October 14th - October 18th

 

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.


High School Applications

Some families have already started the application process for high schools. HERE is a quick and easy reference sheet with some information if you are feeling overwhelmed! Please keep in mind that we will not be sending transcripts until after T1 grades have been posted (after November 8), and we do not have birth certificates or social security card copies in our files in our office so you will need to provide these to the high schools. Email Mrs. Mannarino if you have any questions about this process.


Open Library 

We have begun open library for middle school students:

6th grade can go from 7:45am to 8:00am on Tuesdays

7th grade can go from 7:45am to 8:00am on Wednesdays

8th grade can go from 7:45am to 8:00am on Thursdays

Students will need to inform their homeroom teacher that they are going and return to class by 8:00am.


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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.



Tip #3: Keeping Organized is Crucial for Success! 

Staying organized is really important for middle school students because it helps them manage their responsibilities better and reduces stress. Here's why:

1. Improves Time Management: In middle school, students start juggling more subjects, assignments, and activities. Being organized helps them prioritize tasks, keep track of deadlines, and manage their time effectively, so they don't feel overwhelmed.

2. Reduces Forgetfulness: Having a system to keep track of assignments, tests, and projects helps prevent forgetfulness. An organized student is less likely to lose important papers or forget homework, which can lead to better grades and fewer last-minute scrambles.

3. Builds Good Habits for the Future: Middle school is when students start developing habits that will affect their success in high school and beyond. Learning to stay organized now helps them in high school, college, and even later in life, where being organized is a valuable skill in both school and work.

4. Less Stress and Anxiety: When things are organized, students can focus more on their work rather than worrying about where their notes or assignments are. This can reduce stress and help them feel more in control.

5. Better Study Skills: An organized student is more likely to have a well-organized study space, which can lead to more effective studying. Having a system for notes and materials makes it easier to review and understand concepts.

6. Increases Productivity: When everything has its place, students can spend less time searching for materials or figuring out what to do next. This leads to better use of time, which means they can accomplish more, both academically and in extracurricular activities.


Overall, staying organized can make school a lot less stressful and a lot more productive. Plus, it helps students develop skills that will last a lifetime!



Our virtues of the month are respect and responsibility! A skill that is key to both of these is effective problem solving skills. One of my favorite ways to encourage this is to “talk out loud” and let your student hear the inner dialogue that you have when you run into an issue. They will start to incorporate this “self talk” to help solve obstacles they encounter which will  lead to better choices that support respect and responsibility.


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.


7th grade students helping out with the clothing closet at Union Mission!


7th graders volunteered at Second Harvest this past Saturday to pack hurricane relief boxes for their Mobile Food Pantry program.



Algebra I - Mr. Scordato
We will wrap up our studies of solving inequalities. We then move on to our study of solving equations. This will include the new topic of absolute value equations.


Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete Chapter 10 by having a day of review on Tuesday and the 10.4-10.7 test on Wednesday.  Then, we will begin the first part of Chapter 11 by learning how to graph square root functions (11.1) and simplify basic radical expressions (11.2).


Geometry - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 3 by having a day of review on Tuesday and the Chapter 3 test on Wednesday.  We will then begin Chapter 4 by learning how to triangles and about some properties of triangles such as the Triangle Sum Theorem and the Exterior Angle Theorem (4.1).


Physical Science - Ms. Harmon
Please click here to view our Weekly Overview as we learn more about Chemical Reactions. 


ELA - Ms. Hall

This past week, students have officially concluded reading and studying the various aspects of Part 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird. They’ve been working towards analyzing the various characters they’ve met so far and citing textual evidence to explain their character traits. They will have a quiz over Part 1 on Wednesday, October 16. After the quiz, we will continue moving into Part 2 which will capture the struggles of our main characters growing up.



US History - Mr. Saviskas
We’ve been slowly getting back into the swing of things here. Next week we will be starting with project presentations. Students have been working on their “Create a Country” project so we will present those to the class on Tuesday. The project will be due on Tuesday at 8 AM, to make sure I have them all. Later in the week we will be starting the Civil War. Through the week we will be talking about the lead up and causes of the war.


High School Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas
The previous week we started reading the book “La Isla Más Peligrosa¨. The students are very engaged in the narrative of this book and the story that is told in it. 

Nex week we will continue working with the book. We will be reading the current chapters such as analyzing the small, related grammar together with the new vocabs and verbs used in the chapters to provide to the students more conversational content and ultimately more talkative skills. We will also continue working to map the book characters and having discussions to analyze this story as deep as possible. The students will need to use their knowledge of the language to express their thoughts about every aspect of the book. It will be a very exciting and interactional week in 8th grade Spanish class.



