February 15th - February 19th
8TH GRADE CLASS TRIP
We have arranged for the 8th grade class 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 (@HDSExcellenceFund) or check (made out to Hancock Day School). A $200 deposit was due by February 12th and the final payment of $475 is due by March 31st.
REMINDER
There is no school for students on Monday, February 15th or Tuesday, February 16th.
MASKS + WATER BOTTLES
Just a reminder that each student should come to school with:
A mask on their face
A spare mask in their bookbag
A water bottle that can be refilled at our water bottle stations
We have been happily providing these during the school day in emergencies, but we have started noticing a pattern. We have certain students coming in for a new mask or water cup frequently. We want to prevent unnecessary waste so the nurse will start emailing parents when we notice repeat visitors.
MARCH LUNCH SIGN UP IS OPEN
The deadline to sign up for March lunches will be Friday, February 19th.
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.
ANNOUNCING OUR 2020-21 HDS SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR WINNERS
Over the past two weeks, eight current and retired science teachers from our area have been judging student science fair projects for the Hancock Day School science fair. The experience these judges brought to our competition was exceptional and we truly appreciate all the time they volunteered to assist with our school science fair. Due to COVID restrictions and the absence of our usual on-site event, each of the judges was sent multiple photos of the student’s project triptych board, their completed formal project report and the official abstract form summarizing each project. Each project was judged in triplicate and the scores tallied.
The names of our seven students with winning projects that will advance to the Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RSEF) are listed below. This RSEF will be coordinated and sponsored by Savannah State University (SSU), but this year it will also be a virtual event. Each of the advancing students has made a 5-10 minute video using their triptych to explain their project, including all hypothesis, procedures, data, analysis and conclusions. These short videos have been sent, along with their formal science project reports, abstract, triptych photos and other official participation forms, to SSU. The actual remote event will be on Saturday, February 13, 2021. We should know after this judging how our HDS students placed in the regional competition. We wish all of them good luck!
Jamison Beck Liza Swan Madeline Oldfield
Laney Berman Lane Middleton Phoebe Lynch
Ailish Racicot
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 15th: No School
Tuesday, February 16th: No School
Wednesday, February 17th: Katherine and Lyla
Thursday, February 18th: Maggie and Boots
Friday, February 19th: Kate and Charlotte
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 #21: SLEEP WELL.
A rested brain is one that is ready for learning, studying, and success.
February is a great time to highlight compassion with your student! Here is a quick activity that you can do with your student to bring joy to others:
Send a Virtual Valentine's to a Child at St. Jude Hospital
Allison Maher
amaher@hancockdayschool.org
ALGEBRA - MRS. SMOAK
This week we discussed systems of linear equations and two ways to solve them. We have one more method, solving by elimination, to discuss that we will cover next week. The students started their Trimester 2 final project yesterday in which they will choose a scenario from their lives to research, write a system of equations about, and solve using the 3 methods we have learned. Below are the checkpoints along the way to help students pace themselves throughout the process. They will have nearly 2 weeks to complete the project in class.
Friday 2/12: Problem Solving Framework Completed.
Wednesday 2/17: Research and data collection completed.
Friday 2/19: Equations written with variables and explained in words.
Tuesday 2/23: System of Equations solved and conclusions made.
Thursday-Friday 2/25-26: Presentation of process, equations, and conclusions that you came to.
GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 9 by having a day of review on Thursday and the chapter test on Friday. On Wednesday, students will have the class period to work on their trimester projects, so it is recommended that they have pictures saved on their Google Drive to insert into a Google Doc. They can also add definitions and/or create computer drawings of the objects.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
We are reading Night by Elie Wiesel. Students are now reading Part IV & V which will bring them to the end of this novel. This is a very intense, solemn, heart-breaking novel about Wiesel’s time during the Holocaust. Students have received guided reading questions, which have been discussed in class; these will serve as valuable study guides for their T2 exam.
Exam: The 8th grade T2 exam will ONLY be on Night. Students will need to use their PPT Notes, their discussion questions & class notes, their novel annotations (students are more than welcome to come and compare their annotations to mine), etc. This will be like a Unit Test but in exam form. Students WILL be receiving a study guide.
Students have received their Yom HaShoah project packets. 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.**
Dear Parents,
During the next two months your child will be completing their Yom HaShoah Contest Project. This project is a large part of each student’s overall grade for the third trimester and failure to complete it may result in a failing grade in English Literature.
Besides weekly homework grades as outlined in the dates below, there will be four additional grades accessed for the project based on each individual part required. These are the submission brainstorm, the contest submission piece, formal report/class presentation, and the Reflection Journal. Each of these will count for the following grade: formal report= project grade, the contest submission piece= test, reflection questions=homework, and the presentation= classwork grade.
