CMS 8th grade Husky Howler
December 2017
Thweatt's Husky Pause
I'd like to take this time to express how impressed I am with the work and collective behavior of the CMS 8th grade students this year. It is my pleasure to serve as the administrator of a group of students who are excited about learning and working together to meet school and personal goals. I believe most of us can agree that middle school is just a quirky phase of life. In the midst of the quirkiness, I am filled with joy to see the growth that your children have already exhibited this semester.
On Friday, December 1st, each homeroom selected students and a few brave faculty members agreed to play basketball during the Academy Assembly. HOW FUN it was to see the students and faculty representing their Houses with such enthusiasm.
AN EVENING WITH JEROME HUFF
Most of us know Mr. Huff as the previous principal of Roswell High School. As a very successful and revered principal, parents and students alike appreciated Mr. Huff's authenticity and willingness to connect and communicate. Now retired, Mr. Huff is taking what he has learned over his 30 years of being with students and parents and sharing with communities like ours. See his bio below.
Topics covered may include resilience and how to foster this adaptive skill within your child, social media, how to prepare your middle schooler for high school, etc. We also would like to know what questions you might like answered by Mr. Huff. See the Google form below to RSVP!!!
WHEN: Tuesday, December 5th 6:30
WHERE: Crabapple Middle School Media Center
RSVP HERE: https://goo.gl/forms/QZoaQTl7ZrzYiERS2
Looking forward to seeing you all on the 5th!
Mid-Term Summative Assessment schedule
Students taking 8th grade and High School curriculum classes will be given a cumulative assessment at the end of the semester. In order to give students the best opportunity for managing the study requirements for each, we have devised the schedule below for the exams. Also please note that some of the content areas have divided the assessments into two parts which means a portion of the test will be given on the first day and the second portion will be given on the second day. In all classes (except Language Arts), the portion of the assessment given as Part I will be considered complete at the end of the 45-minute testing period for that day. Students will not be given additional time to complete Part I at a later time. Part 2 of the assessment will be considered complete at the end of the testing period on the second day. In Language Arts, students will be working on an essay that will be drafted, edited and revised over the two-day testing period.
Wednesday, Dec. 13- Math Part I, Reading Part I
Thursday, Dec. 14-Math Part 2, Reading Part 2, Spanish, French, German
Friday, Dec. 15- Science, Social Studies
Monday, Dec. 18- Part I of the following content areas: Language Arts, Guitar, Piano, Personal Fitness, Drama
Tuesday, Dec. 19- Art, Construction, Digital Technology, as well as Part 2 of each of the following content areas: Language Arts, Guitar, Piano, Personal Fitness, Drama,
Math
Currently, students are learning about geometry standards related to transformations (translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations), congruence, similarity, angles within triangles, and angle relationships created by parallel lines cut by a transversal.
This unit will be split into two sections with this semester focusing on transformations and congruent/similar figures. When we return in Janurary, we will begin the second half of the unit where we work on exterior angles of a triangle and angles formed by a set of parallel lines cut by a transverse line.
The midterm exam will be administered on December 14th. It will assess your student's understanding of the following concepts from our first 3 units: exponents, solving multi-step equations, scientific notation, estimating square roots, volume, Pythagorean Theorem, transformations, congruence, & similarity.
Students in Math 8 advanced are wrapping up their unit on Transformations, Similarity and Congruence. They will cover the last unit of the first semester which is on functions and then start preparing for their Midterm. As a reminder the 8th grade midterm is cumulative which means it will cover all topics from semester 1. The midterm will take place in two parts on December 13th and 14th.
RESOURCE: Check out Khan Academy at www.khanacademy.org for great video tutorials and additional practice on numerous math concepts.
Math Accelerated
Students in Algebra I are finishing up Unit 4 with a test coming the first week of December. We will then move into midterm review. Please be reminded that the midterm for the algebra I course is cumulative and accounts for 20% of the students grade. The midterm will take place in two parts on December 13th and 14th.
RESOURCE: Check out Khan Academy at www.khanacademy.org for great video tutorials and additional practice on numerous math concepts.
Language Arts
In Eighth Grade Language Arts, we are currently studying non-fiction and the importance of understanding different perspectives. The students are reading memoirs in Book Clubs, as well as reading Night as a whole class. Additionally, students are in the process of composing an informational essay for a summative grade. The final draft of the essay will be due on the 11th of December. The mid-term will take place on the 18th and 19th of December and will consist of another informational essay on-demand.