Algebra I - Mr. Scordato
We will wrap up our studies of solving inequalities. We then move on to our study of solving equations. This will include the new topic of absolute value equations.


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 3 by learning how to solve equations that have variables on both sides of the equation as well as solving equations that have no solutions or infinite solutions (3.3).  We will also practice writing and solving equations from word problems.  There will be a quiz covering 3.1-3.3 on Friday.


Life Science - Ms. Harmon
Please click here to view our Weekly Overview as we talk about viruses.


Life Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we will begin our study of “Cell Structure and Function, ” beginning with “Cells and Life.”)


ELA - Ms. Ferkol

Next week, students will continue to read and dive into literary skills using their novels. We will have a quiz covering Chapters 1-6 on Friday, October 18th. Students will utilize their guided question packets as well as Google Form reading checks as their preparation/study guide tools for this quiz! It is important for students to remember that annotations are expected as they are reading–I understand that this may not be the most “fun” skill; however, it is essential for students to develop as it allows them to practice critically consuming information as a means to learn rather than passively reading! With time and practice, annotating does get easier, I promise! :)


ELA - Ms. Hall
This past week, students started reading our first novel Posted together and began discussing what creates strong textual evidence. This upcoming week, students will continue answering analysis questions and completing reading checks to prepare for their upcoming quiz on Chapters 1-6, which will occur on Friday, October 18th. As they read, it is essential that they use their “How to Annotate” bookmarks to guide their notions in the novel.


American History - Mr. O’Hayer

Next week in American History we will begin our study of the American Revolution. We will identify the causes and events leading up to the War and summarize the major events and key participants of the Revolution. 


American History- Mr. Saviskas
Hello again! Next week we will be doing some review before our quiz on Thurs. 10/17. It will be over our notes on Chapter 3 of the book. This chapter covers the Early American Colonies.


Advanced Spanish - Mr. Jones 

We will continue to practice conjugating new verbs in the present tense while focusing on the use of key prepositions. Later, we will strive to add in the use of quantifiers as well though this will be contingent on grasp of content. Our next quiz will cover said material the upcoming week on 18 Nov.


X + 1 = Fluency

Advanced Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas 

We will continue to practice conjugating new verbs in the present tense while focusing on the use of key prepositions. Later, we will strive to add in the use of quantifiers as well though this will be contingent on grasp of content. Our next quiz will cover said material the upcoming week on 18 Nov.



Accelerated Math - Mr. Scordato

Welcome back from Merri-Mac! We will continue to study the decimal, looking at things that are infinitesimal. We move on and start to divide, so please come along for the ride. Sorry if these rhymes were not that exciting - maybe that’s why I don’t teach Writing. Have a great week, everyone!  =)


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 3 by learning how to solve equations that have variables on both sides of the equation as well as solving equations that have no solutions or infinite solutions (3.3).  We will also practice writing and solving equations from word problems.  There will be a quiz covering 3.1-3.3 on Friday.


Earth Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we finalize our study of weather by studying “Weather Forecasts.” There will be a “Weather” test covering WB p. 209-226 on Wednesday, October 23.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol
This week, students will continue diving into their novels and developing their reading comprehension skills. As we read, it’s important for students to use their annotating bookmarks to keep track of important information throughout the novel as this will help students critically analyze the novel for understanding as opposed to simply reading passively. Students will have a quiz covering content from Chapters 1-3 on Thursday, October 17th. The following day, Friday, October 18th, students will have a short vocabulary quiz covering the words from Chapters 1-4! 


Now that we are revving up and getting into the groove of our first novel unit, students should expect a bit of an increase in their nightly work. Please remind students that they should be utilizing Tutorial and continue to work on developing their nightly study habits to keep them from being overwhelmed with work that has the potential to pile up fast! This is an extremely fun and rewarding unit, but it is also an increase in the amount of work to be done! We got this! :)


World History - Mr. O’Hayer
Next week in World History students will begin our study of Greek Philosophy. We begin this journey by examining Socrates. Students will analyze how Greek mythology and early Greek philosophy as ways of explaining natural natural phenomena.


Intro to Spanish - Mr. Jones
We will continue working with Unit 2 material, focusing on expressing intentions, explaining motives, and talking about what we know how to do (actions/procedures) in Spanish. We will also begin to use short stories as a means of exposure to authentic forms of the language and the verbs conjugated in present tense therein. Our next quiz will be 17 Nov and will cover said material, all of which students will be provided ahead of time.




The intelligence of trees can be found in the Live Oaks by 7th grade in how the limbs know exactly where to grow. Sixth graders are pushing the value of their portraits to best likeness and 8th graders apply drawing techniques to reveal tone, texture and space. 

🎾If you have tennis balls that have lost their bounce, the studio stools could use them and 48 are needed. Thank you!🎾💚


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