Weekly Update #34

Team Updates

Happy Memorial Day!  Be sure to stop by the Memorial Day parade Monday morning and support our Pennichuck band!

Garden Needs: Badger team is revamping the garden here at Pennichuck.  As you prepare to do your own spring clean up work at your homes, consider making a donation to our team!  We are looking for the following items in good working condition:

• bow rakes 
• metal shovels 
• a wheel barrow
• cultivators and/or hoes (hand or standing)
• trowels

Please no: pitchforks or sickles!

Many hands make light work, so the goal is to have lots of tools to be used by lots of young, energized students!

Reading Challenges: Reading challenges are due no later than May 31st.  So far, we've only had 40 reading challenges returned to Mrs. McGuire.  These were distributed to students back in March.  It is our hope students will complete more independent reading over the weekend and submit their paperwork!  Students, this is your way of earning a FREE ticket to the Silver Knights game!!

Silver Knights Field Trip: The Badger team will be attending the Silver Knights field trip at Holman Stadium on Tuesday, June 6th from 10-2:30 PM.  Students must submit their field trip forms, as well as lunch and ticket money no later than May 31st.  Remember, students can earn a FREE ticket to this event just by reading -- see above!!

Spirit Week: Awesome job dressing up and participating in spirit week, Badger Team!  A HUGE shout-out goes to Monet S., Kaylee M., and Audrey R. for going out last week and purchasing spirit gear for students and teachers!  We are so proud of these young ladies -- they spent their own money and helped spread school spirit.  Your thoughtfulness was incredibly appreciated, ladies!  Nice job!

Class Updates

Social Studies: Students spent most of the week learning about culture during the Renaissance. They took a look at all the different types of art throughout the time period and we spent an entire day learning about the fascinating history of Leonardo da Vinci--The Renaissance Man. Ask your child about the many talents that Leonardo da Vinci had!

Science: My Favorite Animal Slide Project is due on Tuesday.  Late projects will receive point deductions!  Thursday is our field trip.  Students and chaperones need to remember to pack a lunch and dress for the weather.  No flip flops!  Everyone needs good shoes/sneakers for navigation on the rocks.  Friday we will start our interdisciplinary project with Mrs. Simeone.  

Literacy: Remember - the final exam on the Latin root curriculum will be given on Tuesday! Students have been preparing all year for this exam.  They've been working on review units for the past two weeks, and we have been presenting the fantastic Omnictionary slide shows, too!  Lots of review.  Over the weekend, students should remember that to do well on the test, you must think. Enjoy the long weekend!

English: We're almost finished reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer!!  We have about ten chapters remaining, and a majority of this reading will be done at home.  In school, students will continue working on their Tom Sawyer creative writing projects.  Ask them about their project choice!  Over the weekend, students should be studying vocabulary words for section four, as there will be a quiz early next week! 

Math: Go Figures are due Tuesday!!  This is the last on of the year, celebrate!  Next week is crazy but, we will be quizzing on discounts, tax and markups on Friday.  Be ready, if you're not there is extra videos and practice pages on Google Classroom.  Get yourself ready!

School Updates

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 #33

Team Updates

Yes, the pollen is everywhere, leaving a yellow green coating on everything, and causing our entire population to sneeze.  Our classrooms are running short of tissues for the kid's noses - so if you can spare a box or two, we'd appreciate it.  And yes, the pollen is a nuisance, but just think of what we'd lose if we didn't have pollen and bees!  

Spinner Toys:  These devices are toys.  Spinners and slime have become major distractions to the process of learning this spring, and Badger teachers will ask once for them to be put away, and confiscate them if they are seen subsequently.  Please encourage your students to leave all toys at home!  

Garden Needs: Badger team is revamping the garden here at Pennichuck.  As you prepare to do your own spring clean up work at your homes, consider making a donation to our team!  We are looking for the following items in good working condition:

• bow rakes 
• metal shovels 
• a wheel barrow
• cultivators and/or hoes (hand or standing)
• trowels

Please no: pitchforks or sickles!