Science
8th Grade Science:
We are finishing up our Force and Motion unit. Students are completing a group Jigsaw project where they became an expert in one of Newton's laws and taught their groupmates about the law. The group as a whole will demonstrate their understanding of Newton's Laws to their classmates through a variety of formats that incorporate all of the content in the Force section of our unit. This unit will conclude with our summative assessment during the first week of December.
The Mid-Term is scheduled for December 15th, and will cover all of the content that we have learned so far this year, including the Chemistry unit and Force and Motion units. Students will receive detailed review materials and will participate in a variety of review activities in class that will target areas of difficulty and reinforce their learning from earlier in the semester. Please remember that the mid-term will count for two test grades.
High school curriculum:
We are well into the solutions portion of our current unit. Students will be expanding their knowledge of solutions and acids & bases through labs and demonstrations. We will be simulating acid rain, as well as the effects of acid rain during upcoming labs. Last week, students became the teacher when they developed their own labs and experiments to test how various factors affect the rate of dissolving solutes in water. This unit will conclude with our summative assessment on December 8, 2017.
The Mid-Term is scheduled for December 15th, and will cover all of the content we’ve learned so far this year. Students will receive a detailed summary listing all of the standards and correlating notes sheets we have covered to date. They should use their colored notes sheets as their primary study guide. In preparation for the midterm, we will have plenty of hands-on activities, demonstrations, and labs to help reinforce difficult concepts as well as content that was covered earlier this year. Please remember that this test will count for 20% of students’ overall semester grade.
World Languages
Level 2 and 2H Spanish: We are finishing up Unit 7 soon and will be on our way to preparing for our Midterm, Dec. 14th. Students have been learning how to use reflexive verbs, how to say where they went and what something was, and verbs used like gustar. Students should be reviewing indefinite and negative words on their own by using the online text and vocabulary in quizlet or in the book. These words were taught last year, so they should be reviewing this information. Please make sure your child studies vocabulary nightly and that they start preparing for the midterm.
Level 1 Spanish: Students are working through Unit 2. We will be finishing Unit 2 at the end of next week. Students should be reviewing for the midterm which will be on Dec. 14th. The midterm will cover Unit 1 and Unit 2. Students have been learning how to conjugate -ar present tense verbs and how to say their likes and dislikes. Students will be working on the difference with ser and estar, numbers greater than 30, and question words. Please make sure your child studies on a nightly basis. The text book is online through vhlcentral.com.
Level 1B Spanish: Students are working on chapter 4, los pasatiempos (passtimes/hobbies/activities). We are learning lots of expressions, verbs and how to talk about things that are relative in our lives. We talk about sports we play, movies we see, and hiking that we enjoy. We are studying stem changing verbs which is very challenging but we are doing great! We have learned and are continuing to practice the present tense and now are learning to use the simple future. Ask me about my favorite sport? The midterm is scheduled for Dec. 14th and will cover the entire year up to then. Please have your child begin to review the material and study nightly.
German:
German students have recently finished a unit on fashion and careers. They learned the vocabulary for clothing and professions and did a fabulous job speaking and writing about these topics. The final unit of the semester focuses on architecture. Students will learn new vocabulary to describe different parts of a house and architecture in general. Students should pace themselves to prepare for the upcoming mid-term on December 14th. All of the vocabulary for the mid-term is posted on Frau Davy's Quizlet site.
Social Studies
8th Grade social studies is currently studying Antebellum and the Civil War. We enjoyed a document analysis/class discussion on the Emancipation Proclamation followed by the question: Did Lincoln free the slaves or did the slaves free themselves? We are looking to round out the unit with an interactive activity on Sherman’s march to the sea and a tour of Andersonville prison (where we will be travelling next spring on our trip!) Our final exam will be Friday, December 15 and we will look forward to coming back after break to our Reconstruction unit.
From the Counseling Corner
At CMS, our mission as a Counseling Department is to promote and support the academic, career and social/emotional development of each and every student. One of the ways we achieve this, is by working with students on career exploration.
During the upcoming months, we will work with all sixth, seventh and eighth grade students on career lessons within GCIS (Georgia Career Information System). During these counselor led lessons, 6th graders will complete a career inventory, 7th graders will work on creating a career cluster based on their interests, and 8th grade students will complete a 4 year graduation plan and discuss pathways in high school. These opportunities, along with other career exploration activities, serve to enhance their knowledge and exposure to a wide variety of career fields. As always, do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Amy Levin – levina@fultonschools.org Grade 7 (last names A-L) and Grade 8 – all students
Gina Severino – severinogc@fultonschools.org Grade 6 all students and Grade 7 ( last names M-Z)