Marie Murphy Chronicles
2 November 2018
All Sorts of Things To Be Happy About!
Illinois School Report Card Publication Cause For Celebration at Marie Murphy, Avoca West!
Additionally, the release of the report cards allows viewers to see how all schools are performing and make comparisons between them. This is a valuable tool for educators as it allows us to see which peers we can learn from to expand our professional learning community.
Marie Murphy's academic performance as compared to other New Trier feeder schools was truly distinguished! In the seven different academic performance tasks that MM students engaged in last year (6th, 7th & 8th Grade ELA PARCC, 6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Math PARCC, and 8th Grade Illinois Science Assessment), Marie Murphy had the highest percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards in five of the areas. In the two areas MM students did not finish at the top of the township, they finished second.
This type of performance is the result of the consistent hard work of our students, the support of our parents, and the talents & efforts of our teachers, both at Marie Murphy and Avoca West. Those three factors combined together create a truly special environment and a culture of learning that makes Marie Murphy exemplary!
Congratulations to 6th Grade!
Congratulations to 7th Grade!
Congratulations to 8th Grade!
BUMP-SET-SPIKE! & GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL!
In volleyball, the Junior Varsity Vikings ran off seven straight wins to start the season, dropping their first match this past week. Coach Fay Fasoi's team is tied with Glencoe for first place with four matches left to play before the year-end tournament. The Varsity Vikings, under Coach Kelli Lane, have also played well, battling to a .500 record this first month of the season. The Varsity Vikings look to finish strong as they head into the conference tournament.
In soccer, the both JV and Varsity have built off of each other's success. Coaches Chad Henley and Jessica Bodzewski have led the Viking Kickers to a combined record of nine wins, no losses, and two ties. With such talented teams, both squads very much look to be favorites for North Shore Conference title runs!
8th Grade Embraces Science & History To Develop Info Text Skills
Traditionally, English classes have embraced literature while doing little to promote informational text reading. But not at Marie Murphy! In a wrap-around approach to develop informational text skills, all 8th grade core classes are dedicating time alloted for informational text reading so that every 8th grade student can participate in six informational text study sessions taking place over three weeks in October.
Focusing on vocabulary comprehension, outlining and summarizing, students are working collaboratively on one five informational text selections. These reading selections include:
- The Book of Blood: From Legends & Leeches to Vampires & Veins
- Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
- The Great Fire
- Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History
- Invincible Microbe: Tuberculosis and the Never-Ending Search for a Cure
The end result are students who are better able to make meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary, organize a plethora of factual information, and identify the most important information from a passage. Additionally, these are skills that will serve all 8th grade students well as they transition to New Trier and other high schools next year.
And all this is accomplished without the benefit of a comfy chair, roaring fire, or a pumpkin spice latte!
Smile! Learning is fun!
Marie Murphy 6th Graders Go Full Rocket (Wo)Man in Science!
The week of October 1st found the newest Marie Murphy students embracing their inner Rocket Man, or Rocket Woman, while completing their Straw Rocket Lab during science class. While Elton John sang "...all this science I don't understand, it's just my job five days a week," Marie Murphy's 6th graders had no such troubles!
Mr. Ogden's students had to take into account multiple variables such as plunger height, trajectory angle, fin design, and rocket length, in designing their rocket and determining a firing procedure. The goal? To hit, or get as close as possible, to a target 50 feet away across the Multi-Purpose Room. No one had to burn there fuse up there alone as the students worked collaboratively in small groups. Two launching stations allowed for increased trials, calculations, hypothesis evaluation, and data collection, all critical components of helping students understand the bigger concept of the scientific method.
Learning with projectiles is fun, as the students found out! And I think it's gonna be a long, long time until...these kids forget how much fun they had in completing the Rocket Straw Lab!
Hang On! Here's The Calendar!
October 8: No School
October 10: "Parenting In The Digital Age" Presentation at WJHS
October 12: MM Parent Coffee & Discussion
October 18: 7th Grade to "LIttle Shop of Horrors" at Drury Lane
October 18: BOE Meeting
October 19: Picture Retake Day
October 19: Annual Halloween Dance
October 22-23: 6th & 7th Grade Guys Basketball Tryouts
October 24: 8th Grade Guys Basketball Tryouts
October 24-25: 1/2 Day Attendance/Parent Teacher Conferences
October 26: No School (Institute Day)
October 26: End of First Quarter
October 29-31: Science Olympiad Tryouts
November 1-2: Girls Basketball Tryouts
Marie Murphy School
Email: palcerm@avoca37.org
Website: https://avoca37.org/
Location: 2921 Illinois Road, Wilmette, IL, United States
Phone: 847.251.3617