1.29-2.2 // Catholic Schools Week
2.2 // Half day for students / Progress reports go home / Parent-teacher conferences (upon request)
2.9 // No School - Teacher In-service Day
Global learners compete on the world's stage... This week, the junior high engaged in Winter Olympics competition! They tested their knowledge of countries that participate in the Olympics, olympic athletes and events, and ended with a passing (the finish line) of the olympic torch. Science - not free of charge... 8th grade students investigated energy conversion through studying simple electrochemical cells. They tested various combinations of metals (Copper, Magnesium, Zinc, and Iron) to determine the best way to construct a wet cell battery. They found that using the different metals in different combinations produced different reaction rates, which they monitored by using a small spinning motor. What's black and white and read all over SMS? The newspaper team put out the first edition of "The Monthly Mustang" this week. It is complete with articles from our junior high writers, and even a comics section! We are SO proud of all of the work our students have done to create this publication. Extra copies are available - just ask Ms. Davis or Ms. McKenna. Looking ahead...
1.29-2.2 // Catholic Schools Week 2.2 // Half day for students / Progress reports go home / Parent-teacher conferences (upon request) 2.9 // No School - Teacher In-service Day
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Next Wednesday, our students will compete in the first Mustang Cup competition of the new year - Winter Olympics style! Comment on this week's blog post with your favorite thing about St. Matthias to earn a ticket (1 point) for your student's Mustang Cup team! (1 pt. per student) On Wednesday mornings at the Dank Haus, you can find our junior high students working hard in an intervention period. Eighth graders can be found planning their MYP service projects, teachers are conducting one-one-one check-ins or small study groups, and in Ms. McKenna's room, you'll find a writers' workshop! We use this time to hone in on one particular writing skill with which we could use a little more time and focus. This Wednesday, sixth graders worked on identifying and creating the vital components of an argumentative paragraph. To begin, each student got a slip of paper with one or two sentences on it, which represented a critical piece of a paragraph - either a CLAIM, EVIDENCE, or REASONING. Then, students had to find the other components to their paragraph by moving around the room and conferencing with other students. Once they put together their completed paragraphs, they met with their peers who had the same type of component that they had. Those who had claims talked about the similarities between their claims, and same for evidence and reasoning. Lastly, they composed their own paragraphs complete with claims, evidence, and reasoning. Students did a great job digging a little deeper into questions like: What makes a strong argument? What makes a paragraph complete? Don't melt under the pressure of competition... 8th graders competed in two contests in science class last week: the first was an ice-melting contest and the second was an ice-preserving contest! Students were first challenged to apply what they know about conduction and heat transfer to melt a single ice cube in a short amount of time. Congrats to Patrick McIntee on winning! The second challenge was to build an insulator. Students used their knowledge of insulation and heat transfer to insulate an ice cube. Congrats to Jakob Werner on winning the contest! BIG dreams, proportionate plans... 7th graders wrapped up a unit on proportional relationships! They spent time measuring the classroom to prepare to make scaled blueprints. They created their “dream homes” including everything from bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms, to indoor basketball courts, virtual reality rooms, and helipads. Their creativity was inspiring to say the least! Fundraising is sweet... Student Council hosted a delicious hot chocolate sale this morning! With a choice of whipped cream or marshmallows, St. Matthias students enjoyed a tasty treat for $1. Student Council planned the supplies needed and promotional strategy, managed logistics, and sold their product-successfully using multiple leadership skills. Student Council will be hosting another hot chocolate sale Friday morning next week! Mixed reviews, but it's not over until the IB crowd sings... This week, 7th and 8th grades were introduced to their new unit- OPERA! It was definitely met with mixed reviews but I know the students will stay open-minded and begin to appreciate this wonderful genre! Students will be learning about the origin and history of opera and how an opera is structured. They will also be exposed to many popular operas and the composers/librettists behind those great stories. The unit will culminate in a very creative summative assessment and exciting field trip!! We will keep you updated on our opera unit throughout the coming weeks! Looking ahead...
1.23 // If you would like to get our monthly student publication, The Monthly Mustang, return the subscription form with $3 1.26 // Student Council hot chocolate sale 7:40-8:00am 1.28 // Family mass at 10:30am and SMS Open House 1.29-2.2 // Catholic Schools Week 2.2 // Half day for students / Progress reports go home / Parent-teacher conferences (upon request) Don't forget to comment with your favorite thing about St. Matthias in order to earn a ticket for your favorite Mustang Cup team! (1 pt. per student) This week at the Dank Haus, students enjoyed catching up with one another and getting back into the swing of things! A preamble to success... Congratulations to the 8th Grade Class of 2018 for a 100% pass rate on their State Constitution test! 8th Grade finished their study of Illinois and local government before break, and just completed the last summative assessment as a final demonstration of their knowledge. This project asked them to be authors of their own Non-Fictional Texts on some aspect of Illinois or local government. Topics included the laws, structure, and history behind our governmental and cultural institutions. These books were exceptionally creative, organized, and detailed, showing excellent investigative and communication skills. Pictures for the mant(le)... In Science, 6th graders are investigating convection currents in the mantle! They modeled the flow of magma in the mantle to show how fluids move from warm areas to colder areas, and applied that concept to the movement of tectonic plates. Think outside yourself... In Language and Literature, 7th grade analyzed four quotes from modern authors about identity and decided which one they connected to most. Then, they met with their peers who chose the same quote and discussed their reasons for choosing that quote. Afterward, they connected the quote they chose to The Outsiders. It's amazing what you can understand about others by reflecting on your own thoughts and experiences! Students are working on their analyzing skills both verbally and in written form. Looking ahead...
1.15 // No school - Martin Luther King Jr. Day 1.28 // Family mass and SMS Open House 1.29-2.2 // Catholic Schools Week 2.2 // Half day for students / Parent-teacher conferences (upon request) |
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