Middle School Matters – Oct 09, 2020

General Announcements

Parent Teacher Conferences begin Oct 13 - Check your email for messages from your student’s homeroom teacher about how/when and the link for your Google Meet(s).

Recess Coverage: The PTO would like to continue to support our teachers as they spend extra time after school meeting with us for conferences next week. Please sign up for a time to cover recess duty. Times are listed by when grades are out. We are trying to cover K-8!

5th Grade

Art: In 5th grade this week we learned how to using the printmaking tools to cut out our designs. Next week cutting prints begins.

History: We wrapped up our Geography Unit with a test. For our next unit of study, students will investigate the diverse culture of the first inhabitants of the North American continent.

Math: We have just wrapped up our unit on multiplying whole numbers. Next week we will be jumping into division!

Music - Band: Band meets all Mon/Tue/Thur. Great work! Set regular times for practice. Keep working on songs 22-40.

Music - Choir: New unit on It is Well With My Soul. We will do a project about some aspect of the story. Still working on theory, some singing and rhythms as well.

Music - Orchestra: Continue practicing in your Essential Elements book pages 8-14. Fill up those practice records!

PE: After training over the past couple of weeks, we completed our Mile Run this week. Next week will be continuing to do other fitness testing that include the shuttle run, sit-n-reach, push-ups, and sit-ups.

Science: We will be working on a research project this week. Each student will become an expert on an object in our solar system and share their knowledge in the form of a trading card and a letter/postcard.

6th Grade

Art: 6V and 6W will be working on Picasso Inspired portraits this coming week and 6z will be completing their learning about Picasso. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook due dates and project due dates.

History: We wrapped up our Geography Unit with a brochure project and test. Next week, we will take a closer look at archaeology.

Math: Next week Tuesday we will be having our Chapter 2 Test on Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. We will continue next week with learning how to multiply and divide fractions.

Music - Band: Video due Mon Oct 12 on Google Classroom.

Music - Choir: New unit on It is Well With My Soul. We will do a project about some aspect of the story. Still working on theory, some singing and rhythms as well.

Music - Orchestra: FlipGrid #2 was due today. Make sure that is turned in!

Science: We wrapped up our Mixtures and Solutions unit with a test and an investigation about freezing point depression which involved making and eating some delicious ice cream! We will begin a unit on Electromagnetic Force this week.

7th Grade

Late & Missing Work: All late and missing work must be turned in by October 20th. If work is not turned in by the 20th, it will be marked as a 0.

Art: 7th graders are painting their Henry Moore inspired sculptures. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook due dates and project due dates.

Bible: This week in Bible we talked about praying for others as a way to build a relationship with God and each other. Students worked to see where prayers have been answered in other lives, we learned that it is important to pray to forgive others, and how to pray on behalf of others. Next week we will be looking into Paul’s journey and how he used prayer to grow in his faith with God.

History: It might sound crazy, but we had a BLAST talking about maps and geography this week. Students asked so many great questions about why things are the way they are, and they’re eager to learn about so many different places in the world. This next week, they’ll have the chance to choose a nation and study its history of development. They’ll also have a test at the end of the week over some of the major geographical features of the world.

Language Arts: We will be having a quiz on Exposition and Setting at the end of the week, and students will be able to study their notes and a Quizlet to help them. We will continue learning about Rising Action and Turning Points in literature, using discussions and mentor texts to help. Students are beginning a narrative of their own. Reading Inventories and Spelling Quizzes will continue on their normally scheduled days.

Math - 7th Math: Students were introduced to the concept of slope this week after learning about how to solve proportions and constant rate of change. They will have a short quiz on Tuesday covering direct variation and slope, and we’ll spend some time reviewing key concepts before taking a test over our second unit at the end of the week.

Math - Algebra: We are in the middle of our chapter about inequalities. Students will take a quiz on Tuesday and we will spend a few days on compound inequalities to wrap up the week. The chapter test is falling on Tue Oct 20, the day before break.

