Weekly News: 7th Grade Homeroom

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10/29/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students acted as text detectives to find examples of mood and tone within the first part of their class novels. Then, students used many of the same strategies and incorporated those into their spooky story writing. This week, they have worked through the writing process (and they will finally be able to share their spooky stories tomorrow)!

This week in religion, we focused on the aspects of object, intention, and circumstance in determining if an action is good morally. Students also learned about theological vs cardinal virtues and created a comic or slide deck to show how a New Testament saint of choice displayed these virtue(s). Today, they created particular “If, Then” plans (with an optional goal log on the backside if they would like to stay accountable to this plan in the next week).

This week in social studies, students learned about Whatcom County and Bellingham’s development in the 1800s, read about Manifest Destiny, analyzed John Gast’s “American Progress” painting as a primary source in connected history, and learned about the different branches of government within Washington State.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, we will focus on informational writing starting with a non-fiction scavenger hunt and Writer’s Workshop. Students will then focus on commonly misspelled words and start reviewing complex sentences. Students will also start Jensen’s lesson 4. If you happen to find any flat, (around) 2-inch long rocks (AKA the perfect skipping rocks), please collect a few for our class to paint next week!

Next week in religion, we will celebrate Vocations Week! There are a few guest speakers that will visit our class including Father Anthony and the Sisters of Mercy. Before they visit, we will do some research on the importance of Christians taking an active part in public life to promote the common good.

Next week in social studies, students will start exploring Washington State industries, early economic activities, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the impact of railroads.

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “This week in math, the 7^th graders worked on simplifying algebraic expressions that include negatives, fractions and decimals. Next week we’ll move onto expanding expressions, using distribution.”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “This week, students took a test on chapter 2 after accidentally giving them the chapter 3 test on Friday. We made some closing remarks on chapter 2 and began chapter 3 which is on solving equations and inequalities. We will continue chapter 3 next week.”

Science-Mrs. Ernest: “In science we have been learning about the structure of atoms! Tomorrow (Friday) they have a 3D atom model due, as well as 5 stars on the Phet Build and Atom game. They now have all the pre-requisite knowledge to begin predicting chemical reactions and learning about the different types of reactions!”

Spanish-Mrs. Santos: “Esta semana en la clase de español, we are diving deep into the autumn season with our fun character, Toño Otoño. Students are expanding their seasonal vocabulary and practicing new weather expressions through creative readings and poetry.”

Art- Mrs. Santos: “Students completed their needle-felted creatures, exploring sculpture through wool fibers and three-dimensional forms. They focused on adding small details, exploring texture, and personalizing each creature to express their own creativity.”

Band-Mrs. Crech: “https://school.assumption.org/music/2026/10/28/october-28th-2026/“

Choir-Mrs. Morton: “This week in choir we worked on sight singing and the motet “Lead Me Lord”.  We also completed the auditions for solos in the Christmas program.  We will start learning the Vivaldi piece “Laudamus Te” during Friday’s class. “

Orchestra-Ms. Varon: “This week in Orchestra, we are:

-Beginning to prepare the Largo theme, “Goin’ Home,” from Dvořák’s New World Symphony to share at the Veterans Day Assembly

-Taking our first playing test, with beginners performing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star from memory while advanced students play a more challenging accompanying part in Twinkle Extreme“

P.E.-Coach Eager: “This week we learned two volleyball passes: the bump and the set. Students practiced with partners, in circle passing, and in a passing game called Collect the Jewels.”

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10/22/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students met in Book Clubs to discuss how the author “painted a picture” for the reader (chapter 1), explored the importance of foreshadowing within classical spooky stories, and brainstormed/wrote drafts of their spooky stories. We then had “story time” with Don’t Trust Fish where students had to listen for examples of voice, mood, and tone. Tomorrow, there will be some in-class time to work on our Book Reports. Please make sure your middle schooler brings their novel and work.

This week in religion, students learned about the Beatitudes and looked for Current Events articles of good news that showed people living out the Beatitudes in their everyday lives. Students then generated class discussion over how we use the 10 Commandments as well as the Beatitudes to help guide our conscience for moral living. Today, students helped in the WeGrow Garden for our last class time this semester. Tomorrow, they will attend weekly Mass.

