September GMP Newsletter

September 1: Labor Day (No School)

September 5: Picture Makeup Day (If you missed registration)

September 12: No Missing Work Party

September 17-19: 8th grade Leadership Camp

September 24-25: 6th grade COGAT

September 26: ELA Store/Auction

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October 1: Count Day (Please be at school!)

October 2-3: 8th grade Peak Experience: Chalktober: Class to Concrete

October 3: 6th grade, Quarter One Incentive to Pioneer Park

October 7: 6th grade Survival Night, from 6-7

October 8: 7th grade Junior Achievement Park Finance Simulation Experience, 9-2

October 9: End of Quarter One

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Save the Date:

December 18: 8th grade Career Night (6-7)

February 19: Sock Hop Dance: Service Learning Project (4-5)

March 19: ALP Showcase Night (6-7)

May 19: 7th grade Shakespeare Night (6-7)

Dr. Karissa Rytting

ELA- 6th, 7th, 8th

GMP Co-Coordinator

We are off to a great start in ELA! All students have logged into their new Amplify curriculum and are primed to delve into their first units. In addition to the Amplify curriculum, students will be engaging in readings and projects to develop the cross-curricular units of survival for sixth grade, Edgar Alan Poe for seventh grade, and Leadership for eighth grade.

Sixth graders will begin by reading narrative excerpts by Roald Dahl and will focus on improving their own narrative writing. They are also learning common Greek and Latin words to help them learn and use new vocabulary.

Seventh graders are studying Red Scarf Girl and will be using vivid details to make characters and scenes come alive in their writing. They are also learning new advanced vocabulary.

Eighth graders will read excerpts from Walt Whitman and will focus on using sensory details and dialogue to describe one moment in time while writing. They are also learning new advanced vocabulary.

Mrs. Melissa Gilbert:

GMP Co-Coordinator

ELA- 6th Grade

Social Studies- 7th and 8th Grades

Student Council Co-Sponsor

Welcome to a terrific year! I am excited for another year teaching on the GMP team after 18 years of educating at Holmes Middle School. I am also thrilled to to be taking on a new role of co-coordinating the GMP program with my teammate, Dr. Karrisa Rytting. We miss Mrs. Ehlinger so much, and we are excited to continue her work of recruiting students for our exceptional GMP Program, planning educational experiences, facilitating the ALP process, and assisting our team with meeting the needs of all of our gifted learners. I love our community, and I am feeling enthusiastic about our work as we continue to grow the GMP program at Holmes Middle School.

I am working hard to create opportunities for our students to explore their world! We will begin the quarter with level-setting our knowledge of civics, economics, and geography in order to prepare ourselves for a deep dive into history. As we learn to research like historians, we will work through cross-curricular projects, STEM builds, and arts integration. Thank you for sharing your scholar with me this year!

6th grade Social Studies, taught by Mrs. Emily Farraher, is taking students on a deep dive into geography and working with the five themes to aide students in getting to know their world. They are working with maps, creating maps, and analyzing maps to make conclusions. We are excited to welcome Mr. Corey Combs, a Holmes science teacher, to once again lead our students through survival stations to teach real survival skills. These skills will be on display at Survival Night.

7th grade is working to complete an intensive review of civics and economics before diving into a large research project. Students will explore an Asian, African, and European country in order to analyze economic and civic patterns. This research will help students to determine cultural aspects of these countries and what life is like in the modern era before we go back in time to the ancient world to analyze history chronologically. Students will also be working through personal finance lesson to prepare for our Junior Achievement Park Finance Simulation Experience in October.

8th grade is working on understanding the gravity of the French and Indian War and why some historians refer to this war as the first world war. 8th graders will also be showcasing their knowledge of the 13 original colonies to analyze and determine what factors make colonies successful. With this knowledge, they will explore civic and economic structures needed to run a successful colony.

Math 6: is learning ratios and rates.

Math 7: is learning ratios and proportionality. We have completed Lesson 1-5 and the first Topic Quiz and the second Topic Quiz is fast approaching. Check with your child’s teacher for more details.

