Weekly Update #4

Parents, it was great to meet you at open house! We look forward to a great year packed with learning, adventure, and challenges. 

Team Updates

The Great Pasta Race:  Badgers are in 2nd place!  Simeone's advisory is in 2nd place and McGuire's is in 3rd!!  Remember the second challenge: all students in the winning advisory will also win tickets to the December DANCE!  We definitely can win this!  Teamwork!  Three more days! Thin Spaghetti!

iReady: Badgers will be testing Monday (Reading) and Tuesday (Math) in all classes.

Exemplary Badger: Congratulations to Natalie B. our Exemplary Badger for the week!

Grade Book:  The grade book has been fixed!  Please start checking the portal weekly to see if you are missing any assignments. It's your job to keep track of your grades.

Class Updates

Social Studies: Congrats, everyone! We just completed our first Mastery Assessment in social studies. Friday we wrapped up our mini unit on Geography and starting Monday we will begin our mini unit on Government. I'm very proud of all the work that all of my students have been doing. Keep it up! Question to think about: In order to become president, you need 270 out of the 538 electoral votes. What percent does 270 out of 538 represent? 

Science:  All students passed in their Living Invention Projects on Friday!  They look beautiful! This week, although we'll be busy taking iReady on Monday and Tuesday, we will be learning about the classification of living things! Students will begin by making their own dichotomous keys!

Literacy:  To learn to decode the secrets of the Industrial Food Chain we began with a serious look at the vocabulary we'll need to complete the task!  We watched some cool video clips about food, and had some great discussions! Friday was the first test of mastery of the Latin roots. I'll spend lots of time this weekend grading them!  Monday and Tuesday students will take their iReady tests, and then we'll jump into some serious reading!  

English: We kicked off the week by reviewing some grammar exercises and reading a poem called "Oranges," by Gary Soto. Students began identifying and interpreting sensory language within the text, and we discussed why authors use this language in their writing.  Next week, students will take the I-Ready assessment in reading and math and complete their district Cornerstone writing assessments.

Math: Get ready to start multiplying and dividing integers! The test for Chapter 1 is coming up soon. Be sure to prepare by studying and practicing problems all week.

School Updates

Spaghetti Supper: PTO's annual Spaghetti Supper is Thursday, September 29th at 4:30 PM. Please come support our school and enjoy a nice meal.

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community!

Support Pennichuck Sports!: Come and support the Pennichuck home games.

Monday, September 26 - Boy's Soccer @ 3:30

Tuesday, September 27 - Volleyball @ 4:00

Friday, September 30 - Field Hockey @ 3:30

Weekly Update #3

Team Updates

Grade Book:  Some technical difficulties have prevented our Grade Book rosters from being available to teachers to input grades.  We hope to have the issue resolved, and grades input within the next day or so.  Thanks so much for your patience! 

The Great Spaghetti Race Returns!: PTO's annual Spaghetti Supper is Thursday, September 29th at 4:30 PM. The Great Spaghetti Race is a contest! Help your advisory win a special breakfast provided by the PTO, by collecting THIN SPAGHETTI for the PTO. Please shop early, shop for quantity, to earn bragging rights for The Badgers! We want our team to win the contest! The PTO has requested that we only buy THIN SPAGHETTI! Bring your boxes of thin spaghetti to your advisor, and bring as much as you can! 

T-Shirt Design: Voting on the t-shirt designs will begin next week.

Exemplary Badger: Congratulations Jose G. on being our Exemplary Badger for the week!

Class Updates

Social Studies: This week we started our mini unit reviewing Geography. We discussed the Five Themes of Geography, did a Geography Scavenger Hunt, and we even took a 25 Minute Vacation! Next week we will wrap up our Geography unit with more activities and ultimately finishing the week with our first assessment. Remember to do your practice work! Question to think about: How are timelines and number lines similar?

Science:  This week in science will will continue our studies of the characteristics of living things.  Students will work on a project called My Living Creation.  I can't wait to see them.  Everyone has some great ideas so far.

