December 5th - December 9th

 

Exam Schedule
December 14 and December 15

 

6TH GRADE

Wednesday, 12/14: Math and ELA

Thursday, 12/15: Science and History

 

7TH GRADE

Wednesday, 12/14: Science and History

Thursday, 12/15: Math and ELA

 

8TH GRADE

Wednesday, 12/14: ELA and Science

Thursday, 12/15: Math and History

 

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 or see Mrs. Mannarino in the office.

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. My phone extension is 327. 

I look forward to working with you! 

Tricia Guggenheim

12. How Do You Handle the Mornings When You Are Not a Morning Person?

Some people are groggy in the morning, so it’s easy to forget things if you are trying to get organized. Instead, gather all of your folders, books, notebooks, and supplies, and put them in your bag before you go to sleep. When you don’t deal with chaos in the morning, you have more resources to stay focused through the day. The calmer your day, the more energy you’ll have to blast through homework in the evening.

Have you enthusiastically asked your student how their day was at school to be met with an unenthusiastic “fine”? Or, have you asked your student what they learned at school and they responded “nothing”? 

You are not alone. Getting middle school students to talk about their day can be like pulling teeth. However, this article has some good tips and conversation starters to lead to meaningful after school discussions.

Check out this quick read: How to Get Your Child to Talk About School

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 reviewed for Monday’s quiz all week and learned the last section (parallel and perpendicular lines) Wednesday/Thursday. They will quiz on the last two sections Monday, graded, and return to them the next day. Test on Chapter 5 will be 12/8.. Students will receive their study packet for the review Monday as well.

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we review the Pythagorean Theorem and learn how to use square roots to determine if a triangle is a right triangle (11.4).  There will be a quiz on 11.3-11.4 on Tuesday.  Then we will begin reviewing for the exam, which will be Thursday, 12/15..

GEOMETRY - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 5 by having a day of review on Monday and the Chapter 5 test on Tuesday.  Then we will begin reviewing for the exam, which will be Thursday, 12/15.

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

We have finished Act III & IV in Macbeth! Coming soon…Act V! If they miss any classes throughout the week, they will be responsible for reading the text on their own. IT IS CRITICAL THAT STUDENTS KEEP UP WITH THIS WORKBOOK. THEY WILL NEED TO KEEP IT IN A SAFE PLACE FOR HIGH SCHOOL CLASSES IN THE YEARS TO COME!!

Although we will be reading/acting out the entire play IN CLASS, it is critical that your child reread each scene as their work through the workbook pages. Shakespeare is challenging, but incredibly transformative to the mind if done right. I need the students to truly complete their homework each night to be prepared for activities, POP quizzes, assessments, projects and writing assignments. Students are also expected to come in early to **check** their annotations compared to mine. :)

Upcoming! 

Students will return from Winter Break to work on final Macbeth projects: Reader’s Theatre Major Project, Final Essay, etc. 

We will then begin Night by Elie Wiesel in late January/early February. 

Assessments: 

TEST ACT III & IV 12/6 (E&F Block) & 12/7 (C Block)

The Exam will be over Macbeth ONLY! The focus will be on Act I-IV, with a few questions on Act V. We will have a quiz over Act V when we return from Winter Break. 

***In 8th grade it is critical that students need to be completing their homework each night. This is a KEY component to success for 8th ELA. POP Quizzes are continuing…Students are learning that it is critical for students to annotate their books in regards to characters and key details. For students to do well on these assessments, please use the following strategies: 

1. Read and annotate (check annotations with Mrs. Boyer’s book). 

2. Ask for practice questions

3. Come in and practice writing prompts

4. Spend a solid 30 minutes each night on reading, review, etc. 

**Students are currently writing in an ELA specific journal. This journal will be a critical piece throughout the year. I would highly encourage students to take very good care of this journal as it will be extremely helpful as they venture on to high school.**

PHYSICAL SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman

Physical Science students have received their last bit of new information for chemistry! We will be done with chemistry following exams in December and will start physics when we return in January. After this week, they will have all the information that will be on their exam in two weeks.They may begin studying for their test and reviewing for their exams. Next Friday (12/9) they will have a test on Chapters 12 and 13. The following Monday and Tuesday before exams will be devoted to review and reinforcing  concepts we have covered since August. The exam will be cumulative but in a way that is reasonable as chemistry concepts build upon themselves naturally. 

