clarence middle school 7th grade newsletter€¦ · seventh grade trivia -- we are now in the...
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Quarter 2
At this point in the school year, routines have been firmly established. Students instinctively
navigate the halls during passing times; they know when to stop at their lockers and what
supplies they will need for each class; there is even a familiarity with where to sit in the
cafeteria and what snacks to buy. The end of the 2nd quarter marks the halfway point of the
2015-16 school year. This is a good time to examine routines – especially those involving
study habits and work ethic - and reflect on what is working well and what needs to be
improved. In many cases, routines are a good thing. But in cases where they are not, now is
the time to make changes that will guarantee success. I can’t wait to see what great things
you will achieve in the 3rd quarter!
Mr. John Mikulski
Grade 7 House Principal
Seventh Grade Trivia -- we are now in the middle of being in the middle grade of middle
school! Not only are we half way through the year, but half way through CMS! Recently I spoke
to students about scheduling choices for their eighth grade year. Choices include Math 8 or
Regents Algebra, Science 8 or Regents Earth Science and the choice of ensembles –
Band/Chorus/Orchestra -- or choosing a study hall. Students will continue in the Foreign
Language they participated in this year to receive a High School credit at the end of the 8th
grade year. Pink scheduling cards sent home with students on Feb 2nd need to be signed by a
parent or guardian and returned to your child’s homeroom teacher by February 10th.
Please feel free to contact me at 407-9214 or email, cpalmer@clarenceschools.org, if you have
any questions or concerns.
Mrs. Palmer
Grade 7 School Counselor
In ELA, seventh graders just finished a unit of study from a NYSED module. After reading Linda
Sue Park’s novel, A Long Walk to Water, students were engaged in an effort to raise money for
the Ugandan Water Project. We raised over $31,000 last year and are hoping to surpass that
total this year. James Harrington and his crew from UWP will update us before the end of the
school year to let us know which Ugandan communities are affected by our efforts. After that
three-week long study, we began an Interdisciplinary unit that centers on the American
Revolution. We are reading Gary Paulsen’s novel, Woods Runner; through a close reading of
that novel, we discuss the genre of historical fiction, examine themes of helping one another
and paying it forward, and analyze static and dynamic characters. Our culminating activity is
an in-house field day for all seventh graders in which they explore various aspects of life in
the 1770’s through hands-on experiences.
As the first semester comes to a close, we have extensively explored percent problems
involving real world examples such as simple interest, percent error, tax, tip, and discount.
Our focus now shifts to algebra and solving equations. We will focus on problems that involve
defining variables and setting up practical equations. Probability, Statistics and Geometry will
round out our units of study. The New York State Mathematics Assessment is scheduled for
Wednesday, April 13 – Friday, April 15. Students will need to have a Texas Instruments 30XA
or 30IIS calculator for use during the exam.
The students have begun their study of Genetics. They will learn about different human traits by
looking at their own physical traits through lab work and by incorporating what they learned into
a project about genetic traits. The students will then journey across the ages to discover how life
in all its breathtaking variety has relentlessly adapted itself through time. We will do this by
visiting the Galapagos Islands with our IMAX movie and in our lab work on variation, natural
selection, and adaptations of bird’s beaks and feet. In addition to this, we will follow through with
the Principles of Classification and continue study of different species within all the kingdoms.
The Advanced 7th grade science students have spent the first semester working on the study of
Chemistry and Physics. Atomic structure, matter, energy, and Newton's Laws are a few of the
topics we have been delving into. Our final unit is on electromagnetism and waves. Soon we will
begin the Biology portion of the course. The second half of our school year will be spent learning
about cells, ecology, genetics, and body systems.
The Seventh Grade History students have
just finished a unit on the American
Colonies. We are currently working on the
American Revolution. A key activity will be
the study of the novel Woods Runner, which
the students are reading in both ELA and
History. There will be an activity day on
Friday, February 13th that will give the
students a chance to experience many of the
things that they will be reading about.
Seventh grade art students have recently
created designs called
“Zentangles.” These designs are based on
the repetition of pattern; (one of our
Design Principles). We also focused on the
importance of planning out compositions
as well as controlling the materials with
which we are working. The formation of a
personalized journal or sketchbook is a
key part of the art experience, which
includes note taking, and the
enhancement of observational skills.
It’s hard to believe that the second
marking period has ended! During the
past ten weeks in Spanish and French
we have been working on our school
unit. We have learned how to tell time,
how to conjugate verbs, and how to talk
about school and our classes. Our next
unit will be on the family, and different
places in school and the community. For
those interested in the 8th Grade Quebec
City trip next fall, please see Sra.
