The End of an Era (or at least a first semester of middle school)

Good Day!

I have much to report!

1. Thank you so much for the generous Christmas and birthday gifts!  My heart is still bursting with gratitude!  I am ever so thankful for your love and support and feel encouraged daily by all the parents and students.  Thank you for being such a tremendous blessing to me! (I have not completed my thank-you notes due to having surgery on my right hand. I hope to finish them when I can write again!)

2. Our collaborative unit, "Making Our Mark on History," was a great success!  I will post photos of your amazing children at the end of this blog.  I am so proud of how hard many of the students worked on their projects.  The added bonus was that they were able to bless the elementary students with highly educational presentations and activities.

3. Yes, there is a lock-in coming up, and I have received many emails about it. Unfortunately, I cannot answer any questions because I did not plan it, nor am I chaperoning it. I do hope the kids have fun!

4. Our school-wide Speech Meet is on February 27th!  All students should be memorizing their chosen pieces.  I approved them on December 20th to provide ample time for memorization. Please don't procrastinate with this!

5. THANK YOU for contributing to the winter coat drive!  You donated 49 coats to bless those in need! Stayed tuned for our next middle school service project!

6. Cool Opportunity Alert!! My middle schoolers have so much to say, and I might even be interested in listening to a pod cast from one of them.  Well, I might be in luck because NPR is having a student pod cast competition.  I am not making this an assignment, but I would be happy to help any student who is interested!  Click this link for the details, and look specifically at the student resources.  https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/650500116/npr-student-podcast-challenge-home

Finally, here is what is happening in my classroom!

English 7: We are smack-dab in the middle of our poetry unit! Students are learning poetic devices, practicing different forms of poetry, and reading a wide variety of poems from amazing authors! Students' writing often improves greatly during this exciting unit as we focus on format AND creativity and literary techniques. Within this unit, I have also sprinkled in grammar activities so that we stay on top of it!

English 8: We just began a new unit on poetry which includes lots of writing AND reading of poetry. Students have a culminating project wi
th this unit, and they will enjoy creating poetry portfolios with their own writing and coinciding art.  Please see the detailed rubric for more information. We have also been working in our grammar books to keep it fresh!

Bible 8: We just began a new unit on Church History: Constantine's Influence. The new memory passage is 1 Corinthians 13:4-13, ESV. Along with studying church history and seeing how the Holy Spirit moved through history, we will be also be in discussion (and in prayer!) about how the Lord is working in our lives .  Please continue to be in prayer over our awesome middle schoolers!

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!

I pray that everyone is enjoying this break! This time has enabled me to catch up on grading, so if you check your student's English and/or Bible grades, they are all in and up to date!   

And here is a brief, little update on what we have going on in my classes...

7th English: We just finished a writing unit covering the thesis, transitions, editing, defensive and persuasive writing, and much more.  I love seeing the students grow in their writing!  On Tuesday we will begin our next unit, a poetry unit, which includes reading and writing poetry.  We will also be covering MLA Format in writing, and the students will be writing research papers on their favorite authors.

8th English: We just completed our short story unit and will be going on a field trip on December 11th, where we will see many of our stories acted out!  (Details to follow.) Our new unit features Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which we will read and act out together in class.  Students will have to write a paper on what Shakespeare was trying to say in this amazing work. In addition to the play, we will also be reading Shakespearean sonnets and will be writing our own.

8th Bible: We have a Unit Test this Friday! Students should be well-prepared and can study using their guided notes/study guides.  We have been learning about the rise of the early church.  Next, we will be discussing Constantine's influence on church history.  (Super interesting stuff!) . I have enjoyed hearing about the differences in our various denominations and congregations.  How beautiful and diverse is the Body of Christ!

FALCON FRAY: We are doing a WINTER COAT DRIVE for our Falcon Fray December Service Project! Please bring in all gently used winter coats that you no longer need (or like).  :)  Additionally, we will be doing our traditional homeroom Christmas door decorating.  You can begin bringing materials in as soon as possible!

Sometimes our friends bring in birthday treats!  Woot!

Randomized seating chart picture for our big Bible class! 

Praise God for this Day!

For a change of pace, we had part of Bible class outside today.  The students were so thankful to be out of the classroom that they worked extra diligently the entire time.  I overheard one student say, "Let's be super good so we can do this again!'  They are too sweet, and they are always (well, 99% of the time) "super good"! It was great to feel the sun shining on us as we studied Scripture together.  I am continually blessed by ALL of your wonderful middle schoolers.

The First Quarter is Over!

Dear Parents and Students,

....And that's a wrap on the first quarter!  (Report cards will go out next Friday!)
Here is a little update for each of my classes...

7th English: We have been working hard on foundations in writing (through grammar, sentence openers, sentence types, punctuation, etc.), and we are about to begin thesis essays next week!  Additionally, we are currently in a short story unit, learning about myths, legends, fables, and fairytales from around the world.  So far, we have read folk tales from Japan, Africa, Native America, Vietnam, and England.  Students are learning themes, motifs, and more from these enriching tales.

8th English: MLA Research Papers are due tomorrow and will go on the report card!  This was a long, step-by-step process, which was needed for the students to understand research writing, citations, MLA formatting, transitioning, and more.  The students did an excellent job overall, and I also enjoyed our Holocaust literature unit.  This all comes to a close this Monday when the students will share their mini-presentations. (They already took their test on our unit.) Our next unit, starting Tuesday, is a short story unit, mixed with grammar and writing practice. 

8th Bible: We are on to Unit Two, and our current memory passage is Galatians 5:13-18, ESV.  I have loved our class discussions, where we have recently learned about law, love, and legalism.  We've also discussed sin vs. conviction. Thankfully, so many of these students do well contributing to class and are excellent participators!  As always, we look to God's perfect Word for all answers! Our next lessons are on the rise of the early church.  Exciting stuff, indeed!

