Friendly Reminder!

Dear Students,

I pray you are all enjoying your break! 

Merry Christmas!  Happy New Year!  And CONGRATULATIONS to Kalevi, who became a big brother over break! :) 

I just wanted to remind you all that your ten-day devotions are due the day you return to school. There are seven days of break left to complete your devotional chart, and you were given seventeen days to complete this task, so some of you may have already finished!

Also, 8th graders, you were given over a month to complete your Shakespeare project!  I hope you didn't procrastinate!

Love yas,
Mrs. A

Overwhelming Blessings!

Dear Eighth Grade Familes,

Last Friday I was overwhelmed with blessings from your class.  Thank you so very much to all who contributed to the special time we had over lunch and 5th period.  I felt the love!  You encouraged me by displaying your appreciation in such a thoughtful and generous way.  The food was delicious, and the gifts were an amazing surprise.  My heart almost burst with abounding gratitude! 

I cherish each of you.

Thank you,
Mrs. Agate

Field Trip!

I am excited to take the students to see the new Hobbit movie since the 7th graders recently read the novel in class, and the 8th graders who were here last year read it AND went to see the movie together. 

This Friday, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug comes out in theaters.  We had planned on seeing the movie next week... however, with all the Christmas practices of choir, band, and other seasonal events that are taking place, there is not a convenient time for us to go in this last week before Christmas break.

GOOD NEWS: We WILL be going to see The Hobbit when the students return from break.  The students will be receiving that permission slip soon. 

Stay tuned for details, and I apologize that we cannot see it sooner!

Thanks!
Mrs. A





 

So, What's the Deal?...

Here's what's happening in middle school English and Bible classes....

7th English: GRAMMAR!  We are learning infinitives, participles, gerunds, and all sorts of brand new grammar concepts.  We are also currently in a unit on non-fiction literature.  Additionally, we are writing business letters and personal essays this quarter on top of our weekly writing prompts and literature responses.

8th English: SHAKESPEARE! We have been reading and acting out A Midsummer Night's Dream. We will be reading more Shakespeare, writing literary responses, and paraphrasing the Bard's poetry and prose.  The unit will culminate with a wonderful project.  Additionally, we will be continuing with vocabulary and grammar.  We are cruising along at a wonderful pace, and the kiddos should be very proud!

7th Bible: We're on Unit 5: Prophets.  As God's nation grew, so did the need for leadership.  We are still in desperate need of spiritual leadership today.  We have enjoyed talking about the leaders we look up to and what God's word says in this regard. 

8th Bible: Our study of church history continues as we strive to hear our own, personal calling as God's children and our place in His church.  We have enjoyed discussing the essentials of faith and works, prayer, worship, and leadership in the body.  We are in Unit 4: Church History.

Service Project...

Dear 8th Grade Parents,

In the spirit of our current Bible unit, which includes the awesome theme of serving others, the 8th graders are doing a food drive for Wilkinsburg Community Ministries.  If you would like to participate, please send in any dry/canned goods by Wednesday the 27th (the day before Thanksgiving).

In His Service,
:)
Mrs. A

8th Grade: Turn It In...

For over a month, the 8th graders have been working on formal research papers. They have learned the MLA style of writing, and they have thoroughly researched their chosen topic in light of the Holocaust unit.  It is now time to turn the FINAL draft in to www.turnitin.com.  This website will verify that no plagiarism has taken place, and it enables the teacher (me) to grade the papers electronically.

For our class, the website ID is: 7286350, and the password is in all lowercase.  Hint: uncalled-for swimwear during the DC trip, and the conversation that Mrs. Agate asked you to "drop." ;)
The papers are due to TurnItIn by 11:59 PM on Friday (tomorrow).

Want more info on the paper?  Read on!  ...
The students have completed MLA source cards, outlines, first, and second drafts!  They also have (hopefully) mastered creating a "Works Cited" page.  (You may have noticed that the teachers have been giving light homework to accommodate this paper.  Josh Cole mentioned today, "Why don't we have any homework anymore?"  This was not well-received by his fellow students.)  More information on MLA format can be found by checking out www.owlpurdue.com.  MLA writing will carry the students through high school and college, and they will continue to receive a good foundation in 8th grade to master this format. 

For this particular paper, the students were given several rubrics throughout the course of their writing to hold them accountable to the requirements.  They also received summary sheets of MLA format to guide them.  I suggested that they keep these forms as the papers will be of great assistance in the future. 

Also, we will be writing another, longer research paper during the second half of the year.  Some of the students are actually looking forward to it!  No kidding! :)  I love these crazy kids!

Detention Policy...

Just a reminder...

We are keeping with the detention policy that we have been doing for at least three years in the middle school.  A detention (missing one lunch period) is given when five infractions are received.  Infractions are administered if a student is tardy, comes to class without his/her materials, or is disobeying a school rule.  We do this to help the students stay accountable to their responsibilities and be successful in the classroom.  At the end of the week, teachers turn in any infractions to the office; the infraction details the date, class period, and reason received.  Brenda Kirkland has been amazing in keeping up with the infractions.  She has a spread sheet which keeps track of all infractions and detentions assigned and served.  Mrs. Kirkland lets us know when a student has earned a detention, and you (the parent) will receive paperwork from the office if your student needs to serve a detention.  Detentions are on Wednesdays and are administered by Mr. McLane, Mr. Miller, or one of the middle school teachers. 

I hope this clarifies any misunderstanding.  I apologize if this was not explained thoroughly at orientation in the beginning of the year.

*If you feel that your student has received an infraction unfairly, please do not hesitate to contact any of us in the middle school.  We issue infractions without discrimination, and we do our best to be as consistent as possible to ensure fairness.  If you feel a mistake has been made however, or if we need to give an extra extension of grace for any reason, we are more than willing to discuss it with you.

Thank you.