February 1st - February 5th
***Click image for instructions on how to participate***
BASKETBALL - IT IS TIME FOR SPAL MADNESS!
Our basketball teams are completing a VERY successful season and are looking forward to bringing home some banners! At this moment, playoff games are scheduled for Thursday, February 4th. The semifinals are Monday, February 8th. Championship games are scheduled for Thursday, February 11th. Please plan on watching our Eagles become champions!! Students should follow their Google Classrooms closely. Homework for the 4th and the 8th will be light and be assigned ahead of time. There will be NO HOMEWORK on Thursday, February 11th. To accommodate this shift, some classes might have assessments on Monday, February 8th. Mr. Crawford will offer a study hall on Thursday, 2/4, and Monday, 2/8, from 3:30 - 4:30 to accommodate students completing any assignments. The only activity will be quiet, individual study! No need to sign up, just come to Mr. Crawford’s office at 3:30.
T2 EXAMS
T2 exams are scheduled for Thursday, February 25th and Friday, February 26th. Please note this is a slight change from our 2020-2021 one-page calendar.
8TH GRADE CLASS TRIP
Throughout the fall we have been working with our tour company to organize the annual 8th grade trip to Washington DC. Due to the pandemic our efforts have been unsuccessful. The major venues are still not open and are not taking any reservations for the immediate future. Therefore, we have no other choice than to cancel the trip. However, we have arranged for the 8th grade to travel to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina. NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) in the Nantahala Gorge is a 500-acre outdoor, adventure paradise! Our trip will depart on Tuesday, April 6th, early in the morning. We will return on Friday, April 9th in the afternoon. The cost of the trip is $675. This will be due in two payments via Venmo or check. A $200 deposit by February 12th and the final payment of $475 by March 31st. Additional details will follow.
ASSESSMENTS CALENDAR
We have created a great way for students and parents to check for 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.
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.
COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY!
We have had great success at securing volunteers to escort HRB PK - 2nd grade students during morning carpool! Because of this, we will limit one day a week per student for now. Reminder: duty hours are 7:45 - 8:10. ½ hour of community service credit each day. Please keep track of the weather and dress appropriately. Students should keep a log of their hours on the community service form. If you are interested, email Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Mannarino.
WALKERS FOR NEXT WEEK
Monday, February 1st: Madison B. & Mary Margaret B.
Tuesday, February 2nd: Lyla W. & Julia S.
Wednesday, February 3rd: Adair S. & Catherine Anne W.
Thursday, February 4th: Ella O. & Harper W.
Friday, February 5th: Cullen D. & Wells H.
This year in the LC Corner, I will be offering tips and strategies to support your work at school and at home. Please reach out to me anytime you need assistance or have any questions. tguggenheim@hancockdayschool.org
TIP #19: MAKE YOUR OWN STUDY GUIDE.
Start by organizing your notes
Practice essay questions
Make a vocabulary section
Handwrite it – don’t type it
Make it fit your learning style
Middle school is a time during which children face increased academic and social challenges. As a parent of a middle school student, I know it can be tough figuring out how to support your child during these years. Here’s a great article with some ideas on how parents can help!
15 Challenges Middle School Kids Face and How to Help
Allison Maher
amaher@hancockdayschool.org
ALGEBRA - MRS. SMOAK
This week we discussed both absolute value equations and inequalities. We are now putting them together (6.6). There will be a test on chapter 6 on Wednesday 2/3.
GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 8 by having a day of review on Monday and the Chapter 8 test on Tuesday. We will begin chapter 9 by learning about vectors (9.1) and beginning to learn about matrices and their properties (9.2). We will also introduce the trimester summative assessment so that students can begin working on it at home over the next few weeks.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
We have started Night by Elie Wiesel. Students are now reading part two, page 23-46. This is a very intense, solemn, heart-breaking novel about Wiesel’s time during the Holocaust.
This week we will be watching The Wave, a 1980’s film about one teacher’s controversial teaching of the Holocaust to answer this question: How did the Holocaust happen? I highly recommend watching this with your child. It is phenomenal, and I will post the link in GC. :) We will spend one day viewing the film and one day discussing the film.
This novel is only 115 pages long; however, we will be splitting it into five sections. There will be multiple activities, class discussions, projects and writing assignments that will accompany this novel. During the week of the 8th, students will begin a large project, almost like the Science Fair project. For this, we will be partnering with the Jewish Education Alliance of Savannah as all students will be entered into the 2021 Holocaust Remembrance Art & Writing Contest. **This will be a MAJOR project and will be the foundation for their T3 grades.**
This novel holds a special place in my heart, and I hope your children love it as much as I do. We will be discussing some uncomfortable topics, but I am committed to creating a safe space where we can unpack and respect each other as we read and interact with the materials.
