Can you see him? The racoon? I spotted this little buddy while walking this week. As I watched him climb super high into the tree, in amazement, honestly, I was in disbelief how much he blended in when he paused. It made me think about how animals’ instinctual adaptations and understanding of learned behaviors have evolved for survival. Us humans, also animals, are included in these beautiful adaptations. Every day, the middle school teachers come to school not only to teach, but also to guide how to be self-regulated, functioning middle school students, who understand what behaviors are appropriate for school in and out of the classroom.

Kids just want to fit in, and this little raccoon reminded me of the importance of all of us animals using camouflage for survival. I witness kids trying out new behaviors. I see boys coming in with new haircuts, girls with the latest make-up trends, the same shoes, the same ole shorts, and of course, similar slang. Are these trends authentic? Some of it, maybe? At least our Cooper kids are about as authentic as middle school kids go. But even if it isn’t…is that developmentally appropriate?

According to an article, found in Frontiers Psychology, “We Copy to Join in, to Not Be Lonely, “ imitation behavior occurs throughout our lifetime. However, the adolescent tendency to copy peers is not only for protective purposes, but also to form a community of their own to counterbalance rejection and create their own rules of belonging. They’re figuring out who they are and copying others can help them explore potential roles. Interestingly, they don’t just copy each other, but they copy adults they trust in their life. They look to adults to learn how to be one. No pressure, right guys?

So, when your son or daughter walks into the kitchen with a ridiculous looking hairdo, just know they are doing what they should be. And if they want to borrow your shoes, you know that you are too 🙂

LD




What’s happening in Social Studies?
This week, the students dove into detail about major events during each of the years in the war. Students focused on women’s roles during the war along with analyzing a graphic biography of Plaek Phibunsongkhram. Students were also asked to start reading Night by Elie Wiesel.

Upon returning from break, students will begin their studies on the Holocaust and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Students will then prep for a debate over Human Rights and Asylum!


What’s happening in ELA?
8th graders began an investigative journalism unit this week! We learned the art of asking who, what, when, where, why, and how to build accurate reports of real life events around us. Journalists reported on school events and policies that impact them, writing concise but engaging reports that never strayed from the truth.


After break, journalists will lean more heavily into investigation, selecting issues that they can observe, research, and conduct interviews around in order to write an in-depth article for our 8th grade newspaper.

What’s happening in Science?
Eighth graders learned about the heredity of traits this week. They considered why we humans all look different, and how our genetic makeup is passed down from our parents. However, this is the case for not just humans, but all living things. The eighth graders learned about chromosomes and how our genetic information is stored in our DNA. They practiced mixing of genes using punnett scores. They will continue to explore heredity even more after spring break!

What’s happening in Math?
This week, 8th graders practiced writing more expressions in factored form and used this to solve more quadratic equations. After spring break, we will explore perfect squares and complete the squares of quadratic equations.

Important Dates:
March 23-April 1: Spring Break
April 10: Spread the Word- 11:30 Dismissal