What a week! What a year! From Field Day to Spirit Days to Graduation, it has been an eventful week. The Middle School felt the full range of emotions this week as they wrapped up an incredible year. Enjoy the pictures!

Thank you, Middle School families, for all of your support this year. We were lucky to be able to partner with you to make it another great one for the students. We will miss you all this summer, and before you know it, another year will be upon us.

*Rising 7th and 8th grade parents and students, please be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks for summer work to be completed for September.*

Have a safe and rejuvenating summer,

Mrs. Lamb, Ms. G, and Ms. Ray

*Before getting to the trip recap below, please see the information below regarding our exciting last week of the school year!*

SPIRIT WEEK

During the last week of school, 8th-grade students assign Spirit Days for the rest of the school to join them in. Here they are for planning purposes:

• Monday, 6/1: Field Day
• Tuesday, 6/2: Pajama Day
• Wednesday, 6/3: Water Day! Bring in towels, water toys (no balloons), and an extra set of clothes for some afternoon water fun!
• Thursday, 6/4: unconventional container day. Bring your stuff in something else! (For example, a suitcase instead of a backpack or a Tupperware instead of a water bottle). Be creative!!
• Friday, 6/5: Moving Up Day: Fraser Woods Colors/Merch Day!

8th Grade Graduation

• 8th Grade graduates, families, and friends will gather at Newtown Meeting House at 4:45 pm for a prompt 5 pm graduation. All are welcome.

Quick Reminder

• We will be emptying the contents of students’ classroom cubbies and lockers during the week. Please send your child in with a few reusable shopping bags they can load up.

Trip to Washington, D.C.

**Parents, thank you for fueling our days and evenings with great snacks and drinks! We truly appreciate the variety and quantity!**

More photos here: MS TAKES DC!

Day 1: After an exciting send-off by MS families, students settled into their seats for the 5-hour ride. We comfortably made it down to D.C. before navigating the Metro system to head to our hotel. After check-in, students quickly dropped off their bags in their rooms and met out on the patio for delicious burritos and bowls catered by District Taco.

After fueling, we began the FWM student-guided tour of memorials and monuments. Students researched and wrote brief histories and facts about the following:

• The White House
• Vietnam War Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Korean War Memorial
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
• The Tidal Basin
• National World War II Memorial
• Washington Monument

In pictures, you will see them gathered while one or two students read their write-up before entering and viewing these landmarks. After this 3-hour tour (actually), the group headed back for the night.

Day 2:

After breakfast at the hotel, the group headed to the U.S. Capitol building for a scheduled tour of the building. We were able to hear many facts about the history of the building, including its intentional and symbolic architecture, art, and changes over time. Kudos to the 8th grade class who knew the answers to all of the tour guide’s US history questions! A quick stop for photos in front of the Supreme Court building ended our time on Capitol Hill, and we headed west along Constitution Ave. for lunch at their many food trucks before our scheduled afternoon museum visit.

Wednesday afternoon was spent at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Students were able to view their history, culture, and community galleries spanning 5 floors. This museum complements the 8th grade US history curriculum and has exciting exhibits about sports and entertainment. The 8th grade even met up and toured the museum with Mia, who left FWM last year for a move to the DC area.

After a quick stop at the hotel to change and refresh, we headed back out to The Wharf, an area of shops, eateries, and views. Students were able to relax, hang out with friends, and take lots of photos. We ended up cutting our time short at The Wharf due to an approaching storm, so we headed back to the hotel for board games and a reflective “High, Low, Weirdo” group share before bed.

Day 3:

This was our most ambitious day in D.C. with three museums on deck. After breakfast, we headed to the Hirshhorn Museum, a contemporary art museum. This museum had immersive pieces, interesting rooms, and gave us much to discuss. Next, we headed to the National Air and Space Museum. There is a lot to see and do in this expansive museum. With aircraft suspended from the ceiling and rooms documenting the history and future of air and space travel, the group really enjoyed their time here. They even took in a planetarium show. Finally, we ended the day at the International Spy Museum. Each student received their own mission and had to answer questions in each room to complete it. The 6th and 7th grade even found a room highlighting Russian spies after the Russian Revolution and the assassination of Leon Trotsky, which complemented their Animal Farm unit. At the end of our time in this museum, we viewed their special exhibition about camouflage.

