Middle School Newsletter
HOLDING HIGH STANDARDS EVERY DAY
Archaeologists and Anthropologists in 6th Grade Social Studies!
This week, Mrs. Featherstone’s 6th grade social studies students became world-builders! After learning the 8 features of civilization, each student designed their very own island civilization and built a 3-D model to bring it to life.
Then the real fun began. Students traded places and became archaeologists and anthropologists, exploring one another’s islands and studying the models for clues to uncover each civilization’s 8 features, with no explanations from the creator. Afterward, they checked their detective work against the brochure or Google Slide each builder had put together, packed with details about their civilization.
This is exactly the kind of teaching that makes students fall in love with learning. When kids get to create, explore, and play detective, they aren’t just memorizing facts. They’re thinking critically, working together, and owning their learning, and those are the lessons that stick long after the unit ends. Mrs. Featherstone is an amazing teacher who brings so much creativity and heart to her classroom, and it shows in the excitement of her students. We are so lucky to have her on our Gray Stone Day School Middle School team!
UTOPIAN SOCIETY- POSSIBLE OR NOT?
7th Grade ELA students recently completed their Create a Utopia projects, to go along with their reading of the novel The Giver. Students were tasked with creating an entire community, complete with a government, economy, laws, culture, and daily life. In addition to the project itself, students also wrote essays describing their utopias and explaining if a utopia is ever possible. (Spoiler alert- it’s NOT!) Their design choices were creative and showed much critical thinking and planning! Great job!
Behind the scenes: Projects like this don’t happen by accident. They happen when a teacher believes students can do big, complex thinking and then gives them the structure and encouragement to rise to it. Mrs. Thompson set high expectations, and our students met them. They weren’t just reading about a community in a novel. They built one, defended their choices, and then stepped back to ask the hard question of whether perfection is even possible. That kind of layered thinking, moving from creating to analyzing to evaluating, is exactly what deep understanding looks like.
And the best part? The students had fun doing it. High expectations, strong teaching, and a little creative freedom make a powerful combination. Thank you, Cindy Thompson, for challenging our 7th graders and for making The Giver come alive in your classroom!
Mark your Calendars for a School Calendar Change for the Middle School.
📚 Friday, October 23 Schedule
- 6th–8th Grade: Early Release — students will follow the normal Middle School Early Release Day schedule
- 9th & 12th Grade: Virtual learning
- 10th & 11th Grade: On campus for the PSAT and PreACT
Frequently check the website for any updates about schedules and events.
🧡OCTOBER- NATIONAL BULLYING PREVENTION MONTH🧡
💗BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH💗
October 21- UNITY DAY- Wear ORANGE for UNITY- STAND AGAINST BULLYING 🧡
October 23- Early Release Day- MS Dismissal at 11:30. No lunch served.
October 27- Picture Make Up day
🍁 October 19-October 23 🍁
Monday Pasta (Meat or Alfredo Sauce), Garlic Bread, Salad Bar
Tuesday Hamburgers, Mac & Cheese, Soup, Salad Bar
Wednesday Beef or Chicken Tacos, Salad Bar
Thursday BBQ Chicken, Corn, Green Beans, Salad Bar
Friday EARLY RELEASE DAY! NO LUNCH!
Buying lunch is as easy as 1-2-3! Habeeb's Catering serves our Knights Monday through Thursday, and getting your student set up is simple.
Choose your card:
🎟️ 10-Punch Card – $70 ($7/meal)
🎟️ 20-Punch Card – $140 ($7/meal)
Pay your way:
💵 Cash
📝 Check
📱 Venmo — please include your student's name in the subject line so we know whose lunch card to send home!
Note for Venmo payments: when your student comes to the counter, have them let the Habeeb's know they have a card paid for on Venmo. The Habeeb's will check for the parent's name and the amount paid, then hand over the appropriate card and write your student's name on it at that time.
That's it — easy, quick, and one less thing on your to-do list!
OUR MISSION
Gray Stone Day School is a regional school that provides a rigorous, college preparatory curriculum for students in grades 6 - 12. While developing strong character, students engage in highly challenging courses that will require them to work diligently in and out of the classroom. A high caliber teaching staff prepares a rigorous curriculum to prepare students for post-secondary opportunities.
GSDS students continue to balance rigorous academics, community service, leadership, and integrity with grace and determination.
MS Office Manager Email: tholt@graystoneday.org
Website: graystoneday.org
Location: 49464 Merner Terrace, Misenheimer, NC, USA
Phone: 704-463-0567
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrayStoneDay/
Twitter: @graystoneday