It’s no secret how much TCS loves Halloween. Our students have been prepping and planning with the utmost zeal for the middle school-led Halloween Carnival. I’m a self-proclaimed Halloween fanatic myself – I live for all the spooky stories, movies, and aisles in Target. It got me thinking about why we get so much joy from the creepy festivities and this largely fear-based holiday. For me, I think it’s an obsession with facing fears. As someone with her fair share of anxieties, it’s not just entertaining to engage with the darker side of things, it’s invigorating. To slow down and peer into the darkness is to take a minute to understand the ‘other,’ to interrogate why we’re scared, to solve long standing mysteries, to shine a light on what was previously hurtful.
Forgive me for lingering on the spooky, but I promise this connects to middle school! Middle school can classically be the time when anxiety rears its ugly head or the scary coming of age moments hit, but I have to brag on the fearlessness of our students. Our kids tackle intimidating, advanced academic concepts with thoughtful questions and a growth mindset. They approach scary conversations about peer conflict with grace and compassion. Daily responsibilities that other kids consider ‘painful’ are met with cheerfulness. We have our moments where the ‘jump scares’ of life might get the best of us (who doesn’t?), but I can’t help but notice an impressive pattern of bravery in our kids. May we take some inspiration from them this Spooky Season!


MK


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


What’s happening in Science?
Seventh graders learned how to make relevant scientific arguments this week. They used evidence collected over the past few weeks about Mars to write a scientific essay to defend their claim. They also contemplated the purpose of daylight savings time and whether we keep it due to the, “Hamster Wheel Hypothesis.” Do we keep it just because we always do it? Seventh graders practiced and perfected their Space Exploration Ted Talks. They are ready for their final presentation next Thursday!

What’s up in Math?
This week, 7th graders created diagrams to help them solve for unknown amounts in an equation, and created hanger diagrams to balance equations! Next week, they’ll explore negative values in an equation, and what to do with parentheses in an equation and the best way to solve them.

What’s happening in ELA?
This week seventh graders settled on a more focused ‘sub-topic’ in the world of competitive youth sports. Argumentative writers engaged with the research process once again, aiming to develop more nuanced arguments with critically vetted evidence, inclusion of counterarguments, and careful revisions. In grammar, we studied imperative sentences and adverbs.

Next week, 7th graders will finish their new subtopic argumentative essays. They’ll polish their arguments with proper edits and citations, presenting them as an engaging speech to their classmates. 7th grade grammar lessons will focus on action/linking verbs and direct objects.

What’s going on in Social Studies?

This week, the students jumped into their Constitution Unit. Students, first, mastered their vocabulary before diving into the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. They took a deep dive into the Shays Rebellion before understanding what it took to draft the Constitution.

Next week, the students will begin by looking at what influenced our modern day constitution. Students will learn the differences between a federalist and anti-federalists and analyze some Federalist Papers. This will lead us to take our deep dive into analyzing the Constitution.

Important Dates:
October 31 – Halloween Carnival (½ Day)
November 1 – Teacher Work Day (No School)
November 2- 2pm 7th Grade Space Exploration Ted Talk Presentation