October 4th - October 8th

  

 

COVID SAFETY REMINDERS

Students should be sent to school each day with:

• a clean, appropriately fitted mask

• an extra mask in their bookbag

• a water bottle with their name on it

 

NOVEMBER LUNCH REGISTRATION

Registration for November Lunches are now open until October 15th

To Register: 

1. After logging into Family Portal, click Student Information.

2. Click Lunch. The Lunch calendar displays. 

3. Click Create Web Order to create a lunch order for the student. The Lunch Order Form displays, listing each student in the family. 

4. Click the student name for which you wish to place an order. The Lunch Order Form expands listing each day that an order may be placed. A blank day denotes a school holiday or 1/2 day. 

5. Click the date to place an order. The Lunch Item list expands. 

6. Type quantity for the student in the Quantity column. The Total column displays the cost.

7. Repeat for all dates and all students. The Grand Total is listed at the bottom.

8. Click Submit Order. The charges will now display for the student on their Family Portal portal to be paid on the Financial screen. Lunch will not be provided unless paid in full for the month.

 

CARPOOL CHANGES

As a reminder, our carpool change form can now be found on your parent portal - it is no longer available on our school website. Additionally, all early checkouts should be done by 2:15. Thank you.

 

​​ASSESSMENTS AND PROJECTS CALENDAR

Parents and students now have an easy way to look at upcoming assessments and projects.  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.

NEW ON CAMPUS COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY!  

Good environmental practices begin locally.  We are looking for student volunteers to give up some time each week during their Enrichment period to green up our campus.  Each week Mr. Crawford will coordinate projects that will enhance the beauty and functionality of our campus environment.  Students who wish to volunteer should email Mr. Crawford at hcrawford@hancockdayschool.org.

HERB RIVER BEND CROSSWALK SCHEDULE

Reminder: duty hours are 7:45 - 8:10.  ½ hour of community service credit each day.  Students should keep a log of their hours on the community service form. If you are interested, see Mrs. Mannarino in the middle school office to sign up!

Monday, October 4: Caroline W. and Lena T.

Tuesday, October 5:  Stewart D. and Jackson R.

Wednesday, October 6:  Alex M. and Andrew W.

Thursday, October 7:  Ethan K. and Henry P.

Friday, October 8:  Katharine L. and Couper H.

As Learning Coach, I will be working with students, parents, and teachers to offer support and strategies throughout the year. Please reach out to me if I can be of any assistance to you and your child/ren. I will share ideas and strategies often in this space. My email is: tguggenheim@hancockdayschool.org. I look forward to working with you as the year progresses. Tricia Guggenheim

• When studying, don’t just look over your notes. Rewrite them, talk about the concepts with someone, act them out, create a song with the information....involve yourself with the material. When you look over your notes, you see the answers. It makes it difficult to know what you know and, more importantly, what you don’t know.

We are well into the start of the school year and most likely your student is learning to juggle academic work with other responsibilities.  Test anxiety can be common as students adjust to new teachers and expectations.  Typically, there is a decrease in these feelings as relationships are built with teachers and students become familiar with the testing format of a class.  However, there are other strategies that parents can teach their children to help ease symptoms.  

Tips for Beating Test Anxiety

Please feel free to get in touch with me at amhaer@hancockdayschool.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Email is an important way that many of us communicate with our peers and teachers, but the typical background is a bit boring to look at all the time. Luckily, changing it is easy. When you open your email, there will be a collection of icons in the top right corner of the page. The one in the center will have a pop-up at says ‘Settings’ when you hover your cursor over it. 

If you click this icon, a drop page titled ‘Quick Settings’ will appear. 

Here, the text can be changed for the emails, along with which one you see, ranked on preference or importance. You can also switch the layout to get the emails on the right or left side. 

To change your gmail background, scroll down until you see the ‘Theme’ section and then click ‘View all.’ Here, there are many backgrounds to choose from. Select the background that suits you and click the blue ‘Save’ button. And you’re done! 

By: Carter Herman and Mollie Dugas

ALGEBRA 1- MRS. TAYLOR

Chapter 3 test will be on October 7th. Please encourage students to practice Chapter 3 extra worksheets and IXL, all posted in Google Classroom. Chapter 4 will begin before testing on Chapter 3 and it covers the graphing linear equations, slope (rate of change), slope intercept form, x and y intercept, direct and indirect variation. There will be at least one quiz and in-class project before the final chapter 4 test. We will move a little slow during this unit to ensure a solid understanding of this important content.

