Middle School Update

November 10, 2024

Social media continues to play a role in daily life. While there are some aspects of social media and technology that assist students in education, the ever changing nature of technology makes it difficult to monitor the negative aspects of social media. It takes all of us to educate our students on appropriate use.

We would encourage you to talk with your child about appropriate use, view their phones and social media accounts (follow a thread, look at their photos, etc.), and pay attention to “ghost”, “tea”, gossip, and fake accounts. Often these are used to follow, post, or comment on topics that teenagers would not want their parents to see. Most issues that arise stem from these types of accounts and often take place outside of school. There are a number of resources available to assist parents in navigating social media, such as https://www.commonsensemedia.org. Your support and vigilance with these issues is greatly appreciated.

Middle School Calendar

We have a Google calendar just for middle school tests, activities, projects and more! Click on the button below to access.

➡ Quiz 4: Eye for Eye; Eucharist, 20 points - Tuesday, 11/12, Study guide was given in class Friday, 11/8. Study Session: Tuesday, November 12, lunch recess.

* This is a heavier quiz with tougher concepts to grasp. Students need to put time in to study for this. Use my study guide to answer the quiz questions. This is the FIRST quiz grade for Quarter 2.

➡ Notes Grade, 275 points - Friday, 11/18, Students will be given the list of notes on Monday, 11/11. All notes and worksheets are done in class. If a student is absent or behind in work however,

they need to make that up on their own time. They can see my notes anytime, just ask and see me at lunch recess. This is a completion grade and another big grade for Quarter 2.

➡ 8th Grade “Be the Light” Retreat - Friday, February 7, 2025, St. John Paul II Church in Bigfork, Bus leaves at 8:30 am & we return at 3 pm, Ms. Salois and Mr. Carter attending with Ms. Petrick, Signed permission form must be received in order to attend. This is a very meaningful retreat in which students begin looking at their remaining time at St. Matthew’s and look ahead to high school. Lots of surprises are in store! Theology of the Body will also be covered there. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

➡ Confirmation: Thursday, May 22, 2025, 7 pm

Sponsor Information: Students will choose their sponsor in April. Baptism records must be sent to the Parish Office prior to Confirmation (the office has records for those who were baptized at St. Matthew’s Parish). All students will choose their Patron/Confirmation saint in April.

Requirements for a Sponsor: Be at least 16 years old, Be a practicing Catholic who attends Mass regularly , Have received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist , Live a moral life and practice their faith within a Catholic parish community, Have the intention, ability, and adequate time to be a sponsor. If a sponsor cannot attend Confirmation, another adult can stand in by proxy.

➡ Is Your Child Interested in Becoming Catholic in Time for Confirmation?

RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation for Children) begins in January 2025.

Confirmation will be May 22 at 7 pm with Bishop Vetter. Contact the Parish Office for more details - (406) 752-6788.

Class Updates:

• What Have We Been Learning About? The Holy Eucharist as the “source and summit” of our faith;

The Sacrifice of the Mass; How to receive Holy Communion properly and with reverence. Students

wrote and acted in Eucharist plays. It was so fun! This class thrives when acting.

• What Will We Be Learning About Next? The Sacrament of Confession - Contrition & How to Make

a Good Confession.

• Extra help, missing notes, and more: I’m available during lunch recess every day except

Wednesday. Students can always borrow missing notes from my binder in the Science Lab, but the

notes must remain at school for others to access.

• Gospel for Mass, Did You Know? Using theology (the critical study of God and His Word), each

Tuesday we analyze and reflect on the Gospel for Wednesday’s Mass.

• Prayer Time - We visit the church for Adoration about every other week and pray in our Book of

Prayer every week.

Feel free to email me anytime about questions or concerns, hpetrick@stmattsaints.org. I work

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. God’s Blessings to you!

➡ 7th Grade Winter Retreat - ARISE - Friday, February 28, St. John Paul II Church in Bigfork

Bus leaves school at 8:30 am and returns at 3 pm. Signed Permission Form must be received in order for students to attend. There will be more team building, theology of the body, and a focus of looking ahead as 8th Graders for leadership and friendship at our school.

➡ Quiz 4: Angels & The Fall, 20 points - Thursday, 11/14, Study guide to be given in class Monday, 11/11. Study Session: Thursday, 11/14, lunch recess.

* Students need to put time in to study for this. Use my study guide to answer the quiz questions. This is the FIRST quiz grade for Quarter 2.

➡ Absent? Missing Work? Students are responsible for what they missed and this cannot always be addressed during class time. Students can see me during lunch recess or email me. Remember the late policy of 10% off per day up to 5 days. Always check grades online for up-to-date information.

