January 15th - January 19th

 

Dear Middle School Parents,

Our monthly HDS virtue for the month of January is Commitment. Commitment is a powerful virtue that transcends various aspects of our lives, and instilling this value in our students is integral to their personal and academic development. At HDS, we believe in nurturing not only academic excellence but also the character traits that will shape our students into responsible and compassionate individuals.

Commitment, in the context of our educational community, refers to the steadfast dedication to personal and academic goals. It encompasses the willingness to persevere through challenges, the responsibility to honor one's obligations, and the determination to contribute positively to our school environment.

Throughout this month, we will be focusing on instilling a sense of commitment in our students through various activities and discussions. Here are some key points we'll be emphasizing:

Academic Commitment: Encouraging our students to set realistic academic goals and demonstrating the importance of dedicated effort to achieve them.

Social Commitment: Promoting a sense of responsibility and kindness towards peers, fostering an inclusive and supportive school community.

Extracurricular Commitment: Recognizing the value of involvement in extracurricular activities and the commitment required to excel in them.

Self-Commitment: Emphasizing the importance of personal growth, self-discipline, and making positive choices that contribute to overall well-being.

As parents, your partnership is invaluable in reinforcing these principles at home. Encourage conversations with your child about their goals, interests, and the steps they can take to demonstrate commitment. Share stories of your own experiences, highlighting the perseverance that led to personal achievements.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering a positive and committed learning environment at Hancock Day School. Together, we can inspire our students to embrace the virtue of commitment and carry its lessons with them into the future.

Wishing you a month filled with shared growth, determination, and success.

Kind regards,

Jack Cargile

Head of Middle School

Parent Survey
Last fall, we sent out a school survey to the HDS parent community in an effort to gather valuable feedback about many different aspects of you and your child’s experience at Hancock Day School. The information from this survey is used to assess areas of success and areas for improvement. The feedback informs decisions regarding curriculum, policies, and additional programming. While a response does not guarantee a desired outcome for all, please know that all input is valuable and considered. If you have not already done so, please be sure to complete the parent survey no later than January 19, 2024. At that point, we will close the survey and begin compiling responses for review.

8th Grade Washington, D.C. Trip Reminders
When purchasing 8th grade school lunches, do not sign up for the week of March 11th - March 15th.

We will have another DC meeting on Thursday, February 8th at 6:00pm in Hancock Hall. We will be talking specifics with baggage, behavior, dress-code, etc. Please complete this form prior to attending.

Attention 7th Grade Families 

It is a long-standing Hancock Day School tradition of having the 7th grade class help host the reception at 8th grade graduation in May. It's an exciting time for Hancock to send off our graduates with support from our community! In the past, families have set up decorations/flowers, brought in finger foods and desserts (homemade or store-bought), and provided beverages. Those interested in volunteering for this event can click here to learn more information and sign up. 

2024 Talent Show!

​​Our Talent Show Auditions and Performance is coming up soon! Please sign up by completing this form. Sign Ups will close on January 12th.

President's Volunteer Service Award (8th Grade)

If students in the 8th grade would like to receive a PVSA at this year’s Honors Assembly, all community service hours need to be completed and turned in to the middle school office no later than Monday, March 25. 

Bronze Level: 50 - 74 hours

Silver Level: 75 - 99 hours

Gold Level: 100+ hours

8th Grade Graduation

Time to start preparing for graduation! Please take some time to complete the graduation form (link below). This information will be used on the programs and diplomas. After the ceremony, we will have a brief reception, where a slideshow will be displayed with the graduates. We request families to submit 5 pictures for the slideshow. The pictures can be anything you would like (baby, siblings, family, friends, etc). The pictures should be submitted electronically to mmannarino@hancockdayschool.org. 

Graduation information and slideshow pictures are due Friday, May 3rd.

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.

• 5th - 8th grade Baseball Tryouts will be held on Sunday, February 4th.  Registration begins at 2 pm & tryouts start at 2:30 pm.

•  Bazemore Field, 1 Bud Brown Dr. Garden City, 31408

• There will be a Golf Kick-off Meeting for 5th - 8th graders interested in playing this Spring.  The meeting will be on Monday, January 22nd @ Bacon Park. 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm.  All athletes are encouraged to bring their own clubs.

• Basketball games can be viewed on YouTube.  Go to YouTube and type in Hancock Day School basketball.

• HDS is looking for students to sing the National Anthem at our home Basketball and/or Soccer games.  Please see Coach Bellairs if interested.

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

17. If you are struggling, ask for help.

Start by talking to the teacher. You can begin by telling the teacher what you do understand or what you have tried, and then you can discuss the part you are having difficulty with. Or you can show the teacher how you have attempted to complete the question/directions and point out where you are getting stuck. Another idea is to ask the teacher if you can restate the question in your own words or attempt the math problem with the teacher’s guidance. The way you ask for help is important. Saying “I don’t understand” without details (e.g. where you are getting stuck or what you have tried) will not show the teacher your effort.

