Howards Grove Middle School
Parent/Guardian Newsletter Vol. IV
At Howards Grove Middle School We Believe In:
Respect
Responsibility
Integrity
Appreciation
Important Events
November 17, HG Tiger Botz FTC Robotics Practice, 3 PM
November 20, HG Tiger Botz FTC Robotics Practice, 3 PM
November 20, After School Study, Chess Club, 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball at Random Lake, School Board Meeting, 6 PM
November 21, 7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball vs Ozaukee @ HGMS
November 22, No School
November 23, Happy Thanksgiving!
November 24, No School
November 27, After School Study, Chess Club
November 29, MS Student Council Meeting, 3 PM
November 30, After School Study, Chess Club, HG Tiger Botz FTC Robotics Practice, 3 PM
December 1, HG Tiger Botz FTC Robotics Practice, 3 PM
December 4, After School Study, Chess Club
December 6, MS Student Council Meeting, 3 PM
December 7, After School Study, Chess Club
December 8, HG Tiger Botz FTC Robotics Practice, 3 PM
December 11, After School Study, Chess Club
December 13, MS Student Council Meeting, 3 PM, PTO Meeting @ NV 5 PM
December 14, After School Study, Chess Club, MS Winter Concert
December 16, PTO Craft Fair
Principal's Message
Hello and Welcome to the November Newsletter from the Middle School,
This past Friday we held our Veteran's Day Program at the Middle School. The photo below is a group of our Student Council members with members of the VFW Post #149. Students presented cards, ate breakfast, and shared stories with our honored Veterans. Our music students performed and students read "Flanders Field" as part of the program. The main speaker shared stories of her service in the culinary division in the Army. Students were led through an exercise in marching. Lets just say we need some work on this! The program surely encompassed our beliefs at the Middle School.
A friendly reminder that our parent pick up at the end of the school day is in the back of the building, not along Kennedy Avenue or in our front parking lot. These protocols are in place to keep all students, staff, and families safe during these times. I appreciate your help and support with this practice. If you have any questions or concerns about this please feel free to contact me.
Enjoy this month's Newsletter! As always if there is anything that I can do to help support you or your student please feel free to contact me. Enjoy your day,
Angie
AUDITIONS FOR MS MUSICAL!!
Attention Theater Kids in Grades 5 to 8:
Auditions for the Howards Grove Middle School Musical, "Matilda, JR" will take place Monday, December 11 th from 3:00pm-5:00pm at the Howards Grove Center for the Arts. They will be reading lines from the script, learning music and even a few dance steps! No preparation is needed. We hope to see you there! The show dates are Friday March 1st, Saturday March 2nd, and Sunday March 4th, 2024. Please reach out to any of the production team with any questions. It's going to be an exciting adventure!
Warren Schmidt- Director (wwschmidt1956@charter.net)
Marty Ryan- Assistant Director (mryan@hgtigers.com)
Ally Wasmer- Assistant Director (awasmer@hgtigers.com)
Zach Holzer- Music Director (zholzer@hgtigers.com)
Intervention
Fall i-Ready Diagnostic Testing Results:
Students have completed the i-Ready Diagnostic(Universal Screener) in Reading and Math.
How can I access my student’s results?
1. Students’s should Log in to their i-Ready Dashboard i-ReadyConnect.com
2. Click on the For Families dropdown and select the For Families report.
3. Enter your District’s Report Code H5W2PF
If a pop-up blocker is enabled on the browser, families may encounter the message, “Please ensure pop-ups are allowed for *.i-ready.com in your browser settings to get your report.”
Please click on the links below to learn more about what i-Ready is and how you can support your student. Please contact Kerri Eilers HGMS Reading Teacher & i-Ready Leader with any questions or concerns or help with seeing reports at keilers@hgtigers.com
i-Ready Helpful Links for Families:
Understanding diagnostic results from i-Ready
i-Ready Central Resources | Family Center – Home
i-Ready Domains covered by Diagnostic
Dear 7th & 8th grade families! RE: Scholastic Book Orders
I will be managing the Scholastic Book Orders for all students in grades 7th & 8th grade. Please use my name Kerri Eilers, class code KWG77 when ordering books. All orders should be placed and paid online, I will deliver them to your student when they arrive. If you would like it to be a gift then please email me to let me know at keilers@hgtigers.com
Ready to discover the characters and stories your kids love? With expertly curated selections, plus the chance for your teacher to earn rewards for the classroom with every order, Scholastic Book Clubs is here for you all year long to boost your kid's reading fandom and maybe even create moments of quality time you can share together!
Place an order of $25 or more and you can pick a FREE $5 book (use code READS at checkout) to add to your reader’s TBR pile!
