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Middle School Matters - Nov 11, 2016

General Announcements: Help with OE on Saturday, 6th/7th to attend Wednesday Wars at South Christian

Grade Level Announcements

General Announcements:

Come help ACS Outdoor Ed raise the barn!!! The service team invites any and all to help raise the barn and other outdoor ed yard help needs this Sat, Nov 12. No tools or experience needed. Drop off your student or come as a family! Come as early as 8:00am, Middle School Service team will officially be there from 10:00-noon. Hope to see you there.

Wednesday Wars Trip for 6th and 7th: Fri Nov 18: The 6th and 7th graders will attend South Christian’s matinee play of The Wednesday Wars. Students will NOT be able to order hot lunch on this day as we need to leave school at 11:25. Please pack a sack lunch for your child and look for a permission slip in your email.  

Fifth Grade:

Art: The 5th graders continue to cut their block print designs out of the block material. The goal is to be ready for printing after Thanksgiving break.

Band: Monday: FULL BAND (this is a change), Tuesday brasses, Thursday WW/Perc. Our first concert is Thu Dec 01 during school, at 2:30pm.

Bible: We have started learning more about the country that was assigned to each 5th grader and the people that come from it. We had a great rice week and are learning each day to appreciate more the abundance God has given us. Today was our Water Walk - we successfully made it to the Thornapple River and back, gaining empathy for what some people do every day to bring water to their families. Also, Cookie Dough Factory next Thur/Fri! Please sign up to help if you are able.

Math: Comparing, ordering, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals.

PE: We have put our volleyball skills to the test with game play this past week. We will wrap up our volleyball unit next week with more game play.

Spanish: Memory Verse (Psalm 24:1 in Spanish) on Tuesday for all 5th graders! A sheet containing both the English and Spanish translations were given to students earlier this week, and students should know both.

Sixth Grade:

Missing Work: There are many 6th graders who have collected quite a list of missing assignments. Please check with your student to help them come up with a plan for getting their work turned in before the end of the trimester (Mon 11.28)

6th Grade Laptops: Beginning Mon 11.28, your 6th grade child will be coming 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 look over some important information and details as you talk with your child.

Friday Devotions: Would you be willing and available to lead us once this year? Click here for a sign-up for upcoming dates.


Art: 6th graders work to complete the first project on how they visually represent how the artist see God at work in their life. Please check the homework calendar for project due dates and sketchbook homework.

Band: Some of our 6th graders did solos for judges and did a GREAT job! Yay, you! Special thanks to Mrs. Nitengale, our wonderful accompanist. Next up: Dec 03 we have the Ada Christmas Parade - info will come via email to all band parents!

Bible (Koetje - 6Ki): We will begin working on a project in which we will look at specific stories in the Old Testament and see how they point towards Jesus in the New Testament.

Bible (Westrate - 6W): We’re completing our study of Job and will soon move on to our next book from the Wisdom and Poetry section of the Bible: Proverbs.

History: We are continuing our study of Ancient Egypt. Global Studies Weekly will focus on Canada.

Language Arts: Next week is a big week in language arts. On Tuesday, students will hand in an assignment on Tuck Everlasting. This is worth a quiz grade. On Thursday, students will have “my” words spelling test.

Math: We will be wrapping up our chapter on fractions. On Tuesday, students will be taking a test. We will then begin studying ratios and rates.

PE: We will wrap up our volleyball unit next week with a short quiz. The quiz will be on Wednesday. Students received a review sheet which can also be found on Moodle.

Science: We continue to study air and pressure. A quiz over investigation 3 will take place on Tue 11.15. Students should be able to answer the “Focus Questions” in their notebook and describe in-class activities in detail along with the scientific concepts they demonstrate.

Spanish: Memory Verse (Psalm 24:1) in Spanish is due Monday for all 6th graders. Also, if students did not complete their self-portraits with sentences on Friday, they may work on these over the weekend to be turned in on Monday. Details are on Moodle. (Emphasis is on Spanish grammar and vocabulary, not artistic ability. But neatness counts!)

Seventh Grade:

Algebra (7th): Chapter 7 Test is scheduled for Wednesday on Linear Systems.

