Rain kept middle school students inside for a few days this week, but their energy was surely high! With more snow on our heels, it looks like it will be a bit longer before we see the turf on the field. As we enter our final two weeks of the trimester (and before spring break), there is a palpable sense of imminent change.

Announcements:

• 6th & 7th Grade Research Presentations Thursday, February 26th @ 5:30 pm. 
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
• MS Flower Schedule
  

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Humanities

All Humanities classes continued to learn about trailblazing and innovative Black Americans at the start of Humanities classes.

6th and 7th grade Humanities classes completed their 3-5 page research essays this week by writing their conclusions, looking at transitions, and incorporating citations. They also used a self-edit checklist to help them complete this part of the writing process. Now, Mrs. Lamb will read and give feedback to the completed draft before final revisions are done. Students also began the final stage of the research project: presentations! Students are working on a slide deck and notes for their 5-minute presentations that families and friends will see on Thursday at 5:30 pm!

8th-grade Humanities students worked more on their expert projects this week, with the goal of organizing interviews with experts and writing questions for them to answer. They are getting close to the March 6th deadline for their research and interviews. Students also spent time discussing the poem, “The Center” by Ha Jin, during our weekly poetry analysis. This group has profound discussions surrounding poetry and can comfortably attempt to find meaning, identify elements of pieces that are interesting, and ask questions when they seek more information. Finally, students looked at the colonization of the 13 colonies by date of establishment and colonizing country.

Math

Pre-Transition: This week in Pre-Transition, students wrapped up Chapter 4 with an end-of-chapter quiz to show what they’ve learned over the past few weeks. They did a great job pulling together all of the concepts they’ve been working on! Then, they jumped right into Chapter 6, “Using Multiplication.” Students began by exploring the array model to build a stronger visual understanding of multiplication. From there, they applied that understanding to multiplying fractions and mixed numbers.

Science

Middle School students kept working on their weekly science articles. This week 6^th and 7^th graders learned about Physical and Chemical properties of matter. They were able to understand the differences between them and classify them. They supported their learning with handout classwork where they identified the most common physical properties, such as color, odor, luster, magnetism, electrical conductivity, mass, volume, density, malleability, ductility, boiling point, and melting point. Students from 6th and 7th grade also learned about the chemical properties of matter, such as reactivity, flammability, combustibility, toxicity, and corrosion.

8th graders continued working on their laboratory report, where they were able to see the visual difference between a specimen with dye (Methylene Blue) and another specimen without dye. Their laboratory report was written using the Scientific method, so later on, they can analyze their results and come out with a conclusion. 8th-grade students feel very confident and familiar with using microscopes and staining slides with real specimens. Every new concept learned by middle schoolers was supported by videos and classwork.

We had another great week in Middle School. The highlight was probably at the start of the week when we had 5th grade students from Upper Elementary mix in with our grade 6/7 classes to take a trial run at Middle School. The grade 6/7 students were great hosts, and the 5th grade students left feeling excited about next year!

Announcements:

• 6th & 7th Grade Research Presentations Thursday, February 26th.CLICK HERE for more information.
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
• MS Flower Schedule
  

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Science

On Monday, 6/7 classes had “moving up day,” and our 5th graders were able to see what the science class is like in Middle School. They had a great time, and our current students were excellent role models.

Middle School students started a new chapter from the Discovery Education e-book. This week, 6^th and 7^th graders learned concepts about the states of matter, where they are found in nature, the differences between them, and how they occur. They also learned how altitude and atmospheric pressure affect the boiling point of water. Students showed a lot of interest in learning about Plasma (the fourth state of matter). They also had some classwork and videos to support the acquired knowledge.

8^th Graders started a basic lesson about microscopes and their use; they learned their parts and how they work. They were also able to navigate the use of microscopes by first understanding how to use them properly. Also, we started a new laboratory activity, preparing a specimen of onion skin and learning how to make slides. Students learned about the use of dyes (Methylene blue) to have a better contrast in order to identify onion skin cells under the microscope. Students enjoyed themselves as much as Ms. Ray did, working on hands-on projects. The class is currently working on a laboratory report of this activity.

Humanities

All Humanities classes continue to highlight notable Black Americans at the start of each class this month.

