October 25th - October 29th
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR BOYS AND GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS! CITY CHAMPIONS!!! Both of our XC teams were crowned champions for the season. Congratulations to the students and their coaches Ashley Glover and Marissa Steimle! VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS! Hancock is the number one seed in all three divisions (6th, 7th, and 8th) and will be hosting the volleyball championships on Monday. Congratulations to the girls on a fantastic season. Please come and pack the stands on Monday!!! See the athletic post for times. NEW TIME SCHEDULE! We would like to thank all of the parents and students who thoughtfully shared their concerns about the hectic nature of this year’s schedule. The issue centered on Mondays and Fridays. Beginning in the second trimester (Monday, November 8th) we are adjusting the schedule for those days. The new schedule will provide a longer break in the morning, 20 minutes for snack and a new 20 minute recess. The lunch/recess period will now ensure a full 20 minutes for both lunch and recess.
VOLLEYBALL BASH - SAVE THE DATE
HDS will celebrate our volleyball program by hosting the first annual Volleyball Bash on Wednesday the 27th, 6 pm in the Hancock gym. Come spend the evening celebrating all the amazing young ladies that have made our volleyball program so successful. The 5th and 6th grade teams will be split into two teams and play a game followed by 7th and 8th grade playing a game in the same format. To close the evening out we have a “Challenge” match pitting the 8th grade girls against the 8th grade boys. We will have pizza, drinks, and snacks for sale in the concession stand.
PICTURE MAKEUPS/RETAKES
InFocus will be at HDS on Thursday, October 28th for student picture makeups and retakes.
MIDDLE SCHOOL DANCE
The middle school will have their first dance of the school year on Friday, November 5th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm in Hancock Hall. The theme is “tailgating” -- students are encouraged to dress in sports team attire. There will be games (cornhole, ring toss, spike ball and 6 square), food (pizza, snacks) and a DJ with lots of good music!
GRANDPARENTS AND SPECIAL FRIENDS DAY
On Friday, November 19th, Hancock Day School will have our annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day. This is a PreK through 5th grade event. Middle school students will have a regular school day, unless they have family attending for a sibling participating in the event. November 19th is an ALL SCHOOL HALF DAY; middle school will be dismissed at 12:15.
WASHINGTON, D.C. TRIP COMING TOGETHER!
The details for the annual DC trip next March 7-10 are almost finalized. When they are complete we will host a virtual parent meeting to discuss the itinerary. Heads up - there will be a deposit of $300 due by Friday, December 3rd.
NOVEMBER LUNCH REGISTRATION
Registration for November lunches closed on October 15th.
HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS - THE PLACEMENT TEST
The high school admissions season is in full swing. We had a great high school fair last Wednesday where students got to meet with the high school admissions counselors from all of our receiving schools. I think the students learned a lot about the schools and the admissions counselors got to know your children on a more personal level.
After you apply, the next important step is the high school placement test. This test, along with grades, teacher recommendations, and the 8th grade ERB scores, is used by the guidance counselors at the high school to plan a four year path of courses for each student. Students need to come prepared to succeed on these tests. That would mean a good night’s sleep, rising promptly, eating a good breakfast, and arriving at the test site early. Here are dates that we are aware of at this point:
BC - November 13; December 4; January 29
SVA - November 13; January 29
SCDS - January 21; January 29
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 25: Jordan and Bay
Tuesday, October 26: Couper and Emmeline
Wednesday, October 27: Ela and Phoebe
Thursday, October 28: Alex and Heath
Friday, October 29: Ela and Jillian
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
How to Study for a Math Test (SOAR https://studyskills.com/students/how-to-study-for-a-math-test/)
Part 2
Step 1: Know your basic math facts! There are hundreds of math games on the internet to help you practice your facts. They are the foundation of math and will continue to hold you back if you cannot answer each of them (0-10) in a split second.
Step 2: View homework as a "study guide." Circle all problems that you do not know how to do and ask for help in class the next day. As you correct your homework in class, circle all problems you did wrong and take notes about how to do them correctly.
