Middle School Newsletter

Dear Middle School Families,

Happy Summer! We’ve officially wrapped up the school year, and what a year it has been! Our students finished strong, and we are so proud of them. The Science Fair and Social Studies Fair were both wonderful celebrations of the students' hard work and creativity. In each subject, students completed their final projects and participated in comprehensive end-of-year reviews.

Our middle school wrap-up also included several memorable events: the Spring Concert, the Snow White and the Seven Endings drama performance, and the Band Concert. We are so proud of our students' talents and dedication.

Our Middle School Girls' Volleyball season was an absolute joy! To celebrate our great season, we spent our final afternoon together visiting boba, coffee, and ice cream shops around Brookline Village and soaking up the sunshine.

We wish you a restful and adventurous summer!

Warm regards,
The Middle School Team

In 6th Grade ELA with Miss Allen, students completed their poetry reading and writing unit. They read and analyzed poems by Langston Hughes, Gary Soto, Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Ted Kooser, while writing their own List poems, Extended Cinquains, and Haikus. Throughout the unit, students practiced identifying themes and figurative language and developed their analytical writing skills. To close out the year, students completed a creative book cover redesign project for their favorite books from the year. Each cover featured a symbolic illustration, a meaningful quote or tagline, a short summary, and a brief review. Great work in ELA this year, 6th graders!

In 6th Grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students completed a cumulative review of the entire year. Starting with the fundamentals they learned at the beginning of the year, students revisited key concepts such as fraction and decimal operations, ratios and unit rates, area and volume, and expressions and equations. Each day, students were given a new piece of their review packet, which they worked on both in class and at home. By the time they took their end-of-year test, students had compiled a comprehensive packet of notes and practice problems that reflected the full scope of this year’s studies.

In 6th grade Religion with Miss Allen, students performed very well on their Unit 4 test on The Chosen People. Following their test, students launched into their final cumulative project in which they created large collaborative posters titled “The Story of Salvation – Our Bible Book” to review all they’ve learned about Sacred Scripture this year. Each poster was divided into four sections, covering what the Bible is, the stories of Genesis, and God’s covenant with our fathers in faith. Students included definitions, Bible verses, summaries, and colorful illustrations to reflect key themes and lessons.

For 6th grade Science & Social Studies, see the Science Fair and Social Studies Fair sections below!

In 7th Grade ELA with Miss Allen, students explored the essential elements of poetry, including figurative language, sound devices, rhyme, rhythm, meter, connotation and denotation, tone, and mood. As a class, we read Mr. Flood’s Party by Edwin Arlington Robinson and Theme for English B by Langston Hughes, identifying the poetic elements and literary devices within each poem. Inspired by these works, students composed original poems grappling with themes of loneliness, identity, truth, and self-reflection.Their writing was impressive, creative, and powerful, including similes, metaphors, personification, and vivid imagery. This unit challenged students to think deeply and write truthfully. For their final ELA project, 7th graders created personal “literary time capsules” to reflect on their reading, writing, and growth over the year. They captured favorite books, memorable characters, meaningful quotes, and hopes for the future within their capsules. Great work this year in ELA, 7th graders!

In 7th Grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students spent time reviewing everything they had learned during the year. They started with basic skills from the beginning of the year and worked their way through all the major topics. These included operations with decimals and fractions, ratios, area and volume, and an introduction to integers and coordinate planes. Each day, students received a new part of a review packet, which they completed in class and sometimes at home. By the time they took their final test, they had put together a full packet of practice problems and notes that covered all the math they had studied that year.

In 7th and 8th Grade Religion with Miss Allen, to close out our unit on the Sacraments, students completed a group project titled “The Sacraments: Signs of God’s Self-Giving Love.” Each group focused on one of the three categories of sacraments (Initiation, Healing, or Service) and created a large, detailed poster explaining the form, matter, minister, scriptural roots, and spiritual effects of each Sacrament. Students also included symbols, personal reflections, and creative elements such as prayers and saint quotes. They presented their work to the class and learned from one another how the Sacraments help us become more like our Heavenly Father.

For 7th grade Science & Social Studies, see the Science Fair and Social Studies Fair sections below!

