Lunch Room Volunteers
During the month of December, middle school parents are responsible for helping with cafeteria coverage. Please sign up by following the link below.
Saint Mary’s Christmas Shop
This fun tradition returns this Sunday Dec 7th during the Advent Brunch and will remain open Monday – Wednesday Dec 8-10. The Christmas shop allows students to “secretly” purchase affordable gifts without relying on parents to take them to a store.
Prices range from $0.25 – $5.00 per item (with a large amount of items in the $2.00 range).
Each class will visit the Shop, check with your child’s teacher to find out what day your child is shopping.
Students should bring their gift giving lists. Please ensure spending money is in a zip-top baggie labeled with your student’s name & homeroom.
Service
On Friday, December 19th, Our Middle School Students will be making and mailing cards. I am asking each student to bring in one stamp so that we can mail the cards that afternoon.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Heishman at hheishman@saintmary.org
Uniform Compliance
Christmas vacation will be an excellent time to take inventory of your child’s uniform compliance and perhaps make some adjustments.
Some of the girls, especially the 8th graders, are growing so quickly that skirt lengths are becoming short. Remember that the rule for skirt length is they should be no shorter than 2 inches above the knee not fingertip length-that’s too short).
Some of the boys slacks are “highwaters” now, and a few may benefit from a haircut to be in compliance with the uniform regulations.
Language and Literature- Mr. Schaefer
6th Grade: We are almost done with our second novel. The students are seeing how hard it can be to be part of a family with twelve children. Their father also had very strict rules on how they dress which probably sounded similar to our dress code rules. There will be a quiz on the novel on Monday. We will have a spelling test on Unit 7 on Friday (12/13). There is no midterm exam for this class.
7th Grade: The students are enjoying being haunted by Dickens in A Christmas Carol. Fortunately almost all of the students have been exposed to this famous work so they can follow along even though the language is quite different than what they are used to seeing. We will finish the novel during the week of December 8th. We will have a spelling test on Unit 7 on Friday (12/13). There is no midterm exam for this class.
8th Grade: All of the eighth grade students have divided up into groups to teach about one topic we have covered this semester. The students will be doing this into the early part of the week of December 8th to help prepare for exams. We will use the rest of the week to review the material for exams. We will have a spelling test on Unit 7 on Friday (12/13).
Language and Literature- Mr. Maddock
6th grade Grammar and Writing- We’ve finished the Pronoun Unit, but some of the pieces are still unclear to the kids, so we’ll do a bit more of those to begin the week of the 8th and then review the first semester.
7th grade Grammar and Writing- If you find your students in a particularly contentious, not to say refractory, mood during the week of the 8th, it may be because they’re presenting their Persuasive Speeches and they’re getting their game faces on. Or perhaps they’re just that way! When the dust settles, we’ll review any grammar we might’ve learned since August.
8th grade Literature and Language– This week finds us reading Macbeth, which as they begin the high school application process provides just the right lesson in the dangers of excessive ambition. If you see them staring distractedly into space, muttering about a bloody dagger, it’s nothing to be concerned about. Probably nothing to be concerned about.
Science- Mr. Short
6th Grade will have a quiz early next week on Section 1 of Ch 3. This will be the last assessment before exams. The students will get a study guide to be completed before the day of their exam.
7th Grade will begin reviewing for exams on Thursday of next week. Their study guide was handed out last week and is due before the day of their exam. The Wanted poster project is due on Monday.
8th Grade has a paper due on Monday Dec 8th. The students got their study guide for exams last week.
Language Acquisition- Madame Rooks
French 6- We are working on our family trees and having a great time describing our families in French. We’ll finish this next week and learn animal vocabulary in French. The Mid Term exam will cover chapters 1-7 in Exploring French. I will give the students a brief guide on what and how to study.
French 7- Merci beaucoup for all of the lovely party foods and supplies. We had a feast of delicious foods and many students tried foods they had not tried before! We are finishing Chapter 3, which is the study of Before, during and After School. We will have a test on this chapter on Wednesday of next week.
French 8- We are finishing our study of clothing and shopping in France. Our test will be Monday, December 8th. I am still enjoying the fashion shows. Your student should have pictures to show you. You should also be able to use the photo to access their fashion show on Aurasma. Find my channel, MmeRooks, and follow me. Then use the photo as a trigger to see the shows. Let me know if it doesn’t work. There have been a few glitches with Aurasma. (It’s a free download, btw). Merci pour tout! Thank you for everything you do to support our French class!
