As we count down the days to spring break, our middle school classrooms are buzzing with energy and creativity. Students are in the full swing of projects from bacteria and science fair to poems and roman history, and it has been such a joy to watch their ideas take shape from initial plans to final products. Even more meaningful has been seeing students take ownership of their learning—making decisions, problem-solving, and truly investing in the process.
Alongside this work, we’ve been having important conversations about creativity—not just as something we use in our projects and hobbies, but as something that shapes how we interact with one another. Competition, both on the playground and in the classroom, can sometimes bring out strong emotions, and we’ve taken time to reflect, repair, and rebuild when words have not reflected our best selves. Through these moments, students are learning that creativity also means finding new ways to communicate, to show empathy, and to strengthen genuine relationships.
Middle school is a time of growth in so many ways, and it has been incredibly meaningful to support students not only as learners, but as thoughtful, caring members of a community.
—Ms. Amanda
Upcoming Dates:
- April 3 – 10 – Spring Break (no school)
- April 22- Art Night Celebration (5:30 – 6:30)
ELA: This week in ELA, 8th graders finished Hamlet, discussing the plays themes and lasting cultural impact. We also worked hard to finish, edit, and transcribe sonnets to cursive as we prepare for Spread the Word. 8th took their grammar test on Friday – you should expect their grade by next week!
Next week, students will begin working on a class newspaper as we learn about the art of investigative journalism. We will also begin a grammar unit in editing and dictation skills.
Science: This week in Science, 8th graders launched their heredity unit by exploring the fossil record. Students created a timeline of Earth’s history and researched the five major extinction events, as well as when different groups of organisms first appeared. This work helped them model how life on Earth has changed over time and consider the patterns scientists use to understand the past.
Students also continued collecting data for their Science Fair projects, building momentum in their investigations.
Next week, students will continue gathering data for Science Fair and deepen their exploration of heredity by examining what the fossil record reveals about prehistoric organisms, connecting evidence from the past to our understanding of life today.
Social Studies: Eighth grade has started our mini unit in the time period between WW1 and WW2. This is a unit focusing on how humanity changes during this time, the rise of new governments and how the Nazi party led Germany back to war. We have also been working hard on our Women’s History Month projects and will be finishing those next week.
Math: This week in math, 8th graders continued their probability study with differentiating between dependent and independent events and conditional probability. We’ll spend next week doing different activities that involve probability and chance, and begin wrapping up this unit! They’ll receive a study guide next week for the test on April 2nd!
