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Middle School Matters – Nov 08, 2019

General Announcements

Dates for your calendar:

Nov 21 - Butter Braids Go Home (8th graders only)

Nov 27-29 No School, Thanksgiving Break

Dec 12 - 5-8 Christmas Concert - 56 wears retreat shirt and khakis or black on the bottom, 78 wears white on top and black on the bottom


Upcoming Chapels/Small Groups for 6-8 (Chapel meets 8:15-8:45 in the Commons)

Nov 22 -  Chapel - 78 Only (6th working on a project)

Nov 26 - All School Thanksgiving Chapel Led by 56 (not a Friday)

Fifth Grade: 

Rice Week (Nov 18-22) No Lunch needed next wee. Please check your email for more details.


Art: 5th grade continues to work on printing. 

Bible: This week we learned about water in our global community and we went on the Water Walk. The kids learned how to empathize with those who have to walk to obtain unclean water. Students will be coming home with a piggie bank jug to collect money to donate towards building wells through World Vision. Next week - rice week!

History: 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 next week. They will learn about problem solving, seafaring, navigation, and more! 

Language Arts: We are reading A Long Walk to Water and reflecting on our own water walk experience through various writing activities.

Math: We have been continuing our study of division with multi-digit divisors. The students have been doing great! Some of the division word problems the 5th graders made have been fantastic! Look for a test next week Wednesday. 

Music - Band: Thank you for coming to our concert!!!! It was so great to have you come! Our next performance is ANY day at your house - ask for a solo or 6 or 7! 

Music - Choir:  Tryouts for See the Glowing Star Trio will be Tuesday, November 19 during lunch recess in Mrs. Vruwink's room. We will play and sing at the Christmas Concert on Dec. 12. Concert dress for 56 is retreat shirts on top and khakis or black on the bottom.

Music - Orchestra: We are learning so many new notes and songs each week!  Ask your string player to perform Lightly Row, Jingle Bells,  Twinkle Little star.

Science: We took a brief pause to revisit our unit on water in order to connect to the Water Walk. Now we’re headed back into our unit on systems. We’re looking at ecosystems and building habitats for decomposers (worms!)

Sixth Grade:

Student iPads coming home: Beginning Mon, Dec 02, students will bring their school iPad home with them each night. We have some information and suggestions to share with you before this happens. Please review this information and talk with your student before Dec 02.

Devotion Sign-up: Sign up to lead devotions for our 6th Graders on a Thursday (8:00-8:10am) this school year. We love to have parents and guests come to share a story, song, verse, prayer or devotional with us!

Weekend Chicken Checkup: Check to to see when your family is on the schedule for weekend chores. If you have a conflict on your assigned weekend, please work in advance to switch with another family. Click here for the instructions for Weekend Chicken Checkup. Questions? Contact Bill Hoo at 616.250.0089 


Art: 6th graders are all working on learning about and drawing portraits.  Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook assignments due dates.  

Bible: We wrapped up The Case for Christ movie and wrote a letter to a (make-believe) non-believer defending three key arguments related to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

History: We will continue our study of Ancient Mesopotamia. On Monday, students will take a map quiz on the Middle East. Students may review using their practice quiz and social studies notebook.

Language Arts: The sixth graders should have a copy of their disability awareness novel by now and should begin reading this at home. Students also have two sheets (4 parts) to help them study for the test on Wednesday (11.20). We will review in class next week as well. 

Math: We started this week learning about Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiple. We talked about how “factors are few” and “multiples are many”. This transitions into ratios and unit rates. The students are finding the unit rates of items found in a grocery. For example, they need to find how much a single slice of cheese costs, an english muffin, and an egg. The students must then find the total cost of a breakfast sandwich! 

Music - Band: Christmas Concert Dec 12. We have new sheet music to practice!

