Middle School Matters - Nov 04, 2016

General Announcements:

Important News About Our Spirit Shop!

Our ACS Spirit Shop will be introducing a new way to purchase school spirit items. This change will allow us to have more clothing options, accessories and sports gear available for you more frequently. The online store can be found on Ada Christian's main website under the link 'Spirit Shop'.

Here's how ordering will be different: -The online store will only be open for orders during the FIRST WEEK of every other month, starting November 1, 2016:

Standard items, such as long and short sleeve tees, will be available for purchase every time the online store is open. However, some items will only be available during certain months. Items will change according to the season. (Standard/seasonal items will be noted online).
No shipping fee! Orders placed within the 7 day window will go into production the following week and be delivered to the school for pick up.
When possible, samples will be displayed in the lobby.

Online Spirit Shop Will Be Open November 1-7, 2016 January 1-7, 2017 February 1-7, 2017 April 1-7, 2017.

No late orders will be accepted, so mark your calendars!! We have really great stuff coming! Please contact Laura Kaminski (616.460.6109) for further information.

Concert Dress for Grades 6-8: All MS students need to have a white shirt (Long or Short Sleeved, No T-shirt) and black on the bottom - either pants/slacks or a skirt with dark leggings and DARK/BLACK socks and shoes for all. This is standard ACS Concert Wear for grades 6-8. You probably saw this on the “what you need for back to school” list. First event in Black and White is next week Tuesday, Nov 08 for festival/solo and ensemble for grades 7 and 8 (6th soloists may dress up in nice clothes on this day if they don’t already have black and white). All ACS MS(6-8) students should be ready to wear their black and white for our Christmas Concert on Dec 15.

Fifth Grade:

Cookie Dough Factory is coming! Please sign up to help out in the kitchen using this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0f4faca829a6f58-cookie

Art: We continue to working on our printmaking unit.

Band:

Mon Nov 07 - WW/Perc
Tue Nov 08 - Brass
Thu Nov 10 - Full Band
Mon Nov 14 - Full Band (note unusual Full Band on a Monday)
Tue Nov 15 - Brass
Thu Nov 17 - WW
Mon/Tue Nov 21&22 - Full Band
Mon/Tue/Thur Nov 28&29 and Dec 1 - Full Band
Our First Concert: Dec 01 at ACS in the Commons from 2:30-2:57pm! Come one, come all! Students should wear regular school clothes for this day - no special attire is needed.

Bible: This month we are focusing on global awareness and what life looks like in third-world countries versus second and first-world countries. We’ll discuss how God is working and is calling us to help in large and small ways. An email explaining Rice week (M-F) and the water walk (F) was sent Wednesday. If you didn’t get it, please let Mrs. Witte know!

Language Arts: We are finishing up our formal narrative writing by editing and revising. You should have received an email about reading multicultural books. We will officially start on Monday, but feel free to visit your home or public library to pick a book off the list this weekend!

Math: The long division quiz came home in the take-home-folder yesterday. Our next unit covers decimals - rounding, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing with decimals.

Orchestra: Our first concert is Dec 1 at 2:30pm in the Music Suite rm. 502.

PE: We will continue our volleyball unit.

Spanish: 5th graders have a QUIZ on telling time in Spanish next week: 5H on Wednesday, November 9th; 5B and 5DW on Thursday, November 10th.

Sixth Grade:

6th Grade Laptops: Beginning Monday, Nov 28, your 6th grade child will be going home with their school laptop each night. If you haven’t already please talk with your child to clarify the expectations for laptop use when it is at home. Please also look over some important information and details as you talk with your child.

Art: Next week will be the final week we work on our project of visually representing how the artist sees God in his or her life. Please check the homework calendar for due dates on projects and the sketchbook.

Band: Our Christmas Concert is Dec 15. Some 6th graders are playing solos for solo and ensemble for a judge Tue Nov 08. Special thanks to Mrs. Nitengale who is our wonderful accompanist. The schedule for your students is posted on Moodle. Parents are welcome to come and watch them play and support them. All 6th grade soloists are performing in the office conference room.

Bible (Westrate): Memory work quiz will take place on Thu Nov 10. Ask your student to share their memory work with you.

Bible (Koetje/6KI): We learned about Reformation Day, Martin Luther, and his 95 theses. We summarized the theses using our hands. Ask your child about this and the connection between Halloween and Reformation Day. Next week we will continue our study of the Bible as a book.

History: Tuesday - Landform Quiz. Their spiral notebooks are full of good notes, and there is a Quizlet on Moodle to help them study as well.

Language Arts: We had a busy week of learning in 6th grade LA. Students really enjoyed finding similes and metaphors in the Bible. We used the book Images of God to help understand metaphors used to describe God. Students did well on the quiz over similes, metaphors, and personification. We nearly finished Tuck Everlasting and began a narrative writing unit. We will continue to do both next week as well.

Math: We spent the week exploring fractions and we will continue to do so next week. Students will be taking their test on Tue Nov 15.

PE: We will continue our volleyball unit. There will be a quiz at the end of the unit. A review sheet was handed out and is also posted on Moodle.