Step 3: Know your math vocabulary.
Step 4: Follow the "3-2-1" approach to study for your test:
· 3 days before your test, study the math vocabulary (as described above.) Also, do 10-15 practice problems; use the problems you originally got wrong on your homework.
· 2 days before your test, review the vocabulary quickly. Do another 10-15 practice problems; use the problems you originally got wrong on your homework.
· 1 day before your test, review those lovely vocabulary words and do one problem from each night’s homework.
Step 5: When you first receive the test, write down any formulas or definitions you had to memorize. This will immediately free up some brainpower for the rest of your test.
Step 6: Read the directions! Twice.
Step 7: Write neatly. Keep your numbers in the correct place value!
Step 8: When you are stuck, do as much as you can (you may get partial credit). Then, skip the problem and move on. Come back to it if you have time.
Step 9: After your test is graded, make sure you understand how to correct any mistakes you made. If you do not understand the material now, you will continue to have problems in following chapters.
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.
Please feel free to get in touch with me at amhaer@hancockdayschool.org if you have any questions or concerns.
As most of you know, your email can sometimes become very cluttered with old messages you have yet to delete. For most people, these emails are from Google Classroom. Luckily, there is an easy way to fix this. Go to your Google Classroom home page with all of your different classes. In the top right corner, there are three lines that, when clicked on, will pull up the “Main Menu.” Scroll down until you see the “Settings” option and that will bring you to Classroom Settings. Under the “Notifications” tab it will say “Receive email notifications.” Click the button to the right to turn it gray and Google Classroom will no longer send you email notifications.
By: Mollie Dugas
ALGEBRA 1- MRS. TAYLOR
We will be finishing up Chapter 4 and preparing for the test on 10/28. After that, we will begin reviewing for the exams using old assessments and working on the in-class college choice project.
ADVANCED ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will continue Chapter 11 by practicing rationalizing the denominator using conjugates. We will then begin our exam review. Students will be given a study guide next week on what topics to focus on for the exam.
GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 4 by having a quiz covering sections 4.1-4.5 on Monday, a day of review on Tuesday, and the Chapter 4 test on Thursday. Students will be given a study guide next week on what topics to focus on for the exam.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
Students have completed TKAM! Woop Woop! I am so very proud of them! :)
Students are working on their Mock Trial Project step by step. All students should be checking in daily with their teachers and their student coach. Students should follow the updates and homework in the Mock Trial Topic. The Mock Trial will be performed on 10/28. :)
T1 Exam will be over TKAM ONLY.
-Students should begin studying. I would reread/annotate the novel. Students may check their annotations with my teacher copy.
-Students should go back and complete the study guide questions for each chapter.
-Students should take the Sparknotes Section quizzes, as well as the Full Book Quiz.
-Students should PRACTICE writing One-Two paragraph responses. Sparknotes has some great practice questions, and I will also be posting some example essay questions.
-Students need to understand the themes, characters, and setting and how they interact and impact one another.
** 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
See below for photos of our wonderful HDS Periodic Table of the Elements. These are the first 37 elements found on the actual periodic table, but they are now designed and illustrated by the eighth grade students using information they researched during class. The students have also been learning about the three types of chemical bonds (ionic, covalent and metallic) and participated in an exo/ endothermic lab. (Photos of the lab will be next week.) Next week will be another hands-on chemical reaction lab leading up to our Chemistry unit test over atomic theory, atoms, periodic table and chemical bonding. This test will be either on Wednesday, 10/27 (for Blocks D and E) OR Thursday, 10/28 (for Block F). Finally, our October Science in Comics is due by Friday, 10/29/21.
Science Fair:
This week students had their fourth log book check and turned in a rough draft of their background research information. The final copy of this research information is due Tuesday, November 9th. Students should be starting to set up their formal report and most are beginning their experimentation. Remember that the data and results (or the built and tested prototype) for your project are due at the end of November. 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.
There are no remaining science fair homework assignments for this Trimester.
