November 27th - December 1st

 

Dear Parents,

For November and December, our monthly virtue is Community. One powerful statement that embodies the concept of community is “We are all in this together”. It reminds us that, despite our differences and individual journeys, we share a common humanity. By recognizing our interdependence, we can create a stronger, more supportive environment for ourselves and the children of HDS. Encouraging them to lend a helping hand to others teaches empathy and compassion, fostering a sense of unity within our community and the world at large. Small acts of kindness and support can make a world of difference in someone’s life. 

By instilling the idea that “I will help and support others”, we equip our children with the mindset to be active participants in their community. Whether it is assisting a friend with homework, showing kindness to a classmate, or contributing to a schoolwide service initiative, these actions not only benefit those in need but also build character and instill the principles of community.   

Let’s encourage our children to be mindful of their roles within the community and to appreciate the support they receive from others. The strength of our community lies in the unity we share, and by nurturing this concept we can create a more harmonious world for our children to thrive in.

Thank you for being a part of our wonderful HDS community, and for your commitment to nurturing these valuable ideals in our children. Together, we can help them grow into compassionate, helpful, and community-minded individuals.

Warm regards.

Jack Cargile

Head of Middle School

Extended Reminder
Parents should not walk into the school without checking in at the office, even after school, during extended care.  If your child has lost an item or forgot a book, lunch box, sweater, etc, please email your teacher.  

The middle school dance scheduled for November 17 has been postponed.
We will have a Winter Formal on January 19.

Follow all the fun on our Middle School Instagram account!

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.

HDS Swim hits the pool in their first meet this year, Friday, November 17th @ Chatham County Aquatic Center, 5:30pm-7:00pm.

The Basketball store is open now until Sunday (11:59pm).  Get your basketball gear now!

Please check the Athletic Calendar for meetings and games.  Coaches will contact you about practices.

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. Click HERE for a log form or see Mrs. Mannarino in the office.

1. Below is a volunteer opportunity, organized by the PA, for our Middle Schoolers outside of school!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094CAFAB2BABF5C34-second

2. Coastal Pet Rescue - email Emily Piette (emilyp@coastalpetrescue.org) 

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

13. Don’t get into drama. There’s going to be a lot of it. It’s not worth wasting your time and energy on things that won’t matter the next day.

This month, we invite parents to partner with us in teaching our students about both responsibility and respect. Middle school is a crucial time to continue the development of virtuous behaviors. 

Here are some strategies that you can use at home:

How to Teach Your Child to Be More Responsible

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns that you may have this year at amaher@hancockdayschool.org.

ALGEBRA 1 - Mrs. Taylor

We will pick back up on Chapter 5 section 3 when we return. I am not sure if they will quiz on two sections if they struggle by the end of the week after we return or if we will hold off and finish the chapter and assess the following week. Please have your student pull up the weekly agenda by the end of the break to see where we are headed.

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will begin our Geometry portion of the course.  We will hand out Geometry textbooks and begin Chapter 4 in which we learn about triangles.  We will start by reviewing classifying triangles (4.1), the Triangle Sum Theorem and Exterior Angle Theorem (4.2), the Base Angles Theorem and its Converse (4.3), and the Pythagorean Inequality Theorem (4.4-4.5).

GEOMETRY - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Geometry, we will begin Chapter 6 which is all about similarity.  We will review ratios and proportions and then begin learning about similar polygons and scale factors (6.1-6.3).  We will then begin proving triangles are similar by AA, SSS, and SAS (6.4-6.5).  We will also learn the Proportionality Theorem (6.6) and how to perform dilations on a coordinate plane (6.7).  There will be a quiz on Thursday covering 6.1-6.5.

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

We are in our third week of Macbeth! I am so proud of these kiddos! They have been working incredibly hard on their notes! We will read Act III & IV this week. There will be a quiz on December 4th. If your child misses a reading day, they will be responsible for reading on their own. They may come in and listen to the dramatic reading on my computer from 7:30-8:10 am. Your child will NOT have Reading Checks for HW, but they will have WORKBOOK PAGES each night. 

Exams: 

The Exam will be on Macbeth Act I-IV, with a sprinkling of V. Students will be asked questions on plot and characters. There will be a heavy emphasis placed on literary devices, reading comprehension, and written expression. 