Barone.
The 7th Grade Latin students have certainly
been busy this marking period! They have
been studying about famous Romans,
prominent buildings and places in the
ancient city, and the holiday of
Saturnalia. Latin students have also been
learning about the social and political
structure of this highly complex civilization
as well as the practice of slavery in the
ancient world. Introduction to singular and
plural grammatical constructions has started
them off into studying the Latin language
itself. Next marking period will add more
grammar and even more culture.
Second quarter got off to an exciting start!
Seventh grade met and exceeded the sewing
challenge The String Bag. We explored
numerous yet unusual careers and now have a
better idea as to what it is we’d like to do in the
future. As the food unit concluded we made our
own pita bread—fortified with the benefits of
whole grains. Leadership characteristics were
integrated throughout the quarter—including
proper etiquette. Be sure to ask your 7th grader
to demonstrate at your next family dinner!
Seventh grade music students have been
busy traveling through a time machine since
the beginning of the school year. They have
been listening to, reading about, and
performing music from the Baroque to the
Classical Era. They have also spent a great
deal of time learning about the history,
culture and music of Latin America. A
favorite was the musical theater unit…
students culminated the marking period by
studying West Side Story.
Congratulations to 18 seventh and eighth
grade chorus members selected to
participate in All-County after successful
auditions this January! We are very proud to
be so well-represented. Spring concert
season keeps us very busy! Our next concert
will be held on Tuesday, March 15. Our final
concert of the year will be held on May 19, at
7:30 PM. As always, thank you for your
support! The students work hard every day
to prepare their program for you!
The 7th grade Orchestra was busy in December performing their Winter Concert on the 23rd. The
Orchestra traveled to the Clarence Senior Center to share their music with the community. They
played several holiday songs, and also played the main theme for Star Wars in celebration of the
new movie. Several students auditioned at the ECMEA solo festival in Orchard Park on January 16th
and scored high marks – Congratulations to all who participated!! Please mark your calendars for
the following events: Mid-Winter Concert is March 17th, NYSSMA Solo festival is April 22nd-23rd,
and the entire ensemble will be competing at the NYSSMA Major Ensemble Festival on May 5th at
Amherst Middle School.
We are working hard towards our next
concert scheduled for Thursday, March
31st. Please encourage your child to
continue to practice 20-30 minutes daily,
and encourage them to visit my website
to listen to our band selections. Contact
Mrs. Runfola if your child may be
interested in private lessons; all students
can benefit from one on one attention!
The seventh grade Tech Ed students
worked diligently on their CO2 Car designs
to get ready for the final race-testing event
that was scheduled for the last two days of
the quarter! The beginning of the quarter
was spent learning how to refine their CO2
Car designs on the Auto-Desk Inventor
software. For the remainder of the quarter,
they focused on how to cut their cars out of
a block of basswood, sand, paint, and attach
the wheels and axles. The excitement of
race day was mounting as many students
chose to come in early and/or stay late to
perfect their CO2 Cars before the big race!
Health education students have been
studying substance abuse prevention which
includes tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs
and other dangerous substances. Decision
making skills and refusal skills will be
practiced in class. The third quarter will
include topics related to stress management,
support networks and suicide prevention.
Personal safety skills will be discussed at the
end of the year.
SPRING SPORTS SEASON STARTS MARCH 14TH.
All Athletes must have a CURRENT Physical on
file in the Health Office to be eligible to try-
out/play Spring Sports. In order to be eligible, the
Physical must be dated MARCH 1, 2015 or later.
There are NO EXCEPTIONS. Check your child’s
Physical dates, posted on the Parent Portal or
contact the School Nurse at #407-9223.
NEW IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS-
EFFECTIVE SEPT. 2016
It’s not too early, check with your Physician’s
Office.
Physical Education classes are continuing their table tennis unit until winter break. Table tennis
intramurals are offered Monday and Wednesday mornings throughout the month of
February. Students should report to the N. Cafeteria by 7:50am for table tennis intramurals.
Physical Education classes will be starting their badminton unit after winter break. Students are
required to have safety goggles for the badminton unit. Safety goggles can be purchased at
Lowes, Home Depot, or any Dollar Tree store for a few dollars. Badminton Intramurals will also
be starting the beginning of March, sign-up sheets will be in PE class. Students may enter teams
of 4 players and should report to the N. Cafeteria b 7:50am on their game days. Students should
see Mr. Burgio or Mrs. Booker for any questions regarding intramurals.
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