September 3rd - September 6th

SEPTEMBER PARENT.EDU
Area high schools are reaching out to connect with our graduating 8th grade students!  Please join us on Thursday, September 26th at 6:00pm in Hancock Hall to discuss the high school admissions process.  Joining our counselor, Allison Maher, will be Helese Sandler of Savannah Educational Consultants. Please save Wednesday, November 20th for our annual High School Fair.

8TH GRADE INDEPENDENCE!

This year our 8th grade students have independent time from 12:30 - 1:30 each day.  Students can choose to spend the time eating, studying, at recess or just relaxing. Each month the class is divided into 4 groups.  Each week on Thursday one group can choose to do an alternative activity. Mr. Crawford is discussing with the class what those activities might be.  Current ideas include going off campus for lunch or off campus for ice cream. Each week, the group going off campus will make the decision. They may also elect to do nothing special.  Off campus options will begin Thursday, September 5th. Look for a parental release form to grant your student permission to participate.

FALL SPORTS SCHEDULES

Click HERE to access the JV Football and Volleyball schedules.  Click HERE to access the Cross Country schedule.

BOX TOPS If you have been collecting Box Tops, please turn them in to Mrs. Mannarino ASAP.  Starting November 1, there will be a new system for submitting them. Click HERE for more information.

WHITE ZONE CARPOOL

It is very important for picking up your child in the afternoon, that you DO NOT ARRIVE ON CAMPUS BEFORE 3:15.  Arriving early blocks the flow of cars to the green and gold zone.  We do not have the number of free parking spaces to handle early arrivals.  Our students do not exit the building before 3:15 so you won’t be delayed. Following this timeline, we generally have everyone loaded by 3:25.   

JERSEY DAYS

School spirit is a major component of the Middle School.  When we were smaller and our sports schedules much smaller, we wore our team jerseys every time we had a game.  Now our teams often play two (even three!) games per week. To simplify our lives and still show our spirit, we are reserving THURSDAYS as TEAM JERSEY DAYS.  Each Thursday, those students who are on a CURRENT HDS team can wear their team jersey as a top. 

NOTE FROM THE NURSE
If your child is sick/absent please email their Homeroom teacher AND the nurse nurse@hancockdayschool.org

LUNCH - IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Fall lunch will be available for students Tuesday, September 3rd through Thursday, December 19th.  You may still register but there will be a $10 LATE FEE. CLICK HERE to view lunch options.  CLICK HERE to register for lunch.

GOOGLE CLASSROOM
Parents may use student login information to view the middle school Google Classrooms and assignments for each class.  If you have any questions contact Tricia Guggenheim.

PARENTSWEB ACCOUNT
A ParentsWeb (FACTS, previously RenWeb) account gives you access to your child’s grades and schedule.  If you do not have a ParentsWeb account, please contact Melissa Gordon to get registered.

MAKING THE TRANSITION TO MIDDLE SCHOOL

Click HERE if you were not able to make Mrs. Guggenheim’s information session, “A Parent’s Guide to Making the Transition” and would like a copy of the slide presentation.

ASSESSMENTS CALENDAR
We are very excited to introduce a new easy way for parents and students to look at upcoming assessments.  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.

LOST AND FOUND Missing items can be found on the bench in the middle school hallway. Make sure to check daily!

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.

** NEW ** HDS Extended Day Care needs volunteers to help out after school.  We are currently limiting this opportunity to 8th graders, with a possibility of opening it up to 6th and 7th graders later on.  If a student is interested in earning some community service hours, they will need to sign up a week in advance using THIS LINK.  Please contact Mrs. Mannarino with any questions.

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.

Lunch Bunch sessions have kicked off giving me an opportunity to get to know your children. This is a wonderful opportunity to utilize the group process to discuss the successes and challenges of a middle school student.  

This is the time of year when students and families start to make commitments to sports, clubs, and other afterschool activities.  Encourage your student to write these down in their agenda/planner. This will build effective time management skills and minimize conflicts.  Furthermore, the students will be learning a habit that will be helpful long into adulthood!

-Allison Maher, School Counselor

Algebra 1 - Mr. Cargile

Next week in Algebra 1 we will continue working on Chapter 1 concepts, with our primary focus on introducing the students to functions, and we will also work on problem solving strategies and skills. We will have moved our Chapter 1 test to September 11th.

Geometry - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Geometry, we will continue Chapter 2 by using logic to solve word problems and seeing truth tables (2.2-2.3), using postulates and diagrams to draw conclusions (2.4), and have an introduction to the general structure of proofs (2.5-2.6).

Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will continue Chapter 10 by graphing parabolas and finding the vertex and axis of symmetry (10.2), solving quadratic equations by graphing and finding the x-intercepts (10.3), and finding the maximum or minimum value of a quadratic function (10.3).  There will be a quiz on Thursday covering sections 10.1-10.2.

Physical Science - Ms. Hoffman

It’s Science Fair Project Time!!  On Monday, 8/26 we reviewed the Science Fair handbook of information, handed out the composition log books and looked at some examples of projects.  (The entire packet is also posted on Google Classroom.) On Friday, 8/30, students also worked with me on choosing and/or refining their project topics, purpose and questions/ problems.  This final topic information is due on Wednesday, 9/4. The students will have approximately three months to complete all the components and we will have at least two additional classroom research days.  There are a total of nine homework grades that will go along with this project as progress checks. (Please see the list below.) The final project consists of four different components and will be assessed for the following grades:  log book (homework), formal report (test), presentation (classwork) and triptych (end of second trimester project). I will be available each Tuesday and Thursday morning from 7:30 - 8am for tutorial assistance on the projects and students are welcome to borrow basic lab equipment from the school to use in their experimentation. 

This week we also began our study of Chemistry with information on chemical and physical properties, a review of changes in the states of matter and how matter is classified into elements, compounds and mixtures.   Next week the 8th graders will complete a mystery powders lab and begin learning about atoms. We will have a test on matter, chemical properties/ changes, and atoms on Wednesday, 9/11.

Science Fair Project Dates

(* Indicate Homework Grades)

Monday                       8/26/19                        Science Fair Packets Home

Friday                           8/30/19                        *Signed Science Fair Proposal Form AND Parent

   Approval Form (1B) Due

Wednesday                9/4/19                          *Log Book Check/ Science Fair Topic and

   Question or Problem Due

Wednesday                9/18/19                        *Log Book Check with detailed Science Fair

                                                                               Materials and Procedures Due

Wednesday                10/02/19                     *Log Book Check with Research Notes Due

Wednesday                10/16/19                     *Rough Draft of Background Information Due

                                                                               (email or share document)

Wednesday                10/23/19                     *Log Book Check with Updates/ Revisions Due

Wednesday                11/6/19                        *Final Draft of Background Information Due

                                                                               (email or share document)

Wednesday                11/20/19                     *Log Book Check with Data/ Results OR

   Prototype/Solution Due

Wednesday                12/4/19                        *Log Book Check/ Updated Results or Solution AND

                                                                               Sketch of Triptych

 Completed Formal Report (printed) Due

Wednesday                12/11/19                     All Completed Projects Due

(Triptych, Log Book and completed Abstract Form)

            Complete abstract on-line or use form in the packet 

                                                                     Project presentations will also occur this week

                              

English Language Arts - Mrs. Boyer

This week students will be engaged in a multitude of cooperative learning activities. Students should be rereading/reviewing Fahrenheit 451 in order to best interact with their peers and their teacher during class. In order to succeed in ELA during their 8th grade year, it is imperative that students are constantly reading and reviewing their novels. 

This week we will be engaging in a Socratic Seminar! 

Students will be taking a QUIZ on Fahrenheit 451 on September 5th, 2019. 

We will also be engaging with Vocabulary Units 11 & 12 for the next few weeks. Students will take a quiz over these units on September 17th. 

Looking ahead! We will be starting our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird on September 9th. This novel will bring us into the month of October. 

History & Gov’t II - Mrs. Robinson

Next week in American History & Government Part II we will continue our study on the Civil War. Next week we will be working on our critical thinking skills by examining the Emancipation Proclamation and working to understand its effect on the war and on slavery. We will also focus on what life was like for soldiers during the Civil War, concluding with our Civil War food project. Details will be going out this Friday so families have time to plan for the assignment. The Unit One test on the Civil War is scheduled for Thursday Sept 12th.

8th grade Spanish - Ms. Hill

We will continue to build upon our vocabulary and grammar and begin our review of the past tense. We will also be reviewing our Spanish speaking countries and capitals in preparation for a map quiz as well as our first group project of the year. I will be assigning you a country to research and we will present them the week of September 20th. 

Map quiz on Wednesday, September 11th. 

