GREAT FALLS MIDDLE SCHOOL

November UPDATE

From the Desk of the Principal: As we enter into November we have many great things happening at the middle school. On October 15th we had our first PTO meeting. We have several very enthusiastic parents and invite anyone else that is interested to join our meetings. The next meeting is November 19th, and we will meet the third Thursday of the month throughout the year. The PTO definitely “hit the ground running” by deciding on a huge community event on April 9, 2015. There will be a spaghetti dinner, followed by a talent show of our middle school students, and as part of the evening there will also be a drawing for prizes from a raffle. We are really looking forward to a fun evening; please make plans now to join us. Parent conferences are coming November 12th and 13th. Due to the fact that the teachers have so many students they cannot meet with all parents but the teams will be contacting parents they need to meet with about your child. If you are called please let the teachers know if you will be able to attend because if you can’t that opens a slot for another parent. It is a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and make a plan of how you will work together to support your child’s success. Fall sports are winding down and winter sports are just around the corner. If your child did not participate in a fall sport please make sure their physical paperwork is up to date and filed in the nurse’s office. Also, it is vital for you to remind your child they must be academically eligible to participate. This means they must have passing grades in all subjects. In order to support your child’s academic success you should have already set up an Edline account to be able to keep track of their work and grades. If you have not set up your account please contact Mike Lindenberg at 413-863-7510. He will be able to talk you through the process to get started. It’s a wonderful tool to use to support your child’s academic success.

Finally, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving with friends and family!

                       CALENDAR  OF  EVENTS    

                                                                                                   

3. 4. 5. 6. 6th grade trip to Fine Arts Center 9-11:45 7.

10. 11. No School - Veterans Day 12. In-Service Day. 11:00 dismissal Parent/teacher evening conferences by appointment 13. In-Service Day. 11:00 dismissal Parent/teacher evening conferences by appointment 14. 17. 18. 19. 20. PTO meeting 6pm 21. 24. 25. 26. 11:00 dismissal for Thanksgiving recess 27. No School – Happy Thanksgiving 28. No School

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES Related Arts Classes

Physical Education

Wow what a great fall it has been so far. It has been a quick fall as well, hard to believe it is already the middle of October and the quarter will be ending soon. We are just starting new activities, touch football for the seventh and eighth graders and field hockey for the sixth. We have been doing some cardiovascular training as well. Remember to remind students to dress appropriately since our plan is to be outside as long as the weather is good. I suggest students dress in layers. Our activities for the start of the second quarter will depend somewhat on the weather. We may stay outside or start our swimming unit. I will let the students know more about that later. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. DKennedy@gmrsd.org or 863-7328. Thanks Dave Kennedy GFMS PE teacher Art So we have all made it through our first projects! Every grade has worked very hard to learn new drawing skills in our first unit. Now on to the next… The sixth grade is working with color. Students have learned the 3 color groups of primary, secondary and tertiary colors. It is from these groups that we get our color wheel of 12 colors. Students are learning how to mix all these colors themselves using only blue, red and yellow. Students will be making their own abstract color wheel to demonstrate their mixing skills. Seventh grade is exploring color through the art of Pointillism. Pointillism was made popular in the late 1800s by George Seurat who painted “Sunday Afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatte.” Pointillism involves filling in an area only with dots of color. This also involves optical mixing which means that your eyes combine colors instead of physically mixing all of them. Students will create a final painted work using pointillism and abstract design. The eighth grade has also been working with color, but this time looking at color relationships like: monochromatic, tints, shades and analogous colors. So far we have done some painting exercises to paint examples of what each relationship means, but soon we will be create a painting inspired by the artist Frank Stella. Stella worked in geometric terms and used LOTS of colors. We will be looking to his work for guidance. Any questions or comments please contact me at Katrina.eichorn@gmrsd.org

Reading

The objective this month was for students to read aloud, learn new vocabulary, and answer comprehension questions. Grades 6, 7 and 8 have been on the internet, using digital dictionaries and thesauruses, completing word maps for meaning, synonyms, antonyms, and creating sentences. Using a story template, students have written short stories to summarize a previously read passage. We will continue to use technology to assist in improving academic vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. The following short passages were read:

• Grade 8: News Debate: Battle of Binge, I Don’t Like Ron Gonzales, and Out of Line, Online,

• Grade 7: The Unknown Hall of Famer, Trading Pumpkins, and Out of Line, Online.