Grades 6 & 7 students continued to work on their research projects. They wrapped up their research notes this week and spent several class periods working on their essay drafts. They organized their work into three sections: What happened (identify the moment in history and any relevant background/context), The immediate impact and its effect, and the long-term effect (modern/today). The classes also had a lesson/refresh about writing introductions and completed them in class. Next week, the classes will compose a conclusion, add citations, edit, and revise their papers. They will also work on their presentations!

8th grade Humanities classes took a further look at Puritan society in colonial New England. Then, they explored the Salem Witch Trials, first looking at the Afflicted Girls. They are watching a 2024 National Geographic documentary in parts about this time in history. Additionally, each student continued to work on their expert projects, even reaching out to some experts.

Finally, in 8th grade Leadership this week, students took part in an activity called “Lion, Fox, or St. Bernard”. This involved answering two series of questions about themselves to determine their Leadership Style. The first set of questions asked them about tendencies they have and how they react in situations. The second asked them similar questions, but how they would respond under pressure. It was interesting to see how the results reflected who they are and also that their Leadership style might change when they are put under pressure.

Math

Pre-Transition: This week in Pre-Transition, students explored various types of angles and angle relationships, including complementary, supplementary, vertical, and linear pairs. They are now able to apply these relationships to determine the measure of unknown angles with confidence. Students also began their introduction to algebraic equations, learning how to solve for missing variables and build a strong foundation for future algebraic thinking.

Transition: Students made excellent progress this week as they mastered solving one-step algebraic equations and inequalities. They also learned how to accurately graph inequalities on a number line, reinforcing their understanding of solution sets. After completing Chapter 5 with an end-of-chapter assessment, students eagerly began Chapter 6, where they were introduced to geometric transformations and the concepts that will guide our next unit of study.

Algebra: In Algebra, students wrapped up Chapter 4 and transitioned smoothly into Chapter 5. So far, they have developed an understanding of algebraic fractions, including what they represent and how they function. Students are now able to multiply and simplify algebraic fractions, continuing to strengthen both their procedural fluency and conceptual understanding.

Geometry: Geometry students have been moving full steam ahead in Chapter 4. This week, they completed their study of geometric transformations and can confidently perform translations, rotations, and reflections. Students are developing a deeper understanding of how figures change position and orientation while preserving key properties.

Algebra II: Algebra II students concluded Chapter 3 and began Chapter 4, diving into the study of matrices. They are learning how to create data matrices, interpret elements within a matrix, and understand how matrices are used to organize and analyze information. This new topic is building their analytical skills and expanding their mathematical toolkit.

The Middle School started the week with their performance of Spoiler Alert! for students in Primary, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary. Afterwards, students in Lower and Upper Elementary stayed for a question-and-answer session about the writing and production process.

It was a great week to be outside at recess in the snow with temperatures slightly warmer than last week. Sledding has become a favorite activity while outside for many of the middle school students.

Announcements:

• Monday, 2/9: Moving Up Day (Gr. 5 to join 6/7 classes for the day). 
• 6th & 7th Grade Research Presentations Thursday, February 26th.CLICK HERE for more information.
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am
• MS Flower Schedule

Math

Pre-Transition: This week, students reviewed related facts while exploring angle relationships created by intersecting lines. They practiced identifying acute, obtuse, right, complementary, and supplementary angles and used angle properties to find unknown measures. Students also built confidence subtracting positive and negative fractions and mixed numbers.

Transition: Students stepped further into algebra by using fact triangles to connect addition and subtraction. They practiced solving equations and inequalities in the form x + a = b and x + a < b, and they learned how to graph those solutions on a number line as well as a graph.

Algebra: Students worked on solving linear equations and inequalities with variables on both sides. They wrapped up the week by tackling literal equations and rearranging formulas to solve for a specific variable.

Geometry: After finishing Chapter 3 with a quiz, students began Chapter 4, Congruence Transformations. They learned how to reflect figures across a line of reflection and explored the Reflection Postulate and how reflections affect orientation.

Algebra II: Students learned how to find the line of best fit for data and explored both explicit and recursive formulas for sequences. They also practiced graphing recursive formulas and finished the week learning how to write formulas for linear (arithmetic) sequences.

