Middle School Matters – Apr 16, 2021

General Announcements

Dates:

May 17 - 56 Band/Orchestra Concerts (more details coming)

May 19 - 78 Band/Orchestra Concerts (more details coming)

Art Student Teacher:

Dear Parents,

My name is Mrs. Marissa Ouwinga, I am student teaching this semester at your school under Mr. Zac Wanner. I am a current student at Calvin University and hope to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Art Education. I have been at Ada Christian from March 15 and will be here until May 7. One thing that is required for my student teaching is to film one class that I teach. This film will only be used for educational purposes and will only be viewed by Zac, myself, and my Professor at Calvin. I am letting you in advance so that if anyone has concerns about this, they can email me and let me know.

A bit about me: This past summer I got married, and my husband and I now live in Moline. We have a little dog, a bunny, and several silkie chickens that we enjoy spending our time with. On sunny days, I enjoy taking walks and riding my bike around my town. I love all forms of art, but I especially love painting and ceramics. I look forward to working with your child during this time and learning more about the culture of your school.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Marissa Ouwinga (gro.naitsirhcada@agniwuom)

2021-2022 Enrollment - Due Apr 23

Dear Parents,

It is time to re-enroll your student(s) at ACS for the 2021-2022 school year. We ask that you complete the online enrollment form by Fri, Apr 23.

To complete the enrollment form for 2021-2022:

Log into PowerSchool using your web browser (laptop/desktop recommended over a mobile device)
Click on "Forms" in the left navigation menu
Complete the relevant forms

There is a Tuition & Grants section on the form.

The first TUITION amount you see is the calculation for the “Requested” or “Full Cost” amount of tuition.
In the GRANT section, thanks to the generous, ongoing support of the ACS Education Foundation and our annual fundraising efforts, you will see the maximum grant amount you may accept towards your tuition. The grant is available for all families. Families that are able to pay the “Requested” or “Full Cost” of tuition will receive a charitable receipt for the difference (Thank You!).
For families needing additional tuition assistance, you may complete an online application through FACTS, by May 14. Qualifying families will be notified of the assistance amounts no later than June and adjustments to your tuition total will be made at that time.

We have worked hard to ensure our online enrollment process will go well for our families; however, we realize you may have questions during this process. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

5th Grade

Art: 5th graders are continuing their Pointillism landscapes inspired by Georges Seurat’s work.

History: We are beginning our next unit on the American Revolution!

Language Arts: This week we finished taking notes about the biographies we have been reading. Next week we will begin writing speeches in the perspective of the people we researched!

Math: We are continuing to learn about multiplying and dividing with fractions. There will be a quiz next week Tuesday and a test next week Friday. Students will be given a review sheet early next week.

Music - Band: We will have a concert on May 17 - details will be announced when we get closer. For now - we are learning some more new pieces. Help your band student set up regular practice sessions and write them down. Great habits for future life success come from working gradually through work at a regular pace. :)

Music - Choir: We have begun listening to the GR Symphony concert! It’s great! This will take us about a week or so of class periods.

Music - Orchestra: Mrs. Vruwink is back and we are preparing for a concert to happen in mid- May (more information to come). Make sure you continue to turn those practice records in.

PE: Students have been working on their hitting/striking skills with a bat and applying them to smaller group games. Next week they will be using these skills through baseball/softball style games.

Science: We’re conducting experiments with celery and will have some outdoor adventures in the coming week as we study plant vascular systems.

Spanish: We are learning about Peru! Students are hearing and discovering about Peru’s climate, geography, history, culture and its places such as Machu Picchu and Cuzco.

6th Grade

Art: 6th graders are working on their Animal Pinch Pots inspired by Native American Effigy bowls. They will have 3 more classes to build their animal.

History: This week students finished a timeline project and participated in a simulation. We will wrap up our ancient Greece unit with a test on Tues., April 20.

Language Arts: This year for World Fair, the 6th graders are creating websites to display and communicate their research about their countries! We started creating our websites this week, and we had Becky Downing, a graphic designer and marketing expert, come in and help the 6th graders with their website designs. Next week we will continue to work on our websites!

Math: We are continuing to learn about volume and surface area. There will be a quiz next week Monday and a test next week Friday.

Music - Band: We have more new music and a video quiz to work on. Videos are due by Apr 22. We get to give a concert for you on May 17 - YAY! Details will be forthcoming about protocols, etc. A great Summer Music Camp - Knollcrest Music Camp - will be held in person at Calvin. For a discounted price, register before June 30. Knollcrest Informational Brochure

Music - Choir: We are finishing up The Sound of Music. :) And singing.

