Extending their learning from investing in their Big Shoulders Fund stock portfolio, the eighth grade students recently began studying economics in I&S. After mastering the basics, they applied their knowledge to a case study on the Hershey Company. The students identified the various productive resources that go into making Hershey's kisses and documented the imports/exports on world maps. Obviously, they competed for delicious chocolates, too!
In Language Arts, each 8th grader chose a memoir or an autobiography to read this month. Since they will do a majority of the reading at home, they made pacing calendars to schedule times to read into their busy lives, so that they will meet their reading deadlines! They took into account everything from after-school activities, time-consuming assignments, and personal events like birthday parties and basketball games. With a little bit of planning, reading an entire book independently in one busy month doesn’t seem so overwhelming.
Eighth grade explored heat transfer in great depth this week, looking at how conduction occurs at the molecular level. For the hands-on portions of the lessons, they preserved an ice cube one day, and they also investigated how the mixing of different volumes of hot and cold water would affect the amount of thermal energy the water has. Who knew measuring and pouring could be so fun?!
As we continue our study of ancient China, the sixth grade students examined proverbs written by the master of ethical systems, Confucius. After receiving one half of a proverb, the students had to find their other half and translate the proverb into modern language. In doing this, they learned about the various roles in Chinese society, including leaders, friends, and women. Confucius would be very proud of the friendships forged within our sixth grade class!
Ms. Denten and Ms. Jensen gathered their classes together to craft on Friday morning. After making their glitter snowmen, the second graders picked out their favorite books to read with their buddies. We love spending time with our buddies!
-Please return signed progress reports by Monday, January 23.
-Sign up for a parent teacher conference using the link in the weekly email. If you did not receive a conference request from your child's teacher, second trimester conferences are optional. Conferences will be held on Friday, February 3 from 12:00-3:30 PM at the main campus.
-Be sure to mark your calendars for the multi-school junior high dance on Friday, January 27 from 6:30-9:30 PM @SMS. We are always looking for extra chaperones!
-Next week, keep an eye out for details about Catholic Schools Week (January 29-February 4). The festivities will kick off with an Open House on January 29.
Happy weekend!
Ms. Denten & Ms. Scheiber