General Announcements

Missing Work: The final date for late work to be turned in for Trimester 2 is Mar 01. 

Change Game: The grade-level donation bins are stuffed with change and dollar bills! Thank you so much for the donations! The friendly competition will come to a close at the end of Mon, Feb 15 - so there is one more day to bring in donations. Remember, these proceeds will go to help our sponsored Compassion Children. 

Spanish Parent Teacher Conferences: Mrs. Bosma will not be conducting in-person Spanish conferences at this time.  However, if you have any questions or concerns, she would love to hear from you. Please email her at gro.naitsirhcada@amsobl ¡Gracias!

5th Grade

Art: 5th graders are learning about Mark Rothko and working to create art using color to express an emotion. 

Bible: This week students wrote a retelling of the healing of the paralytic from a different perspective. At this point, your child has written three miracle retellings. Ask your child to show you their writings! Please read through the Lent handout that was sent home with your child. Discuss with your child an appropriate Lent goal by Mon, Feb 15.

History: We will continue our unit on the 13 colonies, focusing on the New England colonies.

Language Arts: We are almost to the B.O.B. finish line! The last day of B.O.B. is Mon, Feb 15. Students will have time to turn in last minute reading tickets and take B.O.B. quizzes on Monday, but they will need to have finished reading all their books this weekend to accomplish these tasks at school. Next week, we will also continue brainstorming and planning persuasive letters about which B.O.B. books should stay on or be taken off future book lists. 

Music - Band: We are learning Star Wars! And working gradually and steadily through our book. We need to celebrate - we have now played well over 100 songs! YAY! To practice: Star Wars and p. 26, The Blessing song.

Music - Choir: We will be making a conducting video to submit to the Symphony soon. VERY fun.

Music - Orchestra: The 5th grade orchestra students continue to work in their Essential Elements Book 1. This week we started playing short songs using combinations of natural and sharp fingerings. They continued to review Rigadoon using a faster tempo and began working on Sword Dance. Suggested practice: First Scale March, Rigadoon and Sword Dance

PE: We have recently learned and reviewed different basketball skills and have been applying them to 3 on 3 basketball games. We will finish our 3 on 3 tournament next week. 

Science: Students will be doing some testing of snow/water around ACS’ campus to detect potential mixtures and solutions outdoors. We will wrap up the short week with a vocabulary review extravaganza.

Spanish: We are off to a great start! Please look for a handout coming home about Spanish class and our curriculum.

6th Grade

Art: 6th grade students are working on finishing up their watercolor experiments and then drawing out their landscape photographs so that we can use the watercolor experiments to fill in the color of the landscape, much like a mosaic. Please check the homework calendar for project and sketchbook assignments due dates. 

Bible: This week in Bible we wrapped up Paul’s first missionary journey. Next week we will embark on Paul’s second journey! 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 is due Wed, Feb 17.

History: We started our Culture Web Project! This project will be due Wed, Feb 17. 

Language Arts: This week we have been learning more about different cultures around the world while practicing research, inferring, and questioning skills. We will continue our culture unit next week!

Music - Band: Time for celebrating - we are starting a new book SOON. YAY US! Watch for a blue book to come home soon.

Music - Choir: We are working on watching the Sound of Music….and also singing songs from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. :)

Music - Orchestra: This week in 6th grade orchestra we worked in our Essential Elements Book 2. They are continuing to play short songs using a combination of eighth notes and rests.  They are also working on dotted quarter notes using hooked bowing.  They continue to work on El Toro and have been working speeding up their overall tempo and on the pizzicato sections of Dragon Hunter. Suggested practice: El Toro and Dragon Hunter.

PE: We have recently learned and reviewed different basketball skills and have been applying them to 3 on 3 basketball games. We will finish our 3 on 3 tournament next week. 

Science: Students will be thinking about water’s role in weather including a study of clouds.

Spanish: Week two of Spanish! Hopefully your student brought home a handout about Spanish class and our curriculum last week.  Please ask for it if you have not received one. This week we started Unit 1 and students are already speaking some Spanish in class. See if they can tell you about the wildebeest and the crocodile in Spanish.

7th Grade

Art: 7th graders are working on painting their Lego minifigure self portraits. Ask you 7th grader what has been the most challenging part to paint. Please check the homework calendar for project and sketchbook assignments due dates. 

