Dear Parents,
We have been finding our groove in eighth grade. The kids have been adjusting to the new schedule, greater expectations, and the more rigorous workload. I’m proud of the work they’ve done so far and the amount of effort and attention they’ve given during class time. The kids have been especially helpful and kind to their Kindergarten buddies, showing them how to enter and attend Mass, and showing them how to find their way to their pick-up points in the afternoon. They did a fabulous job mentoring their buddies at Mass this morning.
In language arts this week we began our Latin and grammar lessons, setting routines for homework, study, and classroom work habits. We are reviewing the intricacies of nouns, including concrete/abstract, and compound/collective nouns. I look forward to the editorials the kids are writing using these different types of nouns. The kids will practice peer editing these before turning them in for grading next week.
In literature class we had a rousing discussion of what constitutes fiction. Once we settled on a definition we liked, we studied literary elements and took notes in our journals. The kids will be referring to these notes often and will use them as a reminder/starting point for writing about what they read. We began reading our first whole-group novel of the year: Charlotte Doyle, by Avi. We begin the year with a class novel so that we can explore it together and set expectations for listening and discussing literature. We will alternate between whole-group and small-group novels (literature circles) throughout the year. Please be sure your child brings in the reading log on Monday morning. This should be signed by you.
We have become a bit more comfortable with the new social studies text and have finished the first lesson about Early Americans and Native American Cultures. These lessons vary in length and can be one-day or multi-day lessons. The text is much like the text that was used in both sixth and seventh grade in that it has required reading and lots of responses in writing to the text. In addition to this, however, the text also adds interactive features, video content, and links to primary source documents, which makes it rich. If we make the most of this text, despite initial learning and technology challenges, the kids will really benefit in their understanding of U.S. history.
Our learning of history will serve us well as we prepare for our Washington, D.C. trip this May 6 – 10. We are offered a $1000 scholarship by World Strides if we have a parent meeting before September 15th. Since the topic of this meeting is supposed to be the same as our spring meeting, I will change it to simply touch base about dates, and then brainstorm any ideas for fundraising. Don’t worry – I checked and this does count to give us the extra $1000 – as long as we can get at least ten parents to attend. We will meet at 5:30 on Curriculum Night in my classroom, since you need to be at the gym by 6 anyway. (Please note that this is a change in time from my last Friday newsletter.) Please bring any ideas you might have. Our room parents are also working on ideas – I know we are well on our way to having a nice amount to defray costs to each student.
I am still trying to figure out which day will work for us to volunteer at the WeGrow Garden for our service-learning project. It will likely be Mondays from 12:30 – 2:00. As soon as the time is set, I will send out a permission slip with the dates we will attend in the fall (we do not go every week).
Our fall 8th grade retreat will be held on Friday, September 29th at St. Joseph’s in Ferndale. Joan Williamson will lead our retreat, which will be all day. I will send a permission slip in next Wednesday’s envelope. Please indicate if you can drive either to or from the retreat on the form. We will leave school just after drop off and return by pick up time at the end of the day. Lunch will be provided that day.
Upcoming Events:
- Wednesday, September 13th – World Strides meeting in 8th grade classroom 5:30PM
- Wednesday, September 13th – Curriculum Night starts in gym 6PM, then to classrooms 6:30-8:40
Have a great weekend!
Chris