The first science fair homework assignment for the second Trimester will be the final draft of the research/ background information. This is due on Tuesday, 11/9/21.
Now will also be a good time to purchase the large triptych display board that will be used for the project. This board must be cardboard and 36” tall X 48” wide. These triptych boards can usually be found at stores like Walmart, Target, Micheals, etc. or on-line. Anyone having trouble locating and/or purchasing this board should let me know as soon as possible.
All remaining due dates 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 firstDecember 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 topic for speech #3 is “Who inspires you?” This emotional speech will be due on 11/11. In the meantime we will continue to learn about and examine the causes leading up to the US Civil War. A take home project of creating a Civil War timeline will be sent home for the weekend and will be due on Monday.
Students will be embarking on their final TKAM project, a MOCK TRIAL, which will also be a cross-curricular project with History. Students will receive their rubric in ELA and have a detailed explanation of the foundation in History.
SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hello...I hope everyone is doing well. THe students will receive instructions on yet another project. They will have two days to work on their project in class. The project will be due November 2nd. The week will be wrapped up with review games. Keep in mind this is a short week. I hope everyone is well. Have a great week.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE
This week the students will receive information on the verb estar. Midweek, the students will receive their study guide for the final. Remember, I am available for extra help in the mornings beginning at 7:45 a.m. Hope everyone has a nice week.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MS. CROCKER
¡Buenos días! On Monday of this week, student’s will be working on their “Mi Familia” conversation script project (Due Thursday). They can put family photos on our “ofrenda” in the classroom for Día de Muertos! We will also be reviewing cognates and Spanish pronunciation. They will receive an exam study guide on Monday. I am encouraging the kids to come see me at tutorial for extra help or in the mornings at 7:45!
ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. TAYLOR
We will be finishing up Chapter 4 and preparing for the test on 10/28. After that, we will begin reviewing for the exams using old assessments and working on the in-class college choice project.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 3 by having a day of review on Monday and the Chapter 3 test on Wednesday. We will then begin our exam review. Students will be given a study guide next week on what topics to focus on for the exam.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
This week we are continuing our dive into TELH! Students are doing well with their reading! As we continue into the future, please challenge your students to always ask WHY and HOW! It is critically important that students rise to the occasion and push themselves to think creatively and analytically.
Students have begun their Exam Journal. Students will be responsible for working on this in class and at home. The rubric has been developed BY your children, so they should understand it like the back of their hand. :)
TELH Chapters 10-20 are due on 10/25/21.
TELH Quiz 10/28 on Chapters 1-20
Strategies for Home:
-Students should be reviewing for a few minutes each night. Students should ask for parent/guardian help as a study buddy!
-Students should also annotate the rubric for projects and activities.
-Students should have a calendar of ‘chunking’ due dates for projects and studying.
-Students should be coming in from 7:35-8:15 am to review/ask questions/take more time on their homework.
**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 working on their exam project on Monday and Tuesday. I have extended the due date and all projects are due at the beginning of class Thursday 10/28.
In order to help the students feel more invested in their ELA units, I gave them the opportunity to choose our next novel study. Students chose to read Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol. I was so impressed with their willingness to take on this challenge! Because the language in this novel can be cumbersome, we will complete the bulk of the reading in class. Students will be asked to keep up with their guided reading questions and can expect one quiz a week over each stave (chapter).
I am available every morning and during tutorial if students would like to review the reading or ask questions. Because I make sure to be consistently available for the students, I expect them to walk into our class discussions and quizzes prepared and ready. I am here to assist the kids with their overall comprehension of the novel and expect them to reach out if they have questions.
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, students will begin their first trimester exam project. This will be an engaging, in-class project. Students will be making board games based on their knowledge of the cell including cell theory, organelles, cellular transport, cellular respiration, and mitosis. This is always a favorite project for students and they enjoy having the opportunity to play the games they developed during exam week. It provides a thorough review for students. This project will count as their exam grade. We will have a quiz on Mitosis on Monday, October 25 and a test on Mitosis on Thursday, October 28. Please remind your student to check the google classroom daily for assignments and study materials.