The plan for our final evening was pizza and kickball! After eating some delicious local pizza, the group walked to the lawns surrounding the Washington Monument for a game of kickball. This was both memorable and beautiful as we played in an historic place right at sunset. Once it became dark, students took some final photos at the monument before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Day 4:

This day began with breakfast and checking out of our hotel rooms. The students did a great job leaving their rooms clean and packing up. After dropping off our bags in the lobby, we headed to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. With all students having learned about the history and events of the Holocaust in Humanities classes during their time at FWM, the teachers felt this would be a meaningful experience. Out of respect for both the weight and tone of the exhibits and the personal experiences of our students, we did not take many photos. The museum certainly left an impact.

We headed to lunch at L’Enfant Plaza before our trek back to Connecticut through the DC Metro and Amtrak rails.

Thank you again for your support for our travels. This annual overnight trip gives so much life experience for our students that branches far beyond the planned activities: living together, understanding how to use their money, interacting with businesses, trying new things, building resiliency, hygiene care, and stretching their stamina are just a few of the skills that are tapped into on the trip.

What a way to go into the final week of school!

What better way to end the week than with a successful musical production? Fraser Woods Upper Elementary and Middle School students have spent months learning their lines, blocking, and choreography. Watching the students put the show together throughout the week, work out the kinks, and then shine on stage under Mrs. Kirk’s direction was nothing short of amazing. Their talent and passion for musical theater shone through, and we are so proud of them for gaining confidence each time they stepped on the stage.

Coming Up:

• MS Trip: Tuesday, 5/26-Friday, 5/29
• Variety Show: Monday, 6/1
• 8th Grade Graduation: Thursday, 6/4, 5pm @ Newtown Meetinghouse
  

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SPIRIT WEEK

During the last week of school, 8th-grade students assign Spirit Days for the rest of the school to join them in. Here they are for planning purposes:

• Monday, 6/1: Field Day
• Tuesday, 6/2: Pajama Day
• Wednesday, 6/3: Water Day! Bring in towels, water toys (no balloons), and an extra set of clothes for some afternoon water fun!
• Thursday, 6/4: unconventional container day. Bring your stuff in something else! (For example, a suitcase instead of a backpack or a Tupperware instead of a water bottle). Be creative!!
• Friday, 6/5: Moving Up Day: Fraser Woods Colors/Merch Day!

What a busy week! In addition to daily musical rehearsals of Willy Wonka, Jr., highlights of the week included the Farewell to the Class of 2026 and Spanish Food Presentations.

The Farewell is an FWM tradition when the current 6th and 7th-grade students say their goodbyes and honor their graduating classmates. This year, a speech was given highlighting each of the graduates, superlative awards were distributed, personalized graduation caps and posters were shared, and an individualized Timegussr game was created. The celebration ended with some delicious cake and good conversation. It is clear that the class of 2026 will certainly be missed.

Coming Up:

• MS Trip: Balance and med drop off due this week. Click here for information.
• MS Musical: Willy Wonka, Jr., May 21st @ 7 pm.
• CLICK HERE TO RSVP Middle School Dance on Friday, May 22nd @ 6-8:15 pm.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
  

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Spanish

This week in Spanish class, our middle school students presented their hard work in their Spanish Food Presentation. After researching the history and background of each dish from across Spain and Latin America, students did their slide and video presentation. They also included in their presentation a lot of information about culture and flavors. It is fantastic to blend cultural learning with hands-on experience, turning the classroom into a vibrant celebration of Spanish culinary traditions. Students enjoyed every aspect of this project, from making slides to recording and editing a video, and obviously, the cooking and tasting part. All of them waited eagerly for this time of the year. Every presentation was great, showing a lot of work in research, confidence in public speaking, and culinary skills. Great job!