For improvement in test scores: rewriting notes, making flashcards, or simply quizzing themselves on information from that day would help immensely. It really only takes 15-20 minutes and is a skill they should begin building. I expect them to be doing this each night regardless if they have science homework or not. 

US HISTORY - Mr. Gauthier  Gilded Age projects are done!  Final assessment will be on Friday 12/9.  Next up is World War 1/Imperialism>

SPANISH - Ms. Crocker

The Spanish exam is earlier than the other exams! It is the week before other exams! The students received a study guide on Friday which includes all information that will be on the test as well as a few practice questions. We will be doing 3 days of review in class leading up to the exam. Students should be reviewing old tests, old quizzes, old assignments on Google Classroom, making flashcards, writing original sentences, and they can see me in the morning for specific questions (I’m here by 7:30 for extra help!)

A/B Block exam is THURSDAY

D Block exam is WEDNESDAY

ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Brown
Be ready for exams!! If you did well on the test just before Thanksgiving break, than you will most likely do well on the exam! Vocabulary quiz at the end of this week and our family portrait project is due Monday!

ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Crocker

The Spanish exam is earlier than the other exams! It is the week before other exams! The students received a study guide on Friday which includes all information that will be on the test as well as a few practice questions. We will be doing 3 days of review in class leading up to the exam. Students should be reviewing old tests, old quizzes, old assignments on Google Classroom, making flashcards, writing original sentences, and they can see me in the morning for specific questions (I’m here by 7:30 for extra help!)

C Block exam is THURSDAY

E Block exam is WEDNESDAY

ALGEBRA 1 - Mrs. Taylor

Students reviewed for Monday’s quiz all week and learned the last section (parallel and perpendicular lines) Wednesday/Thursday. They will quiz on the last two sections Monday, graded, and return to them the next day. Test on Chapter 5 will be 12/7.. Students will receive their study packet for the review Monday as well.

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, at the beginning of the week, we will complete a Career Exploration Project in which students research careers and colleges (and see some tuition costs!) based on their interests.  Then we will begin reviewing for the exam, which will be Thursday, 12/15.

ELA - Mrs. Buchner & Mrs. Boyer

    This week we will be continuing to write our final Idea Based Writing assignment, a five paragraph essay over their CHOICE children’s text. Students will be given a suggested timeline, conference notes, specific edits, time in class, etc. Students will be given this week to work on their draft; the final draft will be due on the evening of the 12th. This assignment will work in tandem with the 7th grade ELA exam, as students will be asked to read a 7th grade level short story, take notes, follow the Idea Based Writing Format, etc. The exam will be over the basic foundations of Idea Base Writing, creative discussion questions, and a written portion. 

Students will receive their Exam Study Guide this week!

This will be a bridge to our Book Club Unit beginning in January: Voices of the World.

Assessments: 

PROJECT Part 1- Idea Based Writing Due Dec. 6th

PROJECT Part 2- Idea Based Writing Due Dec 9th

Students are highly encouraged to come in for extra help if they are having any difficulty with any assignment. Mrs. Buchner and Mrs. Boyer are available weekday mornings from 7:45 am to 8:15 am.

Strategies for Home: 

-Students should be studying for the quiz and test a little each night. Students retain information much better if they study along the way, rather than cramming the night before a test.

-All homework assignments are in Google Calendar and Our Weekly Google Slide Presentation.

-Students should be coming in from 7:45-8:15 am to review/ask questions/work on their homework. 

Exam: Thursday December 15th 10:45-12:15 

The 7th grade ELA Exam will revolve around reading a short story, diving into the literary devices within the story, creating a written response based on the Writing Unit previously taught. Students will receive the story ONE week ahead of the exam.

