January 2nd - January 6th

 

Dear Parents, 

At our Back To School Night in early September, I commented on the strength of our HDS community and highlighted the fact that we are in this together. After all, we want the same things that you want for your children - the best possible learning environment where your children can thrive academically, emotionally, socially, and as artists and athletes. And now that we have passed the halfway point of this school year, it is a good time for all of us to remember that we are in this together as we embark on the final half of the year. Your support from home is critical, and here are a few tips to help ensure that we are supporting our students and faculty:

• Contact your child’s teacher directly if you have any questions or concerns. Going directly to the source eliminates miscommunication and frustration.

• Presume positive intent, and remember that everyone (teachers, students, and parents) are doing their best every day… even on the days when we miss the mark, we are doing the best we can at that time.

• Focus on effort and strategies not on the outcome. We can’t always control the outcome, but we can always control our effort and the strategies we choose to employ. 

• Learning is a process not an event like a test or quiz grade, and reflecting on the learning process is a valuable exercise.

• Always remember that we are in this together.

We look forward to a productive and positive second semester. 

Kind regards,

Jack Cargile

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

 

14. Try harder in the classes that are not your favorite. 

Chances are, you have at least one class that is a struggle for you. Try harder in that class, or those classes, and you’re less likely to struggle.

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 were given their study guide 12/5. They have been able to work on them any free time they had. We began going over them Friday and will continue to work on them until exams.

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will continue Chapter 11 by reviewing the Pythagorean Theorem (11.4) and discovering the distance and midpoint formulas (11.5).

GEOMETRY - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Geometry, we will begin Chapter 6 by reviewing ratios and proportions (6.1-6.2), learning about similarity and scale factors (6.3), proving triangle are similar by AA (6.4), SSS, and SAS (6.5).

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

We aren’t done with Macbeth…yet. :) 

For the next few weeks, we will be working on final Macbeth projects such as: Act V Test, Workbook Completion, Reader’s Theatre Major Project, Final Essay- I am thinking of a compare and contrast, and a few mini activities. 

It’s Time for a Mental Break!

The 8th graders have been working extremely hard throughout the Macbeth Unit. As a reward, assuming they continue to work diligently, before we begin Night, the 8th graders will receive one week ‘off’ of ELA. This is a ‘tradition/privilege’ I started last year. Students will watch an educational movie in class that week with snacks and drinks. This is a much needed BRAIN BREAK! I will be reaching out for snack/drink donations! :)

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

Assessments: 

Act V Test January 6th, 2023

***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

Happy happy winter break! When we return to school in January, it will feel and be like a completely different class. We are beginning our journey through physics!! This is a science discipline that is more math heavy so it may feel more like a math class at times. This may lend itself to a little more homework as it is important to practice problems. The math is not hard but what makes physics challenging for some is the applied math. We will be doing a lot of fun projects in this half of the year with bottle rockets and egg parachutes to name a few. After taking a much needed break and rest, please have students prepare to continue their good study habits! 

US HISTORY - Mr. Gauthier  

After Christmas break we will continue with learning about the US involvement in WW1.

SPANISH - Ms. Crocker

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! We are jumpstarting the year into my personal favorite unit…La Comida y La Familia! It is all about food and family vocabulary and activities in this unit. We are going to learn how to make basic commands in Spanish using cooking-related verbs. We have a quiz next Wednesday(D block) and Thursday(A/B Blocks) on our new vocabulary terms.

We are also starting a new weekly homework assignment that I will post on Monday morning and due on Friday morning where the students have the option to either: translate one paragraph into Spanish (writing skill) , upload a video of themselves speaking (speaking skill) , translate a recording of my voice into English (listening skill). Each week they must choose a different option than the week before. 

Something new in class…a novel! We will be reading La Clase de Confesiones, the first of two comprehensible novels we are reading as a class (in class) this spring to help expand our vocabulary and get used to reading in Spanish to ourselves, out loud, and in groups.

ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Brown
Students are so relieved that their Spanish exam was the first to cross off their list -this has helped them balance the arrival of their other subjects' exams before we can all get started on the break ahead of us! Be blessed in our time off from school and safe travels to all!

ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Crocker

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! We are jumpstarting the year into my favorite unit…La Comida y La Familia! It is all about food and family vocabulary and activities in this unit.  We have a quiz next Wednesday(E block) and Thursday(C Blocks) on these delicious vocabulary terms. 

We are also starting a new weekly homework assignment that I will post on Monday morning and due on Friday morning where the students have the option to either: translate one paragraph into Spanish (writing skill) , upload a video of themselves speaking (speaking skill) , translate a recording of my voice into English (listening skill). Each week they must choose a different option than the week before. 