This week in social studies, students learned more about various individuals in relation to Oregon Country, compared the Catholic and Protestant churches in the later 1800s, were rewarded with playing Oregon Trail when finished with classwork, and completed their explorer quiz. Many of the students performed great on their quiz and a few were reminded that the “apply”-type questions are extensions of what we have in our notes (require some problem-solving to bring conclusions together).

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, we will return to examining hooks, but in relation to informational writing, finish Jensen’s lesson 3 with a quiz, submit Book Reports, and learn about responding to a non-fiction passage with the CER technique. On Friday, students will share their spooky story writing with each other. If you can send a pre-popped bag of popcorn to help with this Friday session, please let me know!

Next week in religion, students will continue on the issue of morality in exploring the three sources of morality: object, intention, and circumstance. They will listen to various parables and find New Testament passages where Jesus is helping to form the consciences of believers. Mid-week, in preparation for All Saints Day, students will work on finding early examples of saints within the New Testament. Finally, we will finish up our first Second Step unit by developing “If-Then” plans for particular situations they may encounter.

Next week in social studies, we will continue talking about treaties, read about Manifest Destiny, analyze the historical context of an art piece within this period, and investigate perilous issues attached to westward expansion.  

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “We finally finished up the long first chapter from the textbook. We tested on Wednesday and began Chapter 2: Algebraic Expressions on Thursday. Students who want to retake the test, need to practice extra problems. They should practice using similar problem to their test review (see book & notebook).”

Spanish-Mrs. Santos: “Our Spanish students put their language skills into practice through conversations and a fun, hands-on activity making spider cookies (arañas). With the help of our Spanish-speaking parent volunteers, students asked questions, followed directions, and requested ingredients—all in Spanish! Thank you to our wonderful volunteers for helping make language learning meaningful and fun.”

Art- Mrs. Santos: “Students are exploring sculpture through needle felting. They are learning how to bring wool fibers together and shape them to create three-dimensional forms. Through this hands-on process, students are developing their patience, attention to detail, and understanding of form and texture.”

Choir-Mrs. Morton: “This week in choir we are working on “Anima Christi” by Frisina, and the choir will be singing Haydn’s “The Heavens Are Telling” at mass this Friday.  We are also in the process of having auditions for the Christmas program solos.  It’s great to hear how far some of the choir students have come since last year in their ability and confidence.”

P.E.-Coach Eager: “This week our middle schoolers wrapped up their flag football unit with a round robin tournament! Each team came up with its own signature play, then put the skills they’ve been working on to the test in game action.”

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10/15/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students went on a “senses” scavenger hunt outside, learned about the “show, don’t tell” technique for writing, reflected on Touching Spirit Bear as a whole within Book Club groups, and compared common elements within short spooky stories. Tomorrow, students will take part in a “Book Tasting” to preview the next Book Club novels!

This week in social studies, students finished their giant Explorer timeline, read about the fur trade, compared Native American and explorer perspectives on exploration, took notes on the Indian Removal Act, and learned about the Whitman Mission National Historical Site.

This week in religion, we focused on The Circle of Grace (anti-bullying) curriculum. Students worked in small groups to analyze disrespectful behaviors and reflect on how bystanders can affect a bullying situation in either a positive or negative way. In Second Step, students developed “If, Then” plans to help tackle obstacles in a given scenario. Finally, students worked in pairs to complete posters outlining the different liturgical seasons.

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10/08/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

In ELA/literature, students completed their Jensen’s lesson 2 quiz, proofread paragraphs to catch common spelling mistakes, analyzed root words, and played some Trashketball to review setting, conflict, plot, characters, and theme.  

In social studies, students were introduced to the Lewis and Clarke expedition, wrote letters on “antiqued” paper urging Lewis and Clarke to take them on the expedition, and created a giant timeline of Explorers around this time period.

