Junior High
News
Posted at: www.stjohnsfw.org under
“School Groups”
January/February,
2008
Calendar for
January/February
·
Report
Cards - January 16
·
NO
SCHOOL - January 21
·
Early
Dismissal
·
ROCK-A-THON
8th - January 25
·
Catholic
Schools Week beginning with
Open House, and Dinner - January
26
·
TV
Mass with Junior High - January 27
·
·
Staff
vs. 8th Grade Volleyball - February 1
·
Popcorn
Day - February 1
December January
Jenna Aguirre Amelia
Georgi
Marc Cotter Catherine
Barnett
Sarah Bayard Noah
Allison
Dwight Richards Zach
Soehngen
Sarah Woodfill Alexis
Shifflett
Demetri Martin Libby
Devlin
Andrea Choka Morgan
Skordos
Alexa Litchfield Stephen
May
Ashley
Vaughn
The
Junior High and Specials teachers have started recognizing students that have
shown exemplary citizenship, the willingness to serve others, respect,
courtesy, and simply being a “great kid.”
Each month students are chosen and in a Junior High gathering, each
teacher speaks about the child, each is given a treat, certificate, and a note
home regarding their achievement. Be
proud of your children!
High Honors 8th Grade High Honors 7th Grade Honors 8th
Grade Honors 7th
Grade
Rachel Crouch Patsy, Berghoff Meaghan
Adams Casey
Baldus
Andrea
Choka Catherine
Barnett Tom Carrier
Julia Hayes Sarah Bayard Mary
Cerajewski
Sean McManus Anna Eifrid Kelly
Dwire
Katie,
Kuras Amelia
Georgi
Alexa
Litchfield Brenden
Gonzales
Abby
Oberley Schrae
Hammock
Abby
Reuille Anthony
Hartle
Morgan
Skordos Jenna
Hoch
Julia
Sturm Olivia
Holman
Elle
Veldman Jennifer
Meeks
Laura
Welling Dwight
Richards
Samantha
Williamson David
Shank
Sarah
Woodfill Tom
Starks
Kathleen
Welling
Mayson
Whitman
Ashton
Yaeger
Burrell,
Nick
Mrs. Welling
7th Grade Language Arts – Students finished their Superhero storybooks
before Christmas break. What great
projects! The creative juices were
flowing and so were their artistic talents.
Students had to choose a sticker and then develop a plot for a short
fantasy story about their character. We
worked on “vivid” verbs and character development as well as learning how to
write a story from a planned plot line (of their own imagination, of
course!).
We’re now reading and writing science fiction and fantasy
stories and poetry. From Rod Serling to
Ray Bradbury, students are listening to and reading a variety of stories. We’re also starting our 7th grade
Young Hoosier reading program. You
should have read, signed, and returned an information sheet about this program
so that you can help monitor you student’s reading schedule. Remember, reading for at least 20 minutes
EVERY night! Students will be reading
five books over the next two months and making oral presentations to the class
as well as regular written responses. If
you wander downstairs, you’ll see a dragon winding around the first floor as
students continue reading their books.
8th Grade
Of course, we are following the Presidential primary
process. Last week we learned about what
a caucus is and will be following candidate selection each time a primary comes
up all the way until May when
We will be talking about Martin Luther King and his
contribution to our nation as we remember him later this month. There are so many people who have contributed
to the wealth of this nation -- spiritually, culturally, financially,
physically, etc… Throughout this year, I hope to be able to inspire your
students to live up to the challenges put before them by those who have come
before them. That is, after all, why we
learn about our history!
Show/Liturgical Choir – We had a wonderfully musical holiday
season. In addition to school programs
and Santa Breakfast, the students also sang for Villa of the Woods with the
kindergarten students and presented our program to the Fort Wayne Lions
Club. Thank you to all for giving back
to them your own appreciation of their efforts.
Liturgical Choir will be singing for the Catholic TV Mass
on Sunday, January 27. All students in
the choir need to be in attendance.
Parents are also encouraged to attend Mass at St. Francis beginning at
We
will also be singing for an all-school Mass each month. We are currently working on a Show Choir
program to be ready after spring break for year-end activities.
7th Grade – Notices have gone home regarding Conner
Prairie field trip on April 30. If you
haven’t seen the informational letter, please notify either Mr. Bercaw or Mrs.
Welling. Permission slips and payment
information will be coming home soon.
8th Graders - Mark Your Calendars!
