Howards Grove Middle School
February Parent/Guardian Newsletter, VI
IMPORTANT DATES
Feb. 20, No School, Staff Professional Development Day, School Board Meeting 6 PM
Feb. 21, Mental Health Fair 5-7 PM
Feb. 25, District Solo and Ensemble at Kohler
March 2, 7/8 Volleyball @ HG 4 PM
March 3, Newsies Jr. Show! 7 PM
March 4, Newsies Jr. Show! 7 PM
March 5, Newsies Jr. Show! 2 PM
March 7, 7/8 Volleyball @ Kohler 4 PM
March 9, Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:30 PM
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
This month's newsletter is full of celebrations from the Middle School. There are many positive things happening in our school. You will see many of those celebrations below. I am grateful to be a part of a small school that encourages all students to be their best selves.
I'd like to welcome Ashley Pieper to our middle school. Ashley is the new office assistant replacing Lonna Near. Please be sure to include Ashley and Kailea Schmit, aschmit@hgtigers.com and kschmit@hgtigers.com, on all absences that are sent via email or any other correspondence you see necessary. Welcome Ashley!
Our Spring parent/teacher conference date is: March 9th. Staff members will be reaching out to parents of students whom they feel would benefit from a Spring conference. There will be a letter sent out from the office soon.
As always, if there is anything that I can provide assistance with, please feel free to reach out to me at any time. I wish you all a peaceful and appreciative day.
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Join us Tuesday, February 21 from 5:30 - 8:00 at the Howards Grove Center for the Arts for our 2nd annual Community Mental Health Night hosted by the Howards Grove Pupil Services Team. Joining us this year will be presenters from Rogers Behavioral Health, Ozaukee Community Therapies, Safe Harbor, Mental Health America, Professional Family Services LLC, and the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department. Topics discussed will include Anxiety and OCD, Trauma and Grief, Depression and Suicidal Ideation, Technology Safety and Healthy Relationships, Youth Risk Trends and Crisis Response, and Navigating Mental Health Care. There will also be a resource fair with additional organizations and informational topics available throughout the evening.
We hope to see you all there!
STUDENT COUNCIL
Over the past couple of weeks, the Student Council has been working on planning things for Valentine's Day, including spirit days, money wars, and Valentine's Day dance. Not only has the Student Council helped make the middle school more fun, but has also tried to get out into the community. For example, a committee is setting up a fundraiser to earn money for the American Heart Association. In addition, some council members teamed up with the PTO to help with Pancakes and Books at the elementary school. The 6th graders have also joined and are starting to learn what the Student Council is about and are helping to plan our next dance. Another fun activity coming up is the lighting tournament for March Madness.
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS!
MATH COUNTS!
On Saturday, February 4th, eight students from the Middle School competed in the 36th Annual math competition called MathCounts, hosted by Acuity. The competition consisted of 6th - 8th graders battling to make it to State!
This year’s competitors were: Kyle Taber, Nina Goedeke, Claire Pritzl, Bella Baierl, Esi Koranyke, Evelynn Pilgrim, Demi Talbot, and Louise Fetterer.
These students worked hard and they did a great job! You all should be very proud of how you represented Howards Grove Middle School!
PTO
Save the Date!
- Join us for the next Family Food Night at Culver's on March 14th from 5-8pm.
Silent Auction Donations Needed!
- Northview will be holding its Annual Carnival on May 19th. The PTO is looking for silent auction donations from local businesses and community members. If you have a product or service you would like to donate, please reach out to SaraDassow@gmail.com.
PTO Contact Info:
Email: hgpto@yahoo.com
Website: PTO - Howards Grove School District (hgtigers.org)
LIKE us on Facebook at Howards Grove PTO receive reminders and updates.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL- NEWSIES JR.
The last couple of months Howards Grove Middle School students have been working very hard to get ready for their performance of Newsies Jr! Set in 1899, powerful newspaper publishers raise the price of newspapers at the newsies’ expense. Newsies leader, Jack Kelly, rallies the other newsies from across New York City to go on strike and together, the newsies learn that they are stronger united and they create a movement to fight for what is right!
You will not regret seeing this show! There will be singing, dancing, and a lot of laughs! The students have been having a lot of fun and are very excited for you all to see their performance.
