November 18th - November 22nd

 


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 3:10 p.m.


National Junior Honor Society News


The NJHS students will continue to collect donations for our Homeless Outreach Project next week. We will collect items during morning carpool dropoff (7:30-8am) through Friday, November 22. Please have your NJHS student arrive by 7:30 on the days they have signed up to volunteer.


Please contact Kathleen Swanner kswanner@hancockdayschool.org or Larry O’Hayer lohayer@hancockdayschool.org if you have any NJHS questions.


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: 

  • you should only be sending recommendations to current teachers

  • 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 7:45 am to 8:00 am on Tuesdays

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

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

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


Follow Us on Social Media!



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.



Basketball Schedules 

Are not finalized yet, but the first games are scheduled for December 2nd.


Practices over Holidays or when school is out are not mandatory in most cases. However, with the basketball season surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays many of our coaches will still hold a few practices that are encouraged to attend if possible!

   

Uniforms 

Please return all fall sports uniforms turned in ASAP. 

I have been asked if 8th graders can have or buy their uniform and unfortunately, the answer is “no”. It is nearly impossible to get the exact uniform duplicated because styles, materials, and even colors change from year to year. And when schools do this it’s usually a school is purchasing a new set of uniforms, so they are trying to get rid of the old set. 

5th-grade, basketball uniforms, and smaller 6th grader’s uniforms will hopefully be handed out this week at school. Next week the remaining uniforms will be handed out. 

 

Physicals 

PLEASE make sure everyone has a current physical in the nurse's office. If you are not sure please speak to the nurse, but we will also send you a notification from the nurse’s office! 



Tip #7 Prepping for Exams, Part 1

We’re close to being a month out before exams. For the next few weeks, I am going to offer some practical and effective tips for middle school students preparing for exams. These tips focus on planning, organization, study strategies, and stress management.


4. Take Practice Tests

Use previous quizzes and tests: Review any previous assignments or tests for the topics that will be covered. This helps identify areas where you need more practice.

Ask your teacher for practice questions: Many teachers can provide sample questions, or you may be able to find practice problems online.

5. Stay Organized

Break up study time: Use the Pomodoro Technique—study for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat. This can help maintain focus and avoid burnout.

Use checklists: Make a list of topics you need to cover and check them off as you go. This keeps you on track and motivated.

6. Focus on Weak Areas

Identify tough topics: Spend extra time on subjects or topics you find challenging. Don’t spend all your time on areas you already understand well.

Seek help if needed: Ask your teacher, a friend, or a parent for help with any topics you’re struggling with. It’s okay to reach out if something isn’t clear.




Our Virtue of the Month for November and December is community! Consider looking for an opportunity during this time for your family to volunteer together. The United Way of the Coastal Empire has opportunities and  Second Harvest allows volunteers ages 12 and up when accompanied by an adult.


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 have started our next unit on Systems of Equations. Students will learn all three methods of solving systems. Please enjoy the video if you need a reminder on the topic. 


Advanced Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Advanced Algebra, we will complete Chapter 11 by having a quiz on 11.3-11.4 on Monday and practicing some more Midpoint and Distance Formulas (11.5).  We will have 2 days of review on Wednesday and Thursday, and then have the 11.3-11.5 test on Friday.


Geometry - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Geometry, we will complete Chapter 5 by learning about altitudes and the orthocenter (5.4), triangle inequalities (5.5), and the Hinge Theorem and its Converse (5.6).  We will have a day of review on Thursday and the Chapter 5 test on Friday.


Physical Science - Ms. Harmon
Next week we will be Starting our Lesson on Acids and Bases and we will have a quiz on Wednesday over Chemical Reactions and Equations.


ELA - Ms. Hall

This week, we finished our Narrative Unit with To Kill a Mockingbird and have begun moving into our Persuasive Writing Unit. Before we start moving into Macbeth at the end of next week, students will practice working with their persuasive writing terms and skills through a short writing activity which will be taken for a classwork grade.


US History - Mr. Saviskas
We have completed the first trimester and are moving on to the second. Our first quiz will be this coming Wednesday. It will be over the material we covered last week on the beginnings of the Civil War. Students will be given a short review day on Tuesday to help them prepare. I would also suggest they study their notes this weekend.


High School Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas

We have completed the content for our first trimester and I am happy to announce that all the students have shown proficiency and mastery in all the topics we have previously seen. The demonstration of their growing talkative, writing, reading, listening and grammatical skills is evident. Next week we will deeply continue with Unit 4: Simple Past Tense. Specifically seeing the Undetermined Preterit.  The students will Master the use of the  verb to be in this particular Simple Past Tense mode (which they have been using for the past progressive tense), they will also start conjugating  action verbs in and learning the time expressions and adverbs in Simple Past Tense. They will also learn the various ways to express past actions in Spanish Language along this unit. (Pretérito indeterminado, Pretérito imperfecto, Pretérito Perfecto)



Algebra I - Mr. Scordato
We have started our next unit on Systems of Equations. Students will learn all three methods of solving systems. Please enjoy the video if you need a reminder on the topic. 


