St. Mary's Middle School Newsletter
February 9, 2024
Dear Middle School Families,
We hope this message finds you well. We're happy to report that Catholic Schools Week was a success, filled with exciting activities and enriching experiences for our middle schoolers. Our students took field trips to Catholic TV, Cabot's Ice Cream, and AABA Assisted Living, creating wonderful memories and deepening their understanding of community and service. These experiences have been particularly meaningful as we approach the season of Lent.
One of the highlights of last week was an enlightening Vocations panel open to grades 3-8. This panel showcased individuals with callings to the priesthood, marriage, and religious life. Among them were doctors balancing their profession with family life as well as others dedicated to serving the homeless. Their stories inspired our students and provided valuable insights into Vocations and to the various paths of service and devotion.
Last week, our middle schoolers embarked upon a field trip to Catholic TV in Watertown with Fr. Bobby. Our students were given a tour into the inner workings of this company. Established in 1955, CatholicTV holds the honor of being the oldest Catholic television network in the United States. The highlight of our visit was a Mass celebrated by Fr. Bobby, and a blessing of throats for St. Blaise's feast day. Following our enlightening time at Catholic TV, we indulged in delicious treats at Cabot's Ice Cream!
- In 6th grade ELA with Ms. Allen, students have launched into our new unit on Lois Lowry's The Giver. We began by reflecting on and discussing the purpose and development of dystopian fiction, engaging in various activities and assignments centered around dystopias and the setting of the novel. In grammar, we've been practicing how to identify and properly utilize present, past, and future tenses in both main and helping verbs.
- In Math with Mr. Antonacci, the 6th grade students have finished their proportions unit with excellence! The proportions and ratios unit is the most important unit of 6th grade math, and the students showed a high level of mastery. After a short unit on percentages, students will dive into geometry.
- In 6th Grade Social Studies with Mr. Febesh, students have been working diligently on their research papers. They are currently developing their introductions and conclusions.
- In Religion class with Ms. Allen, students are learning that the story of the Christian faith is a love story between God and His people. They learned that covenants are sacred, permanent bonds of family relationship. God never ceases to love us, despite our persistent unfaithfulness. God entered into covenants with mankind to reveal Himself and make known His mercy and love. We have also been discussing how we can best prepare our minds and hearts for the season of Lent.
- In 6th Grade Earth Science with Mr. Febesh, students have been working on their unit of Seismic Activity and Earthquakes. Students have been tasked with giving a news report on different major earthquakes throughout history and explaining aspects of it, such as the epicenter and type of stress on the fault.
- In 7th grade ELA with Ms. Allen, students conducted a fantastic Socratic seminar on the themes within The Hiding Place. After completing their end-of-book essays, we began our new unit on George Orwell's Animal Farm. We've been learning about the author and his intent in writing the novel, as well as exploring the allegory and important themes presented in the novel. In grammar, we're learning how to identify and utilize progressive forms and perfect tenses in both main and helping verbs.
- In 7th grade Math with Mr. Suri, our 7th graders continued their work on multistep inequalities. Building on their prior knowledge of solving one- and two-step inequalities, our learners tackled more complex scenarios that involved multiple steps to find the solution. Students then integrated previous concepts like distributive property and proportions. We emphasized problem-solving strategies, critical thinking, and precision in their approach.
- In Religion class with Ms. Allen, the 7th grade students are learning that God loves us as a father loves his children, and He wants a relationship with us. We are discussing how Christ established the Church (the Body of Christ) so that we may be saved as a people. He appointed leaders, gave them authority, and told us all to make disciples. Students will begin preparing for their unit test on Personal Growth next week. Also, Fr. Jonathan will be coming in next week to speak with the students about how we can prepare our minds and hearts for the season of Lent.
- In 7th grade Social Studies with Mr. Febesh, students have been diving deeper into the different city-states of Ancient Greece. Most notably, they learned about the differences between Sparta and Athens and what eventually lead to the Peloponnesian War.
In their unit on cellular respiration, 7th graders delved into the dynamic changes that occur between resting and exercising conditions. They conducted experiments measuring heart rate, breathing rate, and observed CO2 levels. Notably, as the students transitioned into the exercising state, they observed a rapid increase in CO2 levels in the bloodstream, leading to a quicker change in the color of the indicator from blue to green!
- In 8th grade ELA with Ms. Allen, we've begun our unit on Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. In introducing the novel's key topics, we've been exploring the purpose and evolution of dystopian fiction, formulating essential questions that delve into the novel's crucial themes, and discussing how science fiction can help predict the future in our society. In grammar, students have been learning how to identify and utilize progressive forms in both main and helping verbs.
- In 8th grade Math with Mr. Suri, our class delved into the practical applications of exponential functions. We began by grasping the fundamentals of exponential growth, where quantities increase at a fixed percentage rate over time. Examples included scenarios such as population growth, compound interest, and the spread of diseases. We also tackled the concept of exponential decay, where processes involve a consistent reduction in quantity over time. Practical examples included half-life, cooling processes, and asset depreciation. By linking these mathematical ideas to everyday situations, our students gained insight into the tangible relevance of exponential functions.
- In 8th Grade Civics with Mr. Febesh, students had the opportunity to write letters to many of our state representatives. They wrote about what we were learning about and asked them great questions about their jobs and the work they’re doing on legislation in the House of Representatives. We’re looking forward to hearing back from our reps!
- In Religion class with Ms. Allen, the 8th grade students are learning that God loves us as a father loves his children, and He wants a relationship with us. We are discussing how Christ established the Church (the Body of Christ) so that we may be saved as a people. He appointed leaders, gave them authority, and told us all to make disciples. Students will begin preparing for their unit test on Personal Growth next week. Also, Fr. Jonathan will be coming in next week to speak with the students about how we can prepare our minds and hearts for the season of Lent.
- In 8th grade Science with Mr. Suri, students explored the fundamentals of chemical reactions. We discussed the key components involved, such as reactants and products, and physical states and observed how substances transform into new materials with distinct properties. A significant focus of our lessons centered on balancing chemical equations. Students engaged in activities where they manipulated coefficients to ensure that the number of atoms on both sides of the equation remained equal. This skill is fundamental in understanding the conservation of matter and lays the groundwork for more advanced chemical concepts in the future.
