Principal's Pondering
Linden Middle School Parent Newsletter
Dear Parents/Guardians:
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. March 18th will be the 8th grade high school orientation. This meeting will be held in the high school auditorium, beginning promptly at 6:00 PM and ending at 7:30 PM. 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. Please make time to attend this important event!
Seventh graders will receive information regarding the 8th grade Washington D.C. trip on Wednesday, March 12th. Please be sure to ask your child for the information!
The next parent Koffee Klatch will be held Tuesday, March 11th 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, very deserving eighth grade class!
This year, the middle school will participate in the new ACT Aspire testing program. All eighth graders will be taking the new assessment. We will select sixty seventh and sixth grade students to pilot the seventh and sixth grade tests. The new testing program, in line with next year's Smarter Balance Testing (replacing the MEAP tests), is a computer based assessment. All tests; reading, language arts, writing, science, and mathematics, will be given through a Web-based program. With our work with the DIGITS mathematics program the last two years, we are very confident that our student are ready for the changes that are ahead of our schools. I will discuss this more at this month's Parent Koffee Klatch meeting on March 11th. Please contact me with any questions you may have about the ACT Aspire testing program.
As always, please feel free to contact the main office with any questions you may have! (810) 591-0710.
Sincerely,
Julie Brown
Talented Talons
Our team has scheduled our annual Imagination Station (hands-on science museum) trip for Thursday, April 24th. We always need about 15 to 20 parents to help us out. If you are willing to chaperone a group of 5 to 6 students, then mark your calendars and prepare for an awesome time! More details to come.
Pi Day (3.14) is coming soon. Ask your son/daughter what that means.
Science: We are finishing up our Physical and Chemical Change unit with awesome presentations and demonstrations of chemical changes. The students have worked hard to prepare, and they are excited about being scientists! The next unit will take us full circle back to the Periodic Table for a more in-depth look at the elements. Please keep checking ParentVue for updates on student grades!
Math: We are finishing up our second unit on the number system, with a test next week over Rational numbers (by the way, Pi is irrational.) Next unit of discovery is Ratio and Proportional thinking. This is a huge concept for all three middle school years.
Reminder: There is a huge correlation between homework and test scores. The higher the homework completion, the higher test scores soar. Up to date grades can be seen on Digits, not Parent Vue.
Language Arts: In language arts, students are starting in on our first novel study of the year ,Tuck Everlasting. In this novel, students will read about the story of a young girl who finds herself caught up in events with a family that can live forever. A few of the main things we will be focusing on in this novel are theme, protagonists and antagonists, imagery, inferencing, and figurative language. After our novel study, students will have an opportunity to use creative writing when they write their own fantasy narratives!
Social Studies: In Social Studies this past month we finished the geography, natural resources, and climate unit on Canada. Students are now learning about Canada’s history, regions, people, and today’s culture. To better understand inform that students are reading, many lessons have not only focused on content, but also on comprehension and vocabulary. Ask your child the definition of referendum or entity. Students have learned that Canada is a bilingual country and that Quebec’s regionalism has caused a crisis in Canada’s history. The final test on Canada will be next week to close out trimester two.
Winged Warriors
Math
Math classes have been working with rational numbers and comparing them. Students had to compare negative and positive fractions, decimals, mixed numbers, and integers. We also plotted these numbers on a coordinate plane and plotted points to make polygons. In our next topic, we will be exploring ratios. We will learn how to write them, compare them, find equivalent ratios, and write them as decimals and percents. Remember that student grades are found on Digits. Students need to do their homework in order to test well. Please stress the importance of reading the questions carefully and taking time as they go through each assignment.
Language Arts
Language Arts classes have been continuing the study of fantasy fiction. Students are using the novel, Tuck Everlasting, as a model for exemplary writing to help them write their own short fantasy stories. Students continue to have spelling lessons and tests weekly. A new Reading Log will be assigned on March 3 and will be due on March 18.