In religion, students learned about liturgical seasons and completed research to build a collaborative poster. In Second Step, students learned about the different types of obstacles on our paths to learning. Finally, students helped plant garlic in the WeGrow Garden!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, students will discuss the end of their novels in Book Clubs, focus on developing “show, don’t tell” in their writing, head on a “senses” scavenger hunt outside, and read short stories to outline common spooky elements. To recognize and support Holy Hoops, there will be no Cornell Notes or reading log due next week. Many students have already shown me their October choice novels for book reports (any middle school level novel of choice this month including non-fiction). Please have your middle schooler bring in their novel each day next week so they can start reading when done Touching Spirit Bear.

Next week in social studies, students will compare perspectives of European exploration between Native American and European accounts. They will then read about the fur trade while learning about early missionaries and pioneers. To recognize Holy Hoops, we will not have a Current Events article due next week. We will also have a “review/study” period next Friday as the next social studies quiz will take place the week of October 19^th.

Next week in religion, we start our Circle of Grace (anti-bullying) program through discussions, role-playing, and reflections. In Second Step, students will learn how to anticipate potential obstacles and create an “If-Then Plan” to address them. Finally, we will continue our service-learning by helping in the WeGrow Garden.

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “Students had a quiz on Tuesday over 3 important skills; how to add/subtract fractions (with negatives), multiply/divide fractions (with negatives) & order of operations (with negatives). If your student feels prepared to retake the quiz, they are welcome to come in at study hall or lunch. I am also available during those times to help with anything they are struggling on in math. Next week, we will be focused on multiplying, dividing, adding & subtracting negative decimal numbers.”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “The seventh grade mathematicians are adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions and decimals this week.”

Spanish-Mrs. Santos: “Esta semana en la clase de español, we learned school vocabulary and practiced using definite and indefinite articles such as el, la, un, and una. We also learned the encouraging expression “¡Sí se puede!”, which means “Yes, we can!” and is a fun way to cheer each other on during basketball season!  Students practiced building complete sentences using articles, nouns, and adjectives.

Students also have access to Quizlet to review and practice their school vocabulary at home.”

Orchestra-Ms. Varon: “This week in Orchestra, we are:

-Student coaches are teaching beginners left-hand finger placement and how to play a D major scale, followed by an individual performance check with the teacher

-Learning about musical sound waves with our guest teacher, a local bass player

-Practicing proper left-hand form, including keeping the arm aligned and playing with the fingertips”

P.E.-Coach Eager: “This week we reviewed passing and catching the football, then added some new skills: running with the ball, punting, and hiking! Students also learned football positions like center, quarterback, and wide receiver. We played a game called Endzone Escape and broke into groups to practice passing plays.”

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10/01/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students continued reviewing compound sentences and learning about independent clauses. They also submitted some great fable stories based on the focuses of dialogue, voice, and theme! Students then read to chapter 25 in Touching Spirit Bear and noted significant events in the plot to share within Book Clubs. Finally, they looked for “diamond” examples of similes and other figurative language in each others’ writing.

This week in social studies, students created clay sculptures to illustrate a cultural aspect of either the Plateau or Coastal Native Americans. Students also compared/contrasted cultural aspects of the arriving Europeans with the Native Americans from around the late-1400s. Students then read for specific information on European explorers and started creating a giant timeline to depict their findings!

This week in religion, students worked within groups to create a presentation on the social issues around the local WeGrow Garden. Today, they were able to attend for the first time! Tomorrow, they will attend weekly Mass.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week ELA/literature, students will review figurative language and start incorporating vivid imagery into their writing. Students will complete their Jensen’s, lesson 2, quiz and analyze literary devices that create impact for the reader.

Next week in social studies, students will learn more about the Lewis and Clarke expedition, write letters to be recruited on the journey, and reinforce their map-making skills.

Next week in religion, students will do research about the different liturgical seasons, continue with our Second Step lessons regarding obstacles in learning, and attend the WeGrow Garden (pack jackets just in case!).

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “This week in math we took our knowledge from 6^th grade (of adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions) and combined it with what we’ve learned about adding, subtracting and multiplying with negative numbers. Each student has their own strengths and it’s fun to see them connecting with different areas of negative operations. We also learned a new game called “trashketball”. Ask them to tell you about it!”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “Seventh grade mathematicians practiced adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions this week.”