Math 8:

Our first module in Math 8 is on scientific notation, exponents, and irrational numbers. So far, we have finished topics A and B, which explored really big numbers in scientific notation, as well as integer (or whole number) exponents. Topic C explores applications of exponents and really small numbers in scientific notation. Topics D and E wrap up the module with perfect squares, perfect cubes, the Pythagorean Theorem (yay!) and irrational numbers.

Algebra 1:

The first module in Algebra 1 explores expressions, equations, and inequalities in one variable. We have finished topic A, learning about polynomials and how to add, subtract, and multiply them. We are currently wrapping up topic B, which is solving equations and inequalities in one variable. We will then delve into topics C and D, exploring compound statements and univariate data.

***Any students who have Mrs. Shell for math have access to all recaps, lessons, practice sets, and practice quizzes on Schoology.

MATH RUN: Mr. Eiles is sponsoring an informal math contest called the MATH RUN and we have our first winner, Brody, who mathematically reasoned that 2,074 pieces of popcorn fit in a shoe! Look for the September contest beginning on the 2nd.

Our 2025-26 GMP Science Year is off to a great start with hands-on investigations! Ms. Cat Ashley is thrilled to teach Science in our GMP program for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders! Mrs. Emily Farraher is also teaching Science to one of our 6th grade cohorts, and we are excited to collaborate as we implement our 6th grade plans. All of our GMP Science classes will focus this year on incorporating the Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) as students strive to make sense of engaging Science phenomena.

All three grade levels began the year by reviewing Lab Safety Rules by analyzing a mock Lab Safety crime scene in which our class skeleton, “Javi” was a rule breaker. Also, the Scientific Method and measurement skills are also reviewed during August and early September, however, for 6th graders these Nature of Science skills are the focus for the whole 1st Quarter. Of course, there is also other news specific to each grade level.

6th Grade Science: During August we explored a Fortune Fish phenomena in which a cellophane fish curls when placed on our hands. This is an anchor investigation as students learn that evidence must be used before believing that a “magical” fish can tell who you are. We have also begun to explore the Nature of Science by differentiating between observations and inferences as we conducted our Penny Water Drop Investigation. In September we will go more into depth with scientific variables, testable questions, writing hypotheses, and practicing measurement skills all within the context of investigating phenomena. We will support 6th grade Survival Night with math and science components taught through Science classes.

7th Grade Science: To begin reviewing the Scientific Method, 7th graders investigated how the mass of an origami frog affects the distance it can travel. Constructing the origami frogs were a greater challenge than expected for most students, which led to discussions of how unexpected variables affect an investigation’s validity. Students also reviewed Newton’s Laws of Motion to support their reasoning for why the smaller frogs were supposed to hop farther.

In September, students will construct some of their own instruments such as barometers and anemometers to build their own weather stations as we begin exploring weather phenomena. Guest speakers from Colorado Springs Utilities will enhance students' understanding of water usage in our city.

8th Grade Science: To review the Science and Engineering Practices, 8th graders investigated the effects of air pressure on a water bottle phenomena. Students practiced writing hypotheses as they developed their own questions to further explore the phenomena culminating in practicing their skills to write a conclusion supported by evidence. A mini Metric Olympics will help polish measurement skills before diving into our chemistry unit for 1st Quarter. Through PHeT and Gizmo simulations along with hands on investigations, students will use their understanding of the characteristic properties of matter based on the atomic building blocks of elements to solve problems such as identifying mystery substances. Other performance tasks are connected to real world problems including designing a suitable incubator to transfer delicate sea turtles eggs, or to research properties of building materials to make recommendations for various projects.

Science Fair: This year 8th graders will be required to complete a Science Fair Project for a Science Fair evening event at Holmes in January 2026. They will be able to enter their project into the Pikes Peak Regional Science and Engineering Fair to be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026. There will be more information communicated soon and the following is a suggested timeline. Additional information is available on the PPRSEF website: Science Fair Website

6th and 7th graders are also welcome to enter the Science Fair but it will not be a requirement.

https://pprsf.zfairs.com/App?f=0a4b3cab-11f1-4763-ada9-803b8862e294