The performance will be at the Howards Grove Center for the Arts on the following dates:
-Friday March 3rd @ 7pm
-Saturday March 4th @ 7pm
-Sunday March 5th @ 2pm
Reserved Seating Tickets $10 are available by visiting https://www.showtix4u.com/event-
8TH GRADE
ELA
The 8th grade ELA class is deep in the trenches of investigating topics for our own class newspaper. Each student had to choose a topic that had a local connection. Then, they needed to complete research, an interview, and a survey (data). Students are at the end stages of crafting their investigative journalism piece of writing. In the next few days, the 8th grade students will work in small groups to create their own local newspaper. Look for a link in a future newsletter to view their newspapers and articles.Math
Testing, testing, testing... whether it's internal quizzes or modular assessments, iReady diagnostic tests, or preparing for the upcoming Forward Exam, 8th grade students have had an abundance of opportunities to demonstrate what they know and are able to do in math. Currently, our area of study is focused on solving systems of equations. Students have been learning how to analyze and solve pairs of linear equations using three methods: graphically, substitution, and elimination. Our next area of study will be a unit on Statistics and Probability with an emphasis on scatter plots and two-way tables.
Algebra
Conjunction junction, what's your function? In eighth grade algebra class, our emphasis has been on studying quadratic functions and equations. Students have learned how to graph quadratic functions by finding the line of symmetry, vertex, and y-intercept. They've discovered how to solve quadratic equations by factoring and by graphing methods. They've learned how to effectively read quadratic equations by identifying key components that, when compared to the parent graph, influence tranformations. Recently, students have been solving quadratic equations by completing the square. Soon they will explore the quadratic formula and learn more about analyzing functions with successive differences. They'll also study a few special functions like step functions, greatest integer functions, and piecewise-linear functions.
Science
In Science, we are currently learning about the functions and the changes of Matter. Right now the students are working on a project where they will demonstrate all types of changes in matter with different solids, liquids and gasses they choose to demonstrate with. Moving forward we are going to keep learning about atoms and the formation of Matter and Energy. Looking forward to sharing the great work and projects all your students have done from the rockets all the way to their liquid jar labs.
In Social Studies, we are just wrapping up our unit on World War II and are currently talking about the Holocaust. We are going to be reading “Night” by Ellie Weasel, a true hand account of his experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. We will be heading into talking about the 1950’s and the start of the Korean/Cold War era and its effects in American and Russians foreign relations that will lead to the unit after “The Vietnam War” and the “Turbulent 60’s!”.
7TH GRADE
ELA
In 7th grade Reading and Writing, students are currently working in our Argument Unit. They started out by researching the impact of competitive sports on kids. Students were asked to look at both sides of the argument, after researching and analyzing their data, they were asked to choose a side, come up with a claim, and support it with clear, strong evidence. They have been working on analyzing and explaining this evidence to show its relevance and convince their readers of their claim. Students are moving into adding a counterclaim and rebuttal to help strengthen their argument to show their knowledge and understanding of both sides of the issue. For the next part of this unit, students will choose a topic of their choice to research. In pairs, they will put together an argument for or against their topic and present their information using infographics, presentations, or videos.
Math
The first semester of 7th grade Math consists of mastering fractions, decimals, and percent problems involving the four operations, add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Not only were the students working on computation, but applying these skills in word problems. That was a huge task.
We are finally studying my favorite part of Math, Algebra!! We will be evaluating expressions and solving equations. We will be finding the unknowns for the variables!!
Algebra
The class is working hard to discover why some equations are linear while others are not. They are learning how slope determines linearity and can be used to draw a quick graph of the line. Of course, we need to solve word problems that incorporate slope such as construction of a roof and stair cases.
Along with learning the Algebra curriculum, students are preparing for the Forward Exam reviewing 7th grade questions.
Science
In science, the students are learning about DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) and how it relates to genetics. To examine this idea further, the students are growing plants (mustard plants) and throughout their lifecycle we have been exploring how DNA plays a role in their development. On a daily basis, the students have been making observations about their plants, similar to how a biologist might study organisms in a laboratory. We dissected seeds to see the structures inside. We also thinned plants with discussions about genetic mutations, natural selection, human-selection. We will be getting into photosynthesis and flower structures soon.
