November 8th - November 12th

 

DECEMBER LUNCH REGISTRATION - OPEN

Registration for DECEMBER lunches is open from November 1 to November 14. You can log in to your parent portal to sign up! 

 

VETERANS DAY

We would like to honor the veterans of our Hancock families by sharing their information on our message boards, throughout the school, during Veterans Day. If there are veterans in your family, please COMPLETE THIS FORM by Tuesday, November 9 (one form per veteran). You may also submit a picture to Madison Mannarino in the middle school office - mmannarino@hancockdayschool.org. 

 

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.    

 

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 - DEPOSIT DUE DECEMBER 3rd

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.

 

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.

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, November 8: Volunteers Needed

Tuesday, November 9: Volunteers Needed

Wednesday, November 10: Volunteers Needed

Thursday, November 11: Volunteers Needed

Friday, November 12: Volunteers Needed

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

Break learning into chunks

Chunking, or breaking down difficult or large pieces of text into smaller pieces, has been proven to help students identify key words and phrases, paraphrase, and understand the text in their own words. By breaking down a large piece of text into more manageable pieces, students are able to better understand and comprehend the material. The video below from Sprouts does a great job at explaining the concept of chunking. https://blog.edmentum.com/5-brain-based-learning-strategies-boost-learning-retention-and-focus

Chunking: Learning Technique for Better Memory (Video)

School is in full swing and the holidays are approaching!  While this is a great time of year, it can also add extra stress to the lives of families and students.  Structure and routine continue to be the best ways to manage anxiety.  However, you need to have extra tricks in your toolbox to keep stress at bay.  Here are some tips:

10 Ways to Help Your MIddle or High Schooler Manage Stress

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

Contacting many people at once on chrome using Groups is really easy. Create a new tab and then go to the ‘waffle’ in the top right corner. Scroll down until you see the Groups icon and click on it. In the top left corner there is a button that says “Create Group.” Click this to make a new group. A pop-up will appear that will allow you to enter the group’s name and a short description. When you have done this, click “Next.” This will bring you to the group’s privacy settings. Here, you will be able to control who is able to post chats, see chats, ect. The next and final page is where you add your group members and write a welcome message to them. When you have finished, click “Create Group,” and you’re done! This group will now be under the “My groups” tab in the Groups app.

By: Mollie Dugas

ALGEBRA 1- MRS. TAYLOR

Monday, we will begin Chapter 5. They have completed Part A of their college projects. Students are finding jobs to help pay for college and setting up linear equations for their earned income. They are quickly understanding just how expensive higher education could become and how a high school job will help but still leave them borrowing money. Part A covers colleges of choice. Part B answers questions about a job. Part C, the final part of the project, students will create a linear equation based on a small gift of money to start and hourly wages for two years. This will be done from a graphing website. It has opened up their eyes to the costs parents might endure for them beyond high school.  This project is done completely in class and done purely as project based learning designed to offer math with a real life perspective.

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will begin the 2nd part of Chapter 11 by learning how to solve equations that have variables under the radical (11.3).  We may also begin using the Pythagorean Theorem to find the lengths of sides in right triangles (11.4).

GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Geometry, we will begin Chapter 5, which continues our in-depth study of triangles.  We will learn about the Midsegment Theorem (5.1) and the Perpendicular Bisector Theorem and its converse (5.2).  We will also start learning about the various types of special segments within triangles.  We will start with perpendicular bisectors and the circumcenter (5.2) as well as angle bisectors and the incenter (5.3).

ELA - MRS. BOYER 

  We will begin MacBeth which will follow us into January! Students will NOT be reading this alone! We will be listening to a dramatic reading in class on November 15th, 16th and 17th. (Dates subject to change as I am currently planning the awesomeness of this unit.) Shakespeare is not supposed to be read, but performed!!! This is going to be awesome!!! It is imperative that students follow along with their reading. During these reading days, students will have ‘Sparknotes’ themed homework where they will need to summarize the Acts/scenes they read in class.  Shakespeare is not difficult, but is perceived to be that way. However, students need annotate, ask questions, keep up with the characters, etc. 

Students will be receiving a workbook which will keep their thoughts organized and will be acting as the foundation of their T2 grade. 

Lastly, during the Exam Prep, we experimented with two types of NEW class discussion strategies: 1) Students asked questions on notecards, and we discussed in class. This elviated any issues where students were uncomfortable asking questions to the whole group. 2) We created an editable doc for each Block so that students could take notes on one cohesive doc that everyone in the class would have access to. All Blocks have access to each other’s notes, this way students have not one, but three note sheets that can refer back to. I hope to continue to use these strategies in the future. 