Many hands make light work, so the goal is to have lots of tools to be used by lots of young, energized students!

Reading Challenges: Your reading challenges are due no later than May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  This is your free ticket to the Silver Knights game in June!  Happy reading!

Silver Knights Field Trip: The Badger team will be attending the Silver Knights field trip at Holman Stadium on Tuesday, June 6th from 10-2:30 PM.  Students must submit their field trip forms, as well as lunch and ticket money no later than May 31st.  Students: remember you can earn a free ticket to this event just by reading!

Class Updates

Social Studies: Students wrapped up our unit on the Middle Ages by completing a performance task essay regarding Feudalism. Everyone did a great job! Towards the end of the week, we got just a taste of our upcoming unit: The Renaissance. This unit is one of my favorites as it is so rich with culture. We'll pick up where we left off this upcoming week.

Science:  We started our Ecology unit last week.  Students are working on a Rocky Shore Ecology Project right now.  They will learn about the organisms that are able to live and survive in the intertidal zone and about energy flow in this ecosystem as well.  Permission slips and money are due.  Please remember to bring them in!  Students are also working on their Favorite Animal Slides.  They are due on May 30th!  They need to be in ON TIME!  

Literacy: WHEW!  The giant, year long Omnictionary slide show project is officially a wrap!  Every student should have submitted their Google slide show to their Google classroom by 3:00 pm today!  (Don't worry Sturgeon students... no WiFi this morning, so you have until 9:00 pm this evening!) In other breaking news, we have begun to review for the final exam on Latin roots!  Review worksheet followed by a review quiz today, and two more next week - all in an effort to remind students of all that they have learned.  The final exam is scheduled for May 30th and May 31st.  Don't forget to get your permission slips for Silver Knights signed!  Have a fantastic weekend!

English: Badger students worked on I-Ready this week and did a great job!  We will continue Monday and conference individually once scores are available.  Can't wait to see the growth from the fall and winter assessments!  Students in English also completed iPhone and Instagram activities for Tom Sawyer.  Students focused on analyzing dialogue and visualizing specific scenes from the plot for these activities.  This weekend, students should review vocabulary words for chapters 16-22, as there will be a quiz on Monday, May 22!  

Math: We are still working on our percent unit.  We will be finishing up percent of change and moving onto markups and markdowns, known to most as discounts! We will be doing some smart shopping actives to find the best deal!

School Updates

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 #32

Team Updates

Spinner Toys:  These devices are toys.  Spinners and slime have become major distractions to the process of learning this spring, and Badger teachers will ask once for them to be put away, and confiscate them if they are seen subsequently.  Please encourage your students to leave all toys at home!  

Garden Needs: Badger team is revamping the garden here at Pennichuck.  As you prepare to do your own spring clean up work at your homes, consider making a donation to our team!  We are looking for the following items in good working condition:

• bow rakes 
• metal shovels 
• a wheel barrow
• cultivators and/or hoes (hand or standing)
• trowels

Please no: pitchforks or sickles!

Many hands make light work, so the goal is to have lots of tools to be used by lots of young, energized students!

Reading Challenges: Your reading challenges are due no later than May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  This is your free ticket to the Silver Knights game in June!  Happy reading!

Poetry Pages: These are due to Mrs. McGuire no later than May 15th, as she would like to display them for the Spring Celebration of Learning, which takes place on May 18th.  

Celebration of Learning/Spring BBQ: We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, at our Spring BBQ and Celebration of Learning.  We encourage everyone to come into the building to see the wonderful displays of work on the walls!  We have our Earth Day bus and the posters celebrating 7th Grade in the main hallway, as well as the magnificent Word Art displayed in the cafeteria!  

Class Updates

Social Studies: Over the weekend, please have your child review all their materials on feudalism. We will start off our week working on an essay in regards to feudalism. We will spend two days on this assignment as it is a performance task and will have a major impact on their grade. On Wednesday, we will start our unit on the Renaissance!