In 8th Grade ELA with Miss Allen, students concluded their final unit on Night by Elie Wiesel with rich class discussions exploring essential questions on free speech, religious freedom, and recognizing truth amidst deep suffering. The core of our 8th grade English class this year has been our rich, intense, riveting, and often challenging conversations about human nature, suffering, and what it means to live well. We finished the year by researching and analyzing St. Maximilian Kolbe's experience in the concentration camps, offering his life for another.

In 8th Grade Math with Mr. Pritchett, students completed a cumulative review of the year’s content. Starting with foundational skills, they worked their way through more advanced topics as the year progressed. The review included key concepts such as writing and solving equations, understanding inequalities, working with ratios and proportions, graphing on the coordinate plane, and analyzing linear relationships. Each day, students received a new section of a review packet to complete in class and at home. By the time they took their end-of-year test, they had assembled a comprehensive packet of notes and practice problems that reflected the full range of their learning throughout the year.

In 8th grade U.S. History with Miss Falcone, the students concluded their study of the Judicial Branch and moved on to explore the Executive Branch, diving into the many roles and responsibilities of the President and the Federal Government. After finishing their academic journey, the class enjoyed a fun-filled day in Hyannis with Dr. Nadjarian and Miss Falcone—full of laughter, a beach reflection, trip to the JFK Museum, mini-golfing and special memories. Graduation rehearsal and speech writing followed, leading up to the long-awaited and joy-filled graduation day. We are so proud of our graduates and all they have achieved. They will be deeply missed, and we send them off with our love and best wishes for high school and beyond!

In 7th and 8th Grade Religion with Miss Allen, to close out our unit on the Sacraments, students completed a group project titled “The Sacraments: Signs of God’s Self-Giving Love.” Each group focused on one of the three categories of sacraments (Initiation, Healing, or Service) and created a large, detailed poster explaining the form, matter, minister, scriptural roots, and spiritual effects of each Sacrament. Students also included symbols, personal reflections, and creative elements such as prayers and saint quotes. They presented their work to the class and learned from one another how the Sacraments help us become more like our Heavenly Father.

For 8th grade Science, see the Science Fair section below!

Last Wednesday, we had the joy of celebrating our incredible 8th grade class with a beautiful graduation Mass celebrated by Father Jonathan and Father David. Families and the school community gathered to honor the dedication and hard work of this class.

During the ceremony following the Mass, Dr. Nadjarian spoke about the importance of leadership and inspiration, encouraging our students to carry these values with them into the next chapter of their lives. Before the graduates received their awards and diplomas, Miss Falcone, Mr. Pritchett, and Miss Allen each gave addresses, reflecting on the unique impact these students have had on our school, our middle school family, and on each of us personally. This year’s 8th grade really became a family. Each student was known, loved, and taught personally.

We are so proud of you, 8th grade graduates! Good luck, Mark, at Xaverian; Anton, at Boston University Academy; and Lucy, at Brookline High! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of you. Wishing you all the very best!

In Spanish with Ms. Bognet, students have been working on a food unit in Spanish class. They’ve been learning to use the verb gustarwith nouns, as well as positive and negative expressions. Students practiced ordering food and drinks in a restaurant setting through dialogues that included greeting the waiter, placing an order, requesting the bill, and saying goodbye. They also classified foods into major food groups and practiced expressing agreement and disagreement about food preferences. Another dialogue involved telling time, expressing hunger and thirst, and asking what they should eat or drink. Writing assignments have grown more complex, requiring students to respond to questions in complete sentences. To enrich the unit, students enjoyed sampling foods from Chilacates, including burritos, horchata, Mexican soda, and tres leches cake.

In French with Mr. Awad, students performed exceptionally well on their final exams and took part in celebrating the school’s 125th anniversary by singing a French praise and worship song following Mass in front of the congregation. All students were recognized for their academic achievements, with special honors awarded to the graduating 8th grader who earned the highest distinction in the class. Great work, French students—and a special shout-out to Mark, a French scholar and enthusiastic participant all year long!

In Latin with Mr. Pritchett, students completed their culture projects and presented them to the class. They had to show their finished poster with their story and dialogue in Latin. Once they had shown their work to the class, they had to explain the Latin they used in their dialogue and answer vocabulary and grammar questions about it. For the final weeks of the year, students studied for, and took, a final cumulative test which covered the major topics they studied this year. They were tested on their prayers, declensions, conjugations, and translation ability. The middle school students also had the opportunity to attend a Latin Mass celebrated by Father David Joanis.

