It is hard to believe that we have less than two months of school left. The end of another great year at The Cooper School Middle School is in sight. At this time of the year, some middle schoolers and high schoolers start to slow down. They start feeling less motivated about school and more motivated about summer fun. Here are some tips from North Grand High School in Illinois that may help your middle schooler finish strong:

1. Set Goals

Setting goals for yourself both personally and academically will help you stay on track. Whether your goal is to get straight A’s or pass your AP tests, make your own goals and try your absolute best to achieve them.

2. Stay Organized

Staying organized will prevent you from losing or forgetting about assignments. Keep track of your assignments and test dates in a planner or calendar to stay organized and prepared for upcoming final projects and tests.

3. Don’t put off responsibilities

Slacking and procrastinating are just ways of putting off responsibilities. Putting off school-related responsibilities will leave you scrambling and stressed at the last minute. Do what you need to do when you need to do it, and you will be well on your way to finishing strong!

4. Remember what you’ve worked for

It may help to remind yourself of all the hard work you’ve put in this year. One bad performance on a final test or project could undo all of your efforts for a certain letter grade.

5. Get motivated

It is time to get motivated! Whether you have to bribe yourself with rewards or create penalties for not trying your best, do whatever it takes to stay motivated and beat “summer fever!”

6. Take advantage of the nice weather

As the weather begins to get nicer, you don’t have to stay cooped up inside studying. Get creative by studying and doing homework outside instead!

7. Take a time out

Don’t forget about taking time out of your day to regroup and simply have fun! This will help you stay focused. Giving yourself breaks for fun is good for your sanity and attention span.

8. Adjust your attitude

What is your attitude right now? Are you feeling down? Can you not wait for school to end? Simply adjusting your attitude to be more positive can make an incredible difference!

9. Take care of yourself

Taking care of yourself by eating well, exercising and getting the proper amount of sleep will help you remain focused.   

10. Focus on the finish line

Visualize your finish line- and your goals- and focus on that. The school year is almost over- you can do it! Start a countdown, and don’t worry- the end is near.

If you feel like you need extra help completing the school year, contact a tutor. Tutors will work with you to ensure you are prepared to rock the rest of the school year! Whether you would like to improve upon a specific topic, general test taking skills or college test prep- our tutors will do their best to help you succeed! 

Now get back to your schoolwork so you can finish the rest of this school year strong!

(https://northgrandhs.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=514423&id=0)

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

What’s happening in Science?

Seventh graders studied fossils this week! They learned how they were formed. why they are so special, and ways fossils help us to understand what the Earth looked like millions of years ago. They learned about “living fossils” and how they are species from the prehistoric past that have not evolved like other species. They picked “living species” that they were interested in learning more about and presented their findings to the class. Next week, seventh grade will move into chemistry and learn more about chemical reactions and the periodic table of elements.

What’s up in Math?

Seventh grade mathematicians have learned and used formulas for right prisms, cylinders, cones, and spheres. We will solve some problems using these formulas; sometimes finding volume, the radius, and/or the height. Moving forward, we will work through the Pythagorean Theorem and irrational numbers. 

What’s happening in ELA? 

Seventh graders have started working on their Historical Fiction final reading project. Some of the short historical fiction they are reading are: 

“The Return of Sal Caputo”

“Eyes Looking to the Sky”

“Milly and the Great Seattle Fire”

“Passages in the Life of a Slave Woman”

“Spin”

“Two Destinies” 

Your students have also completed Week 15 of grammar prefixes (a- and  be-)/suffixes (-ent and -ant). They will begin week 16 of grammar next week and focus on new prefixes and suffixes.

What’s going on in Social Studies?

Students finished off the Civil War unit before assessing the content on Thursday. Students then moved into their Reconstruction unit! The last unit of the school year!

Students will begin the week by debating which Reconstruction Plan should be used! Students will then move into the new Southern society after the Civil War and the aftermath of the Reconstruction. Students will analyze a few of the Jim Crow Laws before being asked to create their own Reconstruction Plan. 

Important Dates:

• April 22- TCS Spring Auction
• April 27- Holocaust Survivor Speaker
• April 27 – Athletic Banquet @ 6:00pm
• May 4- 11:30 dismissal
• May 5- Middle School Dance