Middle School Matters – Oct 30, 2020

General Announcements

Wildcat Winners

Congratulations to our Wildcats of the Month: Isaac Brandt (5th), Anneka VerMeulen (6th), Eva DuMez (7th) and Kate Bruining (8th).

Virtual Book Fairs

For the next two weeks (Nov 02-13) our school library is hosting two online book fairs. The links are included in the descriptions below. This would be a great time to stock up on Christmas gifts. All proceeds benefit the ACS library.

JLG (Junior Library Guild) offers hardcover books starting at $5 that are shipped to your home.
Follett is 80% paperback books and their orders are shipped to school.

Charleston Wrap Fundraiser

Packets went home a few weeks ago, these are due back today, Fri Oct 30 if possible!

5th Grade

OE: It’s goat breeding season! Please be sure to read this letter from Miss Leah.

Christmas SEED Market: We’ve had a great week of learning this week! Today, your child learned of an exciting project called “SEED - a day of Service, Entrepreneurship, Education and Design.” Please read this information sheet and check out some product ideas here. Your student will be coming home with a paper copy as well. Applications are due Wed, Nov 04. Thank you for your support in this project. Please direct questions to Anika Gerig.

Art: 5th graders are working on test printing their designs and transitioning onto printing their final designs in many different colors.

Bible: This week we wrapped up our Pentateuch unit with a quiz. Pentateuch Books are due Mon, Nov 02. In November we study global awareness in Bible & LA. Here is a letter that went home with your child today. Please read the letter carefully. This week in Bible students were given identities from different countries to begin our global awareness unit. We held a “Silent Feast” as a class where each student received a different portion of food based on the country they were from. We followed this with a discussion about differences between developed, developing, and undeveloped countries. Students began to research basic facts about their countries that will be part of their country poster project. We also began the book A Long Walk to Water, which is based on a true story comparing and contrasting the lives of a Sudanese Lost Boy, Salva, to a Sudanese village girl named Nya.

History: Students learned about the people of the Desert Southwest, including the Pueblo, the Navajo, and the Apache. Next week they will investigate how different groups of Native Americans were affected by their environment, focusing on the Pacific Northwest.

Language Arts: This week we finished editing and publishing our descriptive paragraphs and Survival Interviews. We also learned about the story elements of Hatchet. Next week, we will start reading A Long Walk to Water to study global awareness in both Bible and LA.

Math: We are wrapping up our unit on Dividing by a One-Digit Divisor. The students have been doing well, and we had fun playing a game this week that had us “interpret the remainder”. There is a test next week Tuesday. A review sheet was given to students earlier in the week (it can also be found on google classroom).

Music - Band: We have been working on trios from our book - there is a great one on p. 12. You should be hearing lots of music at your house - we are also beginning page 14 - some new concepts there as well, and using the Ipad app that corresponds with our book. It works GREAT and it’s fun to listen to how the songs sound, and also play along. Students should record practice minutes on their Oct/Nov calendars. They are doing a great job during class - it is SO FUN to see and hear!

Music - Choir: Wonderful, thoughtful, meaningful It is Well Projects have been coming in all week. It has been joyful to see, listen to, experience….and wow….some of the Chicago fire projects almost make us feel warm when we watch them!!

Music - Orchestra: In orchestra we have been working hard on A Mozart Melody. This and another song is due on Friday in FlipGrid. Also a new calendar month! Make sure you turn your practice sheet in either Monday or Tuesday.

PE: We are continuing to work on our throwing and catching skills of a football. We have been applying to game settings, and will be wrapping up our football unit next week with an ultimate football tournament.

Science: We are zooming out a little farther to wrap up our space unit. We’ll be finishing our brief study of stars this coming Monday and will have a test over our space unit on Thursday (students have a paper review sheet and can access the review sheet posted on Google Classroom as well). We will spend time in class reviewing for the test and organizing our notebooks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

6th Grade

Communication Conversations: Parents, please read this letter regarding ways to support 6th graders as they communicate with personal technology devices at home. 6th Graders and teachers had a general conversation about Christian communication today during chapel. Here are some Scriptures we used to guide our conversation → Ephesians 4:29-32, Ephesians 5:4, Psalm 19:14.

Art: 6th graders have a quiz on how to draw a traditional portrait on Nov 04 for 6V and 6W and Nov 06 for 6Z. Students should study the green “Drawing a Face Properly” and if a study has lost the sheet there is a copy available on the Art Google classroom. Please check the homework calendar for project and sketchbook due dates.

Bible: This week we began a unit on the characteristics of Christ. Students are acting as detectives collecting evidence on how Jesus demonstrates different characteristics. This week we started by creating an “Instagram profile” for Jesus with images representing what students already know about Christ. The first trait we began collecting evidence for was “compassion.”

History: Students are participating in a series of simulations! They are faced with problems and experience the solution to those problems. This week they learned the importance of a writing system and discovered reasons for written laws.

Language Arts: This week we analyzed “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost to make connections to Tuck Everlasting. We also studied the themes of Tuck. Next week, we will begin our narrative writing project.