Family Order Due Date: 12/01/23
SHOP OUR CLASS PAGE: https://orders.scholastic.com/KWG77
SHOP FLYERS: https://clubs.scholastic.com/all-flyers
Invite relatives and friends to help your child discover the pure joy of reading when you share our Class Page link. Every order benefits our classroom, helping me earn FREE books and resources that every child can enjoy.
Thanks for your support!
Mrs. EILERS Reading Teacher Grades 5-8
HOWARDS GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
PTO
Family Food Night:
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the October Family Food Night at Jersey Mike’s. As a result of your support, the PTO raised over $1,500! Your continued generosity allows us to advance our mission of supporting our amazing students and families.
Save the Date
· Tuesday, November 28: Family Food Night at Parker John’s from 4:00pm – 8:00pm. Please note this Family Food Night will be dine-in only, so we welcome you to join us in person for an evening of fun and delicious food.
· Monday, December 4: NEW this year! Starting on Monday, December 4, Log Cabin will be offering 10% of sales back to the PTO every first Monday of the month! Join us for great food and another easy night of meal prep.
· November 24 - December 8: Holiday Sale. The PTO is excited to once again partner with Dairy Queen and Little Brown Cow Cheese to make your holiday preparations a piece of cake! We are also pleased to announce a new partnership with Hartman’s Bakery! Place your order for holiday cakes, gift boxes, and cookie decorating kits anytime between November 24 – December 8. Orders will be available at the High School for pick-up on Wednesday, December 20 from 3:30pm – 6:00pm.
· Wednesday, December 13: Join us for our monthly PTO Meeting at 5:00pm in the Northview Library. Everyone is welcome to join! Free babysitting is provided if requested within 72 hours of the meeting. Please contact hgpto@yahoo.com for more information.
· December 16 - December 17: Winter Market at the Howards Grove High School. Join us from 9:00am – 5:00pm on Saturday, December 16 and 9:00am – 12:00pm on Sunday, December 17 as we welcome over 30 local vendors to our first annual Winter Market! Keep an eye out for more details as we get closer to the event.
Questions or ideas for the PTO? Don't hesitate to reach out to us at hgpto@yahoo.com.
Tiger Botz Robotics Team
Hello Howards Grove!
Our new Tiger Botz Robotics team is looking for team members grades 7 thru 12. Does your student have an interest in programming, designing, building? Does your student have an interest in taking pictures and public outreach? Our 2 competitions this year are Jan 13 and Feb 10. If we do well, we will qualify for additional competitions.
This group is 100% student run. All the ideas, programming, building etc are concepts the students design. The coaches and mentors help guide the students to arrive at a tangible idea that can be tested-whether it fails or succeeds, allowing the students to succeed by growing through failures.
Each year, FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) has a themed challenge for the teams to design and compete. The robot components come in kits and the students work as a team to meet the year's requirements. Competition is a competitive alliance, meaning teams compete as both rivals and in alliances. For example, two teams can be a rival in one challenge and an alliance in the next.
I am excited to bring this opportunity to the Howards Grove area, where critical thinking, problem solving, scientific methodology, teamwork, sportsmanship, community involvement and networking are conducted in a fun and challenging environment.
For more information, questions about the program and/or to register your student with the team, please contact Jen Blaha at hgtigerbotz23@gmail.com.
Please note: Tiger Botz is not currently affiliated with the School District of Howards Grove.
I am excited for our first year and the opportunities this program will give the children of this community!
Go Tiger Botz!
Jen Blaha
Head Coach, Tiger Botz FTC Robotics
Counselor's Corner
Happy November HGMS families!
This month in 5th and 6th grade Life Skills we are continuing to focus on our Empathy Unit. We have been spending classes digging into the differences between unkindness and bullying, as well as being able to identify and respect verbal and non-verbal communication when it comes to peer interactions. In the month of November, we have taken an even more in depth look at these topics by discussing issues such as labeling and stereotyping, as well as the role of social media in peer interactions. These topics are also being discussed in 7th and 8th grade. Social emotional learning lessons work through not only unkindness and bullying, but also defining harassment and the differences for each of those words. For all grade levels, our Social Emotional Learning Curriculum through Second Step breaks down not only the broad overview, but also helps guide students to make self reflections as well as actions plans to help empower themselves if and when they encounter any of these types of situations.
Student Council
As we move into November, the Student Council has been very busy planning various activities and events for the month. This week they are running a food drive to help local families in need during the Thanksgiving holiday. The homerooms are competing against each other to see who can bring in the most canned or nonperishable food items. The teacher of the winning homeroom will receive the honor of being named this year’s Turkey Teacher, and they will get the chance to be recognized and sport a very stylish turkey costume.
