MAMS Newsletter
February 2020
Student of the Month: Dakotah Houck
Dakotah considers himself to be a well rounded athlete. He has spent the last nine years playing baseball, and has also been horseback riding at Swan Lake for five years. When Dakotah has free time, he enjoys spending it outdoors either hunting or fishing. He is also a proud gamer who can frequently be found with a controller in his hands or watching Youtube.
We selected Dakotah as February Student of the Month not only for his academic excellence, but his ability and willingness to help others. This, along with his wealth of knowledge, make Dakotah a leader among his peers. Dakotah plans to some day work in law enforcement to become a State Trooper. Whatever path Dakotah takes, we have no doubt he will reach his full potential!
Wrestling World
JH Wretlers earn 3rd place as a team at Dallastown Tournament with seven medalists. Good Job Fellas! #MAMSLearning
Winter MAP and Goal Setting
Student Council Information
Spirit Week
Tuesday, 2/11: Red & Pink Day
Wednesday: 2/12: Twin Day
Thursday, 2/13: Dress to Impress
Flower Grams
Valentine's Dance
We hope to see you there!
Team Bolts: 6th Grade
Math 6:
Mrs. Koontz’s and Mrs. Raubenstine Math 6 classes are wrapping up Unit 4: Dividing Fractions and are transitioning to Unit 5: Decimal Operations and Unit 6: Expressions and Equations. All students have been assigned a pathway of learning in IXL. The goal is to strengthen skills while also adding some challenge to their learning. Students are expected to log in and complete 2 sessions each week. They should work to a score of 90 on each skill.
Math 7:
Mrs. Koontz’s Math 7 class is concluding Unit 5: Rational Number Arithmetic and are transitioning to Unit 6: Expressions, Equations, and Inequalities. Students will be using their knowledge of integer operations to write and evaluate expressions, equations, and inequalities. All students have been assigned a pathway of learning in IXL. The goal is to strengthen skills while also adding some challenge to their learning. Students are expected to log in and complete 2 sessions each week. They should work to a score of 90 on each skill.
ELA-
Mrs. Crouthamel-
Our ELA class has just completed our unit on Escaping from Alcatraz. We successfully “broke out” of Alcatraz while reviewing and sharpening our nonfiction ELA skills. Next, we will begin reviewing and improving additional ELA skills while connecting to Geography through the Scholastic Scope text, “Why Are Your Clothes So Cheap?”. We are currently studying South Asia. We are analyzing how the physical features of the region affect the daily lives of the citizens, focusing on monsoons and the Pollution of the Ganges River.
Mr. Baumgardner-
ELA has just finished up a unit on Escaping from Alcatraz. We successfully “broke out” of Alcatraz while reviewing and sharpening our nonfiction ELA skills. Next will we begin a thematic unit centered around “What makes an inspirational person?” We will explore characteristics, read biographies, connect poems, and uncover quotes to help gather information to answer the driving question. In GEOGRAPHY, students are exploring the geographical features of the Middle East. Did you know: The Middle East region has both the lowest point on earth (The Dead Sea - 420 meters below sea level) and the tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates - 2,717 feet tall).
Ms. Willet-
ELA classes are working through our Civil Rights poetry and theme unit, as well as the “Our Heroes” Study Sync unit. These units blend well together to help the students hone their skills in poetry, theme, informational text elements, and inferencing.
Students will be comparing how different texts develop theme.
In SS our travels take us to East Asia where we are exploring the impact of limited resources on smaller nations and industrial growth on the environment.
Science-
In Science, all classes will be exploring living things, how living things are classified, and cells. Students will be learning about plant and animal cells as we explore the concept of all living things being made up of cells. As part of the unit, students will be creating a book, either digital or paper to demonstrate what they have learned. The book is directly related to the 6th Grade field trip that will be taken later in May. This book will also be a great tool to take to 7th grade to continue building science concepts. Students should be accessing Schoology for assignments and using their online text to study at home.
6th Graders in Action: Analyzing Graphs & Charts
Team Aviators: 7th Grade
Aviator Team Announcement: Please advise students to wear appropriate winter weather outfits. We would like to take students outside during our free ACE Friday rewards if the temperature allows us to. Please make sure students are coming to school with winter jackets, gloves, hats, etc.
