General Announcements
Wildcats of the Month
5th Grade
SEED Market: Read through this final SEED update for important dates and reminders. All SEED products must be brought to school Thurs, Dec 10. Also, we need paper grocery bags for packaging the products. If you have any lying around home, please send them into school with your child.
Water Donations: Your child went home with their milk jug last week to collect money for an organization called “Water for South Sudan.” This organization builds wells in South Sudan in rural villages that don’t have access to clean water. Students were asked to raise money for wells by doing extra chores, giving money from savings, returning cans, raking leaves, shoveling snow, any other creative ideas they may have! There is an opportunity for a friendly competition - the students who raise the most money (without receiving donations from family members) will earn a prize. Donations from family can be accepted as well, but may not count towards the child’s total. Change and dollar bills are accepted!
Christmas Auction: Our Christmas auction will take place December 18 and we are looking for donations! These donations can be used items from around the house that you no longer want/need (sports balls, Nerf hoops, purses, stuffed animals, etc). If you wish to donate items, please send them in with your student. Thank you in advance!
Christmas Party: Our Christmas party is taking place on December 18. Each student is kindly asked to bring a white elephant gift. No need to buy one, regifting is strongly encouraged! The more outrageous, the better! The gift should be about ten dollars in value. Students may bring in their wrapped gifts anytime before December 18.
Christmas Stockings: (Optional) If students want to bring in a goodie or a card for our classroom stockings, we kindly ask that they bring in enough for each student in their homeroom class (5R-14, 5S-17, 5G-16).
Art: 5th grade students have a Art Google classroom assignment to complete before next Tuesday. Next week we start working on another ceramic project using a new hand building technique. Please check the homework calendar for due dates.
Bible: This week in Bible we talked about looking out for our global neighbors, finished research on our countries, practiced justice verses, and went over final SEED Market details. The final quiz dates for justice verses are Dec 10 & 16 (50pts = an A).
History: We started our Age of Exploration unit! Next week, students are sure to get caught up in the drama of “sailing on the high seas” as they embark on a simulated voyage across the Atlantic Ocean during the time of Christopher Columbus. They will learn about problem-solving, seafaring, navigation, and more!
Language Arts: This week we finished our Global Awareness Reading Assignment, researched and picked non-profit organizations that will receive our SEED Market earnings, and practiced our vocabulary words. We will have a test on A Long Walk to Water Thursday, Dec 10. Your child has a printed copy of the study guide, but an electronic copy is available here.
Math: We are starting to wrap up our unit on adding and subtracting decimals. There will be a quiz next week Monday and the test will be on Tuesday. The students have a review sheet, but it can also be found on google classroom.
Music - Band: We are hard at work learning song after song! Help your student find regular practice times - and ask for a concert song: The Good Life - we are getting GREAT at this - some students have memorized it already!
Music - Choir: Our current unit is on two Christmas Carols: Good King Wenceslas and Silent Night. Soon we will do a project connected to one or both of these carols.
Music - Orchestra: Keep working on First Scale, EE Book, and God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen. Make sure you’ve turned in the November Practice Record.
PE: We have officially wrapped up our volleyball unit. We are now starting to learn and play a fun game called eclipse ball.
Science: We have begun an exciting study of mixtures and solutions. Students have practiced using and measuring with new science tools.
6th Grade
SEED Market: Read through this final SEED update for important dates and reminders. All SEED products must be brought to school Thurs, Dec 10. Also, we need paper grocery bags for packaging the products. If you have any lying around home, please send them into school with your child.
Christmas Auction: 6th Graders have earned and saved MANY auction points so far this year. Our Christmas auction will take place on Dec 18 and we are looking for donations. These donations can be gently-used items from around the house that you no longer want/need (stickers, snacks, sports balls, Nerf hoops, purses, stuffed animals, etc) or new items that you think 6th graders would be excited about. If you wish to donate items, please send them in with your student and let your child’s homeroom teacher know to expect them. Thank you in advance!
Art: 6th students have started creating their representations of the emotions that they struggle the most with. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.
Bible: This week in Bible we began a unit on Advent and went over final SEED Market details. Psalm 89:1-4 is due Tues, Dec 15.
History: This week students completed their invention projects, learning about various inventions and their value to ancient Mesopotamians.
Language Arts: This week we assembled and presented our Tuck Character Projects, and they look fantastic! We also started a mini-unit on the parts of speech that will continue into next week. Our first topic of discussion is nouns.
Math: We finished up our chapter on rates and ratios this past week, and will start to look at integers and graphing on the coordinate plane. There will be a quiz on Monday and a test just before Christmas Break.
Music - Band: We are working on LOTS of songs - Christmas, Jazz, and others. Ask for a concert! We have a pack of Carols we can play, so have your 6th grader provide entertainment for your next family zoom meeting! If they do and you email me that they did….rewards for sure.
Music - Choir: Our current unit is on two Christmas Carols: Good King Wenceslas and Silent Night. Soon we will do a project connected to one or both of these carols.
