Quarter 12018-19

Principal’sMessage

7th Graders and Families,

The first quarter of school has gone by very quickly! By now, you are settled in your routines and know your teachers’ expectations. Even though the year is well underway, it is important that you ask for help if you need it. Your teachers are eager to see you do well in their classes. However, you need to be responsible for your own success. This might mean staying after school in the LC or attending Success Lunch. It also means that you need to write down your assignments and check Schoology daily. Use your time wisely before school and visit teachers when you have questions or if you have been absent.

As a group, you already have a lot to be proud of. The Ugandan Water Project was a great success and you raised $16,150.25. This means that, because of you, four water tanks will be installed in Uganda! This compassion you have shown for others is remarkable. Please continue to show that compassion on a daily basis when you interact with your peers. Use kind language and be supportive of one another. Also, make good choices about social media use knowing that what you post never fully goes away. As always, please see a trusted adult if you encounter a situation that you do not know how to handle. We are here to help!

Do not hesitate to contact me or Mrs. Elvin if you have any questions or concerns.

Ashley Dreibelbis7th Grade House Principal

Student Services

The 2018-19 school year has started off in a very positive way. Seventh grade students are hardworking and showing that they are an integral part of a very caring community. Students need to know that their academics are the top priority here at CMS and whenever they are in need of assistance, teacher support is available before and after school, and even during their lunch periods. Continue to be vigilant with your child by asking them questions about their school day and even checking out their social media habits. It should not be a secret what they post. As a heads up, I will start to meet students during the month of January to discuss scheduling for their eighth grade year. At that time, information will be sent home with your child explaining the courses that will be available. Please check the Student Services web page for information as well. Please remember that I am only a phone call or email away to help out in any way that I can. I encourage parents to contact me if they have any academic or social questions or concerns. I can be reached by email, kelvin@clarenceschools.org, or by calling 407-9214.

Mrs. Elvin

7th Grade Counselor

Nurse’s Office

A few reminders from the nurse as we move into the second quarter. Any student who has not handed in their 7th grade physical must do so as soon as possible! Also please note that students should not be carrying any medication with them unless it is approved by the nurse, with a doctor’s order in the health office. Please contact the nurse’s office if you have any further questions regarding your child’s needs here at CMS.

Elizabeth Connolly RN

English Language Arts

Our theme in seventh grade ELA is taking care of one another. Seventh graders started the year with that theme by making a global impact! As we read Linda Sue Park’s novel, A Long Walk to Water,students gained an awareness of the 1 billion people in the world who do not have access to clean water. We partnered with the Ugandan Water Project and raised $16,150.25 to put water tanks and filters in schools and communities in Uganda. That’s how we spell empathy! Additionally, we are really developing into strong writers this year in ELA. Each day, we begin class with a daily writing prompt. Our narrative unit yielded excellent stories, full of details, dialogue, and drama. We will continue to discuss the importance of taking care of each other as we read The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Through the novel, we explore the themes of making good choices, respecting each other’s differences, and remembering that “the other guy is human too.” Feel free to read along with your child and discuss the concepts in the book.

English Language Arts

Math 7During the first quarter, we focused on integers and rational numbers. The students explored real-world applications of negative numbers in sports, business, and science. Recently, the students enhanced their understanding of proportional relationships. They learned how equations, tables, and graphs are related to unit rates and constant rates of change. Our focus in the second quarter shifts to percent applications while applying our understanding of proportions and rational numbers.

Pre-Algebra 7After examining real-life problems with rational numbers and extensively exploring the impact negative signs can have on problems, our students were ready to focus on exploring exponents. We learned the rules of exponents and how to rewrite exponential expressions into different forms. We tackled changing numbers into scientific notation and applied the rules of exponents to solving scientific notation problems. Next, our students will expand their understanding of rates and proportional relationships, as well as graphical representations of problems. Using their knowledge of rates and slopes, our students will utilize graphs and tables to talk about rates of change. Sales tax, commissions, simple interest, and discounts are just a few of the percent applications we will be exploring next quarter.

Life ScienceThe seventh grade life science students are currently cell-abrating the unit of cells. The students will make a 3-D model of a cell either edible or non-edible to present in class. Some other interesting topics we’ll cover are life processes, mitosis, and genetics. Various labs will be incorporated into their classes, such as looking at different tissues found in their bodies and what the processes (diffusion, osmosis, and active transport) do for movement of materials in the cells. The students get excited with genetics because they learn so much about inherited traits and genetic disorders. They enjoy making Punnett squares and all the activities that we design to make it a meaningful experience.

Advanced Science

During the first quarter our accelerated science students have been very busy. We began the school year with a review of many of the topics learned in 6th grade. Then students moved onto learning new material such as: the history of the atom and how it was discovered. Students finished the quarter with studying the periodic table, learning how to read the table and determine physical or chemical properties of the elements and exploring the types of bonds between the elements. Ten weeks certainly did fly right by! We will be moving on to the physics of motion in quarter two.

