September 16th - September 20th

 

White Gate Carpool
Middle School morning carpool runs 7:30 a.m. - 7:55 a.m. Faculty and staff leave carpool posts at 7:55 a.m. Homeroom begins at 8:00 a.m. Students arriving after 8:00 a.m. will need to sign in at the Middle School office and they will be marked TARDY. Middle School afternoon carpool begins at 3:15 p.m. Please do not arrive on campus before 3:15 p.m.


Camp Merri-Mac - NEW
On Friday, September 13th, we sent an email to middle school families with information about our school trip to Camp Merri-Mac. Click HERE for the email we sent. 


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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.


 

Football 

What a great night for a football game last Wednesday! Both HDS teams enjoyed more than the weather with two great victories against SCDS! Led by QB Walker York the JV squad won 22-0. The varsity team also won with a sensational fourth quarter with runs by Gage Hart and the help of great blocking by the offensive line. Coleman Zeigler (center) had a great game delivering the snaps to QB Breck Wilson without any miscues. Thank you JV and Varsity Cheer for another amazing job!


***HELP (Parents or Teachers)-We need a 3rd grade Flag football coach- The response was so good that we could have two teams and the season starts next week. It is one day a week plus game days (so really 8-10 days).

 

Volleyball teams are now well underway, with the 5th Yellow and 6th Green teams still perfect on the young season. Next week we have several home games so please come and support our girls.  

Monday’s home games include:

  • 5th Grade Yellow 5 pm

  • 6th Grade Green 6 pm

  • Non-HDS teams   7 pm

  • 8th Grade             8 pm


Tennis opens next Tuesday at Bacon Park against Calvary at 4 PM. The SCDS match will be rescheduled due to rain this week.


Cross Country competed in a Fun Run at SCDS to get ready for their first contest. Tuesday at SCDS at 5 PM. Students will NOT need to leave early since the meet was moved back 30 minutes


Fall Team Pictures- Parents thank you for your patience as you can imagine it’s quite an undertaking. Thank you, coaches, Cindy Drew and Ashley Moody for helping. All athletes took individual and team photos. Morris Photography will be emailing you proofs if you would like to purchase.



Tip #1: GO TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY. 


  • The Classwork section will have your homework, long-term assignments, assessments, projects, and due dates. 

  • Please look in the Calendar for individual assignments. 

  • Teachers will post announcements in the Stream. Also in the Stream on the list on the left is the To-Do tab which gives a list of upcoming assignments. You may also reach out to your teachers or peers using comments. 

  • Lastly, parents receive the Blog in the Eagle’s Nest every Friday, and students receive it in an email from Mrs. Mannarino Friday’s as well. 

    • The Blog announces grade-by-grade and subject-by-subject what is happening for the next week in each class. It also includes the link to the Assessment/Project Calendar which lists upcoming assessments and projects for the next two weeks. 


All of these tools are valuable for organizing, planning, and time management. 



This is an exciting time of year when we fall back into existing routines or develop new ones. As your family navigates going back to school, remember that it’s just as important to build in downtime into your schedule. Allow you and your student to have the time to reflect and rejuvenate!


Helping Kids Back Into the School Routine


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



Each middle school student is required to complete ten hours of community service over the course of the school year.  Please remember to check this area of the blog for opportunities. Click HERE for a log form or see Mrs. Mannarino in the office.



Algebra I - Mr. Scordato
We continue with linear functions with a closer look at domain and range. Students will also start our next unit on the Properties of Real Numbers.


Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will begin the second part of Chapter 10 by learning how to solve quadratic equations using square roots (10.4) and how to complete the square (10.5).  There will be a quiz on 10.4-10.5 on Friday.


Geometry - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 2 by having a day of review on Monday and then the Chapter 2 test on Tuesday.  We will then begin Chapter 3 by learning about angles formed when 2 parallel lines are cut by a transversal (3.1-3.2), and we will prove statements about parallel lines (3.3).


Physical Science - Ms. G
Please click here to view our Weekly Overview as we learn more about The Periodic Table and begin discussing Chemical Reactions. 


ELA - Ms. Hall

Over the past week, students have spent time learning about the different elements and parts of a narrative. Starting next week, we’ll begin reading To Kill a Mockingbird as we continue practicing with the different aspects of story-telling and fictional literature. A reading schedule will be posted in Google Classroom for students who are absent or would like to read ahead of the class. It is imperative that students continue reviewing their notes as we will conclude next week with a Narrative Terms Quiz on Friday, September 20.


US History - Mr. Saviskas
We’ve been digging deep into the purpose and types of Government with the class. So far we have covered Democracy, Republics, Monarchies, Dictatorships and Fascism. These are of course complicated topics, so we have been slow going to make sure students understand them. Next Thursday (9/19), I plan on having a test on our Government lecture. It will be over all of the government types we have covered in our notes and the purpose of governments.


High School Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas
This week we completed learning how to modify the present progressive tense with the modal verbs and the students are demonstrating a huge mastery of this material including their listening comprehension. Next week we will continue practicing the Unit 2: Present Progressive Tense Modified by the modal verbs by performing dynamic exercises in class to enhance their communicative skills and ultimately achieve the students capability to engage in spontaneous dialogues using this content. 



Algebra I - Mr. Scordato
We continue with linear functions with a closer look at domain and range. Students will also start our next unit on the Properties of Real Numbers.