Class Updates:

• What Have We Been Learning About? Angels in the Bible; Creation & The Fall; Socratic seminar this

week: 1. Do you think angels have human attributes or are we projecting that unto them? Why/how so? (Anthropomorphism) 2. Why else might Zechariah have been silenced by Gabriel? 3. Why would God offer this back story about John the Baptist in the Gospel of Luke? Fantastic discussions!

• What Will We Be Learning About Next? Actual Sin - mortal vs. venial sins

• Extra help, missing notes, and more: I’m available during lunch recess every day except Wednesday. Students can always borrow missing notes from my binder in the Science Lab, but the notes must remain at school for others to access.

Feel free to email me anytime about questions or concerns, hpetrick@stmattsaints.org. I work

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. God’s Blessings to you!

Middle School Parents,

Please look for updates in the Google Classroom.

Google Classroom

This year I will be using Google Classroom to communicate with parents and students. You are invited and encouraged to join our Classroom so you can be in the loop on materials and assignments. Among other advantages, using this tool will help you and your child keep up when absent, either planned or unplanned. I will have vocabulary lists, poems, daily slides, and monthly copywork all posted in Classroom.

Below are the links to join:

8th Grade Classroom https://classroom.google.com/c/NzA1MjQxNTAyMDAy?cjc=2et6g5f

7th Grade Classroom https://classroom.google.com/c/NzA1MjM3MzAyODk2?cjc=hz63q43

6th Grade Classroom https://classroom.google.com/c/NzA5MDcwMTk1NDgx?cjc=3hjhync

Lisa Melnick

Middle School ELA

Hello Middle School Families,

In math this week:

• 6th grade is finishing Ch.3 on division with whole numbers and decimals and has a test next Wednesday,
• 7th grade had a test on inequalities and started Ch.4 on rational numbers & decimals,
• 8th grade foundations is working in Ch.3 and learning about expressions and equations.
• Algebra 1 had a test on inequalities and started Ch.4 on relations and functions.

Math Test Retakes

Students can do math “retakes” for an improved chapter test score. I do not give extra credit in math, but doing a math test retake has the potential to bring their average up by a whole letter grade. Doing a test retake is required for students who achieved a score of 80 or below and encouraged for all students to improve their test scores. Additionally, it gives students another opportunity to learn the concepts. It helps students to understand what they should have done on the tests to get the correct answer.

How to do a math test “retake”

Students must save their original math chapter test. They would staple a lined piece of paper to the test and on it write how to get the correct answers for each one they missed. Students only redo the ones they got wrong on the test. Their grade can only go up or stay the same by doing a retake. They must number each problem, write neatly, and show their work. The correct answers are the ones I put a red arrow next to. Sometimes there is a question where showing work is not possible. In that case they would explain, using sentences, why or how the answer is the one I put a red arrow next to. Students earn 1/2 credit for each one they correct.

Parents may help their students at home with a retake. I am also available to help during their study hall, recess, or after school. Retakes must be turned in before the end of the quarter, but preferably as soon as possible, because math concepts build on previous knowledge.

When your student is absent

When your students are absent from school they can go to google classroom from their home computer to 5th-8th grade math to the classwork tab and find the documents for their grade, chapter, and lesson. They should write in their math notebooks all of the notes for each lesson they missed. Most days we do a lesson a day, so they should also do the lesson’s worksheet for each missed day of school. If they know ahead of time they will be gone, it's helpful if they take home the textbook for guidance as well. Thanks for helping your child to be successful in math.

Sincerely,

Loretta Cornish

Freckle is our new learning site for math (and other subjects). Students can go to Freckle from the St. Matthew’s home page by going to Students, to Student Resource Links, to STAR, to “I’m a Student”, to Freckle. If that doesn’t work, students can log in to Freckle with a class code. For math (L. Cornish) the codes are 6th: dgu77a, 7th: uugy3r, and 8th: corniu

Students practice math on Freckle when they finish work early and in Study Hall if time allows. Students are encouraged to practice math with Freckle at home also. Freckle math is adaptive so students progress at their own level.

https://mathantics.com/

https://www.khanacademy.org/

https://www.purplemath.com/modules/index.htm

https://www.mathsisfun.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@MathwithMrJ

CHROMEBOOKS are a privilege for all of our students but our middle school students have more freedom with them such as being able to take them home and carry from class to class. This type of freedom does not come without certain expectations and responsibilities. First, they have to take care of their device which means if they break it due to carelessness they will lose the privilege of having one. Second, they have to follow the rules and only use what they are allowed to use on the device. If they are gaming, chatting, emailing each other, etc. (even though most of these features have been turned off), they will use this privilege. And last, they can check out their computer to take home to work on schoolwork ONLY. At home, the family MUST set guidelines for usage (where the student is working on the device, time on the device, etc.). If a student fails to treat their device and its usage responsibly, they will lose these freedoms and only be allowed to use the device in the classroom when needed.