Music - Orchestra: Mrs. Vruwink is back and we are preparing for a concert to happen in mid- May (more information to come). Also, when looking for summer camps, Knollcrest Music Camp at Calvin College is a great one to participate in! For more information/ signup see this brochure and follow this link. Knollcrest Informational Brochure Middle School Week Sign-up

Science: Students are learning how to use microscopes to view tiny details about God’s creation. They’re doing a great job with the responsibility and are showing great excitement for using these scientific tools!

Spanish: This month we are doing a review unit on colors, clothing, and the word “like.” The emphasis will be on reading comprehension and speaking/using sentences with the word “like.”

7th Grade

Art: 7th graders continue to work on their wooden assemblages inspired by Lousie Nevelson. Projects need to be glued by next Thurs, Apr 22 and ready for painting on Fri, Apr 23.

Bible: In Bible Class we are finishing up our Knowing God Project at the end of this week. We will then begin out final unit which will be a prayer walk following the story of Jesus. Students will spend much of their class time outside discussing the life of Jesus and what it means to us.

History: We have begun looking at the English colonies that later become the United States. Next week we look at the New England colonies and the Middle colonies. We’ll have a quiz on the New England colonies Tuesday or Wednesday.

Math - 7th Math: Students just finished learning all about area. Next week we will focus on volume and surface area of measurable figures.

Math - Algebra: We are wrapping up our chapter about Quadratic equations and the different ways to solve them. We will spend a few days reviewing and will have a test on Tuesday. Next is chapter 10 - this is a short chapter and we will spend time learning all about Radicals!

Math - Pre-Algebra: We completed Chapter 9 on Functions! The PreAlgebra students did such an awesome job on this chapter and I am proud of their hard work. We are now into Chapter 10 on Statistics and Probability. In this chapter we will be working on longer problems such as finding the mean, median, more etc. It will be important for students to be organized in their work.

Music - Band: We will be performing for you in concert on May 19. Details will be forthcoming. We have some more new music and a band video is due April 22. Regular practice helps! A great Summer Music Camp - Knollcrest Music Camp - will be held in person at Calvin. For a discounted price, register before June 30. Knollcrest Informational Brochure

Music - Choir: We are exploring music composition.

PE: Students have been working on their hitting/striking skills with a bat and applying them to baseball/softball style games.

Science: This week we have returned to Chemical Interactions. We are looking at previous models of the atom and what we see and know about them now.

Spanish: This week we began Unit 8. Our vocabulary emphasis is on “looks for, finds, and knows.” Our crazy story for this unit involves a lost item. These are the lost items selected by your students: motivation, soggy elbows, chicken nuggies…should be interesting!

8th Grade

Art: In 8th grade next week we will continue working on our Rites of Passage painting project. These will be due at the end class next Wed, Apr 21.

History: We have begun studying the reasons and ways the North and South began developing such dramatic differences that it led to war (Civil War). A slideshow exploring one of the inventions of the Industrial Revolution is due Tuesday.

Math - Algebra: We have started a quick unit on Probability. Students also will be getting a review for chapters each week to prepare for their Algebra exam.

Math - Geometry: We are now learning about circles! This chapter is fun as we learn more and more about circles and the different theorems that they have. So far we are off to a great start. Students will begin receiving exam review packets. This will be a little extra work that I hope to spread out over our remaining time to help prepare for the final exam.

Math - Pre-Algebra: When students returned from break, we moved right in to part two of our functions unit: Solving systems of equations. This week we explored solving by graphing. Next week we will look at solving by substitution and elimination.

Music - Band: We will be performing for you in concert on May 19. Details will be forthcoming. We have some more new music and a band video exam will be due in May. Regular practice helps! A great Summer Music Camp - Knollcrest Music Camp - will be held in person at Calvin. For a discounted price, register before June 30. Knollcrest Informational Brochure

Music - Choir: We are finishing our unit on Fiddler on the Roof, and also looking into music composition.

PE: Students have been working on their hitting/striking skills with a bat and applying them to baseball/softball style games.

Science: We have been looking into the digestive system of our rats and our own bodies. Next week we will be looking at the respiratory system.

Spanish: 8th graders are finishing up Unit 11 about sports in the Spanish speaking world. There will be a vocabulary check and test next week. See the homework calendar!

Athletics

All spring sports have officially started practice by now and will be competing in games/meets/matches soon.

All 5-8 graders must have a Physical Examination Form completed before they can participate in sports for the 2021-2022 school year. This physical examination should be completed on or after Apr 15, 2021 to valid for next school year.