Music - Orchestra: Google Video with a Christmas Carol is due next week Friday. Keep practicing those along with the March. Think L2’s or 2nd finger (cellos).
PE: We have officially wrapped up our volleyball unit. We are now starting to learn and play a fun game called eclipse ball.
Science: We continue our study of weather and will be investigating air and the atmosphere this week.
7th Grade
Art: 7th grade student are beginning work on creating an organism sign inspired by the British artist Julian Opie’s Escaped Animals seris. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.
Bible: In Bible Class we are beginning the devotional project. Students are asked to create their own devotional entry for a collaborative devotional book that will contain an entry from each seventh grader. During this next week an assignment will go home with your student where I ask that you go over their draft and give some editorial feedback to them. More details will be sent out in an email next week.
History: The simulation we had planned for this week was delayed, so we spent this week exploring differences among lifestyles in the world using a resource called “Dollar Street.” We had some great conversations in class about what kind of choices people make about how to live and what factors may limit those choices. Next week, we’ll be learning about the role natural resources play in shaping the lives of people around the world.
Language Arts: This week Tuesday, students will have a quiz on complex characters in literature. They have prepared flashcards to help study. We will continue our study of The Witch of Blackbird Pond.
Math - 7th Math: We will be concluding our chapter on rational numbers early next week. Students can expect to see a test on Thursday. Our next unit will focus on expressions - factoring, simplifying, and adding and subtracting linear expressions.
Math - Algebra: We are wrapping up chapter 4 this week. Next week we will spend time reviewing and preparing for the test that will be on Wednesday.
Math - Pre-Algebra: We took our chapter 5 test on Friday, a little later than expected. This week we will complete a brief chapter on percents. This is the last chapter that is considered review. We will finish right around Christmas Break and then begin Chapter 7 which focuses more on algebraic material.
Music - Band: Still basking in SUCH a successful solo festival - - we are now working on some new music that features soloists. Also we are learning The Christmas Truce - ask about this one. Such an interesting story from WWI.
Music - Choir: Our current unit is on two Christmas Carols: Good King Wenceslas and Silent Night. Soon we will do a project connected to one or both of these carols.
Music - Orchestra: Google Video with a small section of Canticle is due next week Friday.
PE: We have officially wrapped up our volleyball unit. We are now starting to learn and play a fun game called eclipse ball.
Science: We are looking into the particle levels of gases, solids and liquids. We are also studying our fish and love seeing them grow up into little alevin.
8th Grade
Art: 8th graders have a sketchbook and Google Art classroom titled Getting to Know Frank Stella that is due by Tuesday morning. In class the 8th graders are beginning work on a family shape portrait inspired by the artist Frank Stella. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.
Bible Huttenga: We will compare and contrast the Protestant Reformation with CS Lewis’s The Last Battle. All the while, students will be documenting connections to goodness, the stain of sin, and transformation which will help them in a culminating project at the end of the unit
Bible Sloterbeek: I’m happy to be starting a new trimester of Bible with Mr. Huttenga’s homeroom students. We’ve started our trimester by studying The Case for Christ (student edition). This week we’ve looked at Lee Strobel’s exploration of who Jesus is and said he was. We’ll work to finish the book sometime next week.
History: We’ve moved forward in our study of early American history this week, learning more about specifically the Spanish conquistadores. Along with learning the historical content of this time period, we’ve continued our work of learning historical perspectives by answering critical thinking questions about what we’re reading. After finishing the chapter on European exploration next week, we’ll spend some time learning more about how to analyze historical texts.
Language Arts: After concluding our study of The Giver, students will return to their work with NHD. We will be ready to begin drafting the essay, so the end is in sight! Students will have their outlines returned this week. On Tuesday, 8th graders will have a quiz on complex characters in literature. They have prepared flashcards to help them study.
Math - Algebra: We are in the middle of chapter 4- Writing Linear Functions. We are getting real comfortable with slope, y-intercept, and lines.
Math - Geometry: In Geometry we will be wrapping up our chapter about congruent triangles with a test on Friday.
Math - Pre-Algebra: We will conclude our unit on ratios, proportions, and similar figures with a test on Wednesday before diving into our next chapter on percents.
Music - Band: Still basking in SUCH a successful festival - we are now working on some new music that features soloists. Also we are learning The Christmas Truce - ask about this one. Such an interesting story from WWI.
Music - Choir: The Fiddler on the Roof continues...Fruma Sarah has made an appearance.
Music - Orchestra: Google Video with a small section of Canticle is due next week Friday.
PE: We have officially wrapped up our volleyball unit. We are now starting to learn and play a fun game called eclipse ball.
Science: We are learning about waves. We will be wrapping up general wave concepts and begin looking into sound waves next week.
Athletics
The 5th-8th grade girls basketball sign-ups are now officially open. Please follow this link to register, ACS Girls Basketball Sign-up.
All boys basketball practices and games are cancelled through December 8 due to the order from the MDHHS.