Math
In math class, students will apply their equation solving skills and learn how to solve inequalities. Students will be able to write, solve, and graph inequalities by the end of Unit 6. We will also review how to combine like terms to simplify algebraic expressions. All students will continue to use IXL to improve weaknesses and build on strengths according to their MAP scores.
Science
Why does anyone have brown hair, or green eyes? What would happen if SpongeBob and SpongeSusie would have children? What would they look like? Genetics explains it all! Soon students will be figuring out the cross between Bikini Bottom critters! Keep reviewing your graphic organizers and quick vocabulary in your green folders and check out schoology for powerpoint lessons and helpful study guides.
ELA
In English class we are working through our poetry unit. Students will be reading and responding to various poems and working closely to analyze them. We will be starting our next in class novel after President’s Day weekend. Periods 1 and 4 will be reading “The Girl Who Owned A City” while periods 3 and 5 will be reading “The Giver” as a part of our Dystopian unit. We will be exploring ideal societies to create our own utopias. The third quarter independent novel will be due March 24th.
Ancient Civilizations
In Social Studies class, the historians are finishing up our lesson on how the Ancient Greeks influence our world today. We found out that Ancient Greece gave us things from our architecture, government, constitutional ideas, philosophical thinking, and even mythological allusions in our media. Next we will move to Ancient Rome, where we will dive into Julius Caesar and students will decide whether he was a good leader or not.
Team Lightning: 7th and 8th Graders
SCIENCE Mr. Decker and Ms Enoff
7th Grade Science:
7th grade scientists are finishing their study of natural selection and evidence for evolution. This unit will be followed by a study of organ systems. This section will be capped off with a frog dissection to help the students understand and physically see the concepts we discuss in class.
8th Grade Science:
Students have moved into the study of chemistry, they research the history of the atomic theory to gather an understanding of the atom and how we know so much about things we can’t really see. Now we are working on understanding how atoms interact and bond to form compounds in the world around us. We will move into solutions and pH in the coming weeks.
MATHEMATICS Mr. Heller and Ms Enoff
7th Grade Math:
Math classes are continuing to work toward success and mastery of core content. With PSSA time just around the corner, students will be asked to prepare and reinforce skills through Compass Learning. This can be done through the school or at home. Please talk with your student about completing this task.
Many students have missing work due to absences or lack of effort. Parents are reminded that they can check agendas and Sapphire for updated grades and missing work.
Math 8:
The Math 8 students just finished Chapter 6 which involved Geometry, and transformations of shapes. In the upcoming chapter students will be reintroduced to the concept of slope and explore it more in depth than we did in chapter 5. Students will look for associations based on graphs, as well as be able to make predictions based on linear equations. It is important students are keeping up to date with the weekly homework as well as the GoFormative warm-ups if they wish to be successful in the slope unit.
Algebra:
Now that students are masters at exponent expressions, and the Laws of Exponents they will be asked to solve equations that include exponents and square roots. Following this small unit, students will explore quadratic functions including how to graph, factor, find intercepts, and manipulate these equations. It is important students continue completing their homework to get the extra practice they need, and keep asking questions for clarification. ACE is a great time for students to get more individualized help and assistance. The next two chapters are really a pivotal point for algebra and algebraic functions. All of this should prepare us to be successful on the Keystone Exams in the spring.
ENGLISH: Mr. Peglow and Mrs. Trout
7th Grade:
Mrs. Trout’s & Mr. Peglow’s English students will be engaged with nonfiction, poetry and fiction while exploring the theme of “the powers that be”. We will read literature from a variety of cultures and time periods to consider how societies form and evolve into fair and just civilizations...or not. Students will also enhance their grammar and vocabulary skills through direct instruction, targeted practice and practical application.
The month of February will be occupied by a war/love story you may have heard of, The Illiad, an epic poem depicting the Trojan War. We will be reading a retelling of the epic poem called Black Ships Before Troy. The focus will be on figurative language and imagery so we will also be reading and writing poetry along the way!
