What a beautiful week! There were even three birthdays that were celebrated! The MS is taking advantage of all of the nice fall weather until we are too cold to stay out for long in the winter months. We are so lucky to have been able to spend half of our day on Thursday outside at both the Stream Study and the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. Also, 8th-grade Leadership baked over 80 Snickerdoodle cookies for Oktoberfest (and some to share with their classmates). Here’s a quick class update:
Humanities
In grades 6 & 7 Humanities, students presented their research about the dynasties of China. The classes made connections over time, and they spent some time exploring the innovations, architecture, and art that were developed in China during the times of the dynasties. Additionally, they completed their first class novel, Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka! They ended the week in student-led, small group discussions using questions they developed in the final chapters of the book.
The 8th-grade Humanities class has been learning about the notion of “first contact” between Indigenous Americans and Europeans. They learned that there were many “first contacts,” as there were over 1,000 tribal nations, and they took place over the course of about 200 years. They honed in on some of the explorers during the Age of Exploration and briefly learned of some of their journeys. Unsurprisingly, the main motivator for European exploration was gold and riches. Additionally, 8th-grade students are in various places in their personal memoir essays. It is amazing to see how each student has learned about themselves as writers and has a unique process they use when drafting. Upon their draft completion, students will self-edit and revise and, with peers (if they choose), conference with Mrs. Lamb, and complete a final revision.
Math
Pre-Transition: This week in Pre-Transition, students worked on identifying place values in a decimal number. They were given a helpful place value tool, which helped them build their confidence in reading decimal numbers aloud. They also practiced comparing and ordering decimals, fractions, and percents from least to greatest. Students learned how to multiply decimals by multiples of 10, as well as by fractions such as 1/10, 1/100, etc. We wrapped up the week by learning to round decimals to the nearest, next, or preceding place value.
Transition: This week in Transition, students learned how to describe and represent patterns using variables, exploring how relationships between numbers can be expressed algebraically and shown in tables. They practiced translating words into algebraic expressions and evaluating expressions by substituting values for variables. These skills help build a strong foundation for understanding formulas and real-world problem-solving. Students will review these concepts on Monday and take the Chapter 1 Quiz on Tuesday, October 21.
Algebra: This week in Algebra, students focused on using the Distributive Property to expand expressions, remove parentheses, and combine like terms. They practiced applying this property to mental math and real-world problems, strengthening their ability to simplify and solve expressions efficiently. Students also explored how algebra can be used to explain and solve number puzzles, connecting reasoning skills to fun, logical challenges. Students will review these concepts on Monday and take the Chapter 1 Quiz on Tuesday, October 21.
Geometry: This week in Geometry, students learned about the importance of clear and precise definitions and how they connect to logical reasoning. They explored conditional statements, converses, and biconditionals, practicing how to identify, write, and interpret “if-then” statements using symbols and real-world examples. Students also used Venn diagrams to visualize relationships between statements and discussed what makes a good definition – clear, specific, and reversible. Students will take the Chapter 1 Quiz on Monday, October 20.
Algebra II: This week in Algebra II, students continued solving direct variation problems and learned about inverse variations as well. The week wrapped up with the Fundamental Theorem of Variation.
Science
This week, Middle School students started to design their experiments for the Science Fair on November 5. They are very excited to be working on them. Students are working hard on their hypotheses and experimental designs. Some students ran their experiments this week, while others are in the process of obtaining results and will run them next week. Each student is presenting an individual project, and there is a wide variety of them. Some experiments that were done this week included “Coin Battery,” “The Effect of Music on People’s Reaction,” “Growing Bacteria,” “Gummy Bear Osmosis,” and “Freezing Point in Different Solutions.” There are a few more that are still in process, and students are waiting for results. Meanwhile, some students began working on their research paper to document their science experiment.
In addition, this week, the Middle School visited the Catherine Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, and the second group of students had hands-on experience collecting samples from the Benthic Zone of the Pootatuck River, collaborating with a study on the health of Connecticut’s waters. Students were able to transfer all the macroinvertebrates that they gathered into trays for closer observation, identification, and classification. In this opportunity, the group collected a broader range of macroinvertebrates, highlighting the presence of three highly sought-after species, including Body-Builder Mayfly, Brush Legged Mayfly, and Common Stonefly. Students also found the following insects: Common Netspinner, Fingernet Caddis, Three-Tailed Flathead Mayfly, Dobsonfly, Scud, Aquatic worm, Crayfish, Cranefly, and Riffle Beetle. The group had an Identification Chart to keep track of their findings. This amazing opportunity gave students the chance to become scientists for the day and learn more about the health of their local waterways. Finally, they selected a few samples of each species and prepared them to be shipped off to the State of Connecticut for further study.
- Friday, 10/24: Conference Day for students, parents, and teachers. They are available in the SignUps Module on MyFWM. Some teachers have availability earlier in the week as well.
- MS Halloween Movie Night: Friday, 10/24 @ 6:00-8:30 pm: Click Here to RSVP
We are looking forward to another great week ahead!
Parent-teacher conferences are a valuable opportunity to learn more about your child’s daily experiences at school, strengthen your connection with your child’s teacher, and gain deeper insight into your child’s growth and development.
