8th Grade Newsletter

1. Student are expected to follow EPS expectations for cell phone use.
2. Their is a progressive plan if students are using their cell phone during the school day.
3. If cell phone usage becomes habitual, it can lead to a parent picking-up their cell phone in the Front Office.

This week is Red Ribbon Week. Founded in 1985 in memory of slain DEA Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, Red Ribbon Week is a national effort to educate students about the dangers of Drugs and Alcohol. This year, in accordance with Rain’s Law, students will learn about Fentanyl. Currently, Fentanyl is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S., involved in nearly 70% of fatal overdoses. It is responsible for 75% of overdose deaths among youth ages 10–19 involved fentanyl (2020–2024).

Those are some scary facts, but we have two important weapons to combat these figures. The first is education. Secondly, is Naloxone. Naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose — it's safe, easy to use, and all middle and high schools in Oklahoma have it on hand.

It is never too late to talk about the dangers that our children will face and arming them with knowledge and the ability to say no is a great place to start.

How to Help Your Child Find Missing Assignments, Grades, and Check Progress on Aleks

Paul McQueen

Email: Paul.mcqueen@edmondschools.net
Phone: (405) 726-6252

Email: cara.bowerman@edmondschools.net

phone: (405)726-6256

Hello parents and students! I was out sick intermittently this week, so if you reached out and I haven't gotten back to you yet, please feel free to send a quick follow-up email to push your message back to the top of my inbox! On a higher note, I am excited to share some great personal news.. I recently passed my National Counselor Examination and will soon be a Licensed Practicing Counselor Candidate! I am thrilled to continue bringing an even deeper level of support and care to our school community.

With Halloween right around the corner, it is a great time to review a few quick safety reminders! If you are trick-or-treating or attending fall events, always stay with a group or an adult, wear bright or reflective elements on your costume, and inspect all treats before eating them. It is also important to practice digital safety.. if you are sharing photos from weekend events or costume parties online, double-check your privacy settings and ensure you are only sharing content with trusted friends and family!

As the weather cools down and days get shorter, it is completely normal to notice changes in your energy levels and mood. To support your mental health this fall, focus on keeping a consistent sleep routine, spending time outdoors during daylight hours, and staying connected with family and peers. Building these healthy habits early in the season helps keep your mind and body balanced.

While Principal McQueen covers the important details regarding Red Ribbon Week and fentanyl education in his section, I want to briefly remind students that making safe, healthy choices is always our top priority. If you ever have questions or concerns about substance safety, please know my office is a safe space where you can always come talk!

Finally, I want to encourage all of our students to find and cultivate a fulfilling hobby. Engaging in activities you enjoy outside of class.. whether that is playing a sport, reading, painting, coding, learning an instrument, or cooking.. gives your brain a healthy break from academic stress. Hobbies boost self-confidence, foster creativity, and help you develop problem-solving skills that serve you well both inside and outside the classroom!

Next week, English will continue reading selections from our Thrill of Horror Unit. Students will analyze the conventions of the genre, focusing on suspense, tone, mood, theme, and symbol. Students will take a quiz on Friday over tone, mood, and theme.

On Friday, students should submit their first Genre BINGO card and independent reading analysis. This will be a test grade.

In Spanish, we will review key communicative language concepts from Unit 1 while continuing to move forward with Unit 2: La vida en la escuela (Life in school.) We’ll also take a closer look at the grammar surrounding the communicative language structures we’ve been learning. Students may practice the Unit 2 vocabulary via Blooket: Unidad dos (2). Students will finalize and present their slides related to school supplies as a summative review of the topic. They will also begin a project centering on their school schedule.

If you would like to help your student practice and progress with Spanish at home, feel free to share this comprehensive list of vocabulary review links and important dates for this school year.SY2627 Blooket & GimKit Vocabulary Links and Tentative dates for each unit

In German, we will review the topic of introductions via short texts related to introductions in the first and third person forms. We will practice asking and answering simple questions and reporting the information to others. We will take a closer look at the grammar involved in the texts specific to sentence structure and verb conjugation. In addition, we'll focus on new structures related to school and school life. Students may practice vocabulary related to school via Blooket: Schule. Students will finalize and present their slides related to die Schulsachen which will count as a summative assessment grade. Our next theme is: Der Stundenplan: The school schedule.

Students will be learning to use Canva to design memes and propaganda posters to promote a product to sell. Students will use different functions in Canva to catch consumers' attention and interest in their product. All assignments for the first nine weeks are due by next Wednesday before fall break.

THIS WILL BE COMING SOON!!!

The highlighted area in yellow; this is the name of the test for that data. Below you will see a graph. If their trend line is in RED, your student may be struggling or having difficulty in their area of need and not on target to meet their goal. This is helpful to our Focus teachers so we can better meet your students needs.

If they are trending in GREEN, they are doing well and on target to meet their goal. The open bar is where the goal is and a gold star will represent that they have met their goal.

Know if a student is progressing below their trend line for 2+ weeks, adjustments will be made to help meet them where they are at with instruction.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Colleen Roesslein.

Canvas is the learning management system chosen by a committee of staff, students, community members, and Board of Education members. Canvas provides online and blended learning opportunities, and is web-based, meaning it can be accessed anywhere with Internet access at any time on any Internet enabled device. Canvas allows teachers to differentiate instruction to better meet student needs through instructional content, assessments, and daily work.

Setting up an Canvas Observer Account: Click the link below.

Canvas Parent Observer Account

Help with using Canvas on a Chromebook

Infinite Campus (Parent Portal) provides families, guardians and students with real-time access to course schedules, assignments, grades, attendance and report cards for grades PreK through 12.

If you have already established a portal account with Infinite Campus, click the link below.

Parent/Student Portal Login

Setting up a Parent Portal account:

New to Edmond Public Schools: Families will receive an email that will contain a link with instructions on how to set up a new portal account after student enrollment has been completed.