February 8th - February 12th
REMINDER
Friday, February 12th is a half day (white gate dismissal will be at 12:15pm) and there will not be school for students on Monday, February 15th or Tuesday, February 16th. Enjoy the long weekend!
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.
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.
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 8th: Leighton and Lyla
Tuesday, February 9th: Julia and Helen
Wednesday, February 10th: Amelia and Mary Margaret
Thursday, February 11th: Carter and Coles
Friday, February 12th: Thomas and Henry
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 #20: MEET WITH MRS. GUGGENHEIM IF YOU NEED HELP WITH TIME MANAGEMENT, ORGANIZATION, OR STUDY SKILLS. Together we can.
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 finished up inequalities and absolute value. I have been very impressed lately with the work ethic and the students’ ownership of their own learning. Next week we will go back to graphing beginning with graphing linear inequalities (6.7) and then move into graphing system of equations (7.1) and then solving systems of equations by substitution (7.2) and then by elimination (7.3). The project for the trimester will be assigned on February 10.
GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Geometry, we will continue Chapter 9 by practicing matrix operations (9.2), performing reflections and rotations in the coordinate plane (9.3-9.4), composing multiple transformations (9.5), identifying symmetry (9.6), and performing dilations (9.7).
ELA - MRS. BOYER
We are reading Night by Elie Wiesel. Students are now at Part III, page 47-65. 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.
This week, 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.**
Students will receive a large packet which will include everything they need to succeed: a detailed list of due dates, previous student examples, detail oriented instructions, brainstorming exercises, etc. 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.*
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 the verbs SABER & CONOCER both of which mean ‘’to know’’. We will work on these Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, I will introduce Indirect Object Pronouns. Thursday, we will work with saber and conocer & the IOPs. A quiz will be given on Friday over the week’s material. I hope everyone has a nice week.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
Congratulations to the seven 8th grade students who made the highest scores in our recent HDS school science fair! These students are: Jamison Beck, Laney Berman, Phoebe Lynch, Lane Middleton, Madeline Oldfield, Ailish Racicot and Liza Swan. More information is included above in the top portion of our Middle School Blog.
What an Egg-Cellent RACE! (See all the photos below.) This week students finished building their poster board race cars using only poster board and tape for the body, and wooden dowels, straws and lids they brought from home for the wheels. Each group was also able to add pre-approved material to use as safety features on their vehicle to protect their raw egg “passenger.” First they calculated speed, acceleration and momentum of their cars and then observed the results of hitting (and hopefully surviving) a barrier. Winners were also determined for the fastest, lightest and safest cars. Our fastest cars were built by the teams of Duncan and Vladimir for P4, Louisa, Eleanor and Annalee for P5 and Stella, Madeline and Sage for P6. Our lightest cars were built by Lane, Liza and Emily for P4, Henry Jack and Thomas for P5 and Marcos and Kate for P6. Our cars with the most momentum were built by Duncan and Vladimir for P4, Louisa, Eleanor and Annalee for P5 and Stella, Madeline and Sage for P6. Our safest cars were built by Lula and Laney for P4, Louisa, Eleanor and Annalee for P5, but we were unable to determine the safest car for P6 as they all survived our “ramp and barrier at the bottom” test, but all crashed terribly in our “ramp off a cliff” test. We concluded our week with a unit test on Force and Motion and started a preview of Newton’s Laws of Motion.
Next week in science we will continue learning about Sir Issac Newton and his three laws of motion. Students will work during our science class next week conducting research to use to create an individual student project explaining this information. Students will choose between the following formats: Google Slides, trading cards, creating a short film/ video, designing a poster board or informational booklet. This project will count as a test grade and will be due toward the end of next week. Students will also participate in a gallery walk next Friday to see their classmates projects. Our last quiz for the trimester will be on Friday, 2/19 over Newton’s Laws. Our February Science in Comics is due Friday, 2/26.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government II, we will wrap up our unit on The Gilded Age & Progressive Era. Students will receive a study guide for the test on Thursday, February 18th.
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...this week the seventh graders will present their reports. Thursday, we will review stem changing verbs. Friday, the students will take a quiz over the material of stem changing verbs. I hope everyone has a nice week.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER
Hola...this week the seventh graders will present their reports. Thursday, we will review stem changing verbs. Friday, the students will take a quiz over the material of stem changing verbs. I hope everyone has a nice week.
ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. SMOAK
This week we finished up inequalities and absolute value. I have been very impressed lately with the work ethic and the students’ ownership of their own learning. Next week we will go back to graphing beginning with graphing linear inequalities (6.7) and then move into graphing system of equations (7.1) and then solving systems of equations by substitution (7.2) and then by elimination (7.3). The project for the trimester will be assigned on February 10.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will conclude our trimester project, then begin Chapter 7 by learning how to convert percents and fractions and decimals (7.1, 7.3). We will also learn how to solve percent problems using proportions (7.2) and using the percent equation (7.4).
ELA - MRS. BOYER
We have finished Act I and are now moving on to Act II. Students will have an Act I quiz on 2/9. Students have had three days in class to read aloud and discuss the guided reading questions. However, 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. These guided reading questions, class discussions, etc. will be a wonderful tool for their exam preparation.
Students will receive an exam study guide in the coming weeks.
This unit will bring us to Spring Break. :)
Vocabulary: We are in the middle of Unit 8, and there will be a quiz on 2/12.
Attention!! The T2 Reading Log is OPTIONAL; however, there is an option for up to three extra credit assignments on GC. DUE 2/12.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students will continue reading Anne Frank this week, working on Act II.
Students will have guided questions to complete for each Act. They will have their final test of the play 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.
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
This week in Life Science, we have been learning about the digestive system through a series of labs where students made clay models, measured the length of the digestive system, and simulated how the digestive system works. Pictures are below. Next week, we will begin our second trimester activity which will be a culminating activity following our study of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. Students will research prosthetics, construct a prosthetic hand, and explore various careers related to these organ systems, as well as discuss 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.
US HISTORY - MRS. ROBINSON
Next week in American History & Government we will wrap up our unit on Revolution & Reform. Students will receive their study guide for the unit test on Thursday, February 18th.
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 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 conclude our trimester project, then begin Chapter 7 by learning how to convert percents and fractions and decimals (7.1, 7.3). We will also learn how to solve percent problems using proportions (7.2) and using the percent equation (7.4).
EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
After our quick visit with rocks and minerals the 6th graders are focusing this week on earthquakes to begin learning information needed for our end of the trimester project. We have watched some cool real-world earthquake videos and monitored earthquakes around the world with an on-line digital tracker. We have also discussed the three types of seismic waves (primary, secondary and surface), different types of faults (normal, reverse and strike-slip), how earthquakes are measured using the Richter and Moment Magnitude scales, as well as the damage earthquakes can cause. We finished our week creating a simulation of the Richter scale and how earthquake-proof walls are made. (See photos next week.)
Next week we will finish up earthquakes and discuss how they can cause tsunamis. Then we will turn our focus to volcanoes. We will learn about different types of volcanoes, their general parts and how volcanoes are formed, including information on hot spots and the Ring of Fire. We will also watch 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. We will have an OPEN NOTE quiz on both earthquakes and volcanoes on Friday, 2/12/21. Our February Science in Comic is due on the last day of the semester, Friday, 2/26/21.
EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
This week in Earth Science, students learned about the relationship between plate tectonics and earthquakes. They explored earthquake preparation, hazards, and safety. They also created models of structures to see which would be the most earthquake resistant. Pics are below. Next week, students will begin their study of volcanoes to prepare them for their end of trimester project on volcanoes.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
Students will have their last literature circle meeting this week. It has been such a joy to watch them chat and unpack this novel!
Their final quiz over the reading will be on Wednesday, 2/10.
Students were supposed to start writing their first formal essay based on their novel this week. However, in the interest of helping them ease into this new process and not overwhelm them right before exams, I have moved the essay to AFTER exams.
This week, students will prep for their novel test. They will be given a paragraph response topic on Wednesday, have the period to plan, and be able to use their outline on the test on Thursday, 2/11. Please check over their outlines! The stronger their outline, the more confident they will be going into the test.
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
After our review quiz on ‘Regular present tense’ verbs on Monday we will introduce the irregular verb ‘tener’ (which means ‘to have’) and it’s conjugations. We will dedicate this week to practicing with this important verb and do some activities to solidify our knowledge.
We will have a quiz on Thursday covering ‘tener’ and it’s uses; and on Friday we will do some review activities covering what we have learned thus far.
*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
“The teacher is the one who makes two ideas grow where only one grew before.” - Elbert Hubbard
Sketchbook Prompt: Do a drawing of an object you have or have nearby, but make it look like its melting.
8th: Will get a demo on making clay slabs and will start ideation for Sgraffito
7th: Will continue with music posters and graphic design
6th: Will bring all of the parts together with image analysis and “Faces of Innocence”
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