Science:  Next week in science we will be wrapping up the Adapt & Evolve Unit.  Students will have a review on Wednesday and Test on Thursday.

The Badgers Team is planning a field trip to the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne State Park in Rye, NH, for June 1, 2017.  We will leave school by 8:30 and return by 2:30, so that students will be able to take their regular buses home.

This field trip will culminate several life science units, and will allow students to expand their knowledge of invertebrate animals, classification, ecology and genetics as outlined by the NH Curriculum Frameworks for Science.  With the guidance of the Science Center’s naturalists, students will have the opportunity to identify animals in their natural habitat, the tide pools of a rocky shore.

The cost of the program and transportation for the field trip is $20.00 per student.  Students for whom the field trip cost presents a hardship should inform Mrs. Simeone or Mrs. Tino as soon as possible.  If you paid for the cancelled English field trip in the fall and did not request reimbursement at that time it is indicated on the back of the permission slip and you DO NOT owe any money for this field trip.

Students have two choices for lunch on this field trip.  They can bring their own lunch or order a lunch from the cafeteria.  The sunbutter sandwich bagged lunch will be charged to the student’s account.  Please indicate your student’s choice on the back of the permission slip.

Thank you for completing and signing the permission slip and returning it to school with cash or a check made payable to Pennichuck Middle School NO LATER THAN May 25^h.  If this payment deadline presents a hardship, please don’t hesitate to contact one of us.

Literacy: Students will continue to read The Omnivore's Dilemma, while practicing taking Cornell style notes. Final versions of their Omnictionary slide shows must be attached to Google Classroom by Friday, May 19th,  and presentations will begin on Monday, May 22nd.

English: This week, students will be continuing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  We also begin I-Ready testing!  Students, please try your best and reflect upon your goals from the fall!  Don't forget to submit your poetry pages on Monday, May 15!  These will be displayed for our spring celebration of learning on Thursday, May 18!

Math: We are completing our i-Ready testing for the year on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We have gone over students Fall and Winter data and set goals for our Spring data.  They should know by the end of the week their growth for the year.  After testing we will resume our Percents unit.  Be sure to check in on the Google Classroom if you are struggling for extra practice and instructional videos.

School Updates

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 #31

Team Updates

Behavior:  Mr. Rozumek spoke with all students here at PMS last week reminding them about the importance of good behavior in school.  The policies about appropriate dress for the warmer weather, and the use of cell phones in school were discussed.  Badger students have become a little bit messy in the cafeteria at lunch, leaving lots of trash and mess from their lunches.  Our team expectation is that if they make a mess, they should tidy it up.  We have also noticed that students have been unruly with substitutes.  We have a zero tolerance policy for disrespect of any adult in charge.  We hope not to hear any more reports from substitute teachers that our students were boisterous or disrespectful!

Garden Needs: Badger team is revamping the garden here at Pennichuck.  As you prepare to do your own spring clean up work at your homes, consider making a donation to our team!  We are looking for the following items in good working condition:

• bow rakes 
• metal shovels 
• a wheel barrow
• cultivators and/or hoes (hand or standing)
• trowels

Please no: pitchforks or sickles!

Many hands make light work, so the goal is to have lots of tools to be used by lots of young, energized students!

Reading Challenges: Your reading challenges are due no later than May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  This is your free ticket to the Silver Knights game in June!  Happy reading!

Poetry Pages: These are due to Mrs. McGuire no later than May 15th, as she would like to display them for the Spring Celebration of Learning, which takes place on May 18th.  

Class Updates

Social Studies: This was a very busy week in Social Studies as we wrapped up our unit on the Middle Ages. This upcoming week students will work on research projects on various topics related to Medieval Times. They will have three class periods to work on it and it will be due Friday.

Science:  

Literacy:  It was a big week!  We officially finished the 12 units of Latin roots, and students passed in all 158 of their flash cards for a final grade!  Now it's review time!  Monday, we'll begin practicing Cornell two column note taking! Students will return to the next two sections of The Omnivore's Dilemma to practice this valuable note taking technique.