Algebra 1 - Mr. Cargile

Next week in Algebra 1 we will continue working on Chapter 1 concepts, with our primary focus on introducing the students to functions, and we will also work on problem solving strategies and skills. We will have moved our Chapter 1 test to September 11th.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 2 by learning how to use the distributive property to write equivalent expressions (2.2), and simplifying variable expressions by combining like terms (2.3).

History & Gov’t I - Mrs. Robinson

Next week in American History & Government Part I we will be taking our Unit One test. We will spend class on Tuesday reviewing and then take the test on Wednesday. We will finish the week up talking about what motivated Europeans to move to explore different parts of the world. Coming up in the next few weeks we will be beginning our ‘Explorer Project.’ Look for those details coming soon!

7th grade Spanish - Ms. Hill

Vocabulary: Learning about cognates. A cognate is a word that is very similar in appearance and meaning in more than one language. We will also begin our review of the Spanish speaking countries and capitals as well as their geographic locations in preparation for our quiz on Tuesday, September 10th.

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

Writing: Students will be reviewing their first draft of their personal narrative. I will be conducting two days of editing: 1) Individual Conferences with me in order to get teacher feedback. All comments will be made on their Google Doc. 2) Peer Editing

Vocabulary: Students will review Unit 1 in their Greek and Latin roots workbook.  Their quiz will be on 9/5. This quiz will be fill in the blank (with a word bank), memorization of the latin roots, multiple choice, writing sentences, and putting together word puzzles based on the latin roots. 

Looking ahead!!! Students will begin The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien on September 9th. Students will be given a reading schedule and a note packet. This novel will bring us to the beginning of October. 

Life Science - Mrs. DuRant

Next week in Life Science, we will continue to examine the Classification of Organisms and learn how to create a Dichotomous Key. We will have a test on Unit 1: Characteristics of Life which will include the characteristics of life, classification of organisms, dichotomous keys and microscopes on Friday, September 6.

Accelerated Math 7 - Mr. Cargile

Next week in Accelerated Math 7 we will continue learning Chapter 1 concepts with a focus on area and perimeter problems and problem solving. Our Chapter 1 Test has been pushed back to September 11th.

Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 1 by having a day of review on Tuesday and the Chapter 1 test on Wednesday.  We will then learn how to use the distributive property to write equivalent expressions (2.2).

ELA - Mrs. Sasser

Students will begin their first Greek and Latin roots vocabulary unit this week. We will review the words daily and students will have a vocabulary packet to work on for homework. They will have their first vocabulary quiz Wednesday, Sept. 11th. We will also continue to review our proofreading marks and work on identifying key parts of speech by beginning DGP (Daily Grammar Practice). For reading, students will spend this week learning how to correctly annotate texts (both fiction and non-fiction). They will learn annotation and reading strategies to help them better unpack texts l, and they’ll write about what we read using the SRES method. 

Earth Science - Mrs. Hoffman What a GREAT time at Kanuga!! All of the students had a terrific time and represented Hancock with wonderful behavior and engagement in their activities.  We did so many things...canoeing, a night hike, orienteering, high ropes, fun cooperation activities to work together and solve problems, learning to make a lean to, candle-making, playing marbles and other old-fashioned games, making biscuits and several other activities.  They also ate a lot, had free time with friends and visited the bear gift shop. I am very proud of their interactions with the Kanuga staff and all the other 6th grade students. Please look for photos on our next Blog and the HDS website. Next week in science we will finish up our discussion of matter and how it changes and begin learning about heat transfer. Our unit test on this information will b on Friday, 9/6.  And, don’t forget our Science in Comics assignment due date was moved to Tuesday, 9/3, which is the day after the Labor Day holiday.   

Earth Science - Mrs. DuRant

This week in Earth Science we will continue to discuss the States of Matter including Phase Changes.  We have an engaging lab planned where students will create a density column. We will also be observing demonstrations with the plasma ball. We will have a test on States of Matter/Phase Changes on Friday, September 6.  Our monthly writing assignment, Science in Comics, is due September 2nd.

Ancient Civ -  Mr. O’Hayer

We will begin Ch. 2 next week: Early Farmers and City Dwellers. Lesson 1- Producing Food- will reveal how the first crops were developed and how farming changed the way people lived. We will have a Quiz on Lesson 1 on Wednesday. We will continue through Lesson 2 and 3 and have our first major Test the week of the 7th (day TBA).

Spanish - Mr. Alexander

This week we will be learning the conjugations of the regular -ar, -er, -ir verbs in Spanish.  We will also be reviewing the days of the week, the months, and some weather conditions. We will begin making flash cards in order to prepare for our first cumulative test, which will be the following week.