Friday, April 28th

Religion--Mrs. Timmins 7th grade just finished up Chapter 20 and took a quiz on Thursday. We were able to have a good conversation about the death and resurrection of Jesus and his wonderful gift to us: The Eucharist. We also were able to go to the Church and look around at where Jesus is kept for us. We looked behind the altar at the "special sink" that drains into the ground. Many students were not aware everything that is involved in the Eucharist so it was a wonderful opportunity.  We are going to be starting Chapter 21 next week. Please remember that ALL service hours (8 for 7th grade) are due on Friday, May 5th.

Language Arts--Ms. Hilton We are starting persuasive speeches in language arts next week! 7th graders chose their topics today and will be writing and giving their speeches next week. They have chosen a range of topics to speak about, and I am excited to hear their persuasive arguments.  Earlier this week we did a mini debate to introduce the art of persuasion and broke down what a persuasive message actually is.  Reading- We finished Wednesday Wars in reading, but we are not done discussing the book and its characters! We are starting a character analysis of a character of choice. Next week we will continue working on those and will be having our final Wednesday Wars test after the musical has passed. The biggest news your 7th graders will probably bring home this week is the news I shared with them today. We are expecting our first baby November 25th and are so excited!! I loved sharing the news with 7th grade today and seeing their wonderful reactions! :-)

Social Studies--Mrs. Wallace The 7th graders finished up with their presentations this week over Central and Southwest Asia and Oceania.  We then explored the Great Barrier Reef and Australia more through virtual reality with Google Expeditions. Next week, on Thursday, May 4th, the 7th graders will have a test over five chosen topics from Central and Southwest Asia and Oceania.  They will then write 4-6 sentences over the five chosen topics for the test.  As we prepare in class, the students will map out their answers through a study guide as well. We will then make our way to Africa for the last month of the school year!

Science--Mrs. Mistry The 7th graders have just finished up their study of the digestive system, food and nutrition.  As part of their nutrition unit, the students brought in a variety of fruit and learned how to prepare them, as well as tasting the fruit.  Thanks to all of you for helping provide the fruit.  They also kept a food log use the website choosemyplate.gov to learn about the food groups and nutrition requirements.   We are now moving on to the circulatory system and are learning about the structure and function of the heart.  We hope Google Expeditions to explore the inside of the heart and other human body systems.

Math--Ms. Cline  All seventh graders have finished the unit on geometry and are now beginning one of my personal favorite areas of math: probability! This will be our last unit of study before we begin to wrap up the year and review everything we have learned so far.

8th Grade

Important 8th grade dates:

Friday, May 5th: St. Francis Dance

Thursday, May 11th:8th grade service day at Meals from the Heartland (9:30-11:30 am)

Thursday, May 18:  Science Fair:  open from 8:00-5:00 in the Science Room.  Students will be with their project during their class time.

Saturday,May 20th: 8th grade dance at St. Theresa's

Friday, May 26th: Adventureland: 9:30-5 pm

Tuesday, May 30th: 8th grade graduation:  Class picture at 6:30 pm. Graduation Mass in Church at 7:00 pm.  Reception following Mass in Parish Hall.

Religion--Mrs. Timmins 8th grade was able to complete its final unit on Church History. We took a quiz on Thursday which will be returned on Monday. We will be starting Theology of the Body next week. I encourage you to talk with your student throughout this unit and as always, if you have any questions, please let me know.  All Service Hours are due Friday, May 5th. (8th grade needs 10 hours) All student have been reminded daily of this and if students are missing hours they have been told this as well. Please encourage your student to hand in their sheets when they have them completed.

Language Arts--Mrs. Callaghan Reading: Language Arts: Dates to remember:

Social Studies--Mrs. Wallace The 8th graders have started to work their way up to the Civil War in US History.  We will examine major events such as the Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, and the Dred Scott decision.  The students will also be participating in a mock trial of a fugitive slave Anthony Burns to learn more about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. On Monday, May 8th, the 8th graders will have a quiz over Chapter 21.1-21.5.  We will then work our way towards the conclusion of Chapter 21 before the end of the school year.

Science--Mrs. Mistry The 8th graders are continuing their study of chemistry.  We are now beginning to learn about ionic, covalent and metallic bonds and how the periodic table and valence electrons can be used to predict reactivity.  We will be learning how to write the formulas and name ionic compounds.  After learning about bonds we will move on to writing and balancing chemical equations.  The students have done a great job of staying on task these final weeks.  Keep up the good work!

Math--Ms. Cline  Students in 8B and 8C have started our unit on polynomials. We are learning how to factor binomials and trinomials

Friday, April 14th

Announcement: 7th and 8th grade dance: St. Francis will be hosting the Middle School Dance for 7th and 8th graders on Friday, May 5, in our school gym.  We are looking forward to a fun evening and hope you can join us!  Please click on the link below to donate items and/or volunteer your time at the dance.  Thanks in advance for your help and please contact Mrs. Mistry (lmistry@saintfrancisschool.org) with any questions. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b45a4ac28abfe3-stfrancis1 Religion--Mrs. Timmins The past two weeks the 7th graders completed chapter 18 and started chapter 19. Chapter 18 discussed the Cardinal and Theological Virtues. Chapter 19 is covering topics such as death and forgiveness, which ties in nicely with Holy Week. We took time this week to participate in Adoration which was very special during this Holy Week. Holy Thursday we took time to discuss The Last Supper, Judas’s betrayal and Peter denial. Holy Friday the students mourned Jesus’s death. They took time to reflect on His ultimate sacrifice for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Have a very Happy Easter!

Language Arts--Mrs. McFarland We've been studying Shakespeare in language arts and looking at some of his most well-known sonnets and plays. This week, 7th graders are working on writing their own sonnets and next week will start memorizing a monologue to recite and share with the class, wrapping up our Shakespeare unit.  Reading- We are continuing to read The Wednesday Wars in reading class (which ties directly into our learning about Shakespeare and his works!). We will be wrapping up this book in the next two weeks and will have a test over The Wednesday Wars at the end of April.

Social Studies--Mrs. Wallace The 7th graders have been learning about the current geography and events of Central and Southwest Asia; the area that we commonly know as the "Middle East." We have been reviewing the geography and then also discussing issues such as the current war in Syria along with the exportation of oil as well. The 7th graders will have a geography quiz over the countries of Central and Southwest Asia on Wednesday, April 19th. A reminder that the deadline registration discount for the Washington DC trip is coming up on April 28th.  The Washington DC trip will be from June 1st-4th, 2018.   How to register: Trip ID# 147323 Online: www.worldstrides.com/signup Phone-1-800-468-5899 Mail with registration form

Science--Mrs. Mistry The 7th graders are continuing their study of Food, Digestion and Nutrition.  We have been learning about the different food groups and how different food groups help provide nutrition.  The students also kept a food log and analyzed them to see if they were meeting their daily food requirements.  We used the website below to learn about the food groups, food choices, etc.  It has a lot of information that is worth checking out for students and familie.  Click on the link below to access the site. https://www.choosemyplate.gov/ Currently we are learning about the organs of the digestive system and how the food that we eat is changed into energy that the body can use.  As part of our nutrition study, we will have a fruit tasting lab next Friday, April 21.  I am asking the students to bring in a whole piece of fruit (not cut up) and I will show them how to prepare the fruit and we will do some taste testing.  I am sending home a permission slip today that they will need to return on Tuesday.  Thanks in advance for your help with this fun project!

Math--Ms. Cline  Students in 7A are finishing up their unit on angle relationships and area of polygons. Their test will be Wednesday, April 19. Students in 7B and 7C have been working on finding the surface area and volume of three-dimensional shapes. Next week, we will be creating three-dimensional shapes and measuring the surface area and volume of our creations.

8th Grade

Important 8th grade dates:

Friday, May 5th: St. Francis Dance

Thursday, May 11th:8th grade service day at Meals from the Heartland (9:30-11:30 am)

Thursday, May 18:  Science Fair:  open from 8:00-5:00 in the Science Room.  Students will be with their project during their class time.

Saturday,May 20th: 8th grade dance at St. Theresa's

Friday, May 26th: Adventureland: 9:30-5 pm

Tuesday, May 30th: 8th grade graduation:  Class picture at 6:30 pm. Graduation Mass in Church at 7:00 pm.  Reception following Mass in Parish Hall.

Announcement: 7th and 8th grade dance:

St. Francis will be hosting the Middle School Dance for 7th and 8th graders on Friday, May 5, in our school gym.  We are looking forward to a fun evening and hope you can join us!  Please click on the link below to donate items and/or volunteer your time at the dance.  Thanks in advance for your help and please contact Mrs. Mistry (lmistry@saintfrancisschool.org) with any questions.