 

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete Chapter 10 by practicing using the discriminant to determine the number and type of solutions to a quadratic equation (10.7).  We will have a day of review on Wednesday and the Chapter 10.4-10.7 test on Thursday.  We will then begin Chapter 11 by learning how to graph square root functions (11.1).

GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 3 by proving statements about perpendicular lines (3.6), having a day of review on Tuesday, and the Chapter 3 test on Thursday.  We will then begin Chapter 4 by learning about triangles and some of their properties (4.1).

ELA - MRS. BOYER 

Students are almost half way into To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and they are smashing it! I am so impressed! Chapters 12-15 are due on 10/5. Chapters 16-21 are due on 10/13 and 10/14-we will be reviewing both days.

This week we will be diving into an essay!! First in-class essay of the school year!! This will be due on October 15th by the end of the day. :) Students will have one week in class, and one week out of class. 

Students should expect to be reading 30-80 pages a week, along with completing their chapter response questions. With Chapter Response Questions, I do usually give them a lot, but I only expect them to really get through 15-20. However, I want them to have as many as possible for a study guide for assessments. 

We will be completing a heavy review of the historical background for the first few classes. I cannot stress enough how imperative it is for students to keep up with their work. As we continue into the year, I will be in my room by 7:30 am if students would like a time to read before school. :) 

TKAM Quiz 10/8 Chapters 1-15

TKAM Quiz 10/22 End of Novel; a focus on Chapters 22-31

T1 Exam will be over TKAM ONLY.

** POP Quizzes will occur throughout this novel study. **

**As students continue into their 8th grade year, it is imperative that they keep up with their reading, annotate their novels, and come in for extra help. The foundation of this class is heavily based on discussion and the sharing of ideas; students will need to participate to be able to engage with the material in a productive manner.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN

Our eighth graders have learned more about atoms including ions, isotopes and radioactive decay.  They worked with pennies on a half-life activity (see photos below) and discussed the many uses of radioactive elements.  They also started their study of the periodic table and how it is organized including the four main pieces of information it contains (atomic number, atomic mass, element name and element symbol).   Their first task was to organize a “Hypothetical  Periodic Table” (see photos below) looking at various patterns it could contain.  They also used the periodic table to locate common elements and discovered what elements are found in our cereal and bodies during a fun activity called Metal for Breakfast. (See photos next week.)  Our September Science in Comics was due this week and another one is due Friday, 10/29/21.  This is a monthly assignment and students may complete up to two extra Science in Comics per trimester  for additional homework grades.  Next week we will continue looking at the characteristics and trends of the Periodic Table as they appear in the various rows (periods) and columns (groups/families).  This will lead us up to our next quiz on Friday 10/8/21 over atomic theory, atoms and the periodic table. 

Science Fair: 

This week students turned in a finalized purpose, question and hypothesis for their projects.  They may begin their project experimentation IF they have had their materials and procedures approved AND turned in their Risk Assessment Form (if applicable).  All students needing to borrow lab equipment for their projects need to check with me for availability and sign out these materials for use at home.  If your project requires materials/ supplies that must remain at the school, please arrange with me an afternoon or weekend time for us to work together on your project.  

Remaining science fair homework assignments:

• Tuesday, 10/5-- log book check w/ research notes  

• Tuesday, 10/19--a google doc submitted onto Google Classroom with a rough draft of their background research information 

• Tuesday 10/19, a fourth log book check with updates/ revisions on their projects 

All remaining due dates will fall on a Tuesday for all classes and can be found in the students printed packet, posted in Google Classroom, and listed in the project section of the assessment calendar.  

Reminder:  Final Science Fair Projects are due in the first part of December 2021 and will count for the following grades:  log book (quiz), formal report (test), triptych (2 tests) and presentation (classwork).  I am available for any questions students may have each morning (7:30 am until 8 am) and several afternoons per week.  Students may also come see me during our end-of-the day tutorial and/ or email me questions.

 

US HISTORY - MR. GAUTHIER

The second speech ,which is defending, opposing or adding a Constitutional Amendment is due on Oct 14!  In the meantime we will be learning about and examining the causes leading up to the US Civil War.  The speech will be counted as a project grade and a test on the Civil War causes, vocabulary, Constitution principles and river flow charts will follow the week after.