Math - Pre-Algebra: In Pre-Algebra, we wrapped up our chapter in rational numbers and are now starting into Chapter 4 on Roots and Powers. Chapter 4 will be taken at a bit of a slower pace so that we can be sure to have a strong understanding of the material because it will appear again in later chapters.

Music - Band: Video due Mon Oct 12 on Google Classroom.

Music - Choir: New Unit: The Moldau. Also Barbadian songs, a Congolese song and drumming.

Music - Orchestra: FlipGrid #2 was due today. Make sure that is turned in!

Science: We have a good handle of sedimentary rocks this week and we are working on the rock cycle this upcoming week.

8th Grade

Late & Missing Work: All late and missing work must be turned in by Oct 20. If work is not turned in by the 20th, it will be marked as a 0.

Yearbook Pictures and Baby Pictures: Please read the details below (due Dec 01, 2020).

Yearbook Pictures

8th graders may submit a different image for the yearbook than the traditional school photograph
It should be a portrait image (vertical, not horizontal).
The image should mostly be a "head and shoulders" or "waist up" shot
Please no pets
If a digital file...300 dpi or more image size should be equivalent to a 8 x 10
the image file size should be between 2 MB and 10 MB
Please send the images to Dani Buchanan (gro.naitsirhcada@nanahcubd)
If you would like to use your child's school photo as their yearbook photo please email this choice to Dani Buchanan

"Baby Pictures" for Yearbook and Graduation

Each student needs to submit one "Baby Picture" that we can use for both the yearbook and at graduation.
You may submit either a digital image or an actual photo. (The picture will be returned quickly and safely.)
The "baby picture" can be from the time your student was a baby or up to a young child.
These pictures can be fun, sweet, cute, and all of that!
Please send the images to Dani Buchanan (dbuchanan@adachristian.org) or have your student drop off the photo to Miss Buchanan in the office.

Art: 8th graders completed the printmaking project and we are now preparing and designing for our ceramics unit. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook due dates and project due dates.

Bible Huttenga: We will be working on a project tying together Martin Luther’s struggle with the Roman Catholic church, The Last Battle, and the Reformed worldview.

Bible Sloterbeek: We switched gears a bit in Bible this week. We started by finishing a discussion on the passage in Mark about Jesus and the rich young man (Mark 10:17-30), and the rest of the week we began talking about the ideas of fear and love -- two major themes that keep coming up for us in our class discussions. For the rest of the trimester, we’ll approach our study of the Bible with big questions about the world and our human nature and emotions in mind. We’ll see how the gospel addresses our fears and offers and calls us to radical love instead.

History: We split our time in social studies this week between maps and geography discussion and research on National History Day papers. In the following weeks, Tuesdays and Thursdays will continue to be devoted to National History Day work. This coming week, we’ll wrap up our class discussion on geography basics, start a project where each student will study the history of one of the USA’s 50 states, and prepare for a test on U.S geography next week.

Language Arts: We are continuing to work hard on the NHD project. Students will be expected to have a certain number of notes and sources next week - see the Moodle homework calendar for details. Reading Inventories and Spelling Quizzes will continue on their normally scheduled days.

Math - Algebra: We completed our chapter 1 test today. We are starting chapter 2- inequalities on Monday.

Math - Geometry: On Monday students will take a quiz that will cover the entire chapter. We will spend a few days reviewing logic and proofs and students will take their Chapter 2 test on Wednesday.

Math - Pre-Algebra: Students had a test over our rational numbers unit today. Next week we will move on to a new unit where we will study roots and powers.

Music - Band: Video due Mon Oct 12 on Google Classroom.

Music - Choir: New Unit: The Moldau. Also Barbadian songs, a Congolese song and drumming.

Music - Orchestra: FlipGrid #2 was due today. Make sure that is turned in!

Science: We are moving past the phases of the moon and checking into how the moon looks and why.

Athletics

The 5th-8th grade boys basketball sign-ups are now officially open.

Once team lists are final we'll send you an email with additional information regarding the start of your sport season. We are optimistic that the basketball season will proceed as scheduled, although the MHSAA COVID-19 Guidelines will be followed (a lot may change in the upcoming weeks).