St. Luke Middle School
Indianapolis, Indiana
2019-2020
Friday, January 17, 2020 - Edition 18
Dear Parents,
Happy Friday! We hope this newsletter finds you all settling into an easy routine with 2020! The students have done a great job acclimating after Christmas break as we see much attentiveness, active and engaging learners, and work that reflects strong study skills. We are starting out strong ~ #StLukeStrong!!
As always, please read the entire newsletter for vital information and, as stated in last week's newsletter, the math information for Quarter 3 has been added. Much information has been included.
Monday, January 20th is a holiday as we commemorate Martin Luther King Day. We hope that you all have a nice long weekend and we will see you all back on Tuesday, January 21st.
As always, have a great weekend!
Blessings ~
The Middle School Team
Spell Bowl
January Upcoming Events:
Monday 1/20
- MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY~No School
- Mass @ 8:15
- Mass @ 8:15
Monday 1/27 (Community)
- (dress as your favorite decade)
- 8:00 Gathering in the gym ~ join us!
Tuesday 1/28 (Nation)
- (dress w/red, white, blue on top/uniform bottoms)
- Mass @ 8:15
- (7th grade - wear pink)
- (8th grade - wear rainbow/tie dye)
- Spell Bowl @BCHS (4:30pm)
- (dress to impress/Sunday best)
- Mass @ 8:15
- (wear your favorite team gear)
- FAB FRIDAY
Quick Notes regarding Middle School Q3 Core Curriculum:
Math ~ Mrs. Reilly/Mrs. Weipert
- 8th Algebra (1) Course
- We are finishing our unit over Ch. 5 Systems of Equations and the students will be tested on Wednesday January 22nd. We will move onto and complete Ch. 6 Exponents and Ch. 7 Factoring before the end of quarter 3. We will cover quadratics, rational expressions and radical expressions in Quarter 4. After returning from Spring Break, students will also be working on the 8th grade geometry standards to help prepare them for the ILEARN assessment at the end of April.
- **Please note: if your student plans on going to Brebeuf and is going to take the math placement test in March, please have them come see me or Mrs. Bruner now to get the review packet for the material that we will not have covered before the March testing date. If your student plans on attending Cathedral or Chatard, they will take the math placement in June and will have been exposed to all of the algebra material by then.
- 8th Algebra Prep Course
- We are finishing our unit over Ch. 4 Linear Equations and the students will be tested on Part I today, Friday Jan 17th and Part II on Tues Jan 21st. We will move onto and complete Ch. 5 Systems of Equations and Ch. 6 Exponents. Ideally the students will start Ch. 7 Factoring before Spring Break. We will then cover Ch. 7 Factoring and Ch. 8 Quadratic Equations in Quarter 4. After returning from Spring Break, students will also be working on the 8th grade geometry standards to help prepare them for the ILEARN assessment at the end of April.
- 8th Intro to Algebra Course
- The students just started the Pre-Algebra Ch. 5 Functions and Linear Equations unit. We will spend some time introducing functions, slope, and linear equations and then will move onto the Ch. 4 Linear Equations Algebra Unit by the end of Q3. Students will then work on the Algebra Units Ch. 5 Systems of Equations and Ch. 6 Exponents and Exponential Functions in Q4. The goal is that the students complete the 1st semester Algebra material by the end of the year. After returning from Spring Break, students will also be working on the 8th grade geometry standards to help prepare them for the ILEARN assessment at the end of April.
7th grade:
- 7th Grade Math
- The students just started the Ch. 3 Equations Unit. We will spend the majority of Q3 working on solving equations and inequalities. We will then cover Ch. 5 Functions and Linear equations, concentrating on graphing and slope before the end of Q3. After Spring Break, students will cover Unit 4 Ratios, Rates, and Proportions and the 7th grade geometry standards from Unit 7 Geometry and Unit 8 Measurement before the ILEARN assessment at the end of April.
- 7th Grade PreAlg (1)
- The students are working on wrapping up Unit 4 Rates, Ratios and Percents and will take their Ch. 4 Test on Thursday January 23rd. We will then move onto Ch. 5 Functions & Linear Equations and then start Ch. 7 Geometry before the end of Q3. After Spring Break, we will finish Ch. 7 Geometry and Ch. 8 Measurement and spend the remainder of the year working on Ch. 6 Systems of Equations.
- 7th Grade PreAlg Prep
- The students are starting Ch. 4 Rates, Ratios and Proportions and will then move onto Ch. 5 Functions and Linear Equations before the end of Q3. After Spring Break, students will cover 7th grade geometry standards from Unit 7 Geometry and Unit 8 Measurement before the ILEARN assessment at the end of April and then finish the year working on Ch. 6 Systems of Equations.