There will be a Unit 7 Vocabulary quiz on February 5th.
*It is critically important that all 8th graders stick with the timelines I give them for reading and projects. Also, if students are spending more than 25-35 minutes on ELA homework, please send them to me in the morning. Students in the 8th grade really need to pay attention to their time management skills before moving forward to 9th grade.*
Attention!! The T2 Reading Log is OPTIONAL; however, there is an option for up to three extra credit assignments on GC. DUE ON FEB 12th.
HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hola….this week we will start off with new vocabulary...clothing! We will work all week on the new vocabulary. The students will learn the vocabulary thru worksheets, BINGO/learning game and a quiz on Friday.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
Our eighth graders have almost concluded learning about force, friction and gravity. Photos of their friction lab from last Friday are below. In this lab they observed and calculated the values of static and kinetic friction and factors that affected this amount, including adding weight or changing the surface involved.
This week students used this knowledge of force, friction and gravity, along with the information we studied earlier in the trimester on motion, speed and acceleration, and applied it to car crashes. They learned about car design and safety, including how car manufacturers design vehicles for optimum safety in both head-on and side collisions. They also used the Engineering Process to work in groups and design and create an “Egg-cellent” race car with it’s raw egg “passenger.” Next week we will test these student-created vehicles by calculating speed, acceleration and momentum and determining the results of hitting (and hopefully surviving) a barrier. We are looking for winners of the fastest and safest cars. We will also have our Force and Motion Unit Test on Thursday, 2/4/21. The upcoming topic for the following week is Newton’s Laws of Motion. This will include an individual student project, which will count as a test grade.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government II, students will present their, in class, projects on the U.S. Presidents known for their progressive thoughts, Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson. We will continue to explore the many changes that took shape in the U.S. during the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Students have also been given their Exam Activity Assignment. It is a group activity. Students will be given class time on Fridays, up until Exam Week, to work on activity. However, students will need to spend home time working on it also. All exam activities are due the Wednesday before exams - February 24th.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hola...this week the seventh graders will be working on a project. The students will complete a report over a specific Spanish speaking country.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER
Hola...this week the seventh graders will be working on a project. The students will complete a report over a specific Spanish speaking country.
ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. SMOAK
This week we discussed both absolute value equations and inequalities. We are now putting them together (6.6). There will be a test on chapter 6 on Wednesday 2/3.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 6 by having a day of review on Monday and a quiz on sections 6.7-6.8 on Tuesday. We will then begin the trimester summative assessment on Wednesday and continue working on that through the rest of the week.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
Students have begun their journey into World War II, the reign of Hitler, and the story of a young girl, Anne Frank.
Students will begin reading the theatrical version of The Diary of Anne Frank; they have been given their texts and Act I is due on February 3rd. There will be an Act 1 Quiz the following week.
This unit will bring us to Spring Break. :)
Vocabulary: We will begin Unit 8, and there will be a quiz the following week.
Attention!! The T2 Reading Log is OPTIONAL; however, there is an option for up to three extra credit assignments on GC.
Students are working on groups to discuss five photos from the Faces of Innocence Project.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students did an amazing job on their WWII/Holocaust remeberance projects last week!
This week we will be diving into Anne Frank. We will read the majority of it in class, as this is a dramatic version of the story. Students will act out different parts and we will unpack key scenes by drawing on their prior knowledge of the war to analyze how this historical moment impacted the characters and their actions.
Students will have guided questions to complete for each Act. They will have a quiz over Act I on Friday 2/5 .
Students will be working on Unit 8 in their Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary books.They will have a vocabulary test on Thursday 2/5
A reminder about any and all projects in ELA: projects in my class are designed to help students think critically and not just memorize information. Rather, I want them learning how to apply what they’ve learned. They are given detailed rubrics with checklists and a breakdown of my expectations. They should consult their rubric regularly while working on their project. The bulk of ELA projects are completed in class; they are given ample time and multiple class periods where they are strictly working on their project. Therefore, if students use their time wisely, they should have only minimal parts to complete at home.
Please check out the 7th graders mask projects from Lord of the Flies. They did a fantastic job! Plastering their faces was so much fun and Mrs. Cookson helped the students tremendously with color-theory and planning the layout of their masks.
LIFE SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
Next week in Life Science, we will continue with our study of the digestive system. We have 2 labs planned. The first involves learning the anatomy of the digestive system through the anatomy in clay method. The second is a lab designed to help students understand the functions of the organs of the digestive system. A test on the digestive system is planned for Friday.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government students will present their research projects comparing the American Revolution to another revolution in history. The remaining part of the week will be spent looking at how the Industrial Revolution changed the way of life in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in American History we will dive deeper into the American Revolution. We will examine causes and impacts of important battles and how the war widens to affect all Americans. Finally, we will see how America won its independence and the lasting impacts of that victory for both America and Britain. We will have a Section quiz on ⅔ and the chapter test on the 5th.