Science-Mrs. Ernest: “In science this week, students did a series of labs exploring the differences between chemical reactions and phase changes. They also took their first major test! Tests can be corrected for half points back and these corrections are due by Tuesday next week. Students who got low scores appeared not to have studied their vocabulary… See the study materials they should be using here: Science Supports. Next week we will be talking about Dalton’s experimentation with electricity to identify new elements. We will also begin a film on the history of chemistry. 

PS Remind your students to check the homework calendar for upcoming pop quiz details!”

Spanish-Mrs. Santos: “What’s in Your Backpack?

This week, students practiced school supplies vocabulary and learned adjectives to describe classroom objects. They played a picture hunt game around the classroom and practiced using ¿Qué es esto?, Yo tengo, and Él/Ella tiene. Our weekly conversations are also becoming more creative as students use Spanish to talk with each other.

Hispanohablantes – School Supplies

This week, hispanohablantes read about school supplies and access to education in Central America. They practiced reading comprehension, learned new vocabulary, and discussed the importance of having the materials needed for learning.”

Band- Mrs. Creech: “https://school.assumption.org/music/2026/10/01/weekly-bulletin-september-28th-october-2nd/“

Orchestra-Ms. Varon: “This week in Orchestra, we are:

Practicing finger-tap patterns to reinforce finger numbers and different fingering combinations

Learning different bowing articulations, including legato (smooth and connected) and staccato (short and separated), and using these bow strokes in Largo and Harvest Reel

Playing the partner challenge Rhythm Races, taking turns identifying the rhythm a partner is clapping”

Choir-Mrs. Morton: “This week in choir we wrote out the counting and note values for a new song we’re learning, “The Heavens Are Telling”.  We also started working a three-part round, “Dona Nobis Pacem”.  The choir has done an excellent job preparing “Cantate Domino” by Pitoni, and it’s ready to be sung at mass this Friday.”

P.E.-Coach Eager: “This week we focused on throwing and catching a football! Students practiced passing back and forth with a partner at different distances, then tested their skills in a game called The Perfect Pass.”

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09/24/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students took notes on their reading around the aspect of theme. Students then searched for thematic elements within Aesop’s fables and Touching Spirit Bear while also starting to write their own fables. Students spent time sharing ways to remember nouns/adjectives/verbs, searched for independent clauses in compound sentences, and practiced finding main ideas within paragraph reading.

This week in social studies, students read initial theories of how the first people came to North America and then analyzed theories, based on evidence collected, that challenged these. Students then compared the traditions of Coastal vs. Plateau Native Americans and completed their first social studies quiz.

This week in religion, students practiced finding Bible passages and identifying messages connected to the larger section of the Bible they came from. They also refined their personal prayers to include Adoration aspects of worship and blessing.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, students will finish their fable writing, apply techniques related to vivid imagery in Writer’s Workshop, and share their first book reports!

Next week in social studies, students will continue to learn about the Coastal and Plateau Native Americans. They will also read about the first exploration in the Pacific Northwest and build timelines to depict this.

Next week in religion, students will complete research around the social justice issues and need that the WeGrow Garden fulfills in our community. Students will then attend their first WeGrow Garden outing and, in Second Step, learn more about obstacles.

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “This week we had a quiz on adding/subtracting with negative integers. We learned how multiply and divide with negatives (ask your students to show you the triangle clue). We will wrap up the week by using PEMDAS to solve problems with the order of operations.”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “Students spent much of the time this week thinking critically about the rules of integer operations. They designed and constructed a flow chart which transforms any of the 4 primary integer operations. Next week we will finish our chapter on rational numbers.”

Engineering-Mr. Sherwood: “Students finished their project planning and began designing their bridges. They used the bridge designs and physics principles we researched. They designed experiments which test potential vulnerabilities in their bridge design. Next week they will perform these experiments.”