Supplies needed for this project will include a composition book, report cover, and any specific art materials needed to complete your child’s experiment. Students needing any assistance with these materials should see Mrs. Boyer. (Students may use their ELA composition books, just please start from the back.)
There will be multiple days in class for working on these assignments; however, the majority of the work for the contest submission piece should be completed at home. Students are also encouraged to come in and work on their projects during morning tutorial times.
Please sign the cover sheet of the form to acknowledge the receipt of information of the project and its importance in your child’s ELA class. This form is due by Wednesday, February 10th. If you have any questions about the project, please do not hesitate to email me at oboyer@hancockdayschool.org. I will be glad to offer any assistance I can to ensure your child is successful in their project.
Yom HoShoah Due Dates
This project will be 100% individually created from the student’s mind. Your child will be asked to choose their own topic and create an art or writing piece that portrays that topic. Not only will each student’s work be entered into the JEA’s Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) Contest, but they will also be creating a formal report on their project...much like the Science Fair Project. This should be very familiar to them. Students will receive many days in class/homework afternoons to work on this throughout T3.
We will begin Unit 8 Vocabulary with a quiz on 2/19.
*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.*
NO READING LOG T3.
HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hola….this is a short week. On Wednesday, the students will begin to review for their exam. Chapters 4-6 will be reviewed first. Vocabulary, weather, the verb ir, stem changing verbs, ordinal numbers, ser/estar, saber/conocer, clothes. On Thurday, the students will take a quiz that will incude the verbs saber/conocer and clothing vocabulary. In addition to the quiz, the students will begin reviewing chapters 2-3. The chapters include -ar, -er, -ir verbs, gustar, IOP’s, numbers 0-100, family vocabulary and possessive adjectives & forming questions. Friday, we will play BINGO and review for the test. Please, keep in mind 8th grade exams are right around the corner. :)
PHYSICAL SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
Sir Issac Newton is known for his three Laws of Motion, but he also was an inventor of several things including the reflecting telescope and a form of high-level math called calculus. To help understand his laws and more about this extraordinary man, students worked during science class this week conducting research and creating an individual student project. They chose between the following formats: Google Slides, trading cards, creating a short film/ video, designing a poster board or making an informational booklet. Then we had a gallery walk looking at and critiquing each other's project. The Newton’s Law project counted as a test grade. Next week we will finish up Newton’s Law of Motion with a lab racing balloon and our last quiz for the trimester will be on Friday, 2/19. We will then finish out our trimester with a week of hands-on lab, including constructing and testing straw rockets and the always fun and educational Egg Drop lab. Our end of the trimester exam was our science fair triptych grade, so students will not have an exam for science during regular exam time, but our February Science in Comics will be due on the last day of the trimester, Friday, 2/26.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government II, when students return on Wednesday we will review for their unit test on Thursday.
Students will also be given time to work on 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...it will be a short week. On Wednesday, the students will begin review for the exam. Starting off with chapters 1-2. The chapters include ser, subject pronouns, basic conversation, telling time, numbers 0-29, classroom vocabulary, -ar verbs, gustar, iop’s and forming questions/question words. We will end the week with playing a review game. Please keep in mind that the final exams are right around the corner. :)
ADVANCED SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER
Hola...it will be a short week. On Wednesday, the students will begin review for the exam. Starting off with chapters 1-2. The chapters include ser, subject pronouns, basic conversation, telling time, numbers 0-29, classroom vocabulary, -ar verbs, gustar, iop’s and forming questions/question words. We will end the week with playing a review game. Please keep in mind that the final exams are right around the corner. :)
ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. SMOAK
This week we discussed systems of linear equations and two ways to solve them. We have one more method, solving by elimination, to discuss that we will cover next week. The students started their Trimester 2 final project yesterday in which they will choose a scenario from their lives to research, write a system of equations about, and solve using the 3 methods we have learned. Below are the checkpoints along the way to help students pace themselves throughout the process. They will have nearly 2 weeks to complete the project in class.
Friday 2/12: Problem Solving Framework Completed.
Wednesday 2/17: Research and data collection completed.
Friday 2/19: Equations written with variables and explained in words.
Tuesday 2/23: System of Equations solved and conclusions made.
Thursday-Friday 2/25-26: Presentation of process, equations, and conclusions that you came to.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 7 by learning how to calculate the percent of change (7.5) and seeing some real-world applications of percent problems (7.6). There will be a quiz covering sections 7.1-7.4 on Thursday.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
We are now reading Act II. There will be an Anne Frank Test on 2/18. This week we will continue reading aloud pieces and discussing with their Guided Reading Questions. These guided reading questions, class discussions, etc. will be a wonderful tool for their exam preparation. Please advise your children to study for a few minutes each night, as well as have someone study with them. This is not just about memorizing, but also about applying their learning to critical thinking response questions.