Social Studies
We are currently finishing our study of Canada. This week we tackle Chapter 6, Section 3. A chapter test is tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 28th. Please continue to check Parentvue to stay on top of your child’s grades and missing work. In addition, there are a lot of students coming to class without pencils. Please make sure your child has the necessary supplies to be successful in class.
Science
We are just completing our study of Matter and the Periodic Table. But with this chapter, instead of a test ,the students will be completing a project. watch for more information. We will next focus on Earth Science, specifically the Formation of Earth, the Rock Cycle and Volcanoes and Earthquakes. We will try something different; NO Textbook. The students will be responsible for keeping track of all handouts, and the reading materials will be kept in the class. Keep your fingers crossed. Help Mr. Zonca out - if you find any The Nature of Matter books, send them back to school.
Keep Smiling! They say Spring is coming!!!!
Next Year's Washington D.C. Trip paperwork will be going home Wednesday, March 12th! Ask you child for it!
Regal Eagles
It is hard to believe how quickly the school year is flying by! Help make the third trimester your child’s best. Insist they use a planner. Replace a missing planner, if needed. Check ParentVue often to stay apprised of missing work and upcoming deadlines. Share this responsibility with your child to build self-reliance. Stock up on pencils and other needed supplies. If you are able, send in a box of Kleenex to your child’s advisory teacher. We are running low!
Look for a permission slip regarding our field trip to the Lansing Lugnuts baseball game in May. We would love to have you join us as a chaperone! Payment to the Lugnuts is required early, so please be advised of the deadline.
Need an entry point to spark some great dinner conversation? Ask your student about current topics in the classroom! We are learning about how cells use oxygen and osmosis in science, beginning research papers on a major city in language arts, and entering into chapter 8- African history in social studies.
Soaring Eagles
It’s hard to believe the third Trimester is almost here!
In language arts, students are working on a research paper about a city they would like to visit in the future. This might be great dinner table conversation! In math, students are having a blast solving inequalities! In social studies, students are still learning about Africa. We will visit each region and learn about Nelson Mandela and his contributions to the world.
The second Trimester ends March 14, so report cards will go home the following week. Please remind your child to stay focused and finish up the trimester on a positive note!
If you have any questions or comments, please contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible. Updated grades are available on StudentVue & ParentVue. If you do not know your child’s log-in information, please contact the main office at 591-0711.
8th Grade News
Eighth graders are finishing the second trimester 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 at (810) 591-0710. It is also important to keep checking your student’s Digits math account. This will help you check for missing assignments!
It may be March, but the weather is still cold. Please make sure your student is prepared to go outside everyday after lunch! They need coats, hats, gloves, and all winter accessories with them at lunch everyday. Also, when the weather does warm up, please make sure your student is following the dress code! Check your student’s planner, page 37, for the reference card for shorts, skirts and shirts!
The last parent/teacher conferences will be held on May 1st. Please try to attend to speak with your child’s teachers.
Language Arts is finishing a unit on Biographies. We have enjoyed learning about many different people and their impact on society. The third trimester focuses on Science Fiction. Students will be watching a performance of The Giver on April 22nd at the high school.
Science has been studying the weather. And what better place to study the Polar Vortex than right here in MichiganJ The next unit of study is climate. Let’s hope we have a climate change to spring weather!
Calendar
March 3 LMS Newsletter Posted on Web site
March 11 LMS Parent Koffee Klatch; Media Center; 4:00-5:00 PM
March 11 LMS Choir Concert; 7:00 PM
March 14 LMS PI (3.14) Day!
March 14 End of Second Trimester
March 17 No School; Staff Records Day
March 18 8th Grade HS Orientation for Parents @ LHS; 6:00 PM
March 20 LMS Talent Show; 4:00 PM
March 21 Community Band Carnival @ LMS
March 25 LMS Spring Photos
March 28 LMS Media Day
April 1 LMS Newsletter Posted on Web site
April 4 Spring Break begins at END of Day
April 14 Classes Resume
April 18 No School
April 22 8th Grade to The Giver Play at LHS