• Grade 6: Milton Hershey, Take the Plunge, and Out of Line, Online.

Additionally, we have been learning about numerical prefixes. As the month progresses, our primary focus will be on common prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Our primary goal is to be able to analyze and determine the correct meaning of academic vocabulary words based on the prefix, root word, and suffix.

Student grades have been posted through October 3rd on Edline. Normally, I post grades each Monday morning for the previous week ending on Friday. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at extension 7240 or email me at barbara.byrnes@gmrsd.org. Sincerely, Ms. Byrnes Health Class Our 6th graders are learning the art of conversation when it comes to meeting new people and identifying the difference between general and deep conversations. The 7th & 8th grades have been learning to overcome any shyness they may have and initiate general conversations with appropriateness. We have also learned the value of “I” statements when it comes to expressing ourselves! In addition to all our newly acquired conversing skills, each week we have been examining a food product and assessing its nutritional value, or lack thereof! This week, we dive into assertiveness and peer pressure and will be doing lots of practice in class! If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at tamara.wozniak@gmrsd.org. I welcome your feedback and communication! T. Wozniak

Math Applications We have accomplished many things in Math Apps! As 6th grade finished their “Get a Job” project”, many students commented that they are not quite ready for the adult world of jobs, bills, and check books! This past week they finished their Movie Theater Division Project. We are now doing work with fractions and mixed numbers in a recipe context. The 7th graders finished their “dream house” plans and calculations. These are definitely dreams as I can’t tell you how many houses have arcades, movie theaters, and indoor soccer fields! They have had fun choosing flooring, paint colors, and finally creating a virtual tour on PowerPoint. Now they have moved into Hands-On Equations, a great program that makes algebra concrete! The 8th graders finished learning about the Laws of Exponents, putting their knowledge into some great PowerPoints. They are now reviewing scientific notation to be sure they have the appropriate background knowledge needed for Ms. K’s class down the line. I make sure that I post regularly on Edline, so please be sure to check your child’s grades. I do allow students to come after school to revise projects (test grade) that they did not do well on or that they did not finish. They may also bring the work home and revise it. I work hard to be sure students have adequate time in class to do the work, but sometimes they have trouble focusing or budgeting their time. If you have any questions or concerns, please call or email me at sandy.peck@gmrsd.org . I am after school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sandy Peck

Grade 8 Team News-

A reminder: Teams of students go through many facial tissues during this time of year. You can help us have facial tissues available for students during this season of colds and runny noses

by sending in a box of facial tissues to your child’s CPR teacher. Thank you for your help!

8th Grade Science- Mr. Tully We are geologists during the month of October in science class! We’ve talked about the layers of the Earth, rocks and minerals, and plate tectonics. Students have completed a laboratory exercise where they were able to identify seven unknown mineral samples using properties such as luster, streak, effervescence, magnetism,

and taste. We have also investigated the theory of plate tectonics, and the reasons as to why the earth’s crust is constantly in motion. We have been studying the surface of the Earth more recently, including the Earth’s history. In the past, this has been one of the students’ favorite units as we discuss such diverse topics like dinosaurs, glaciers, and landslides. This part of the geology unit also contains three different laboratory exercises on topographic maps, mechanical and chemical weathering, and fossils (a favorite in years past). Please check Edline for grade updates and class-relevant material. The “Weekly Schedule” sheets list all of the classwork/homework for the week and the relevant Massachusetts science frameworks. I post all my notes so students have a second chance to see any of the notes they may have missed in class. I also post assignments and weekly grade updates on Edline so you can keep track of your students’ progress. Current MCAS frameworks: ES-1: Recognize, interpret, and be able to create models of the earth’s common physical features in various mapping

representations, including contour maps.

ES-2: Describe the layers of the earth, including the lithosphere, the hot convecting mantle, and the dense metallic core.

ES-3: Differentiate among radiation, conduction, and convection, the three mechanisms by which heat is transferred through

the earth’s system.

ES-5: Describe how the movement of the earth’s crustal plates causes both slow changes in the earth’s surface (e.g., formation

of mountains and ocean basins) and rapid ones (e.g., volcanic eruptions and earthquakes).