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete the second half of Chapter 4 by learning how to write, compare, and multiply numbers in scientific notation (4.7).  We will have a day of review on Thursday and the 4.5-4.7 test on Friday.


Life Science - Ms. Harmon
We will be continuing our lesson on cell transport and will have a quiz on Thursday. 


Life Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we will finalize our study of the cell cycle, mitosis, and cell differentiation. There will be a Chapter 3 test on Thursday, November 21st.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol

This week, students will work through a mini-project encouraging them to think about the theme of individuality and identity as it relates to who they are as a person. This project will be worked on in class Monday through Wednesday and be due by the end of class Wednesday, November 20th. On Thursday, we will spend the entire class reviewing key features and content from the novel in anticipation of their whole novel TEST on Friday, November 22nd.


ELA - Ms. Hall
This week, students will be using our previous class discussions to start working through a mini-project that is going to revolve around the theme of individuality and identity. Much like other 7th ELA class, this project will be worked on from Monday through Wednesday, and will be due at the end of the period. Thursday will be used as a review day to prepare for their test over Posted on Friday, November 22nd.


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
We are diving headlong into the American Revolution. So far we have touched upon the causes of the American Revolution. On Wednesday, I expect to have a quiz over this material. I plan to have a review day on Tuesday to allow students to remind themselves of the material. Afterwards we will continue with our notes and get to the fighting itself.


Advanced Spanish - Mr. Jones 

Due to weather conditions and our abrupt departure on Thursday, the test will be postponed until we return on Tuesday, 12 Nov . Students will need to know the meaning and present tense conjugations of the verbs: leer, aprender, hacer, ver, ir, hablar, escuchar, escribir, buscar, visitar, & practicar. We will continue to review the following information that will also be on the test: masculine/feminine nouns with definite articles (i.g. el libro/la botella), and most importantly the verb querer (to want) plus the prepositions para & porque. Students should look to the handouts provided for study materials (p.24 #2a-b, 3a / p.26 #5a, 6a-c). Thereafter, we will begin Unit 3 discussing time, geography, and touristic places of interest in addition to functional grammar: hay, and quantifiers. 


X + 1 = Fluency

Advanced Spanish - Mr. De Cardenas 

Due to weather conditions and our abrupt departure on Thursday, the test will be postponed until we return on Tuesday, 12 Nov . Students will need to know the meaning and present tense conjugations of the verbs: leer, aprender, hacer, ver, ir, hablar, escuchar, escribir, buscar, visitar, & practicar. We will continue to review the following information that will also be on the test: masculine/feminine nouns with definite articles (i.g. el libro/la botella), and most importantly the verb querer (to want) plus the prepositions para & porque. Students should look to the handouts provided for study materials (p.24 #2a-b, 3a / p.26 #5a, 6a-c). Thereafter, we will begin Unit 3 discussing time, geography, and touristic places of interest in addition to functional grammar: hay, and quantifiers. 

X + 1 = Fluency



Accelerated Math - Mr. Scordato

Next week, we move on to learning about negative numbers and absolute value. We will return to ratios and proportions later in the year, and I will be reaching out to parents individually if your child needs more practice with ratios so that they can be fully prepared.


Pre-Algebra - Mr. Lanfear
Next week in Pre-Algebra, we will complete the second half of Chapter 4 by learning how to write, compare, and multiply numbers in scientific notation (4.7).  We will have a day of review on Thursday and the 4.5-4.7 test on Friday.


Earth Science - Mrs. Swanner
Next week, we will begin our study of Earth’s Water, beginning with properties of water and the water cycle.


ELA - Ms. Ferkol
Students have done an amazing job working collaboratively this week to create some wonderful body biographies of the main characters in The Outsiders! This project will be due on Monday, November 18th at the beginning of class. Monday’s class time will be spent reviewing content for their final test of this unit on Tuesday, November 19th. To celebrate all of the learning and gained knowledge from throughout this unit, we will be having  a well-deserved Greasers vs. Socs dress-down movie day on Wednesday, November 20th! This entire class period will be spent watching the movie adaptation of the novel and eating themed snacks! :)


World History - Mr. O’Hayer
Next week in World History students will move on from our study of Greek Philosophy to examine the life and influence of Alexander the Great. We will dive deep into his impacts on the ancient world and study how the Hellenistic period reached all across the ancient world. 


Spanish Fundamentals - Mr. Jones
Due to the disruption of the storm on Thursday, we will finish working with the short stories we created upon returning to school Tuesday, 12 Nov. Thereafter, we will work with indefinite articles, more question words, expressing existence in a location, and talking about weather. We will have a test over Unit 2 on Friday, 22 Nov. Students will need to study definite articles (el, la, los, las), conjugations of the verb querer (to want), and to differentiate between Spanish words for countries and the languages therein (e.g. Francia>francés).


Sixth graders are studying the work of Paul Klee. Students will design a composition with the community theme “Village at Night”.  The seventh graders are designing “All-American Athletic Wear” while studying proportion, concept and collection. The eighth graders have created “About-an-Artist” folded paper books with touches of art history to be completed next week!

🎾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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