English: This week, students completed a Southern Dialect activity using examples from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  Working in small groups, students translated the examples into modern English.  Students are expected to review vocabulary words from chapters 1-8 over the weekend, as they'll have their first vocabulary quiz on Monday.  Next week, we'll be reading chapters 9 through 14 and completing different active reading activities associated with those chapters.  All students have chapter review questions to keep them on pace while reading.  Each student also has a copy of the book so they may read at home.

Math: Our next unit is Percents, this unit is as real-world as we can get! In this unit we will learn about tip, tax, discount, commissions, markups and more. Our first quiz will be on Friday, be sure you know how to convert between fractions, decimals, and percents and know the percent equation. If not, additional instruction and practice pages are posted on my Google Class!

School Updates

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 #30

Team Updates

ENJOY VACATION!

When we come back be ready to work hard through the rest of the year! There is a lot more learning to do in order to be prepared for 8th grade! You still have The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, percents, world religions, evolution, the Omnictionary project and the Endangered Species project!  There might even be some mastery projects and tests!  The sun is shinning and the great outdoors is calling, but the work isn't done just yet! Finish strong my friends.

SBAC Testing:  SBAC testing is officially over! Students who haven't finished will have time to to so when we return. The rest of you are free until next year.

Earth Day Celebration! Here are some great photos of our Earth Day Activities.

As part of our planting extravaganza, we also made Earth Day themed bumper stickers to put on our Badger Team mobile. Here is the start of our hallway display, we still have many more stickers to stick.

ATTENTION:

OUR GARDEN NEEDS YOU!! 

Badger team is revamping the garden here at Pennichuck.  As you prepare to do your own spring clean up work at your homes, consider making a donation to our team!  We are looking for the following items in good working condition:

• bow rakes 
• metal shovels 
• a wheel barrow
• cultivators and/or hoes (hand or standing)
• trowels

Please no: pitchforks or sickles!

Many hands make light work, so the goal is to have lots of tools to be used by lots of young, energized students!

Weekly Update #29

Team Updates

SBAC Testing:  SBAC testing resumes on Tuesday, 4/18/17 with the math assessment. Be sure to get a good night's rest and eat breakfast each day.  It helps keep you focused!

Cell Phones: Just a friendly reminder that cell phones need to be turned off AND put away during the school day.  Students should not be using their phones during classes, in the lunch room, bathroom, hallways, or any other place during the school day!

Gum: Another friendly reminder that gum chewing is prohibited at school.  We are seeing more and more students chewing gum throughout the day.  Please keep the gum at home!

Reading Challenge: Thank you to the students who have submitted their reading challenges to Mrs. McGuire.  Just a friendly reminder all 500 minutes are due by May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  Happy reading!

Celebrate Earth Day! As is our tradition, Badger students will celebrate Earth Day on Friday, April 21st!  We'll learn about it's origin, repot the spider plants we've nurtured, do some math in the Badger Garden and create some gorgeous graffiti outside!  We will end the day by presenting our Trimester 2 awards!  It's going to be a fantastic day!

Garden Needs: Every Badger student planted a spider baby plant as part of the science unit on reproduction.  The culminating activity with this process will be to repot the babies into larger planters.  We need more potting soil, and would be most appreciative of some help.

Additionally, our team will be revamping the garden here at Pennichuck this spring.  As you prepare to do your own spring clean up work at your homes, consider helping our effort by making a donation to our team!  If you plan to purchase a new loam rake, consider sending us your gently used rake, or shovel.  We could use a wheel barrow too!  Many hands make light work, so the goal is to have lots of tools to be used by lots of young, energized students!

Class Updates

Social Studies: Badger students spent time reviewing and ultimately preparing for their mastery assessment on European Kingdoms, the Crusades, and Medieval Culture. Students either took this test on Friday or will take it on Monday. This upcoming week, we will do some research on coat of arms and family crests. Maybe your family has a family crest that you don't know about!