6th Grade: One of the highlights of the year for our 6th graders was the Science Fair! Students applied all they’ve learned about the scientific method to design and complete their own experiments. From developing a hypothesis to collecting data, analyzing results, and presenting their findings on creative display boards, they demonstrated curiosity, hard work, and great scientific thinking. We are so proud of their accomplishments and growth throughout the year!

7th Grade: In 7th grade Science, students have been diving into the exciting world of scientific discovery through their science fair projects. After wrapping up our unit on motion and forces, we shifted gears and put our knowledge into action. One group explored weather patterns by creating precipitation in a controlled environment. Another coded a video game from scratch, applying logic and design skills. A third group investigated the density of different candies and used chemistry to explain the differences. One team even extracted DNA from fruit and compared genomes across species. It has been a year packed with learning, students have experienced biology, chemistry, and physics this year. I wish everyone luck next year, it was a pleasure to teach this wonderful 7th grade class!

8th Grade: The 8th grade students transitioned to working on their Science Fair projects. In the month prior to the fair, students took time to brainstorm project ideas, do background research on similar projects, and create an outline for how they would go about answering their research questions. As the fair approached, students began to create concrete plans for carrying out their experiments, lists of needed materials, and detailing the kinds of data they would be collecting. Finally, students spent their last days working on their poster boards, compiling their data, and finding the best ways to represent their data visually.

6th Grade Final Social Studies Project: "Who We Are: A Cultural Heritage Project”

As we wrap up the year, our 6th grade students worked hard on their final Social Studies project: "Who We Are: A Cultural Heritage Project”. This special assignment invited students to dive into their own family history and cultural background, while also learning about the importance of genealogy in both their personal identity and in Old Testament times.

Students selected three activities from a Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge to guide their research and creativity, and presented their findings on a tri-fold display board at our Social Studies Fair. Each project featured colorful visuals, thoughtfully written reflections, meaningful connections between past and present, and some delicious treats! We are so proud of the effort and heart each student has put into their work, and enjoyed seeing the wonderful presentations on display!

7th Grade Final Social Studies Project: “Passport to the World: A Global Discovery Project”

Our 7th grade students recently completed a multi-part country study project, combining research, creativity, and presentation skills. Each student created a map, sculpture, postcard, model, travel brochure, current event summary, tri-fold board, and even shared a traditional recipe. The project wrapped up with a Social Studies Fair where students showcased their hard work. Thank you to all the families for your support throughout the project! The treats the students made were so delicious!

We just finished an amazing Girls' Volleyball season! We competed in an official tournament against strong teams and ended our season with an exciting victory over St. Theresa’s. The team grew tremendously in skill, teamwork, and camaraderie. To celebrate, we spent our final afternoon together visiting boba, coffee, and ice cream shops around Brookline Village and soaking up the sunshine. We have loved spending this special time with you all!

– Miss Allen & Miss DeLuca

A couple weeks ago, Dr. Fiona Elwood, Vice President in Neurodegeneration at Johnson & Johnson and parent of two St. Mary's students, came to speak to our middle schoolers. In her role at J&J, Dr. Elwood works on drug research to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. During the presentation, students got to see a 3D printed model of a brain of a real patient with Alzheimer's that showed the progression of the disease over three years. They learned that the brain uses about 20% of the body's energy. Using the information presented by Dr. Elwood, students were challenged to "discover and develop a drug for a neurodegenerative disease," choosing between Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. They took their information through four steps:

1. Choose a disease to work on

2. Choose a drug target

3. Choose a drug

4. Choose a clinical development plan

Going through this process allowed students to understand the time, money, and effort that goes into researching drugs for neurodegenerative diseases. We are grateful to Dr. Elwood for share her amazing work with our middle school students!

Thank you, 7th Graders, for helping out with the St. Mary's Clothing Swap!

At the Spring Concert, our middle school students performed Bruno Mars' Die With A Smile and The Beatles' Here Comes the Sun, with Nathan playing the piano. It was so much fun!

Our middle school students presented the play they have been working on in Drama class this year called Snow White and the Seven Endings by Tracy Wells. In this play, happily-ever-after gets turned on its head in this comedic retelling of Snow White’s classic princess fairy tale. When the seven dwarfs reminisce about their recent run-in with a royal run-away, they each have a different take on how the story unfolds and who the real hero is. Great job, middle schoolers!