ES-6: Describe and give examples of ways in which the earth’s surface is built up and torn down by natural processes,

including deposition of sediments, rock formation, erosion, and weathering.

ES-7: Explain and give examples of how physical evidence, such as fossils and surface features of glaciation, supports theories

that the earth has evolved over geologic time.

8th Grade Social Studies with  Ms.  Mason  In Social Studies, we are wrapping up our unit on Africa. Students have put a lot of hard work into independent research and have been using evidence from credible sources to write a formal argument advocating for one West African Empire. For what may be the first time in their academic lives they are wrestling with in-text citations and are doing a great job with this difficult (and sometimes frustrating) task. Students have peer edited and final drafts will be finished next week.  Our next unit will be a world religions unit on the history and beliefs of Islam. This unit will emphasize religious tolerance and how education and understanding are essential for peace. As a class we have spent some time discussing the importance of studying history so that we can make informed decisions about our world’s future. As global citizens, I encourage students to pay attention to current events occurring around the world including the Ebola epidemic and the threat of ISIS as well as how our leaders respond. Although it may sometimes be a challenge to see, these complex modern issues are closely tied to the history we are studying!

“If you don’t know history…You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree”

-Michael Crichton MA Social Studies Standards  The Emergence and Expansion of Islam to 1500: WHI.1-5

8th Grade ELA with Ms. Hollands

We are about to start reading the WWII novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The students will follow Bruno, a nine year old boy, through his experiences as he discovers the truth of the war. As Bruno is forced to do, the students will encounter tough, moral questions. They will look past the literal events in the story, and analyze the deeper, human affects and meanings.  

Along with The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, the students will begin focusing on how to incorporate quotes and textual evidence effectively and properly into writing. We will practice quoting and citing correctly, and we will eventually produce a strong, analytical essay at the end of this unit. State Standards: MA SL 1: Engage effectively in partner discussion; MA L 2: Proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling; MA RL 1: textual evidence; MA RL 2: characters, setting, theme and plot; MA RL 6: point of view; MA W 2c: informative texts (summaries) with transition; MA W 4: clear and organized writing Math with Mrs. Kaczenski

To start off the school year, the 8th graders did a quick review unit to review all of the mathematics materials from 7th grade. This unit went well and we are ready to conquer the 8th grade standards! The unit we are working on is called, Thinking with Mathematical Models. In this unit we will look at linear relationships, write equations, represent “real life” situations with tables, graphs and equations, and begin looking at inverse variation. We will also develop our algebraic skills by solving linear equations algebraically. We conducted some experiments at the start of this unit testing

bridge length vs. breaking weight and bridge thickness vs. breaking weight. We used paper “bridges” and dropped pennies into a cup to see how many pennies our paper “bridges” would

hold. Ask your 8th grader about their results! By the time we finish our unit, we will learn the formal representation of slope. This is the form that many adults remember as slope rise

run Remember to check your Edline account for weekly schedules and assignments, grade updates, helpful math tips, and links to other helpful math websites. Also, there is a link on the math website so that you can look at the released version of last year’s 7th grade MCAS to see which questions you made mistakes on. Learn from your mistakes. Try the problems again. Bring in your work (and defend your answers) for another opportunity for extra credit on a math homework. You can also find last year’s released 8th grade MCAS. Get some early practice to get ready for this year’s MCAS. Our focus has been on MA Mathematics Standards: 8.EE.5 graph proportional relationships; 8.EE.7 solve linear equations in 1 variable; 8.F.1 understand a function is a rule; 8.F.2 Compare two functions represented in different ways; 8.F.3 Interpret y = mx + b; 8.F.4 construct a function to model a linear relationship; 8.F. 5 analyze a graph and describe the features; 8.SP.1 construct and interpret scatter plots; 8.SP.2 straight lines as linear models; 8.SP.3 use the equation of a linear model to solve problems; 8.SP.4 understand patterns of association and use two-way tables.

