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Middle School Newsletter

Quarter 2

Middle School Newsletter Quarter 2

From the Dean's Desk...

This month, the 7th and 8th grade Mentor groups are working on team building skills. They have also talked about how to be involved in their community and work with others. All mentor classes are participating in a challenge sponsored by Student Council to fill Thanksgiving baskets at the Food Pantry. Their reward is an ice cream party this Friday.


The next community connection with be a Pie Contest to raise funds to adopt a family from the Deerfield Community Center. See flier below for details.



On Tuesday, November 26, students will participate in The Amazing Race: MS edition. Students should wear comfortable clothing and shoes as they will be active in and outside of the school building.


The Middle School quarter will end on Friday, December 20. Students will need to complete all class requirements by that date.


Second quarter is well on its way. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Karen Frey




Eight Grade Mentor teams working together

Quote for the Quarter-Mrs. Kimmel

“Autumn leaves are Mother Nature’s way of showing us that change can be beautiful and messy at the same time.”

Language Arts-Ms. Nelson

7th graders have just finished up presenting their informative speeches in front of the class! Students got to choose their own topics, and we certainly got a variety! From sports cards to Raising Cane's to how the brain works to hunting and fishing, it was a very informative couple of days. Many students were nervous, but everyone did a fantastic job! Now, we are finishing up a unit on how to properly use commas. Next, we'll be creating news articles based on fairytales and hopefully putting those new comma skills to good use!


8th graders are currently wrapping up their unit writing social justice editorials. Students were able to select a topic they felt strongly about, and they then had to research and find sources that are credible and unbiased. Topics range from healthcare to equality to climate change! They also worked on using persuasive writing strategies to try to convince their readers to consider their side. After this unit, we will be talking about common grammar mistakes and how to fix them!


Forensics has just begun in the middle school! Practices take place in my room after school on Mondays. We are currently in the process of selecting our categories, and soon we will be figuring out what kinds of pieces we will perform at our meet in January!

Science-Ms. Fish

Science students have all been off to a great start this year! One reminder is that all work can be turned in late for science and students are expected to make up any notes if they are absent. They are able to either get these assignments from a classmate, myself, or Canvas. Some students have been struggling to stay up to date with their notebook assignments. Unless your student has a large amount of absences, this is most likely that they are either losing their notebooks or not completing the work. I do have a shelf in my room where all students are able to keep their science materials to help make sure they are not lost. If you are ever interested in what we are learning in class there is a weekly calendar on our canvas home page that your students should be able to show you how to access!


Please feel free to reach out with any questions! :)


What we have been learning:

Last quarter in 8th grade science we were able to learn about force and motion as well as energy transfers. Students were also able to work on some engineering skills by using an app to create an optimal supply pod that could be dropped to deliver essential supplies to those in need. This quarter we have begun our magnetism unit where students are exploring how the force from magnets impacts our daily life. As we continue to move through quarter 2 we will begin working on our light waves units.


Last quarter in 7th grade science we were able to begin our exploration into geology and plate tectonics. Students were also able to expand their knowledge on plate motion by using an app to create an ideal tsunami warning system. We have continued this study into quarter 2 by beginning our until on rock transformations. This unit allows us to explore how different rocks form and how to identify the different rock types. We will finish this until during quarter 2 and then be moving on to our unit on phase change.

Social Studies-Ms. Clements

“History is who we are, and why we are the way we are.” David McCullough


7th Grade Social Studies:

We are finishing our unit on the Roman Empire. Next, students will learn about the chaos that happened once the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed due to barbarian invasions. We will also discuss societal roles under the medieval feudal system as well as the role of the Roman Catholic Church in the lives of Western Europeans.


8th Grade Social Studies:

Next week students will begin studying the original 13 English Colonies and colonial expectations that England would allow the people of the colonies the same rights and privileges as English people living in Europe. Following the unit on the 13 Original Colonies, students will learn about the American Revolution and the reasons why the war broke out.

Literature-Mr. Mueller

Novel units are wrapping up this week, and we will soon go back to reading short stories and poems from our literature textbook. The length of these pieces makes it easier to teach and practice various reading strategies and to focus attention on key concepts found in the Common Core State Standards. Students will spend two or three weeks reading from the textbook before getting the chance to return to novel work.


Near the end of November, students in the seventh grade will begin reading Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom. In this memoir of the Civil Rights Movement, Linda Blackmon Lowery shares what it was like to participate in the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery. It is an inspirational tale that highlights the philosophy of nonviolent protest and conveys what it is like to be part of a political movement. As a follow-up, students will then read Getting Away With Murder, the true story of Emmett Till’s death and the trial that followed. This tragic tale helps underscore just how important the Civil Rights Movement was in changing American history.


Eighth grade students will be allowed to choose one of three nonfiction books for their next novel unit: Free Lunch by Rex Ogle, Laughing at My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw, or Being Jazz by Jazz Jennings. While the authors of these memoirs come from a variety of backgrounds, each of them faces serious adversity in their lives. Free Lunch recounts Rex Ogle’s experience growing up poor in Texas. This book is the quickest read, but it probably contains the most uncompromising story of hardship. Shane Burcaw’s memoir, Laughing at My Nightmare chronicles what it is like to live with spinal muscular atrophy. And while this condition necessarily leads to a life that is heavily dependent on the assistance of others, Burcaw’s memoir is more lighthearted than Ogle’s. He punctuates every story of hardship with a healthy dose of humor. Being Jazz is perhaps the most lighthearted of the three. In this memoir, Jazz Jennings shares her experiences as a public transgender activist. Even though she struggles with a world that can be unwilling to accept her, she has a supportive family and a sunny outlook that makes her story more inspirational than depressing.


