Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

It was an exciting week with both a field trip and a snow day! Our field trip to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT, was a huge success. It is of no surprise that educators there were impressed not only with the knowledge of FWM students’ art techniques but of their critical thinking skills and ability to speak so profoundly about art.

Announcements:

  • Please continue bringing in weather-appropriate apparel. Thank you for your effort with this!
  • No School: Monday, 2/17 for Presidents’ Day
  • 8th Grade Internships: Monday, 2/24- Wednesday, 2/26

Humanities

It is Black History Month, so all humanities classes this month will begin with a brief presentation on influential Black Americans. They will also be working with Ms. Sara and Ms. Reid on a project inspired by contemporary artist, Nick Caves.

Additionally, all humanities classes began their research projects this week!

6th graders chose their topics for their research topics, developed goals, and wrote questions to launch their research. They also had lessons in finding reliable resources and well as taking research notes for the project. Next week, students will learn how to develop their thesis statements and complete their research. This is their only homework for the week, so they should be working on it each night.

7th graders also chose their research topics and completed topic proposals with rough thesis statements and questions to guide their research. They received a brief review in finding reliable resources as well as taking research notes. Finally, they are picking up their Utopia Projects and will complete those over the next week in conjunction with their research. Research is their only homework, so they should be working on it nightly.

8th graders finished their topic proposals and drafts of their thesis statements for Expert Projects. This is an exciting capstone project for FWM Middle School students that will carry them into mid-May. Students are also seeking out opportunities for their internships at the end of the month. Finally, in their US history class, 8th graders are studying the evolution of White Europeans beginning with the Age of Exploration.

Science

6th graders started a new unit this week, Earth’s Systems. The focus this week was Energy Transfer and the Water Cycle.  Students learned the roles the sun and wind play in the water cycle and how Earth has a specific amount of water that goes through a constant cycle. Next week, students will work on an experiment to demonstrate this cycle.
7th graders reviewed basic atomic structure and began exploring the periodic table. They learned how the periodic table is arranged into rows and columns, periods, and families. The class also discussed the major groupings in the periodic table: metals, metalloids, non-metals, and noble gases. Next week, students will conduct experimentation to explore the properties of each of these groupings.
8th graders reviewed the cell cycle and mitosis. Students reviewed the importance of Interphase in preparing the cell for cell division and discussed how cells spend the majority of their time in this preparation stage. They then reviewed the phases of mitosis and what occurs during each. Next week, students will work on an experiment looking at mitosis in onion root tip cells, and they will begin to discuss what can occur when cell division goes awry or unregulated.

Math

It was an incredibly productive and engaging week in Middle School math! After an action-packed January filled with the excitement of the Math Carnival and the Middle School Play, students in all four math courses were eager to dive back into the curriculum. The week kicked off with a fun review session that helped students refresh their math skills. Through whole-class discussions, students revisited key concepts learned prior to the Math Carnival, with plenty of opportunities to actively engage. They practiced problem-solving on their whiteboards, collaborated in pairs to tackle more challenging problems, and wrapped up the week with an independent “show me what you remember” assignment. This assignment will be invaluable for assessing which concepts have truly “stuck” and which will need further attention before moving on to new material. It’s been a great balance of reinforcing prior learning while preparing for the exciting challenges ahead!

Middle School: That’s a Wrap for Set in Stone!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

MORE AWESOME PICTURES OF THE SHOW HERE

Reminders:

  • Tuesday, 2/4 9:15-1:30pm-MS & UE field trip to The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT. Please send your student(s) with a bagged lunch.

Wow! After an incredible two weeks of immersion, Thursday night’s final show of  Set in Stone was a huge success. As the set and curtains started going up on the stage during week two, 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 did on Thursday and Friday.

Something that really stood out this year 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 already noticed it!

We ended the week with bagels, pajamas, ice cream sundaes, and a watch party.

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

Middle School: Immersion Week #1

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Wow! What a busy week preparing for next week’s production of Set in Stone. The finalized script was read on Tuesday, and from there, students have been in a flurry of set design, prop creating, blocking, and line memorizing. The stage went up, and the lights and sound arrived on Friday afternoon. While there is still a lot of work to be done, students are halfway there!