The 7th and 8th grade students will be competing in the national math league contest again this year. The 8th grade will take the math contest assessment on Tuesday February 18th and the 7th grade will take the math contest assessment on Tuesday February 25th. Last year we placed in the top 3 schools of the state so we are excited to show off our math skills be competitive again this year!
After MLK day, Mrs. Weipert will begin stepping-in and taking on more of the teaching role for Mrs. Reilly, as she plans to prepare for maternity leave.
Math Help Sessions will be help on Tuesday and Thursdays after school until 4 pm through January. Starting in February (Thursday Feb. 6th), Math Help Sessions will only be offered after school on Thursdays until 4pm.
Once Mrs. Reilly begins her maternity leave, please plan on communicating all your questions and concerns regarding your student's math class to Mrs. Weipert at her school email address: melissa@stluke.school. We will send out communication to all parents when Mrs. Reilly's baby arrives and she begins her maternity leave.
Thanks so much for all of your support and understanding!
Cathedral High School
Bishop Chatard High School
* Last Chance! The Spirit Wear online store is open for the last time this school year. It closes, this Sunday.
* School is closed Monday, January 20th in observance of MLK day.
PREVIOUSLY SHARED INFORMATION:
Quick Notes regarding Middle School Q3 Core Curriculum:
RELIGION ~ Mrs. Gramling
We are continuing our study of church history with the jam packed years of 1400-1600: The Renaissance, Reformation and Counter Reformation and the missionary spirit that accompanied the Age of Discovery. We have looked at Dante’s Divine Comedy and the students created their own 9th circle of hell. We will be looking at some of the great masterpieces of Renaissance art and the influence of Classical Learning on Christian art and thought. We will end this section by looking at the problems in the church and the Saints who helped to reform her.
7th Grade:
We continue with Salvation History with the Conquest of the Holy Land and the period of Judges. The book of Joshua is filled with wonderful opportunities for the students to recognize connections between what is happening in the Conquest and what has come before. In Judges we will look at the Cycle of Sin the Israelites fall into and the role of Judges in this period by studying the story of Samson.
SOCIAL STUDIES ~ Dr. WIllett
8th Grade:
8th Graders finished studying the creation of the Constitution just before Christmas Break. In January we are picking up with our Founding Fathers as George Washington moves to establish precedents for the executive branch and navigate the many obstacles facing the young nation. We will journey forth and trace the growth of the nation through the early 19th Century and end our studies in May with the Civil War and Reconstruction. Throughout this semester, 8th graders will be working toward a strong understanding of what brought about the Civil War. In each unit of study we will explore what made us strong enough to withstand the test of such a cataclysmic event as well as what fundamental problems crumbled the foundation of the country.
7th Grade:
In 7th grade Social Studies we will be leaving Africa and begin our study of Asia. Although we will be shifting our focus, we will be constantly making connections between what we learned about Africa to our new understanding of Asia. This vast continent has rich history, amazing geographical features, and vibrant cultures for us to explore. As with our journey through Africa, we will start with the geography of the Asian continent and the locations of each of the countries in Asia. Students have already begun practicing the map on purpose games.com. From there, we will move into the history of each region of Asia, beginning in the east. We will finish in the Spring by sampling the many cultures of Asia and weaving our understanding of the previous units together.
Science ~ Mrs. Coss
We are continuing our study of chemical bonds and equations. Since coming back from break, we have been reviewing the types of bonds and how to correctly name compounds. Next week, we will work on balancing equations and formulas. Upcoming assessments to note: 1/21: Balancing Equations Quiz; 1/28: Chemical Bonds and Equations test. Students will receive a study guide for the test on 1/21, but they are already available if requested. This will complete our study of chemistry, and then we will move to biology, which is what most of the students will take their freshman year. We will start our study of biology with a cells review and cell reproduction.
7th Grade:
We have finished our study of physical science, and we will now be moving on to Earth Science. We will start with studying the structure and layers of the Earth, and then move on to Plate Tectonics. Next week, the students will be taking their first benchmark test, which covers all of the material that we have learned so far in science. It is completely open-note and all multiple choice. It will count as one of their test grades for 3rd Quarter. We talked about it before break, and I reminded the students of it this week. They will be taking it on a block day in order to allow for maximum time in case they need it.
8th Grade English/Language Arts ~ Mrs. Alexander
We will also begin our etymology component that will finish up in May. The students will receive weekly vocabulary words ~ we will discuss the root as well as prefixes and suffixes, their respective definitions, and how to use them in a sentence. Every two lessons will result in a review day followed by a test. Formal vocabulary development/lessons will take place on our block days (Tues/Thurs) so a test will result approximately every 2 weeks. They will be listed on the tests/quizzes calendar going forward. The first lesson took place yesterday, so the first test is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st. I'm excited about this program and look forward to building on the students depth of knowledge with words, words that they can count on seeing in the future as they participate in standardized tests throughout their formal education (ISTEP, PSAT, SAT, and ACT). Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have!
