CHMS NOVEMBER 2015 NEWSLETTER
Volume Two
The Hour of Code! Bringing Computer Science to CHMS!
We live in a world surrounded by technology. And we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology works. But only a tiny fraction of us are learning computer science, and fewer students are studying it than a decade ago.
That’s why our entire school is joining in on the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 7-13). More than 100 million students worldwide have already tried an Hour of Code. Students will be participating in an Hour of Code on December 9th during their Math blocks. Please feel free to visit!
Our Hour of Code is a statement that CHMS is ready to teach these foundational 21st-century skills. To continue bringing programming activities to your students, we want to make our Hour of Code event huge. I encourage you to volunteer, reach out to local media, share the news on social media channels and consider hosting additional Hour of Code events in the community.
This is a chance to change the future of education in Cecil County.
See http://hourofcode.com/us for details, and help spread the word.
Technology Note
From the Music Department
The Winter Concert is coming! Just a reminder that the concert is on December 17th at Elkton High School, not Cherry Hill. Chorus students are to wear black pants, dark shoes, and long sleeve white shirts; boys, show us some style with a tie! Any questions please email Ms. Tolley at sdtolley@ccps.org
We will be selling refreshments and have a few things for raffles to raise money for Operation Ward 57 at Walter Reed Medical Center.
Donations will also be accepted to go towards helping our veterans.
Operation Ward 57 is a non-profit organization supporting our heroic post-9/11 wounded and ill service members (and veterans), their loved ones & family members. Our organization was founded by and consists of wounded service members, current & former members of the military & Walter Reed Medical Center, as well as those that have big hearts and want to make a difference in another individual's life.
6th Grade Social Studies ~ Ms. Gallaher
During the 2nd Marking Period students will be learning about the earliest known river valley civilizations in the world. We will be covering 3 ancient civilizations on 2 continents when we journey from Mesopotamia to Egypt, then to the Indus River Valley, and lastly to Northern China. The macro-concept for Unit 2 is contributions so students will be learning about how our world has been shaped specifically by those ancient civilizations. Some of the assessments during this unit will include county-based assignments, at least one artifact analysis, at least one argumentative writing task, and a Unit Test.
Students have been reminded of CCPS’ Acceptable Use Policy and are expected to follow it when completing school work, whether on a Chrome Book in class or through their own device outside of school.
6th Grade ELA ~ Mrs. Stauffer and Mrs. Lisa
It’s hard to believe the first marking period is behind us, and Mrs. Stauffer’s ELA class is in full swing. We are currently reading the book Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. Students are examining story structure, multiple perspectives, and character traits. We are enjoying rich discussions about the book’s characters as well as the compelling experiences that August has as a result of going to school for the first time as a student with severe facial anomalies.
We also just finished a mini unit on urban legends, and students are finishing writing short narrative stories of a spooky sort. Students have used plot structure to plan their stories, and will infuse figurative language and sentence writing strategies through editing and revising.
Please be on the lookout for borrowed books from my classroom library that need to be returned. Ask your sixth grader if he/she has borrowed a book that needs to be returned to my library! I’m missing quite a few. (Look for orange, pink and green stickers).
Enjoy the rest of your fall and the upcoming holidays!
6th Grade Math ~ Ms. Tice, Mrs. Lisa, and Mr. Netta
The first marking period flew by quickly! Our math studies have turned to The Number System for the second marking period. We have moved from ratios to reviewing our prior knowledge in adding, subtracting, and multiplying fractions. In addition, we have been dividing fractions and drawing models to justify our solutions. In this unit, we use the greatest common factor and least common multiple of two or more numbers to solve real-life problems. Finally, we will be studying integers (negative and positive numbers) by ordering, comparing, graphing, and using them in real-life problems. In our accelerated classes we will also be adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers.
Keeping organized with a binder, tab dividers, and the planner is important for all our 6th graders. Please check your student’s materials to see if anything needs to be replaced at this point. Special note: WHITE BOARD MARKERS are greatly needed in class. Students are encouraged to carry their own marker for use almost daily.
7th Grade Social Studies ~ Mrs. Gawel and Mrs. Davis
It’s hard to believe that the Second Marking Period is already upon us and with the new marking period, comes a new unit of study. Our macro concept for Unit 2 is Movement. In this unit, we will identify the factors that influence the settlement of people. We will also analyze population issues and examine migration patterns. Lastly, we will discuss the causes and effects of globalization.
7th Grade ELA ~ Mrs. Gawel and Mrs. Lee
The second marking period finds us in our unit of study, called “Movement.” In this unit, we will explore what causes people, ideas, or systems to move or change as well as analyze the impact of these changes. Our literary focus is on characters who undergo transformations.
Also, in this unit, students continue to improve their communication skills by reading and responding to text during weekly Touchstones Discussions. Students are also refining their writing skills through their participation in the Proficiencies of Sentence Writing, as well as essay writing.
Cherry Hill Middle School
Website: http://schools.ccps.org/chms/
Location: 2535 Singerly Road, Elkton, MD, United States
Phone: 410-996-5020