March Newsletter
Bring back your Lifetouch pictures and payment by 3/28!
Math-
During the last week of March, we worked on a lot of statistics and probability. It’s funny to me that many of these items we learned are in the 7th grade curriculum for Massachusetts, and I never really learned these things until my later years in high school. We are going to revisit a lot of topics we learned before and review or dive deeper into using them in real life problems. One topic that we haven’t really visited is 3 dimensional shapes. We’ll explore the difference between the shapes and figure out the surface area and volume of various 3-dimensional shapes.
The last test for term 3 will be
A,B, & C Blocks
Thursday April 5th for A, B, & C blocks
E & F Blocks
Wednesday April 4th for E & F blocks
Mrs. Perrault will be available after school on Tuesdays & Wednesdays and during Powerblock on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. My softball schedule will make after school help a little difficult, but I’ll let the students know each week when help is available.
We will be taking MCAS on May 15 & 16.
English-
Our research papers and presentations are done! The kids worked very hard on this project! All the grades are in Aspen and, hopefully, you have seen their rubrics and paper.
We will be starting an “oldy but goody”, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. So, it will be time to travel down the Mississippi River and see what kind of trouble Tom can find.
Keep checking Google Classroom for upcoming homework and important dates. Also, the Tom Sawyer packet and book will be posted there just in case it may have been forgotten at school when it comes time to do homework!
The students will be taking the ELA MCAS will be on
May 1st and 2nd!
Science-
We have made it through this snowy month of March and are finally coming to the close of our ecology unit! We have discussed ecosystems, predator-prey relationships, symbiosis, biogeography, and biodiversity. Some students even made a “Biorama” project for extra credit! We are currently working on a Tic-Tac-Toe Choice board to learn about the Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen cycles within the Biosphere. Within the next 2 weeks, we will take our Ecology Unit Test, and then move on to Physical Science.
In our Physical Science Unit, the students will be able to explore the concepts of magnetism and electromagnetism, kinetic and potential energy, thermal energy, and electricity. We will be able to do some cool experiments like building electrical circuits, and some insulator and conductor testing. Thank you for continuing to check Google Classroom for announcements, homework assignments, and to check in with what we are working on. Please keep on monitoring your student to make sure s/he is completing weekly research on time! Thank you very much and happy spring!
Reading-
Students have been working hard on writing outlines. They are doing a great job of reading multiple articles, answering questions and determining the main ideas that are relevant to each source. Students are encouraged to use the text to quote directly when supporting their main ideas. Keep up the good work!
Next, we will be looking at the life and times of Anne Frank. Students will become familiar with the time period as well as the different characteristics of those that inhabited the secret annex. We will be reading along with an audio version of a play that is written by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. We will have quizzes based on vocabulary and comprehension. We will also be tackling many activities geared around Anne Frank. Ask your student to tell you something about Anne Frank!
Social Studies-
Guidance-
Course Selection - please complete the attached google form with your student regarding course for 8th grade. Forms should be submitted by Friday April 6th. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Ms Wilder at 508-894-1220 ext 1310 or awilder@wbridgewater.com.
Course Selection link - 2018-2019 Course Selections
As the weather turns warmer it is often harder to stay focused on school. As it stands today the last day of school will be Thursday June 21st. Students need to be engaged and working until the last day. Academic eligibility for fall sports is based on fourth term grades, as well as year end averages. Please refer the the student handbook policy stated below:
ACADEMIC PROBATION - A student will be placed on academic probation status if the student receives two or more failing grades (numeric grade below 65) on a report card. The consequences for being placed on academic probation include exclusion from all after school activities unless permission has been granted by the administration. Students on academic probation are required to leave school grounds at 2:05 p.m., the end of the school day. A student on academic probation may remain only to participate in verifiable teacher approved extra help sessions, make-up work sessions, homework club sessions, or detentions. Students failing two or more courses will be encouraged to attend after school homework sessions from 2:05-3:00.
NO SCHOOL
Friday, Mar 30, 2018, 12:00 AM
Your House
Flower Power Fundraiser ENDS 3/31
http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/campaign?q=campaign&campaign_id=25996