Social Studies
The students are currently researching different battles that were part of the American Civil War (1861 - 1865) and are creating narrated videos of the events (some of them are comparable to David Attenborough). We have also been exploring the politics, warfare, and technologies of the time to understand how these parts of Social Studies have shaped the current structure of the USA today. In addition to their research, videos, and discussion the students have been working on a Civil War collage that we will complete at the end of this unit.
6TH GRADE
ELA
In Sixth Grade ELA classes we are exploring more about reading nonfiction texts in our
Tapping the Power of Nonfiction Unit of Study. We are learning that nonfiction reading
skills are essential to students’ achievement in virtually every academic discipline. In
order to be successful in Science, students need to read science books and articles. To
study history, they need to be skilled at reading all kinds of primary and secondary
sources. Nonfiction text is essential to teach since it helps children develop critical
thinking, analytical skills, as well as the ability to read and understand complex
texts. More so, nonfiction can help students develop knowledge of their environment
and society as they begin reading more content-specific textbooks. Sixth Graders are
currently reading and researching about "What are GMOs?" and "What can Genetic
Engineering Do?" Eventually, students will be able to teach others what they are learning
and build a bit of back knowledge to present other topics they will be researching
throughout the unit. When we help students become powerful readers of nonfiction, we
help them become powerful learners. I can’t wait to see these students continue to
research and educate their classmates about various topics.
Math
In Pre-Algebra, the students just finished up a unit about finding the prime factorization of numbers as well as the greatest common factor and least common multiple. They learned several strategies and applied those when simplifying fractions and monomials. They also applied these skills when practicing writing numbers in scientific notation. Now they have moved into learning about rational numbers and will practice solving equations that involve real world problems.
In 6th grade math, students just finished up a unit using proportions and equivalent ratios to help solve real world problems involving circle graphs. The students were able to practice using a protractor to measure angles and graph their own circle graph data. Students also used equivalent ratios to convert measurements in the customary and metric measurement systems. Just this week, we have transitioned into a new unit about finding the percent of numbers. Students are learning a variety of strategies to apply when solving real world problems, and they get to choose the strategy that works best for them. They are setting up proportions, converting fractions to decimals and vice versa, as well as multiplying with decimals. We are having discussions about how percents apply in the real world like when shopping with coupons, paying tax, and leaving a tip at a restaurant.
In science class, we just finished learning about tectonic plate boundaries. These plate boundaries are the reason that continents have moved over time, which is known as continental drift. If you are interested in learning about Alfred Wegener and his theory of continental drift, I'm sure your child could give you a lot of information (and maybe sing you a song)! Plate tectonics are also a major influence on natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and more. These natural disasters will be our learning objective focus in the next month.
Social Studies
In social studies class, we are learning about the development of America in its early stages. Specifically, we have been talking about the political development in the United States in the early 1800s. Next, we are going to learn about the early arts of American history, such as the development of music, literature and artwork. I apologize if your child begins to come home singing "My Country 'tis of Thee", a popular, patriotic tune Americans loved in the 1800s.
5TH GRADE
ELA
We have just finished our Informative Essays on Westward Expansion. Students worked hard to learn all about a topic that was new to them. They did some amazing research and writing, and I am so proud of them! Next they will be starting their Fantasy Reading Unit where they will be doing a book study on City of Ember.
Math
We are starting a new unit of investigating the different ways to multiply numbers. It will be most helpful to practice the basic multiplication facts at home to refresh and increase our speed of recall. Eventually, we will discover the most efficient way to multiple digit factors and even those with decimals and/or exponents will become conquered with more accuracy and ease.
Science
We have finished our science unit of Matter. Our next unit is SOUND. Sound is about the energy transfer through waves. We will be using slinks, cake pans, and many other common materials to prove this concept. We will also discover the reasons our voices, ears, electronics, and instruments work as they do. Is the world truly ever silent?
Social Studies
The fifth graders will be working to memorize the 50 states and capitals over the next month. At the same time, we will be learning about our first European Explorers into North America and how they influenced the development of settlements in the New World.
HOWARDS GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Email: ahouston@hgsd.k12.wi.us
Website: www.hgtigers.com
Location: 507 Kennedy Avenue, Howards Grove, WI, USA
Phone: (920) 565-4450