April 4th - April 8th
BE IN THE KNOW!!
PARENT INFORMATION MEETINGS PLANNED FOR APRIL 13TH AND 20TH!
There will be two parent meetings in April to keep everyone in the loop as things speed up toward the end of the year. 6th and 7th grade parents will meet either in Hancock Hall or on Zoom on Wednesday, April 13th @ 6:00. The main agenda item is to discuss the details for the trips to North Carolina. 8th grade families will meet on Zoom only on Wednesday, April 20th at 7:30. This meeting is starting later due to a golf match earlier in the afternoon. We will discuss raising money for the class gift (a second scoreboard for the gym), the May “Celebration” week (week of May 2nd), and graduation week details.
END OF YEAR DETAILS
We are in the final trimester of the year and the “countdown” has begun (especially for the 8th graders!) toward the end of the year. To help keep things straight, important dates can be found at this link.
YOM HASHOAH
Our 8th graders have entered the Savannah Jewish Educational Alliance's Annual Yom HaShoah Art & Writing Contest. They have worked incredibly hard during this eight week unit. They also read Night by Elie Wiesel to accompany this creative process. These projects will be displayed at the JEA for the month of April, which is Holocaust Remembrance month. Please stop by and view these wonderful submissions! Stay tuned for contest winners!
CELEBRATING STUDENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS!
The first few words of our mission state, “Hancock Day School develops the whole student…” The Middle School just honored T1 and T2 honor roll students at recent morning meetings. Congratulations to those students. Our students also succeed in many areas beyond the classroom. We are looking for pictures to post on our hall monitor of these accomplishments. Please send us (mmannarino@hancockdayschool.org) pictures depicting the activities your child participates in beyond the classroom. There is much to celebrate!
8TH GRADE GRADUATION PICTURES (IN FOCUS)
In Focus Photography will be taking Hancock Day School 8th grade graduation pictures on Wednesday, May 25 at 11:30 am at IOHUMC prior to the graduation ceremony. Please arrive promptly at 11:30 am for pictures. If you are interested in purchasing pictures, please follow the directions below:
In Focus is now offering prepay online by credit cards or through PayPal.
- Please print the attached order form.
- Please fill out the information and return to the school by May 24, 2022 or email the order form to terri@infocus.photo with payment having been processed online. If you do not email your order form to In Focus, your child must have their order form at the shoot.
- Please go to www.infocus.photo to pay online.
- Please type “HDS” for the school.
- Hit the “Blue” pay online button.
- Please enter the cost of your order only.
- $6 shipping charge is automatically added.
- The orders will be mailed to your mailing address within 2 to 3 weeks.
If you have any questions, please contact Terri Thompson, owner, directly either by phone, 912-247-0404 or email, terri@infocus.photo.
8TH GRADE GRADUATION SLIDESHOW PICTURES
For the 8th grade graduation every year, we put together a slideshow of the graduating class. We ask that the parents provide 5 *digital* pictures of their 8th grader(s) along with which high school they will be attending. The pictures can be whatever you like to be shown (baby, school, special occasions, with family or friends, etc.). Please submit to Mrs. Mannarino via email (mmannarino@hancockdayschool.org) by Friday, April 29th.
ASSESSMENTS AND PROJECTS CALENDAR
Parents and students 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 work 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!
Tricia Guggenheim
Blame the Brain - (Marydee Sklar: 50 Tips to Help Students Succeed))
“Time management, planning, and organization are abilities rooted in our brain’s development and it’s wiring. Our ability to manage time, focus, start tasks, finish tasks, plan projects, and control our own behavior are part of the processes in the brain described by neuroscience as “executive functions” (EFs).
It is important to accept that brain development is at the core of your child’s challenges with getting things done. Everything that we ask a child to do - homework, chores, getting ready to leave the house, etc. - requires using the executive functions in his/her brain….Stop blaming the struggling child. Blame his/her brain.”
These students need strategies to support their efforts. Please reach out if you would like to discuss strategies that may help your child.
