Middle School Newsletter

Dear Middle School Families,

Happy October! Our middle schoolers have now settled into the rhythm of school life. Clubs are in full swing, and our fall MAPS testing has successfully concluded. As we move further into the school year, it’s been wonderful to see students diving into their classes, building friendships, and participating in school activities.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions. We appreciate your continued support and partnership as we help our students flourish.

Warm regards,

The Middle School Team

The St. Mary's Cross Country season begins on Monday, October 7th! Cross Country team signups are open to all 5th-8th graders. Please be sure to return your child's interest form to Mr. Ahmad as soon as possible. The team will practice on Mondays and hopes to compete in three races this year. Middle school Cross Country races are about 2 miles and are a great opportunity for students to get active, build teamwork skills, and have fun!

Dr. Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education has announced that St. Mary of the Assumption School has been awarded National Blue Ribbon School 2024!

National Blue Ribbon Schools (NBRS) is the official program name of the U.S. Department of Education that recognizes outstanding schools. The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Every year the U. S. Department of Education seeks out and celebrates great American schools, schools demonstrating that all students can achieve to high levels.

Last week, we held a school-wide celebration where students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity of celebrating this accomplishment with plenty of cake!

October 6 – Sunday

• Protecting God's Children VIRTUS Training in the School Cafeteria (register online before): 2 PM

October 14 – Monday

• NO SCHOOL

October 18 – Friday

• Discovery Day: 9:00 - 11:00 AM

October 22 – Tuesday

• Pope St. John Paul II's Feast Day – 6th Grade Celebration

October 25 – Friday

• Trimester 1 Progress Reports Released
• Halloween Costume Dress Down Day and Parade at 8:15
• EDP Ends at 3:30 PM
• Trunk or Treat from 4:00 - 6:00 PM

October 31 – Thursday

• Halloween Dress Down Day

November 1 – Friday

• Dress up as a Saint

• All Saints Day Mass at 12:10 PM (All Families Welcome!)

November 3 – Sunday

• Daylight Savings Time Ends, Turn Clocks back 1 hour

November 5 – Tuesday

• No Brookline Lunch Program - Bring Lunch from Home

November 11 – Monday

• NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day

November 22 – Friday

• Trimester 1 Grades Close

November 26 – Tuesday

• Thanksgiving Liturgy of the Word (All Families Welcome!)

• No EDP/Clubs

November 27-29 – Wednesday–Friday

• NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break

In 6th grade ELA with Miss Allen, students have been engaged in our reading of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Through activities like "Examining the Evidence," students analyzed textual evidence to help Susan and Peter determine if the professor’s use of "logic" supports Lucy's belief in Narnia. They also explored the symbolism of Narnia's animals through a mini research project, which they used to craft a thesis and introductory paragraph, practicing clear and concise writing. Along the way, they've learned that good writing requires patience and precision. To ensure comprehension, students have been preparing for vocabulary and reading quizzes after every few chapters. In grammar, they are reviewing sentence types and learning to identify and use compound subjects and predicates.

In 6th grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students finished up chapter one, took their first test, and learned how to make proper test corrections. We finished the first chapter looking at how to properly utilize the order of operations as well as differentiating the statistical terms of mean, median, mode, and range.

In 6th grade Social Studies with Miss Falcone, the students have been reading about what it means to be a historian and why we study history. The students have been analyzing the differences between Primary Sources and Secondary Sources. The students will be researching how archaeologists, paleontologists, archivists, geologists, historians, anthropologists, and archaeologists began their careers and will be presenting a slideshow on the type of work they do and the education involved for that career.

In 6th grade Science with Miss Falcone, the students had their first lab last week! The Skittles Lab was an engaging and tasty way to put the steps of the Scientific Method while reviewing sorting, graphing and data percentages into practice! This week, the students are going to be learning about hurricanes, how they form and their effects. The students will be looking at statistics related to hurricanes, analyze data on the impact of 10 hurricanes in the United States, and plan and design a model structure that will withstand strong winds from a fan blowing at different speeds.

In 6th grade Religion with Miss Allen, students are diving into the study of theology—the exploration of God and the things of God. More than just learning facts, they are discovering how to enter into a deeper relationship with God through His revelation. We've been focusing on how God reveals Himself and His plan for salvation through Scripture, where we meet Jesus Christ. Students are also learning how God speaks to us through the Sacred Scriptures proclaimed at Mass, exploring the two major parts of the Mass: the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. They’ve come to understand that many of the prayers said at Mass have their roots in Scripture, deepening their appreciation for this central part of their faith. Lastly, we took our first written quiz on the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be prayers.

Grace was so thoughtful to share Turkish Delight with the class, which we enjoyed while discussing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, focusing on Edmund's conversation with the White Witch, and working on our Narnian writing activity!

In 7th grade ELA with Miss Allen, students have become fantastic detectives as they piece together clues and evidence from Ellen Raskin's The Westing Game. Using their Case Books, which include clue trackers, evidence logs, character biography booklets, discussion questions, and vocabulary graphic organizers, students have gathered enough information to trace key plot points and uncover a major clue—the song "America the Beautiful"—which will help them solve the mystery of the Westing Game. Along the way, we've had some great discussions, with students eagerly debating theories and analyzing characters' motives. To ensure comprehension, they have been preparing for rigorous reading, analysis, and vocabulary quizzes. In grammar, they are learning to identify and effectively use proper, compound, and collective nouns, as well as how to distinguish between plurals, possessives, and contractions.

