January 23, 2012 Middle School Newsletter
Dear Middle School Parents and Guardians,
• Reports cards for second quarter are enclosed in today’s Monday envelope. Please call if you have any questions or concerns.
• Box Tops…make sure to keep clipping these out and sending them in. The Box Top contest for the school is ending on January 31. The class with the most Box Tops points collected will win an ice cream party.
• 7th Grade is in charge of Mass this Friday. Please join us!
• On Monday, Traveling Mary will be sent home with a 7th grade student to visit the student’s family for an entire week (Monday through the following Monday). Mary comes with prayers, a candle and a doily. Please place Mary in a predominant place in your home. This is a wonderful opportunity for families to gather in prayer and honor our Blessed Mother. (The 6th and 8th grade classrooms will be sending their Traveling Marys home with students soon.)
• 7th Grade is going on a field trip to see the IWV Concert (Moscow Nights and Golden Lites) at BHS Performing Arts Center. The trip will take place on Friday, February 3, from 9:30 - 11:30AM. We will need approximately five drivers to transport all 18 students. Please notify Mrs. Wadley if you will be able to drive/chaperone (remember all Safe Environment and driver paperwork must be up to date and on file in the school office).
Science Camp Items:
• Thank you to all of the parents and families that made our Roast Beef Dinner on Saturday a great success! The dinner raised about $1,100.00! Be sure to log all of your family’s volunteer hours in the school office.
• Make sure you log any and all hours worked for our Science Camp. The logbook is located in the School Office on the front counter.
• We are in need of more male volunteers to serve as chaperones. Volunteers must be able to hike and spend the majority of the day with the students as they explore their environment. As with all the chaperones, if we have more volunteers than we need, final selection will be done by lottery. Volunteers must have their Safe Environment clearances.
• Basketball News:
o Girls will be excused at 2:25PM this Tuesday (vs. Wallace) and Wednesday (vs. Edwards). We will have a clipboard at the Middle School gate so an adult can sign out a player.
o Boys will be dismissed at the regular time (2:40 PM). If parents choose to pick up their child prior to regular dismissal on game days, the player will need to be signed out at the School Office (and will be counted as a partial “Absence”).
o Note – Any siblings who will be leaving prior to regular dismissal on game days will need to be signed out at the School Office (and will be counted as a partial “Absence”).
o Wallace Directions: Per MapQuest, driving time is 1 hour 21 minutes. Take CA-178 W - go 43 miles. Take exit #43/LAKE ISABELLA/WOFFORD HEIGHTS - go 0.1 mi. Turn Left on KERNVILLE RD (CA-155 E) - go 0.3 mi. Turn Right on LAKE ISABELLA BLVD - go 0.8 mi. Turn Left on ERSKINE CREEK RD - go 0.9 mi. The school is on the right. The big brand new gym is one of the first buildings as you approach the campus.
o Edwards Directions: Will be e-mailed to you as soon as the venue is confirmed.
o El Tejon Tournament (Girls): Will be e-mailed to you as soon as we receive details. The location will be at the Frazier Mountain High School gym.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Sherrick, Mrs. Wadley and Mrs. Duck
6th Grade
Language Arts: Spelling workbooks are due on Thursday, and the Spelling Unit 20 test is Friday. AR Quiz #1 needs to be taken by Monday, February 6. In the literature textbook we will read Ghost of the Lagoon; from this story we will cover vocabulary, predicting and internal and external conflicts in stories. Students will take a quiz over this literature selection on Thursday.
Social Studies: Students will continue studying Egypt. They will be working on their Glogster projects at home this week. If anyone has any technical difficulty or concerns with internet accessibility, please contact me to arrange for an alternative visual aid if the virtual Glogster poster isn’t a possibility at home. I will work with anyone who needs to create a traditional poster. If using Glogster, make sure that the web site address is correct: edu.glogster.com. If students just enter glogster.com, it will not work. The Chinese potluck has been postponed until this Wednesday during social studies class this week at 1:50. Grade six has signed up for fortune cookies, soy sauce, napkins and cups. Items still needed are Jasmine tea, jasmine rice, plasticware, rice cooker and whatever parents would like to bring. Students will also enjoy watching the movie Mulan. (* Please note: all student work that is graded and returned is to be kept in students’ binders which they may take home. No work is required to remain in the classroom).
Religion: We will finish Chapter 9 (Mary, Mother of the Church), and the Ch 9 Test will be Wednesday. We will be working later this week and next week to adorn the box for the Traveling Mary. If you have some spare fabric or crafting supplies for this project, please email me (sixthgrade@parishofsaintann.org).