Students will receive an exam study guide in the coming weeks.
This unit will bring us to Spring Break. :)
Vocabulary: We will begin Unit 9 with a Quiz on March 4th. There will be a Unit 7-9 Test on March 11th.
NO Reading Log in T3...BUT...there is an extra credit opportunity...to enter the Yom HaShoah Art & Writing Contest sponsored by Jewish Education Alliance (JEA) off of Abercorn in Savannah, Ga. Contact Mrs. Boyer for more information if you are interested. I will give you an extra project grade.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students will turn in their Holocaust Diary Projects on Wednesday 2/24. This was assigned Wednesday last week and the students have had ample time in class to work and get feedback on their writing. Please remind them their diary must be bound in some way. The more creative, the better!
They will have their final test of the Anne Frank on Thursday 2/18.
Students will not have vocabulary for the next two weeks. They will resume with their vocabulary workbooks after exams.
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.
LIFE SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
Next week in Life Science, we will complete our second trimester activity which is a culminating activity following our study of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. Students have been researching prosthetics, constructed a prosthetic hand model and tested the functionality of the hand, and explored various careers related to these organ systems, as well as discussed the benefits of prosthetics to humans and animals. The purpose of this assignment is to understand the interrelationship between the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems and explore careers that involve those systems. On Friday, we will begin the respiratory system.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government, when students return on Wednesday we will review for their unit test on Thursday. We will then begin to prepare for their T2 Exam.
US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in American History we will finish our study of the American Revolution. Our focus will be on the factors involved in how the colonies won their independence and the challenges they faced as they formed the new nation. Students will also continue to work on their research projects on their Founding Father. Our Unit test is Friday the 12th.
ACCELERATED MATH - MR. CARGILE
Next week in Accelerated Math 7 we will continue our study of Chapter 6, Integers. Students will practice operations with integers and will begin, and complete, work on our T2 project.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 7 by learning how to calculate the percent of change (7.5) and seeing some real-world applications of percent problems (7.6). There will be a quiz covering sections 7.1-7.4 on Thursday.
EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
See the photos below of students during last week's lab creating a simulation of the Richter scale and experimenting with how earthquake-proof walls are made. This week we have finished up information about earthquakes and discussed how they can cause tsunamis. We also began learning about volcanoes. This includes the different types of volcanoes, their general parts and how volcanoes are formed, as well as discussing hot spots and the Ring of Fire. We also watched several video clips of actual footage of the inside of an extinct volcano and several examples of erupting volcanoes and the damage they can cause. The OPEN NOTE quiz for earthquakes and volcanoes has been moved from Friday 2/12 to Wednesday, 2/17. This will be a timed quiz for only one half of our class period on Wednesday, so students need to have studied and prepared for the quiz to only use their notes for clarification and minimal assistance. If they are looking up every answer in their notes they will not complete the quiz.
During the second half of our day next Wednesday, 2/17, we will begin our end of the trimester exam project. The topic is earthquakes and volcanoes and the majority of the work will be completed during class. For this project students will complete a mapping activity, answer questions on a handout and also research information on a specific volcanic eruption to create a poster. They will present these posters on Wednesday, 2/24. Our February Science in Comic is due on the last day of the semester, Friday, 2/26/21.
EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
Next week in Earth Science, students will begin their 2nd trimester exam activity. We have been studying volcanoes and this week students created a simulation of a volcano and learned how land is formed as a result of lava flows. Their exam activity will be centered around identifying the locations of volcanoes and earthquakes around the world. They will also research a famous volcano and present their findings to the class in addition to other activities. This will be an in-class project.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students will spend this week working on their Body Biography Exam Project for Refugee. Because this is an exam grade, they may NOT work on this at home. We will go over the project on Wednesday, and they will have all of class 2/18, 2/19, 2/22, 2/23, 2/24. Final projects are due at the END of the class period on 2/24.
They will need to follow their rubric carefully and work diligently in class. I am, as always, available every morning to offer help/assistance if needed!
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 to work with tener, ser, and estar. We are learning to describe people and the differences of when to use these important, common, and irregular verbs. We will have quiz at the end of the week.
*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 America to discover how the Enlightenment impacted colonial thinkers and their desire for independence. We will be introduced to great thinkers/Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and James Madison. 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 12. Students 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
“Education is a social process...Education is growth...Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” - John Dewey
No Monday or Tuesday classes due to holiday.
Sketchbook Prompt: Draw yourself in a mirror but DO NOT look at the paper while you do it.
8th: Will make clay slabs and cut tile
7th: Will finish up with music posters
6th: Will finalize writing the “Faces of Innocence” analysis
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