Math: The students have been doing a great job with multiplying and dividing fractions. (Ask them about the world record python we talked about this week. Or, ask about the really big burger I once ate!) There will be a quiz next week Tuesday and the Chapter 4 Test will be on Friday.

Music - Band: We have been working in our books, and have another video due soon - either It is Well or In Christ Alone. Enjoy hearing your student perform! I sure do.

Music - Choir: Wonderful, thoughtful, meaningful It is Well Projects have been coming in all week. It has been joyful to see, listen to, experience…and wow…some of the Chicago fire projects almost make us feel warm when we watch them!!

Music - Orchestra: FlipGrid Due Fri, Nov 06!

Science: We will study electric circuits and electromagnets in the coming week.

7th Grade

Art: 7th students will be transitioning to a new project dealing with texture on Monday. The sculpture projects need to be completed by and are due on Fri, Nov 06. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.

Bible: In Bible, we are beginning our final project for the prayer unit. Students have started brainstorming some ideas about the important parts to prayer and next week we will begin putting thoughts to paper and creating our posters/presentations.

History: We wrapped up our conversations on theories of earth age and development this week and also enjoyed a couple of days of discussion on the history and role of presidential debates. Students have also continued working on a project in which they research and present the history of a particular U.S. state’s development over time. That project is scheduled to wrap up at the end of next week.

Language Arts: We are drawing our discussion of literary elements of plot, conflict, and theme to a close, but will soon be actively applying them as we begin a unit studying The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Students will read the novel in class and for homework, and many lessons will take the form of small group discussions where students will practice their conversation stems. Students have a narrative due Mon, Nov 02. We’ll also go over our previous Components of Exposition Quiz. Some students may want to take the opportunity to re-study.

Math - 7th Math: We spent the first part of the week learning about the percent proportion (how to find the part, the whole, or the percent) and ended the week learning about how we can use our knowledge of percents to make logical estimations. Next week we focus on percent change and how to calculate sales tax, tips, discounts, and mark-ups.

Math - Algebra: We are reviewing the first part of chapter 3. This chapter covers a lot, so we will break it into three parts so that we can review a lot as we go.. There will be a quiz on Monday that covers sections 1-3. The remainder of the week will be spent on sections 4 and 5.

Math - Pre-Algebra: We have completed all of the new material for Chapter 4 Roots and Powers on Thur, Oct 29. This week we will be reviewing the concepts in Chapter 4 and then taking the Chapter 4 test on Wednesday or Thursday.

Music - Band: The Solo Project continues - half of the solo should be submitted on video soon (assigned on Google Classroom) Each student will be performing a solo on Nov 24 during the school day.

Music - Choir: We wrapped up The Moldau - next up is The Erie Canal song/project.

Music - Orchestra: Keep working on your solo for Solo and Ensemble. Send in a video of your progress through FlipGrid by Fri, Nov 06. Every student is performing a solo on Nov 24 during the school day.

PE: We have reviewed the essentials of throwing and catching a football and now are applying it to a game setting. We have started an ultimate football tournament and will be wrapping up our football unit next week.

8th Grade

Art: 8th graders are working on building their ceramic pots project with clay slabs. Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook and project due dates.

Bible Huttenga: We have come to a close on our unit on Martin Luther, Narnia, and the Reformation. As we near the end of the trimester, students will be studying Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith. Students will read the book in class and for homework, and many lessons will take the form of small group discussions - or FlipGrids - where students will practice their conversation stems. A final project is due near the end of the trimester, but is available for preview on Google Classroom.

Bible Sloterbeek: This week, we’ve been talking about salvation. Students have continued facing their own hopes and fears and their areas of faith and doubt as they wrestle with the questions and stories before them in Scripture and life. Next week, we will explore reasons to put our faith in the kingdom that the gospel accounts promise Jesus has brought near to us.

Language Arts: We are about to shift gears in LA! Our final day for NHD research in-class was Friday. We will now only be doing NHD twice a week instead of thrice. We will briefly work on outlines to organize our research accordingly and then make a plan for drafting. Meanwhile, we will start to focus more on literary studies. We’ll begin with conflict and characterization, and we may be able to start our first novel study of The Giver this week.

Math - Geometry: We are wrapping up chapter 3 with a test on Monday. Next week we begin our unit on transformations!

Math - Pre-Algebra: We continued exploring Chapter 4 this week by learning about the different exponent rules. Students are now able to add, subtract, multiply and divide different terms containing exponents. We also explored the relationships between square and cube roots and squaring and cubing numbers. Next week we’ll conclude this chapter by learning about scientific notation.

Music - Band: We will be performing for 4 judges on Nov 24. We have two marches and an overture-style piece which we need to perfect as much as we can. Practice records are due in November….you should hear music at home!

Music - Choir: We wrapped up the Moldau this week. Next up: more listening, singing, and music-making.

Music - Orchestra: FlipGrid due Friday November 6. Keep up the great work 8th grade!

Athletics

The first week of boys basketball practice is officially complete. The first set of games is slated to start Sat, Nov 07.