With the start of 2024, our virtue of the month is commitment. This is a great time to renew procedures and routines that set up your student for success.  One of the best ways to stay on track with commitments is to set reasonable and achievable goals.  However, it is also just as important to be willing to assess and readjust goals as needed!

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

Students will take Section 6.4 quiz Tuesday, STAR test Wednesday possibly and continue with absolute value inequalities (6.5).

ADVANCED ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete Chapter 8 by learning how to find the circumference and area of circles as well as the area of sectors (8.7).  There will be a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 8 test the following Monday.  On Friday, we will begin our E-Portfolios in Math!

GEOMETRY - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Geometry, we will complete our unit on Trigonometry.  There will be a short quiz on Tuesday about using SOHCAHTOA to find side lengths.  Then we will learn how to use trig to find the missing angles in right triangles, and we will learn how trig is used in the real world.  There will be a day of review on Thursday and the Trigonometry test the following Monday.  On Friday, we will begin our E-Portfolios in Math!

ELA - Mrs. Boyer

This next week we will be taking a BREAK!!! Students will be viewing the films: Freedom Writers Diary and The Secret Life of Bees with NO HOMEWORK. 🙂 Both films connect to books already read or will set up the next unit (the DC trip). 

Please sign up to be a snack helper during our BREAK Week. :) We will be starting our Holocaust Unit on the 26th. It is critical that your child work on their time management skills during this unit. Students will be able to choose their own text: I never saw another butterfly:children's drawings and poems from Terezin concentration camp, 1942-44, Night by Elie Weisel, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak, The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, and When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr. 

Students will be embarking on a journey of reflection and education, both literally and figuratively. This summer I traveled to Germany and Poland where I stepped foot in the hallowed grounds of three concentration camps: Suchsenhausen, Ravensbruck, and Auschwitz. I will be sharing my experience with my students so that they too…will never forget. 

All students will be participating in the Annual Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) Art & Writing Contest sponsored by the Jewish Educational Alliance of Savannah. 

Dates, Information and Permission slips will be sent home soon. 

PHYSICAL SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman

We have begun our unit about motion and next week will be investigating speed and acceleration. We will be doing a lab involving everyone’s favorite childhood toy: hot wheels! Students seem to be enjoying physics a little more than chemistry as they are able to relate it to their daily lives and it seems to be a little easier to digest. We will have quiz next Friday over acceleration. 

US HISTORY - Mr. Saviskas  

What a wonderful week we’ve had! Next week we will be capping off Reconstruction and heading into the Gilded Age.  An age of immense wealth inequality and a booming economy, our class will examine how the late 1880s was transformed by the Industrial Revolution. We will also have a quiz on Wednesday over notes from Reconstruction.

HIGH SCHOOL SPANISH  - Mr. De Cardenas

As the time goes by the students are showing a huge improvement in their conversational skills and that makes me feel very proud of their commitment and hard work. Next week will be crucial in their process to master the Spanish language. We will start learning how to describe people, first the personality, then the next unit will include physical description. They jump from just writing sentences to write small paragraphs and expressing different ideas using the connectors for Spanish. Besides, we will expand our vocabulary, by learning the adjectives we can use in Spanish to describe personal characteristics as well as their pronunciation, writing and meaning. We will have a couple of lessons to revisit and practice this and other topics to check the students' mastering and keep up improving their communicative and especially talkative skills.

ADVANCED SPANISH - Mr. De Cardenas
As the time goes by the students are showing a huge improvement in their conversational skills and that makes me feel very proud of their commitment and hard work. Next week will be crucial in their process to master the Spanish language. We will start learning how to describe people, first the personality, then the next unit will include physical description. They jump from just writing sentences to write small paragraphs and expressing different ideas using the connectors for Spanish. Besides, we will expand our vocabulary, by learning the adjectives we can use in Spanish to describe personal characteristics as well as their pronunciation, writing and meaning. We will have a couple of lessons to revisit and practice this and other topics to check the students' mastering and keep up improving their communicative and especially talkative skills.

Mrs. Brown (Mr. Jones)

Having reviewed the days of the week/months of the year and basic greetings/responses while meeting someone, we will continue to rehearse introducing ourselves and expressing how we feel (emotional adjectives) as we quickly review numbers 0-100 to share our age. We will then also use numbers to create pretend phone numbers so that we may establish a mock phone call requiring the exchange of information: greetings, what day is it today, how are you feeling today, how old are you, etc. Students will have a vocabulary quiz on 17 January covering the emotional adjectives we have been practicing. Thereafter, 7th grade students will begin to study material more closely related to that of their 8th grade counterparts in preparation for the coming year and more advanced Spanish capabilities. Thank y’all for the opportunity to learn with your children! 

