January 17th - January 21st

January 13, 2022

January 17th - January 21st

WASHINGTON TRIP CANCELED! BUMMER! GREAT THINGS PLANNED FOR MAY!

After extensive thought and review, it is with great disappointment that the decision was made to cancel the 8th grade class trip to Washington, DC in March. The primary reason for this decision is driven by COVID but comes from two different directions. The first direction is the recent proliferation of cases generated by the Omicron variant. The second direction comes from all the restrictions in place in Washington. Specifically, many of the prominent sites (Capitol, White House, and Pentagon) are closed to visitors and many public buildings and restaurants are closed to those without a vaccination. A letter with additional details was sent Friday afternoon to 8th grade families.

Student Government will be working with the 8th grade students to plan a special week of local activities in May. The week will be similar to the one the students planned last year with fun events, community service, field trips to downtown Savannah, and a movie at the Tybee Post Theater.

ZOOMING AGAIN!

Just when we thought we might be clear of COVID, along comes Omicron! Should you find yourself in quarantine, here are some pointers many of us have forgotten how to properly and politely Zoom.

Please notify the Middle School office that you need to Zoom due to Covid
Please check the Grade Level Google Classroom for your schedule and the Zoom links for each classroom; every class is on Zoom except PE.
Please be on time to class, and remember to keep your sound and video on.
Let Mrs. Guggenheim/Mrs. Mannarino know if you have any questions or need any help.
Also remember to check Google Classroom
Please email your teachers with any questions.
If you need any materials from school, please email Mrs. Mannarino mmannarino@hancockdayschool.org. They may be picked up after carpool from the boxes outside the Middle School office.

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!

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

BE POSITIVE. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Everyone gets frustrated at times when they know they could have done a better job at a task/assessment. My advice is to reframe. Students often think their outlook is the only way to see a problem. If a friend didn't call back she must be mad. Or, if you fail a test it must mean you’re not smart. Ask questions like, "Is there another way to look at this situation?" or, "What are three other possible reasons this could have happened?" By reframing, you automatically place yourself in a situation to problem-solve instead of sinking. Try it next time you don’t do well on an assignment or assessment. And don’t forget to ask your teacher/s for strategies to use for the next time you have an assessment in that class.

Traditions are an important part of families and can build lasting memories. Furthermore, they strengthen relationships and create a sense of belonging. Whether you have some long-standing traditions or are up to starting some new ones, the following article is an interesting read.

How Family Traditions Help Create Stronger Bonds

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

ALGEBRA 1- MRS. TAYLOR

College projects are complete after a well thought out reflection of the project to check for concrete understanding of slope in real life. Students will continue with compound inequalities and finish up Chapter 6 next week. Assessment for Chapter 6 will be the following week.

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete Chapter 8 by having the Chapter 8 test on Wednesday. We will then begin Chapter 7 by review ratios (7.1), learning about similar polygons and scale factor (7.2), showing triangles are similar by Angle-Angle (AA) (7.3), and showing triangles are similar by Side-Side-Side (SSS) and Side-Angle-Side (SAS) (7.4).

GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 7 by having the Trigonometry test on Tuesday. We will then begin Chapter 8 by discovering the Polygon Interior and Exterior Angle Theorems (8.1), learning about the various properties of parallelograms (8.2), and proving quadrilaterals are parallelograms (8.3).

ELA - MRS. BOYER

This week students will be starting with a quiz on 1/18 which will be over Act III-V. This is an open workbook assessment. It is imperative that students take the time to complete their workbooks to the best of their ability this week; this is an excellent study tool! The workbook itself will also be a test grade! The workbook serves as a means for students to dive into the material in a note-taking sort of manner. Students should be challenging themselves to develop higher level thinking skills.

Next, we will be starting Body Bio Group Projects! This is a super fun Character Analysis project which connects critical thinking, writing, and art!

UNIT TEST is on 2/1. This is NOT an open workbook/book assessment. This will take place during a block class period and will take the entire time. Students should begin studying now.

**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

This week in physical science students continued to learn about potential and kinetic energy. They worked on math calculations, completed a pendulum lab (see photos below) and focused on the conservation and transfer of energy. We will have a quiz on this information on Friday, 1/21/22. Next week we will also begin our Motion unit by discussing speed, velocity and acceleration. The test for this new unit is tentatively scheduled for 2/4/22. Finally, the January Science in Comic is due Monday, 1/31/22.

