Cougar Courier
ELM MIDDLE SCHOOL’S WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
April 29, 2022
Principal's Message
Greetings Elm Families,
We hope everyone had a wonderful week! A huge congratulations to our 8th grade students for taking the constitituion test this week! Way to go! One more constitution to go on May 12th and you're all set! Amazing job, and thank to Ms. Thibodeau, Mr. Hartwig, Ms. Fiorito and Ms. Kazuk for working so diligently to prepare our students for these assessments!
Addtionally we're excited to expand on all of the learning happening in our Courier this week with our academic updates! We're nearing the end of the year and spending time talking to your students about grades, assignements and assessments is crucial to finish the year strong! As a reminder we have homework club everyday after school for students to get extra help or catch up on work!
Please take a few minutes and read through this week’s Courier! As always, should you need anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. Stay safe! #TeamElmStrong
Ms. Ashley Groeneveld
Classroom Updates
ELA
6th Grade- Unit Title: Modern Technology
Essential Question: How is modern technology helpful and harmful to society?
7th Grade- Unit Title: Facing Adversity
Essential Question: How do we overcome obstacles?
8th Grade- Unit Title: Human Intelligence
Essential Question: In what ways can people be intelligent?
Social Studies
6th Grade: We are working on the Hellenistic World. They will be reviewing, and taking a quiz next week. Students have Google slides as well as a review for students to utilize for studying. Our next Ancient Civilization will be Ancient Rome.
7th Grade: Finishing up major themes of the 20th Century.
8th Grade: Civics students are wrapping up the month by taking their mandated US Constitution test. Friendly Kahoot competitions between both Mr. Hartwig and Ms. Thibodeau’s classes have the students excited and eager to finish off strong!
Science
6th Grade: 6th grade students are working on the Influences of Weather and Climate scope to finish Trimester 3. Students have gained plenty of prior knowledge for this unit through our past scopes on the Water Cycle, Weather, Predicting Weather, Severe Weather, and Clouds. Students will be able to answer the essential question, “What causes locations on Earth to have different climates?” They will explore the essential question through experiments, labs, activities, and CERs to analyze how weather and climate can change based on geographical locations.
7th Grade: Students completed the Geoscience Processes unit. Students focused on the essential question, “How has Earth’s surface changed over time?” Learning goals were focused on the phenomena that landforms change over time in different ways and the the scale and relative timing of geoscience processes vary from extremely short or small to incredibly long or large
8th Grade: 8th grade students are currently starting Embryonic Similarities. In this Scope the essential question is “Do embryos of different species develop the same?” For this Scope students will analyze different stages of embryonic development, find predictable patterns in development and compare those similarities with different species. Students previously compared natural, artificial and selective selection in genetic breeding in plants and animals.
Honors Biology: Honors Biology is currently in Unit 10 on Evolution. Students have analyzed evidence for evolution and have been able to describe the conditions for Natural Selection. Students will then go on to apply what they have learned in Unit 9 on Genetics to the Evolution of Populations. Students will end the semester learning about Human Evolution and origins. The students will take their Final Exam on May 18th and 19th.
Engineering:
7th Grade: In Engineering, students explored electrical engineering with building with Snap Circuits & an invention kit called Makey Makey. In the upcoming weeks, students will be focusing on simple machines.
8th Grade: In Engineering, students explored electrical engineering with building with Snap Circuits & an invention kit called Makey Makey. In the upcoming weeks, students will be focusing on structural engineering, in particular bridges.
Math
6th Grade: 6th grade is wrapping up our Geometry Unit by working on a Cumulative Project. We are incorporating topics that were taught throughout the unit such as perimeter, area, nets, surface area, and volume.
7th Grade: 7th graders are completing our Ratio and Proportion Unit and starting on Probability. Students will explore the difference between experimental and theoretical probability.
8th Grade: 8th graders are currently working on solving linear systems by graphing and substitution.
CorePlus: CP math students are working on solving real life problems involving quadratic equations by graphing
Electives
6th Grade:
Choir- Students have been working on memorizing music for our concert, auditioning for solos, and learning how to sightsing down to the 16th note.
General Music - We are in the middle of the Broadway Unit
Band - Players are preparing 4 selections for the concert on May 3rd.
Technology - Students are beginning a unit on digital citizenship with a focus on digital footprint, privacy, and security.
Art - Students are making impressive drawings of eyes, honing their graphite drawing skills.
PE - PE classes are wrapping up their Basketball Unit with competitive games.Next week they begin a Floor Hockey Unit (if we are inside) or a Softball/ Kickball Unit (if we are outside).
Spanish - Students are using vocabulary to talk and write about activities they like and dislike.