If you are curious about any of these books, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask me about them. Until then, feel free to talk to your kids about what they are reading independently. They change so fast at this age that you may find you are surprised by what they have chosen to read on their own.

Math-Mrs. Rathmann

What are we up to?

7th Graders: Unit 3 - Measuring Circles

8th Graders: Unit 3 - Linear Relationships

Algebra: Unit 3 - Linear Relationships (foundation) with Algebra curriculum extensions


Where are we going?

7th Graders: Proportional Relationships and Percentages

8th Graders: Linear Equations and Linear Systems

Algebra: Linear Equations, Inequalities, and Systems


Tests and Quizzes - Reminder

Students are able to do corrections on TESTS and even retake it for a higher grade. Even the smallest amount of corrections has a great impact on their grade. Please encourage them to do the corrections, at least!

There are no corrections allowed on quizzes.


If ever you have any questions or need help - please reach out to me. Please remind your kids to make good use of their resource time and come ask questions on homework.


Health and Physical Education-Mr. Wierzba and Mr. Jensen

In Health 7 we started into our body systems unit. In the unit we will cover the skeletal, muscular ,digestive and respiratory systems. Our next unit is going to be communication. In the communication unit we are going to be covering how to write I-statements, different communication styles and how to be a good listener. Then around late December and January we will be going into our nutrition unit. In the nutrition unit we will be going over the major nutrients that the body needs. A nutrition facts label which will include fast foods. And to finish the unit the class will go over and research fads and trends to find the real truth about them.


In PE we have been juggling a few units depending on gym space that is available. We are in the middle of a weight room unit. In the unit we are learning about the major muscle groups and how to work them out by rotating through stations. The students are also filling out a log to track their working out and I hope they use it after we are finished with the unit. In the next few months we are going to be going into a volleyball unit. In the unit we will learn both serves, bumping setting and spiking. We will end the unit with game play so we can put the skills we learned to work. Following the volleyball unit will be the basketball unit. We will go over the fundamentals and get to alot of shooting games, lead up games and end up in game play near the end of the unit. We have a fun few months ahead of us with the small gym being available for use.

Business Education-Mr. Schneider

Mr. Schneider is excited to get the next round of Grade 8 students for Business 8 Exploratory. We cover the following topics: creating a business plan, money in our lives, consumer skills, budgeting, credit, savings, investing, protecting yourself from consumer fraud and so much more! We learn, we share, we present and we are engaged each day with something new and fun! I'm looking forward to working with all of the students in Grade 8 by the end of the year.

Art-Mrs. Schmidt

Please welcome Ms. Czech, who will be student teaching in Art for the next 9 weeks! Here is a bit more from Ms. Czech:


Hello everyone, My name is Courtney Czech, and I am thrilled to join this wonderful school as a student teacher. I was born and currently reside in Fort Atkinson, WI. I am studying to become an art teacher at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. I have taught at a variety of schools but have yet to experience student teaching at the high school level. To all the students and staff I can't wait to get to know each of you and learn from all your experiences. Thank you for welcoming me into your community!


7th Grade Term 1 Art students finished their time in the Ceramic Studio creating fun animal-inspired potted planters. Projects will come home before Thanksgiving break. Hopefully, 7th grade students who finished art last quarter shared their portfolio of work and had an “Art Conversation” with you!


If you’re looking for unique gifts to give this coming holiday season please check out your child’s online art gallery with Artsonia! Remember to give permission to activate your account to view your child’s artwork. Work won’t be posted until your child begins their quarter of art. 20% of all sales come back to support our DMS art program!

Spanish 8th Grade-Ms. Schultz

Students are starting the term learning to talk about their school schedule and activities. Ask them to tell you (in Spanish) what class they have 5th hour! As we move through the term, they will learn how to address different people, describe where things are located, use common present tense verb forms, and their favorite...food vocabulary!

Student Council

Past:

Student Council has been busy this second quarter. We celebrated School Custodian Appreciation Day in October. Middle School Student Council put together baskets for each of our custodians at the middle and high school. Thank you to our great custodial staff who work tirelessly to keep our building up and running. We would be lost without you!

Present:

Students have been collecting goods for the Deerfield Community Center Food Pantry. All of these donations are being used to create Thanksgiving baskets. The collection will end on November 15th. So far the middle school has collected 264 items to send to the DCC. Thank you to everyone who has donated! Your gracious efforts are noticed and are what make this community so great!

Future:

Beginning November 11th and running until November 26th, Student Council will be hosting "Pies for a Purpose." Students can bring in money to buy tickets to earn a chance to pie a staff member of their choice. Ticket prices are as follows: 1 ticket for $1, 6 tickets for $5, or 15 tickets for $10. Students can stop in by Mr. Miller's room to purchase tickets and put them in the staff members buckets for the drawing. Lastly, the team is working hard to start planning a Winter Fun Night. The date has not been set yet, but stay tuned.

Food collection for Thanksgiving baskets
Celebrating Custodian Appreciation
MS Students participated in the Veteran's Day assembly

Jokes-Mrs. Kimmel

Why was the blanket so confident for the test?


What did the ghost wear to the beach?


How come Elsa couldn't hold onto a balloon?


What do you call a bee in a bell tower?

Important Dates

November 26-Amazing Race

November 27-29-Thanksgiving Break

December 20-Last day of second quarter

December 23-January 1-Winter Break

January 10-Ice Skating field trip

January 20-No School for students

Joke answers:

He knew the material, A boo-kini, She Let it Go, A humdinger

Karen Frey
Karen is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters