School Supplies

Friendly reminder to re-stock your child's school supplies as needed! Pencils and paper seem to be a need among students right now. Thank you!

Independent reading is a practice we are hitting hard this semester. The benefits of students continuing to read books of their choice is incredibly valuable. We know that if they stop reading on their own it impacts their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing skills. The more they read, the stronger these skills will become. Middle school students still have harder texts and writing experiences ahead of them; and as much as some may struggle with being passionate about reading, the importance of reading regularly is still significant.  

We expect and need all of the students to have an IDR book at school each day. The teachers are giving them additional reading time within their classes, giving each student the opportunity and time to explore books of potential interest, and/or get hooked on a book they like. Over the past week we have shared with the students two central ideas: 1) We want to help them find reading material they like. 2) We want them to experience reading outside of school assignments and units.  

Students can choose their IDR book. This choice makes a pivotal difference in their attitude around reading! They may bring one from home, check one out through the CCA library, through the Hudson library or other outside sources. We know that our library could use some additional book genres and series added for our middle school students. We hope there will be an opportunity through our book fair to get a wish list made, so families can help us stock up on more book options.

We do ask parents to be aware of the books their child is reading. We understand that parents have the privilege of filtering books and music for their children, and we appreciate your help in that piece!  

What book have you read that may be a good option for your middle schooler? If you have suggestions, please share them. 🙂

Middle School Reading Survey Responses

Here's The Happenings:

Science: Atoms and elements filled our week!  Students learned about the history and structure of an atom.  They also drew many of them using the atomic numbers on the periodic table.  Ask your child to draw you carbon or oxygen so they can show you!  We also completed our insulation lab and practiced our analysis skills.  

Homework Due 1/28: Atoms Worksheet- #s 5, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14,17 (on paper)

Math: Unit 4 (Chapter 1-7th GB)-Adding & Subtracting Rational Numbers

So, I have slowed down and done some more review as there were several students that hit a road block of sorts when it came to subtracting with those decimal and fraction numbers. There are skills on IXL that the students can work on to practice and get instant feedback with how to solve the problem. Today we worked on the Chapter 1 Practice (review). The students need to complete this as we will check it on Tuesday as well as play Battleship and test on Wednesday. Our next chapter is a continuation where we bring Multiplication and Division into the mix with our Integers and Rational Numbers.  All corrections/missings for this chapter will be due Friday, Jan. 30th.

Homework: Chapter 1 Practice #14-36

Social Studies: Students will be learning about The Industrial Revolution. We will be starting before the Industrial Revolution, then work on the first important inventions. Students will nominate their favorite inventions and create a slideshow.

English: We’ll be continuing our reading of The Iliad in class. Students may have occasional homework connected to the reading, so a little encouragement at home to stay on track is always appreciated. Thanks for your support!

Writing & Research: This week, students have been working on reducing redundancy in their writing—learning how to express ideas clearly without unnecessary repetition. Students will also be receiving a daily practice grade for their typing skills completed during homeroom.

This grade is focused on growth, not perfection. Students will progress through different typing skill categories, and once they receive an exceeds score in one category, they will advance to the next. Our goal is to support steady improvement and build confidence over time.