8th Grade:
Students are focused on nonfiction articles and informational writing throughout this quarter. The focus of our articles and writing will revolve around our current novel The Giver (A dystopian story of control and rebellion). As we read through this book we will focus on government, society, and on whether utopia can ever exist in our world.
SOCIAL STUDIES Mr. Popoff and Mrs. Trout
7th Grade Ancient Civilizations
Over the next month, students will be focused on two of the most prestigious and influential civilizations in world history: Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Many may argue that these two civilizations are the most influential because they have affected virtually every society that evolved after them. Some of the largest areas of impact include: government, architecture, art, literature, and philosophy.
8th Grade U.S. History
After students see the United States fulfill its manifest destiny, they will set their sights on one of our countries worst time periods, the Civil War. Students will learn how slavery divided this great nation during the 19th century, ultimately leading to a civil war amongst the north and south. Before the year comes to a close, we will examine the Civil War from start to finish.Team Sky Pilots: 8th Grade
Sky Pilot’s are celebrating February, Random Acts of Kindness month, by participating in The Great Kindness Challenge 2020.
Social Studies classes will be studying the failed compromises over the issue of slavery and their path to the American Civil War. We will soon begin an examination of the Industrial Revolution. We will look at how two different economies developed in the North and South and how the two sections of the country were at odds.
English classes The Sky Pilots are working to analyze a variety of genres by reading for meaning beyond the words on the page. We are using the vocabulary of the MAP test to drive our current learning with a growth mindset. We hope to get better at reading every day. Topics of units have included Rhetoric, Writing Skills, and a literary devices, poetry, and short stories.
Math. We’re past the halfway point of the year and the students are showing tremendous growth in math. Students have just finished evaluating the Winter math MAP goals and re-evaluating their spring math MAP goal. I am proud of all of the students efforts.
Geometry Students are finishing up unit 6 and will begin Unit 7 Proofs and Quadrilaterals.
Core Connections 3 students will be assessed on Transformations and similarity. They will begin unit 7 “Slope and Associations”.
Please continue monitoring your child’s progress using Sapphire portal and checkout the January Math Newsletter
Science classes have been working through the Chemistry Unit and will be learning about the Periodic Table, Compounds, Mixtures, Acids and Bases. Students will then explore Earth Science and Ecology, followed up with Biology and Human Systems.
News from the Nurse
The Flu has made an appearance! According to our school guidelines your student should be fever free for 24 hours (that is without any medications) before returning to school. According to the guidelines, the student should be free from vomiting and diarrhea for 24 hours (without the use of medication) before returning to school.
With winter now upon us please be sure that the students are dressed properly for the weather and they are wearing proper shoes during the snow and ice that may appear.
The nurse’s office does not have allergy medicine for students, if your child needs allergy medicine please have them take it before coming to school. The nurse’s office also does not have any cold medicine so if your child is in need of cold medicine please be sure that they are taking a 6 -12 hours medicine before coming to school so that it will get them through the school day.
All 6th graders are required by Pennsylvania school health law to have a physical to enter the sixth grade. If you have not already done so please turn in all completed physical forms as well as update immunization records to the school nurse.
Also per Pennsylvania department of health all 7th grade students are required to have a Tdap and MCV immunizations to enter the 7th grade. Please see the important updated information about the Tdap immunization below.
Tdap Immunization Update:
The PA Department of Health has updated the guidelines for the required Tdap dose to be given at 11-12 year of age. If the Tdap was given prior to this age, another dose will need to be given before the 2020-21 school year for your child to not risk exclusion from school. Please check with your health care provider to make sure the Tdap was administered at 11-12 years of age.
All 7th graders are required by Pennsylvania school health law to have a dental exam to enter the seventh grade. If you have not already done so please turn in all completed dental forms to the health office.
Also be sure that your student is eating breakfast before coming to school so that they are fueled to start the day. Breakfast is available in the cafeteria in the morning before school starts for the students convenience.
The best way to keep your students healthy is to remind them to wash their hands with soap and water or to use the hand sanitizer whenever they enter the classroom or cafeteria.
Tech Prep Open House
Upcoming Dates
Friday, February 14: No School for Students (In Service Day)
Monday, February 17: No School (Presidents' Day)
Friday, February 21: Progress Reports Posted to Sapphire