ACS Middle School Matters: Middle School Matters: 3/1/14

Middle School Matters

March 1,
2014

General Announcements

This week Friday, March 7 is the end of the marking period.

Parents: This is a GREAT OPPORTUNITY for you to share positive comments with your child. Student Appreciation Day is fast approaching. Click here to read more about your part in this fabulous day.

Thank You for Sharing with Others:

After Leah Gortsema shared a message God laid on her heart with our middle school students during a Chapel a few weeks ago. Our students raised nearly $2000, with the help of match money, to help the children at Siempre Para Los Ninos. Thank you to all that responded in expressions of love for the work being done to help the children at this wonderful home filled with God's love for children who need a home.

A Post on FaceBook from Karate Instructor, Jerry Bomay...

I had the privilege this week to spend 3 days in the Ada Christian Schools working with 6th and 7th grade students teaching them karate and introducing them to our Stomp Out Bullying program. My good friend and former student Melissa Brower is the principal there and I have to say these children were some of the most sincere, well spoken, polite children I've ever met. I am a very fortunate man!

6th Grade News

Band: We get to play together again this week! All Feb. Practice Records are due this week. We will continue to work through our method book and full band songs as well.

Bible: Bible memory for this week is Exodus 20: 1-11 due on Friday. If they have not completed verses 1-7 that should be uploaded to Moodle soon. This week we will study the life of Abraham and see how God used him to influence the world.

History: All research should be completed for their Egypt project by Monday. I will introduce an online poster project to them on Monday, that will be due later in the week. We will spend 3 days in class working on the project.

Language arts: RESEARCH PACKETS due on MONDAY, MARCH 3!!! On Monday, we will discuss the display board (a project to do at home). This is not due until after spring break, but I thought it would be wise to have the students begin thinking about this as there will only be 1.5 weeks after spring break before the board is due. In addition, we will be working intensely on good paragraph structure as we prepare for writing a newspaper about our country.

Math: Monday we will continue solving equations. Students will be solving equations by using the inverse operation to isolate the variable. We will be showing our work and remembering that "what we do to one side, we must do to the other."

Orchestra: Hopefully we will have 3 days of orchestra this week! WOW - we will work in our books and learn some songs for chapel prelude music.

Science: Jumping back in this week! Forces and motion wrap up is around the corner. Please note that all missing work must be completed and turned in by Friday (3/7).

Spanish: Self-portraits were due Friday. If not turned in already, then must be turned in before March 7 for credit.

7th Grade News

7th and 8th Algebra: After a week of exploratories, we will be reviewing sections 9.1 through 9.4 before moving on. Next week there will be a test over chapter 9.

Band: We get to play together again this week! All Feb. Practice Records are due this week. We will continue to work through our method book and full band songs as well.

Bible:

Sanderson: This is our last week together before we make our switches between teachers. Please note that all missing work must be completed and turned in by Friday (3/7). The students are working in groups on projects about Jewish Feasts & Festivals. They will present as a group on Thursday and Friday.

Van Noord: This is our final week together before we trade teachers. We will finish Elijah/Elisha, talk about God's provision and have prophet review/quiz time this week as well. Any missing work must be in by 3/7 - no exceptions as grades will be submitted and will not be able to be changed.

History: This coming week we will continue our study of the geography of Latin America. We will be getting ready for a quiz on the first two note sheets and the map of important landforms in Latin America. We will plan on taking that quiz on Thursday.

Language arts: This coming week, we will jump back into reading Trouble. An assignment on chapters 10-13 will be due.

We will also be getting back into Paideia. For the first 2 or 3 days, we will continue taking notes. During the second half of the week, we will begin working on our draft of the outline, which will help us plan out the actual research paper. More specific details and due-dates to come this weekend.

Pre-Algebra (Sanderson): We'll be working in Ch. 11 in our Holt book this week, studying graphs & linear equations. Please note that missing work should be completed and handed in by Friday (3/7).

Pre-Algebra (Kiser): This week we will continue graphing linear functions and will be using slope intercept form. Do you remember slope intercept form? Also, our chapter test will be Monday, March 10.

Orchestra: We will review pages in our books and organize our pieces to prepare for dessert threatre background music! It will be FUN to perform during dessert theatre. Be sure to bring all of your music this week. Thanks so much.

Science: End of the Trimester is Friday; therefore, all missing work needs to be turned in this week to receive credit. This week we are continuing our study of birds.

Spanish: Please check the calendar for assignments due for your class. (Each class has one!)

8th Grade News

Dessert Theatre: Just a heads up, we are hoping to add a couple Tuesday rehearsals (March 11th & 18th) to make up for weather-related cancelled ones. The website will reflect these additions once I have the official "ok" on use of the stage for those days and times. Your weekly link: http://acsdesserttheatre.weebly.com/

Yearbook Pictures and Baby Pictures: Final call for 8th graders to submit a "fancy" photograph for the yearbook is Wednesday, March 5! Please email the original file of the photograph to Mr. Witte or to yearbook@adachristian.org. We are also missing many of the 8th graders baby photos. Please send in a photograph to school or email Mr. Witte a digital version of the image by Wednesday, March 5 as well. Thanks!

7th and 8th Algebra: After a week of exploratories, we will be reviewing sections 9.1 through 9.4 before moving on. Next week there will be a test over chapter 9.

8th Algebra (Witte): This coming week we will continue our study of exponents and exponential functions (Chapter 8). Look for several assignments with a Chapter 8 test coming the following week.

Band: Sooooo looking forward to hearing the 8th graders play again! We will work on future concert numbers.

Bible (Huttenga): We will continue our study of the spread of the early church. We have just gotten through Saul's conversion, and we will continue to move through the book of Acts.

Bible (Witte): This week we will review the background information on the gospels and prepare for a quiz on this information for Thursday.

Geometry: We are continuing to work on three-dimensional figures and will have a quiz on the first part of chapter 10 on Thursday, March 6th. Students will need to have the two-dimensional formulas memorized and will use a pink formula sheet for the three-dimensional figures.

History: Test on Chapters 11-13 on Tuesday. All notes and movies we watched are on Moodle so make sure you have all the details. The journals you completed in class will also have the corrected answers, and those would be good for studying essays. After the test we will begin our Unit on the Civil War. We will look at the causes of the war, and begin to watch part of the movie Gone with the Wind to give us a picture of the setting in history.

Language arts: We will continue studying grammar and will begin working on chapter 2 of the Book of Memories.

Orchestra: Looking forward to 3 whole rehearsals this week! We will work on the third movement of Concerto in E and will be joined by 2 new players.

Science: End of the Trimester is Friday; therefore, all missing work needs to be turned in this week to receive credit. This week we are continuing our study of volcanoes.

Spanish: We have LOTS of missing assignments. Please encourage your child to check online to see if he/she is missing anything. We will begin reviewing the verb "gustar" and reviewing our Breakfast unit for a test the following week (first week of the new trimester -- Let's start strong!)