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 2 by having a quiz on Monday covering 2.1-2.3.  We will then begin solving our first equations by learning how to solve one-step equations using addition/subtraction (2.5), multiplication/division (2.6), and equations involving decimals (2.7).  We will have a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 2 test on Friday.


Life Science - Ms. G
Please click here to view our Weekly Overview as we work through our Bacteria Wanted Research Project.


Life Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we will complete an in-class Bacteria Wanted poster project.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol

Next week, students will turn in their Summer Reading essays and their interactive notebooks. Both will be due on Tuesday, September 17. This date has changed to ensure students have ample time to edit and turn in their best work as it will be their first test grade and second quiz grade! Students should look for the rubric for both assignments on Google Classroom. 


Additionally, next week we will dive into our first novel study of the year using the novel Posted by John David Anderson. I highly recommend you read this novel alongside your student as it is a fantastic read filled with good humor and life lessons about developing your own identity while also being mindful of your impact on others! This novel is filled with literary devices, world connections, and character development which will allow us to dive deeper into our reading comprehension skill-building.


Throughout this unit, students will engage in vocabulary activities, comprehension-based reading checks, and utilize their creative and critical thinking skills with different interpretive art projects. Students should expect to read nightly; however, we will also be reading together in class to support student comprehension and understanding of larger themes within the novel. 


ELA - Ms. Hall
As we begin the next week, students will be submitting their final draft of the Summer Reading Essay by midnight on Tuesday, September 17. This will be their first test grade in the gradebook. They have been guided in-class and had the writing process broken down into different steps to help them feel more comfortable writing. After concluding our mini-unit on grammar and writing, we will be starting our narrative unit by reading the novel Posted by John David Anderson. Our class will focus on the different parts of a narrative, while working to understand larger themes present in our novel.


American History - Mr. O’Hayer

Next week in American History we will continue our study of the 13 Colonies. This is a very important chapter that details the creation of the Colonies. It sets the stage for how this country developed and what hurdles had to be crossed in creating this country. We pushed back the start date of the next  project: Building a Colony From Scratch. Students will receive the rubric Monday.


American History- Mr. Saviskas
We have been hard at work with our Create a Colony Project. So far students have created a colonial charter and a proposed map for their colonies. Next they will be working on their colonial flag, their colony’s leader and their regional map. Next week, I will be pushing the presentation of the project back to Wednesday to give students more time to finish their projects. After the project we will begin covering what the real English colonies did and compare it to what the students have learned from the project.


Advanced Spanish - Mr. Jones 

Next week, we will continue to work through Unit 1 of our textbook with a list of essential vocabulary being provided for CW and Quiz assignments to come. These flashcards would be an ideal opportunity for parents to assist their students in preparing for assessments as keywords will be critical to context clues in activities/assessments to come! Also, Mr. De Cardenas and I will begin posting study guides on Google Classroom for non-oral assessments so that parents may better understand how their students will be evaluated and how they may participate in study time. *Study guides will directly resemble the structure of assessments however the questions/answers will not be the same! 


X + 1 = Fluency

Advanced Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas 

Next week, we will continue to work through Unit 1 of our textbook with a list of essential vocabulary being provided for CW and Quiz assignments to come. These flashcards would be an ideal opportunity for parents to assist their students in preparing for assessments as keywords will be critical to context clues in activities/assessments to come! Also, Mr. De Cardenas and I will begin posting study guides on Google Classroom for non-oral assessments so that parents may better understand how their students will be evaluated and how they may participate in study time. *Study guides will directly resemble the structure of assessments however the questions/answers will not be the same! 



Accelerated Math - Mr. Scordato

Students will start our next unit on Place Value and Operations with Decimals.


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete Chapter 2 by having a quiz on Monday covering 2.1-2.3.  We will then begin solving our first equations by learning how to solve one-step equations using addition/subtraction (2.5), multiplication/division (2.6), and equations involving decimals (2.7).  We will have a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 2 test on Friday.


Earth Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we will complete an in-class Severe Weather poster project.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol
Next week, students will continue to critically analyze their summer reading texts. I anticipate we will be working on this for the majority of the week with an anticipated due date of Thursday, September 19th! The goal with this essay is not to be perfect, but instead to familiarize ourselves with the parts of an analytical essay and become familiar with the writing process. Students should take this opportunity to monitor their own strengths and weaknesses throughout this process and utilize that information in the coming papers we will write this year! 


After we complete our essay for this unit, we will take the STAR Assessment to gain more diagnostic and benchmark information that will inform our lessons throughout the trimester, and then we will begin our first novel unit of the year with a preview day of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton! 


World History - Mr. O’Hayer
Next week in World History students will travel to Sparta to see how this City-State evolved into the military power that ruled the region. Students will compare and contrast life in Sparta vs life in Athens. 


Intro to Spanish - Mr. Jones
For the coming week, we will present our projects in class on Monday. Thereafter, the week will consist of interactive activities to practice, review, and practice again the material learned thus far in preparation for our first comprehensive Unit Test on Friday, 20 September. A study guide with translated instructions and an English answer key will be posted in Google Classroom so that parents may assist their students more readily. *Study guides will directly resemble the structure of assessments however the questions/answers will not be the same!


X + 1 = Fluency



Students have embraced the drawing materials with intention and expression. Next week Sixth graders will apply their value skills in the crosshatch method to a smooth value scale exercises for upcoming self-portraits. Seventh graders will transfer their composition knowledge of lines & texture in landscapes to partner in Live Oak Tree portraits. Eighth graders are doing a tremendous job of scaling up the Skull Drawings with contour line, value and detail! 




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