Specialists Newsletter

The end of trimester one was filled with VOLLEYBALL for all classes. Students worked their way through skills, rules, etiquette, and exciting class tournaments!! So much fun was had by all!!

With the new cohort for trimester 2, we are starting the trimester by reviewing topics that students need to access the content in their main math class. Over the next few weeks, we will cover negative number operations, coordinates, unit rates, and more. We will also work with word problems and some core skills that serve as building blocks for higher level math content.

As we wrapped up the trimester in Literacy Workshop, students explored The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, diving into its rhythm, imagery, and powerful figurative language. Through our reading, we analyzed Josh Bell’s experiences and the lessons he learns while reflecting on our own journeys. Inspired by Alexander’s poetry, students created their own poems exploring identity, growth, and personal experiences, experimenting with metaphor, simile, and vivid language to express their voices. We also focused on strengthening our individual reading skills during partner work and teacher table sessions, celebrated the novels we’ve been enjoying independently, and explored Canva in the library with Mrs. Scott through a creative mini-project designing book covers. This trimester has been a celebration of reading, writing, and creativity!

The 7th graders worked in teams to create unique Shoe designs that included their company’s name, logo and the name of their shoe. Each group presented their concepts to the class who pretended to be prospective investors. They wrapped up the trimester with a claymation project that used their names as characters. Click the links below to watch the videos! https://drive.google.com/file/d/12s6PRCqhLGLdUEprKP8gxBrfuOEfnuP_/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15_A95d-JeqQPCI_fegoglPBkvv1l2hZx/view?usp=drive_link

The 8th graders glazed their ceramic pieces then and worked in groups to create large metaphorical, symbolic or representational tree paintings (see above). These have been installed around the building. They also made paintings that required them to integrate two small photographs into their designs. These photos needed to then “disappear” into the final image. After that, they learned about the ancient technique called “Repousse” where thin metal is formed using tools to burnish and shape the design which can become remarkably three dimensional.

This month, 7th Grade Students in Ms. Lawson’s Mixed Media Art Class finished sewing and stuffing their Handmade Batik Dyed Pillows, and learned how to string their beautiful Glazed Ceramic Wind Chimes!

This month, 8th Graders in Ms. Lawson’s Multimedia Art and Sculpture class used a power drill, wood, wire, and nylon to create Abstract Sculptures. Students then experimented with creating and then painted in a monochromatic color scheme. They then they selected an accent color to complement their scheme. They focused on non-representational design, to dovetail with the organic nature of the abstract forms they created with the stretched nylon over the wire they manipulated in creative ways.

We started the trimester learning about the letters of the alphabet in Spanish. We learned about the “Ch”, "ñ" and the ‘RR” They also learned that th “H” is silent in Spanish. Then moved on to learning how to use the personal pronouns in Spanish. We had our first lesson and were excited to practice using the person.

With the start of the new Trimester, students are just beginning their work in PLTW-DEM. Students will use a composition notebook to organize their work in this course. Students have started to practice teamwork through our cup stacking challenge and their Innovation Sales Pitch project. During the month of December, students will have explored real-world design problems by creating a prototype of an ankle brace for a student with Cerebral Palsy in Activity 1.1- Instant Design Challenge. Through this work, students explore the design process and learn how to use a decision matrix to make informed choices. Students also begin their work with technical sketching in 3D in Activity 1.2- A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Students may want extra help with this section!

Students in CSIM have started the course by working in teams on quick projects. Students work academic discourse by sharing out and discussing project solution ideas. In December, students will have begun the groundwork for creating code. In the lesson 1 activities, we will work on algorithmic thinking and planning and we will have explored the field of computer science. We also will explore how to convert the steps into a more concise, computer-based language using flow charts. Please make sure that students are frequently checking Google Classroom to be sure they are submitting all of their digital work and also to implement any feedback on their digital assignments prior to resubmission.