Art: 7th graders are working on practicing cutting with Xacto knives for their upcoming project and at the same time they are working to design a robot that would help them out with a problem or issue that they face in their daily lives. Please check the homework calendar for project due dates and sketchbook homework.

Band: What excellent work playing for the judges for Solo and Ensemble. YAY! Huge sighs of relief and thankfulness were heard all round. Special thanks to Mrs. Snell who accompanied for many of the 7th graders.

Bible (Wanner): 7th grade is working on learning and understanding prayer more. This coming Tuesday 11/15 each 7th grader need to have collected a prayer story from an adult and written this into their prayer journal. Requirements for this project were discussed and are clearly found on the project handout passed out this Wednesday. Don’t forget to be studying for the Bible memory quiz.

Bible (Huttenga): the 7th graders will continue discussing sermons. An out of school assignment related to the topic will be revealed in the coming week.

History: We are learning about East and Southeast Asia this week.

Language Arts: We will be concluding our unit on The Witch of Blackbird Pond with a test on Tuesday, November 15. We will then spend our time leading up to Thanksgiving by combining research and creative writing for an interdisciplinary project that ties together writing, art and outdoor education.

PE: We will wrap up our volleyball unit next week with a short quiz. The quiz will be on Monday. Students received a review sheet which can also be found on Moodle.

Math: Students will be taking their test on rational numbers early next week.

Pre-Algebra: We continue to work with Ratios, Rates, Conversion Factors, and Proportional vs Non-Proportional relationships.

Science: We will be spending some time studying plant structures, transpiration, and preparing for our Diversity of Life test which will be on Thursday.

Spanish: Memory Verse (Psalm 24:1) is due Wednesday for all 7th graders. Both English and Spanish translations are posted on their Moodle site.

Eighth Grade:

8th Grade OE Workday: Next Friday afternoon our 8th grade students will be helping Mr. Hoo and Mr. Boerkoel do a little cleaning up out and around our OE space. All students are encouraged to bring some work clothes, shoes/boots, and a pair of gloves for Friday afternoon. The band will be wearing black and white for a band trip that morning, please send clothes to change into for their afternoon.

Graduation Pictures: Please keep sending in those graduation pictures if you would like something different than the school picture in the yearbook. Mr. Witte would like to collect all of those pictures by Thanksgiving Break.


Algebra: We will be finishing up chapter 5 next week and getting ready for a test before Thanksgiving break.

Art: 8th graders continue to work on building the walls of their ceramic pots. Walls and tops should be completed by Thanksgiving break. Please check the homework calendar for project due dates and sketchbook homework.

Band: Excellent work playing for the judges during band festival. Next up is a trip to Thornapple Ev. Cov church to give a hymn concert and have lunch with their Senior Bible Study group Fri Nov 18. Info and permission slips will come to your inbox soon.

Bible (Huttenga): As we near the end of the first trimester, the 8th graders will be focusing on personal themes, and compare them to the themes of Paul.

Bible (Westrate): We are composing detailed storybooks from the book of Matthew to share with our 3rd grade buddies.

Geometry: We will continue to work on congruent figures and proofs. There will be a test early next week.

History: We started working on Chapter 8 today which will focus mainly on the presidency of George Washington.

Language Arts: The 3rd draft of NHD is due to be submitted on Monday, November 14. Parents have already received and email about this. We will then turn our focus to John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, and discuss literary themes including identity.

PE: We will wrap up our volleyball unit next week with a short quiz. The quiz will be on Wednesday. Students received a review sheet which can also be found on Moodle.

Pre-Algebra Enhanced: Students received their Ch 4 test back today. Next up: ratios, rates, complex fractions and conversion factors.

Science: Mr. Boerkoel was our tour guide as we traveled through the solar system. If you’re driving downtown Ada or on Fulton, ask your 8th grader where you are in our scaled solar system model. We continue looking at characteristics of the planets in our solar system this week. A quiz over investigations 7 and 8 will take place on Tue 11.15.

Spanish: Memory Verse (Psalm 24:1) is due Tuesday for all 8th graders. Both English and Spanish translations are posted on their Moodle site.

Athletics:

Teamwork Pays Off: Our undefeated ACS Wildcats claimed the GRACEAC League Championship on Saturday. Congratulations!

Please return all fall sports jerseys to Miss Prins.