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, we will continue the second part of Chapter 4 by reviewing exponent rules (4.5-4.6).  We will also learn about scientific notation - specifically how to convert from standard form to scientific notation, vice versa, as well as how to multiply numbers in scientific notation (4.7).

ELA - Mrs. Buchner & Mrs. Boyer

Happy New Year! We are so excited to start this new unit! 

It’s BOOK CLUB time!! Your students will be venturing into one of our favorite seventh grade units: Voices of the World. Students will be allowed to choose from five novel choices: The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, The Only Road by Alexandra Diaz, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by Bryan Mealer and William Kamkwamba, The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani, and Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed. 

This is a unit that works in tandem with cultural studies, as students work on their research based writing skills, and literary analysis, as students create their independent reading schedule and work in literature circles with their own literary reflection journal. 

Students will return to review literary devices that are critical to the 7th grade curriculum (simile, metaphor, symbols/motifs, foreshadowing, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, anecdote, paradox, personification, alliteration, irony (dramatic, situational, and verbal), oxymorons, imagery, etc.). Students will use their knowledge of literary devices and Idea Based Writing to dive deep into their chosen novel. 

Assessments: 

Literary Device Quiz Week of January 16th

Research Country Brochure

Literary Analysis Constructed Response

Poem in Two Voices

Book Club Journal

‘Theme’ Park Major Project

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 exam 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. 

**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 begin our study of the Body Systems by examining Levels of Organization. We will then begin studying the Skeletal System. 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

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.

ACCELERATED MATH - Mrs. Taylor

Students were given their study guide 12/5. They have been able to work on them any free time they had. We began going over them Friday and will continue to work on them until exams.

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue the second part of Chapter 4 by reviewing exponent rules (4.5-4.6).  We will also learn about scientific notation - specifically how to convert from standard form to scientific notation, vice versa, as well as how to multiply numbers in scientific notation (4.7).

EARTH SCIENCE - Mrs. DuRant

Next week in Earth Science, students will begin to examine the Layers of the Earth. We will conclude the week with a fun activity in which they create a cross-section of the Earth that shows the layers of the Earth’s interior drawn to scale. Please remind your student to check the Google Classroom daily for announcements, assignments, and study materials.

EARTH SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman

I hope everyone has a restful winter break! When we return we will begin with the Layers of the Earth. This next half of the year will be filled with many fun subjects to get excited about like the ocean, rocks and minerals, and outer space. Please have your student check Google Classroom for any updates!

ELA - Mrs. Buchner

Happy Winter Break! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! I hope everyone has a wonderful break and takes time to rest, rejuvenate and get ready for a busy January. 

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 can begin reading over winter break ONLY if they choose to get a headstart. 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 first choice novel responses will be due January 31st.

Students will write a five-paragraph essay on their student-choice text that they have already analyzed for the exam. We will spend a few weeks on this essay which will count as a PROJECT (rough draft) & TEST (final draft) grade. During this time, students will write one to two paragraphs each class block. As students complete each paragraph, I will provide edits in Google Classroom. Homework each night will require students to revise and correct their edits. Please check behind them to make sure they are doing these. 

Once we finish our essays, we will then begin our next novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. During this unit, students will read the novel outside of class and complete a reading journal as they read, so we can use class time to dig deeper into the novel through open classroom discussions. It is very important that students are completing their reading assignments each day, so they can participate in discussions. As well, there will be reading checks over comprehension of the text after each reading assignment. 

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 5 paragraph ESSAY (PROJECT/TESTgrade)-

Due Monday 1/16/23

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

INTRO SPANISH - Ms. Brown

Students are so relieved that their Spanish exam was the first to cross off their list -this has helped them balance the arrival of their other subjects' exams before we can all get started on the break ahead of us! Be blessed in our time off from school and safe travels to all!

WORLD HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

When we return from Christmas Break we will begin a New Unit- The Enlightenment. In this Unit students will study the Great Thinkers of the Enlightenment. John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, and others. Students will examine how these great thinkers helped shape our world and its lasting impacts that we still realize today. 

Happy New Year HDS Community!  So excited for the growing galleries and stuffed portfolios with colorful works of art focused on Gratitude for the Senses in prismamarker, fibers and tempera paint.  Now working on Gratitude for Smell, we did take note that the Peppermint Camellia as it has stood the test of time blooming in the winter does not quite have a smell, nor does the Poinsettia yet students focused on the striking complimentary colors, pattern and repetition that can be found in their design. 

In the new year we will shift from 2D work to 3D work in clay. So excited for our routines to be in place in order to bring on a new art medium. We wrapped up this week by publishing at least one work of art in the eportfolio. Students embraced the opportunity to “Publish Like a Pro”.  Students did a beautiful job creating the seasonal works of art this week!