Hello, Cooper Family! As we move into the fall season, we are also falling into a routine here at The Cooper School! We have pushed past those first week jitters and are feeling comfortable with the school year and have adapted to the school year routines. With that being said, here are some quotes to help you stay motivated as we dive deeper into the different contents and challenges in the classroom:

“We can all dance when we find music that we love.”
“I think I can, I know I can.”
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
“Make each day your masterpiece.”
“No one is perfect – that’s why pencils have erasers.”

Let us take on the school year with positive energy and ready to take on challenges!

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

What’s happening in Science?
Seventh Graders began their moon study this week. For fun, they are tracking the phases of the moon for homework, to observe the moon “change” shapes throughout the month. They modeled the sun, moon, earth relationship to visualize the reflection of the sun of the moon and to understand that the amount of sunlight that hits the moon changes as the moon revolves around the earth. They are now researching individual questions they have about the moon and they will present their finsiding next week. Some questions include…
“How was the moon created?”
“Why is there a dark side of the moon?”
“How did the moon landing impact society?”
And many more!

What’s up in Math?
We’re in the homestretch of the first unit for 7th grade Math. We’ve created objects on a grid, turned them, moved them, and flipped them. But now we’re really beginning to play with the angles that make up those shapes. What information about angles can you ALWAYS count on to be the same? You can use those universal rules to discover most or all of the remaining information about angles and shapes, especially triangles. And we’ve been learning which angles are always congruent (identical): Alternate Interior angles, Vertical angles, Alternate Exterior angles – there are more to come, but they don’t need to know that yet; let them think they’re done. Another day or 2 of class, a little review, and I think they’ll be taking their End-of-Unit Assessment early next week.

What’s happening in ELA?
This week in grammar, your Seventh Graders have worked on identifying types of adjectives, who/which clauses, and pronoun agreements. They have also reviewed grammar concepts covered in previous lessons. In reading, we have discussed ways to track their reading and also working on sustained silent reading without distractions. They have also completed their book projects and feedback will be sent home next Friday to be signed and returned to school the following Monday. Next week, they will begin their “Writing Realistic Fiction” writing unit.


What’s going on in Social Studies?
In Seventh Grade we began to explore the topic of exploration! We discussed how the Spanish, French, English, and Dutch all came to the Americas looking for Gold! Students even got to role play as they wrote letters either as a Native American to a colonist or as a colonist to a Native American explaining their point of view.

Next week, we will be diving deeper into the 13 original colonies and seeing the differences between the colonial regions. Students will end the week doing a review game about colonial life to prepare them for their next assessment.

Important Dates:

September 21st: Middle School Curriculum Night (5:30-6:30)
September 29th: Parent Coffee (8:00am-8:45am)