Research continues to come out about the importance of developing “grit” in kids. It is the ability to push toward long-term goals despite challenges or failure. Luckily, it is something that can be developed and parents can take the lead on helping their child learn. One of my personal favorite tips is for parents to model a growth mindset. This allows children to understand that with hard work, you can truly develop any skill or ability. Parents can normalize mistakes by discussing obstacles or failures and sharing positive “self talk” that helps push towards success.
How (and Why) to Teach Kids to Have More Grit
Please feel free to get in touch with me at amaher@hancockdayschool.org if you have any questions or concerns.
ALGEBRA 1- MRS. TAYLOR
Students are progressing well in Classifying/Adding/Subtracting polynomials 9.1, Multiplying polynomials 9.2, and finding special products of polynomials 9.3. Next Thursday, 4/7, the quiz will be on the first three sections. We will pick up on 9.4 Monday even though we will quiz Thursday. I gave the students 2 Google Classroom assignments that reinforce 9.1 that they completed. I gave them a sheet with answers for extra practice multiplying polynomials (9.2) with the answer key. It was their choice to complete it or not.
ADVANCED ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will continue to review important Algebra concepts. We will review the equations of parallel and perpendicular lines, then spend 2 days reviewing exponents and linear functions. We will have a test on those topics on Friday.
GEOMETRY - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Geometry, we will continue Chapter 11 by learning how to find the area of any regular polygon (11.6) and find geometric probabilities (11.7). We will have a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 11 test on Friday.
ELA - MRS. BOYER
The 8th grade class will be competing in the Jewish Education Alliance’s Yom HaShoah Holocaust Art & Writing Contest.The final submissions will be due the week of April 1st. Students will be working on this project in class; you will be receiving a packet to sign. This project functions like the Science Fair project as it spans many weeks and multiple grade categories.
Yom HoShoah Due Dates
There will be an Extra Credit Opportunity, worth a PROJECT grade for T3!!! Check GC.
DATE CHANGE!! Night Test 4/11.
Finish Novel by Tuesday, 4/5.
Upcoming!
Finishing out the 8th grade year…pause as I am crying….:(
We will be diving into a Creative Writing Unit! Woop Woop!
Our Anchor Text will be A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor.
**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 eighth graders learning about pitch and loudness using tuning forks, sound pipes and glass bottles and also making straw flutes. They have also started an at-home mini-project where they are working with a partner(s) to create their own collection of 15 different musical genres from around the world. Each group has compiled their list of songs and will be creating an audio recording and optional album cover to turn in as their completed project by the end of the school day Wednesday, 4/6.
This week during class we discussed sonic booms, breaking the sound barrier and echolocation, and the students made a wave/sound review booklet. Our quiz on sound will be on Tuesday, 4/5/22 and the Waves/ Sound unit test is scheduled for Friday, 4/8/22. Our next unit of study related to waves will be the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum.
A reminder that all rubrics, homework and classwork are posted on Google Classroom under the appropriate topic. This includes all videos, websites, diagrams, notes and other material we use in class. Students are encouraged to use them for review, studying and to keep up with assignments they may miss if absent from class.
US HISTORY- Mr. Gauthier
Next week in US History: Students will continue with learning about the very chaotic decade of the 1920’s. We will be debating the pros and cons of Prohibition as well as the causes of the stock market crash that lead to the Great Depression. Students will also be assigned a small in class project on one of several topics of the 20’s.
SPANISH - MRS. SALE
Hello…the beginning of the week will be dedicated to review c.6. Saber/conocer, IOP’s, Demonstrative Adjectives and the preterite tense. On Thursday a major test will be given. Friday, new vocabulary will be introduced.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MRS. SALE
The students will review c.5’s material Monday and Tuesday. This will include DOP’s, weather, ordinal numbers, months, seasons, the verb estar w/ vocabulary. Wednesday, the students will have a major test. On Friday, the students will receive new vocabulary.
ADVANCED SPANISH - MS. CROCKER
I was impressed by the fashion show projects! See below! Our test is this Tuesday, April 5th that covers list 6A (clothing items and ar/ir/er verbs). We are diving further into shopping vocabulary with our next unit, including covering numbers 100-1,000 and say how much something costs!