Bible: In Bible class we are continuing to learn about sermons. We are preparing for our final project by learning about using the Bible as a tool to teach while practicing our sermon listening skills. Our final project will begin after exploratories.

History: Students worked hard this week on a mini-research project through which they explored the cause and effect relationship between technology and history. In our three days together next week, we’ll be finishing up this project and taking some time to share together what we have learned. 

Language Arts: We will continue our study of Trouble - we are in the final third of the novel, and the 7th graders are doing a great job discussing how conflict produces change in characters. We will also keep working on sentence variety - we are practicing our vocabulary of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences - and of course, writing our own examples of each.

Math - 7th Math: This week students learned how to write and solve one step inequalities. Next week we will focus on solving two step inequalities.

Math - Algebra: We are wrapping up chapter 6 with a test on Monday! We will then spend some time reviewing the first six chapters of our text. 

Math - Pre-Algebra: We are finishing up Chapter 8 on equations and inequalities. We will be taking a test on this chapter on Wed, Feb 17.

Music - Band: We continue to gradually work through our method book and other music as well. Practice the method book pages and sheet music.

Music - Choir: The avalanche finally occurred. :) Seven Brides is almost done.

Music - Orchestra: This week the 7th grade orchestra students worked out of their Essential Elements Book 2. They were introduced to the g minor scale and now are playing songs that use flats and naturals in their key signature. Suggested Practice:  English Carol, Rocky Mountain Switchback and Pirates of the Caribbean

PE: We have recently learned and reviewed different basketball skills/rules and have been applying them to basketball games (half court and full court).

Science: We started a study of producers this week. We will be continuing that next week as well.  

Spanish: Week two of Spanish! Hopefully your student brought home a handout about Spanish class and our curriculum.  Please ask for it if you have not received one. This week we started Unit 6. Students created a story about sitting down, standing up, and yelling at someone with a Star Wars theme. There is a quiz Wednesday the 17th. See Google classroom for a vocabulary list and other resources.

8th Grade

Art: The 8th graders after much hard work of creating and plastering over cardboard family shapes are now moving on to painting their family shape projects - yes! Please check the homework calendar for project and sketchbook assignments due dates. 

Bible Huttenga: Students are studying Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith. 

Bible Sloterbeek: We explored the gospel of John this week, reading it aloud and reflecting on it together. Next week, we’ll spend our two days of class learning from the gospels about what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God. We’ll dig into the text and make connections to our lives. 

History: Students were busy in Social Studies class this week, working on a newspaper and political cartoon project to help them learn about the “Road to Revolution” in the American colonies. We’ll be completing this project in the days leading up to Winter Break. 

Language Arts: We will finish reading The Diary of Anne Frank before mid-winter break. Students will continue to study and practice sentence structure. 

Math - Algebra: Students are working hard on chapter 6- exploring and understanding exponents and exponential functions. 

Math - Geometry: In geometry we are beginning chapter 8 and learning about similarity. 

Math - Pre-Algebra: We are finishing up our unit on equations and inequalities. Students can expect a test this Wednesday.

Music - Band: We continue to work on our master work and other pieces of music as well.

Music - Choir: Did you see email about baselayers and dates for practices? Email nvannoord@adachristian.org if you have any questions.

Music - Orchestra: This week the 8th grade orchestra students continued learning about playing their instruments in 3rd position. In their book, Essential Techniques for Strings (3), they are now exploring short songs using third position across all strings but no longer hinting at fingerings or positions. They are working to improve intonation in Mahler and are working with chromatic passages and syncopated rhythms in Ragtime Dance. Suggested Practice: Mahler With a Twist and Ragtime Dance

PE: We have recently learned and reviewed different basketball skills/rules and have been applying them to basketball games (half court and full court).

Science: We have a test next week Wednesday on velocity, acceleration, and force. 

Spanish: Week two of Spanish! Hopefully your student brought home a handout about Spanish class and our curriculum.  Please ask for it if you have not received one. This week students started unit 10 and created a story about a bad girl who stole food from a good wolf. It was a fun fairytale twist.  

Athletics

Girls basketball games have officially begun this past week. Please check your TeamSnap account for your team’s full schedule. 

ACS Spring Sport Sign-ups are now open, the sign-up deadline is Mon, Mar 01.