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b45a4ac28abfe3-stfrancis1

Religion--Mrs. Timmins The past two weeks the 8th graders finished up chapter 14 and took a quiz over it. The students started chapter 19 and they are the “teachers” for this unit. I am so proud of them and how they are presenting the information. We will have an open note quiz on Wednesday, April 19. There was an email sent out earlier this week about Theology of the Body which is the next unit 8th grade is going to cover. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. We took time this week to participate in Adoration which was very special during this Holy Week. Holy Thursday we took time to discuss The Last Supper, Judas’s betrayal and Peter denial. Holy Friday the students mourned Jesus’s death. They took time to reflect on His ultimate sacrifice for us. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Have a very Happy Easter!

Language Arts--Mrs. Callaghan Reading: Language Arts: Dates to remember:

Social Studies--Mrs. Wallace The 8th graders have been giving presentations over major events from American History in the years of 1800-1850.  We will finish up the presentations next week and then start to prepare for their test on Friday, April 21st. Their next test, on April 21st, will be an all-written test.  From the topics presented in class over the major events in US history from 1800-1850, the students will need to write on five selected topics.  Their answers should be 4-5 sentences in length and contain detail from the text.  We will be creating a study guide in class and the students will have a couple of days to review.

Science--Mrs. Mistry The 8th Graders are continuing their study of Chemistry, currently focusing on the elements of the periodic table.    The students have learned about the history and structure of the periodic table and how an element's location on the table can be used to predict its properties.  We will soon be learning more specifically about ionic and covalent bonds.  The students will learn how to use electron dot diagrams and how valence electrons affect chemical bonds. We are continuing to work on Science Fair projects.  Most students are right on track with their projects.  They have completed their experimental problem, hypothesis, background information reports and have written up their experimental procedure (materials and method).  Students have a packet of information regarding each stage of the project which will helpful to you if you have questions about their projects.  Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Math--Ms. Cline Students in 8A have been studying translations and reflections of images on a coordinate plane. They will be taking a quiz on Tuesday, April 18. Students in 8B are finishing up their study of exponent properties. There are lots of misconceptions when it comes to exponents, so we have been finding patterns with exponents and making sure the properties make sense to us. They will be taking a quiz on Tuesday, April 18. Students in 8C have begun working with polynomials.

Friday, March 31st

Religion--Mrs. Timmins The students finished up their unit on Miracles and did a wonderful job with their presentations. We are now moving our focus into the journey of Jesus in the New Testament. We started by learning about Nicodemus and the Woman at the Well and how Jesus had an impact on their life and journey. We continued to learn about the gifts that we have that enable us to share to the world. 7th grade will be taking a quiz over chapter 18 on Tuesday. They were give review notes. We were also very fortunate to have two Marian Sisters come and talk with the classes. They gave us a wonderful explanation of what life is like for the Sisters.  Many times we are able to get priests to come and share their stories, so it was very nice to hear from these lovely Sisters.

Language Arts--Mrs. McFarland This week in Language Arts we introduced Shakespeare. We watched a TED talk comparing Shakespeare and hip-hop music and we found that there are a lot of similarities in the importance of language, knowledge, and rhythm in each. We also had one last career speaker come in today: Mrs. Szalay. It was very cool to learn about her career as an orthopedic surgeon and even make our own finger casts. Thanks to all of the speakers who have taken the time to come in over the last few weeks! Next, we will be diving further into Shakespeare, learning about who he was, studying some of his works, and even writing our own sonnets.  Reading- In reading, we have started a new book called The Wednesday Wars. We are just about half-way through the book. This story is about Holling Hoodhood, a 7th grade boy growing up in 1967, who goes through some crazy (and hilarious) situations (and is also reading Shakespeare!). In the next few weeks, we will continue to read The Wednesday Wars and will eventually have a test and project after we finish reading.

Social Studies--Mrs. Wallace This week, the 7th graders finished up their chapter over Mt. Everest and Monsoon Asia.  They were quizzed this week over the physical geography of Monsoon Asia and the main terms of Chapter 29.  They also write journal entries as though they climbed the stages of Everest.  We also had a guest speaker, Mr. Brian Block, who spoke about his experiences climbing Everest. He was also the first Iowan to climb the seven summits of the world! We are now going to study the Middle East and then move into the study of Oceania.  The students will individually be giving presentations over a selected topic from the Middle East and Oceania as well.  We will be working on these presentations next week. Our next geography quiz will not be scheduled until the week of April 10th.