7th English/Language Arts ~ Mr. Brown
8th Grade Parents ~ HS Shadowing Reminder:
HIGH SCHOOL VISITS
All of the Catholic high schools and some public schools will hold open houses for you to see the facility and meet the staff. Parents are encouraged to begin this process in seventh grade.
Parents of eighth graders may wish to have your child visit a school during a school day to "shadow" a student. This is not something that must be done, but it is permitted under the following guidelines:
- All teachers and the office must receive a notice in writing 48 hours prior​ t​ o the scheduled visit.
- Students are allowed up to two days a year to visit schools after the end of the first quarter through February.
- If students can complete work prior to the visitation they are encouraged to do so. Students are responsible for turning in all missed work by the next class day. Students are responsible for getting assignments. Tests must be made up the next class day if they are missed for shadowing. The time of the delayed testing, before, during or after school, is at the teacher’s discretion.
- These days are considered present for record-keeping purposes.
Welcome & Congratulations to Tristan & Dana!
Tristan Hummel, 8th Grade and Dana Hyde, Grade 7, a RCIC Candidate and Catechum respectively, took part in the Rite of Welcoming as part of our Parish this month. They continue on their Faith Journey towards full initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Congratulations, Tristan and Dana! You continue to be in our thoughts and prayers!
Quarter 2 Overview:
8th Grade Literature/Lab
As far as homework goes, the students are expected to read 2 chapters every night...while there will be class periods in which we will start this homework, typically the students will not have time to complete and it will be assigned as homework. See this syllabus for further details.
7th Grade Literature/Lab
8th Grade Science
7th Grade Science
8th Grade Social Studies
7th Grade Social Studies
Middle School Math
- Parents please help to ensure that your student is completing all of his/her homework at night and checking their answers! The students are not complete with their homework until they have checked all of their answers. All of the answers and work to the math homework are on google classroom. The students are expected to be checking their homework every night before they come into the classroom - this helps to ensure that they are practicing their skills correctly. I would advise your student to complete 3-4 questions at a time, then have them stop and check their answers. They should use a colored pen and check mark correct answers and re-work wrong answers using the pen. Once they have checked those 3-4 questions, they should move on to 3 to 4 more questions, then stop and check their work. This way, students catch mistakes before completing the entire homework. Daily homework is a 3 point completion grade.
- The students are required to complete 6 lessons OR a knowledge check on ALEKS each week. They can earn extra credit on ALEKS. For every additional 3 lessons completed, they can earn 1 pt bonus.
- Every week we work on standard based questions for our bell work. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of each week, the students work out 8 questions a day at the start of class. The questions are a spiral review of the grade level standards. We go through and workout the answers together in-class. On Friday of every week, we have a "weekly spiral review check/assessment" that is worth 5-7pts. If your student is struggling with this assessment, I would encourage them to review the problems that we worked out throughout the week on Thursday night to help prepare them for their check.
- Lastly, a reminder that math help is offered on Tuesday/Thursday after school until 4pm. This is a time for your student to work on math homework and seek help on concepts that they are struggling with.
Thank you and have a great weekend!
8th Grade Religion
7th Grade Religion
Accessing Grades thru Plus Portals
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Religion/Mrs. Gramling
UNIFORM REMINDERS:
Please check your student's uniform. As Mrs. Borland reminded us this week in an email, please make sure your child is in compliance with our dress code. "Girls uniform skirt length is to be no shorter than 2-3 inches above the knee. There are several girls that must have hit a growth spurt, because their skirts are too short. Please check your daughter's skirt length (both in the front and in the back). If a hem needs let out or a new skirt needs purchased, please take care of that. Skirts can be purchased at Schoolbelles or online from Land's End." Thanks for your support.
- Sweatshirts: While the spirit wear sweatshirts are fun, and are fine for recess, they are not approved uniform attire during the academic school day. DC GEAR IS NOT ST. LUKE UNIFORM OR SPIRIT WEAR. The 8th grade students may wear their 8th grade royal blue sweatshirts, 7th grade may wear the red or navy quarter zip uniform sweatshirts or the sweater/cardigan option.
- Skirt: After summer growth spurts, this is a great time of year to double check that skirts are still fitting appropriately. The official school guideline is that skirts should be no more than 3 inches above the knee. (If you’re looking for an easy reference, this is the width of an index card.)
- Shirts: Shirts should be tucked in!
- Belts: Belts are required for all students in grade 5 -8.
- Socks: SOLID white, black, navy or red socks may be worn!! No multi-colored please!!
- A complete overview of the St. Luke Catholic School Uniform Policy can be found on the Parent Resources tab of the school website.