April 5th - April 9th

 

8TH GRADE IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Our Hancock Day School 8th grade graduation will take place on Thursday, May 27th! However, we will not be having a reception afterwards due to on-going COVID restrictions. Hancock has a tradition of running a slideshow with student pictures during the reception; we will, in turn, run this immediately following the graduation ceremony. We ask families to submit three to five pictures electronically to Mrs. Mannarino (mmannarino@hancockdayschool.org) by April 23rd. The pictures can be anything you choose. We also ask for parents to complete THIS FORM by April 23rd to ensure we have the most accurate information for our graduation programs and diplomas. Additional end of year dates and information can be found HERE. 

 

CAMPUS SAFETY REMINDERS

For the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and administrative team members, please remember to put your mask on if you are outside of your vehicle on campus for any reason. Additionally, parents are still not allowed inside the buildings unless they have a scheduled meeting. Thank you for your understanding and support!

 

CARPOOL REMINDERS

Early checkouts should continue to occur by 2:15pm due to our staggered dismissal times this year. Please submit all changes using our Daily Carpool Changes form.

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, April 5th: No School

Tuesday, April 6th: Matthew C. & Sterling R.

Wednesday, April 7th: Boots B. & Maggie A.

Thursday, April 8th: Bingham S. & Robert H.

Friday, April 9th: Will R. & Eli S.

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 #27: SELF REFLECTION.

It is important to take time to self reflect asking yourself questions like: 

• How did I do on that assignment/test?

• Did I use the correct study strategies on that assessment?

• Did I spend enough time studying on that assessment?

• Am I listening to the teacher when she/he is giving directions?

• How are my note-taking skills?

• Am I asking the teachers for help when I need it?

Self reflection is a key ingredient for progress. Celebrate your successes and identify your challenges.

As parents, we work hard to help our children develop into compassionate and empathic individuals.  These qualities lead to a desire to help others and meaningful social connections.  The most powerful way to teach these virtues are by modeling them as parents.  

7 Do's and Don'ts to Help Your Family Build Empathy Skills

Allison Maher 

amaher@hancockdayschool.org       

ALGEBRA - MRS. SMOAK

Next week is a very short week in which the students will work on the project that was introduced on Wednesday. They will research car cost, depreciation, loan payments, and graph the exponential decay of payments over the life of a loan. This project will be due Tuesday, April 13.

GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Geometry, we will only have one class, in which we will learn and play a fun math game!

ELA - MRS. BOYER

Students have received their Romeo & Juliet texts! Students received the NO FEAR Shakespeare Version of the text. This is an excellent resource, as it translates the Shakespearean language into modern language.   Students will act out scenes and receive discussion guides and PPT notes. It is imperative that students keep up with their reading, annotate, and participate in class discussions. 

Next Week is a SUPER FUN week of 8th grade activities! The Sonnet will be due on Tuesday, but other than that….PLEASE KEEP UP WITH YOUR READING!! THERE HAVE BEEN A SURPRISING NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO HAVE OPENLY SAID THAT THEY ARE NOT READING. Students received a study guide to work on! :)

Romeo & Juliet will bring us to the end of T3.Their exam will be the unit test for Romeo & Juliet, and an essay regarding the theme from all novels of the year. 

*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.*

THERE WILL NOT BE A READING LOG FOR T3….BUT… students may complete vocabulary unit exercises for Unit 10-15 for extra classwork grades. 

Yom HaShoah Projects were submitted to the JEA! Parents and students may visit them during the month of April! They will be on display in reverence for Holocaust Remembrance month. Winners will be announced on April 8th. Here is the zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88967041569

Students who attend for at least thirty-forty-five minutes (you must take a picture of yourself on Zoom, a picture of the time when you came into the zoom and a picture of the time when you left), and write one paragraph about the experience will receive an extra credit quiz grade. You can submit your materials in GC.  

HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH - MRS. SALE

Hola…..welcome back from Easter Break.  I hope everyone had a great time & had lots of fun and relaxation...we will start the week off with learning about the demonstrative adjectives.   Hope everyone has a good week with their 8th grade activities.Have fun….

PHYSICAL SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN

See below for photos of last week's sound lab.  Students tested the differences in pitch while tapping and blowing across glass bottles containing various amounts of water, compared different frequencies of tuning forks and made straw flutes.  One class even held an impromptu music session headed by Henry.  Students also created a mini-booklet, compiling all the information we have studied over the previous month on waves and sound including the parts and types of waves, wave interactions, frequency, pitch, sonic booms, echolocation, Doppler Effect and how we hear.  This in-class project led up to our Sound/ Wave unit test taken during today's class.

Next week the eighth graders are participating in the eighth grade activity week and will only have science one day.  During this class we will be dissecting a frog looking at both the external and internal anatomy.  When we resume classes the following week we will begin the Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum.

       

US HISTORY - MRS. HORTON

This week in US History we will continue learning about the events leading up to and surrounding World War I in Chapter 21. The students will also be enjoying their 8th grade activities this week.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE

Hola...and welcome back from Easter Break.  I sure hope everyone had a fun and a relaxing time.  We will begin the week with the work on the Direct Object Pronouns.  We will also work on ‘’questions’’ and answering them.  The end of the week, the students will watch a movie. I hope everyone has a great week.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MR. ALEXANDER

Hola...and welcome back from Easter Break.  I sure hope everyone had a fun and a relaxing time.  We will begin the week with the work on the Direct Object Pronouns.  We will also work on ‘’questions’’ and answering them.  The end of the week, the students will watch a movie. I hope everyone has a great week.

ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. SMOAK

Next week we will finish up exponential functions and start a project about the cost of cars including depreciation and exponential decay of principle in a loan. The project will be due Tuesday, April 13.

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue working on and finish the Playground Project, in which students design and create a scale drawing of their own playground!

ELA - MRS. BOYER

Students are currently working on their reading of Posted by John David Anderson. Students should be close to finishing their second section. 

This coming week we are going to be working on an essay regarding the main character of Frost and the poet from which he is named. 

I AM SO PROUD OF MY 7TH GRADERS, AS I HAD PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE FINISH THEIR READING THIS WEEK! WOOP WOOP!

The Reading Schedule/Discussion Question Schedule is posted on GC. 

pg 118-224 Due April 6th

pg 225-296 Due April 12th

pg 297-365 Due April 22nd

Discussion Questions Part 1 & 2 are due on 4/12 and Part 3 & 4 are due on 4/22. (Because students have to work on writing next week for homework, I would make sure that this week they take the time to work on discussion questions.)

Posted Test on 4/30

Students may read AHEAD! But please no spoilers!

Vocabulary: We are beginning Unit 11 with a quiz on April 19th. :) 

ELA - MRS. SASSER

Students did a great job on their locker projects. Their projects were insightful and incredibly creative!

This week, we will be looking at the figurative language used in Posted. Students will analyze different pieces of figurative language to unpack the meaning. We will examine a sample poem by Robert Frost (used in the novel), and make connections to our plot. At the end of the week, students will look at a poem at various Frost poems and use them to create a black out poem that relates to one or more characters. 

Students will have a quiz over their reading of pages 297-365  on Wednesday, 4/14. 

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, students will be studying and researching bacteria and viruses. They will begin an in-class project researching an assigned pathogen. They will also have a quiz on the anatomy of the frog on Wednesday. Students are reminded to check the google classroom daily for homework assignments and supplemental material. 

US HISTORY - MRS. HORTON

Students will continue learning  about the Creation of the Constitution.  Students will recite the Preamble for a quiz grade on 4/7.

US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER

This week in American History students will begin a New Unit: The New Republic. Our first chapter will evaluate how our new nation was launched. We will look at George Washinton’s drive to the White House and how the creation of Political Parties impacted the foundations of our Republic. We will have a test on Thursday April 8th.

ACCELERATED MATH - MR. CARGILE

Next week in Accelerated Math 7, we will continue Chapter 7, Equations, Inequalities, and Functions. This week we will learn to solve multiplication and division equations, and two-step equations.  

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue working on and finish the Playground Project, in which students design and create a scale drawing of their own playground!

EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN

The sixth grade has continued with their study of “ocean motion.”  Our focus this week included deep and surface currents, upwellings and El Nino.  The students turned in their Cereal Box “Under the Sea” project research notecards for their progress check.  They will need to take this information (along with a labeled picture/ drawing and fun game/ puzzle) and create, decorate and display it on an empty cereal box. (Students have a copy of the detailed rubric and it is also posted on Google Classroom.) This project will be completed at home and/or during the students study halls and is due on Wednesday, 4/7/21.  We also began our ocean unit study guide which is due the day of the Ocean Unit test on Friday, April 9th.  Next week we will finish discussing ocean waters including a look at water conservation and ocean pollution.

EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT

Students had an amazing time with their fossil dig this week using sediment provided by the Aurora Fossil Museum. They found bone fragments, many varieties of shark teeth, coral, shells, and more. They were very excited to share their findings with their families.  We will now begin our study of oceans by looking at the composition and characteristics of the ocean waters. Students will have a quiz on Wednesday on freshwater.

ELA - MRS. SASSER

This week, students will examine conflict in The Outsiders. They will discuss the various internal and external conflicts that occur and how it affects the overall plot. At the end of the week, students will work on using the major conflict that occurs in the book and create a Wanted poster for a particular character. 

They will have a quiz on chapters 3 and 4 on Wednesday 4/7.

Vocabulary: We will be completing vocabulary based around our novel study. Students will be given a list of vocabulary words for chapters 1-6 and have a vocabulary quiz on 4/9. 

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

¡Comida! Food!  This week we will begin learning about foods, meals, and health.  We will discuss the artwork of Bartolomé Murillo and how to modify a noun with another noun.

* Make sure to continue working on Duolingo and IXL everyday!

* IXL Unit 3 is due on April 30th

WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER 

This week in World History students begin our last Unit of the school year: Immigration, Industrialization and Urbanization in America, and Reform in Industrial America. We will begin with A Nation of Immigrants. We will discuss why people wanted to come to America and how these new immigrants helped shape our nation. Assessments TBA.

ART - MRS. COOKSON

“Listening to both sides of a story will convince you that there is more to a story than both sides.” - Frank Tyger

Sketchbook Prompt: Draw the outline of something without using lines. You have to just use the edge of a pencil to shade around where the object outline would be

8th: Most will not have any classes due to Special Events week

7th: Will revisit our unfinished Wet Felt projects from last year 

6th: Will complete a Tessellation challenge