Orchestra: Our Christmas Concet is De. 15. Some of our 6th graders are also performing in Solo and Ensemble Tuesday Nov. 8. Bring on the judge!

Science: We will begin a study of air pressure this week.

Spanish: We took our test today and will begin our new unit about more ways to describe ourselves by telling about our hair and eyes.

Seventh Grade:

Washington D.C. Trip: If you are still interested in signing up for the MS trip to Washington D.C. this summer, please let Mr. Witte know soon. The deadline to sign up has been extended because there are are still some seats available on the bus. The trip is June 13 - 17.

Algebra (7th): We will begin chapter 7 on Monday.

Art: In class we have finished our texture projects and now will begin a two project exploration of positive and negative space. Check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.

Band: Solo and Ensemble is Tue Nov 08. The schedule for the day was emailed to all band parents and is also on Moodle. Parents are welcome to come watch their child play!

Bible (Huttenga): The 7th graders in this section will continue to learn how to analyze and evaluate sermons.

Bible (Wanner): We will be working on learning and understanding prayer. Next week we will be learning about bookbinding and binding our own prayer journals. In addition, a new Bible memory will be coming home next week - Lord’s day 45, Questions 116 - 118.

History: Next week in history we will begin our study of East Asia.

Language Arts: We have finished reading The Witch of Blackbird Pond. As we prepare for the test, the students will be working in groups on a creative poster project to help act as review.

PE: We will continue our volleyball unit. There will be a quiz at the end of the unit. There is a review sheet posted on Moodle.

Math: We are studying rational numbers. Right now we are spending a lot of time working with fractions. There will be a quiz early next week.

Pre-Algebra: We are now studying proportional and non-proportional relationships.

Orchestra: Solo and Ensemble is almost here! Tue Nov 08. Schedules for performance times were handed out and sent home on Thursday.

Science: Investigation 5 Quest on Tuesday, we will be exploring some of the investigation 5 concepts on a deeper level for the remainder of the week.

Spanish: 7th graders have a TEST on Thursday, November 10th. They should study the resources posted in their current Spanish course on Moodle, and there will be an online practice test for them on Wednesday. Topics included: Vocabulary for living room and bedroom, prepositions, the verb ESTAR, and doing sentence translations including all of the above.

Eighth Grade:

NorthPointe Christian High School Preview Day Thu, Nov 10 - 7:35am - 2:35pm (RSVP required)

Shadow a student for the day and experience firsthand what it is like to be a mustang. Parents are invited to stay for a tour, breakfast, and meeting with administrators. See how NorthPointe's new MakerSpace is transforming learning! Hear how students are graduating with a semester of college credit.

RSVP Required. Please contact Brittany Noll: gro.naitsirhcpn@bllon, 616.942.0350 x276

Dessert Theatre: Auditions begin today, Fri Nov 04 and continue next week. See the webpage for DT info including the calendar and links to other valuable info as well! www.adachristian.org/mermaid

8th Grade Yearbook Pictures and Baby Pictures: Please turn in any special requests for yearbook portraits by Thanksgiving, otherwise we will plan on using the school picture. It would also be great to have each student bring in a baby (young child) photo that we can use in the yearbook as well. These can be brought to Mr. Witte.

Algebra: Monday we will take our Chapter 4 test.

Art: In class we are working on our ceramic slab pots. This project will be going on for awhile. Make sure to check with your student and see what texture they are thinking to add to their pot. Check the homework calendar for project and sketchbook due dates.

Band: Festival is Tue Nov 08. Come hear us play for the judges at 11:00am in the band room - we will be done by 11:41. We’d love to have you come cheer us on!

Bible (Huttenga): We will be working on SOAPs and developing themes.

Bible (Westrate): We will begin a study of Mark this week.

Geometry: We will spend a lot of time studying proofs this coming week.

History: Next week we will be finishing our study of the Constitution. Students will have a final assignment on the material that we will start in class.

Language Arts: Parents, remember that the 2nd draft review form is due on Monday, November 7. The students will be doing some revision in class that week to prepare for the submission of their 3rd draft on Monday, November 14. In class, the students will also continue studying John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl.

PE: We will continue our volleyball unit. There will be a quiz at the end of the unit. There is a review sheet posted on Moodle.

Pre-Algebra Enhanced: We continue with Roots and Powers. Our chapter test will be on Wednesday. A study guide and practice test in on page 180 in the textbook.

Orchestra: Solo and Ensemble festival is Tue Nov 08. Schedules were handed out on Thur.. Come to hear your child perform! Students be sure to wear black and white concert dress

Science: We’ll begin looking beyond the moon and into our solar system this week.

Spanish: TAKE-HOME TEST (Project) due on Tue, Nov 08. Details are posted on the Moodle site. Students will need time (and possibly family members) to put these together, so encourage them to start sooner rather than later.

Athletics:

Uniforms: Please return fall sports jerseys to Miss Prins.

Volleyball: No plans Saturday? Go cheer on our 7th and 8th grade girls volleyball teams! The 7th grade girls are playing for 3rd place at 9:00am and the 8th grade girls are playing in the championship game at 12:00pm. Both game are at Grand Rapids Catholic Central High School. Go Wildcats!