Passport To Learning Offering NJSLA Prep Courses
Hoboken Middle School and Passport to Learning is excited to share that an NJSLA Enrichment and Prep Course will be available to 6th-8th grades students. This unique course will take place during Passport to Learning Monday - Thursday, from 3:15-4:15 P.M. Math and ELA NJSLA Enrichment Prep courses will take place two days per week and will be taught by certified Math and Language Arts teachers.
This opportunity will benefit all students by offering data driven instruction focused on meeting student's individual needs and provide the following benefits:
- Refining Test taking strategies;
- Building Confidence;
- Improving test scores;
- Individualizing instruction based on benchmark data; and
- Improving mental stamina and resilience while testing
Classroom teachers will be sending out information to families the week of February 27th inviting students to attend this Passport to Learning Course. If you are interested in signing up your child, please email or reach out to Mr. Sorafine via ryan.sorafine@hoboken.k12.nj.us or Dr. Baskinger via robin.baskinger@hoboken.k12.nj.us
ATTENTION 8TH GRADE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES...
Please complete the linked 8th Grade Cap & Down/Diploma Google Form to properly order your child's cap and gown and their diploma for the HMS Moving Up Ceremony in June. If you have any questions, please email me. Further information about dates and times for the Ceremony will be shared with families at a later date. Please complete this form no later than Friday, March 31st, 2023.
Thank you,
Dr. Baskinger
(robin.baskinger@hoboken.k12.nj.us)
Parents/Guardians/Caregivers:
Here is the link for parents to sign up for Oncourse Connect:
https://hoboken.oncourseconnect.com/login
I am also including the link that has FAQ's and videos to assist parents logging in:
https://www.hoboken.k12.nj.us/log-_in_options/on_course_connect_parent__student_login_portal
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Rock Climbing
This week students practiced top-rope and bouldering. Many students are conquering their fear of heights and climbing more challenging walls. Looking forward to next week!
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Newsletter Club
This week in Newsletter Club we continued to work on our third Quarterly Newsletter. Members rewrote our bulleted information from the marking period into written paragraphs! Next week, we will wrap up our MP3 Newsletter.
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HMS Student Council
This week during our student council meeting, we discussed the Leadership Bingo Challenge that the student council is participating in. We discussed ways in which the students can complete the tasks in each box. We then began discussing the planning of our school-wide dance that the Student Council and the PTO will be hosting during the month of May! We put together a list of possible theme ideas on a Google Form which will be sent out to the entire student body. The students will be able to vote and decide on which theme we will be using for the dance!
Chorus Club
Band Club
Lying is a common obstacle in middle school age children. It is your child's way of problem solving however it is a faulty, maladaptive choice which can impact your foundation of trust as a family. As parents, it is your job to address the lying but most importantly help your children identify other constructive strategies. These two articles include information on why your child may turn to lying and also strategies to assist in your child's problem solving choices. First recommendation is to pick your battles based on most importance and seriousness of lies, i.e. risky or illegal behavior is priority. Second recommendation is to cool off and create a plan on how to address the situation rather than react in the moment. Third recommendation is to state the facts when addressing the lying rather than arguing about the details, and have a meaningful conversation about the lie.
Article: How to Deal with Lying Children and Adolescents
We continue to support our students' social-emotional needs and mental health through Move this World. Move this World is integrated into our Fine & Performing Arts classes during periods 1-3. Additionally, all teachers have been utilizing Move this World in their classrooms to allow students opportunities for a break and movement. This week, Mrs.Bruce's class participated in the Power of Pause, which served as a brain break during Math.
I invite all our families to log into Move this World as well!
Below, you’ll find log in instructions:
Visit: sel.movethisworld.com
Username:hobokenms.family
Password:movethisworld
To learn more about Move this World, please visit their website.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions!
Thank You,
Ms. Falcone
(201) 356-3600 ext. 3746
If your child has any medical needs please feel free to call me to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. As a reminder, if your child has any kind of over the counter or prescribed medication that needs to be kept in school and administered, please have your doctor fill out a medication form and supply me with the medication.
Please do not send in the medication in your child’s backpack or drop it off with the security guard. This is a safety concern! All medications must be handed to the nurse, by the parent, with orders.
Good management of your child’s asthma is important to his or her success at school. Clear communication between you and your child, your health care provider and school staff is the key to managing asthma at school. A written Asthma Action Plan developed by your health care provider and shared with the school will help keep your child safe at school. Following the Asthma Action Plan will enable your child to participate fully in school activities.
If your child has an Asthma Action Plan, please send a copy to the school nurse. If your child does not have an Asthma Action Plan, please talk with your health care provider about developing one that can be shared with the school staff. Your child should not be carrying an inhaler around with an asthma action pan in place.
It can be faxed directly to the school at 201-792-4801 or sent via email to the nurse at nkirwin@hoboken.k12.nj.us.
Should you have any questions or concerns I can be reached at 201-356-3744 or nkirwin@hoboken.k12.nj.us.
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French
In French class, 6th graders began learning a new list of vocabulary from the 2B section of our curriculum. Students practiced writing the new expressions and recognizing them in context. In 7th and 8th grade, students reviewed for the 5A unit test on the topic of family and physical descriptions. They played Bingo to finetune listening comprehension and Blooket to help them master recognition of the vocabulary. Finally, they took the test at the end of the week with sections dedicated to writing, listening comprehension, reading comprehension and grammar. The students mastered the material with flying colors!