Falcon Fray: Today was our first official Falcon Fray Battle Day!  Please enjoy these shots of our awesome homerooms! 

Agate's Avengers!

Brown's Badgers!

Weaver's Watermelons!

Classroom Update!

Here is what is happening in Room 120!

7th English: The students did an excellent job with The Giver unit.  The students honed their higher level thinking skills and worldview application as we discussed how the absence of God in the novel actually points to His existence and our need of Him.  We also discussed the value of life and what the author was trying to say in writing The Giver.  We discussed how differently Christians understand our lives than how our current culture values life.  I am thankful that we can discuss the themes of a "secular" novel and apply what we have learned to our world and understanding.  We are now in the middle of a grammar unit and will soon be starting a short story unit to finish off the first quarter.  The only homework that the students have in English currently is to work on their Giver projects which they will present on October 3rd. 

8th English: We are more than halfway through The Hiding Place.  Class time has been made up of discussion, reading comprehension assessments, writing prompts, and more.  I have appreciated how the students are staying on top of the reading for this amazing novel. Students have been saddened over what has happened in the book, and certainly some tears have been shed in class.  They are coming to class prepared to discuss, and I am enjoying every moment with them and this book.  Last Friday we read that Betsie ten Boom felt sorry for the Nazi soldiers (WHAT?!) and we talked about what Jesus said on the cross about forgiveness (OH!).  In addition to reading, the students are also in the middle of writing research papers on various Holocaust-related topics.  Class time has also been spent teaching them how to research, paraphrase, cite, and conquer MLA Format. 

8th Bible: The current memory passage is Ephesians 5:1-4, ESV. In light of this passage, we will continue to discuss what it means to "be imitators of God" as we learn more about Jesus' life on Earth.  Parents, if you want to generate some dinner discussion, ask your student what the core truth needs to be as Christians (circle diagram), what our lives mean in the eternal scope of things (line drawing), and how we are called to be fishers of men (comparison chart).  If they are really listening in class, maybe they can tell you what areas Jesus exhibits power over (with examples from each) and what ICHTHUS means!  We will be finished with the first unit in two weeks and will have a culminating test on these concepts and more.  I am so blessed by my students in this Biblical Worldview class each day!

Bonding at the recent TCS Pep Rally! :) I love these sweet faces! 

We went outside for part of Bible class last week!  Sometimes ya need a little recess!
These awesome kids loved spending time together enjoying the beautiful weather.

Several weeks in! :)

Here is a little glimpse into what is happening in Room 120! 

7th English: We finished our first vocabulary unit which included several writing prompts and other vocabulary activities.  The students did a great job with this unit and its 40 words!  The culminating test showed how much they learned and understood the Greek and Latin roots and the English words. We are now in the middle of a literature unit, reading and discussing the dystopian fiction novel, The Giver.  This unit includes various writing assignments, quizzes on reading comprehension, a final test, and a creative project at the end of the unit. The best part of the unit is the Christian Worldview application and deep discussions that we will have and are already having.  Students need to keep up with the reading in order to be engaged and involved in class throughout the next two weeks.

8th English: We completed our first vocabulary unit from our Classic Vocabulary from Greek and Latin Roots curriculum. This unit included several writing prompts and other vocabulary activities.  Due to the challenging nature of our vocabulary curriculum, students were permitted to use their books for a portion of the unit test.  This "crutch" will be removed in the third quarter.  Currently, we are in the midst of a grammar unit, reviewing sentence types, parts of speech, and classifications.  We are also about to begin our Holocaust/WWII literature unit that includes the novel, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.  I am looking forward to reading this masterpiece with my students! It is a beautiful, historical non-fiction story of forgiveness, God's faithfulness, and our call to be witnesses.  We will also be reading poetry written by concentration camp sufferers and watching the Italian film, Life is Beautiful. Students will be writing MLA research papers on an assigned topic that coincides with our unit. This unit also provides excellent preparation for our trip to The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC.

8th Bible: There are six units in our Bible curriculum, and we are in the first unit which is an overview of the New Testament.  Our current memory passage is Acts 1:8, ESV.  In class we have worked on a Bible Timeline Group Project, highlighting the main events from Scripture.  While some of our students are very knowledgable when it comes to God's Word, some will need to put forth a bit more effort to understand, which would include taking extra notes and asking questions on unfamiliar topics.  It's an honor to discuss The Word of God with these wonderful image bearers.  Please continue to keep us in prayer as we grow in our walks with Christ together.

REMINDER: All students have been given planners / assignment notebooks.  Please help your student to keep track of assignments by checking planners.  Homework is written on the assignment board in each teacher's room.  See example below:

Love in Jesus,
Mrs. Katie Agate

WELCOME BACK to SCHOOL!

Not everyone is as excited as I am to begin a new year!  Know that I have been praying for each of you, and I know that God has an AWESOME year in store for us! Here are some things to look forward to in case you need more glimmers of hope...

1. FALCON FRAY! Our on-going homeroom competition is about to get even crazier!  Details are forthcoming.

2. Making new friends!  You might just become friends with someone you will know for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE! Woah...

3. Learning!  Kinda the main point of school, right?  I have awesome lessons already planned for you!

4. Extracurriculars! Sports, clubs, activities, talent show, Fall Fest, Spring Fling, field trips, and MORE make school extra fun and exciting.  Hooray for school spirit!

5. Growing closer to the Lord!  How amazing is it that you will get to know your Creator and Savior better this year?! 

SEE YOU ALL TOMORROW!
Love,
Mrs. Katie Agate