As a community service project, the council was looking for a way to help out their community, and they decided that they could help by raking leaves in lawns throughout Howards Grove this past Wednesday.
To end the month and build school spirit, students are planning a Fall themed school assembly with various competitions, games, and activities between the grade levels. What a perfect way to spend the afternoon before Thanksgiving Break!
Music Department
Winter concert season is almost here. Students have started working on music in class and can't wait to perform for you in 5 short weeks! Our winter concert will be on Thursday, December 14th at 6:30pm for 5th and 6th grade and 7:45pm for 7th and 8th grade. All 5th and 6th grade students are involved in the concert. Only band and choir members are performing in the 7th and 8th grade concert. All band and choir students will wear the blue music t-shirt and black pants. 5th and 6th grade music classes will wear nice concert clothes. More information will follow soon from Mr. Simon and Ms. Wasmer.
Musically-
Mr. Simon and Ms. Wasmer
8th Grade
Reading and Writing
In 8th grade readers and writers, we finished reading our dystopian book club books. Students worked with their book club to read and discuss their books. They had wonderful conversations about The Giver, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Maze Runner, and more. Students worked with a partner or independently on our dystopian book project. They chose to either create a picture book or a board game that represents their book club book. They included elements like archetypes, characters, plot, and problems from the book they read. Students created really great projects that showed their comprehension of the books!
Now we are preparing to write a position paper about the use of technology. Students have been working on gathering information and evidence for both sides of the argument. We are gearing up to write an outline for their paper, then write a draft of their paper.
Math
Eighth grade math students recently completed an in-depth study of solving linear equations. These students learned how to solve equations with one variable. They worked solely with rational number coefficients but did need to expand their expressions using the distributive property as well as combining like terms. Students discovered how to eliminate fractions and decimals, thus simplifying their expressions for easier solving. They also were introduced to special situations where no solution or even infinitely many solutions were possible. Finally, students often wonder, “When am I ever going to use this?” To answer that age old question, students were entrenched in making sense of solutions in a real-world context. One of the most important aspects of our study was for students to not only be able to solve linear equations but to also be able to interpret their solutions in the context to a real world problem.
Algebra
Algebra students recently completed a chapter on solving systems of linear equations and inequalities. They discovered how to solve systems of equations using three methods: graphically, substitution, and elimination. Our next area of study will involve taking a closer look at exponents and exponential functions.
Science
We had our Model Planet project where students had to paint and create their own model of the planet of their choosing. They had to present their models with a Google slide presentation that explored information such as "period of rotation" and "total diameter of the planet". We are now wrapping up Unit 2 with an exam this Friday, but it's been a blast to keep learning and exploring Space.
Social Studies
We are just getting into talking about the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany with the introduction of Adolf Hitler and Benitio Mussolini. We have our last section on the power challenge of leadership between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotosky and after getting to work on our section wrap up project which is "The Great Depression and New Deal Family Research Project." More to come next month!
7th Grade
Reading and Writing
The 7th graders just finished up with their first writing unit, Writing Realistic Fiction. They showcased their creative writing skills and used various writing strategies and techniques to create believable stories with dynamic characters who face multiple conflicts along the way. Students were challenged to add tension, create themes, and include symbolism to bring out the greater meaning in their stories. It was so much fun to read these stories and hear their voices come to life on the page. We have so many talented writers!
We are now moving into our first reading unit, Investigating Characterizations, where students are working in partnerships to read and study the writing techniques used by authors. To help students get to know their authors, partners researched their lives and created multiple rounds of “Two Truths and a Lie” to see if others would be able to spot the lie they had included about their author. Students are just starting to identify and study their characters’ perspectives paying close attention to what makes the characters see things the way they do. They will be looking at different techniques that authors use to control the way readers perceive the characters and their experiences.
Algebra
Finally we are solving equations! One- step, two-step, multi-step and even equations with absolute values! This call too, is applying the skills of isolating the variable to word problems such as Chemistry and Meteorology. The class is doing very well.
Math
The quest to master adding and subtracting integers continues! Your son/daughter is making really awesome progress with learning “integer math facts.” The challenging part is now applying the skill to word problems. We are doing it though and making really nice improvements each day!
Science
In 7th grade science the students are learning how to use microscopes as we investigate living things on a microscopic level. One of the first specimens that the students took a look at was their own hair. Under the microscope we could see who had thin or thick hair and the different identifiable structures that make up human hair. We are integrating this into our unit on cells and we will soon be looking at plant and animal cells too.
Social Studies
The students have been working on “reporting” Howards Grove Middle School news: interviewing, editing, narrating, captioning, and video recording. We hope to publish the news before Thanksgiving and give the school community a glimpse of what is happening around HGMS. Some of the current events topics include veterans day connections, Thanksgiving traditions, current HGSD sports, new teacher interviews, and much more!