Literacy: Students dove into the first unit of Latin roots this week!  Vocabulary was explored, notes were taken, flash cards made and goals were written in their Passports.  Over the weekend, all students are encouraged to log into their respective Google Classes for Literacy class.  Spend some time reading your historical fiction free reading book, and above all, study your flash cards!
******************* Latin Unit 1 Test:  Friday, September 23 ******************

English: Last week students took their first quiz which included: elements of literature, contextual vocabulary, and "Seventh Grade" plot details. We all survived!  Good job, everyone :)  This week, we will continue our plot and story structure unit by reading another Gary Soto piece called "Oranges." Our discussions will focus on the theme of belonging, which will make a nice connection to advisory!  All classes will also work on grammar exercises as we begin our structures of language unit.  Get ready for another fun-filled week in the world of English!

Math: Next week we will continue to work on adding and subtracting integers.  All classes will be having a quiz at some point in the week! Practice makes perfect, be sure to do the practice work every night and be studying your notes. We will also start going over some problem solving strategies to get you ready for the first Go Figure in October!

School Updates

Open House: Seventh grade open house will start at 5:30 PM. Parents will start meeting the Unified Arts teachers from 5:30 - 6:00 PM, you will also have time in the computer lab during this time to sign up for parent/teacher conferences. We will see you in the Cafe at 6:00 - 6:45 PM for a team presentation. 

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community!

Weekly Update #2

Team Updates

T-Shirt Design: Just a quick reminder to turn in your shirt designs to Mrs. Simeone. Make sure to outline the design in Sharpie to make nice, bold lines.  Deadline for submission is Monday, September 12, 2016. This year we will be ordering grey shirts (Mrs. Tino's request).

Exemplary Badger: Our first Exemplary Badger is Natalie G.!! Congratulations!!

Class Updates

Social Studies: We did a lot of writing this week and we made sure to incorporate Triple E into all of our writings. We focused in on supporting all of our claims with evidence as this will only make us better argumentative writers. This upcoming week we will dive into the meaning of history and began our mini Geography unit. Question to think about: What is history?

Science:  This week in science we studied science safety.  All students took their first online quiz.  Next week will look at the characteristics of living things.

Literacy:  We discussed the reading process this week, took a tour of this blog, and everyone should have a historical fiction free reading book!  Next week we will begin Latin Root Unit 1, and begin the practice of regular homework assignments and using Quizlet to study!

English: We started reviewing Triple E writing this week, and we'll be kicking off our plot and story structure unit the remainder of the month.  Get ready to read and discuss short stories, poems, and Greek myths!  Our first short story is entitled "Seventh Grade" by Gary Soto.  How fitting!

Math: This month we will be working on Integers (positive and negative numbers). Be sure you are ready to quiz on Thursday, September 15th. I will be assessing order of operations, absolute value, and adding integers!

School Updates

Open House: 7th Grade will be meeting on Thursday, September 22.  Please mark your calendar now. There will be more details to follow.

Dance: Our first school dance will be Friday, September 16th from 6-8 PM.  Please join us for a night under the lights outside on the tennis courts. Tickets will go on sale Tuesday through Friday for $4 at lunch. 

Food Pantry: The school is collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins are located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community!

First Week Back!

You have survived your first few days! We are excited to get this school year off and running. Just a recap of last week ...

PASSPORT: 

Remember Badgers, focus on your goals.  The goals that you set in your Passport should address the areas that you want to improve.  We all want you exceed your potential, and the best way to do that is to set good, measurable goals!  Keep your Passport with you all the time, in case a teacher asks to check in on your goals!

EXEMPLARY BADGER:

exemplary: extremely good and deserving to be admired and copied

You did a fantastic job collaborating with your peers to define the characteristics of an Exemplary Badger!  Each one of you has the potential to be an Exemplary Badger, and now, you should have the incentive to work hard!  Each week we will select one Exemplary Badger to enjoy the privilege of sitting at the VIP High Top Table with a friend at lunch!  Go Badgers!

Characteristics of an Exemplary Badger:

Respect the school's rules
Respect one another
Be honest
Have good study habits
Be responsible
Treat substitutes with respect
Respect the technology
Be consistent
Participate
Be a role model
Try to go above and beyond
Stay organized
Use the appropriate noise level
Have good manners
Clean up after yourself
Be prepared
Be helpful
Consistent effort

NEXT WEEK: We will be diving into schoolwork next week! Be ready, be prepared, and be awesome! 

FOOD PANTRY: 

The Pennichuck Food Pantry is back! Starting Tuesday, the school will be collecting the following items: pasta, canned sauces, peanut butter, cereal, canned fruits and vegetables (or any other non-perishable items). Donation bins will be located in the main office and guidance. Please consider making a regular donation to support our community!

See you all Tuesday :)