Additional for Algebra 1: A-CED.1 interpret parts of an expression; A-CED.2 create equations to represent relationships; A-CED.4 Rearrange formulas; A-REI.1 explain how to solve an equation; A-REI.3 Solve linear equations and inequalities in 1 variable; N-QA.1 use units to help solve problems; N-QA.2 define appropriate quantities; F-IF.1 understand domain and range; F-IF.4 interpret features of graphs and tables; F-IF.6 calculate and interpret average rates of change over an interval; F-IF.7 graph functions; F-IF.8 write a function in equivalent forms; F-IF.9 compare two functions; F-BF.1 write functions; F-BF.2 write arithmetic sequences; F-LE.1 distinguish between linear and non-linear functions; F-LE.2 construct linear functions; F-LE.5 interpret parameters for functions in context Algebra with Mrs. Kaczenski- Have you ever spent some time looking for something? Well, the 8th grade mathematicians here at Great Falls will be “Looking for Pythagoras”. You guessed it! We will be looking for the great mathematician, Pythagoras of Samos. He is known as “the father of numbers”. He believed that everything was related to math. How right he was! Students found out in the introduction to our new book that much of geometry, trigonometry and calculus is based on his

Pythagorean Theorem. As we work through this new book, “Looking for Pythagoras”, we will work with coordinate grids, irrational numbers, square roots, and- of course- the Pythagorean Theorem. Ask your child what they learned in math class today. Ask to see their work for the proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. MA Standards8.NS.1 and 8.NS.2 irrational numbers 8.G.6, 8.G.7, 8.G.8 Demonstrate an understanding of the Pythagorean Theorem, prove the Pythagorean Theorem and its converse, use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve problems

Grade 6 General News We had a wonderful trip to Northfield and on the Quinnetukut II as we traveled on the Connecticut River. Interesting information was shared on the river trip as well as a good time on shore while we all got to know one another a little bit better. This was paid for in part by our fund raiser this year. We have another trip scheduled to see The National Acrobats of The People’s Republic of China Nov. 6. The cost will be covered in part by the fund raiser; however that will use up our funds. Look for this information going home on 10/20. Our thanks to the families that sold or made a contribution to the fund raiser. The overall participation in the fund raiser was very low this year. We will be figuring out how to keep things equitable toward the cost of the upcoming events. Cold season is here and donations of tissues would be greatly appreciated as this is an out of pocket cost for the teachers that do provide the tissues and hand sanitizer in their classrooms.

Remember After School Academic Support is available for your student Monday through Thursday, the exceptions being the second Thursday of the month and on in-service days.

6th Grade Science At times during the past week it seemed like geography and science were the same subject. We have started our first unit which is Mapping Earth’s Surface and have been working on Mapping Skills in geography. We know how the topography of an area is determined and the various types of land forms that may be found in an area. Our next step is learning how to read a contour map, which means knowing how they portray the elevation, relief, and slope of an area. Once we are able to do that by knowing what contour lines and intervals mean we will make our own contour maps of a landform we have designed. Along with our map we will have our key/legend the will give provide the contour interval along with the symbols and their meaning for any man-made features of the area. This will bring us to the end of the first term. WOW! Next up we start our second term with Weathering and Soil Formation. Hope to get to dig in the soil before the ground freezes. We will find out the types of weathering and the role it plays in soil formation while looking at the soil in our area. Maggi Gunnison 863-7724 mgunnison@gmrsd.org

Mathematics

The 6th graders have been hard at work in math class in the past few weeks. They recently

completed their first unit of the year, “Prime Time,” and have moved on to “Comparing Bits and

Pieces.” In our current unit, students are learning about ratios, rates, and fractions. They will

make comparison statements using ratios, find unit rates, and show parts of a whole as fractions

and percentages. They will also develop a better sense of what decimals, fractions, and

percentages represent and how they relate to one another. We will even explore negative

numbers!

As you can see, the sixth graders will continue to have a lot to learn and a lot of work to

complete in math. They will continue to have homework nearly every day (Monday-Thursday)

and should be bringing home their binders, textbooks, and homework folders each night to

complete their assignments. This daily practice is essential to enable students to master the math

content. If your child is struggling with homework, ask him or her to get out their math materials

and look at the textbook and their recent classwork and notes. This could steer your child in the

right direction and might help him or her remember what needs to be done to solve problems.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to email me at

catherine.howland@gmrsd.org or give me a call at (413) 863-7221.