ACCELERATED MATH - MR. CARGILE
Next week in Accelerated Math 7 we will begin our study of Chapter 6, Integers. Students will work on a number line with positive and negative numbers, they will order integers, and they will start adding these signed numbers.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 6 by having a day of review on Monday and a quiz on sections 6.7-6.8 on Tuesday. We will then begin the trimester summative assessment on Wednesday and continue working on that through the rest of the week.
EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
This week the sixth graders are finishing up a short study on rocks and minerals. They learned about the different characteristics and properties of minerals such as hardness, streak, luster, cleavage/ fracture and magnetism. The students then determined how to observe and test these properties during a mineral identification lab. (See photos below.) We also learned about the three main types of rocks, how they are formed and the basic components of the rock cycle. Students took their knowledge of rocks and minerals and created a tri-fold brochure during an in-class project activity. We finished our week with a short quiz on rocks/ minerals and students participated in a lab analyzing sand samples from around the world. (See photos of our sand lab next week.)
Beginning next week we will continue learning about Geology with information on earthquakes. This will include how earthquakes form, are measured and the damage they can cause. Students will also create a simulation of the Richter scale and how earthquake-proof walls are made.
EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
Next week in Earth Science, we will continue our study of earthquakes. Students will learn the relationship between plate tectonics and earthquakes. They will explore earthquake preparation, hazards, and safety while working on creating a structure that would be earthquake resistant. They will also explore seismographs and how they provide us information on earthquakes. Students will also use earthquake tracking websites to track current activity around the world.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students did an amazing job on their setting map projects. Please check out some of the fantastic work below!
Students will have their fourth literature circle group meeting on Tuesday. When they come to class, they will need to have their role sheet completed and all guided questions for the assigned reading. They will be meeting every Tuesday, so it is imperative they follow the reading schedule.
At the start of this week, students will finish up their point of view assignment. This is a written piece and should be proofread carefully!
On Wednesday, students will begin gathering ideas for their Refugee final essay. They will learn about introductions, thesis statements, outlining, and pulling textual evidence. This will be their first formal essay and it will count as a test grade. As always, students should be getting their writing reviewed regularly. They are always welcome to meet with me one on one before school to have their writing proofread.
Writing is a difficult process, but I provide students with all of the scaffolding they need to be successful. It is imperative that students follow the rubric, use their outline, and adhere to my writing rules.
Students will NOT have vocabulary this week.
Reading Reminder: As with any novel study, students will have guided questions to complete for each section. These should be answered in complete, thorough sentences, as it will serve as their study guide for their quizzes and final test. It is essential that students keep up with the assigned reading if they want to be successful on our in class assignments.
All reading assignments are posted on my classroom board and on Google Classroom daily. Students should check Google Classroom every single day.
A reminder about any and all projects in ELA: projects in my class are designed to help students think critically and not just memorize information. Rather, I want them learning how to apply what they’ve learned. They are given detailed rubrics with checklists and a breakdown of my expectations. They should consult their rubric regularly while working on their project. The bulk of ELA projects are completed in class; they are given ample time and multiple class periods where they are strictly working on their project. Therefore, if students use their time wisely, they should have only minimal parts to complete at home.
INTRO SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER
This week we will continue or practice with prepositions. After our prepositions quiz on Tuesday, we will begin a review of ‘Regular present tense’ verbs. We will make sure that everyone is comfortable with this concept before we begin introducing more ‘Irregular’ verbs. We will have a short quiz on Monday covering the ‘Regular verbs’ conjugations. *Be sure to check Google Classroom for updates, announcements, supplemental materials and assignments (especially if you miss a day). *IXL unit 2 should be completed by February 14. * Make sure to continue working on Duolingo and IXL everyday!
WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in World History we will journey to France to discover how the Enlightenment impacted that country. We will be introduced to great thinners like Montesquieu and Voltaire. Students will examine the impacts of “New Thinking” and Reasoning and how these ideas would eventually make their way across the Atlantic to the emerging colonies of America. We will have our Chapter 5 and 6 assessment on February 5th. SStudents will also continue researching and developing their biographies on their Great Enlightenment Thinker. Important Reminder: Plagiarism is defined as “the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.” When researching and writing students must use their own words.
ART - MRS. COOKSON
“Character is much easier kept than recovered.” - Thomas Paine
Sketchbook Prompt: Draw a mysterious doorway.
8th: Will begin working on choice subject in Pointillism
7th: Will have an introduction to graphic design and begin work on poster design
6th: Will continue with image analysis and “Faces of Innocence”
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