**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. 

LIFE SCIENCE - Mrs. DuRant

Next week in Life Science, we will continue our unit on Genetics and Inherited Traits. Our focus will be on the DNA molecule. Students will construct a model of DNA and participate in a lab where they will extract DNA from strawberries and prepare their own slides to examine it under a microscope. Blocks A and F will have a quiz on Tuesday, Dec. 6 and Block B will have a quiz on Wednesday, Dec. 7 on Genetics and Inherited Traits. This quiz will not include information on the structure of the DNA molecule. Students will also receive their Study guide next week to begin preparing for their exam which will be on December 14. I have created a topic in the GC called Exam Prep that students can begin to refer to for exam preparation. We will also use class time for exam prep as well. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for announcements, assignments, and study materials.

US HISTORY - Mr. Gauthier. Continuing with our Financial Literacy unit.  Your sons and daughters have a good base knowledge of where our money comes from and what we do with it.  To take things a few steps further we are going to discuss and learn about renting versus buying, supply and demand, saving and spending, investing, etc, etc. The culminating activity of the Financial Literacy unit will be a trip to GA Southern Armstrong Campus to participate in the Junior Achievement Financial Literacy program.  Here the students will be given “jobs” and “paychecks” and then learn how to manage their money.  This FInancial Literacy trip will take place on January 10, 2023.

US HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

Next week we will begin our Financial Literacy unit.  Your sons and daughters have a good base knowledge of where our money comes from and what we do with it.  To take things a few steps further we are going to discuss and learn about renting versus buying, supply and demand, saving and spending, investing, etc, etc. The culminating activity of the Financial Literacy unit will be a trip to GA Southern Armstrong Campus to participate in the Junior Achievement Financial Literacy program.  Here the students will be given “jobs” and “paychecks” and then learn how to manage their money.  This FInancial Literacy trip will take place on January 10, 2023.

ACCELERATED MATH - Mrs. Taylor

Students finished the chapter Thursday. They are completing some mystery pictures to ensure understanding of fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions. Those are due 12/5. Monday, they will review for Chapter 4 test (Tuesday Block F and Wednesday for Block C). The exam review packet will be handed out Monday.

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, at the beginning of the week, we will complete a Career Exploration Project in which students research careers and colleges (and see some tuition costs!) based on their interests.  Then we will begin reviewing for the exam, which will be Wednesday, 12/14.

EARTH SCIENCE - Mrs. DuRant

Students will continue their Energy unit by completing their in-class project researching a renewable or non-renewable energy resource. They’ve really been engaged with this project and I have enjoyed seeing them express their creativity. We will conclude this unit with a debate on the advantages and disadvantages of various energy resources. I have made a couple of schedule changes since last week. I have postponed their quiz on Renewable and Non-renewable Energy Sources to Friday, Dec. 9. I have also postponed the Cookie Mining Lab to next week. In this lab, students will  investigate the effects of coal mining on the environment through a fun lab called the Cookie Mining Lab. Also next week, we will have a guest speaker! On Thursday, Scott Roberts who is a meteorologist with WSAV, will be at HDS to speak to the 6th grade students about his career and the field of meteorology. Lastly,  I have created a topic in the GC called Exam Prep that students can begin to refer to for exam preparation. Their exam will be on December 15.  They will receive a Study Guide for the exam next week. We will also use class time for exam prep as well. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for announcements, assignments, and study materials.

EARTH SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman

This week we continued our unit on Energy with a further exploration into the different sources of energy. We did a Cookie Mining Lab where students “mined” for coal (chocolate chips) and then enjoyed a sweet treat afterwards! Next week students will work on their energy projects in class! Students seem very excited about this project and I am excited to see what they come up with as they explore different energy sources. We will begin reviewing for their exam and a study guide will be provided in order to prepare them!