There is an OPTIONAL project students may choose to complete which involves creating and designing a commemorative pin for the state science fair state competition. For those students who want to participate, all drawings are due Tuesday, 1/18/22. The grading rubric, examples and the template paper were reviewed in class and are found on Google Classroom. This project is open to all 6th - 8th grade students and the top three designs for the middle school will win gift certificates to the snack cart courtesy of National Junior Honor Society.

Science Fair Update:

Our school science fair was held this week with outside judges reviewing the eighth grade projects that were entered into this competition. After calculating the multiple judges' scores for each project, the top ten students were chosen to represent Hancock Day School in the Regional Science and Engineering Fair (RSEF) to be held at Savannah State University the first week of February. These students will be also creating an individual video presentation showcasing their triptych and project and updating their formal reports to prepare for this competition. The RSEF is currently scheduled to be an in-person event with a virtual option if necessary. Please help congratulate these students on advancing to the Regional fair. We wish them Good Luck!!

The following students placed in the top 10 of the school science fair competition and will be advancing to the regional fair.

Anthony DeMott

Coles Brown

Elle Roberts

Luke Nguyen

Maggie Allen

Mollie Dugas

Sean Adams

Stafford Wilson

Theo McGuirk

Will Routhier

US HISTORY- Mr. Gauthier

Debates were a SUCCESS! New speeches (Eulogies) have been assigned. We will continue learning about the Gilded Age. More vocabulary will be introduced and a project will be introduced.

SPANISH - MRS. SALE

Hello...the students will start the week off with receiving new vocabulary. Reviewing the weather and the months will come next. Ordinal numbers will wrap the week up. There are no planned quizzes or tests this week.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE

I hope everyone had a great long weekend. The week will begin with introducing stem changing verbs. This is a difficult concept. The students will work on this throughout the week. There will be a quiz given on stem changing concept on Friday.

ADVANCED SPANISH - MS. CROCKER

Last week we ended our unit on travel objects with a skit (see pictures below) where the students found items they had lost. This week we are learning how to conjugate the verb “gustar” to say what we like to do and when. There will be a quiz on Thursday over the conjugation of gustar.

ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. TAYLOR

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 5 by having a day of review and then the Chapter 5 test on Wednesday (E Block) or Thursday (B Block). We will then begin Chapter 6 by learning about ratios and rates (6.1).

ELA - MRS. BOYER

Our new unit is up and running! Students are about ¼ of the way through their choice novels at this point. (Lu by Jason Reynolds, The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz, and The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis) We had our first Book Club meeting and have three more scheduled. Students are feeling more comfortable with their Book Club Journals. Check-in dates are listed below:

6-10 1/21

11-15 1/27

16-20 2/4

The final Book Club Journal is worth TWO project grades. This will be the focus of their homework for T2.

Students will be turning in their Cultural Research Brochure which has allowed them to dive into the setting of their novel and truly create a vision for their continued reading. In the upcoming week, students will be practicing a formal writing response in class, taking a Mini-Quiz on their novels, and having a Reading Day.

The Final Project for this unit will be a TEST grade.

Please see the Google Classroom PPT for more information regarding this unit. :)

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 character traits from The Lord of the Flies, analyzing how the boys attempt to hold on to their societal norms and establish order. They will look at the type of “government” the boys are attempting to create and discuss the key characteristics of good leaders.

Students will need to answer their guided questions carefully, but should also be taking diligent notes during our class discussions. These notes will help students prepare for quizzes and for our final unit test.

The reading schedule is posted below. Students will have a reading comprehension quiz each week over the assigned reading. They will also have a vocab test over chapters 1-6 on January 28th.

Lord of the Flies Reading Timeline:

Chapters 1-3—Due Tuesday 1/18

Chapters 4-5—Due Tuesday 1/25

Chapters 5-7—Due Tuesday 2/1

Chapters 8-9—Due Tuesday 2/8

Chapters 10-12—Due Tuesday 2/15

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

US HISTORY - MR. GAUTHIER

Next week in US History we will be continuing the beginnings of the Constitution and its principles. Vocabulary will be introduced and a quiz will be given on Wednesday.

