Last night, our middle school’s Spirit Club hosted the annual Cooper Middle Dance – which is my absolute favorite event of the year. I’m sure when you hear the words “middle school dance”, your body instinctively cringes – your mind flooded with memories of awkward dances, hugging the wall, fear of being judged, etc. Mine does, too! But, I can confidently speak for our middle schoolers when I say that was not what they experienced last night. Worries were left at the door, dance moves were electric, and smiles and laughter filled the beautifully transformed library. These kids are so fearlessly themselves, and are also so great at meeting their peers where they are. It’s the magical combination of people in one room that made last night so special. If they can make something as cringey and terrifying as a middle school dance the exact opposite – what can’t they do?!
-Allison Gold
Upcoming Dates:
- February 27 – Trimester 2 Report Cards
- March 2 & 3 – Self Assessment Conferences (½ Days)
- March 14 – Little Big Things Gala
ELA: This week in ELA, 7th grade started their poetry study! This year’s unit is all about poetry and identity. We studied the works of Langston Hughes (Mother to Son) and Paul Laurence Dunbar (We Wear the Mask), examining how they wrote identity poetry rooted in how mentors and groups shape who we are. Students labeled rhyme schemes, refrains, and figurative language techniques in both works, borrowing some of these tools to write their first two identity poems. Many introspective pieces have already been produced in week 1. The next few weeks of poetry study and writing all look forward to Middle School’s “Spread the Word” event where poets will share their favorite pieces from this time. Be on the lookout for more info around this beloved event! Students also took a vocabulary test this Thursday, so be sure to ask for those grades.
Next week, 7th graders will study identity poems that capture changes in identity and identity as it relates to place. We will also begin a long stretch of grammar studies to hit grammatical checkpoints and reviews in the final trimester of the year!
Science: This week in Science, 7th graders wrapped up their Populations and Ecosystems unit by creating trophic level pyramids for the ecosystems they have been researching. Students combined their understanding of food webs, energy and biomass transfer, and population dynamics to accurately place organisms within the appropriate trophic levels. This synthesis required students to think critically about how energy shapes ecosystem structure and sustainability.
Next week, students will shift their focus back to Science Fair, finalizing their topics and beginning their background research and methods.
Social Studies: Seventh grade continued on with the early 1800’s, learning about the differences between the northern and southern states as they head towards civil war. For their self assessment project, they are creating a newspaper article about the attack on fort Sumter that began the war. Next week we will continue on talking about how westward expansion and the creation of new states led to new compromises and tensions between the two sides.
Math: This week in math, 7th graders began unit 6, in which we started to explore equations as functions and input-rule-output relationships. We assessed what qualifies something as a function or not, and will begin exploring volume and the formulas for different solids as functions.
