October 21st - October 25th

 

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.


Math Club!

Math Team is starting Monday 10/21 after school. Each Monday, we will meet from 3:45 - 4:45. You do not have to attend every week to be a mathlete, but please try to make it to the first meeting. Any middle school student may join. It does not matter what grade or math class you are in.


If you are planning on joining the team, please use the following Google Classroom code to join: 5sgxkxd


You can also talk to Mr. Scordato or email him at gscordato@hancockdayschool.org to let him know that you're joining or if you have any questions.


Snack will be provided!


Chess Club!

Chess club will be starting Wednesday (10/23). It will start at 3:45 pm and last until 4:30 pm. This is a come and go club, so students are always free to drop by and join. In this club we will learn how to play and do in school tournaments against each other.


If you are interested in joining, you can email Mr. Saviskas at nsaviskas@hancockdayschool.org.


You should also join the HDS Google Classroom so you can get announcements and events.

The classroom code is: eebqyg5


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.



Cross Country
Championship Thursday, Oct.17th at Skidaway State Park


Football

Although the JV and Varsity teams lost to SCPS on Wednesday, they are optimistic about the Spal Tournament next week!

Thank you 8th graders for a great regular season and for all you and your parents have done! Tournament brackets will be decided after tonight's games!

 The next round is on Oct.24th


Volleyball

 Update Congrats; Last nights winners were 7th grade, 6th grade HDS1, and 6th grade HDS 2

  

Cheer

Thank you cheerleaders for a great season- special thanks to our 8th-grade ladies and their families


Tennis 

City championships are around the corner.    


Basketball

Open Gyms:

  • Oct 18th Friday 3:45-5:00 PM, Grades 5th-8th  

  • Oct 19th Saturday  9:00-10:30 AM, Grades 3rd-4th

 Tryouts coming soon - TBS due to football and Vball Tournaments

 If you want to coach, please contact Coach Bellairs.


 The probable tryout date is the week of October 28th, but if we can start earlier, we will—depending on how far we go in the Volleyball Tournament. GO EAGLES!!! 




Tip #4: Keeping Organized is Crucial for Success! 

Planning is an essential skill that helps students manage their time, set goals, and achieve success in their academic and personal lives. Here are some strategies to help students improve their planning skills:

  1. Set Clear Goals: Start by identifying what you want to achieve. Whether it's completing a homework assignment, studying for a test, or working on a project, having a clear goal in mind will help you stay focused and motivated.

  2. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Large tasks can feel overwhelming, so break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, if you have a science project due, you can divide it into steps like researching, writing a draft, and creating a presentation.

  3. Create a Schedule: Use a planner or calendar to map out your tasks and deadlines. Allocate specific times for each task and stick to your schedule as much as possible. This will help you stay organized and ensure you have enough time to complete everything.

  4. Prioritize Your Tasks: Not all tasks are equally important. Learn to prioritize by identifying which tasks need to be done first and which can wait. Focus on completing high-priority tasks before moving on to less critical ones.

  5. Use Tools and Resources: There are many tools available to help with planning, such as planners, apps, and online calendars. Find the ones that work best for you and use them regularly to keep track of your tasks and deadlines.

  6. Stay Flexible: Sometimes things don't go as planned, and that's okay. Be prepared to adjust your schedule and priorities as needed. Flexibility is an important part of effective planning.

  7. Review and Reflect: At the end of each day or week, take some time to review what you have accomplished and reflect on what worked well and what didn't. This will help you improve your planning skills over time.

By practicing these strategies, students can develop strong planning skills that will help them succeed in school and beyond.



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
Students will take a quiz on Solving Equations and Inequalities on Monday. They also have their Desmos Halloween Art project due on Wednesday. Please ask them to show you their artwork and how they used the graphing calculator to create their original creations.


Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will continue Chapter 11 by learning how to simplify radical expressions with and without variables (11.2).  We will also begin learning how to rationalize denominators (11.2).  There will be a quiz on Tuesday covering 11.1 and the beginning of 11.2.


Geometry - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Geometry, we will continue Chapter 4 by learning about congruence and triangles (4.2) and proving triangles are congruent by Side-Side-Side (SSS) (4.3), and by Side-Angle-Side (SAS) and Hypotenuse-Leg (HL) (4.4).  There will be a quiz on Wednesday covering 4.1-4.2.


Physical Science - Ms. Harmon
Next week we will be taking a quiz on Monday which covers Physical Properties, Physical Changes, Chemical Properties and Changes. After that we will start our unit on Elements and Chemical Bonds.


ELA - Ms. Hall

This past week, students took their quiz over Part 1 and began reading Part 2 of To Kill a Mockingbird. Next week, they will start reading the court trial of Tom Robinson and continue to track the process of Jem and Scout growing up. We will take some time to discuss the court trial process as well as the various character’s input in the trial before diving into the reading.


US History - Mr. Saviskas
The “Create a Country Project,” was a success! I’m so happy with what the kids created and presented. This coming week we are diving into the Civil War. We have already begun the unit on Friday and we’ll continue that lesson into Monday and Tuesday. I intend to have a quiz next Friday should we get through the material at the pace I’m expecting. Otherwise we will adjust as needed.


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. 

Next week we will continue working with the book. We will be reading chapters 5 and 6 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 as well as updating our Board Mapping Project. The students will continue using the Past Progressive Tense to express ideas and thoughts in Spanish. The activities this week will be focused on conversational situations.



Algebra I - Mr. Scordato
Students will start their next unit with a more in-depth look at linear functions. They also have their Desmos Halloween Art project due on Wednesday. Please ask them to show you their artwork and how they used the graphing calculator to create their original creations.


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 3 by learning how to solve inequalities with and without negative coefficients (3.4-3.5).  There will be a quiz on Monday covering 3.1-3.3 and a Math Facts Quiz on Friday.  Students will receive the outline of what is covered on the Math Facts Quiz early in the week.


Life Science - Ms. Harmon
Next week, we will be having a quiz on Tuesday on Bacteria and Viruses. After that we will be starting our lesson on Cells and I will hand out rubrics for their Edible Cell Project. It may be presented ANY day between 10/28-10/31 , but it must be completed and presented.



Life Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, continue our study of cells. The Edible Cell project may be presented ANY day next week, but it must be completed and presented by Friday the 25th at the latest! There will be a “cells” vocabulary quiz covering all cell vocabulary from TB p. 40-72 on Tuesday, October 29.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol

This week, students did a great job diving into their novels and beginning to dig into the exciting plot of Posted. A major part of this novel is the main character’s, Frost's, love of poetry. (Bonus points to any parents who can guess his favorite based on his nickname!) He frequently refers to this as his “anchor” and something that brings him peace, joy, and comfort. Next week, students will work on developing their skills with poetic devices.  They will then begin an in-class project where they will brainstorm and write a poem about their own “anchor”. As this project will be done completely in class, students will only have reading and questions to complete for homework for the entire week. I am looking forward to hearing about what activities these students love and the creativity that will blossom from these projects!


**This novel is available through Audible for students to listen to while they annotate/read! When students have the opportunity to read independently in class, they may choose to listen along with their reading (via Chromebook, not cell phone). Should your child want to utilize this option they must have CORDED headphones, not bluetooth, per the school policy! Please make sure the connector fits into the headphone jack of the Chromebook :)


ELA - Ms. Hall
This week, students spent time in class diving into the plot of Posted and continued working on their annotating skills. This upcoming week, students will continue to read said novel, as well as begin studying poetic devices. Together, they will work on writing poems in a way similar to that of the main character in the novel. 


American History - Mr. O’Hayer

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


American History- Mr. Saviskas
Greetings! This week we will be doing some class activities and practicing what we learned last week over Chapter 3. We will use the first half of the week to also review and study for our test which will be on Thursday.


