATION PACKET
On Monday, April 8th, the 8th grade students received their graduation packets, which included 10 invitations and documents with important dates/details.  CLICK HERE for the information. REMINDER: Diploma forms are due on Monday, April 29th so that we can submit information to have programs printed.

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. Click HERE for a log form.

Make-A-Wish Georgia is looking for volunteers to help with their Run for Wishes on May 10^th at Skidaway Island State Park from 5:45-8:30pm. Make-A-Wish creates life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Click HERE for more information.

The Old Savannah City Mission needs volunteers for various positions.  The mission provides food, shelter, and clothing to the homeless.  For more information, contact Connell Stiles at 912-232-1979 or stiles@oscm.org.

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

This month we are exploring confidence as our virtue of the month. Lunch Bunches will continue with the 6th and 7th grades with the groups listed on the door to Hancock Hall. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact Ms. Pedrick at apedrick@hancockdayschool.org

Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week, students will learn how to find special products of polynomials as well as solving polynomial equations in factored form. On Wednesday, May 1, we will review for the Chapter 9.1-9.4 quiz that will take place on Thursday, May 2. A new challenge problem will be distributed on Monday, April 29 and will be due on Monday, May 6.

Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week, we will continue our Algebra 1 review by learning how to solve systems of equations by the elimination method.  There will be a day of review on Wednesday and a quiz covering systems of equations on Thursday.

Geometry - Mr. Lanfear

Next week, we will continue Chapter 12 by discovering the formulas to find the surface area of prisms and cylinders (12.2) and pyramids and cones (12.3).  There will be a quiz covering 12.1-12.3 on Thursday.

Physical Science - Ms. Hoffman

Our electricity/ magnetism unit will be the last topic of the year for our 8th graders. We started this week with information about electric charges, static discharge, electric current, voltage and resistors. The students also discovered different ways static electricity can be created.  (See photos below.) Next week students will continue their study of electricity and they will participate in a voltage and electric current lab to learn about batteries and parallel/series circuits. Also, don’t forget the last Science in Comics for the year will be due Tuesday, 4/30 and students may complete up to two extra ones for additional homework credit.  We will also have a quiz on electricity on Thursday, 5/2 and then the following week begin magnetism.

English Language Arts - Mrs. Boyer
Literature: Students have completed both their Yom HaShoah Art/Writing Projects and their reading of Night. Students are currently working on their Formal Reports and they will have a Night quiz on 5/2 and a test on 5/9.

ELA Unit Project: Students will be engaging in a six week project where they will be competing in the Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) Writing and Art Contest which is sponsored by the Jewish Educational Alliance of Savannah. Rubrics and Due Dates were handed out on 3/25. Students have handed in their projects, completed their presentations, and are now focusing on their formal reports and journal entries. Students will be focusing on this project throughout T3.

Reading Log: Students will have a choice between turning in a Reading Log (like T1) or a Reading Card (like T2). Either one will be due on 5/14/19. This is a project grade. All rubrics have been posted on GC.

History & Gov’t II - Mrs. English

This week students will turn in their World War II research essays on Tuesday, April 30th. They worked all of last week on these essays and I’m excited to see what amazing information they found. Also, the origami birds are due Monday, May 6th. Many students have already turned their 200 birds into me. A reminder that these will count as a test grade. Looking ahead, our World War II/Veterans Night  will be Monday, May 13th at 6:00 pm. Students have an opportunity to earn bonus points by attending the event. Lastly, students will also begin our Protest Unit, which features the Civil Rights Movement and the Anti-War movement in the 1950s -1970s. I’m looking forward to a great end of the year with these 8th graders!  

Spanish - Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish the 8th grade will continue working with the vocabulary and grammar from Chapter 5B. Students will work with the imperfect progressive tense and irregular preterite verbs to describe accidents that occurred in the past. The grammar quiz will be Wednesday, May 1st.

Algebra 1 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week, students will learn how to find special products of polynomials as well as solving polynomial equations in factored form. On Wednesday, May 1, we will review for the Chapter 9.1-9.4 quiz that will take place on Thursday, May 2. A new challenge problem will be distributed on Monday, April 29 and will be due on Monday, May 6.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week, we will complete Chapter 9 by learning about real numbers and how to identify rational and irrational numbers as well as ordering them (9.4).  There will be a day of review on Tuesday and a test on 9.1-9.4 on Wednesday. We will then begin Chapter 10 by learning about polygons and triangles (10.1) and quadrilaterals (10.2).

History & Gov’t I - Mrs. English

This week we will continue our study of Chapter 10.4. This chapter deals with Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, the Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. Students will have an opportunity to watch the film We Shall Remain, which is a close look at the Cherokee Nation. Looking ahead, students will have a Chapter 10 quiz on Friday, May 3rd. Also, your child needs to start thinking about their summative assessment, which will be an interview and ancestry project. Details about the project will go home on Friday, April 26th!

