Friday, November 30, 2012

Progress Reports and Class Updates...

Progress reports go out today!  If your student has a low grade, it is most likely due to missing work.  All the middle school teachers accept late work for partial credit.  Please make sure to look in PowerSchool to see if your student is missing an assignment and help us encourage him or her to get any late work in as soon as possible!
~~~~~~~
It has been a great first half of the second quarter!  Here is a brief update of what has been happening in the classroom.

8th English: We are currently reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.  We have been acting out the play in front of the class, and we have been attempting to paraphrase Shakespearean language.  The students are really getting it!  Grammar lessons continue as well, and we are learning about sentence structures including adverbial clauses, participial phrases, appositives, and more.  For our classic vocabulary roots, we are in lesson six, and the students are additionally responsible for the vocab that coincides with Midsummer.  The students are also reading novels independently and will display their passion for reading on Friday December 7th where we will partake in a "Booksellers' Day."

7th English: We have finished The Hobbit, and we are now moving on to a poetry unit.  We are transitioning into poetry by looking at some poetic works of Tolkien and CS Lewis.  (We will be revisiting The Hobbit when the students present their projects before we go on our field trip.) Along with the poetry unit, students are learning grammar.  We correct daily sentences and discuss parts of speech, sentence roles, and punctuation on a daily basis.  In writing, aside from poetry writing, we are discussing written reviews and critiques.  These kiddos have many opinions to share!  They will enjoy an upcoming assignment to write a food/restaurant critique.  The 7th graders have just finished unit six in vocab, and they should feel prepared for their Tuesday vocabulary test.

8th Bible: We have been discussing Paul's missionary journeys and the book of Acts.  We have seen how Acts coincides with many of Paul's epistles.  We are currently discussing Paul's Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus).  The students are seeing what trials the early church faced, and we have been able to easily compare the Body of Christ today to the living Body of Christ over 2,000 years ago.  What a privilege I have to encourage the students in scripture.  We have had some amazing discussions concerning The Holy Spirit, salvation through grace alone, sanctification, and more.  We will be moving into Spiritual Gifts, and I anticipate growth in heart and mind throughout this quarter. 

7th Bible: We finished unit two with some wonderful presentations concerning Jewish Feasts.  The students are really grasping how and why God set His people apart, and we have discussed how we also must be set apart as His children.  Now that we have thoroughly learned how the Israelites lived, we can better understand the individuals we study in the Old Testament.  We are currently studying the book of Job, which I pray will uplift the students and strengthen their faith.  It has been a joy to  encourage the students to acknowledge how blessed we are to live in this time where God's people can rest in the assurance that Jesus covered all of our sin.  How exciting to see the redemptive history provided in God's word!  The students are really discovering that scripture points to Jesus from the beginning and that God's plan always involves drawing His people to Himself.  Aside from Job, unit three covers Ecclesiastes and Proverbs.  My prayer is that you see fruit from studying these books of wisdom.

Please check in with the website periodically to see upcoming test, quiz, and project dates as well as school events.  You can find these reminders on the left side of the page. 

Thanks!
Mrs. A

Field Trip to The Hobbit

Here is a copy of the permission slip for our upcoming field trip.


FIELD TRIP PERMISSION SLIP

As the 7th grade just finished reading The Hobbit, and the 8th grade read it last year, we have the privilege of taking the entire middle school to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Part I)!  Lowes Waterfront Theater is opening their doors early JUST FOR US, and we will be experiencing the movie fully in IMAX 3D.

The students have been anticipating this (some since last year), and I hope that we all can make it to the show.  The movie has not been officially rated, but a possible PG-13 rating may be given due to “epic battle sequences and some scary images.”  This field trip is not mandatory; it is optional as to respect all families’ movie viewing standards.

Please pack a lunch as we will be eating together when we return to school.

Turn in permission slips and money by December 5th.  Please consider driving/chaperoning! 

DATE: Tuesday, December 18th
TIME: We will leave school at 9:00AM, and return by 1:30
COST: $10.50


______________________________________________________ has my permission to attend The Hobbit on December 18, 2012.


_____________Yes!  I will drive, and I can fit ________________ students in my vehicle.


SIGNED:_____________________________________________________________