Science:  Next week in science we will learn about life's history on Earth.  Students have an online assignment to work on their Favorite Animal Slides.  These should be completed soon.  Here is a look at our spider plant "babies".  As part of our reproduction unit, students rooted the clippings and planted them.  On Friday we will repot them in their recycled pots to bring home!

Literacy: Badger students have been busy all week with SBAC testing, so I have not given typical homework.  Perhaps your student has told you about the plant pot that needs to be "made" from a recycled container and decorated with recycled materials?  Or maybe not - but the instructions for this project are attached in this post. Click here! The pots should come to school by Thursday, April 20th. Additionally, students should be working on their posters.  They were given a direction sheet on pink paper.  The poster should be an example of their finest, most creative work.  It should be accurate as well as beautiful.  Posters should be handed in before vacation.

English: Nice work on the ELA SBAC assessment this week!  It was great hearing students say things like, "I felt prepared for that!  It didn't seem that difficult!"  Great job staying focused and attentive all week!  In English, we started introductory activities on our next classic text: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.  Students discussed differences between the 1800s and today, and we also had a few social studies connections with the geographical location of the book's setting!  Next week, we begin reading!  Each student will receive their own copy of the book so they can read at home.  Please remember to keep them in their baggies when they are not in use, so they don't get ruined!

Math: We finished up volume and will be testing next week on the geometry unit.  Students were given a note card to write down formulas and visuals to use on the test.  Below are a couple students who have taken their Go Figures to the next level. Our last one is coming in May, don't be scared to get creative!

Pizzeria Profits by Rachel B.

Solar Cars by Jona V.

School Updates

Early Release: Wednesday, April 19th

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 #28

Team Updates

SBAC Testing:  SBAC testing starts on Tuesday, 4/11/17. We will be completing the English/Language Arts test first, and the Math test will take place next week.  Be sure to get a good night's rest and eat breakfast each day.  It helps keep you focused!

Cell Phones: Just a friendly reminder that cell phones need to be turned off AND put away during the school day.  Students should not be using their phones during classes, in the lunch room, bathroom, or any other place during the school day!

Gum: Another friendly reminder that gum chewing is prohibited at school.  We are seeing more and more students chewing gum throughout the day.  Please keep the gum at home!

Reading Challenge: Thank you to the students who have submitted their reading challenges to Mrs. McGuire.  Just a friendly reminder all 500 minutes are due by May 31st.  Don't forget to get your signatures!  Happy reading!

Class Updates

Social Studies: Students continued their research and discussions on the Crusades as we continued to relate what is going on in the world to what we're talking about in class. On Thursday, the students wrote an in-class essay on the historical impact of the Crusades and did a terrific job! This upcoming week we will discuss Medieval culture and prepare for our next mastery assessment. Have a nice weekend!

Science:  In Science this week we learned about the six different types of fossils.  Student did a great job of making their own fossils.  Ask your students to share their fossils with you.  Ask them how to explain each type.  They should also be able to explain how the way that they made them is similar to how they are actually created in nature.  Next week we continue looking at the fossilization process.

Literacy:  Don't forget to study for the mastery test on Latin unit 11 on Monday!  This week students will work on a creative project as the culminating activity of our study of nonviolent civil disobedience!  Continue working on your Omnictionary projects, as they'll be due in the middle of May.  Computers are available after school each day.   Badgers - best of luck on SBAC!

English: Students have officially finished their supplemental reading unit on The Giver!  We watched the movie this week in English.  Together, we discussed and determined similarities and differences between the novel and film adaptation.  Students also completed their last contextual vocabulary quiz, as well as their final skills quiz.  Next week, we'll begin a new unit in English including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer!  Rest up for SBAC!

Math: We did a great job working through surface area this week.  Prisms, pyramids, and cylinders are all done.  We will continue next week with volume.  Great news for this month NO Go Figure.  Time to sit back relax and do a great job on SBAC!

School Updates

Report Cards: Students, don't forget to return your SIGNED report card envelopes and goal sheets to your advisor!

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