The following dishes were presented:

Arepas con queso, horchata, nachos, flan de caramelo, dulce de leche cake, ensaimadas, tres leches horchata cake, tortilla de patatas, quipes, quesadillas, churros, gallo pinto, patatas bravas, pan con tomate, piña colada, ceviche de camarones, tres leches cake, arroz con pollo guisado, chivo guisado, empanadas de carne, torrijas, y tarta de Santiago.  

Humanities

6th and 7th-grade Humanities classes continued learning about the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism prior to WWII. They also began their final novel, which is a memoir by Marion Blumenthal Lazan called Four Perfect Pebbles. This book gives Marion’s account of her experience during the Holocaust when her family was sent to Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp in Germany. Additionally, students worked on preparations for the Farewell celebration.

The 8th-grade Humanities class has almost completed their final book, She Came to Slay. Reading this biography about Harriet Tubman allowed 8th-grade students to annotate and lead discussions surrounding the life and legacy of Tubman. Conversations about her achievements, struggles, and ability to persevere made the class realize what a heroine she truly was. Next, the 8th-grade students began writing the final piece of their Fraser Woods career: their graduation speech. It is hard to believe they will be wrapping up their time and memories at FWM.

Math

Pre-Transition: This week, students wrapped up Chapter 7 and have shown so much growth in their division skills. They can find quotients of positive and negative numbers as well as solve multiplication and division problems using fact triangles and related facts. Students are also becoming experts with both the short and long division algorithms. They wrapped up the week with a review of Chapter 7 concepts and took the Chapter 7 test. 

Transition: This week, students wrapped up Chapter 8 and practiced several important algebra skills. They learned how to solve and check equations in the form ax+b=c, use inverse operations to solve for variables, graph equations in the form y = mx + b, and solve linear inequalities. Students finished the week with a full Chapter 8 review and will take the Chapter 8 test on Monday, May 18.

Algebra: This week, students continued learning and applying exponent rules in Chapter 8. They can now simplify products, quotients, and powers of powers, as well as rewrite powers of products and quotients. After taking the Chapter 8 quiz, students were introduced to simplifying square roots and cube roots, and they began practicing how to simplify radical expressions.

Geometry: This week, students wrapped up Chapter 6 with the chapter test before jumping into Chapter 7, Applications of Congruent Triangles. Students learned the different triangle congruence theorems and how to apply them to prove whether or not triangles are congruent. They also practiced constructing triangles that satisfy given conditions, as well as determining whether all triangles meeting those conditions would be congruent.

Algebra II: This week, students began their study of quadratic equations and explored how quadratic functions differ from linear functions. They learned how to identify key features of quadratic equations, graph parabolas, and recognize how the coefficients affect the shape and direction of the graph. Students also practiced solving quadratic equations using a variety of methods.

Science

Middle School students continued working on lessons from the Discovery Education e-book. This week, 6th and 7th-graders continued learning about atoms, elements, molecules, and compounds. They learned that there could be two types of molecules: elemental molecules (O2) and compound molecules (H2O). Students also learned that compounds could be made of two or more different elements that are chemically combined. The atoms in a compound are bonded together by strong chemical bonds, such as ionic and covalent bonds. An ionic bond is the chemical bond that happens between a metal and a non-metal element and is formed when one atom donates electrons to another to become a positively charged ion. The other type of chemical bond is the covalent bond; this happens when atoms, typically non-metals, share the valence electrons, so each atom attains a full outer shell for stability, like water (H2O).

Eighth graders continued learning about cell division. Living organisms constantly make new cells to replace old or dead cells. The new cells can replace old ones and repair damaged cells. Students learned that there are three main types of cellular division: mitosis, meiosis, and binary fission. Binary fission is an asexual reproduction that occurs in prokaryotes, where a single parent cell divides to produce two genetically identical daughter cells. They also learned that mitosis occurs in complex eukaryotes, and it is the process of cell division that produces two genetically identical cells. In addition, students learned that mitosis has different phases, such as interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and cytokinesis. Classwork supported these lessons, and at this point, students can recognize each of the phases of Mitosis. All these science lessons and new concepts are supported by classwork, videos, readings, and explanations in class, followed by weekly science articles where students can practice their critical thinking to answer the questions.

