Howards Grove Middle School
April Parent/Guardian Newsletter Vol. VII
Important Dates
April 21, Theater for Young Audiences Performance of Disney's "The Descendants" @ HGCA
April 22, Middle School Student Council Dance 7-9 PM
May 6, Middle School Showcase
May 6, FFA Plant Sale
May 12, MS Spring Concert @ HGCA
May 13, MS Conference Track Meet @ Cedar Grove
Principal's Message
8th Grade families: This year's 8th Grade Recognition will be on June 6th at 7 PM in the Howards Grove Center for the Arts. A dance for all 8th grade students will take place in the auditorium lobby following the program. A formal invitation will be sent out in early May. This is always an exciting night and one that should be celebrated. To plan in advance, a group class photo will be taken at 6:45 PM that evening.
As the weather warms up, I would like to remind all students and families that appropriate dress for school is important. Please be sure to refer to the student handbook if there are any questions. Our primary job at school is to learn, so we surely want to come prepared to school to be successful.
As always, if there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to me at any time by phone or by email.
Middle School Physical Education Feature
As the 3rd quarter recently wrapped up and we begin the final stretch of the 4th quarter, the Physical Education program at the Middle School had just finished a Fitness unit and are jumping into a Speedball unit. In the Fitness unit, students were actively engaged in lifting weights in the Middle School weight room and were able to try out a variety of weight machines. In the gym, students worked at exercise stations and participated in yoga poses designed to achieve flexibility, balance, and strength. At the different grade levels, students were learning about the areas of physical fitness and the activities and sports associated with each area. In the weight room, some students became familiar with terminology and how to record a workout. Other students were learning about several major muscle groups and their anatomical functions. After learning about the muscle groups, students applied their knowledge while using the weight machines and gained understanding of the ways that the machines target specific muscle groups.
Now that the 4th quarter has begun, students are participating in the Speedball unit. This game has elements of soccer, passing football, and team handball. As the name suggests, this is a fast-moving game that utilizes many skills and provides students the opportunity to work together in teams. After completing the Speedball unit, we are looking forward to warmer weather in order to take our softball and disc golf activities outside to finish up another successful school year.
Counselor's Corner
Welcome back from Spring Break everyone!
I love hearing from the students about so many fun adventures that families had over break! I vacationed to my house, had exciting adventures cleaning, and enjoyed the gorgeous 30-degree rain and snow weather!
Getting back into the regular routine this week, I am reminded on how fast this last section of the school year flies by. The week marks the start of State Forward Testing in our district. Students in grades 3-8, and 10 will be testing according to their grade level schedules over the course of the next four weeks, with the state testing window wrapping up on April 29. If you know of a planned absence for your student during these upcoming weeks, please be sure to inform their homeroom teacher as soon as possible so that we can make other testing arrangements if their absence falls during that grade's testing schedule. It is also important to make sure your student gets a good night's sleep and healthy breakfast during their testing window to help them be at their best!
A quick thank you as well to anyone who attended our Mental Health Community Night back on March 22. The evening was extremely informative with our speakers from Rogers Behavioral Health, Mental Health America, and the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department. The resource fair was also very engaging with nine different organizations bringing their information, materials, and knowledge to help support our community. There is a video recording of the speaker portion of the evening that will be posted on our district webpage soon. We look forward to growing this experience next year!
Student Council
8th Grade
Students dove into a subject of their choice in order to develop a position on a topic of moral dilemma. Once a topic was approved, students conducted research on their topic from credible sources. As readers and writers we look for opposing information in order to have a full understanding of a topic. Then, we analyze this information for pattern and repetition. This helps us figure out what are the main points for both sides of the topic and organize our thoughts. Quickly, the 8th graders write a flash draft of these ideas. Then, through several mini-lessons, they revise the paper to create more sophisticated writing and polished grammar and mechanics. It is always fun to see how the students develop new insights and perspectives through their research and discussion with others in class.
ALGEBRA
This past month, 8th grade algebra students have been studying radicals with a primary focus on simplifying radical expressions. Students have also been learning how to add, subtract, and multiply radicals and, most recently, have been discovering how to solve equations which include radical expressions.
