It’s hard to believe we already completed our third full week of school this year! These first few weeks have been filled with the joyful work of building community—hearing summer stories, watching old friendships grow stronger, and seeing new friendships begin to blossom. One of my favorite things to notice has been the small moments when students look out for one another: helping a classmate, inviting someone into a conversation, offering encouragement, or simply noticing when someone needs a little support.
This week, we built on those moments by talking about our core values and how they can guide us when we are faced with big emotions or things we don’t particularly want to do. As quizzes, tests, and projects begin to fill our calendars, students are learning that our values can serve as an anchor. When we are frustrated, overwhelmed, or tempted to give up, we can choose to lean into perseverance, kindness, responsibility, courage, or whatever value helps us make a choice we can be proud of.
I am so grateful for the energy and kindness I have seen in our middle school community these first few weeks. There is something special about watching a group of students grow our community, one conversation, one shared laugh, and one small act of kindness at a time.
I hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend and has the opportunity to rest, recharge, and enjoy some time with the people they love. I can’t wait to welcome everyone back on Tuesday feeling refreshed and ready for another great week together!
-AB
Upcoming Dates:
- Monday, September 7: Labor Day, No School
- Wednesday, September 9: 5th grade off campus – wear sneakers, wear clothes for ropes course, and bring water bottle
- Wednesday, September 9: Cooper Cluster Day – Pizza Lunch!
- Wednesday, September 9: Middle School Curriculum Night, 5:30 – 6:30
- Thursday, September 10: MS PE day – all students wear sneakers
ELA: This week, 7th grade writers were deep in the drafting and revising process for their school improvement argument letters. We also discussed what it takes to prepare for an interview with Mr. Jason, which they will schedule after turning in their papers on 9/11. Students began their first grammar unit, as well, with a test scheduled for Thursday, 9/10.
Next week, will make final edits to their argument letters and submit them to Mr. Jason! Be sure to consult their grammar study guide to prepare for next week’s test!
Science: This week in science, 7th graders explored how elements make up everything around us—even their favorite snack foods! Students examined the ingredients in popular snacks and discovered which elements make up those ingredients and which elements appear most often in the foods we eat. Students then chose an element for an Element Superhero Poster. They researched the physical and chemical properties of their element and used those properties to design a superhero or villain to represent it. This gave students a creative way to connect abstract information about elements to something memorable and meaningful.
After reviewing everything they have learned so far, students completed an assessment to demonstrate their learning. Look for those grades to come home next week!
Next week, 7th graders will begin exploring the properties of gases by capturing gas produced during chemical reactions and measuring its mass and volume.
Social Studies: Seventh grade finished their first project this week on their Native American cultural group. They worked hard, learning about cultures, lifestyles and the daily lives of their tribe. We are moving forward with our next unit on the Latin American empires, and that will start with the Aztecs of Mexico. Enjoy Labor Day weekend!
Math: This week in math, 7th graders learned about using parallel lines and transversals to identify corresponding angles, alternate interior angles, vertical angles, and supplementary angles. These then helped us analyze the angles within a triangle, and studied different properties of triangles regarding both their angles and sides. Next week, we will wrap up their first unit of study with their end of unit assessment – it will cover rigid transformations, congruence vs. similarity, and missing angle measures in parallel lines and triangles. They received a study guide this week, which we will review on Wednesday before their test on Thursday!