Science

After immersion week, Middle School students got back to work on their debate project. They were very engaged in doing research to build their arguments. In their research, they used reliable sources to look for evidence to support their strongest arguments. Students from 6^th-7^th grade’s debate was about the usage of electric cars. They had two teams: Team Pro and Team Con.  Each team had between 3 and 5 members who participated actively in the debate. Each member of the team had 2 minutes to support their 3 strongest arguments with evidence and reasoning (using the CER framework to build their arguments). Each member of the team got very engaged, and they all did their best to convince the other team to switch sides.

8^th graders also had a similar project; they worked hard doing research on general understanding about Stem Cell Research. In 8^th Grade, they also had two teams: Pro and Con. Students got very engaged with the topic and supported their arguments in a very strong way with a lot of technical information. Each team started their debate, presenting their three strongest arguments, one rebuttal, and a closing statement. They were very persuasive in exposing their arguments and were clear that their job was to convince the other team to switch to the other side. All middle schoolers’ favorite part was the rebuttal, and they did a great job. They followed the guidelines and participated in the debate in a very respectful way. Ms. Liset was very pleased with the result of their first debate of the year.

Humanities

During Black History Month, all Humanities classes will begin by celebrating Black American leaders, innovators, and trailblazers.

6th and 7th-grade students worked diligently on their research projects this week. They focused on transferring information from annotated articles to notesheets using the Cornell Note-Taking Method. This process helped students organize their research by source and topic. By annotating their articles first, students demonstrated greater success in paraphrasing key and important information. In addition, students developed thesis statements for the essays they will begin writing next week.

The 8th-grade Humanities classes focused on their Expert Projects this week. Each student had an extended check-in with Mrs. Lamb to ensure they were making progress with their research, staying focused on their thesis statements and intended focus, and creating goals for the next check-in. Additionally, some members of the class composed drafts of emails to send to potential experts. Finally, the week ended with a bit of history, learning about the separatists who settled Massachusetts.

Announcements:

• Monday, 2/2: Student Performance of Spoiler Alert!, breaking the set, and cast party
• SCHEDULE CHANGE: 6th & 7th Grade Research Presentations Thursday, February 26th. More information to come this week.
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8 am: As teachers enter the building and prepare for the day, supervision will begin at 8 am. Please stay with your child/children until this time. Thank you for your help!
• MS Flower Schedule

Wow! After an incredibly quick immersion week, Friday night’s show of  Spoiler Alert! was a huge success. As the set and curtains started going up on the stage, students really became focused and zoned in on their acting. With the addition of mics and costumes, the characters came to life!

It is always wonderful to hear the students speak about the process in the Q & A segment after the show with the audience. It is a way of reflection. Another way we reflect on what worked and what challenges we had during immersion is by writing about it, which students will do next week.

Something that has really stood out over the last couple of years was the number of parents who said their MS child/children kept details of the production a surprise. While there has never been a conversation about keeping our production a secret, hearing this just proves how incredibly proud they were to show you their hard work.

It’s hard to take the set down and go back to normal, but the benefits of Middle School immersion will be present for the rest of the year. Going through the experience brings the Middle School even closer to a cohesive team. We have noticed it!

We will conclude our time with Spoiler Alert! on Monday with a student performance, followed by breaking down the set and a cast party.

Thank you for all of your support. We hope you enjoyed the show! Back to the regular schedule and classes on Tuesday.

What a busy week for Middle School! Students kicked into high gear, getting ready for next week’s immersion week and production of their original play, Spoiler Alert!  In addition to their regularly scheduled classes, they worked on memorizing lines, building the set, and getting props ready to go. Under a bit of pressure with a probable snow day on Monday, students understood what needed to be done in order to have a successful show with one less day. Everyone is excited for next week!

Announcements:

• Monday, 1/26-Friday, 1/30: Immersion Week
• Friday, 1/30 @ 7 pm: Middle School Play (call time and other details to come)
• Check with your MS student(s) to make sure they have their refillable water bottle with them.
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8am: As teachers enter the building and prepare for the day, supervision will begin at 8am. Please stay with your child/children until this time. Thank you for your help!
• MS Flower Schedule
  

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Humanities

This week, 6th and 7th grade Humanities classes began their research project: A Moment in History. This 5-week assignment will include finding reliable resources and gathering research for a 3-5 page essay and a 5-minute presentation about a topic of their choice within the theme. This week, students brainstormed two potential topics that interest them. Students considered whether there would be enough accessible, reliable resources and whether the topic would be a reasonable choice for the assignment. Students proposed their topics and made selections. Then, they submitted a short resource list to Mrs. Lamb and went home with at least one article from a reliable resource to annotate. More information regarding the project and its timeline will be sent home.

