Meeting in the Middle
March 2017
Dear Parents/Guardians:
The second semester will end on Friday, March 17th! Remember to track your child’s grades and assignments on ParentVue. This is an excellent tool for parents to use to stay connected with their child’s progress. Contact the main office at (810) 591-0710 for your activation code. Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Thursday, March 23rd from 3:00-7:00 PM.
This spring, all students will again take the M-Step standardized tests in mathematics and English/language arts. This series of test is quite involved and will cause changes to our day-to-day academic schedule. For each test, we will have core classes in the morning. For instance, the week of 8th grade testing, all grades will begin the day in 3rd hour and end the day in 2nd hour. I will review the M-Step schedule at our next Koffee Klatch meeting on Tuesday, March 21st. A copy of the schedule will be posted on the Web site after Koffee Klatch.
This is the time of the year that eighth graders begin contemplating their move to the high school! Through the Educational Development Planing class, students have (or will) worked on their 4-year plan for high school. To help parents and students with the transition to high school, high school staff will share information about courses, scheduling, and expectations. Scheduling information will be handed out at this meeting. We will let you know when the high school schedules that event - generally in April.
The next parent Koffee Klatch will be held Tuesday, March 21st from 4:00-5:00 PM. We will meet in the media center. We will begin forming the 8th grade Yearbook Signing Party committee. Eighth grade parents are needed to make this event a success for our very deserving eighth grade class!
As always, please feel free to contact the main office with any questions you may have! (810) 591-0710.
Sincerely,
Julie Brown
Talented Talons
March 28th- Field Trip to Imagination Station-
Permission Slips due on the 21st. 15 Chaperones needed. See information on permission slip.
For the past several weeks, the students in Ms. Mazza's language arts class have been focused on reading fantasy novels. In their studies, they are inferring the meaning of unknown words and using a dictionary to check for understanding. They are identifying figurative language in the text and, in literature groups, are using a plot chart to analyze the plot of the text they are reading.
In math, we’re deep into the study of ratios, rates and proportional reasoning. Students have a Pizza Performance Task due on March 15th. What’s your favorite recipe for pizza?
Mrs. Thorin is due back after spring break! Thanks to Mrs. Valdez for keeping class running smoothly during her maternity leave!
Winged Warriors
In Science, students are starting the Chemical Changes Unit. This unit will involve group presentations and demonstrations. Look for the instructions to come home soon. Most of it will be completed in class, but some things might have to be done outside of class; depending on what demonstration the students choose. Please be sure to check ParentVue regularly, remember that students always have the opportunity to redo any assignment or test to earn a higher grade.
In Social Studies we are beginning TCI Chapter 9. In this unit, the students will investigate spatial inequity in Mexico City. They will read about the causes and effects of the city’s rapid growth. They will look at the causes of unequal distribution of wealth and resources over this geographical area.
In Math class, students have been working with rational numbers. Students have been comparing positive and negative integers and now will also look at decimals, fractions, and mixed numbers. Students will be using all types of rational numbers in topic 9. The following topic we will do is Ratios. Students will learn what a ratio is and how to compare ratios and find equivalent ratios. They will also learn how real world problems can be solved using ratios. Please remember that student grades are found on Digits. Under the grades tab, you will find test average, homework average, and overall grade.
In Language Arts, students are using their analysis of the plot, setting, characters, vocabulary, and figurative language in Tuck Everlasting to write a complete summary. Students will be reading their own books and writing complete summaries based on their plot charts. Students continue to study spelling/vocabulary weekly.
Report: 6 million students miss too much school
Students from all parts of the country and of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, missed significant amounts of school.
Chronically absent students are more likely to struggle academically and less likely to graduate.
More than 6 million students—representing 13 percent of the K-12 population—missed at least 15 days of school in 2013-14, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from the U.S. Department of Education.
“Every district has attendance data, but most haven’t been calculating chronic absence,” says Hedy Nai-Lin Chang, executive director of Attendance Works, a national initiative to increase student achievement by increasing attendance. “If you’re looking at access and equity in schools—whether or not kids are in school so they have a chance to learn—is a huge indicator of whether we’re creating equal opportunities.”