Art-Mrs. Santos: “Students are bringing their Peruvian llamas to life with paint! They are exploring animal fur texture and using colors inspired by the beautiful patterns and textiles of Peru. Students are practicing careful painting, color choices, and adding details to make their llamas unique.”

Band- Mrs. Creech: “: ACS Band Newsletter 9/21 – 9/25“

Orchestra-Ms. Varon: “This week in Orchestra, we are:

Focusing on proper bow hold and giving stand partners constructive feedback on their bow hold

Experienced musicians are coaching new students on placing the bow on the string and producing an even, smooth tone by keeping the bow parallel to the bridge

Practicing ensemble playing with beginners playing open-string parts alongside advanced students playing more challenging parts”

Choir-Mrs. Morton: “This week in choir we are working on the Taize chant “Laudate Dominum”, the Baroque era choral piece “Cantate Domino” and various hymns for mass.  We have also been working on vocal range exercises and learning techniques for singing high notes.”

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09/17/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students experimented with sentence variety, combined simple sentences into a compound sentence using the best coordinating conjunction, broke down new figurative language to help them interpret meaning, and took notes on character traits exhibited in Touching Spirit Bear.

This week in social studies, students completed research on the eruption of Mount St. Helens, WA State endangered species, and the Cascadia Earthquake. They also shared Current Events from the last week.

This week in religion, students learned about four parts of prayer, created personal prayers to reflect this structure, started learning strategies to help overcome obstacles in Second Step, and led weekly Mass!

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, students will read and analyze several fables to find patterns. Students will then start incorporating hooks, voice, and sentence variety in the drafting of their own fables. As a class, we will look a bit closer at theme in how it relates to stories and writing.

Next week in social studies, we will shift focus to examine why people settled within WA State. Students will complete their first open-book social studies quiz on Thursday, so please encourage them to review their notes beforehand!

Next week in religion, students will continue their lesson on strategy-building to overcome obstacles, analyze the structure of the bible, and look at examples of prayer in the New Testament to refine their personal prayers (with one additional part of prayer).

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “This week students worked with number lines to add and subtract negative integers. We used a different method than in the book- you can ask your students to show you that -7-(-8) means start at -7, turn left, moonwalk backwards -8 units. They did a great job. Please check FACTS and encourage them to see me at lunch if they have work to make-up or redo.”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “This week in 7^th grade math, we learned about multiplying and dividing negative numbers and began working on a flow chart that can deterministically operate on two integers. Next week we will continue this project and practice operations on all rational numbers.”

Science-Mrs. Ernest: “Students are learning about chemical reactions by studying how bath bombs interact with water. We have, through several labs, discovered that bath bombs fizz in water because of the citric acid and baking soda reacting together with water. We have also discovered that the gas produced is Carbon dioxide, using the flammability and density tests. Next week, students will complete a practice test then an actual test focused on the scientific method and identifying mystery chemical substances. Reminder: students can correct most assignments for full points back and can correct tests for half points back. Check out this page for study tools: Science Supports “

Engineering-Mr. Sherwood: “This week in Engineering, we learned how to use formulas in Excel so that our bridge budgets are accurate. Next week we will begin designing the bridges.”

P.E.-Coach Eager: “This week we explored the 5 components of fitness and talked about the importance of staying active. Students gave it their all in the 1-Mile Run and Curl-Up test — great effort from this group!”

Spanish-Mrs. Santos: “This week in Spanish, students reviewed familiar verbs and used them to talk about a video of a spider and a fly. They practiced asking and answering questions, counting, describing what they saw, and writing simple sentences about the video.

Our Spanish-speaking students (hispanohablantes) worked on developing their written Spanish. They organized their ideas before writing, answered questions about the video, practiced using complete sentences, and used new vocabulary to describe the characters and what happened.”

Art-Mrs. Santos: “Students are learning about llamas and their connection to the Andes region of South America as part of our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. They will design and paint their own llama using organic shapes, lines, patterns, and color, creating artwork that will become part of our school display.”

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09/10/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

This week in ELA/literature, students took part in Writer’s Workshop to focus on hooks, shared Cornell Notes with their Book Clubs, completed their “I Am” poems, and analyzed conflict through literary analysis.

This week in social studies, students completed their first WA State-based Current Events reflection, created collaborative region posters, and learned about how settlements are affected by Washington State’s major volcanoes. Tomorrow, we will play Latitude/ Longitude Battleship!

This week in religion, students led prayer with respectful intentions, shared their Goals through Vision Board representations, and practiced for Mass next week. In Second Step, students learned about what happens in the brain when they overcome challenges to learn something new.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, students will complete their reading MAP test, work on sentence variety in Writer’s Workshop, and turn their focus towards characterization within Touching Spirit Bear.

Next week in social studies, students will finish up their Washington State geology unit by exploring earthquakes/tsunamis as well as researching endangered wildlife in the various regions. Their first quiz will be the week of September 21^st.

Next week in religion, students will analyze the elements of prayer, create personal prayers to use, explain how challenging themselves is an essential part of learning, and lead Thursday Mass!

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “This week students worked on comparing rational numbers (fractions & decimals). Thursday, they had a quiz on chp 1.1-1.2, which focused on converting fractions to decimals, locating them on the number line and comparing their values.”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “This week in math, we began practicing integer addition and subtraction using a game called number line war. The rules of this game follow the rules of integer addition and subtraction, giving the students lots of practice in these mechanics. We took rigorous notes on all cases of integer operations. Next week we will reenforce these skills and apply them to all rational numbers.”

Science-Mrs. Ernest: “We are working on chemical reactions-investigating gas when a bath bomb hits water.”

Engineering-Mr. Sherwood: “This week in Engineering, we began the initial design process by designing our project execution plan. Students will abide by this plan as they work to design, text and implement their bridges in the coming weeks.”

Band-Mrs. Creech: Link: https://school.assumption.org/music/2026/09/09/weekly-newsletter-week-of-september-7th-11th/

Choir-Mrs. Morton: “This week in choir we are working on hymns for mass including “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” sung with a single sustained drone note in the organ as an accompaniment.  We have also started working on a song in Latin called “Cantate Domino” from the Baroque era.”

P.E.-Coach Eager: “This week we talked about what great sportsmanship looks like in action. Students practiced good sportsmanship while playing Mushroom Ball and the ever-popular recess game, Gaga Ball. Heads up: next week we’ll be tackling the FitnessGram One-Mile Run and Curl-Up tests!”

Spanish-Mrs. Santos: “¡Hola familias! ¡Vamos a jugar y vamos a recordar! Our classroom was full of movement as students practiced Spanish through games, actions, and a fun story about Lola, a little spider! Students reviewed the days of the week, months, and colors while learning the phrases “Yo soy,” “Me llamo,” “Hay,” “¡Qué lindo!” and “¡Qué bello!” We also practiced familiar action words such as caminar, escribir, lanzar, and organizar through playful activities.”

Art-Mrs. Santos: “This week, students continued developing their 7 Elements of Art Challenge artwork. They transferred their sketches onto their final paper and used Sharpie to add details, lines, textures, and contrast while strengthening the seven Elements of Art.”

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09/03/26

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

In ELA/literature, students reviewed compound sentences, worked on their “I Am” poems, received their new class novel (Touching Spirit Bear), completed a Writer’s Workshop (to target voice), and took part in their first set of ELA/lit. stations for the year! These stations allowed the students work time to read, take notes on their reading, finish Jensen’s work, do literary analysis on the topic of setting, complete a puzzle-related ELA activity, and check in with the teacher.

In social studies, students drew a map of WA State outlining regions and major cities, read about WA State industries, worked on collaborative posters to depict a particular region, and simulated glaciers (reflecting on glacier impact in WA State) through a fun experiment.

This week in religion, students reflected on the mystery of the Trinity and the question of: “As humans, can we truly know all the characteristics of God?”. Students looked up scripture passages to compare to their initial brainstorm of what they know about God. In Second Step, students created vision boards to depict their goals. Mr. Ramos also visited our class to discuss discipline and behavior expectations (he is visiting all the classrooms in the next couple weeks).