8th grade Humanities classes this week mostly focused on their original play, Spoiler Alert! They completed a read-through, some last-minute editing and revisions, and then spent time learning lines and working on the set. Additionally, the 8th grade continued working on their expert project, developing their thesis statements. This will be the “North Star” for their research. Students have Expert Project check-ins each Tuesday in Humanities class.

Science

Middle School students are still working on their weekly reading assignment about a science news article. Also, they had a basic lesson on how to support arguments using CER framing. There are abundant topics that could be material to debate in science, and students should be able to support their claims with evidence and reasoning. This week, students started to participate in a science class debate. They also got a very basic introductory class about how to participate in a debate. Students from 6^th-7^th Grades will debate about the use of an electric car.  In each class, they split into two teams:  Team Pro and Team Con. Each team is working on gathering well-supported information using evidence and reasoning to support their arguments.

8^th graders are also working in their life science class debate about the use of stem cells. They also got an introductory class about how to participate in a debate, and they started to gather reliable information to support their team. Eighth graders also have a team pro and a team con. All middle school students are currently working on gathering information to support their arguments.

Math

Pre-Transition: Students worked on strengthening their understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction. They explored related facts and used fact triangles to see how the same three numbers can create both addition and subtraction equations. This helped reinforce number sense and fluency. They also learned two visual models to support their thinking: the slide model for addition on a number line, showing how numbers move forward, and the take-away model for subtraction, demonstrating how numbers move backward.

Transition: Students took the next step by learning the rules for adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers. Using number lines and patterns, they practiced recognizing how direction and value affect their answers. They also learned how to determine the magnitude of both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations in degrees.

Algebra: In Algebra, students reviewed how to solve percent problems, reinforcing real-world math applications. They also learned how to graph horizontal and vertical lines and practiced solving equations with variables on both sides, which is a key skill that requires careful balancing and multiple steps. Students wrapped up the week by taking the Chapter 4 Quiz to demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.

Geometry: Geometry students completed Chapter 3 this week. They learned how to write the equation of a perpendicular line when given the slope of another line and a point the new line must pass through. This required students to apply their understanding of slopes and linear equations in a new way. They also learned how to dilate figures on a graph, exploring how shapes can be resized while maintaining their proportions.

Algebra II: Algebra II students took their Chapter 3 Quiz this week. They also learned how to find the line of best fit for a set of data and explored how to measure the deviation of data points from that line. Using Desmos, students practiced finding the equation of the regression line, connecting their understanding of scatter plots to algebraic models.

Announcements:

• MS ARRIVAL BEGINS AT 8am: As teachers enter the building and prepare for the day, supervision will begin at 8am. Please stay with your child/children until this time. Thank you for your help!
• Monday, 1/26-Friday, 1/30: Immersion Week
• Friday, 1/30 @ 7 pm: Middle School Play (call time and other details to come)
• Check with your MS student(s) to make sure they have their refillable water bottle with them.
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS Flower Schedule
  

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This week, Middle School math students hosted the 7th Annual Math Carnival, and it was such an impressive event!

Throughout last week, students worked hard on their probability projects. They designed their own games, created rules, built the materials, and calculated the theoretical probability for each game.

The gym was filled with student-run games, lots of laughter, and steady lines of younger students and families excited to play. Middle schoolers did an amazing job explaining their games, running the stations, handing out tickets, and helping younger students feel welcome. It was really special to watch them step into leadership roles and feel proud of what they created.

A major focus of this project was probability. Now that the carnival has taken place, students have real data from people playing their games. This week, they’ll use that data to calculate experimental probability and compare it to the theoretical probability they predicted earlier in the project. It’s a great example of math coming to life in a real and meaningful way.

