The Specialists Update
April 26, 2024
Here is a monthly update about what is going on in the Specials classes at WMS!
Students have art, music, technology education, health and physical education throughout each of their three years at WMS. We are fortunate enough to really get to know your students and see them grow throughout the three years here with us!
The specials classes are listed below.
Art: 6th, 7th and 8th grade
Technology Education: 6th, 7th and 8th grade
Health: 6th, 7th and 8th grade
Music: 6th, 7th grade and 8th grade
Physical Education: 6th, 7th and 8th grade
Orchestra, Band and Chorus: 6th, 7th and 8th grade by student choice
Specials classes meet for 1 trimester every other day with the exception of physical education; physical education meets every other day for 2 out of the 3 trimesters. This means that by the end of the school year your student will have had all four specials for one term and physical education for two terms.
Art Class
6th grade has just completed our postage stamp projects. Student each got a postage stamp to use as the basis for their painting. They glued the stamp on the paper and the continued the image outside of the stamp to fill the whole page. Some really creative solutions!
7th grade:
7th graders just finished up our Logo design projects. We learned about the history of logo design and why it is important. Each student sketched 3 designs for a personal logo or for a company that they made up. They they had to choose one of their designs to bring to a final draft. Some really interesting and powerful logos were created!
8th Grade:
8th graders just began a clay sculpting project where students were instructed to create a sculpture of either a creature or a candy. Students also had to develop a background for their creature and candy, even going so far as to create a wrapper or an environment for their sculptures. They did a great job with a lot of really sophisticated designs being created!
Technology Education Class
Grade 6
In grade 6 Tech Ed we have been exploring structural types, dead loads, and live loads. Students have made some great 3D structural illustrations in TinkerCad to show their understanding of these structures and loads. Soon we will be preparing to build some physical structures in small groups. In addition, students will be exploring other kinds of software design work using Bridge Designer software, making truss bridges and stress testing them. It can be downloaded for free at home here! https://bridgedesigner.org/download/
Grade 7
Students have been exploring transportation systems and subsystems, as well as the forces that affect transportation systems.They've made some great 3D structural illustrations in TinkerCad to show their understanding of these transportation systems and subsystems. Soon we will be preparing to make a variety of transportation system physical models.
Grade 8
Students have been working together to understand the Engineering Design Process through a variety of engaging design case studies. Next week they will form small groups and apply the Engineering Design Process and their understanding of Inputs, Processing, and Outputs to their work with Mindstorms robotics kits. They will be doing a number of lessons to understand the hardware and software they are working with, and soon apply their understanding to the task of solving an obstacle course called The Candy Challenge!
WIN Block:
Students have been working with a few different 3D software design tools to create either underwater or Mars habitats for human sustainability. There are some sample images below of their work in progress.
Music Class
CHORUS NEWS and UPCOMING DATES
Middle School Chorus Concert- MAY 14, 2024, 7 PM @WMS
7th/8th Grade Music in the Parks Field Trip- MAY 17th, 2024
Any remaining balances for our May 17th MUSIC IN THE PARKS trip must be paid ASAP. Please contact me if you are unsure what your remaining balance is.
MUSIC RECOMMENDATIONS
Loss of Life- MGMT
Only God Was Above Us- Vampire Weekend
Bright Future- Adrianne Lenker
Students are reminded that treating classroom instruments with care is a crucial part of ensuring the longevity and success of our music program. We have been fortunate enough to obtain a classroom set of keyboards and guitars; students must be careful not to drop or abuse these instruments.
What are we working on?
6th Grade- We are working on a project where students create their own chord progression they can play on the ukulele.
7th Grade- We are composing pieces in Ternary form using percussion instruments, and beginning to work on learning basic chords and patterns on the piano.
8th Grade- Students have been assessed on some basic exercises for piano and guitar, and we are now working on learning the chords of Blinding Lights by The Weekend.
Chorus- We are working on improving our sight singing skills. We are also working hard on polishing our repertoire for our upcoming concerts and adjudications.
Health Class
6th grade: Students finished a group project all about the Health Triangle. Now we are beginning the unit on puberty! Students will identify physical, mental and social changes that occur during puberty. They will recognize the similarities and differences that occur with females and males throughout puberty.
For some students this is a simple task and for others it is a bit more challenging. Students always rise to the occasion and are extremely respectful of one another during the puberty unit!
7th grade: In the past month we have been discussing and learning about physical, mental and social effects of alcohol. Students began in stations and worked in with a partner to learn about the short and long term effects of alcohol. Students identified different parts of the brain, what they do, and how they are affected by alcohol. In small groups students brainstormed reasons why/why not teens choose to drink alcohol.
In the next few weeks we will begin the discussion around mental health. The 7th grade guidance counselor will join us for class, and we will discuss the difference between sadness and depression. Students will recognize that depression can happen to anyone and identify warning signs to look for. We will discuss the importance of having a trusted adult both in and out of school. An "opt out" letter will be sent home with students at the end of next week. You can also access the letter here: https://www.smore.com/uerw2-7th-grade-health-class-letter-home.
8th grade: Over the past few weeks Ms Petrillo has been teaching a unit around Social Media. The students are currently finishing up a project making the social media apps they use safer. Next we will be defining sexting and discussing both mental and social consequences of sexting. Our school resource officer will come into class to continue the conversation around sexting and talk specifically about the laws in regards to sexting when under the age of 18.
The next unit we will be discussing is gender, identity, expression, attraction and anatomical sex. We define these terms and looked at the differences amongst the terms. Each student will spend time creating a poster to help further explain one or more of the terms.
As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns about when topics are being discussed in Health class!
Physical Education Class
Students will be starting the Racquet Sports Unit, which will include Tennis, Pickle Ball, Ping Pong and Badminton.
Students will also be taking part in the PACER Test, a Cardiovascular Fitness event to determine how they compare to other students across the country in this standardized test of endurance/stamina.
Our athlete this month is .....
Iga Swiatek
Age: 22
Birthdate: May 31,2001
Nationality: Polish
Birthplace: Warsaw, Poland
Dominant Hand: Right hand
Current Coach: Tomasz Wiktorowski
Our April athlete of the month is a professional tennis player from Poland, Iga Swiatek. Iga is the first Polish tennis player to win a major singles title. She is ranked number one in the WTA (women’s tennis association). Iga is a four-time major singles champion, winning the French Open in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and the US Open in 2022. She has won a total of 18 singles titles.
Swiatek’s grew up in a very active family. Her father is a retired Olympic rower for Poland. She started playing tennis at a very young age because she wanted to follow in her sister’s footsteps
In 2018, she competed alongside Caty McNally in the French Open and competed at Wimbledon girls singles. At just 18 years old, she entered the top 50 list after her first tour.
She has competed in four single Grand Slams, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open. She competed in the Olympic games in 2020. She also competed in two doubles Grand Slams, French Open and US Open.
REMINDERS: PLEASE BRING A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE TO CLASS!!
SNEAKERS SHOULD BE WORN FOR FOOTWEAR DURING P.E. CLASS... CROCS, FLIP-FLOPS, BOOTS, ETC...ARE NOT SAFE AND SHOULD NOT BE WORN.
Digital Learning
Students in the Computer Science WIN are doing fantastic work learning how to code using the programming language Python. This month, I am proud to showcase Maisie's final project for unit 1, where she created a beautiful picture of a candle in the night. Most projects include a range of supports and hints but this project was created 100% by Maisie using the skills she learned during the unit.