Happy Valentine's Day!  This week is a short four-day week, and please remember that there is a half-day on Friday, which technically makes this a 3 1/2 day week (according to a typical middle-schooler)!

 

Homeroom Items: Congratulations to Rm. 9 on being class leaders for the school Mass on Friday! The Welcome was read by Chris, First Reading by Matthew, and the Intercessions were read by Cylie and Gilsie. Altar servers were Dominic and Adam, assisted by Tom in Rm. 7.  Thank you, everyone!  We also won the Door Decorating Contest for "Punniest" door and I am happy to say that everyone in Rm. 9 participated in making the door extra fun and fancy!  (We won a prize of some sort although I am not sure what it could be, given the ecstatic yelling in the classroom!!!) 

Contributions for the updated Games Bin were received this week by the Bruder family and BookFair books for the classroom were purchased by the Carl and Brittle families. Thank you for your support! On Thursday we should be able to have a great Games morning!

 

Houses: Have you heard that STM Middle School students are in "houses"?  Yes, they are!  If you ask your student, they may recall their house's saint, or the house "color", mascot, mascot's name, stewards, or house leader. 

 

Green Sheets: green sheets for Rm. 9 - I will collect them on Tuesday morning unfortunately for me/fortunately for your student, because I did not collect them on Friday. 

 

Academic News: In LA 6 this week, the students are doing three things simultaneously, so I'll explain here to ease confusion they may have, although I am always available in class and by email for questions.  Here are the three simultaneous assignments: the last of the Verbs unit in grammar; an expository article first draft in the form of interviewing an interesting person, which should include quotation marks and no writing in the first person "I"; beginning to collect examples of persuasive techniques through advertising (print media, online ads, commercials, other advertisements).

 

In Reading 6, the students have started List 9 in Vocabulary in Action and will have a quiz on Friday on those words. In our Jackie Robinson book, we've been identifying examples of similes. This week we will be locating text-based examples of cultural identity and how these examples intersect with the main character's Chinese heritage as she navigates 1947 Brooklyn.

 

In Reading 7, the students wrote two characterization pieces and are learning a bit more history about Commodore Perry and the 1853 demand by the US that America be allowed to enter their ports. This week there will be a Part 5 quiz and the beginning of a text-based response to literature, answering the question, which character trait enabled Manjiro to successfully persevere in adversity?

 

In Religion 6, students are playing a bit of catchup this week since we were preparing our readings for Mass, creating the door, and having a Valentine party. We will be moving to Chapter 12 this week, We Live the Commandments Today. https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/lpress-craft/files/col2016-files/Christourlife2016-study-gd-g6-ch12.pdf

 

Have a great week!

Jodie Morgan