When I first started our middle school club program a few years ago, I pictured students gathered in a room, discussing topics that interested them with little action. Not because I doubted their follow-through, but because that was the model I had seen at other schools. After the very first year, I realized that our students had something different in mind. They brought new energy, creativity, and urgency to clubs. They weren’t just talking, they were acting. They saw clubs as a way to create and shape our middle school culture, and they continue to rise to the challenge each year. It is always inspiring to see what happens when we give our students autonomy and trust. They are truly amazing citizens!
Here’s a glimpse of what our clubs are up to this fall:
- Media Arts Storytelling
Students are producing Halloween podcasts with roles as writers, engineers, and readers. Jason set up an impressive studio with Macs and podcasting equipment, and students are learning everything from storytelling to audio editing to produce polished, spooky episodes. - Spirit Club
Spirit Club is planning a middle school talent show! They’ve set the date, are gathering sign-ups, and will emcee and manage the entire event. This year, they’ve even expanded the audience to include the whole school. - Talking Club
Through Toastmasters-inspired activities, Talking Club members are writing speeches designed to engage an audience. They are preparing to present their work, with feedback and revisions from peers, building both confidence and skill. - Craft Club
Craft Club is exploring watercolor painting techniques. Right now, they’re focusing on pumpkins—bringing a festive, fall spirit into the middle school hallways.
These clubs remind us that when students are given voice and trust, they rise to the occasion and often go far beyond what we imagined. I am so proud of the way our students dream big and then follow through. Their energy and creativity continue to shape a vibrant middle school culture.
-RC
ELA- 7th grade continued their reading of Gather this week, exploring how an author characterizes major and minor characters in a novel. We also introduced types of literary conflict, which we will capture in our conflict trading card project, due 10/9. We tested vocab on 9/25, so be sure to look out for those grades.
Next week, 7th graders will discuss how social groups in Gather interact with one another while also working on our trading cards. We will also transition to unit 2 of grammar.
Science- This week in science 7th graders explored the phases of the moon using their moon log and by building several different models. Students saw how the moon’s location in its orbit around the Earth changes what we see of the moon here on Earth. Next week we will wrap up our investigation of the moon by exploring how craters are formed on the moon.
Social Studies- Seventh grade is working hard on our study of South American empires and culture groups. They will begin to study the arrival of the Spanish and Portuguese in this time period as well. It is important that they begin to learn about this time period and the true impact these empires had on the world that we still feel today!
Math- This week in math, 7th graders dove into unit 2, in which began exploring the difference between similarity and congruence. We evaluated scaled copies of images as congruent, and found scale factors that dilated the figures. We’ll use this type of math on our history in proportion project in a few weeks, as we’ll create scaled drawings of our historical buildings!
Next week, we’ll review what we’ve learned so far about scale and dilation before taking a quiz on Thursday. They’ll be assessed on their ability to find scale factor, apply a scale factor, and evaluate similarity vs. congruence.