Students will receive a study guide by Friday, December 1st. 

Your child will not have original reading to complete at home, but they will be asked to interact with the text after in-class reading. 

Assessments: 

Macbeth Act III & IV Quiz 12/4/23

Macbeth Act V Test 1/8/24

**It is incredibly important that your child stays on top of their ANNOTATIONS for Macbeth. My room is open every day at 7:30 am for readers if they are unable to read in the evening. Please help your child by reading and discussing with them! :) **

PHYSICAL SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman

We are beginning our last unit in Physical Science: Acids and Bases. This will be our fifth and final unit before we prepare for exams. We will have a test next Friday, December 2nd. Then, the following week we will be working on short APA papers and reviewing! It’s crazy how time flies! Physics is on deck for January. I encourage students to start reviewing now for their exams as there is a lot of information. 

US HISTORY - Mr. Saviskas  

How exciting that we’ve got Thanksgiving break! What a wondrous holiday with such historical roots. After the break we’ll be wrapping up the Civil War, first with a test on Wednesday (11/29). After that we begin the drive towards the end of the Civil War and preparations for exams. That’ll be Appomattox Court House, the assassination of Lincoln and the last year of the war.

HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH  - Mr. De Cardenas

I am really grateful for the opportunity to work with your children here at HDS,I admire what a traditional country America is and to share some cultural facts about Spanish speaking countries is a fun way to teach them. A major focus of concentration, in addition to vocabulary and verb conjugations, is to work on proper enunciation and conversational Spanish skills. We will still be working on our second unit of study after Thanksgiving break to create skills in referring possession and increase the vocabulary by identifying the members of the family, other relatives, and acquaintances. We will also learn to identify and use the defined articles of Spanish language and how to combine them with the preposition (de) to express possession. Also the possessive adjectives will be taught. All of this together with their abilities in greeting conversation will lead them to be ready to learn how to introduce themselves and others, request and provide personal information like age, origin, nationality and jobs fluently in Spanish. We will also be having a quiz on Thursday November 30th and a test next Thursday November 30th to ensure the students have totally mastered all the content previously taught.

ADVANCED SPANISH - Ms. Brown and Mr. De Cardenas
Students have been working well with Flip as mentioned last week and it is proving to be a helpful tool for us! Apologies for any confusion with the assessment calendar. A test retake occurred on Thursday, Nov 16 and Friday, Nov 17. Based on our results, it will greatly impact the direction we take in the week we return from the much anticipated Thanksgiving Break.

Also, a big THANK YOU to all of the families who showed their love to my baby on the way in the very unexpected baby shower gifts of plenty! My husband and I are so flattered by your actions and are blessed to have been in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you x100!!

Take it away Mr. De Cardenas!

I am really grateful for the opportunity to work with your children here at HDS,I admire what a traditional country America is and to share some cultural facts about Spanish speaking countries is a fun way to teach them. A major focus of concentration, in addition to vocabulary and verb conjugations, is to work on proper enunciation and conversational Spanish skills. We will still be working on our second unit of study after Thanksgiving break to create skills in referring possession and increase the vocabulary by identifying the members of the family, other relatives, and acquaintances. We will also learn to identify and use the defined articles of Spanish language and how to combine them with the preposition (de) to express possession. Also the possessive adjectives will be taught. All of this together with their abilities in greeting conversation will lead them to be ready to learn how to introduce themselves and others, request and provide personal information like age, origin, nationality and jobs fluently in Spanish. We will also be having a quiz on Thursday November 30th and a test next Thursday November 30th to ensure the students have totally mastered all the content previously taught.

ALGEBRA 1 - Mrs. Taylor

We will pick back up on Chapter 5 section 3 when we return. I am not sure if they will quiz on two sections if they struggle by the end of the week after we return or if we will hold off and finish the chapter and assess the following week. Please have your student pull up the weekly agenda by the end of the break to see where we are headed.

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will begin Chapter 5 by learning about rational numbers, converting fractions to decimals and vice versa (5.1), adding/subtracting fractions (5.2-5.3), multiplying fractions (5.4), dividing fractions (5.5), and solving equations using multiplicative inverses (5.6).