ALGEBRA 1 - MRS. TAYLOR
Students are progressing well in Classifying/Adding/Subtracting polynomials 9.1, Multiplying polynomials 9.2, and finding special products of polynomials 9.3. Next Thursday, 4/7, the quiz will be on the first three sections. We will pick up on 9.4 Monday even though we will quiz Thursday. I gave the students 2 Google Classroom assignments that reinforce 9.1 that they completed. I gave them a sheet with answers for extra practice multiplying polynomials (9.2) with the answer key. It was their choice to complete it or not.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue the first part of Chapter 8 by learning about slope (8.4), slope-intercept form of a linear equation (8.5), and how to write linear equations (8.6). There will be a Math Facts Quiz on Thursday or Friday. We may begin the stained glass project where students use linear functions to graph lines that will become the design of their own unique stained glass window. Then, in Art, students will use those designs to create their very own stained glass window!
ELA - MRS. BOYER
We are working in groups to create costumes and a set for 'their' version of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is important for modern day students to see the relevance/impact that Shakespeare has had throughout history and currently in our present world. Students have their rubrics, and they have been working in Art, with Mrs. Cookson, regarding the choices they make for color, space, sketches, etc. It is important for students to understand that they are not just drawing/creating random costumes and sets; they are supposed to make a symbolic connection from Shakespeare's world to their chosen representation. This project is worth a test grade and is due for A Block on 4/12 and for B Block on 4/13. Students will be working in class on this and for homework (somedays). I have given them a suggested timeline.
Shakespeare Intro/Plot/Character Quiz on 4/4. This quiz will be matching, multiple choice, short answer, and a reflective paragraph. Students have multiple resources to study from.
Upcoming!
Novel Study!
POSTED by John David Anderson
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 continue work in groups to complete a setting/costume project. They will pick a particular era to set Shakespeare’s play in, designing a set and costumes for the play based on their chosen era. Students will spend time researching their chosen era and work in both ELA and Art to complete this project. The overall goal is to show how the themes and ideas in Shakespeare’s plays are timeless! This is a partner project, so students should work together and plan to use their class time wisely. Final projects are due Friday 4/8.
On Monday of this week, students will also get their next novel for our final novel study of the year. They’ll be reading Posted by John David Anderson. The reading schedule is listed below. Because our Shakespeare project is being done completely in class, students will be expected to complete the first section of reading for homework. Pages 1-117 are due Monday 4/11.
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 continue their study of bacteria and virus. Their Bacteria Most Wanted Poster is due Friday, April 8. We have an exciting week next week as we wrap up our units on body systems by doing a frog dissection. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we will create a frog template to familiarize students with the organs of the frog and then on Thursday we will do our frog dissections. Students will have a quiz on Friday, April 8 on Bacteria. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for assignments, announcements, and study materials.
US HISTORY - MR. GAUTHIER
Next week in US History: Westward expansion and land acquisition will be studied. Students will be debating the Costs versus Benefits of acquiring the land through fighting or purchasing.
US HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in American History: Students will begin our next Unit: Division, Civil War, and Reconstruction. In this Unit students will study and examine the events that led up to the Civil War. We will dive deep into slavery, state’s rights, and how the Civil War and Reconstruction impacted our great nation. Students will also be introduced to our next research project: “Picking Sides.” Students will research Confederate/Union reasons for the Civil War, collect data, analyze the data and debate the other side.
ACCELERATED MATH - MRS. TAYLOR
Chapter 8 is going very well. We have learned about ratios (comparing to different units) and how they differ from fractions (part of a whole) 8.1. Unit rates, 8.2, have taught them how to get to the rate of 1 item so they can find the answer to more than one unit of something. There has been deep discussion about Sams’s and if things are a better buy in the store. Finally, they learned about solving and writing proportions (8.4). They should be familiar with this from last year. Finally, we learned about equivalent fractions. The quiz on those three sections will be Tuesday, 4/5.
PRE-ALGEBRA - MR. LANFEAR
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue the first part of Chapter 8 by learning about slope (8.4), slope-intercept form of a linear equation (8.5), and how to write linear equations (8.6). There will be a Math Facts Quiz on Thursday or Friday. We may begin the stained glass project where students use linear functions to graph lines that will become the design of their own unique stained glass window!