SPANISH - MRS. SALE

Hello...we will begin the week with a test review.  It will cover ser, estar, -ar verbs & gustar/IOP’s.  Mid week the students will play a review game for the test.  On October 7th, the students will take their 3rd test.  On Friday, the students will review adjectives and family vocabulary.  Have a great week.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE 

This week the students will continue working on ‘’forming a question’’.  On Tuesday they will take a quiz on FORMING QUESTIONS.  They will also fill in their study guide for Friday’s test.  Mid week the students will play a review game.  I hope everyone has a great week. The test will include -ar verbs, gustar/IOP and forming questions

ADVANCED SPANISH - MS. CROCKER 

¡Buenos días! Wow! These Spanish-speaking country presentations were so fun! We had tres leches cake, quesillo, jarritos and more (see below)! This week in Spanish, it is all about school and activities vocabulary and grammar! We have a QUIZ on Monday on Vocabulary Lists #4 and #5, and a TEST on Friday on List #4 (including masculine and feminine gender of nouns) and vocabulary list #5 (including present tense of tener and gustar). Students should study their flashcards and grammar notes at least 15 minutes a night! Our vocabulary volume is starting to increase.

ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. TAYLOR 

Chapter 3 test will be on October 7th. Please encourage students to practice Chapter 3 extra worksheets and IXL, all posted in Google Classroom. Chapter 4 will begin before testing on Chapter 3 and it covers the graphing linear equations, slope (rate of change), slope intercept form, x and y intercept, direct and indirect variation. There will be at least one quiz and in-class project before the final chapter 4 test. We will move a little slow during this unit to ensure a solid understanding of this important content.

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will begin Chapter 3 by learning how to solve two-step equations (3.1) and multi-step equations (3.2).  We will have our second Math Facts Quiz on Thursday (B Block) or Wednesday (E Block).

ELA - MRS. BOYER 

This week we will be working on our FINAL Hobbit Project! This project is worth a TEST grade! This is a writing and art based assignment. :) 

We are still really working on writing, the importance, the format, how to answer questions in a solid manner while also putting in our creative spin, etc! It has been a journey, but I hope that you and your child are seeing improvement! :)

Upcoming!

Students will begin reading The Exact Location of Home by Kate Messner on 10/14. This novel will be accompanied by a journaling project which will act as their Exam Project. This will be a quick read, but we will dive deep into the idea of connecting research to our writing, relating to the characters and theme, discovering our empathy for the outside world, etc. 

**As students continue into their 7th grade year, it is imperative that they keep up with their reading, annotate their novels, and come in for extra help. The foundation of this class is heavily based on student reading and the sharing of ideas; students will need to participate to be able to engage with the material in a productive manner. All class activities are based on the reading completed prior to class time. **

ELA - MRS. SASSER

Students will finish up their essay on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone this week and review for their novel test. 

The only homework students should have is to finish any sections of the essay they don’t complete during class time. Again, students can come in any morning to go over their writing if they wish. Final essays will be due on Friday, 10/18.

Students will have a test over the entire novel on Thursday, October 14th. They should be using their guided questions, the notes we have taken as a class, and the various resource materials on Google Classroom to help them study. As a reminder, students find success on assessments when they prepare and study over a prolonged period of time, so they should be reviewing nightly for 10-15 minutes leading up to the test. As always, I am available every morning if students would like to come in and chat/review.  

It is imperative that students keep up with their reading. They will be unable to complete our class discussions and activities without completing the reading. All reading assignments and homework are posted on my classroom board and on Google Classroom daily. Students should check Google Classroom every single day. All reading should be ANNOTATED. 

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, we will continue our unit on Cells. The Cell Model projects are due Monday, October 4. Students are always excited to present their projects and I’m looking forward to seeing them express their creativity and knowledge of the cell organelles through these projects. Students have a copy of the instructions and rubric, and an additional copy has been placed in the GC. They will have a quiz on Cell Organelles on Thursday, October 7. During the week, we will also begin to study Cellular Transport and students will make a Cellular Transport booklet as an in-class project. They will also participate in an Osmosis Lab and will work on writing a lab report.  Please remind your student to check the GC daily for assignments and study materials. 

US HISTORY - MR. GAUTHIER

We will continue to “Think like a Historian”  Successful quizzes on sources and reliability!  Next week we look at who came to America first and what brought them here.

US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER

Next week we continue our examination of the events that led up to and the creation of the 13 Colonies. Our focus will move from the New England Colonies to the Middle and Southern Colonies. We will have a test on Friday the 8th. Also, our next project will be introduced. Students will work in small groups to create a “New” colony. This wil be an in-class activity.

