This week, I’ve been reflecting on the power of teamwork. As the students prepare for the Halloween Carnival next week and continue working on projects, I remain impressed. Cooper School students can artfully navigate the tricky situations that naturally arise when collaborating with others. Passionate opinions and strong emotions can sometimes make teamwork challenging, but I’ve seen our students draw on what they’ve learned from middle school meetings, SEL lessons, and experiences with previous teachers to problem-solve and find solutions together.
In my short time at The Cooper School, it’s clear that this ability to work collaboratively is truly at the heart of our school’s ethos. Teamwork isn’t an afterthought or a bonus; it’s an intentional decision, modeled by teachers and staff and explicitly taught to students. It not only helps us achieve common goals but also encourages us to look beyond ourselves to notice, celebrate, and support others.
There’s something truly beautiful about seeing our middle schoolers come together, celebrate one another’s successes, and work toward shared goals as a team. Watching them collaborate these past few weeks has truly been a gift to my soul, and a wonderful reminder of the strength and spirit of our community.
-AB
ELA- 7th graders dug deeply into possible symbols and motifs throughout Gather this week, beginning to fill essay organizers with text evidence connected to their symbols. They tested their vocabulary on Friday and can expect to see their grades next Wednesday.
Next week, 7th graders will finish finding symbolic evidence and develop a thesis and outline for their essays. They also will begin grammar unit 3!
Science- This week in science, our 7th graders explored the wonders of our solar system! Students investigated the temperature and atmospheric conditions of each planet, uncovering why temperatures vary so widely from one planet to another. They also searched for evidence of water and compared planetary features to determine which planet is most similar to Earth.
Next week, students will wrap up our planetary science unit by diving into one final big question—the search for life beyond Earth!
Social Studies- Seventh grade is continuing to learn about Spanish colonization in the new world. We began a small project teaching them about preparing and setting up a colony and all the planning and preparation it took to have it be successful. Once they finish that we will finish Spanish colonization by talking about how much they transformed the land and peoples of the new world.
Math- This week in math, 7th graders took their unit 2 assessment on Monday. On Tuesday, we had a special, special guest expert, Will Wingfield, who visited our class to help us better understand how to use our new mastery of scale and scale factor to our scale drawings. We spent the rest of the week sketching and perfecting the drawings of our buildings!
Next week, we’ll spend some more time with our scale drawings, and then begin using our drawings to help us build our 3-D models!
Important Dates:
- October 31 – Halloween Carnival (½ Day)
- November 3 – Teacher Work Day (No Students)
- November 6 – 7th Grade History in Proportion Presentation (2:00pm)
- November 10-11 – Parent Teacher Conferences (½ Days)
- November 21 – Harvest Feast (½ Day)
