MSM 8/5/14

Middle School Matters September 5, 2014, 2014 General Announcements Emailing Teachers Dear Parents, Great communication between parents and teachers is something we value very much at ACS.   Teachers are asked to check their emails before school, after school and during their prep period (when possible).  They are also asked to respond to your emails within a 24-hour window. Because teachers want and need to keep their attention on our students, they do not read and respond to emails during class periods.  If you need to get a message to your child during the day, please call or email Sharon in the office. (sdejong@adachristian.org) If parents email teachers about after school transportation (or other) plans, student may not get the message in time if it is sent to the teacher. Thank you for your understanding. Your Partner in Christian Education, Mrs. Brower Hot Lunch: The deadline for ordering hot lunch for the month of October is September 10. 6th Grade News It was wonderful to meet and talk with many of you last evening at parent night, thank you for taking time to join us as we partner together in Christian Education. If you were not able to join us Thursday evening, you child will be coming home today (Friday) with a folder of information for you. Art: In class we will be working on pattern and exploring how we visually show God's hand in our lives.  Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook assignments Band:  We have a great group in the band.  So exciting!!  :) We began by reviewing some songs and pages from last year.  We have a theme song from our school theme:  Jesus, All for Jesus as well. Practice records went out.  240 minutes per month is an A. Simply write the number of minutes practiced on the date that you do it.  Please help your child set aside regular times for practice. Here we go! Bible:  Brainstorming sheets for the Outside/Inside bags are due on Monday.  Bible memory is due September 19, and students should bring their bags to school on September 23.  We are continuing our look as some of the overall themes in the Bible in class. History:  We began this week by looking at geography, and why it is so important to study.  We are amazed at the power and creativity of our Creator.  We will continue to look at maps and regions of the world over the next week.  Monday each student will receive a newspaper from Global Studies Weekly, and we will discuss in class.  There are activities for them to complete on the back page, and there will be a quiz on the information in the articles on Thursday (9/11). Language arts:  We are reviewing nouns in class.  So far, we have studied concrete/abstract and common/proper nouns.  Next week we will learn about compound vs. collective nouns and singular/possessive nouns/  Also, we have created some Auto-Bio Poems this week and learned many new and exciting features on our computers to make these look great.  Next week we will continue these things as well as begin our first novel, Tuck Everlasting. Math: Next week we will be focusing on Ratios, Rates and the Coordinate Plane. Students will have independent practice problems to complete at home each night and it is good to encourage your child to bring their book home each night so they have the lesson and example problems to help them if they get stuck. PE: Students are playing soccer and becoming familiar with the positions and the basic rules of the game. We will continue with soccer next week. Students should be prepared to go outside! Orchestra:  We are off to a great start in strings and have reviewed some of the scales and key signatures from last year.  We also played through Rigadoon ( a request  from some of the students)  and  started learning parts of a new orchestral piece- Eagles Pride.  You are asked to listen to this new song- and be sure to set aside about 20 minutes each day for practice!  Your covenant children are very precious and wonderful to teach- they are all so special in many different ways.  It is a delight to get to know them. Science: Students participated in a unique Lab Safety Quiz in class on Friday.  Ask your student what happened!  We will be studying lab equipment this week, as well as participating in our first Physical Science lab activity. Spanish:   We have been interacting and beginning our continuation of places and the verb to go, along with exploring the tools on our new laptops that will best help us this year with learning Spanish!  Our first project, done in class, will be a movie each student makes about a character going around to different places. Back to Top 7th Grade News Algebra (7th):  Students will be receiving a review packet as there will be a test one week from Monday! Students will also be studying problem solving, the use of tables and graphs and we'll take a look at functions. Art:In class the seventh graders are working on showing three element or principles of art inside the shape of a Kieth Haring styled person.  Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook assignments.   Band:  We have a great group in the band.  So exciting!!  :) We began by reviewing some songs and pages from last year.  Practice records went out.  240 minutes per month is an A. Simply write the number of minutes practiced on the date that you do it.  Please help your child set aside regular times for practice. What to work on:  We have two books and also the song "Jesus, All for Jesus" Bible: Students are discussing what "discipleship" means and are creating videos that will invite others to join in the discussion as well.  Memory work is due Sept. 16 (Luke 9:18-26). History:  Next week we will be focusing on the 5 Themes of Geography and learning about different types of maps.  We will also start reviewing a list of Geography Vocab Words.  This set of vocab words can be found as a set of flashcards on moodle. Language arts: We have analyzed conflict and the elements of plot within our first short story, Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. We will focus more on internal conflict with our second short story next week, A Boy and a Man. After reading this story, students will then be challenged to put their understanding of conflict and plot to the test as they begin their first writing assignment: a prequel or sequel to A Boy and a Man. More info on the assignment next week.     -Students will also begin an independent reading assignment called a "one-pager", which will have read and analyze a book of their choosing. PE: Students are playing soccer and becoming familiar with the positions and the basic rules of the game. We will continue with soccer next week. Students should be prepared to go outside! Pre-Algebra (Kiser): Next week we will wrap up our review of some Basic Algebra Skills and will have a test over chapter one on Thursday.  Students will receive a study guide and practice test on Monday.   Pre-Algebra (Sanderson): These students are already working very hard.  I appreciate their great attitudes and work so far as we work through Chapter 1 in our Holt Book. Orchestra:   WOW-- we are off and PLAYING in 7th grade orchestra- and we did some scales and sight reading of a song that some of the high school students played in one of their concerts last year!  Be sure to find 20 minutes to practice each day- and bring in you practice sheet on Monday to show me!  As always- call with any questions! Science: We are continuing our nature study.  Please help your child keep their completed work in a safe place so later on we can bind it together after we complete our nature study. Spanish:  We will be learning and practicing with our new vocabulary on inside/outside the house.  Students drew sketches of the outside of their houses, and next week will give small group presentations, coupled with questions & answer time, all in Spanish.  Most of our work is being done in class, but we will begin soon with Quia online assignments which will be posted in the Moodle homework calendar. Back to Top 8th Grade News Algebra Boerkoel:  The students are doing great at completing their homework.  We are planning on a test a week from this coming Monday.   Algebra Holtrop: Students will be receiving a review packet as there will be a test one week from Monday! Students will also be studying problem solving, the use of tables and graphs and we'll take a look at functions. Art: In class the 8th graders are working on creating a brand or design with their initials that will be used as a artist signature.  These designs will be transferred to block for cutting out and printing.  Please check the homework calendar for sketchbook assignments.    Band:  We have a "new" (to us) march to learn:  Hogan's Heroes March!  We will likely watch an episode or two so they know a little history about this show and song. We also have a few other pieces that are new to us, and method books as well. What a great bunch of 8th graders.  They are terrific. Bible:  We are busy diving into the background information of the Gospels. Students prepared presentations for their classmates to teach them about their assigned Gospel (Author, Audience, Purpose etc.). We look forward to learning about each individual Gospel and applying it to our lives. Such a great way to end our days here in 8th grade! Geometry: We are continuing our work on points, lines, and planes in Chapter One.  We will finish the chapter next week and plan to have the chapter test on Sept. 15 and 16.  The students have been doing a terrific job on assignment completion and note-taking so far this year. History:  On Tuesday we will be taking a quiz on Chapter 5.  Students have access to Flashcards on moodle which is our review sheet with answers.  Please encourage students to spend time reviewing this weekend.  Later next week we will start looking at the Declaration of Independence. Language arts: This coming week is a busy one. On Monday, our media specialist, Sara Reinders, will be workshopping with the 8th graders about credibility of sources for NHD. She will also be showing the students how to use the many modifications that have been made to the ACS library website. On Thursday, September 11, students will be taking a trip to the downtown public library, where they will have access to numerous resources, and ample time for steady work. I will be sending a form with specific information about the trip on Monday. PE: Students are working on their frisbee skills and will be using those skills in ultimate frisbee games. Students should be prepared to go outside! Orchestra:  Assignment  for the 8th grade orchestra--Small Overture- measures 1 through 40 and Tallis  Canon  and variations,  Show practice records  on Monday-- 20 minutes each day! Science: We completed our review of atoms, isotopes, and ions.  Next week we will begin our study of minerals. Spanish:  After learning how the new iMovie update works :) we are under way creating our first Spanish project which is a review of the Clothing unit we ended with last year.  This will segue into more advanced conversational skills on how to shop in Spanish.  Students will finish these movies in class, but some editing and adding of subtitles may have to be done at home.  The homework calendar will show each class' individual due date. Back to Top Athletics For all up to date athletic announcements, game schedules, addresses to games, cancellations due to weather, sports sign-ups, etc, please go to the ACS 5th - 8th grade Athletic website.  This website is kept up to date on a daily basis and will be a place to answer many of your questions.  You can find this website thru following the links on the general ACS website to the athletic page, or you can follow the link below.   http://bit.ly/ACS-Athletics Volleyball Schedules have been emailed out to you and the first game date will be Saturday, September 6.  If you did not receive a schedule for your team or you have any questions please check the ACS 5-8 Athletic Website. Soccer schedules will be emailed out as soon as we have them.  Currently we know the first game will take place on Saturday, September 13. This year we have a great Athletic Director staff.  If you have questions about athletics please contact the person listed below based on the grade of your son or daughter.  This will help to have all of your questions answered in a timely manner. 5th and 6th Grade Athletics:    Sue Suwyn - ssuwyn@adachristian.org                                                   Carly Prins - cprins@adachristian.org 7th and 8th Grade Athletics:    Angela Van Duyn - avanduyn@adachristian.org Back to Top Ada Christian School Faith.Strong In This Issue General News 6th Grade News 7th Grade News 8th Grade News Athletic News Quick Links Homework Calendars 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade *To see homework, click on the link above and then select "login as guest." Student Grades PowerSchool View Previous MSM MSM Archive School Newsletter Ada Connection

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