6th Grade
Reading
The students are currently reading The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. The Breadwinner is about 11-year-old Parvana and the risks she takes to help provide for her family after the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. Because she is the only family member able to pass as male, she cuts her hair short and dresses as a boy. This plan of action allows her to work and make money for the family. As students are enjoying this Historical Fiction read, they are working through the book looking at multiple perspectives of the characters. When students can look through the lens of different people and their perspectives, they can learn a lot about the characters in the stories as well as their experiences. A key focus that students are following as they read The Breadwinner are motifs. Motifs are considered the big ideas that develop across the text or the subject that a writer returns to often throughout the story. Motifs are usually seen throughout the story in the way characters act, feel, and respond. Students are gathering specific evidence from The Breadwinner to show which motif is stronger across the story. The Breadwinner offers valuable lessons on how fear and power exerted by a few people can threaten the survival and liberty of all.
Writing
We have completed writing our personal narratives! Please ask your child to share his/her narrative with you. Everyone worked hard on this writing assignment and has a wonderful piece of writing to share. We are now learning how to write a literary essay. We will begin learning the components of a five paragraph essay and write a class flash draft essay on The Three Little Pigs. Children's books will be used to compare/contrast character traits and identify themes to write individual literary essays. I look forward to this new writing adventure!
Math
The 6th graders are currently in a fraction unit that primarily focuses on dividing fractions, whole numbers, and mixed numbers. Addition, subtraction and multiplication of fractions will also be reviewed. Along with fraction operations, 6th graders have been continuing to practice graphing ordered pairs on a coordinate plane to create fall themed pictures. Once we finish our fraction unit, we will be moving on to our Decimal Operations unit.
Science
The 6th grade science classes are continuing with their ecology unit. Students are now analyzing symbiotic relationships within an ecosystem. Soon the class will learn about aquatic ecosystems and how energy flows throughout our world.
Social Studies
6th Grade social studies has been studying the Declaration of Independence. They wrote their own "break up" letters modeled after the Declaration to demonstrate understanding of the preamble, natural rights, grievances, and formal declaration. They are now practicing their debate skills for an in-class debate on the Rosenberg couple before returning to colonial times for a Loyalist vs Patriot debate.
5th Grade
Reading
We are continuing our work in our first Unit of Study: Interpretation Book Clubs: Analyzing Themes. Book Clubs have started! Clubs are reading Fourth Grade Rats, by Jerry Spinelli, Road Trip, by Gary Paulsen, Holes, by Louis Sachar, and Ungifted, by Gordon Korman. We are learning how to think analytically and use analytical thinking to identify themes in our books. We will also be completing book reports.
Writing
In fifth grade writing, we finished up our basic boot camp on parts of speech and sentence structures skills. Now that the students have the background knowledge and basic grammar elements, they are now ready to conquer The Patterns of Power process. This grammar program invites students to look closely at well-crafted sentences from books they may know or might want to explore later. Throughout our weekly grammar lessons students will: 1. Describe what they notice. 2. Compare and contrast with another sentence. 3. Try the observed strategy in pairs and/or independently. 4. Share their work with the class. 5. Apply the pattern in new sentences. 6. Explore how editing changes meaning or effect.
Math
The 5th graders have been working hard at solving division problems with 2-digit divisors. They were taught three different strategies to solve these division problems - area models, partial products, and the old fashioned digit-by-digit strategy that most parents are familiar with using. Once the students are done practicing all three strategies, they will be able to choose their favorite strategy to use moving forward. The 5th graders learned quickly that in order to solve division problems, they have to use their prior knowledge of multiplication math facts and solving multiplication problems in order to complete the original division problem. The 5th graders also have been practicing graphing ordered pairs with positive numbers on a coordinate grid to create a picture. Once we finish our division unit, we will be moving on to our Numerical Expressions unit.
Science
Our 5th grade science classes are now learning about the structure of the atom. Soon the students will be able to experiment with chemical changes and physical changes. Students will also learn about the periodic table and how our elements are organized.
Social Studies
5th Grade social studies is wrapping up a group project on regions of the country in which the groups presented on the resources and culture each region offers. We will be practicing for our state capital quizzes and beginning a project where each student will research and present on a Native American tribe.
The School District of Howards Grove does not discriminate in the employment of staff on the basis of any characteristic protected under State or Federal law including, but not limited to, race, color, age, sex, creed or religion, handicap or disability, marital status, genetic information, citizenship status, veteran status, military service (as defined in 111.32, Wis. Stats.), sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, arrest record, conviction record, use or non-use of lawful products off the District’s premises during non-working hours, or any other characteristic protected by law in its employment practices. (Board Policy 4122)