These “chronically absent” students were more likely to struggle academically and less likely to graduate, research shows.
“While every child grapples with challenges from time to time, such as illness or a family emergency, we’re finding from growing research that chronic absenteeism is a cause of low academic achievement and a powerful indicator of which students are at the highest risk of dropping out,” says James Cole Jr., who, as general counsel to the U.S. Department of Education, serves as a deputy secretary.
Students from all parts of the country, and of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, missed significant amounts of school, the analysis found. High school students had the highest rate of chronic absenteeism—almost 20 percent—followed by middle school (12 percent) and elementary students (10 percent).
Disability status also was a factor, as more than 17 percent of students with disabilities were chronically absent, compared to 12 percent of students without disabilities.
Regal Eagles
Language Arts In Language Arts, students are beginning their work on their city research projects. For this assignment, students will be selecting a city and then conducting research regarding hotels, restaurants, attractions, and travel accommodations. Students will then write a report detailing all of these things in the hopes of attracting visitors to their city.
After the research paper, students will be looking at informational non-fiction, with a focus on the wreck of the Titanic. Later in the month, students will be visiting the Sloan Museum to see the Titanic exhibit. Look for permission forms to come home soon.
Science In science, we just finished learning the levels of organization of a human, and that cells are organized into tissues, tissues into organs, organs into systems, and systems into an organism. We also spent time learning about the body systems. Students did an excellent job on their presentations of a body system. We recently spent time going more in depth with the nervous system and understanding how an impulse is transmitted from one neuron to the next. Students enjoyed the classroom activities that went along with these lessons.
Next, students will begin learning about photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Students will be designing a seed lab in class where they will be comparing normal growth of a plant to the growth of a plant where they manipulate the conditions. This activity will help students to understand how plants grow and what they need to survive.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Social Studies Our recent unit in social studies focused on Judaism. Judaism is one of the five major world religions that we will be studying this year. Now we are beginning the unit of study on Ancient India. Students recently learned about the geography of the region and why and where people settled there. Next, we will be learning about India’s culture: its people and their religions.
Remember, students have access to almost all their assignments online and their textbooks are online through teachtci.com.
Soaring Eagles
8th Grade Newsletter
Eighth graders will soon enter the final quarter of the school year. With spring just around the corner, it is more important than ever to keep checking your student’s progress on ParentVue! (Synergy). Also, teachers are posting homework assignments with due dates and upcoming tests/quizzes on ParentVue to keep you informed. If you still cannot access your account, please call the office.
It is also important to keep checking your student’s Digits math account. This will help you check for missing assignments!
Weather in Linden is so unpredictable. Please make sure your student is prepared to go outside everyday after lunch! They may need coats, hats, gloves, and all winter accessories with them at lunch every day, or they may just need a sweatshirt. Please make sure they are ready for any kind of precipitation!
Mr. Gotham is back in class! He will post class activities again in Synergy so you can help your student keep track of the work being done in class. The atmosphere is continuing to build pressure in Science. Students will soon be on to this topic. Severe weather will be the next unit to study, which fits perfectly for Michigan spring!!
Language Arts is finishing a journey of biographies. Many students have done projects and written papers for a special person they have studied. The final quarter will start an exploration of Science-Fiction!
For planning purposes, we would like to inform parents of 8th students of the trip to Cedar Point on June 7th ahead of time. The cost will be around $87. Hopefully this gives parents enough time to save for the trip.
February Writer of the Month
As part of the Writer of the Month program, each month students will be honored for completing an exceptional piece of writing. These selections will be on display in the Media Center. The Writers of the Month for February are:
Joe Miller
Kyle Eberhard
Colleen Blackwood
Savannnah Franks
Olivia Burke
Patrick Riley
Jacob Jones
Hayden Mitchell
Joseph Jablonski
Kenny Provenzola