Welcome to 2026! It has been wonderful to reconnect with students and hear about their time away from FWM over our two-week break. Everyone returned feeling refreshed, and classrooms have been busy with creativity and enthusiasm. Sixth and seventh grade students also began in different classrooms during their Community Service period on Wednesday. Lastly, it’s been fun to watch the Middle Schoolers make the most of the snow all week. Fingers crossed we’ll see more of the white stuff in the months ahead!

Announcements:

• Tuesday, 1/13 @ 2pm: Math Carnival in the gym (Parents welcome! Park at school!)
• Monday, 1/26-Friday, 1/30: Immersion Week
• Friday, 1/30 @ 7 pm: Middle School Play (call time and other details to come)
• Check with your MS student(s) to make sure they have their refillable water bottle with them.
• Please check for appropriate winter attire for the outdoors. Most students will go outside with their younger peers during Community Service each week.
• MS Flower Schedule
  

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Math

This week in Middle School Math, students kicked off one of their favorite projects of the year: the Math Carnival. Throughout the week, students learned about theoretical and experimental probability and then got the chance to put those concepts into action.

After building a foundation, students brainstormed ideas for their own carnival-style games. They created a game concept, wrote clear rules, made a list of needed materials, and sketched out a blueprint. Once their plans were approved, students got to work building and testing their games.

When the games were finished, students calculated the theoretical probability for each possible outcome. They are now eagerly looking ahead to Tuesday, January 13th at 2:00 PM, when families and younger students will be invited to play the games at our Math Carnival.

Not only will playing the games be fun, but it will also give students the chance to collect real data. They will use this information afterward to calculate experimental probability and compare it to their predictions. It is so exciting to see their hard work come to life and they can’t wait to welcome everyone to the carnival!

Science

Middle School students came back from the holiday break very enthusiastic and ready to learn. We continued with the curriculum using the e-book, Discovery Education. This week 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders got an introductory class about scientific explanations. Scientists make explanations to communicate their findings, thoughts, and what they learned through experimentation. They also need to use evidence and reasoning to support their claim.

This week the class talked about the basics of CER framing for constructing well-supported arguments. “C” stands for claim, which is a statement or conclusion that answers the problem or question. “E” stands for evidence, which helps to answer the question or problem that students are examining. It contains numerical or observational data that is used to support the claim. “R” stands for reasoning that links the evidence with the claim.

Learning scientific explanations helps students to communicate ideas clearly, to build strong critical thinking habits, and prepare for high school science and beyond. All middle school students also were able to review some previous concepts learned so they can remember it and be ready for the assessment that is going to be on Monday. 6/7 A & B students will be taking an assessment about Unit 1: Matter/ Combining and Separating. 8^th graders will be assessed on Unit 1: Cells/Cell Theory. They all have materials to review in Google Classroom.

Humanities

All MS Humanities classes continued to work on drafting the play. The plot of the play and amount of characters are proving to be a good challenge for the students writing dialogue! They are excited during class writing periods, and we look forward to finishing up soon.

The 8th grade also began to look at the Expert Project, their culminating 8th grade project. They went over the timeline and components, brainstormed ideas, and are beginning their proposals.

The middle school had a busy and festive week filled with creativity, teamwork, and lots of fun!

We kicked things off with hallway decorating, and the results were pretty sweet. Working together, students transformed the hallway into a whimsical gingerbread house, complete with candy-inspired details and wintery touches. Every part of the hallway showed off their imagination and teamwork.

After all that effort, the middle school came together for a holiday party to relax, celebrate, and enjoy time with one another.

One of the highlights of the week was our Secret Snowflake gift exchange. Organized by the students, it brought lots of excitement, laughter, and smiles as gifts were exchanged and Secret Snowflakes were revealed. It was a perfect way to spend our last full day before break.

The week wrapped up with the Winter Showcase, where students shared their talents in so many ways. They wrote and presented original poetry, displayed their artwork in the art show, and spent weeks rehearsing for the winter concert. It was amazing to see their confidence grow and their hard work pay off.

The 8th grade also held their Fraser WoodShop pop-up sale, selling ornaments, cutting boards, magnets, and seed bombs. All profits are being donated to the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary here in Newtown, CT.

As we head into winter break, we’re so thankful for the energy and positivity our middle school students bring each day. It’s been a fun and memorable year so far, and we wish everyone a happy and restful holiday break!

See you in 2026!