As we progress into the school year, it is easy to get overwhelmed and forget the essentials for success! At the beginning of the school year, we were sure to keep organized and follow routines, however, as we move on with content and the students are being challenged in the classroom, it is easy to forget all the skills that we mastered at the beginning of the year to ensure success all year long. Let’s remember some of the skills we have learned so far:
Agenda: Are you using your agenda to keep track of assignments and assessments in each of your classes? Using the agenda as a way to recall the information taught is also a good idea! For classes that do not give homework, it is a good idea to add a bullet point explanation of the topic for the day in placement for the homework!
Lockers: Are you using the locker to best benefit you? Carrying all of your materials to each of the classes can be heavy and cause stress! Be sure to break down your materials and utilize your lockers. Students should take all materials that they will need for their first two classes with them before break, and materials for their second two classes after break!
Binders: Be sure you are using the binder to help keep you organized! The binder is separated by subject in order to keep you organized for each of your classes. A binder was selected by the middle school teachers to help limit the amount of paper being pushed into the bottom of backpacks, and instead have a singular place to neatly store papers from all of your classes.
Personal Time: Be sure not to let the workload take up the entirety of your time. Pace yourself and allow yourself some “you” time! If you are starting to feel anxious or stressed over an assignment, take a mental break! Mental health is important when succeeding in academics.


Let’s continue to strive for a great school year throughout the rest of September and the months to come!


-Kevin Werner




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


What’s happening in Science?
Seventh graders learned about the moon this week! They learned about how it formed, how it changes its phases, and about eclipses. Because they were so intrigued by the moon’s unique properties, they started a small research project to explore more about a moon phenomena they are interested in learning more about. The seventh graders also learned about how the tilt of the Earth causes the seasons. They modeled and explained their understanding by using a lamp and globe. Next week, they will learn about constellations and the surface of Mars!

What’s up in Math?
This week, students expanded their knowledge of transformations, congruency, and angles to analyze triangles and their limitations. They summed all of this up by taking their end-of-unit test on Friday!

Next week, 7th graders will begin analyzing scale copies, scale factor, and developing their own scale drawings using scale factor.

What’s happening in ELA?
Seventh graders made final statements on theme and its connection to the characters in their book club novels this week. They did a thorough review of prepositions and the function of prepositional phrases, as well.

Next week, 7th grade looks forward to their first writing unit! Writers will focus on the art of writing realistic fiction. We will ideate from the question: “What stories do I want to see in the world?” and spend meaningful time developing characters before the official story even begins. We also begin our first vocabulary unit– parents, be on the lookout for new workbooks and weekly assessments on Fridays over the next 4 weeks!

What’s going on in Social Studies?

This week the students were asked to finish analyzing primary sources that help to answer the question, “In early Jamestown, why did so many colonists die?” Students were then asked to create outlines and rough drafts for their informative essays that work to answer that question for the readers.

Next week, the students will turn in their final drafts before continuing their studies on the colonization of North America. Students will work through each of the original 13 colonies to understand the reasoning behind their colonization before creating a colony of their own.

Important Dates:
Saturday, September 23rd- Charleston Battery Family Fun Night
Monday-Tuesday, October 9-10 Fall Break