ELA - Ms. Ferkol and Mrs. Boyer

This week students will hear from Amy Gaylor Nedriga, Executive Director of Children Inspiring Hope & Hancock Parent. She will be with us for a two day lesson regarding her time in Ghana and the lessons this experience entails for all involved. :) We will have our Vacation presentations on Wednesday, begin our deep dive into building our writing stamina while reading through the lens of specific literary devices! 

Exams: 

The 7th grade exam will be based on reading comprehension, litr

Student homework assignments will consist of nightly reading as determined by their book club groups and working on completing the journals in their book club folders. Students are expected to be at least half way through their novel and have at least 8 journal entries completed by November 29th!!

This unit will be over Thanksgiving and Winter Break. It is NOT expected that your child read over breaks…but it is expected that your child stays on top of their reading during school days. 

As we continue with our novel studies,  it is expected that your child will read for 20-25 minutes at home each night. This will be the majority of their homework. 

Please stay on top of the assessment calendar and Google Classroom assignments. 

LIFE SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman and Ms. Insignares

After break we are wrapping up the cell and looking forward to seeing their cell projects due Friday, December 2nd. We will have a quiz Wednesday, November 30th over the cell membranes. We hope to wrap up the cell the following week with a test assessment. 

US HISTORY - Mr. Saviskas

Happy Thanksgiving! Once we get back from break we will continue our study of the American Revolution. We will be talking about the early battles of the war and how the colonists sought help from countries like France. After that we will be focusing on Valley Forge, Yorktown and then the end of the war.

US HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! When we return from break we will continue our study of the American Revolution. Students will examine events that led the American Colonies to declare independence, events as they unfolded during the war, and how the war shaped the lives of Americans in the new nation. 

ACCELERATED MATH - Mrs. Taylor

Students are doing great. We will start customary and metric measurements and possibly take a test by the end of the week after Thanksgiving or possibly the following Monday. It all depends on their ability to understand customary and metric conversions. Please have your child pull up the weekly agenda in Google Classroom for any changes.

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will begin Chapter 5 by learning about rational numbers, converting fractions to decimals and vice versa (5.1), adding/subtracting fractions (5.2-5.3), multiplying fractions (5.4), dividing fractions (5.5), and solving equations using multiplicative inverses (5.6).

EARTH SCIENCE - Ms. Insignares

Upon returning from Thanksgiving Break, students will begin to learn about Earth’s atmosphere, wind patterns, and thermal energy! We will have a lab to review the difference between convection vs conduction and it’ll end with a yummy snack! Students will quiz on Thursday 11/30 on lessons 12.1 and 12.2!

ELA - Ms. Ferkol

After the break, we will begin looking at emerging symbols and symbolism in our novels. Students will also be beginning a project in which they design their own dystopian community and create a speech as the leader of that community. This project will allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the foundational concepts within Dystopian societies while also encouraging them to think outside the box and be creative and persuasive! Students are expected to be at least halfway through their novels by November 29th! 

Please remind students to keep up with their nightly assigned reading and regularly check Google Classroom for homework assignments and updates! Many of this unit’s homework assignments do not require students to formally submit their work, but instead “Mark as Done”--this should be done nightly once they’ve finished their assignments!!

This unit will be over Thanksgiving and Winter Break. It is NOT expected that your child read over breaks…but that your child stays on top of their reading during school days. 

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing week off with your loved ones! I am so grateful for all of you and your incredible students for filling this school year with so much joy, love, and learning! 

INTRO SPANISH - Ms. Brown

Students have been working well with our current unit five and are encouraged to be aware of the assessment calendar that is updated and ready to go for our Spanish class all the way to the end of December.

Please enjoy the Thanksgiving Break!

Also, a big THANK YOU to all of the families who showed their love to my baby on the way in the very unexpected baby shower gifts of plenty! My husband and I are so flattered by your actions and are blessed to have been in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you x100!!

WORLD HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

Happy Thnaksgiving Everyone!! When we return from break we will work on finishing up our Unit on Ancient Greece and Rome. Next, we move on to discuss the impacts Caesar Augustus had on Rome and the Ancient World. Then, we will begin discussing the emergence of Christianity in Rome and how this “new” religion changed the world.

Excellent explorations in watercolor techniques with the

introduction to the inkwell and dip pen illustration. These two art mediums stand strong, used independently and work well together. We will continue color study on the return!