Have a great weekend!
Language Acquisition- Senora Thompson
Spanish:
6th grade-We are learning to talk about the weather in Spanish and they have a “weather journal” that will need to be turned on on Wednesday. Some of the work they are doing in class, but for Saturday and Sunday they will need to complete at home. They will have a weather vocabulary quiz next week.
7th grade- We continue to work in Unit 4. They will have a vocabulary quiz next week on Palabras 2. We are also working on conjugating “ar” verbs singular and plural. They have also been introduced to three irregular verbs: estar, dar and ir. After we get comfortable with simple conjugation, they will have to learn how to answer questions.
8th grade-We are working on Unit 9. They will have a vocabulary quiz next week on Palabras 1. They are now learning how to conjugate “ar” verbs in the past tense. We will continue to learn how to conjugate more verbs in the past tense and they will have the opportunity to practice on conjuguemos.com. Their next project will be a “muestre y explique”. It will be fun to see what they bring in for the “show-and-tell”.
Math- Mrs. Koehler
NOTICE: Math Lab continues to meet on Monday and Wednesday from 3:00-4:00 in the MS math room. Please encourage your student to use this resource if they need extra help in math.
To all Middle School:
The plan is that by the time you are reading this, your son/daughter will have a Study Guide for Math from me. Next week will be used mainly for exam review. The students were instructed to save all tests and vocabulary quizzes. Each class should gather these over the weekend and bring them in on Monday, 12/8. Chapters 1-5 will be covered on the mid-term exam. I will be giving the students cumulative review homework sheets throughout the week. This is not new material. The only way to study math is to DO MATH!
6th Grade:
We ended the week with the final Chapter 5 test and Vocabulary quiz. Please help your student to gather all tests and quizzes this weekend to bring in for exam review on Monday. There will be no graded assessments next week as we prepare for the mid-term exam. I will be giving the students cumulative review homework sheets throughout the week.
7th Grade: I had planned to finish the week with the Chapter 5 test but the students expressed they were in “overload” with tests and projects as each subject is closing out the semester before mid-terms. I went ahead and gave the Chapter 5 Vocabulary quiz on Friday, but postponed the Chapter 5 final test until Tuesday, 12/9. I hope this eased the workload for your student. We will still begin review for the mid-term exam on Monday which will include chapters 1-5. Please remind your son/daughter to gather all tests and quizzes to bring in on Monday as we begin reviewing. I will be giving the students cumulative review homework sheets throughout the week. Also, remind them to study for the Chapter 5 test on Tuesday!
8th Grade:
Advanced Algebra (HS) – We started Chapter 6 but this will not be included on the mid-term exam. The mid-term will cover Chapters 1-5 only. Please remind your student to gather all tests and quizzes this weekend to bring in for review on Monday. There will be no graded assessments next week as we prepare for the mid-term exam. I will be giving the students cumulative review homework sheets throughout the week.
Algebra (HS) – We ended the week with the final Chapter 5 test and Vocabulary quiz. Please remind your student to gather all tests and quizzes this weekend to bring in for exam review on Monday. There will be no graded assessments next week as we prepare for the mid-term exam. I will be giving the students cumulative review homework sheets throughout the week. The students were assigned a project on a mathematician. Ask to see the handout of all the creative choices they could choose from to construct their project. I do not believe in giving homework or projects over Christmas Break so I would like to explain the plan. The students have been instructed with a timeline for providing me with the script or appropriate material on Tuesday, 12/9. They should be working on this project over the weekend and not putting it off until break! Tuesday is the first phase due date which includes the research and most of the work be completed for the assignment. If anything, the finishing touches are all that should be left for break. The projects are due on Monday, 1/5, when we return. The purpose of moving the due date was so we would not lose any review time. I plan to spend the whole week reviewing for the mid-term and the students can continue working on their projects. Presentations will be the week we return. I am very excited to see the creative puppet shows, art galleries, talk shows, power points, and soliloquys. Please encourage your student to complete their project before break so they can enjoy the holiday!
Ms. Koehler
MYP Math
Math- Mrs. Schiavo
Sixth Grade Pre-Algebra
The classroom was “flipped” during Thanksgiving week. Students learned the material at home for Sections 5.4 – 5.6 of the textbook during their break. When we returned from our holiday we used our class time to work on problems. Both their fellow students and I were available to answer their questions. I know the students enjoyed this different kind of learning approach and were very successful. Also, students were asked to start reviewing for the midterm by going over all the vocabulary in the first five chapters of the textbook.
