Mrs. Eycleshymer

and

Mrs. Schmitt

are our

 Art Teachers

Our 6th graders have been hard at work on the art show and it’s paying off in a big way!! They are creating some amazing looking donuts that look like they could jump right off of the page! They were presented with a list of certain criteria that had to be met and techniques that helped them create all of their donuts. Make sure to look for them when you come to the art show on Wednesday May 22nd! 

Our 7th graders have been creating the most imaginative and over the top milkshakes for the art show. After researching some great ideas, they got to work on sketching these delicious drinks. You will find that the kids used mixed media and incorporated lots of color and yumminess! They even gave their sweet treat a fun name! Make sure to find your favorite milkshake hanging up at the art show on Wednesday, May 22nd!

In 8th grade art the students have been learning the difference between graffiti and street art. They have been working on graffiti names for their 8th grade showcase in the art show and graduation. On Monday, April 22nd the students will have a guest speaker Christ Stackowicz who is a local artist known in the community for large installation works of art around our community. 

BAND

In addition to preparing for their final concert of the year, Band students will be diving further into music theory skills. They will be learning the order of flats and sharps, how to recognize each of the 15 Major key signatures, and how the flats, sharps, and naturals relate to the playing of a piece. The students will take this knowledge and apply it to an original composition. 

Band classes have also taken advantage of this beautiful weather by playing outside. The 7th graders played an impromptu performance for the Saint Pius X Daycare kids. Our April Playing Project encourages students to play a short performance outside for family and friends. Students can perform individually or together. 

MUSIC

6th grade students are creating and performing original compositions using interesting rhythm combinations. The students are exploring how to create Rondo Form by organizing their musical phrases in an ABACADA pattern. We will be recording our creations on Soundtrap and learning how to use music editing tools to create pieces.

7th grade students are exploring Theme and Variation by composing and performing their own rhythmic piece. They are moving from rhythmic performances and writing to melodic by building on their rote skills, decoding skills and transcription skills.

8th grade students continue to build on their melodic performance and notation by learning melodic pieces on the xylophone and training their ears to decode simple melodies. They will be soon working on their last composition.

Since finishing the class novel, Refugee, 6th grade students have been brushing up on important ELA vocabulary skills and writing. For the remainder of April, we will analyze poetry and write a "Problem-Solution" essay before moving onto our final novel study of the year.

The 7th grade wrapped up The Outsiders unit by dressing up as a greaser or a soc and comparing and contrasting the book with the movie. We will end the year with a short mythology unit followed by reading the graphic novel When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. 

The 8th grade will end this year with a study of Shakespeare. The students have explored the differences between Elizabethan drama and modern-day drama, learned about Shakespeare's life, the Globe Theater and discovered iambic pentameter. On April 22, we will celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday with cake, games, and songs. Since Shakespeare was meant to be performed, we will spend some time acting out some scenes and watching film interpretations of the play. Some highlights of the unit include: hurling Shakespearean insults, learning an Elizabethan dance, creating tableaux vivants, and acting out the different subtext. The unit will end with a cumulative test. 

On April 22, we will celebrate Shakespeare’s 459th birthday with cake, games, and songs.

8th graders will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation

Sunday, April 21 at 2:00 pm. 

The Catechism points out that sacraments are “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC §1131).

The Sacrament of Confirmation presents something physical – sacred chrism (oil) and the words of Bishop Rhoades, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The anointing with chrism is a sign of “Christ” in Greek meaning the anointed one. As Christians, we are anointed at our Baptism and again at Confirmation. Your son or daughter will be sealed with the Holy Spirit as totally belonging to Christ. They will be Christ’s (possessive – belonging to Christ) and also Christ (representing Christ to the world). They will take on the responsibility of fully living the Catholic-Christian life. Your example of living the Catholic-Christian life is an essential part of the preparation process as we approach the day when the Holy Spirit will be given (as a gift) to your son or daughter.

7th graders continue their study of prayer and choosing the good as a response to Jesus’s invitation, “Follow me.” He taught us to pray, and expects us to pray since he said, “When you pray” (not if you pray). All holiness starts with prayer because God makes us holy, we cannot make ourselves holy. God works on us when we pray; and we should pray often. Prayer leads us to a holy way of living - kindness, charity, generosity… as we live a Christ-like life according to God’s will and the needs of others. Your family prayer practice will make you, and your son or daughter, more Christ-like.

The 6th graders have been reading about the life of Abraham and Isaac making connections to Christ. In theology this is typology. Currently the students have read about how Jacob deceived his father for the blessing. Next the students will read each chapter of the life of Jacob and his son Joseph which is the longest running narrative in the Old Testament. After the chapter summaries are complete the students will work on a choice project.

All Service Opportunities can be found HERE 

All Classes - It's that time of year....time to show off what the students have learned by taking standardized tests. All the math students have been spending time reviewing important standards, working on practice problems, and generally preparing themselves for these important tests. The math ILearn tests are next week, so please remind students to go to bed a little bit earlier and to eat breakfast in the morning. Instead of having class during ILearn week, the students will be working on a fun STEM project - - ask your child about it next week! They will be working on it during their science and math classes, and students will earn a grade for both classes.

6th Grade Course 1 - Next week we will begin a STEM project which will take place in both math and science classes. Students will work with a partner to design and test their own filtration system. After this project, we will spend time collecting and displaying data using a variety of graphs such as box and whisker, dot plots, bar, and ling graphs. 

8th Grade Course 3 - Next week we will begin a STEM project which will take place in both math and science classes. Students will work with a partner to design and test their own filtration system. After this project, we will do a study of probability, both simple and compound. 

8th grade is ending the year with lots of exciting activities. Before leaving for spring break we learned about El Camino de Santiago. Students went on their own pilgrimage around the school to learn more about the famous pilgrimage in Spain. As the end of the school year is rapidly approaching, we will spend our remaining time reviewing Spanish 1 material in preparation for the upcoming high school placement tests. 

7th grade is currently working on Unit 16, Las Abuelas de la Plaza de Mayo. This unit focuses on using the past tense in both written and spoken Spanish. We will end this unit by creating a class storybook using the story the students created in class.

6th grade is working on Unit 5, La corrida de toros. In this unit students are learning to state what they “have” and “don’t have”, as well as working on expressing opinions in Spanish. We will also explore Spanish culture with the tradition of bullfighting.

The 8th grade class recently learned about how the United States expanded "from sea to shining sea," and about what life was like for Americans in the mid-1800's. Students are geared up for an exciting field trip to Washington, D.C., Mount St. Mary's Seminary, and Gettysburg Battlefield. Upon their return, the focus is on the events leading up to the Civil War, and the war's effects on the nation.

7th graders have been delving into the cultural diffusion that happened in medieval Japan. They learned about how government, religion, language, architecture, and city design ideas came from China, India, and Korea to shape medieval Japan. We are taking a break from Japan during ILEARN weeks to focus on an Economy mini unit. Students will research the GDP, standard of living, human capital, industrial production, goods and services, consumer pricing, and economic system of a country of choice to present to the class. Presentations should be completed by April 25th. