Junior High News

         Posted at: www.stjohnsfw.org under “School Groups”                 February/March 2008

 

Calendar for January/February

  • Stations of the Cross – March 3 – 2:15

·        Popcorn Day – March 7

·        Confirmation Retreat – March 8

·        Religion Time-line –  Due March 10, Grade 8

·        Young Hoosier Books and Projects – Due March 13, Grade 8

·        Science Projects – Week of March 17, Grade 8

·        No School – March 14

·        Fish Fry – March 14

·        Kingston – Easter Service Project – March 15 7th and 8th

·        Report Cards – March 19

·        Early Dismiss – March 20, 1:00pm, Conferences

·        No School – March 21, Good Friday

·        Science Central Shark Dissection – March 25

·        Confirmation Service Hours DUE – 10 Projects, 25 Hours minimum

·        No School – March 27 & 28

(Possibility of Schedule changes due to weather)

 

Students of the Month

February                                                        

Nic Hoeffel                                          

Taylor Hollar                                                   

Abby Reuille                                                    

Casey Westrick                                               

Casey Baldus                                      

Matt Williamson                                               

Sarah Bayard                                      

Nick Burrell                                         

                                                                        Olivia Soehngen                                               

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!                            

 

Mr. Bercaw:

The seventh grade is currently studying some countries of high interest. The countries included in Unit Five include: Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.  As a result of all the current events and United States interests in these countries the students are full of questions.   

We have started to go even deeper into our weekly geography quizzes.  The students are now learning capitals of many of the countries they now know. 

                The eighth grade has finished our study of Church History and will focus the remainder of the year on Morality.  We will use the book as our base but will also have many opportunities to discuss current events within the context of Catholic morality.  Dust off your photo albums because the eighth grade is working on a project.  They will be creating timelines about major events in their lives and they will need some photographs especially of when they received sacraments. 

Upcoming quizzes and extra credit opportunities are posted on my website.  You can access my site through the school site:  www.stjohnsfw.org

 

 

Mrs. Welling:

 

7th Language Arts

 

We just finished reading and interpreting informative (expository) text.  Students learned how to read a road map, charts and manuals, newspapers, and magazines.  They can now direct your family on your next trip through Indiana – they know the highways and how to read mileage and the index.

 

We are now half way through the Young Hoosier project for this quarter.  This is their biggest score for the quarter.  Students must read five books and complete a project for one of the books – if you haven’t already signed off on the project, you need to be asking about it soon.

 

We are also reading One-Eyed Cat by Paula Fox.  Students just finished writing a biography about the author and using the Internet for research in doing so.  We partner read, “popcorn” read, and practice good listening skills as we work on this project in-class.

 

It’s back to grammar and diagramming sentences next week as we finish up the grammar requirements for 7th grade with prepositions and clauses.  At least we get a little drawing in!

 

Remind students that the books need to be read for Young Hoosiers by March 12 – the tests they take through accelerated reader add up to one 100% test score.  It’s reading for comprehension – not just as fast as they can get it done.  By now, I’m telling them then should be almost done with the fourth book in order to finish on time.

 

8th Social Studies

 

We just started Junior Achievement.  Enterprise in Action deals with immigration patterns and the resulting entrepreneurship.  Topics include Levi Strauss and his jeans empire as well as the Gold Rush and westward migration.

 

My father, Max Fordyce, will be speaking with the students about the Wabash and Erie Canal and a little Indiana history.  He volunteers at the Forks of the Wabash in Huntington and is the resident “expert” on the canal through this part of the state.  The kids seem to get a kick out of my own father teaching – he taught astronomy, physics, and chemistry in high school all his life so he knows what he is doing!

 

We just practiced “scaffolding”, a study technique where the students take a section of text and develop their own teaching unit to present to the class.  This first experience had its own little difficulties – after all, it isn’t easy being the teacher!  We will be doing the same type of exercise later in the semester.  I like this method because it allows the students to feel like “experts” in their topics and teaches them to work together collaboratively in small groups.

 

We are watching the political scene carefully.  We just have a discussion on today’s political parties and platforms and will be doing some election exercises as we get closer to May.  They know that in the next election some of them will have the opportunity to vote.

 

Ms. Hollar:

We are moving along in math. Both seventh and eighth grades have picked up the pace a bit. There is a lot of information to cover before the year is done and time just seems to be flying by.

     The eighth grade is starting science projects. Projects will be due the week of March 17th. Projects will be due on March 18th and presentations will begin the same day. Hopefully they will be completed by the end of the week. We are currently learning about electricity and I am hoping to do several labs. However, there are supplies I need to do these labs so any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Please see the list of lab supplies. If you have any questions, just let me know.

 

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.  All grades for this author study will be posted on the fourth quarter.

We are nearing the end of our Vocabulary Workshop lessons.  This week will be our last Review Test for Units 12-15.  We will complete some cumulative evaluations and then I will collect workbooks.  The students should be proud of their work.  From the start, the words were intimidating and now tackling difficult words is just an everyday thing that we do.  The 300 words that they learned are all a part of an SAT Prep program that included reading comprehension and timed writings in the SAT format.

All students have chosen their Multigenre Research project topics.  We will work on these projects in school as well as have assignments for home.  The projects will be finished in late April or early May.  This is a huge project but it should also be one students enjoy and get creative with.  Students are concerned because I don’t have a firm due date.  I haven’t given one because we are going to take our time and work on most of it together.  Ask your child each week what they have accomplished.  Please help them remember to renew their library materials.  I taught them how to do it on-line from home last week.

In Science, we are starting our study of Physics.  We just completed our Earth Science Unit.  I have decided that seventh graders will not be completing science projects this year.  We are going to focus on basic skills for the lab which includes metrics, glassware, and measurement. 

 

8th Graders - Mark Your Calendars!

8th Grade Trips/Grad Activities:

March 8 – Confirmation Retreat

March 25 – Service sheets due

April 29 – Dinner and Confirmation

April 30 - Chicago Depart 5:00am, return 11:00pm

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

(Possibility of Schedule changes due to weather)

Scholastic Book Orders

 Orders are due by Monday, March 10, 2008.

Rock-A-Thon

The Rock-A-Thon went really well. Thanks to all the parents that helped supervise the students that evening. We all had a really good time. The students were so tired of rocking by the time the evening was over. We raised over $1300. There are some students that still need to turn in their money. Please do so as soon as possible. Thanks again for all of your help and support.

 

 

 

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:

Ammeters – 6                                       Flash Light Bulbs - 30              

Voltmeters – 6                          Light Bulb Holders - 30

6-Volt Batteries – 6                              Insulated Copper Wire             

Map Pins                                              Switches

 

Household items:

 

Shoeboxes with lids – 8                                    Duct Tape                                                       

Pipe cleaners                                                    Tin pans / Trays

Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Insides    Modeling Clay

Brown paper lunch sacks                                                         

Clean 2-Liter bottles w/ lids                                                                                                                             

 

 

 

 

 

We are enjoying our Elective time, ask your child about his/her new classes.