EARTH SCIENCE - MS. HOFFMAN
See below for photos of our sixth graders creating their ocean diorama in-class group project showcasing the topography, zones and animal life found in the ocean. We also began learning about examples of ocean motion including waves and tides, and started our ocean unit study guide. Lastly, students utilized one class period to work on their research notecards and printing information for their Ocean Animal Cereal Box Project. The majority of this individual project needs to take place at home (and during the end-of-the day tutorial if the student chooses). Note: students will need an empty cereal box (or large cracker box) and need to let me know if they will need me to find one for them. There will be a project notecard progress check (homework grade) on Wednesday, 4/6/22 and the entire ocean animal project will be due on Wednesday, 4/13/22. We will finish up our ocean unit information next week learning about ocean currents, the Sargasso Sea and how oceans affect our climate. This will lead up to our quiz on ocean animals and ocean motion and unit test over all our ocean information. The dates for these assessments have been pushed back a few days. The quiz will be on Friday, 4/8/22 and the unit test will be on Wednesday, 4/13/22.
A reminder that all rubrics, homework and classwork are posted on Google Classroom under the appropriate topic. This includes all videos, websites, diagrams, notes and other material we use in class. Students are encouraged to use them for review, studying and to locate any material they miss while absent from class.
EARTH SCIENCE - MRS. DURANT
This week in Earth Science, we wrapped up our unit on Rocks and Minerals with a brief overview of fossils and had a virtual field trip with the Aurora Fossil Museum. We received sediment from the museum and students enjoyed doing a fossil dig where they found many types of fossils that were unearthed during phosphate mining. We also begin our unit on Earth’s Waters by discussing groundwater vs surface water. Students built an aquifer to apply their knowledge. Next week, we will continue our unit on Earth’s Waters focusing on Oceans. Students will have a quiz on Freshwater on Tuesday. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for assignments and study materials which have been posted for daily review.
ELA - MRS. SASSER
This week, students will work on a Wanted poster for either Johnny or Ponyboy. They will draw on textual evidence to create a poster and description of the boys’ crime in the novel. This will be completed fully in class.
The Outsiders Reading Assignments
*Final test over The Outsiders will be on students’ final exam at the end of May. Students will be given a full study guide of material on the exam and be allowed to use a notecard.
LOOKING AHEAD: One of my favorite things to do once we complete reading the novel is to allow the kids to watch the film. Please DO NOT let them watch the movie before we finish reading, as it can sometimes cause the kids to be confused. We will watch the movie on Wednesday 4/27 (D BLOCK) and Thursday 4/28 (B/C BLOCK). I typically bring in snacks and the kids are allowed to dress up as Greasers/Socs for the day (we will go over dress code for this as we get closer). If you are able, please feel free to donate a few snacks on this day! :-)
As a reminder: projects and essays in ELA are designed to help students think critically about the reading they have completed. I structure these assignments in a way that almost 95% should be completed in class. I carve out time and multiple periods for students to have ample time to work, ask questions, and be productive, which should limit their homework load. If students utilize this time wisely and stay on task, they should be coming home with minimal homework.
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
Phew ERBs are over! This week we are starting with a quiz on Monday, April 4th on -ar verbs from our new vocabulary list! We will continue working with these verbs and clothing/shopping vocabulary and have a test on Friday over list 6A.
WORLD HISTORY - MR. O’HAYER
Next week in World History students will finish our examination of the Industrial Revolution by analyzing Karl Marx and his impacts on economic systems. Students will also begin their Economic Systems research project which will include a debate at the end of the project.
ART - MRS. COOKSON
“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” - Jonathan Swift
Sketchbook Prompt:
8th: Draw a house of cards.
7th: Draw worn out shoes.
6th: Draw a phone receiving a text message.
Classwork Challenges:
8th: Will continue to work on Sgraffito (clay)
7th: Will work on set design models and costumes for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
6th: Will begin an ocean’s sculptural project in line with Science. Please try to remember to bring in clean, plastic recyclables.
Comments
Post a Comment