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