Spanish - Ms. Hughes

Next week in Spanish the 7th grade will wrap up Chapter 9B and the test will be Wednesday, May 1st. Students will begin working with the future tense. We will use this tense to talk about plans, professions, and make predictions. Students will investigate possible careers according to their likes and dislikes, and discuss ways to improve the environment for future generations.

ELA - Mrs. Boyer
Literature: Students are engaged in the final theme for the year: Sportsmanship. Students are reading one of the following novels:

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Writing: Students will engage in a research paper which will be covering the topic of sports medicine. This paper will correspond with their book club reading. Students will also be completing a final project on the novel which will act as a test grade.

Vocabulary: Students will be engaged in Unit 8, 9 & 10 over the next four weeks. There will be a test over Units 8, 9 & 10 on May 9th. There will also be a *POP* Assessment over Unit 10 this coming week.

Reading Log: Students will have a choice between turning in a Reading Log (like T1) or a Reading Card (like T2). Either one will be due on 5/14/19. This is a project grade. All rubrics have been posted on GC.

Life Science - Ms. Hoffman

The students have learned a lot about the skeletal system, including the functions of the skeleton, types and structure of the bones and joints found in our body, as well as, the name of over twenty of our bones.  We are excited to have a guest speaker on Thursday, 5/2 during our Eagle Op period. Thank you to Mrs. Walmsley, an Occupational Therapist with Chatham Orthopedics for offering to help the students learn more about the importance of our skeletal system. (I apologize for listing the incorrect workplace in last week’s blog.)  Next week we will begin the muscular system as we continue our discussion about Structure and Movement. The students will have a quiz on Friday, 5/3 over both systems. Also, don’t forget the last Science in Comics for the year will be due Tuesday, 4/30 and students may complete up to two extra ones for additional homework credit.

Accelerated Math 7 - Mrs. Reardon

Next week, students will learn how to create circle graphs using percents as well as percent of increase and decrease, discounts, markups, tax, and tips. There will be no assessments next week, however, a new challenge problem will be distributed on Monday, April 29 and will be due on Monday, May 6.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week, we will complete Chapter 9 by learning about real numbers and how to identify rational and irrational numbers as well as ordering them (9.4).  There will be a day of review on Tuesday and a test on 9.1-9.4 on Wednesday. We will then begin Chapter 10 by learning about polygons and triangles (10.1) and quadrilaterals (10.2).

ELA - Mrs. Guggenheim

LITERATURE: Continue reading The Diary of Anne Frank (play version). There will be an open book quiz over Act 1 Scenes 3 and 4 on 5/2.

VOCABULARY: List 11 Greek/Latin and 7 SAT: Quiz on 5/1. Students may write sentences with the 7 SAT words for up to 3 bonus points. They are due on 4/29.

A test over the Latin/Greek roots from units 9-11 is scheduled for 5/9.

GRAMMAR: We will work on editing and proofing sentences and titles.

3RD TRIMESTER BOOK PROJECT

Students will be given a choice. They may choose to keep a Reading Log for 360 minutes as they did 1st trimester or create a card as they did 2nd trimester over one book. They must inform me by 2/22 of their choice, and that choice is final. They may not switch between the two midway through the trimester.

Earth Science - Mrs. Taylor

Students will finish up the movie they began last week and take a short open notes quiz on it. Next Project: Sell a Planet!!! Students will work in pairs as a made up real estate company and create a brochure to sell their planet. Then, they will use i-Movie on macs to make a commercial for their real estate company to sell their planet.  They will have a test on May 14th which will include the moon quiz, Bill Nye notes, Reading packet for astronomy (8 questions per read), and planet facts. The planet facts are taken from their previous project of scaling the planets. We will decide, as a class. what the main 2-3 facts of each planet for their test.

Ancient Civ -  Mr. O’Hayer

We continue our investigation of Rome as we discuss how Rome moved from a Republic to an Empire that dominated the region. Students will study the Reign of Augustus and Pax Romana. We will look at everyday life in Ancient Rome with an emphasis on city life vs country life. Our Chapter 13 Test will be Thursday.

Spanish - Ms. Dubick

The 6th graders are doing a great job using prepositions with estar. They will have a quiz on the 24th.  They will then do a little project describing where their house is and how to get to it from school.

Art - Mrs. Cookson

“Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” - Twyla Tharp

8th: Will finish up Pointillism since we had no class last week due to Conferences

7th: Will begin Faux Stained Glass

6th: Will continue to work on Wet Felting since we had no class last week due to Conferences