We can’t wait to welcome you to the show on Thursday, 1/30 @ 7 pm. The call time for students is 6 pm, and the gym is open to the audience at 6:30 pm.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

What a week! Middle School held their annual Math Carnival on Friday for families and students and finished writing the 2025 Middle School Play, Set in Stone.

Announcements:

  • Tuesday, 1/21- Thursday, 1/30: Middle School Immersion –*Additional information below*
  • Thursday, 1/30: Middle School Play at 7 pm in the Gym
  • Tuesday, 2/4: MS Field Trip to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT. Students will leave school at 9:30 am and return by 1:30 pm.

Math

This week in Middle School math, students engaged in an exciting blend of critical thinking, creativity, and hands-on learning. After designing and refining their own Math Carnival games, they took the opportunity to test each other’s creations. They collected data to calculate experimental probabilities and analyze the results. The experience provided a valuable hands-on application of math concepts, allowing students to connect theory with practice in a fun and interactive way.

The week ended with the 5th Annual Math Carnival, a lively event where students showcased their hard work and math skills. It was an afternoon of friendly competition, laughter, and learning as Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary students played the carnival games.

A heartfelt thank you to all who attended and supported our Middle School math students. Your presence helped make the event successful and created lasting memories for everyone!

Humanities

Students completed week two of playwriting. Their original script, Set in Stone, is ready for final editing and will be finalized for the start of Immersion Week 1 on Tuesday.

Immersion Weeks involve turning the script that students created over the last two weeks into a full production. This includes creating the set and props with Ms. Reid and Mr. Frisk, working with Mrs. Kirk to block the scenes, memorizing lines, learning how to run the tech for the show, and moving the set and props on and off the stage as needed for each scene of the show. During the first week, students will be blocking the show until lunch and then continue with classes in the afternoon. During the second week, rehearsals will run the full day leading up to a performance for students on Wednesday, 1/29, during school and a final evening performance on Thursday, 1/30, at 7 pm.

*Be on the look-out for additional communication about the show in the coming week.*

Science

6th grade:
This week in science, students learned how to find the epicenter of an earthquake using data from three seismic stations. Students learned how to interpret seismograms in order to calculate the distance between P-waves and S-waves and how to use that knowledge to calculate the distance of an earthquake event from a seismic station. Once students knew the distance of an earthquake from each station, they were able to use triangulation in order to locate the epicenter of an earthquake event.  Students enjoyed acting as scientists and appreciated the real-world application of our work.  This will complete this unit.  Once students return to science class from immersion week for the play, they will begin a new unit on Earth’s Systems.
7th grade:
This week marked the class’ introduction to atomic structure and the periodic table.  Students learned the basic components of an atom – protons, neutrons, and electrons.  They talked about how the number of protons, or the atomic number, of an element determines its identity. Students learned how to find the number of electrons in each atom and also how to find the number of neutrons.  The class finished the week by touching on ions and isotopes.  Students will continue this topic after the play.
8th grade:
Students worked hard this week learning about the cell cycle and cell division as well as the role it plays in every living organism. The class touched on the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction and dove into a deep study of asexual reproduction. Students learned how cell division occurs, complete with the steps of the cell cycle, including interphase, mitosis, and cytokinesis.  The class also learned what chromosomes are and how they divide during mitosis.  This brought up many questions about cancer and genetics, which were worked through in class.  When the class returns from immersion weeks, they will return their attention to cell division, but the focus will be on sexual reproduction and meiosis.

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Welcome to 2025, Middle School families! We hope you had a nice new year an are excited for what’s to come in 2025.

Here are some dates to keep in mind:

  • Friday, 1/17: Math Carnival in the Gym from 1:30-2:30 pm
  • Tuesday, 1/21- Thursday, 1/30: Middle School Immersion
  • Thursday, 1/30: Middle School Play at 7 pm in the Gym

Math

This has been an exciting week for Middle School math! Students returned from the break eager and refreshed and jumped right into a unit on Probability. Students discovered the difference between theoretical and experimental probability. They calculated the theoretical probability of choosing each color of an M&M and then took data of which color M&M they drew from the bag to calculate the experimental probability. Students worked diligently all week to brainstorm an idea for their own probability game, created a blueprint, and then worked to create the physical game. The Math Carnival will take place on Friday, January 17th, and students cannot wait to put their games to the test.