8TH GRADE MATH
As we continue to gear up for Wisconsin's Forward Exam, Eighth grade math students have been learning a great deal of useful information. They've recently completed an in-depth study of volume with a primary focus on finding volumes of cylinders, cones, and spheres. They've also been learning how to use the Pythagorean Theorem to find missing sides of right triangles and have studied exponents and scientific notation. Most recently, students have have begun a unit on rational and irrational numbers.
SOCIAL STUDIES
The eight graders ended the third quarter participating in graded discussion for WWI. Students compiled textbook notes and went beyond the textbook researching events that happened during the war in Europe and the U.S. adding to their notebooks. They then used their notebooks to conduct a whole class discussion on WWI. The feedback from the students on this activity was awesome. They really enjoyed this activity. We have now switched gears and are working on understanding the Roaring 20's and the Great Depression. Mixed in the intro activities, we are preparing for the Forward Exam. We will be testing next week. Go eighth graders!
7th Grade
ELA
We are just finishing up state testing this week and the 7th graders have been real troopers in Readers/Writers. These are a few long days for them, but they all did their best! We are moving on to our last couple of units for the year. I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. We are going to start our last writing unit for the year. Students are going to be writing their own Realistic Fiction stories.
MATH/ALGEBRA
Math - Shaking dice and flipping coins…, the probability unit has concluded. We are working hard to complete the Forward Exam in Math. We will end the year studying statistics. Students will be conducting surveys, analyzing data, and making inferences based on the results of their survey.
Algebra - One more chapter to study this year, and then it’s a wrap! Students will be studying “Systems of Linear Equations and Inequalities.” Students will finish the Algebra course next year in 8th grade and then register for Geometry freshman year. (Not to rush life, but just so you understand your child’s journey).
SCIENCE
In science we have been learning about cells and DNA. Lately, we have been working with microscopes to view cells and analyze the parts of the cell. The students have also been researching biology-based topics that will be on display at the Howards Grove Middle School Showcase.
6th Grade
ELA
In Reader’s Workshop, we have been working on leveling up our nonfiction reading skills. We started the unit by tackling our nonfiction reading skills in a nonfiction chapter book. We worked to identify central ideas and analyzed how authors embed stories into nonfiction to also teach central ideas. We will be continuing our nonfiction unit by taking on different research topics such as: The Titanic, World War II, Ancient Egypt and Mummies, Space Exploration, and Natural Disasters. The students will be working in research groups to learn all that they can about their selected topics while also leveling up their nonfiction reading skills. They will continue to work on developing central ideas, synthesizing across various texts, as well as crafting objective summaries. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
MATH
Currently in math, all students are working on finding area, volume, and surface area of a variety of shapes. After that we will be moving into our data analysis unit, finding the mean, median, mode and range of a set of data. Along with this, we will be learning how to analyze graphs, create fluency tables and various graphs, and interpret what the data is telling us. Please let me know if you have any questions. ghaala@hgtigers.com
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES
Welcome Back!! I hope you all had a restful and reenergizing spring break. I know I am ready to tackle the fourth quarter head-on!! We are doing a couple of exciting things in the fourth term in science. First, we are beginning a Wonder Question Project. The students will be allowed to learn more about something they are interested in and will create a multimedia product to show what they have learned. If they choose to, some of their products will be on display at our HGMS Showcase in May. The other topic we’ll be touching on in the fourth quarter is Climate Change. We’ll be reading at least two books that talk about the subject to allow us some rich conversations while completing activities to go along with the subject matter. These books will only be available to be read here at school, so it is imperative that they complete the work needed in class. As always, reach out if you have any questions.
5th Grade
MATH
On March 14 (3.14), the fifth graders celebrated Pi Day by learning about what Pi is and eating pie! Please enjoy the pictures below.
SCIENCE
Mrs. Shannon Wynveen shared the history of the poppy and its importance to veterans. Fifth graders met in the library to learn more about American Legion Auxiliary poppy poster contest as well. All fifth graders will participate in the poster contest.
Howards Grove Middle School
Email: ahouston@hgsd.k12.wi.us
Website: www.hgtigers.org
Location: 506 Kennedy Avenue, Howards Grove, WI, USA
Phone: (920) 565-4452