Language and Literature- Mr. Schaefer
6th Grade– We are continuing through our adventure with Percy Jackson. The students can expect quizzes on either Wednesday or Thursday of most weeks. I will keep them informed as to which day to expect a quiz. On Thursday, April 30th, there will be a vocabulary test on Unit 15.
7th Grade– The students are delving into Tolkien’s world of fantasy. Much like Yoda, one should not judge Bilbo by his size. The students can expect quizzes on either Wednesday or Thursday of most weeks. On Thursday, April 30th, there will be a vocabulary test on Unit 15.
8th Grade– We have finished our unit on phrases and the students will be tested on the material on Tuesday. All we have left in our book to cover is the unit on clauses. After that we will be encountering the magical world of sentence diagramming. I know the students can’t wait for that! On Thursday, April 30th, there will be a vocabulary test on Unit 15.
Language and Literature- Mr. Maddock
6th grade Grammar and Writing– This week, as National Poetry Month concludes we’ll be looking at a few more poems, and then continuing to examine the usefulness of effective punctuation. Period.
7th grade Grammar and Writing– April ends with a bouquet of sentence diagramming exercises for the 7th grade, at least one of which will be graded. You should direct your student(s) to some of the many websites featuring sentence diagramming and have them play around with the activities. Or better yet, why not throw on a wimple and stand over them threateningly with a ruler? I’ve tried this in class with great success! Also, we’ll begin discussing the Short Story, and I’ve got a million of them!
8th grade Literature and Language– As we reach the middle of our latest novel, our current four-legged literary protagonist, White Fang, is finding his way among the man-animals, and the kids should pay close attention as there are many parallels to freshman year in high school. And to create an enriched, multi-layered experience for the kids, I’ll give them a test later in the week where they’ll express themselves in a vivid two-dimensional pen and paper creation! If that’s not enough (and it never is with these kids), we’ll also continue to look at the formal elements of poetry before National Poetry Month concludes
Science- Mr. Short
No new updates.
Language Acquisition- Madame Rooks
Lovers of French everywhere: Attend the French Food Festival: www.rvafrenchfoodfestival.com this Saturday, April 25th!
It’s not just food!
Language Acquisition- Senora Thompson
The 7th and 8th grade students have information about their results in the National Spanish Exam. Please ask them to share this information with you!
Math- Mrs. Koehler
NOTICE: Math Lab continues to meet on Monday and Wednesday from 3:00-4:00 in the MS math room.
6th Grade: We ended the week with a test on Chapter 10. The students were given a writing assignment in place of a vocabulary quiz. They were to write a fictional story using the vocabulary words from the chapter where the meaning of the word is clear in the context the word is used. This exercise is to give students who are stronger in language arts the opportunity to shine in math class. It is always fun to see the amazing stories the students create! 6-T turned them in on Friday but 6-K stories are due on Monday! We will be skipping Chapter 11 and moving on to Chapter 12 on measurement. This chapter will go quickly and the remaining part of the school year will be spent on Geometry in chapters 13 and 14. It’s always fun to save the Geometry projects for the end of the year when the students are anxiously awaiting summer break!
7th Grade: Please be sure to check your student’s Communicator for the returned Chapter 7 and 8 “in-class, open-book, take-home” test grades. The two chapter grades were averaged together and recorded as a test grade. Mission accomplished for most of the students: these very important concepts were mastered! The students took a mid-chapter 9 quiz which should also be recorded in the Communicator. We will be learning the Pythagorean Theorem and how to solve for the hypotenuse. Be on the lookout for a final Chapter 9 test mid-week and a vocabulary quiz. Following Chapter 9, we will move on to Chapter 10 on Geometry — a pleasant change, I hope!
8th Grade:
Advanced Algebra (HS) – We are moving right along in Chapter 10 learning to factor polynomials. Some students find this very challenging while others find it fairly easy to master. It’s a bit like working a puzzle. We ended the week with a mid-chapter quiz on lessons 1-3. There will most likely be a chapter test by the end of the week as well as a vocabulary quiz. Following this chapter, we will learn how to find roots of a quadratic using the quadratic equation. The remaining part of the school year will be spent on radicals.
Algebra (HS) – The students took the Chapter 9 vocabulary quiz but the chapter test has been pushed to Monday due to the skating outing which caused us to lose a class. I am not fond of giving Monday tests but it couldn’t be helped. Please remind your student to give this the attention it needs over the weekend. It is so easy to get caught up on the ball fields or just out enjoying this great weather.
The countdown continues……..!!!
Ms. Koehler
Math- Mrs. Schiavo
Our focus this week, as we continue our lessons in two-dimensional Geometry, is group work. I have observed the students break complex problems involving areas into parts and steps and explain their approach to their peers. I also observed students challenge assumptions of their fellow students stating phrases like, “Not drawn to scale and can’t assume those lines are parallel.” Lastly, I observed students develop stronger communication skills through discussions and explanations. Pooling their knowledge and skill has helped everyone on the last quiz. The class average was 90%. We sure are enjoying Geometry.
Individuals in Societies- Mrs. Tuskey
6th Grade US History
The students finished up this week with a test on the events leading up to the Civil War. We will start an in-depth study of the Civil War next week, and the students will end the year with a project about the war. More information about the project will be shared in the very near future.
7th Grade US History
This week the students have shared their presentations about WWII. Overall the presentations have been very impressive! We will finish the presentations the week of April 27th and will then move on to an exploration of The Cold War.
8th Grade World Civilizations
The 8th graders are just about done with their investigations of life in the Dark Ages and early Middle Ages. They will have a test on these topics April 28th and will then begin a study of life in the High Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Religion- Mrs. Slifka
NO updates for religion.
Design- Mrs. Clopton
NO updates for design.
PE- Coach Spicer
No new updates for PE
Music- Mrs. Taylor
Composer of the Month: April: Franz Schubert. Well known for his beloved Ave Maria, students were surprised to learn that he actually wrote the song inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake.
6th grade: Spring Sing which will be held here on Friday May 1st in the church 11:30am-12:15pm. Students are to wear their dress uniform for the performance.
8th grade: The Dinner Theater production date has been set as Wed. May 6th at 6-8:30pm—PLEASE SAVE THE DATE you will not want to miss this culminating event. Invitations and t shirts will be sent home and need to be returned by next Friday May 1st. Each student has a unique and specific role to play within the production. We try to have all production elements, as well as rehearsal happen during school time (busy after school schedules for all involved). Thank you for your support of this project.
Art- Mrs. Dunham
ART SHOW NEWS –Holly Dunham
The Art Show will be on May 1, 10:30-1:00. Each middle school student will be represented in the Art Show with a framed piece of their original work. Framed art is available for $26, by check or cash. Prepayment is encouraged, by sending your $26 check written to SMCS, to your homeroom teacher, clearly labeled “Art Show”.
Volunteers are needed to assist at the Art Show. There are 2 shifts: 10:15-11:30 or 11:30-1:00. If you are available and would like to earn some easy stewardship hours, please contact me at hdunham@saintmary.org with your preferred time slot.
NEXT WEEK:
April 29th-No school Mass follow Friday’s schedule
May 1st- School Mass/May Crowning/Grandparents Day/Spring Sing/Art Show/Early Dismissal