ACCELERATED MATH - MRS. TAYOR

We finished up Chapter 3 successfully. Students have a clear understanding of how data can be represented in different ways and how to interpret data based on these different representations. The next unit will begin Monday, October 4th. This unit will cover prime factorization, GCF, LCM, equivalent fractions, comparing and ordering fractions, mixed numbers and improper fractions, and converting fractions into decimals.

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will begin Chapter 3 by learning how to solve two-step equations (3.1) and multi-step equations (3.2).  We will have our second Math Facts Quiz on Thursday.

EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN

The sixth graders have been learning all about our atmosphere including its layers, composition, and both local and global winds.  They also completed an outdoor weather scavenger hunt and used microscopes to view the  air particle collectors they made last week.  These  simple collectors were placed around the middle school building including Hancock Hall, teachers classrooms, by water fountains and lockers, and outside on trees, the basketball goal and gate to Herb River. (See below for photos.)  Our September Science in Comics was due this week and there will be one due on Friday, 10/29/21.  This is a monthly assignment and students may complete up to two extra Science in Comics per trimester for additional homework grades.  Next week we will continue our weather information by discussing air pressure and clouds.  This will lead up to our weather quiz on Friday, 10/8/21 that will cover all this material.  We will then finish up weather reviewing the water cycle and learning about clouds.  Our unit test on Weather will be Friday, 10/15/21. 

EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT

This week in Earth Science we will wrap up our unit on Earth’s atmosphere with an indepth look at air currents and air quality. Students will research causes of air pollution. We will conclude the week with an engaging lab in which the students will simulate acid precipitation and the effects of acid precipitation on the environment. We will also collect our air particle collectors that were made last week and use the microscopes to view our results. Our unit test on Earth’s Atmosphere will be on Friday, October 15. We will review for the test when we return from Fall Break. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for assignments and review materials. 

ELA - MRS. SASSER

This week, students will begin examining suspense, mood, tone, and foreshadowing. We will read the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” and students will have a quiz over their notes and the story on the following dates: 

B/C Block: Thursday 10/7

D Block: Wednesday 10/6

After reading the story, students will use their knowledge of suspense/mood/tone to create a Public Service Announcement warning the public about the dangers of the monkey’s paw. 

As with every project, I provide detailed checklists and ample time in class for students to work on their projects. Students should follow the rubric carefully and ask questions throughout their class time if they need help or support. As always, I am available every morning if students ever need to come in early for help. 

All projects will be due Friday, 10/15. 

All reading assignments and homework are posted on my classroom board and on Google Classroom daily. Students should check Google Classroom every single day. 

Students MUST follow my writing formula for all formal writing assignments and should follow the MLA formatting guidelines I gave them. The students have a handout on how to do this and we have practiced together multiple times. Any paper not formatted correctly or color-coded will not be accepted. 

INTRO SPANISH - MS. CROCKER

Hello Parents! Last week, we presented on Mexican culture and the presentations were so impressive! (see below) We had pan dulce and pinguinos outside during “intermission” of the presentations. This week, the vocabulary is all about school and what we have to do! There is a quiz on Monday on vocabulary List #3 (school vocab/gender of nouns), and a test on Friday on List #3 and #4 (school activities/”tener que” conjugation). Students should be reviewing every night, as vocabulary volume is starting to increase!

WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER 

Next week in World History students will begin their study and analysis of Greek Philosophy. Over the next two chapters students will look at the impact of famous Greek thinkers like Socrates, Aristotle, and Plato. Important Update: Moving forward the pace in World History will begin to pick up substantially. We have spent the first few weeks of the year learning how to take notes, how to study and evaluate history, and overall how to adjust to the rigors of middle school. Now, we will begin covering 2 chapters a week for most Units so it is imperative that students review notes and read their books on a regular basis. We will have a test on Friday, October 8th, over chapters 8 and 9.

ART - MRS. COOKSON

“You can spend your whole life looking over your shoulder, or you can spend your life looking ahead.” - Pleasant Rowland

Sketchbook Prompt:

8th: Lie on the floor, draw what is at eye level.

7th: Draw an object when looking through a tube or a microscope.

6th: Take 2 unrelated objects and create a mixed image of this new object. (Like scissors and a bird.)

Classwork Challenges:

8th: Got exciting news about an on campus group project and so took a pause from Architecture to formulate ideas. We will spend this upcoming week finalizing art proposals for presentation to the administration and then move back into Architecture.

7th: Will create a new species of animal created from the blending of two unrelated animals and represent it in a Surrealist drawing.

6th: Will continue to work collaboratively on Imaginary Worlds.