Individuals in Societies- Mrs. Tuskey
6th grade History
This week the students have been exploring some of the problems that arose in the newly independent United States due in part to the Articles of Confederation. We wrapped up the week with the students acting out a play about the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This group of 6th graders loves to act! The week of the 8th will be dedicated to exam review. The students will get a study guide on Monday. Please encourage your child to review for exams a little bit each night instead of waiting until the night before the exam.
7th grade History
After working for a week on their Ellis Island projects, the students get a chance to show off their handiwork by presenting to their classmates. I was thrilled to hear several 7th graders tell me they interviewed a relative over Thanksgiving for this project! I have many fond memories talking to my own grandparents about when their great grandparents arrived at the Port of Baltimore from Lithuania. The week of the 8th will be dedicated to exam review. The students will get a study guide on Monday. Please encourage your child to review for exams a little bit each night instead of waiting until the night before the exam.
8th grade World Civilizations
The 8th graders started their exploration of ancient Greece by learning about the Mycenaeans and the Minoans. The students learned that the probable source of inspiration for the story of Atlantis is the island of Thera. Of course no introduction to ancient Greece is complete without a discussion of Homer, including the “Homeric question” itself. We conclude the week by studying the dawn of the city-states. The week of the 8th will be dedicated to exam review. The students will get a study guide on Monday. Please encourage your child to review for exams a little bit each night instead of waiting until the night before the exam.
Mrs. Pam Tuskey
Religion- Mrs. Slifka
All grades:
- Prayer for December to memorize and understand: The ANGELUS (this is in the Jesus Journal). This is due by Thursday 12/11 and can be done in groups up to 4 or individually. (This is part of the 2014 curriculum and it is required for all students to know certain prayers.)
- Pop quizzes- We have been reviewing material over the last 2 weeks with what I loosely call pop quizzes. Students start the pop quiz just like a normal quiz, and then they are to star anything that they do not recall. For 5 minutes, they are allowed to look in their journals –an open book quiz. All information should be in the journal in the back section. This is graded at the weight of classwork- but intended to help them prepare for the mid-term. I have asked students to study the items that they starred to prep for the midterm. My hopes are that they study a bit each week, rather than wait until the week of midterms. We have discussed this in class several times.
- My email is jslifka@saintmary.org
Design- Mrs. Clopton
No updates this week.
PE- Coach Spicer
No updates this week.
Music- Mrs. Taylor
Composer of the Month: December/Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
We know his work from the Nutcracker, did you also know he wrote this
http://youtu.be/G4h7NGMz2RI
One of the best things about Tchaikovsky is unlike many of his predecessors, he didn’t know he wanted to be a composer until his 20’s. It’s okay to figure things out as we go along….
6th grade-Begin Music 2nd Semester. They may bring their Music Process Journals (1 in. binder) down to the music room to be labeled and stored.
7th grade-Performance Critique Paper due next week on Mon. Dec. 9th (for our Wed. class, switch of schedule) and on Thurs. Dec. 11th. Type written, double spaced 2-3 pages in length. Further details of requirements are listed on their critique form. 7th grade students each have a unique role in our Christmas program and Nativity that will be presented here in the church on the night of Tues. Dec. 16th 7-8pm. Their participation and attendance is a major portion of their grade for this quarter.
8th grade-Religious Arts: Brainstorming has begun for our 8th grade production. Each student has been asked to evaluate how they will individually best serve our project using their unique abilities. Great concepts and big picture ideas have been discussed!
Art- Mrs. Dunham
Thank you for all the donations of cereal boxes! We had plenty to make the collagraphs. I am now collecting egg cartons (any kind), newspaper and ribbon.
6th Grade Religious Art
Sixth graders have been building a cardboard printing plate for their “Hand of God” collagraph project. A collagraph is simply making a print of a collage. They will begin the actual printing next week.
6th Grade Art
Sixth graders are still working on their sculptural paper lanterns. We took a break from working on them Thanksgiving week and did some observational drawings from life, focusing on line and value. All of their drawings (of ribbons) are on display in the school hallways. I see so much progress in their drawing skills!
8th Grade Art
Eighth graders are finishing the final details of their Faith Ringgold Memory projects. They have combined drawing, collage and text to create beautiful art based on the work of Faith Ringgold’s quilts.
7th Graders
I look forward to seeing you soon! Please make sure you have your hardbound sketchbook ready.