It is incredibly important that students understand that although Shakespeare is challenging, it is supposed to be FUN!! Most students will be reading Shakespeare next year in their 9th grade course. This 8th grade unit is designed to introduce students to Shakespeare with a SAFETY net. :) 

Assessment/Project Due Dates to Come! :) 

**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 Create-a-Book chemistry exam project was a great success!  Students chose one of our chemistry topics we have studied so far this year and created a storybook to help explain the information.  Examples of what students created included workbooks with facts and games, tour guide booklet explaining the periodic table, coloring books, mini-textbooks and Google slides with fictional stories.  This in-class project counted as the trimester one exam project grade.  (See below for a few examples.) Next week we will continue our chemistry unit learning about the main types of chemical reactions (synthesis, decomposition, replacement and combustion), as well as how to balance simple chemical equations.  Later in the month we will explore acids and bases.  There will be a quiz on all the new chemistry information on Wednesday, 12/1 for Blocks D and E OR on Thursday, 12/2 for Block F.  Our November Science in Comics is due by Tuesday, 11/30/21.  

Science Fair:

We will spend part of class on Monday 11/8 working on science fair projects, especially our formal report background research. This portion of the formal report is written in MLA format, in paragraphs using 3rd person.  The final copy of this research information is due Tuesday, 11/9/21 submitted to Google Classroom. We have also discussed the need to include DETAILS and MULTIPLE entries in their log book.  Our next log book check with ALL the data and observations from their science fair project experiment is due on Friday, 11/30/21.  This means students should have already started their experiment (or will do so in the next week or so), or are finishing constructing their prototype and/or testing it. 

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.   

NOW is the time to purchase the large triptych display board that will be used for the project if you haven’t already done so. 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 early December 2021 and will count for the following grades:  log book (quiz), formal report (test), triptych (2 tests) and class 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.  We have completed the causes leading up to the Civil War as well as the Civil War itself.  We will begin studying and learning about Reconstruction and Reform .  Next  week the students will be taking their T1 exams. We will be reviewing all material before .

SPANISH - MRS. SALE

Hello...We will start the semester off with a review of TENER and TENER EXPRESSIONS. This is a short week so there will be no quizzes or tests.  However, on Thursday we will have a short project.  It will involve a translation of a story.  I look forward to Parent Conferences….have a good week.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE 

This week the students will learn numbers 101-1000+.  We will also learn the ‘’family’’ vocabulary and the students will learn about the ‘’possessive adjectives’’.  There will be no tests or quizzes this week.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MS. CROCKER 

¡Buenos días! A short week with conferences! We will be learning possessive adjectives and ask each other about our families. The next quiz will be Monday, November 8th. 

ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. TAYLOR 

Monday, we will begin Chapter 5. They have completed Part A of their college projects. Students are finding jobs to help pay for college and setting up linear equations for their earned income. They are quickly understanding just how expensive higher education could become and how a high school job will help but still leave them borrowing money. Part A covers colleges of choice. Part B answers questions about a job. Part C, the final part of the project, students will create a linear equation based on a small gift of money to start and hourly wages for two years. This will be done from a graphing website. It has opened up their eyes to the costs parents might endure for them beyond high school.  This project is done completely in class and done purely as project based learning designed to offer math with a real life perspective.

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will begin Chapter 4 by learning about prime numbers and composite numbers (4.1) and how to find the prime factorization of any composite number (4.1).  We will also learn various ways to find the greatest common factor (GCF) of numbers and monomials (4.2), and we will learn how to create equivalent fractions (4.3).

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. 

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TELH Chapters 20-40 are due on 11/15/21. 

Upcoming  (before Winter Break): 

Second TELH Quiz

TELH TEST

TELH Service Learning Project 

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

This week, students will examine Stave I of A Christmas Carol. They will examine Scrooge and his major character traits, inferring different ways he came to be such a “curmudgeon.” Students will also review foreshadowing and look at how Dickens uses various literary devices to give readers a hint/clue that Scrooge is about to embark on an unsuspecting journey with multiple spectors. 

At the end of the week, they’ll dive deep into analyzing Dickens’ use of symbolism---what are the physical/literal and symbolic chains that bind Scrooge and his partner Marley and how did they allow themselves to become this way? We will then take this discussion and students will apply the idea of chains to their own lives/surroundings. 

Students will have a quiz over Stave I on Friday. 