Science--Mrs. Mistry   The 7th Graders have recently completed their study of Bones, Muscles and Skin.  They did a GREAT job on their recent test, which they will be bringing home today.  Our next area of study will be the digestive system and nutrition.  We will be learning about the structure and function of the digestive system and will also learn about nutrition.  We will discuss what foods are needed for good health, how to read food labels and how different types of food, vitamins, minerals and water help the body function.  As part of this unit I will ask the students to keep a food/water log.  They will then analyze their log to see if they are meeting nutrition needs.  We will also do a fruit tasting lab, to demonstrate fun ways to prepare various types of fruit and to allow the student to sample new fruits. I am enjoying work with your children in Science - enjoy your weekend!

Math--Ms. Cline

8th Grade

Important 8th grade dates:

Friday, May 5th: St. Francis Dance

Thursday, May 11th:8th grade service day at Meals from the Heartland (9:30-11:30 am)

Thursday, May 18:  Science Fair:  open from 8:00-5:00 in the Science Room.  Students will be with their project during their class time.

Saturday,May 20th: 8th grade dance at St. Theresa's

Friday, May 26th: Adventureland: 9:30-5 pm

Tuesday, May 30th: 8th grade graduation:  Class picture at 6:30 pm. Graduation Mass in Church at 7:00 pm.  Reception following Mass in Parish Hall.

Religion--Mrs. Timmins 8th grade just completed Chapter 14 over Church history. It was a very long and detailed chapter. The students will be concluding this chapter with a quiz on Wednesday. The students learned about The Great Schism, excommunication, and the crusades. We will continue with Church history and the students are going to be put into groups and give a brief presentation on one of the crusades. We were also very fortunate to have two Marian Sisters come and talk with the classes. They gave us a wonderful explanation of what life is like for the Sisters.  Many times we are able to get priests to come and share their stories, so it was very nice to hear from these lovely Sisters.

Language Arts--Mrs. Callaghan    Reading: We are on Chapter 9 of 23 chapters in the book, Left to Tell. I have given a schedule showing when each chapter must be read, through the completion of the book. At the beginning of each class, students are taking a 2-10 point quiz over comprehension questions from the current chapter. They are then getting in their book groups to complete discussion questions.  The remainder of the class is left to read the next chapter.  Please take a moment to talk to your children about how they are doing. I had every child check their Powerschool this week, so they know where their grade stands. (FYI: The quizzes will be in lieu of a final test.)                            Language Arts: We are completing the debate unit by incorporated listening to the final project. They have listened to a story discussing both sides of an argument about Tony the Tiger (not the cereal tiger- but a true story).  He is in Louisiana and for many years there has been fighting over his care and location of his home. Students have listened to his story, answered questions, had group & class discussions and turned them in for a grade. Since then, for the last two days, we have begun a mini unit on writing and punctuating dialogue. They’re currently completing a project and will wrap up the unit with a quiz next week.   Dates to remember: Mondays and Fridays: Vocabulary pre-quiz and quiz April 3rd: No School

Social Studies--Mrs. Wallace This week, the 8th graders finished up their study of the Amendments to the Constitution.  We will now be doing a survey history of the events in US History from 1800-1850.  Individually, the students will each be presenting a topic from this time period.  At the conclusion of the unit, the students will be taking a written exam over five selected topics.  This will not be for 2-3 weeks as the students will have to complete their presentations. After these presentations, we will start to work our way to our final topic of the year; the Civil War! Time is definitely flying by and I am enjoying my remaining months with the 8th graders!

Science--Mrs. Mistry The 8th Graders are continuing their study of chemistry, recently focusing on states of matter and Charles' and Boyle's Laws.  They took their test on Chapter 2 today and will receive those back on Monday.  Science projects proposals forms (signed) were due today as well.  A few students are missing these.  Please check with your child to make sure they are on track with their project.  Students have work time most Wednesdays and they have been given a packet, including a calendar that outlines the project, along with a calendar.  The final project is due May 18.  The students observed the process of sublimation firsthand during our dry ice lab on Thursday.  They are doing a great job with their labs and working well with their lab groups. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding their projects as I would be glad to assist you.  Enjoy your weekend!

Math--Ms. Cline