-Ms. Howland

ELA We  have  wrapped  up  our  first  unit  in  6th  grade.  I  was  very  impressed  with  the  effort,  creativity  and  quality  of  short  stories  produced  by  the  students.  As  we  roll  into  our  first  novel  unit  of  the  year,  we  will  be  reading  “Where  the  Red  Fern  Grows.”  As  they  read,  students  will  be  working  on  comprehension,  higher  level  analysis,  and  text-­‐based  responses  to  critical  questions.  This  book  is  a  great  piece  of  fiction  from  which  to  draw  ideas  for  debate.  Students  will  be  asked  not  just  to  take  a  stance  on  issues,  but  to  defend  those  stances  with  evidence  from  the  text.  As  students  work  on  their  debate  and  argumentative  writing  skills,  they  will  also  continue  to  develop  narrative  writing  strategies  and  grammar.    

7TH Grade news Math Hello everyone, It’s hard to believe that Halloween has nearly arrived, but here we are and we are already coming up on our second unit test, which hopefully will be less scary than your son/daughters Halloween costume. As we are settling into the school year our math class is really starting to hit its stride. The students are working well together as partners. Furthermore, the students are getting faster at accomplishing assignments as well as getting used to the increased homework load that comes with 7th grade. Our current unit is about negative numbers. Feel free to quiz them on simple problems involving negative numbers, as it is a new concept and takes practice to perfect. Also, this unit reviews basic computational algorithms, so the use of calculators is not allowed on homework or in class.

Science In 7th grade science class we are finishing a physical science unit on the properties of matter. We first learned that in order for scientists all over the world to understand each other’s data they needed a common system of measure. Scientist’s use the international system of units commonly referred to as the metric system. Our 7th grade scientists have been actively using meter sticks to measure length in meters and centimeters. They have learned to measure the volume of liquids and irregular shaped solids in milliliters using graduated cylinders. In the next several weeks we will measure, in grams, the mass of different objects using the triple beam balance and learn about density by looking at why things sink or float. We will also learn how to measure and record temperature in degrees Celsius. We have recently started our investigation into Chemistry. The students are learning about atoms, elements and compounds and will learn how to use the Periodic Table. They will learn about chemical reactions and will get a chance to do some hands on experiments, in the near future. Science Rocks!! ELA Hello Parents & Guardians, Our seventh graders have begun reading class novels. One class is reading, Ender's Game, a science-fiction novel. Three other classes are reading, The Outsiders, a realistic-fiction classic. We are working on vocabulary, discussion, comprehension and author's purpose. Students have been involved in various activities that accompany the book (s) as they read. Students are very aware that there are two weeks left in the term. It is going by fast! -Kara Martin, grade 7 ELA Social Studies The seventh grade social studies classes have been working hard on getting to know how to read and interpret timelines dealing with BCE and CE timeframes. They have learned the meaning of vocabulary like AD and BC vs. BCE and CE. Students have been doing a good job of thinking of timelines as a number line. It also helps that the students have also been working on number lines in math class and have been learning about negative numbers. Students also have had an opportunity to be signed up for their Google Docs account and have registered for Google Classroom. Both of these will be used throughout the remainder of the school year. Students will be expected to utilize this technology as much as possible as it will be helping them to gain the 21st century skills that will help them be successful outside of school. In addition, students will be able to keep track of editing for written assignments, see comments from teachers and peers, and also be able to have a working document that they do not have to worry about losing or having to redo if they do not have a word processing program at home. So far, seventh grade is progressing and showing improvements since the beginning of the year. Going forward we are looking forward to starting our first civilization which is called Ancient Mesopotamia. Students usually enjoy this as it is a very different time than now and they get a kick out of some of the customs and ways of life, especially the ruling style of King Hammurabi.

It’s not too late to register your Stop &

Shop card for the A+ School

Rewards Program. You can register on-line

at www.stopandshop.com/aplus and select

Customer Registration. Great Falls

Middle School ID number is 05134.

Our school will earn points each time

you shop at Stop & Shop. Thank

you!

If you would like this document translated please contact: Если вы хотите перевести этот документ пожалуйста, свяжитесь с: Dacă doriți să traducă acest document vă rugăm să contactați: Si usted desea que este documento sea traducido por favor contáctese: Rebecca Wright, English Language Learner Coordinator, 413-695-9593/rwright@gmrsd.org