ALGEBRA 1 - Mrs. Taylor

Students will take Section 6.4 quiz Tuesday, STAR test Wednesday possibly and continue with absolute value inequalities (6.5).

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete the first part of Chapter 6 by learning how to use similar figures to find missing side lengths (6.5) and how to use scale drawings (6.6).  There will be a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 6.1-6.6 test the following Monday.  On Friday, we will begin our E-Portfolios in Math!

ELA - Ms. Ferkol and Mrs. Boyer

This week we will continue with our implementation of small group lessons and weekly IXL practice to help aid students with skills that include, but are not limited to, completing multipart questions and reading comprehension strategies. 

This week we will continue our  poetry project: “A Poem in Two Voices”! Students have truly stepped out of their ‘literal’ comfort zones to follow a more figurative pathway. We are excited to see what they dream up as we continue on this creative thinking/writing pathway. 

Following this project, students will be creating their own “Theme” Parks…stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks! It is important to note that students should have their VOW novels and ALL journal entries completed by January 16th. 

Poetry/Literary Devices  Quiz on Friday, 1/19/24.

Students will be assigned an outside reading assignment this week to end this trimester. They will be required to choose an independent non-fiction book and complete a choice board project to identify and practice reading and writing skills. The reading choice and project will be due Thursday, February 15!

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

LIFE SCIENCE - Ms. Hallman and Ms. Insignares

Next week in Life Science, we will officially be done with learning about cells. I think the students (and us) are ready for a change of pace. We will review on Tuesday following our long weekend and then take a test on Cell Cycle and Cancer. Then, we will begin out study of the human body with the first unit on the musculoskeletal system. 

AMERICAN HISTORY - Mr. Saviskas

Hello again! Next week we will be finishing up what the government is and move onto talking about the Articles of Confederation and the eventual Constitution. We will review the last few years of the American Revolution and how that comes to shape the Constitution. Our class will also discuss two upcoming mini-projects on the History of Political Parties and having students create their own political parties. It will be an exciting week!

AMERICAN HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

Next week in American History students will continue their study of how our system of government was created. We will study/review how ancient Greece and Rome and the Enlightenment influenced our Founding Fathers in creating a new government for a new nation. We will also discuss two upcoming projects- A mini-project on the History of Political Parties in America and then students will work in teams creating their own political party.

ACCELERATED MATH - Mrs. Taylor

Students will take Chapter 6 test Wednesday 1/17, STAR test Thursday, and I will introduce Chapter 7 to them Friday.

PRE-ALGEBRA - Mr. Lanfear

Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete the first part of Chapter 6 by learning how to use similar figures to find missing side lengths (6.5) and how to use scale drawings (6.6).  There will be a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 6.1-6.6 test the following Monday.  On Friday, we will begin our E-Portfolios in Math!

EARTH SCIENCE - Ms. Insignares

Long weekend, woohoo!!! As we continue our weather chapter, next week we will create a Public Service Announcement where students will “report” on severe weather. Students will show their creative side by pretending to be news anchors as they record their PSA and prepare their audience for a horrible storm to come! 

ELA - Ms. Ferkol

After solidifying some crucial grammatical skills this past week, students will demonstrate mastery through the culminating project for the Dystopian Unit. Prior to the holiday break, students worked on creating their own unique dystopias complete with its own flag, rules, government and educational structures, and other exciting elements. Using these projects as a baseline, students will begin to craft a persuasive essay with the goal of enticing those who read it to “become citizens” in their new society. This week, we will work through writing this essay and begin to think critically about the best practices of persuasive writing!

INTRO SPANISH - Ms. Brown (Mr. Jones)

My name is Dylan Jones, and I am Mrs. Brown’s substitute while she is on maternity leave. I reviewed the days of the week and months of the year with the students on Wednesday; next I intend to review basic greetings/responses to meeting someone and to practice it by being in a larger circle greeting then asking our classmate to the left or right how they are, continuing in one direction until complete. I do this one for informal and again for formal conjugations.

WORLD HISTORY - Mr. O’Hayer

Next week in World History We will continue our study of The Enlightenment. Students will study and anyalyze great thinkers like Newton, Locke, Hobbes, Voltaire, Descartes, and Bacon. We will end the unit with our study of the great thinkers in Early America that helped shape our country and it’s foundations of law and rights. Men like Franklin, Jefferson, and Madison. Important: Students are moving into topics that they have not had before and mostly have never heard of these topics. It is so important to keep up with reading and questions and make sure you have quality outlines to aid in review and study.