The first full week of May has passed in a flash. Next week is an exciting week for the Middle School as 8th grade students present their Expert Presentations, which concludes several months of research, writing, and developing their presentation. All Middle School students and families are welcome at this event. Additionally, we will wrap up next week with the Middle School Garden Party! See below for a link to the evite if you haven’t RSVPd for your student(s).
Announcements & Upcoming Events:
- MEDICAL FORMS FOR THE MS TRIP ARE NOW PAST DUE. Please turn in your forms ASAP. ALL students traveling must submit!
- Wed., 5/14 @ 6 pm: 8th Grade Expert Presentations Culmination of 8th Grade Research Projects. MS students are encouraged to attend.
- Fri., 5/16 @ 6:30-8:30pm: Middle School Spring Dance CLICK HERE to RSVP
- Fri., 5/23 @ 5pm: Spring Concert & Picnic
- Tues., 5/27-Fri., 5/30: MS Trip (Packing List and more info coming SOON)
- Week of 6/2: Spirit Week
- Wed., 6/4 @ 5pm: Farewell to the Class of 2025 An event hosted by 6th and 7th grade students to honor their graduating classmates. Please plan on attending with your student(s)
- Thurs., 6/5 @ 5pm: 8th Grade Graduation For 8th grade families and friends at the Newtown Meetinghouse
- Fri., 6/6: Last Day of School/Dismissal @ 11:30 am
Humanities
6th grade Humanities classes are wrapping up one novel with a final writing piece and are already onto the next! Students are in different stages of the writing process with their final essay about <em>The Egypt Game</em>. Their writing discusses the change throughout the plot of one of the protagonists, April. As they have been composing, they are now reading <em>Shooting Kabul</em> by N.H. Senzai. This novel begins in Afghanistan and follows an Afghani family fleeing the Taliban and seeking asylum in the United States in 2001.
7th grade Humanities classes spent the week learning about the Weimar Republic. During this time of history in Germany, we investigated the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles, their attempt at Democracy, education, women’s rights, the economy (including hyperinflation and the Great Depression), and the antisemitic views of the region. This knowledge paves the way for learning about Hitler’s rise to power and its effects on the world. Next week, students will learn about this in addition to beginning the memoir, <em>Four Perfect Pebbles</em> by Marion Blumenthal Lazan. On Poetry Tuesday, the 7th grade lightened the mood after some heavy content by discussing the elements of children’s literature (particularly poetry) and composed their own poems targeted for a young audience. They had a great time composing and sharing!
The 8th grade is in the final stretch of their Expert Presentations! Students were making revisions, running through presentations with each other, and receiving additional feedback from Mrs. Lamb. Next week, they will be spending the beginning of the week with Mrs. Lamb rehearsing on stage in the gym, revising their essays, and setting up their Expert Tables.
Pre-Transition: The Pre-Transition class wrapped up their learning of Chapter 7 this week. The week began with learning the difference between repeating and terminating decimals and how to determine if a simple fraction will be one or the other. The class then learned how to find quotients of decimals, divide negative and positive numbers, and solve multiplication and division equations using fact triangles. They will take the Chapter 7 Test on Thursday, May 15.