We enjoyed last week’s Grandparents and Special Friends Day and the Spring Concert! We have included pictures this week with our weekly pictures.

This week, Middle School students spent time completing sections of the ERB CTP-5  standardized test. This gives students the practical life experience of taking standardized testing, which may be part of their educational path following Fraser Woods.

Finally, this Friday, we come together as a community to celebrate the class of 2026 at 4:30 pm. Students are welcome to bring a change of clothes for the event, as it is a dressy-casual event. The program will last under an hour and conclude with cake.

Coming Up:

• MS Trip: Complete the required medical form and submit medical authorizations for medication distribution ASAP.
• Please submit the initial $500 deposit for the MS Trip that was due Monday, 4/20
• MS Musical: Willy Wonka, Jr., May 21st @ 7 pm.
• SAVE THE DATE! FAREWELL TO THE CLASS OF 2026 on Friday, May 15 @ 4:30 pm
• SAVE THE DATE! Middle School Dance on Friday, May 22nd @ 6-8 pm.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
  

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Math

Pre-Transition: This week in Pre-Transition, students strengthened their division skills by working with the short division algorithm using both whole numbers and decimals. They practiced solving a variety of problems while building accuracy and confidence with decimal placement. Students also explored fractions and learned how to determine whether a fraction will result in a terminating or repeating decimal.

Transition: This week in Transition, students continued building their algebra skills and became masters at solving two-step equations. They practiced using inverse operations to isolate variables and solve equations. Students also began graphing linear equations by creating tables of values, helping them make connections between equations, ordered pairs, and graphs on the coordinate plane.

Algebra: This week in Algebra, students dove into Chapter 8, which focuses on exponent rules. So far, they have learned the Power of Products, Power of Powers, Quotient of Powers, and Zero Exponent rules. Students practiced applying these rules to simplify expressions involving powers and are building confidence in working with complex exponent problems.

Geometry: This week in Geometry, students wrapped up Chapter 6 and demonstrated a strong understanding of rotation symmetry, reflection symmetry, and the theorems used to prove geometric relationships and properties. Through practice, students strengthened their ability to apply these concepts to a variety of geometric figures and proofs.

Algebra II: This week, students reviewed several important concepts learned throughout the year to strengthen their foundational skills before beginning quadratic equations. This review helped students make connections between prior topics and the new material to be sure they are prepared to solve more complex problems involving parabolas, factoring, and quadratic functions.

Humanities

The 6th and 7th grade Humanities classes wrapped up their Animal Farm essay drafts by self and peer editing. It is great to watch their writing process and reflect on their progress since the fall. There has been more independence, increased writing stamina, and a better knowledge of planning and composing an essay.

8th grade had a focused week in Humanities class. They continue with their class biography of Harriet Tubman, She Came to Slay. They annotated and led a discussion on the text. Additionally, they continued their study of the amendments of the Constitution, working their way through the Reconstruction amendments (13-15). Finally, the 8th grade read and listened to excerpts of Frederick Douglas’s speech, “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” They learned about Douglas and his relationship with Harriet Tubman in their class reading assignments this week.

Science

Middle School students continued working on lessons from the Discovery Education e-book. This week, 6th and 7th-graders continued learning about atoms, their structure, and their subatomic particles. Students learned how to use the Bohr atomic model created by Niels Bohr, where the nucleus of the atom represents Protons (+) and Neutrons (no charge) surrounded by electrons (-) traveling in shells or levels of energy. Students really enjoyed an activity where they were given a card with an unknown element’s Bohr atomic model, and they had to find out the number of subatomic particles and discover the element’s identity and its location in the periodic table. We also started talking about the periodic table and how it was organized in groups and periods.