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

Next week in ELA/literature, students work on applying the aspect of voice in their writing and start learning about literary hooks. We will transition to analyzing conflict within Touching Spirit Bear, work on our Latin I roots/affixes exercises in Jensen’s, and share our final “I Am” poems.

Next week in social studies, students will continue learning about the geological impact of volcanoes, reinforce skills through some latitude/longitude Battleship, and search for a Current Events article to share with the class.

Next week in religion, we will learn about some components of prayer, build personal prayers, and attend Mass. In Second Step, we will finish up our goal-focused Vision Boards!

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math: Mrs. McEathron: “This week we worked on how to convert fractions and decimals in order to place them on a number line.”

Math-Mr. Sherwood: “During this first week of math, we started out with review of number lines, negative numbers and fraction -> decimal -> fraction conversion. We finished the week with a quiz. Next week, we will learn about different ways to visualize adding and subtracting integers as well as the rules for multiplying and dividing them.”

Engineering-Mr. Sherwood: “This week in Engineering, we learned some helpful physics to know for bridge building. This will prove to be helpful background as they work to design a bridge in the coming weeks which will connect the communities of Edgemoor and Lummi Peninsula.”

Spanish: Mrs. Santos: “Esta semana en la clase de Español… students learned about La Tomatina, a famous tomato festival in Spain, and practiced Spanish through a fun tomato-throwing game. Students reviewed and practiced correr, agarrar, jugar, lanzar, mucho, poco, casi nada, and ¡alto! while following Spanish commands. Students also completed a short Spanish grammar assessment to help me better understand their current skills and plan instruction for the year.”

Orchestra: Ms. Varon: “This week in Orchestra we are…

-Completing our Orchestra Partner Instrument Tour, where experienced musicians teach new students about their instruments to learn instrument parts, bow basics, instrument safety, open strings, proper playing and holding position, and how to safely put the instrument away.

-Going over the syllabus, class expectations, and procedures for setting up and putting away the classroom”

P.E.: Coach Eager: “This week we went over PE expectations and procedures, then had a blast with a cooperative game called The Crazy Card Challenge, followed by some friendly competition in Circle Relays. We also talked about the power of connection — and how much fun it can be to discover things in common with people we don’t know very well yet. Great energy from this group!”

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August 28, 2026

We are nearly done our first week! Here is a snapshot of what we did and what our plans are for next week…

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?

In ELA/literature, students were introduced to the format and expectations of the class, built marshmallow structures inspired by their favorite fairy tale or legend, completed personal reflections based on their expectations for the year, and completed some initial (non-graded) assessments so we have a starting point for the year. Tomorrow, we will begin our 1st Chapter Friday series and complete a Syllabus Scavenger Hunt!

In religion, students took part in class community-building exercises in addition to reflecting on how we can be safe, responsible, and respectful. Student volunteers led the class in a special back-to-school prayer. We also discussed creating entries in our gratitude journals to help build a positive mindset each day.

In social studies, students were introduced to some Washington State historical events and reminded of several nationally renowned figures who originated in Washington State. Students also brainstormed together to help formulate our Class Constitution.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT WEEK?

In ELA/literature, we start by asking the question: “Where do writer’s find their ideas?” and students will “fill in” their brain buckets. We will also review our sentence structure basics and start experimenting with “voice” through creative writing. Students will receive their new class novels then work on making predictions, referencing text features, and creating inferences. They will also learn how to note-take using the Cornell Notes method in preparation for Book Clubs on Wednesday. Finally, we will start listening to folk and fable-based podcast episodes!

In social studies, students will start exploring the impact of glaciers/volcanoes within Washington State through STEM-based activities, discuss the weekly Current Events FORM expectations (the first will be due after Labor Day), and utilize their map skills to plot precise WA State locations.     

In religion, we will focus on the timeline of Jesus’ life in the New Testament, learn more about the mystery of the trinity, and start our Second Step (Social-Emotional Learning) Curriculum by creating a vision board to represent our goals!

REPORTS FROM OTHER TEACHERS:

Math-McEathron: “This week we went over the basics of the class and reviewed expectations. Next week we will dive into the first unit: Rational Numbers.”