Health - Students are learning about the Skeletal and Muscular Systems. As well as, learning to take responsibility for their physical health, by making good decisions, setting goals, and practicing healthful behaviors
7th Grade:
Choir - Students have been working on memorizing music for our concert, auditioning for solos, and learning how to sightsing down to the 16th note
General Music - We just finished our unit on rhythm, notes and rests.
Band- Players are learning and refining 5 selections for our concert on May 3rd.
Technology- Students are beginning a unit on digital citizenship with a focus on news and media literacy, media balance, and digital well being.
Art- Students are making impressive drawings of noses, honing their graphite drawing skills.
PE - PE classes are wrapping up their Basketball Unit with competitive games.Next week they begin a Floor Hockey Unit (if we are inside) or a Softball/ Kickball Unit (if we are outside).
Spanish - Students are using vocabulary to talk and write about activities they like and dislike
8th Grade:
Choir - Students have been working on memorizing music for our concert, auditioning for solos, and learning how to sightsing down to the 16th note
Band - Players are learning and refining 5 selections for our concert on May 3rd.
Technology - Students are beginning a unit on digital citizenship with a focus on news and media literacy, media balance, and digital well being.
Art - Students are making impressive drawings of mouths, honing their graphite drawing skills.
PE - PE classes are wrapping up their Basketball Unit with competitive games.Next week they begin a Floor Hockey Unit (if we are inside) or a Softball/ Kickball Unit (if we are outside).
Spanish - Students have been working on conjugating three different types of verbs, including Irregular verbs.
Health - Students have been developing their nutrition knowledge by learning how to combine foods to create a healthy breakfast. They shopped for and planned a family meal, documented with pictures or video. To wrap up the unit students planted vegetable seeds and learned how to grow vegetables from scraps.
Business - Business classes are just finishing up a unit on credit, learning about credit cards, credit scores, loans, interest rates, and more.
5th Grade Go To School Night & Acceleration Night!
Addtionally any students reccommeded for acceleration for 2022-2023 please attend for more information about your accelerated classes!
8th Graders-Freshman Orientation this fall!
8th Graders--save the date! Your Freshman Orientation will be August 11th, from 9am-11am at EPHS! Please see the flyer below for more information!
Bark Alerts-Technology Usage Alerts for Students
When schools give students access to devices and online accounts, an incredible world of learning opportunities opens up — as well as potential dangers. Digital safety is critically important to Elm Middle School which is why we use Bark for Schools to help us protect our students both online and in real life.
Bark monitors for signs of potential issues like:
Cyberbullying
Suicidal ideation
Sexual predators
Threats of violence
And more
As a school, we receive alerts that we can respond to during the school day, however we know that students use their school-issued accounts both at school and at home, and families are often in a better position to respond to urgent alerts after hours, on weekends, and during breaks. In the coming days, you will receive an invitation to create your free account for the Bark for Schools Parent Portal. As soon as you opt-in, you’ll be able to receive after-hours alerts if Bark detects potentially time-sensitive issues.
Please see this letter for more information and reach out if you have any questions!
Elm Middle School Art Show
Join us for a celebratory evening featuring the art of our 6th, 7th and 8th grade student artists. You can even try a few art activities while you wander! The Art Show will be held at Elm Middle School on May 3rd from 5:30-7pm.
Summer Library Volunteer Opportunity
Box Top Collection!
Mark Your Calendars!
Ideas include dance and cooking demonstrations, a community potluck, and multicultural readings!
SAVE THE DATE
May 23rd, 2022
Elmwood Park High School
Attendance Reminders
If a student is going to be absent from class, a parent or guardian should call our Attendance Clerk at (708) 583-6600 or email elmattendance@epcusd401.org.
When calling, please spell your child’s last name and give their student ID number.
Upcoming Events
May 3rd-1:30pm- NJHS Induction
May 3rd-Elm Art Show
May 3rd- Spring Band & Choir Concert
May 11th- 5th Grade Go To School Night & Acceleration Night!
May 12th- Color Extravaganza!
May 18th- Regular Board of Education Meeting
May 19th- 8th Grade Dinner Dance
May 20th- 8th Grade Breakfast
May 22nd - 8th Grade Graduation
May 23rd- Multicultural Night
May 26th- Last Day of School
Need Help? Contact Us!
Ms. Ashley Groeneveld, Principal: 708-583-6227, groenevelda@epcusd401.org
Ms. Stephanie Spiewak, Assistant Principal: 708-583-6228, spiewaks@epcusd401.org
Mr. Michael Goodman, Dean of Students:
708-583-6238, goodmanm@epcusd401.orgMain Office: 708-452-3550, elminfo@epcusd401.org
Website: https://www.epcusd401.org/elm
Location: 7607 W Cortland St, Elmwood Park, IL 60707, USA
Phone: 708-452-3550