8th graders started a new unit this week called Meiosis. We started talking about general concepts of bacterial replication and chromosomes as a general introduction to cell division. We talked about us as humans having 46 chromosomes, 23 pairs, where 22 are autosomes and 1 pair of sex chromosomes. We also talked about chromosomes, chromatin, chromatids, centromeres, and telomeres. In addition, students learned that some mistakes in cell division could lead to an extra chromosome in an embryo. Students learned about trisomy in chromosome #13 (Patau Syndrome), chromosome #18 (Edwards Syndrome), and chromosome #21 (Down Syndrome), and their general characteristics. All these lessons and new concepts are supported by classwork, videos, readings, and explanations in class, followed by weekly science articles where students can practice their critical thinking to answer the questions.

On Wednesday, April 22nd, the Middle School Community came together to support our graduating 8th graders as they presented their Expert Projects. These 10-15-minute presentations were a wonderful representation of the research they have been doing since early January. Additionally, students wrote a research essay using interviews they completed with experts in the field as a resource. The 8th-grade students should be proud of their hard work and dedication to their projects. Bravo!

They presented the following topics:

• Camden: Blitzkrieg: The Tactic that Reinvented Warfare
• Aryan: The Memory-Decision Loop
• Bennett: CrossFit: Redefining Fitness
• Tristan: Organized Crime: Underground Groups and Markets
• Allie: Understanding the Criminal Mind

Coming Up:

• MS Trip: Complete the required medical form and submit medical authorizations for medication distribution ASAP.
• Please submit the initial $500 deposit for the MS Trip that was due Monday, 4/20
• MS Musical: Willy Wonka, Jr., May 21st @ 7 pm.
• SAVE THE DATE! FAREWELL TO THE CLASS OF 2026 on Friday, May 15 @ 4:30 pm
• SAVE THE DATE! Middle School Dance on Friday, May 22nd 
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am

Humanities

6th and 7th-grade Humanities classes are wrapping up their studies of Animal Farm. Much like the animals from Manor Farm, they staged a Humanities Rebellion and overthrew Mrs. Lamb, taking control of Humanities classes. With Mrs. Lamb out of the picture, the classes had to move forward with making plans for the future of Humanities class. With those plans, they were allowed to run a class period. Mrs. Lamb enjoyed being the student and having both of the 6/7 sections as the guides. Currently, the groups are drafting literary analysis essays. Students chose from three prompts and will use examples from the novel to support their focus. The 7th-grade students will find and use direct quotations from the novel as well.

After wrapping up expert projects last week, this week was spent immersed in history. The class began reading the Constitution and learning more about its development. Using resources from the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and segments from the PBS Series “Constitution USA with Peter Segal”, they are having a deeper understanding of the text and its current use. Additionally, the class began reading the biography, She Came to Slay: The Life and Times of Harriet Tubman by Erica Armstrong Dunbar.

Math

Pre-Transition: This week, students focused on the short division algorithm, strengthening their ability to divide multi-digit numbers efficiently. They practiced breaking down division problems into manageable steps. Students worked on both independent problems and guided examples to build confidence.

Transition: This week, students continued practicing solving one- and two-step equations to find the value of a variable. They focused on using inverse operations and checking their answers to make sure they were correct. Later in the week, students were introduced to graphing linear equations by creating a table of values. They learned how to choose input values, find the corresponding outputs, and plot the points on a coordinate plane to see the line’s pattern.

Algebra: This week, students wrapped up Chapter 6 by reviewing and taking the Chapter 6 assessment, which demonstrated their understanding of all concepts related to slope. They worked with concepts like finding slope from graphs, tables, and equations, and interpreting what slope means in real-world situations. At the end of the week, students began previewing Chapter 8, which covers exponent properties and how to simplify expressions using exponents.

Geometry: This week, students learned about reflection and rotation of symmetric figures. They explored how shapes can be flipped over a line (reflection) or turned around a point (rotation) while still maintaining their size and shape. Students practiced identifying lines of symmetry and determining how many times a figure can be rotated onto itself. They worked with a variety of shapes to better understand how symmetry appears in different figures.

 Algebra II: This week, students reviewed key concepts from Chapter 5 and then took the Chapter 5 assessment to show their understanding. After completing the test, they began Chapter 6, where they were introduced to quadratic equations. Students began exploring what makes an equation quadratic and examined the basic form, beginning to understand how these equations create parabolas when graphed.