Humanities

In Humanities classes this week, students worked together to write the plot for this year’s Middle School play. The overarching idea for this full-length play is first decided by the 8th-grade class. This year, the play is about a solved mystery about an object in a museum and the backstory to this object. Then, students created a plot line with the skeleton of the play and scene-by-scene summaries. Next, they developed their characters. This involved writing their personality traits, any particular traits in appearance, an example of what they might say, and how their role contributes to the plot. Next, any relationships between characters are established. Finally, the classes began writing the scenes. Next week students will have the opportunity to write in mixed-grade groups as well as with their class. By next Friday, the script will be drafted!

Beginning on Tuesday, 1/21, the Middle School will spend most of the day immersing themselves in the play they wrote. They will create the set, gather/create props and costumes, block the scenes, and put on a final performance for you on Thursday, Jan. 30th, at 7 pm.

Science

6th grade:
Students this week worked on further understanding earthquakes with the introduction of learning about seismic waves.  They looked at how the energy of an earthquake travels through Earth, what scales are used to measure the strength of an earthquake, and began discussing how scientists locate the epicenter of an earthquake.  Students are excited to begin a lab early next week using slinkies to see P waves, S waves, and surface waves in action. They will also learn how to calculate the epicenter of an earthquake using triangulation.
7th grade:
Students completed work constructing their molecules and posters for their molecule project this week.  The projects came out fantastically well, and every one of them was original, with unique creative design and construction.  Students will proudly display these 3D molecules and posters within the Science classroom as they use the information learned to move into the period table and atomic structure next week.
8th grade:
This week, students finished their work on cellular respiration and photosynthesis.  Students completed and hung their posters within the Science classroom and finished their work by writing formal lab reports for the experiments they conducted showing the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration.  Next week, the class will begin working on cell division.  This will be their last subunit on cells before moving into genetics.

Middle School: Getting in the Spirit

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Wow! What a week! As Middle School wrapped up classes before winter break, students also had a chance to work on some Middle School traditions: door decorating, raising money for a nonprofit, gift giving, holiday celebrations, and the winter concert. First, the entire middle school participated in the annual door decorating contest (which, as many of you saw, is more of a hallway decorating contest).  6th grade created a winter scene with a ski lift, ski lodge, and a door that opened to all of their lovely faces! 7th grade recreated the Polar Express with cars that viewers could walk through! 8th grade’s creation had a holiday Where’s Waldo? theme that asked viewers to find characters from the book. Younger peers and teachers walked through the hallway and voted. The 6th grade ended up having the most votes!

Next, students spent time celebrating on Thursday! The day began with Mrs. Banay coming in to cook delicious Israeli donuts for the middle school. Almog also created 3D-printed dreidels for each student. Then, the middle school opened their Secret Snowman gifts. There were a lot of smiling faces and laughter as students took guesses about the identities of their gift-givers. The students then enjoyed delicious food (thank you, parents!) and some movies.

The 8th grade worked hard to complete the products for their Fraser WoodShop pop-up shop that took place before the concert on Friday. They ended up selling out of the charcuterie boards and sold many of the beautiful ornaments they designed and created on the glow forge. All money will go to the nonprofit they selected, Ben’s Lighthouse.

Finally, students participated in group concert rehearsals this week, leading up to Friday’s fabulous performance. The Middle School is undoubtedly talented!

The Middle School Team wishes you and your family a wonderful winter break full of togetherness and memories. We look forward to welcoming students back after the New Year. We have a lot to look forward to in 2025!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

There is a lot going on in Middle School!

First of all, 8th-grade Leadership has been working hard. They have completed the collection of holiday gifts from the FWM community to be delivered to a local Newtown family needing assistance this holiday season. Next, they have been busy with their business, The Fraser WoodShop, creating the 2024 Holiday Ornament and beautiful charcuterie boards (limited number) to sell before next week’s holiday concert! All proceeds will go towards Ben’s Lighthouse.

Next week, we look forward to the following:

  • Door Decorating Contest! We will decorate by grade level with whatever winter-themed decorations are brought in!
  • PAJAMA DAY: Thursday, 12/19, is PJ day for Middle School!!!
  • Holiday Party: Thursday, after an all-school concert rehearsal, we will have our winter party.
  • Secret Snowflake: Students should bring in a gift ($15 limit) for their assigned secret snowflake.
  • HOLIDAY CONCERT: 10 am start. The attire is dressier than normal (no dirty sneakers, sweats, ripped clothing, etc.) STUDENTS CAN LEAVE WITH THEIR FAMILIES AFTER THE SHOW.

Humanities

Grade 6 Humanities classes focused on finishing their second class novel, Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper. This week, they worked on small group discussions in which they prepared their own questions. They read through and identified the climax of the novel and worked on writing a novel reaction at the end of the week. The students will watch the newly released movie version of the book next week in Humanities! Also, earlier this week, one of Mrs. Lamb’s favorite poets, Nikki Giovanni, passed away. In her memory, students read “Knoxville, Tennessee” and discussed the notion of nostalgia. Then, they composed their own pieces about a place they find nostalgic.

The 7th grade Humanities class is two assignments away from finishing their third class novel, The Giver, by Lois Lowry. In addition to their nightly reading, the class began each day with a book discussion before transitioning to the much-anticipated Community Project. This is a favorite among 7th-year students and involves partnering with another classmate to create their own version of Utopia. The groups must consider and write about multiple factors before presenting their imagined community to their peers. Government structure, the environment, essential resources, and economics are only a few of the components of their Community they must consider. It will be exciting to see how these turn out!

8th-grade Humanities classes this week focused on drafting an essay and the play. The Reimagining History essay has students develop a singular change in the early days of the colonies and write about the possible effects of this change that would be immediately seen and even felt today. Students researched and composed their drafts with individual writing goals this week. Next, they came up with the big idea for the 2025 Middle School Play! They aren’t ready to share with their classmates yet, but all will be revealed soon.

Math

Pre-Transition: This week, the class continued their learning of Chapter 4. They began the week by learning about fact triangles and using them to find related facts for addition and subtraction. Students then discovered relationships among linear pairs and vertical angles formed by intersecting lines and how to use properties of angles to find unknown angle measures. The class closed out their week by learning to recognize acute, right, obtuse, complementary, and supplementary angles and how to subtract fractions. They will wrap up Chapter 4 next week before the winter break.

Transition: Students continued moving through Chapter 5 this week. They reviewed how to use fact triangles to depict relationships between numbers and learned to solve equations of the form x + a + b and inequalities of the form x + a < b. Students wrapped up their week by graphing solutions to equations and using the triangle inequality to approximate the lengths of the third side. The class will wrap up Chapter 5 next week, prior to the winter break.

Algebra: This week, students continued exploring Chapter 5 Concepts. They started the week off by dividing algebraic fractions to find rates and then multiplying and dividing rates to find the conversion rate. Students continued the week by using ratios to compare two quantities, calculated relative frequencies, and solved proportions. The class will finish up Chapter 5 before the winter break.

Geometry: It was an exciting week in Geometry! We began learning how to make and justify conclusions about congruent figures, which is called proving. We continued with proofs using transitivity and reflections by constructing equilateral triangles and constructing the circle through three noncollinear points, found lengths and angle measures using properties of the perpendicular bisector, and wrote proofs using the transitive properties of equality and the properties of reflection. We will end our learning of Chapter 5 next week before the winter break.

Science
6 grade:
Students began the week by discussing tectonic plates and ended the week by talking about how the shifting of tectonic plates causes earthquakes.  They looked at an interactive map of the Earth and were able to layer over it locations where earthquakes occur and where tectonic plate boundaries live.  Students then explored the causes of earthquakes, including the role of tectonic plates, and considered the efforts scientists are making to better understand and predict these sometimes dangerous events.
7 grade:
Students began their “Interesting Molecule” project this week.  The project consists of choosing a molecule from a list of given molecules, conducting research from valid websites about the said molecule, creating a poster with all gathered information, and finally, building the molecule with classroom materials.  The class started the week researching their chosen molecules to gather pertinent information.  From there, students completed a mockup of their posters.  Once students obtained a stamp of approval, they began work on their posters.  The week concluded with all students working on their posters.  Next week, students will begin constructing their molecules.
8 grade:
Students worked on designing and executing their experiments this week, investigating how photosynthesis and cellular respiration work together in a cycle.  Students began the week designing their experiments – developing a title, introduction, and hypothesis, finding their independent and dependent variables, making a materials list, writing a procedure, and designing their data tables.  Students ended the week working on their posters showing the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration.  Next week, students will begin executing their experiments and gathering results.
Have a warm weekend!