Earth Science: Students will identify and describe the layers of the earth by composition and appearance and will define tectonic plate. (* Please note: all student work that is graded and returned is to be kept in students’ binders which they may take home. No work is required to remain in the classroom).
Math: Concepts & Applications: Students will learn how to multiply and divide fractions and mixed numbers. In addition, they will learn how to solve equations that contain fractions. There will be a quiz on Chapter 6 (Sections 4-6) on Friday. Reminder: POW is due Friday (remember the Problem of the Week will be available on Gradelink).
7th Grade
Language Arts: Spelling workbooks are due on Thursday, and the Spelling Unit 20 test is Friday. AR Quiz #1 needs to be taken by Monday, February 6. In the literature textbook, students will read Immigrant Kids, and we will work on discussing vocabulary. In grammar we will continue working on diagramming direct objects. Students will take a quiz over Immigrant Kids on Thursday.
Social Studies: Students will continue to study Islam learning about the life of Muhammad and the teachings of Islam. Chapter 9 vocabulary terms are due tomorrow. The Chinese potluck has been postponed until this Wednesday during social studies at 10:30AM. Grade 7 has signed up for frozen vegetables, napkins, cups, plates, carton of eggs and jasmine rice. Items still needed are Jasmine tea, plasticware, soy sauce, rice cooker and whatever parents would like to bring. Students will also enjoy watching the movie Mulan. (* Please note: all student work that is graded and returned is to be kept in students’ binders which they may take home. No work is required to remain in the classroom).
Religion: Students will begin Chapter 7 (The Letter to the Romans). Students will learn that Saint Paul uses rhetoric to persuade others. They will write their own speeches, convincing others to respect the sanctity of life. In addition, students will learn about God’s gift of grace. Reminder: Blessing Books will be collected Friday for the dates of 1/20 through 1/26.
Life Science: Students will review the cell cycle and the importance of mitosis. They will differentiate cell division of plants and of animals. Homework this week is: P122-123 #1-15 due 1/24. P123 #16-23 due 1/25. The quiz is on Friday. (* Please note: all student work that is graded and returned is to be kept in students’ binders which they may take home. No work is required to remain in the classroom).
Pre-Algebra: Students will learn how to multiply and divide fractions and mixed numbers. There will be a quiz on Chapter 5 (Sections 4-5) on Wednesday. Students will also review how to add and subtract like fractions and determine the least common multiple of a set of numbers. Reminder: POW is due Friday (remember the Problem of the Week will be available on Gradelink).
8th Grade
Language Arts: Spelling workbooks are due on Thursday, and the Spelling Unit 20 test is Friday. AR Quiz #1 needs to be taken by Monday, February 6. In the literature textbook, we will read The Horned Toad; from this story we will cover vocabulary. Students will take a quiz over this literature selection on Thursday.
Social Studies: We have finished studying Chapter 7 (People of a New Nation); students will take the Ch 7 Vocabulary Quiz on Tuesday, and the Ch 7 Test will be on Wednesday. We will then begin Ch 8 (The West) which will focus on how the United States expanded westward beyond the Mississippi.
Religion: Students will review Chapter 6 and take the Chapter 6 Test on Tuesday. On Wednesday, student will begin their Unit One writing assignment. Students will discuss the events that have influenced and shaped the Catholic Church from the Apostolic Age to A.D. 1500. Writing assignments will be due Monday, January 30. Reminder: Blessing Books will be collected Friday for the dates of 1/20 through 1/26.
Physical Science: Students will continue working on their assigned research project due 1/27. Students may select a PowerPoint or traditional poster project if they desire. Students will begin learning about elements, compounds and mixtures this week. Chapter highlight notes on page 98 and 99 are due 1/27; Vocabulary and definitions from terms listed in bold print on page 98 and 99 are due 1/24; P85 and p89 review #1-2 due 1/25 and p92 #1-2 Review due 1/27. (* Please note: all student work that is graded and returned is to be kept in students’ binders which they may take home. No work is required to remain in the classroom).
Algebra: Students will continue to solve compound inequalities and open sentences involving absolute value. They will also learn how to graph inequalities with two variables on the coordinate plane. There will a Chapter 6 (Sections 1-6) Test on Thursday. On Friday, students will prepare for Chapter 7 (Solving Systems of Linear Equations and Inequalities). Reminder: POW is due Friday (remember the Problem of the Week will be available on Gradelink).
PE – We will continue our volleyball unit focusing on the rules of the game, controlling the ball and playing games.