Looking ahead:

A Chrsitmas Carol Vocab Test---Thursday 11/18

A Christmas Carol final test---Thursday 12/9

A Christmas Carol final project---Friday 12/17

For this unit’s final project, students will create an ugly sweater that depicts various symbols that represent a character of their choosing. We will go over this project in-depth as we get closer to finishing the novella, but please start being on the lookout for old SOLID colored sweaters that your child can use for this project. Comb through your closets, check out the local Goodwill, or order a cheap one on Amazon! Students will need their sweaters by Tuesday 12/7. :-)  

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

This week, students have completed their first trimester exam project in which students created board games based on their knowledge of the cell including cell theory, organelles, cellular transport, cellular respiration, and mitosis.This project provided a thorough review for students and they had the opportunity to play the games. This project will count as their exam grade. Next week, we will have a brief overview of Meiosis and I will be giving a study guide for their test on Mitosis which will be Thursday, November 11. We will then begin our unit on Genetics/Inherited Traits. Please remind your student to check the google classroom daily for assignments and study materials. 

US HISTORY - MR. GAUTHIER

US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER

ACCELERATED MATH - MRS. TAYOR

We will Chapter 5, integers. Students will get the chance to understand how negative and positive integers work by physically walking on number lines and using integer chips. Then, the rules will apply to integers based on the discovery of how integers work.

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will begin Chapter 4 by learning about prime numbers and composite numbers (4.1) and how to find the prime factorization of any composite number (4.1).  We will also learn various ways to find the greatest common factor (GCF) of numbers and monomials (4.2), and we will learn how to create equivalent fractions (4.3).

EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN

For our first trimester science exam project, the sixth graders researched and created individual Google Slide presentations for a specific severe weather topic such as blizzards, tornados, hurricanes, severe thunderstorms, sand storms, floods, droughts, or wildfires.  They then presented their information to the rest of the class explaining how and where their storm occurs, as well as the dangers and effect it can have on the community and described one detailed example of their storm.  Next week we will begin our study of energy discussing the different types of energy and renewable/ non-renewable energy sources.  There will also be a two day hands on energy lab focusing on chemical, thermal, light and electrical energy forms.  Later in the month we will have a guest speaker from The Southern Company and will begin a project on renewable/ non-renewable energy sources.  Our November Science in Comics is due by Tuesday, 11/30/21.

EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT

Last week, students completed their first trimester exam project researching severe weather. This project will count as an exam grade. Next week, we will wrap up our unit on Weather by analyzing weather maps and forecasts. 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 begin diving into their first novel study of the year: Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty. This is an adventurous, fantasy based novel that follows the life of a young girl named Serafina who secretly lives in the Biltmore Estate. When children begin to go missing from the Estate, Serafina works to solve the mystery! 

As we begin our novel study, students will spend Tuesday and Wednesday of this week building their background knowledge on the Biltmore Estate and the Gilded Age. They will complete a Biltmore scavenger hunt with partners and do a mini-research assignment on life during the Gilded Age.   

Important Dates: 

B/C Block: Ch 1-5 due Thursday 11/11 (QUIZ)

D Block: Ch 1-5 due Wednesday 11/10 (QUIZ)

B/C/D Block: Ch 1-15 VOCAB test 11/19 

REMINDER: In order to find success with novel studies in middle school ELA, it is essential that students keep up with the assigned reading, annotate their novels, and THOROUGHLY answer their guided questions. Students will be assigned a set number of chapters and have a week to complete the reading/questions. All of our in class lessons will center around the assigned reading and failure to keep up with the reading will have a drastic effect on their ability to complete in class assignments/projects. I expect students to pace themselves and be reading each night, come to class prepared to discuss our reading, and come see me if they have questions. 

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! I look forward to parent conferences this week. We will be learning how to ask each other about our families and using possessive adjectives. A quiz on possessive adjectives will be Monday, November 8th. 

​​

WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER 

ART - MRS. COOKSON

“What really matters is what you do with what you have.” - Shirley Lord

Sketchbook Prompt (carried over from last week due to exams):

8th: Draw what animals dream when they sleep.

7th:  Draw a photo from another country.

6th: Draw an advertisement for a product you would NOT like, but make it seem cool (i.e. toilet plunger).

Classwork Challenges:

8th: Will wrap up self-portraits and move into making a statement with PSAs.

7th: Will work on a cross-curricular project with ELA creating a social statement piece

6th: Will begin a unit on image analysis to gain an understanding of how to objectively look at art

ROBOTICS - MRS. SMOAK

Look at the projects that students have been working on in Robotics!