In 7th grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students finished up chapter one, took their first test, and learned how to make proper test corrections. Students finished chapter one by recapping their knowledge of equations with variables and we explored ways to easily and accurately replicate operations on both sides of equations to isolate the variable.

In 7th grade Social Studies with Miss Falcone, are studying South Asia. They have begun studying the climate, natural resources, geographical features, and major archaeological sites. In addition, the students are learning about the people, cultures, and major religions in South Asia. The seventh graders will also be reviewing the geography of the world and creating a map of South Asia soon!

In 7th grade Science with Mr. Ahmad, we have been continuing to build scientific models based on our computer simulation data. We are studying the distribution of food in orangutan habitats and its influence on the population. Students will collect and analyze their data and use it to make recommendations for future protected habitat construction. Looking forward we will be learning about the resource needs of different organisms and how that impacts the populations of different organisms, especially endangered species.

In 7th and 8th grade Religion with Miss Allen, students are exploring the powers of the soul, specifically focusing on the faculties of intellect and will. We’ve discussed how our emotions—responses of the body and soul—interact with these faculties to help us make good decisions and guide our conscience. Students are learning the importance of seeking the truth and understanding that this search is worthwhile. We've also examined how our family influences our social development. Drawing from the teachings of the Gospels, students are discovering practical ways to make a "gift of self" in their everyday lives, fostering a deeper connection with their faith and community.

The 7th-grade students celebrated their homeroom saint, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, on her Feast Day with a special party. They learned about her life and her "Little Way," enjoyed delicious treats, and admired beautiful flowers in her honor.

In 8th grade ELA with Miss Allen, students are deeply engaged in S.E. Hinton's heart-wrenching novel, The Outsiders. We've had excellent discussions about key themes like loyalty, friendship, class conflict, and the struggles of identity. Students are working on comprehension questions, quizzes, and graphic organizers to track key literary elements. In grammar, they are reviewing parts of speech and learning to identify subjects while effectively using simple and compound sentences.

In 8th grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students finished up chapter one, took their first test, and learned how to make proper test corrections. We have reviewed strategies for solving one-step equations with variables, worked on implementing the distributive property to variables, and have begun looking at modeling graphs using tables of data and equations.

In 8th grade US History with Miss Falcone, the students learned about why the Constitution was written. They have memorized the Preamble (thank you Schoolhouse Rock!) and have learned the basic structure of the Constitution, including the Articles and Amendments. The students are studying the Bill of Rights and are learning why it is an important part of our lives as citizens in the United States.

In 8th grade Science with Mr. Pritchett, students have been delving deeper into contact forces and introductory physics. We have worked through a series of experiments testing the nature of weight, reciprocal forces, Newton’s three laws, and elasticity. Students have used these experiments to answer questions about why certain materials tend to bend or break and how Newton’s laws impact the results of collisions.

In 7th and 8th grade Religion with Miss Allen, students are exploring the powers of the soul, specifically focusing on the faculties of intellect and will. We’ve discussed how our emotions—responses of the body and soul—interact with these faculties to help us make good decisions and guide our conscience. Students are learning the importance of seeking the truth and understanding that this search is worthwhile. We've also examined how our family influences our social development. Drawing from the teachings of the Gospels, students are discovering practical ways to make a "gift of self" in their everyday lives, fostering a deeper connection with their faith and community.

Over the past two weeks, representatives from Boston University Academy (BUA), Fontbonne, and BC High have visited our 8th-grade class to share insights about their schools, answer questions, and gauge student interest. Throughout the year, various high schools will meet with our students, offering valuable opportunities to explore future educational paths and ask important questions.

In Spanish with Mrs. Bognet, students students are wrapping up their study of the verb estar. They practiced with flashcards to reinforce pronouns and the five conjugated forms. As a culminating activity, they are creating an 18-sentence booklet that demonstrates the five uses of estar, which they will present to their classmates. The new textbooks have arrived! We’ll be skipping the introductory chapter and diving right into me gusta and its various forms.

In French with Mr. Awad, students began the year by reviewing the basics, such as greetings, self-introduction, counting, and conversational skills to build a strong foundation for more complex topics. We’ve learned vocabulary related to these areas and practiced conjugating the present tense of the verbs avoir, être, aller, and venir. Additionally, we are learning a new song, "Je Dis Jésus." Recently, we embarked on a meaningful project: writing letters in both English and French to those affected by Hurricane Helene, bringing a real-world and compassionate element to their studies.

In Latin with Mr. Pritchett, students are diving into the essential structure of the language while utilizing it throughout their day. We have been acting out scenes from our textbook (Lingua Latina) which utilizes the natural method for Latin acquisition. Students have supplemented this in-class grammar and vocabulary with traditional Latin prayers like the Glory be which they have been learning over the last few weeks.

6th grade: What has God revealed to us about Himself in Scripture? How is theology different from all other studies?

7th & 8th grade: Our passions (or feelings) themselves are neither good or bad. Why do you think God wants us to use our intellect and will to direct our feelings?