In this short week following Martin Luther King Jr. day, there were many healthy classroom discussions around peace, protest, and standing up for what we believe in. Our community of middle schoolers was happy to practice some deep introspection and consider where they hoped to see “more peace” in their home, school, community, and world. I have to believe this body of students and teachers is one dream fulfilled for Dr. King and that we’ve more dreamers growing strong within these walls. My own words certainly fall short next to the legacy of Dr. King’s movement and words. That’s why I leave you with one of my favorite writings of his, MLK’s Letter from Birmingham Jail. Please soak up its wisdom and relevance if you have the time.
MLK closes his letter with the hope “that the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.” I can report with peace in my heart that TCS is just one place where the fog of misunderstanding is lifted each day for young minds, where love and brotherhood shine. May it be so wherever our students go next.
-Maggie
Upcoming Dates:
- February 13 – Valentine’s Day Bake Sale and Bingo (1:30pm)
- February 16-17 – February Break (No School)
- Please fill out this form for James Island County Parks. We will be doing PE there starting in February!
- February 27 – Middle School Dance
ELA: 8th graders worked hard to rewrite and edit their literary essays this week. There was a remarkable difference in their tone, analysis, and word choice after pouring over “high level” and 9th grade essays, and they should be proud of their ability to take on the challenge to level up their writing for high school. They also began unit 5 grammar studies this week, digging into a variety of verbs and their functions.
Next week, 8th grade begins the fantasy novel Six Crimson Cranes, first studying the folklore and fairy tales that inspired the modern retelling. This will be a part of a larger unit where we explore the art of fantasy, world building, and allegory. 8th graders will also need to prepare for their grammar test next Thursday 1/29.
Science: This week in science, 8th graders wrapped up their waves unit by exploring communication waves. Students investigated both analog and digital radio waves, using data to graph their own analog waves and compare them to digital signals. They also explored how images are transmitted through radio waves by breaking them down into pixels, then took on a challenge to identify images using the fewest pixels possible to highlight how information can be efficiently communicated.
We also began conversations around Science Fair—be on the lookout for an email with more details coming soon.
Next week, students will review key concepts from the waves unit in preparation for their unit test and begin diving into the Science Fair process, focusing on how to ask meaningful, testable questions.
Social Studies: Eighth graders have finished their study of pre WW1 and how Europe led the world into the war. They took their test this Thursday and are now moving into WW1 itself. This will be a study of the people, technologies and social changes that occurred due to the war.
Math: This week in math, 8th graders were introduced to a few Algebra 1 concepts to help them in their exploration with the equations of circles. We explored completing the square, factoring, and expanding binomials into perfect square trinomials. Next week, we will continue exploring graphs and lines on a coordinate plane as part of our coordinate geometry journey.