Middle School certainly felt the heat this week! With all of the running around outside, classes sometimes meeting outside, and outdoor Community Service, please have your middle school student(s) check the weather forecast for the day before leaving home. Sweats and winter attire are not needed in 80+ degree weather. Additionally, sunscreen is encouraged with all of the additional outdoor time. Thank you for your attention to this!

Coming Up:

• 8th Grade Expert Presentations: Wednesday, 4/22 @ 6 pm
• The initial $500 deposit for the MS Trip is due Monday, 4/20
• Be on the lookout for communication regarding medical forms required for the MS trip!
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
• MS Flower Schedule
  

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Math

Pre-Transition: This week, students continued building their understanding of division. They began by exploring divisibility using arrays, which helped them visualize how numbers can be grouped and shared equally. From there, they moved into factorization, learning how numbers can be broken down into their factors and identifying multiples. Students were also introduced to prime and composite numbers, strengthening their ability to classify numbers based on their properties. To tie it all together, they practiced writing the prime factorization of a number, developing a deeper understanding of how numbers are constructed.

Science

This week, 6^th and 7^th graders continued working on their understanding of changes of matter. They worked on a hands-on project called The Tasty Phase Change Lab. Students were able to see how a mixture of cream, sugar, and vanilla extract changed its state from liquid to solid and turned into delicious ice cream. To understand the science of changes in states of matter, students used this laboratory and went through it in detail to understand the science behind it.  Students followed a procedure where they prepared the materials and measured them before starting the activity. For the first step, students created a mixture of cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a small Ziploc bag. Then, they stored the mixture bag in a bigger bag with ice and rock salt, understanding that the function of the salt is to create a freezing point depression. Next, they dropped the freezing point of the ice from 0 ̊C to approximately -9 ̊C, causing the liquid mixture to lose heat energy quickly. This caused the molecules to slow down, get closer, and change state from liquid to solid. Students understood how the liquid mixture lost heat energy and the ice/salt mixture gained that heat energy.  Also, they could observe condensation on the outside of the plastic bag.  Students worked on formulating the experiment hypothesis, recording data, and using their critical thinking skills to come up with their conclusion. The time to see their results was 10 minutes. In addition to that, they worked on a scientific explanation using the CER framework (claim, evidence, and reasoning) about the changes in states of matter, where they used evidence from their observations and data collected from both laboratory activities, Bottle Mystery and The Tasty Phase Change Lab.

8^th Graders were also very interested in learning the science behind ice cream, so they participated in a lab to learn the changes of states of matter, following all the protocols and understanding the science behind making ice cream. Also, 8^th graders continued learning about fermentation, and they are currently working in the same laboratory activity they did virtually, comparing it with the hands-on project done in class. They will be able to point out the similarities and differences between the virtual and in-person activity. In this activity, 8^th grade students are testing variables such as the amount of sugar and the amount of yeast, knowing that the optimum water temperature is 42 ̊C. Their goal is to run three trials of each variable to find the best conditions for fermentation, measuring the production of CO2. All these lessons for middle school are supported by classwork, videos, readings, and explanations in class, followed by weekly science articles where students can practice their critical thinking to answer the questions.

Humanities

6th and 7th grade Humanities classes are just about done with Animal Farm by George Orwell. This week, they completed the anticipated “Animal Farm: Who’s Who?” activity. This classwork has the students use their notes and knowledge from history lessons surrounding the Russian Revolution to try to identify which historical figure/concept is represented by each of the characters and the setting of Animal Farm, and give the evidence supporting their answers. They did great! Additionally, the 6th and 7th grade Humanities students composed original poetry this week, surrounded by a snapshot in nature of their choosing. These pieces embody the culminating knowledge of using figurative language and imagery in writing.

8th grade Humanities classes this week surrounded their Expert Projects. Students had another round of feedback for their Expert Presentations and completed their research essay revisions. They are just about ready for their final presentations next week!