Social StudiesSeventh grade social studies students recently completed their Native American and Exploration units. Students enjoyed examining the rich history of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) and other tribes of the Americas. The Exploration unit introduced students to information about how the Americas were explored and settled by European powers. This year, we are emphasizing argument writing skills and critical interpretation of historical documents. We also created North America and New York maps that we encourage students to revisit throughout the year.

Art

We began the quarter by exploring ways to create the illusion of space or depth on a flat surface. We established the difference between shape and form and the difference between organic shapes and geometric shapes. We did a value study (shading with pencil) using different kinds of (uncooked) pasta glued to an index card as our subject matter. Currently, we are creating an abstract self-portrait and are experimenting with various materials such as: acrylic paint, watercolor, pastels, oil pastel colored pencils and sharpies.

Spanish & French¡Bienvenidos! Bienvenue! Our 7th grade students have been very excited to learn new languages! So far, they are able to talk about the activities they like to do, count to 39, sing the alphabet, and greet others all in Spanish or French! They’ll soon learn many adjectives to describe themselves and what schools are like in Spanish and French speaking countries. We are looking forward to the second quarter being as successful and exciting as the first! Be sure to ask your child to share their binders with you. It’s never too late to learn (or re-learn) a second language!

LatinOur new Latin scholars began the first week with simple greetings and the moved on to great things from there! We have also learned geography, grammatical gender, and various places in the Roman Empire including the Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Pantheon, and the Roman Forum. Ask your son or daughter to show you the virtual museum project that they created. The historical places they “visited” and the digital skills they learned are impressive. Our studies will continue with learning about Famous Romans and their role in antiquity. As we move into the next marking period, we will be studying food, Rome’s social and political structure, slavery, dress, singulars and plurals, and noun endings. I look forward to watching their enthusiasm as we delve into these new areas of study. They are doing some amazing work and I could not be any prouder of them!

Home & Careers

We are off to an exciting start! Seventh grade met and exceeded the sewing challenge. The String Bag sewing project was seen all over our Clarence Community trick or treating at Halloween. We explored numerous yet unusual careers and now have a better idea as to what it is we would like to do in the future. As the food unit concluded, we made our own pita bread—fortified with the benefits of whole grain. Leadership characteristics were integrated through-out the quarter—including proper etiquette. Be sure to ask your 7th grader to demonstrate at your next family dinner!

General Music

General music students composed and performed Polyrhythmic Percussion Compositions using

instruments of Latin America – congas, bongos, maracas, claves, and guiros. Class performances

were great! Students also spent time in the Music Lab practicing and performing Bach’s Minuet in G

Major melody on the keyboards as well as Haydn’s Surprise Symphony melody. During our last

week we studied and watched the musical, West Side Story.

Orchestra

The seventh grade Orchestra prepared for their first concert on October 25th at CMS. The Orchestra performed three songs, including The Legend of Duffy’s Cut, which is based on a ghost story. They also performed Conquistador! and the Wood Splitter Fanfare demonstrating good intonation, rhythm and dynamics. Currently the students are preparing for their Winter Concert on December 11th at 7:30PM, at CMS Auditorium. They are working on playing Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and a Hebrew Song called Bashana Haba ‘Ah. Both are wonderful songs with challenging key signatures and tonality.

ChorusSeventh grade chorus will present their first concert of the year on Thursday, December 13th, at 7:30pm in the middle school auditorium. Students will show off their hard work with a beautiful selection of songs. Other concerts will be: March 19 and May 29. Please mark your calendars!

BandThe year is off to a great start in Concert Band and Symphonic Band! We are preparing for our Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 4th at 7:30 pm in the Middle School Auditorium. We are proud to have several students that joined Jazz Ensemble and Sinfonietta this school year. Congratulations Marissa Persons on being selected for the NYSSMA Area All-State Junior High Band. All-County audition signups were due on October 31. Scale tests are given every marking period and daily practice is always the best path to success.

TechnologyMr. Kleeh’s seventh grade technology students have been working diligently on their CO2 Car designs, getting ready for the final race-testing event 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. As the end of the quarter approached, many students chose to come in early and/or stay late to perfect their CO2 Cars before the big race. Once the track went up, we had a very exciting race day!

Physical EducationStudents are finishing up their flag football, cross country, and soccer units this quarter. We will be swimming and playing floor hockey in November and December. Students should have an appropriate bathing suit, towel, swim cap (or $2.00 to purchase a swim cap) and a plastic bag to keep their wet items in after each class. Bathing suit and towel should be taken home after each swim class to dry, and not left in gym lockers. Safety goggles are required for the floor hockey unit. Students should have their own safety goggles in their gym lockers at all times.

HealthStudents have been focusing on wellness and having an equal balance of physical, social, and mental health. Social health skills including public speaking have been practiced in class. Don’t forget to test your CO and smoke detectors and change the batteries every six months if possible. Marking period 2 will be focusing on healthy decision making and proper use of refusal skills.