General Announcements
Lunch Recess Warmth: 5-8 Students go outside for lunch recess each day, as the weather is colder, please remind your children to bring appropriate clothing for recess.
Spelling Bee:
5th Grade
SEED Market (Jan 28): Please make sure that your child is working on their SEED business. Look over the blue sheet that was sent home before break for important reminders. Also, we are in need to plastic grocery bags. If you have extras from home, please send them in with your child and give to Ms. Gerig.
Art: 5th graders will be doing single color final prints next week, with the hopes of doing multi-colored prints the following week.
Bible: This week we began to read the story of Daniel. Next week we will finish Daniel and take the BOB quiz. Your child received a baptism handout before Christmas break. Please take time to fill out this form and have a conversation with your child about baptism/dedication by Tues, Jan 11. If you have pictures, special items, gowns, etc from your child’s baptism/dedication, your child may bring them in for a “show & tell” on Wed, Jan 12. As a class we will talk about the differences between infant and adult baptism, as well as the significance of both. Whether or not your child has been baptized, they should complete the handout and be able to articulate what your church’s traditions are related to baptism, as well as why baptism is important.
Language Arts: This week we started BOB (Bring on the Books!). The 5th graders are excited to read some new books, earn some prizes, and stretch their reading goals. As a reminder, students should get reading tickets signed for every 20 minutes of reading. On Thursdays, we will count tickets and total quiz points to measure our progress. On Thurs, Jan 13, we will collect the first two weeks worth of tickets since this week was a bit crazy with snow days! The final date of BOB is Mon, Feb 14. In case you missed the information letter, here is another copy explaining BOB in more detail.
Math: We reviewed multiplying decimals by whole numbers and by decimals. We then transitioned to multiplying decimals by powers of 10 and were able to find a “quick trick” to solving these kinds of problems. Next week we will be dividing with decimals.
Music - Band: We are working on our first solo in our band book. Practice information is on Google Classroom, and the video upload is due next week, Jan 13.
Music - Choir: We will be learning some new songs in Swazi and Congolese that have great drumming parts. We will also continue to learn music theory and principals and fundamentals of music as well.
Music - Orchestra: Continue working on your fiddle music! Make sure if you haven’t already turned in your December practice record to do so.
PE: Students have been working on hockey skills including shooting and ball handling. They will be applying this to games and learning the rules next week.
Social Studies: We will wrap up our age of exploration unit with a test next week Tues, Jan 11. Study guides are posted on Google Classroom.
Spanish: We are starting a new story unit called “El chico que le gusta pescado” - The boy who likes fish. This week students are practicing their vocabulary with their picture dictionaries and a discussion (in Spanish) via slide show about restaurants that serve fish - everything from Long John Silver to Ruth’s Chris :)
6th Grade
SEED Market (Jan 28): Please make sure that your child is working on their SEED business. Look over the blue sheet that was sent home before break for important reminders. Also, we are in need to plastic grocery bags. If you have extras from home, please send them in with your child and give to Ms. Gerig.
Art: 6th graders are working on their emotion monsters in class working to created their emotion that they struggle with out of cut up old wallpaper samples. Please check the homework calendar for homework and project due dates.
Bible: This week we began to read The Case for Christ for Kids. Next week we will be watching the movie Case for Christ - please make sure that your child’s permission slip is signed. Your child received a parent interview form that needs to be completed by Thurs, Jan 13. Students will be writing a letter to a “non-believer” defending the Christian faith and articulating the importance and hope that their faith brings. Students should be working on their “Parent Choice Verse.” The tentative due date for reciting these verses is Jan 20.
Language Arts: This week we continued our short story unit that we started before Christmas break. Students read two more short stories to learn about character and setting. Next week, we will read additional stories to learn about the other narrative elements.
Math: We began this week learning about adding integers. Adding integers with opposite signs can be tricky, but we have had a lot of practice! Next week we will continue to learn about subtracting integers as well as multiplying and dividing integers. Look for a quiz late next week.
Music - Band: We have a video due of either El Capitan or Minuet to upload on Google Classroom. You should be hearing the songs from these pages at home for sure!
Music - Choir: We will be learning some new songs in Swazi and Congolese that have great drumming parts. We will also continue to learn music theory and principals and fundamentals of music as well.
Music - Orchestra: Continue to work on your fiddle music! Google Video coming up in a couple weeks.
PE: Students have been working on hockey skills including shooting and ball handling. They will be applying this to games and learning the rules next week.
Social Studies: We will wrap up our ancient Egypt unit with a test next week Tues, Jan 11. Study guides are posted on Google Classroom.