US HISTORY - MR. GAUTHIER
We are learning about the causes of The American Revolution and how life in colonial America is connected to those causes. The students continue to be taxed, we will be dong classroom activity “The Kings M&M’s”. We will be reviewing for the trimester exam and previewing life in the US after the Revolution.
US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week we continue our study of the13 colonies by diving into how the colonies developed their governments and how England influenced how the colonies established rules and laws. Students will also complete their project: Building a Colony. We will have a test on Wednesday the 27th.
ACCELERATED MATH - MRS. TAYOR
We will begin reviewing for the final Chapter 4 test before exams which will be Tuesday 10/26. Kids will get a short preview of integers before reviewing for exams the following week.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 3 by having a day of review on Monday and the Chapter 3 test on Thursday. We will then begin our exam review. Students will be given a study guide next week on what topics to focus on for the exam.
EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
Do you need to know about our weather? Just ask one of our sixth grade weather forecasters. This week each group chose a location in the United States and created and filmed a weather newscast. We had films about a day in California, New York, Georgia, Texas and Alabama. This student-written production included information on temperature, humidity, precipitation and cloud/ sun coverage, a weather map with appropriate weather symbols, a spotlight on an example of something related to our weather such as the winds or UV index and additional weather props. The in-class filming project counted as both a classwork and test grade and allowed the students to work on using the information we have learned in class over the past month to create a fun and engaging product showcasing Meteorology.
During next week, students will research severe weather as they focus on storms. They will create an individual Google Slide presentation explaining how and where their storm occurs, as well as the dangers and effect it can have on the community. Students will also present their project to the class. Our October Science in Comics is due on or before Friday, 10/29.
EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
Next week, students will begin their first trimester exam project. This will be an in-class project researching severe weather systems. This will count as an exam grade. They will present their projects to the class during exam week. Students will have a quiz on Monday, October 25 on weather vocabulary. Please remind your student to check the google classroom daily for assignments and study material which has been posted for daily review.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
This week, students will be working on their final project for our suspense/short story unit: The Monster Project! This is a yearly favorite among my sixth graders and always stretches kids’ imaginations and creativity.
This will count as their T1 exam so it is imperative that students take their time and pay great attention to detail.
We went over the rubric and expectations on Thursday; rubrics are also posted to Google Classroom. As with any writing assignment, students are welcome to drop off their writing for full feedback edits anytime between Monday and Wednesday of this week.
Any papers dropped off any Wednesday will not be edited, as final projects are due FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29th.
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
¡Buenos días! This week we are practicing family vocabulary and possessive adjectives. A “Mi Familia” video project was assigned last Friday, and is due on WEDNESDAY. The students will be receiving an exam study guide later in the week.
WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in World History students will continue their analysis of Greek life. Students will be introduced to Alexander the Great and his influence on the Ancient World. Students will also finish their “Teach the Lesson” projects.We will have an assessment on Wednesday and Thursday. Looking ahead: the following week brings the Trimester to a close which means it’s Exam Time!!! We will begin reviewing for exams beginning November 2nd and 3rd. The Exam covers everything we have studied the first Trimester.
ART - MRS. COOKSON
“If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery. It wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” - Michelangelo
Sketchbook Prompt:
8th: Create a work of art that says something about the environment.
7th: Draw an object with a distinctive shape that is tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
6th: Draw two objects side by side but change their scale. For example, you might have a giant ant next to a tiny teacup.
Classwork Challenges:
8th: Will continue to express identity through self-portrait.
7th: Will continue with clay work and cross-curricular ELA work (with one group).
6th: Will finish up drawing in 1-point perspective.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION - MRS. MELVILLE
This month we have been covering Flag Football by playing different games that focus on the key concepts of the game as well as learning the rules of play. There will be a quiz this coming week over Flag Football rules and all resources can be found on Google Classroom. Please make sure that everyone has accepted the invitation to the class via email and are a part of the class.
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