Mandarin
Language Arts
Our sixth grade ELA students continued to work towards completing their feature article this week. In particular, they crafted an engaging lead in order to extend an invitation to their readers. They began with evaluating the “leads” of the mentor authors, understanding the ways to determine the most effective, interesting, and “catchy” way to introduce their articles to their audience. After analyzing the organization of the article “A More Accessible World” students began to form effective body paragraphs in a cohesive manner that portrays the angle of their own original feature article.
As part of our literary focus, students continued to practice their critical thinking and assessment skills by completing a close reading of the informational article, “Code Talkers.” Students analyzed the impact of integrating information in various media formats by analyzing how charts and other infographics enhance the overall meaning of a text.
Math
This week, our 6th grade mathematicians wrapped up our unit on Geometry. Students are now pros at finding the area of squares, rectangles, triangles, trapezoids, parallelograms and composite figures. They can calculate surface area and find volume. They also applied their ability to compute with fractions and decimals to this skill. Next week, we are going to start our Statistics and Probability unit.
Social Studies
This week in Social Studies students learned about the specific powers granted to the judicial branch in Article III of the Constitution. They examined how the Constitution gives the U.S. Supreme Court the power to interpret the laws and whether or not they are constitutional or unconstitutional. To observe good sources of the Supreme Court decisions, students took a closer look at some monumental court cases throughout history such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown. V. Board of Education. Finally, to celebrate Women’s History Month students researched the six women Supreme Court Justices and created a poster to highlight one that stood out to them.
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Science
Sixth grade scientists continued studying density and practiced formula calculations throughout the week. We also learned about water displacement/Archimedes’ principle and how we could use that method to find the volume of irregular shaped objects. We found that when an object is submerged in water, it pushes water out to make room for itself. The object pushes out a volume of water that is equal to itself. Additionally, we reviewed how to correctly measure liquids in a graduated cylinder. It is important to measure at eye level, as well as measure from the flattest, most center part of the meniscus.
Language Arts
This week, seventh graders followed Holling Hoodhood through November of his 7th grader year in their reading of The Wednesday Wars. Students learned about characters, plot events, and themes in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which Holling reads in this chapter. At the end of the chapter, students made comparisons between themes in the two texts. In Writing Workshop, students generated ideas for the memoirs, using mentor texts to explore the “outside story” and “inside story” of a memoir. Next week, we will continue the brainstorming process!
Math
This week, 7th grade students learned about determining outcomes of compound events by using a tree diagram, a table, and an organized list to represent the sample space for a compound event. In addition, students learned about simulating compound events. Students used different tools such as spinners, coins, and dice to simulate a compound event. Students also modeled real-world situations involving a compound event and predicted its outcome using a simulation.
Social Studies
This week the 7th grade students compared the Andes and the Pampas in terms of land use, ethnic diversity, and geography. The concept that geography plays an impact on the life people live was talked about this week and students were able to come up with examples to prove this. We also were able to study the life of Harriet Tubman this week as part of our Women’s History Month Celebration. Students had the opportunity to work in groups to study primary sources that spoke about Harriet Tubman’s early life, escape to freedom, and her role in the underground railroad. Next week we will continue to learn about the Andes and Pampas region, studying its history, the Inca, and what it is like today.
Language Arts
This week in ELA, we concluded our film vs. novel analysis of To Kill a Mockingbird by noting similarities, differences, and determining which version did a better job of portraying the characters and themes. On Wednesday, students reviewed for our assessment with a class Jeopardy game! On Thursday, students measured their comprehension with a multiple choice and written response assessment. The students really enjoyed the novel! In our writing unit of Argumentative Essay, students created a strong thesis statement to prove their opinions on their topic and began drafting. Lastly, we practiced our 8th grade vocabulary to prepare for our next vocabulary quiz next week.
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Pre-Algebra
Happy Friday! This week in Pre-Algebra we discussed the concept of Transformation, Translations, Reflections and Dilations on a graph. The students were able to use the appropriate strategies to complete these transitions from pre-image to image on the graph. We will be moving forward with systems of equations next week and identifying where lines are intersecting on the quadrant plane.
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Creative Writing
This week our creative writers began the writing process for an original myth. Students discussed what myths are about and spent time choosing a topic for their own myth.
Strings
Ms. Monblatt's HMS students had an excellent week of string class! Students were actively engaged in partner play while continuing to work on pieces including a challenging arrangement of "Sweet Child Of Mine" and the traditional Folk song, "Ashokan Farewell". Students worked with peers to analyze the time signature and rhythmic patterns of each piece, using subdivision to count while analyzing the orchestration of the score using NoteFlight composition software! Bravo to all of these outstanding students for all of their hard work!
Pre-AP Dance
Most children today have a cellphone on hand and use it extensively to do homework, communicate with friends, and view social media platforms. It is almost unimaginable to think of a modern-day child who doesn’t take full advantage. These rapid advancements in technology have been proven to be a recent challenge. Below are two suggested cellphone monitoring services that include activity monitoring, location services, filtering, and screen time management. Though not offered through Hoboken Public Schools, these resources may be helpful in managing cell phone usage. Click on each link below below to be taken directly to the resource website.
Qustodio: The All-In-One Parental Control and Digital Wellbeing Solution