Spanish: Students are starting a new Unit called “Cierra la puerta” - Close the door. This unit works on common vocabulary like: open, close, door, book… Students practiced their vocabulary with their picture dictionaries and translation slides.
7th Grade
Art: 7th graders with be working on finishing the painting of their sculptures and then transition to the final step of adding lines on to their painted sculptures. Please check the homework calendar for homework and project due dates.
Bible: In Bible Class we are starting our unit on sermons. This week students will be looking into why we need to listen to sermons and what goes into a good sermon. Our Bible Memory on 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is due Jan 13.
History: We began a new unit on the Industrial Revolution this week. Student projects (slideshow) on one of the inventions are due next week. We will also do MAP testing (reading) late next week.
Language Arts: We are beginning a new unit on the novel Trouble, by Gary Schmidt.
Math - 7th Math: We are finishing our chapter on Expressions The essential question of this topic was “How can you use numbers and symbols to represent mathematical ideas?” Monday we will review for the test and Tuesday is the test.
Math - Algebra: We continue to learn about systems of equations. Students will have a quiz on Tuesday covering the first four sections of the chapter. The last sections that we will be covering will stretch our skills and we will be working with absolute values and systems of equations. We will be covering these concepts in small sections.
Math - Pre-Algebra: Pre-Algebra students are starting their first algebra chapter for the year! We are beginning our work on expressions. This involves using the distributive property and combining like terms. We will take a break for MAP testing Jan 11-13.
Music - Band: We had a video due this past week - the deadline is extended to next week due to snow. :) We have new music and it’s SO fun to hear them learn!
Music - Choir: We will begin our Musical unit soon - - - a fantastic story written by the same gentleman who wrote the James Bond books. He wrote this story for his son, Caspar.
Music - Orchestra: Continue to work on your fiddle music! Google Video coming up in a couple weeks.
PE: Students have been reviewing and learning rules of floor hockey and applying it to a game setting.
Science: We continue to watch our fish grow which has been so fun! Students are working (and doing an awesome job) on observing fish and drawing accurate drawings of them. We will be doing some work with microscopes and water quality in the coming days.
Spanish: Students started a new unit called “¡Buscalo!” - Look for it! Students practiced their new vocabulary with their picture dictionaries and translation slides as well as some PQA (Personal Questions and Answers). An example of this would be: ¿Que encuentras en tu locker? - what do you find in your locker? We had a mini grammar lesson on verb conjugation and also prepared for the class story which we plan to finish next week.
8th Grade
Art: 8th graders will continue to glaze their bisque fired ceramic pots. Due to the snow day on Tuesday students will work on glazing until Tues, Jan 18. Please check the homework calendar for homework and project due dates.
Bible: We continue to have Bible Memory each week, and we are working our way through The Last Battle. What is good? What is tainted by sin and evil? How can things be restored to what God intended? We keep asking these questions about the story - and about ourselves as well.
History: This week we began our study of the Civil War.
Language Arts: The final due date for the NHD project is Tues, Jan 18. In the meantime we will be conferencing about the papers and continue studying The Giver.
Math - Algebra: This week we finished our last lesson on writing linear expressions and will be starting chapter 5 next week. We will have a quiz on Tuesday on Apr 07.
Math - Geometry: We continue to learn about triangles and their relationships within. Students will have a quiz on Tuesday that will review orthocenter, incenter and circumcenter.
Math - Pre-Algebra: Pre-Algebra students are starting their first algebra chapter for the year! We are beginning our work on expressions. This involves using the distributive property and combining like terms. We will take a break for MAP testing Jan 11-13.
Music - Band: We have new music and also took a look at the final exam for band so students may work ahead. We had a video due this past week - the deadline is extended to next week due to snow. This group is going to do GREAT work on all of it.
Music - Choir: We are working on our musical! Lots of singing and parts and even dancing!
Music - Orchestra: Continue to work on your fiddle music! Google Video coming up in a couple weeks.
PE: Students have been reviewing and learning rules of floor hockey and applying it to a game setting.
Science: We have spent time this week learning about sound waves- the type of wave they are and what features one has. We will have a test at the end of next week. There is a study guide posted on google classroom.
Spanish: Students started Unit 12 and practiced their new vocabulary with their picture dictionaries and translation slides as well as with some music. Students also prepared for their next class story which we plan to finish next week.
Athletics
Girls basketball practices are officially underway. Games will be starting up on Sat, Jan 15. Please see TeamSnap for your team’s full schedule.