In the midst of projects, end-of-trimester assessments, and all of the other things life throws at us, our wonderful TCS middle schoolers hosted the spookiest and most creative Halloween Carnival in our backyard on Tuesday. From haunted houses, poke-the-ghost darts, and a nurses stations to spooky musical chairs, bowling, and t-shirt sales to fundraise for the Maui fires (+ so much more), the middle school students poured their hearts and souls into making this carnival a core memory for the elementary school students. After seeing so many smiles on faces, hearing giggles and spooky shrieks, I’d say they blew all of the expectations out of the water! Growing up in Indiana, Halloween wasn’t widely celebrated like it is here in Charleston, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my first Halloween here! Proud is an understatement.


AG


Here’s a look at what is happening in each of the classes:


What’s happening in Science?
Seventh graders wrapped up their Astronomy unit this week! They presented their TedTalks, which were out of this world! Next week, they will start their study on populations and ecosystems. They will think about how different biomes impact the animals and plants that survive in specific environments.

What’s up in Math?
This week, 7th graders explored negative values in an equation, and what to do with parentheses in an equation and the best way to solve them. Next week, they’ll practice solving equations involving both before reviewing for and taking their unit 3 test. They’ll finish out the week by starting their 4th unit of study – solving and representing inequalities!

What’s happening in ELA?
This week seventh graders worked tirelessly to complete their argumentative papers and present their arguments as speeches to their peers. We kept a tight structure in our arguments, looked closely at MLA citations, and made sure our conclusions were emotionally and intellectually compelling. We learned a lot about nuanced debating and research.

Next week, 7th graders will transition into a reading unit on nonfiction reading and deep researching skills to become experts on a topic. We’ll also make our usual switch from grammar work to vocabulary study for the next four weeks.

What’s going on in Social Studies?

This week, the seventh graders learned about what influenced our current Constitution. Students began to learn about the differences between federalists and antifederalists. Students were asked to analyze the Federalists Papers.

Next week, the students will be diving deep into the Constitution itself. We will act as detectives and break down the document into several pieces in order for us to properly understand the document in its entirety. Students will then be asked to compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution in a Venn Diagram. This will end the unit and we will move into preparation for our assessment.

Important Dates:
November 6th – Parent Teacher Conferences (Half Day- 11:30 Dismissal)
November 7th – Parent Teacher Conferences (Half Day- 11:30 Dismissal)
November 17th – Harvest Feast (Half Day- 11:30 Dismissal)
November 20th-24th – Thanksgiving Break