Advanced Spanish - Mr. Jones 

Our quiz will be on 22 Oct, pushed forward one day to allow for review, and will cover - Prepositions: para + infinitivo & porque + verbo conjugado - What these verbs mean: trabajar, leer, estudiar, hablar, querer, comer, aprender, hacer, ir, salir, escuchar, comprar, & comprender - Matching the conjugated forms of these verbs with the corresponding subject pronouns. For the rest of the week, we will review definite articles before diving into more preposition and quantifier work. On Friday, we will begin a series entirely in Spanish designed to learn the language with accompanying comprehension questions. This will become a weekly occurrence.


X + 1 = Fluency

Advanced Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas 

Our quiz will be on 22 Oct, pushed forward one day to allow for review, and will cover - Prepositions: para + infinitivo & porque + verbo conjugado - What these verbs mean: trabajar, leer, estudiar, hablar, querer, comer, aprender, hacer, ir, salir, escuchar, comprar, & comprender - Matching the conjugated forms of these verbs with the corresponding subject pronouns. For the rest of the week, we will review definite articles before diving into more preposition and quantifier work. On Friday, we will begin a series entirely in Spanish designed to learn the language with accompanying comprehension questions. This will become a weekly occurrence.



Accelerated Math - Mr. Scordato

Students will take a quiz on decimal operations and percentages. Please ask them to tell you about their scavenger hunt about taxes, tips, and discounts. We move on to problem-solving involving percentages and a closer look at ratios.


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will continue Chapter 3 by learning how to solve inequalities with and without negative coefficients (3.4-3.5).  There will be a quiz on Monday covering 3.1-3.3 and a Math Facts Quiz on Friday.  Students will receive the outline of what is covered on the Math Facts Quiz early in the week.


Earth Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we review all weather topics in preparation for the “Weather” test covering WB p. 209-226 on Wednesday, October 23. Then, we will begin our study of Climate.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol
This week, students will continue to read about the exciting life of Ponyboy and Johnny as they deal with the repercussions of their actions that we read about last week. Some of the major themes we are exploring are social class, empathy, and the importance of perspective. With this in mind, students will be completing a project in which they will explore poetic devices and their own perspective to create an art piece and poem demonstrating their point of view. This project will be due on Monday 10/28. I am excited to see the creativity and vulnerability these students demonstrate with our first project of the year!


Students will have their second quiz covering content and vocabulary from Chapters 4-6 on Thursday 10/24. A study guide will be posted on Google Classroom!


**As we read, I am posting the Youtube read-alouds for this novel. When students have the opportunity to read independently in class, they may choose to listen along with their reading–should your child want to utilize this option they must have CORDED headphones, not bluetooth, per the school policy! Please make sure the connector fits into the headphone jack of the Chromebook :)


World History - Mr. O’Hayer
Next week in World History students will begin our study of Greek Philosophy. We begin our journey for knowledge by looking at the most famous of all Greek philosophers: Socrates. From there we will look at the impacts of Plato and Aristotle. Students will analyze the works and words of these famous thinkers and establish how their contributions still impact our world today.


Intro to Spanish - Mr. Jones
This week, 6th grade students will begin understanding the verb querer (to want) while combining it with prepositions para, por, & porque to express wants. This will lead into introducing other key vocabulary such as ir (to go) & salir (to leave/go out). Our goal is to have select action verbs with which we may begin to construct more complex sentences while using a wide variety of nouns and destinations.



 The value of value study in graphite and vine charcoal has arrived in the color applications students are beginning and will continue next week in the painting unit. Students will use watercolor, tempera and acrylic. 

🎾Thank you for the tennis balls!  A serene studio and tranquil tutorial is evermore smooth with the tennis balls eliminating screeching stools. Now, a need for 24 will complete the set. Thank you!🎾💚


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