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Prior to the break, the school came together for a celebration led by the Middle School. The program included the presentation of the elements, class gratitudes, singing “Light a Candle for Peace,” cultural blessings, and sharing bread. It was a wonderful way to send us off for the long holiday weekend.

This week brought the first glimpse of snow for most of us. Middle School students enjoyed being outdoors, especially throwing snowballs. Students are welcome to bring in snow gear whenever we have snow so they can enjoy being outside. We suggest all students have a spare set of gloves left in their lockers for the spur-of-the-moment snowball fight.

Here’s what went on in classes this week:

6th-grade Humanities continued working on their class novel, Out of My Mind. Students had smaller group discussions, which they led themselves, and participated in large group discussions surrounding the assigned chapters. They will continue in the book next week. The 6th grade also worked on writing this week. The class completed editing practice, continued conferences with Mrs. Lamb, and began their longer December writing assignment based on a few prompt choices. One of the choices, to write a persuasive letter to Mrs. Lamb with a plan for the Middle School trip, was a favorite choice. The students are still working on them and will read aloud once completed.

The 7th-grade Humanities class is devouring the book The Giver by Lois Lowry and, with it, discussing the notion of Utopia. This fictional dystopian novel sparked a conversation about what is not perfect, what might be perfect, and what would need to be perfect in order to make Earth a utopian place to live. Students are almost finished drafting pieces that speak to this idea. Next, students will imagine their own Utopia in an interesting group project called The Community Project.

The 8th-grade Humanities class completed their first novel, If I Ever Get Out of Here, by Eric Gansworth. In the end, the themes of friendship, loyalty, belonging, and growing up stood out among students. They led discussions this week using questions they developed. Additionally, the 8th grade workshopped their thesis statements for their “Reimagining History” essay. They will spend next week researching and drafting.

Separately, the 8th grade worked in Leadership to create more of the Fraser Woods annual ornaments that they will sell at the pop-up shop before the winter concert. They also tried to finalize the design for their latest item, a charcuterie board.

Math

Pre-Transition: This week, the class dove right into Chapter 4, “Using Subtraction.” Students learned all about three different models for subtraction: the takeaway model, the slide model, and the comparison model. They also used fact triangles to find related facts for addition and subtraction. The class closed out the week by taking the Chapter 4 quiz.

Transition: This week, the class began Chapter 5, “Patterns Leading to Addition and Subtraction.” They applied properties of addition and subtraction to simplify expressions, learned rules for adding positive and negative numbers, discovered how to calculate the absolute value of a number, and used fact triangles to depict relationships between numbers. The class wrapped their week by taking the Chapter 5 quiz.
 
Algebra: This week, Algebra students jumped head first into Chapter 5, “Division and Proportions in Algebra.” They came up with definitions for algebra and fractions and put them together to discover what an algebraic fraction is. Then, the class practiced multiplying, dividing, and simplifying algebraic fractions. They concluded their week by taking the Chapter 5 quiz.
 
Geometry: This week, students started Chapter 5, “Proofs in Congruence.” They discovered how to justify conclusions about congruent figures, identified and determined measures of parts of congruent figures, and practiced making one-step proofs. Students took the Chapter 5 quiz on Friday.

Science
6th grade:
Students began the week by making their very own fossil casts.  Students made salt dough and used objects around the room to simulate how casts are made.  Everyone had a blast, and learning took place during the process.  The latter part of the week focused on plate tectonics.  Students were introduced to the topic using our techbook and then the topic was reinforced with a partnered webquest.  It was a great first week back from Thanksgiving break!
7th grade:
This week started off discussing states of matter.  The class talked about how matter changes from one state to another, and we learned the proper vocabulary terms for each.  Students then moved on to discuss the properties of each state of matter and how the molecules move in each state.  This brought us to define the difference between atoms and molecules and led to the class’ first look at the periodic table.  Friday’s class ended with an introduction to An Interesting Molecule project, which we will work on next week as well.  Be sure to ask your student which molecule they are choosing to research!
8th grade:
This week focused on photosynthesis and cellular respiration, the processes that sustain life on Earth.  The class analyzed the equation of each reaction and was able to see how each relied on the other as a singular cyclical event.  The week ended with students researching experiments to show the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular respiration.  Next week, students will design and execute their own experiments to show how this cyclic relationship ensures a constant exchange of gases and energy between living organisms and the environment.
We hope you had a wonderful weekend!