8th
Grade Trips/Grad Activities:
January
25 – Rock-A-Thon
February
13 – Main library,
February
20 –
March
8 – Confirmation Retreat
March
25 – Service sheets due
April
29 – Dinner and Confirmation
April
30 -
May 21
– Graduates Liturgy and Lunch
May 26
– Memorial Day
May 27
– 8th Grade Academic Awards Dinner
May 28
– 8th Grade Graduation
May 29
– Last Day All – ½ Day
Ms. Hollar:
We are
moving right along in math and science. The students in both grades will be
starting a project in math within the next couple of weeks. They will be
designing and creating a model for a children’s candy container. This is a fun
and creative way to study 3-D shapes and to learn area, surface area, and
volume. I will display the completed models somewhere on the junior high floor
and I am hoping to have the rest of the staff and students judge the models for
prizes.
This
spring I am hoping to do some really fun stuff in science. I am hoping to do
bottle rockets with both seventh and eighth grades and also science projects
again this year. In 8th grade science we have finally finished up
Earth science and are into Physical science. I am hoping to do some labs but I
will need help with some supplies. If you can donate any of these items for
labs it would be greatly appreciated.
Mrs.
Sturm:
In Language Arts we are continuing with our weekly
Author Studies. Students complete
research and present information on their favorite authors for an entire
week. One requirement is sending a
letter to the author. This week, Morgan
Skordos received a personal response to her letter from author Sharon Draper. This was exciting for all of us; I don’t
think the students really believed me that they would get responses.
We are
nearing the end of our Vocabulary Workshop lessons. We will start root words and foreign origin
word studies when we finish. Students
have been asked to start thinking about a topic for their upcoming research
projects. I have asked them to talk to
their parents and friends and to come up with a topic that is interesting to
them personally and that would be fun to study.
The best topics are people or events.
Lastly,
all parents should have received a pink letter regarding our Young Hoosier Book
reading. All students should be reading at least ½ hour each night and 1 hour
on the weekends. This should be
uninterrupted reading time.
In Science,
we are studying the Earth. We just
completed a lab on viscosity. Students
had a simple experiment that incorporated many scientific skills. We had to really be careful with pouring and
measuring! Next we will be working on
climate. All 7th Grade
students will be required to complete a science project. Students and parents
should be thinking about projects that involve data collection. We will begin
in mid-February.
Scholastic Book Orders
We are sending home the January
Scholastic book order forms. This is one way that Mrs. Sturm and Mrs. Welling
can keep shelves stocked with current novels.
Each time you purchase a book we earn points and purchase books for the
classroom. We are listing some
recommended titles to help you decide which books are right for your
child. We have listed books that are
current, Young Hoosiers, under $10.00, or great authors. We haven’t read all of the books in these
catalogues but we are familiar with many of the authors and the content of the
books. Books with a listing of HS or M are for High School and mature content
is in the books. It is up to you to
determine what you want your child to read.
Ask us if you need more recommendations or information.
Books make great gifts. If you want to purchase an item secretly, let
us know and we can work it out!
Orders are due Friday, January 25, 2008
Tab Teen January 2008 Tab
January 2008 Arrow
January 2008
Wait for Me Code
Orange The
Titan’s Curse
Code Orange Sister’s
Grimm Black Duck
Sister’s Grimm Touching
Spirit Bear No
Talking
Witch Child Code
Talker Love,
Star Girl
Holocaust Pack Witch
Child Bud,
Not Buddy
Soldier
Boys Steal
Away Home
Holocaust
Pack Kidnapped
Pack
Science Lab
Information and Requests
Miss Hollar and Mrs. Sturm are working on cleaning out and cleaning up the Science Lab. We are starting to do classroom labs and demonstrations. If you have a particular science expertise that you would like to share or demonstrate let us know, we’d love to have you visit.
We are looking for many items to stock in the science lab. If you would be willing to donate items, shop
for and donate perishable items (with notice), or know a place to get the
materials cheap, we’d like to know.
Please send a note to Mrs. Sturm or Ms. Hollar as soon as possible. We are listing the immediate needs that we
have:
Specialized items:
Stop Watches - 15 Ammeters – 6 Flash
Light Bulbs - 30
Balloons Voltmeters
– 6 Light Bulb
Holders - 30
6-Volt Batteries –
6 Insulated
Copper Wire Switches
Map Pins
Household items:
Shoeboxes with
lids – 8 Scouring powder Sponges
(various sizes)
Pipe cleaners Dish
Soap Gallon
Size Baggies
Push Pins Wash
cloths Tin
pans / Trays
Toilet Paper and
Paper Towel Insides
Brown paper lunch
sacks Large
Marshmallows Gum
Drops
Clean
2-Liter bottles w/ lids Duct
Tape Modeling
Clay
Rubber
bands – Various Sizes Vinegar
We are enjoying our Elective time, ask
your child about his/her new classes.