We Love Presidents!

We have the city's best gym teacher...

We had another exciting week in gym class! Check out all the unique games students learned how to play: Eighth grade learned about horseshoes, seventh grade played pool, and sixth presented on bowling.

Dancing around the clock...

Sixth grade continued their dance unit by moving from the merengue to the foxtrot. Even though we have a few more “leads” in the class than “follows,” our dancers have been making it work by dancing solo.

On a scale of 1 to 10...

In Language Arts, seventh grade examined the motif of “Alienation” in The House on Mango Street AND in their own lives. They took an “Alienation Survey” to see if technology was making them feel alienated rather than connected to others. Students rated yes-or-no statements on a scale of 1-10 such as “I feel comfortable stopping by a friend or family member’s house without calling first to let them know that I will be there,” and “No one in my family uses technology at dinner time,” and “I can go a day without checking my social media.” Students had an amusing class discussion about their technology tendencies as we discovered that some people don’t use it at all and some people can’t live without it!

​Making it real...

Eighth grade continued their memoir and autobiography / culture of violence unit by discussing how a culture of violence is created. All students agreed that, in order to prevent violence, we have to make people who live in a culture of violence feel safe. But how can we do that? Students moved around the room to discuss ways in which we can make someone feel safe physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Economics IS fun...

Using a series of clues, the eighth graders worked in teams to determine the identity of a mystery product. They charted the journey of various goods and services around the globe, uncovering just how many steps are involved in the production process.

Aquifina, anyone?

Sixth grade investigated groundwater, exploring how water moves through different types of earth materials. They are gradually getting better at following procedures and recording observations to collect data!

Not too many cooks in the kitchen...

Seventh and eighth graders got the opportunity to take cooking class during intervention this week! Our gourmands learned how to make macaroni and cheese, testing two different versions of the recipe to determine which one they preferred. They also sampled different toppings. It was delicious!

We love love!

Sixth grade got to visit their PreK buddies in Mrs. Contrera's class to celebrate Valentine's Day! They made Valentines for their buddies during religion class, and when we visited, they helped make murals representing different kinds of love. You can check out the murals in the first floor hallway!

Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun...

Eighth grade took advantage of the sunny weather this week as they took a quick jaunt outside to investigate how the angle of a solar panel changes the amount of energy it can transfer. 

¡Si, se puede!

Finally, eighth grade kept the spirit of Mrs. Prinzivalli alive by playing grudge ball in Spanish class. It was entirely student-led and in Spanish! These teams came in first and second place -- a great end to the week. 

Looking ahead...

Monday, February 20: No school (Presidents Day)
Friday, March 3: End of second trimester

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the warm weather!
-Ms. Scheiber & Ms. Denten