The Cooper School Daily
April 12, 2024
A Tree, a Symbol of Growth
A Tree, a Symbol of Growth
By: Emmylou Allen
A tree swaying in the field of sweet spring,
a story to tell needing to be heard.
The vivid colors that autumn soon bring,
in the restless strong wind, colors so blurred.
Winter comes; new appearances await.
With winter comes a terrible escape.
In my comfort, coziness is my fate,
weighed down by heavy snow branches agape.
As the sun hits my back, so leaves grow back.
My skin transforms – a golden tan arrives.
Sunshine’s rays in this time they never lack.
The old, wise trees have lived many past lives.
Trees grow tall as I grow into myself.
Lessons of nature give me words of wealth.
The line “trees grow tall as I grow into myself” suits this season of life for our middle schoolers so well. As we reflect back on the past school year, I’ve seen so much growth physically, academically, and emotionally in the TCS middle schoolers. They’ve stepped into their respective roles, taken charge of their academics, and grown into themselves.
-AG
Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:
What’s happening in Science?
Sixth graders continued their study about the human body systems. They learned about the different parts of the brain and how the parts help us navigate our surroundings. They also learned how neurons communicate with different parts of the body through neurotransmission. They continued to work on their projects about the diseases that have changed history. They will present their findings to the middle school next week.
What’s up in ELA?
6th graders worked hard to prepare their sonnet presentations at the top of the week – providing authentic feedback and encouragement to one another. We also continued to track group power dynamics and its impact on character identities as we read on through Return to Sender.
Next week, readers will examine how authors like Julia Alverez create positive and negative messaging around topics with word choice and tone. We will proofread run-on sentences and review verb types in grammar.
What’s going on in Math?
This week, 6th graders began exploring data representation via dot plots, bar graphs, and histograms. They analyzed this data by finding and interpreting the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and mean absolute deviation (MAD). Next week, they’ll take this knowledge and apply it to comparing sets of data!
What’s happening in Social Studies?
Sixth graders finished their Africa unit with an assessment over early African civilizations. Students progressed into their Renaissance unit by mastering the unit vocabulary. Students spent the remainder of the week learning about the different arts and literature in the Renaissance and completing a mini research project on an influential person during that time period.
Next week, the students will finish presenting their research projects to their peers. After the completion of the presentations, we will progress into the impact of the Renaissance and dive into Reformation!
Important Dates:
April 17: Middle School Sports Banquet- 5pm
April 27: Spring Auction & Gala- 6pm @ Founder’s Hall (tickets available until 4/12)
By: Emmylou Allen
A tree swaying in the field of sweet spring,
a story to tell needing to be heard.
The vivid colors that autumn soon bring,
in the restless strong wind, colors so blurred.
Winter comes; new appearances await.
With winter comes a terrible escape.
In my comfort, coziness is my fate,
weighed down by heavy snow branches agape.
As the sun hits my back, so leaves grow back.
My skin transforms – a golden tan arrives.
Sunshine’s rays in this time they never lack.
The old, wise trees have lived many past lives.
Trees grow tall as I grow into myself.
Lessons of nature give me words of wealth.
The line “trees grow tall as I grow into myself” suits this season of life for our middle schoolers so well. As we reflect back on the past school year, I’ve seen so much growth physically, academically, and emotionally in the TCS middle schoolers. They’ve stepped into their respective roles, taken charge of their academics, and grown into themselves.
-AG
Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:
What’s happening in Science?
Sixth graders continued their study about the human body systems. They learned about the different parts of the brain and how the parts help us navigate our surroundings. They also learned how neurons communicate with different parts of the body through neurotransmission. They continued to work on their projects about the diseases that have changed history. They will present their findings to the middle school next week.
What’s up in ELA?
6th graders worked hard to prepare their sonnet presentations at the top of the week – providing authentic feedback and encouragement to one another. We also continued to track group power dynamics and its impact on character identities as we read on through Return to Sender.
Next week, readers will examine how authors like Julia Alverez create positive and negative messaging around topics with word choice and tone. We will proofread run-on sentences and review verb types in grammar.
What’s going on in Math?
This week, 6th graders began exploring data representation via dot plots, bar graphs, and histograms. They analyzed this data by finding and interpreting the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and mean absolute deviation (MAD). Next week, they’ll take this knowledge and apply it to comparing sets of data!
What’s happening in Social Studies?
Sixth graders finished their Africa unit with an assessment over early African civilizations. Students progressed into their Renaissance unit by mastering the unit vocabulary. Students spent the remainder of the week learning about the different arts and literature in the Renaissance and completing a mini research project on an influential person during that time period.
Next week, the students will finish presenting their research projects to their peers. After the completion of the presentations, we will progress into the impact of the Renaissance and dive into Reformation!
Important Dates:
April 17: Middle School Sports Banquet- 5pm
April 27: Spring Auction & Gala- 6pm @ Founder’s Hall (tickets available until 4/12)