“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard


As we head into the new year, this is a quote I am sharing with some of our students. Last week, all of the TCS Middle Schoolers and teachers thought of one word they wanted to carry into the new year. Some examples include “organized”, “productive”, “patience”, and “optimistic”, among many others. At the turn of the year, it’s inevitable and important that we reflect on the previous year and have things we want to change, however, we can’t completely uproot and change all of our ways overnight. But, these new words are things we can apply to small aspects of our day to day life to help us become even 1% better everyday.


-AG






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


What’s happening in Science?
Seventh graders learned about the biomechanical engineering process this week. They investigated prosthetic devices used for animals by reading different case studies and made models of some devices themselves. They designed a life vest for a short limbed corgi to see if they could help the dog swim. The seventh graders also engineered a model prosthetic leg for an elephant! Over the next few weeks, they will continue to explore the biomechanical engineering process and begin to work on their science fair projects.
What’s up in Math?
In our first week back, 7th grade mathematicians analyzed the slope and vertical intercepts of a graph and interpreted what they mean for a scenario. Next week, they’ll begin to understand what it means for an equation to have two variables, understand what the solutions to those two variables mean, and then take a Mid Unit Assessment on Thursday. On Friday, they’ll use these equations on a coordinate plane and understand what that means for a real-life scenario.

What’s happening in ELA?
This week, 7th grade writers focused on the most ‘dense’ chapter of their companion books – their literary essay. Choosing between a craft, theme, or symbolism essay, writers began drafting evidence-rich and compelling essays on their chosen novel or series.

Next week, 7th grade will polish up their literary essays and finish the remaining chapters of their companion book. These chapters will be driven by the students’ interest – some chapters providing important timelines, others illustrating main characters and their traits, and still others could explore character perspectives through fan fiction!

What’s going on in Social Studies?
Seventh graders have been working diligently on their Presidential biographies. Students are paired up with one other classmate as they analyze primary and secondary sources to create a research paper on one of the first five Presidents!

Next week, we will work towards the completion of the final drafts before diving into our Midterm studies.

Important Dates:
Monday, January 15 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day – NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, January 17 – Cluster Lunch
Saturday, January 27 5:30pm-9:00pm – Family Fun Outing – Carolina Stingrays Game