Music - Choir: Tryouts for Go Tell it on the Mountain will be Monday, November 18 during lunch recess in Mrs. Vruwink's room. We will play and sing at the Christmas Concert on Dec. 12. Concert dress for 56 is retreat shirts on top and khakis or black on the bottom.

Music - Orchestra: Christmas concert is Thursday, Dec 12! Students have lots of sheet music to learn! 

Science: We just finished our unit on Diversity of Life, there will be a test next week. Now we get to start our awesome unit on Electromagnetic Force!

Seventh Grade:

Art: 7th grade continues to work on their texture paintings by adding painted acrylic details. Please check the homework calendar for project and sketchbook due dates.  

Bible Huttenga: 7th graders are coming to understand how joy and peace sprout from gratitude. We are learning how to diligently practice gratefulness for all God has given us, and are working on a project to spread that joy with others. 

Language Arts: Conferencing continues for the end of T1. Soon we will begin analyzing The Witch of Blackbird Pond critically as writers as students are introduced to the practice of literature critiques. Man, we’re having fun reading the book, though. Nothing like a little Puritan melodrama to get 7th graders talking! 

Math - 7th Math: We have been working with fractions and integers. Our chapter test will be on Thursday. Students can review using the materials and practice test in their chapter 4 packet. 

Math - Algebra: We finished Chapter 3 on graphing linear functions with a test today. Next week we will begin Chapter 4 on writing linear equations. 

Music - Band: What amazing and awesome and excellent work your students did for their judges!!!! WOW - - stellar and musical and accurate and fabulous. We are thankful! Next up: Christmas Concert on Dec 12. Go us!

Music - Choir: We will perform at the Christmas Concert on Dec 12. Concert dress for 7th grade is white on top, black on the bottom (all the way to the floor). 

Music - Orchestra: WOW! String students played beautifully on solos and duets this past Tuesday. Thanks for coming out to hear them perform and for all of the ways that you encourage them. They received wonderful comments and ideas from the judge. 

Science: Next week we will be talking about biodiversity and how humans have impacted the environment around us. 

Eighth Grade:

Yearbook Pictures and Baby Pictures:

If you would like to submit a different picture for our school yearbook than the picture taken by our school photographer, please plan on submitting those pictures by the end of November () . Pictures should be vertical in orientation and mostly a “head and shoulders” or “waist up” style picture.

For the Baby Picture, you may submit those either as digital images or as printed photos. Please email the images to Dani Buchanan at dbuchanan@adachristian.org.


Art: 8th grade students continue in the process building their ceramic pots.  Most students are working on adding texture, lids, and handles to their ceramic pots.  Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.  

BibleHutt: We are concluding all T1 work. Students have submitted their Articulation of Faith essay, and will need to conduct an interview with a trusted elder before Tuesday. 

BibleVN: We are finishing up the book of Luke and preparing for a final test next week Mon/Tue on Trimester 1.

Language Arts: Students should be able to begin drafting their NHD essays this coming week. With our focus shifting more towards writing instead of research, we will begin studying and utilizing English conventions as T2 begins. Conferencing continues. We will soon be ready for our first class novel study.

Math - Geometry: These students are doing so well with transformations. Our chapter test is on Tuesday.  On Wednesday we will begin our deep dive into the world of congruent triangles. 

Math - Algebra: We finished Chapter 3 on graphing linear functions with a test today. Next week we will begin Chapter 4 on writing linear equations. 

Music - Band: WOW. The judges enjoyed their time at ACS listening to our 8th graders. What a lot of work - - they did a great job. YAY!!!! Next up: Christmas Concert. 

Music - Choir: We will perform at the Christmas Concert on Dec 12. Concert dress for 7th grade is white on top, black on the bottom (all the way to the floor). 

Music - Orchestra: WOW! Our judge loved listening to the 8th graders perform  on Tuesday. They played beautifully and were very impressive!  Thanks so much for coming to hear them perform.!

Science: We will have a final planetary science test on Wednesday next week. We are finishing our planetary science studies looking at where water may be found in our solar system.