ELA - Mrs. Buchner

Students are still working hard on our IDEA BASED WRITING unit. This week we analyzed the children’s book,  Coffee Rabbit Snowdrop Lost by Bettina Birkjaer and the short film, “Snack Attack.” Students explored the concepts of character, theme, textual connections, and literary elements in both the book and the film. We clarified and polished our thesis statements as a whole group, then worked on writing introduction paragraphs. 

   In the spirit of the holiday season and giving, students will spend the remainder of this week analyzing the short story, “The Gift of the Magi” by O’Henry. Students will use this text as the basis for their analysis in preparation for a TEST over Idea Based Writing next Tuesday December 6th. Students will prepare a document, which they will be able to use on the test. The document will be due in PRINTED format on Monday 12/5. Students should bring their PRINTED copy to class on Monday 12/5. We will use Monday to review for the test and discuss any questions students may have about the short story, so they can amend their document if needed.

A tutorial will be held on Tuesday 12/6 at 7:30 a.m. for any students who would like to ask clarifying questions about the short story or Idea Based Writing Test prior to the test.

The exam on December 14th at 10:45 a.m.-12:15 pm will be over the Idea Based Writing unit. Students will be given a text to analyze in advance of the exam. They will be expected to prepare notes over the book assigned to them to use as a resource on exam day. Students will be given three class days to prepare their notes. Students will PRINT their notes to turn in to me NO LATER THAN Tuesday December 13, 2022 during their class block. The notes will be returned to them at the beginning of the EXAM for them to use on the EXAM.

After winter break, students will begin reading independently and creating monthly book responses to encourage reading outside the classroom, as well to help them become stronger readers. These book responses will count as PROJECT grades each month. A list of book choices have been posted in Google Classroom, so students may use some of winter break, if they choose to do so, to read their first book. There is also a PROJECT CHOICE BOARD provided for students to use for their independent reading book response. Students will choose 3 responses from the Tic-Tac-Toe board for each book they read. The choic

Students will continue to receive Classwork grades for their daily notes. Homework assignments can be found in your student’s Google Calendar, as well as the weekly Google Slide Presentation in their ELA Google Classroom. Students are highly encouraged to come in for help in the mornings from 7:45-8:15 a.m.  I am unavailable on Wednesdays from 7:45 to 8:00 a.m. due to carpool duty. On occasion, I will announce a 7:30 a.m. tutorial on a given morning if I see students are struggling with the content. This will appear in the Google Classroom stream. You can also email me if you would like for your student to have a longer tutorial starting at 7:30 a.m

Upcoming Assessments:

Idea Based Writing Test: Tuesday December 6th

Idea Based Writing Project (Exam Prep): Wednesday Dec 7th-Tuesday Dec 13th

ELA EXAM:  Wednesday December 14th-10:45-12:15

INDEPENDENT READING PROJECT #1: Due Tuesday January 31, 2023

INTRO SPANISH - Ms. Brown

Be ready for our exam just around the corner! We will use classes as review making study guides over everything we have covered from the start of the year. Make up work and quiz mending included! 

WORLD HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

Next week brings us to the end of our Ancient Greece and Rome Unit. Students will study the rise of Christianity in the ancient world as well as the Fall of Rome. We will have our last assessment on Thursday. Friday we will begin our review for trimester exams. The World History Exam will cover the majority of what we covered this year. Students will receive a study guide this Friday. 

MIDDLE SCHOOL ART - Mrs. Byrne

Good Day HDS community!  Can you see the sound?  The Gratitude for the Senses Unit is now a work in progress with students beginning the composition of “Sound”.  Eighth graders (image left) are designing album covers to market their favorite band or musicians “unreleased album for 2023”. Students receive feedback about their concept from the market before designing the 12x12 album cover. Seventh graders learned about artists who use the visual of voice memos and fibers on canvas to capture images of sound bites (bottom right). Sixth graders design compositions inspired by the art of Gene Davis showing how color can create sound in the relationship of their place.  Red can be loud beside an icy blue or quiet next to a fiery orange. Use this Artsonia pdf to access the  publishing of artwork!  We are now at 87% of parent participation. Excited to post new work!