US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER

Next week in American History students will continue to examine the U.S. Constitution. We will look at the Articles of Confederation’s strengths and weaknesses, Key concepts of the Constitution, and the different sections of the document. Students will also continue working on their project. Students examine an Enlightenment Thinker who influenced the creation of the Constitution.

ACCELERATED MATH - MRS. TAYOR

Students will have a full review Tuesday day for the Chapter 6 test held Wednesday or Thursday, depending on your students' drop math day. Friday will be a rollover day for those who need an extra day to finish the test.

PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 5 by having a day of review and then the Chapter 5 test on Thursday. We will then begin Chapter 6 by learning about ratios and rates (6.1).

EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN

This week in sixth grade the students have continued to learn about Pangea and the theory of continental drift (see below for an example of the Pangea puzzle they created), sea-floor spreading and the three main types of plate boundaries (convergent, divergent and transform). Next week we will finish up our study of Plate Tectonics as students prepare for the unit test which will be on Monday, 1/24/22 (new date). Following this unit, we will continue our study of geology with rocks and minerals. Finally, the January Science in Comic is due Monday, 1/31/22.

There is also an OPTIONAL project students may choose to complete which involves creating and designing a commemorative pin for the science fair state competition. For those students who want to participate, all drawings are due Tuesday, 1/18/22 when we return from the MLK holiday. The grading rubric, examples and the template paper were reviewed in class and are found on Google Classroom. This project is open to all 6th - 8th grade students and the top three designs for the middle school will win gift certificates to the snack cart courtesy of National Junior Honor Society.

EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT

I have greatly missed being at school with your children this week. I appreciate the kind notes I’ve received from several of them. I am anxious to return on Tuesday. For the past week, all assignments have been listed as Classwork and posted in the Google Classroom daily. Next week, I will assess the progress the students have made throughout the week. Once I have the opportunity to do this and discuss their unit of study, I will schedule assessments. They will be posted in the MS Assessment Calendar and the GC. I plan to review the Earth’s Layers unit and plan to begin Continental Drift Theory at the end of the week. Please remind your student to check the google classroom daily for assignments and study materials. Next week in Earth Science, we will work on the Pangea puzzle and The Curious Case of Mesosaurus activity which provides scientific evidence of Continental Drift. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for assignments and study materials which have been posted for daily review. For students who are on Zoom, this is especially important as all assignments and worksheets are listed as Classwork in the GC under the topic “Earth’s Layers”.

ELA - MRS. SASSER

Students will spend this week finishing up their first formal essay. They will review their body paragraphs and work on writing their conclusions. While students will be working on the written portion in class, please read over their writing at home. Ask your child to read their paragraphs out loud to you and check for thorough explanations and details. The more eyes that are laid on their essay, the better their final product will be! :-)

As with any writing assignment, students can come in early to get feedback on their writing. I sent an email to you all earlier this week of the feedback schedule. It is also posted to my board in my classroom, so students are aware.

All final, printed, color-coded essays are due Friday 1/21.

On Friday, we will begin our next novel study: Refugee. Students will be placed into literature circle groups and be assigned to read ONE of the stories in the book. We will go over literature circle expectations and roles, and I will give them a reading calendar for the duration of our novel study.

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

This week we are starting a unit on gustar to say what activities we like to do with our friends. There will be a quiz on Friday over the conjugation of gustar.

WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER

Next week in World History students will continue our work analyzing the major players during The Enlightenment. Next, we will investigate how certain “Thinkers” influenced the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Students will continue to work on their “Thinkers” project which will wrap up the Unit on the Enlightenment.

ART - MRS. COOKSON

“Learning never exhausts the mind.” - Leonardo DaVinci

Sketchbook Prompt:

8th: Draw things we use in art class.

7th: Draw an encounter with a dragon.

6th: Rearrange, redesign an insect.

Classwork Challenges:

8th: Will start to create a stop-motion animation

7th: Will finally get to glaze their clay creations

6th: Will continue to hone their 3-d skills with a Restricted Sculpture

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Middle School Blog

January 17th - January 21st

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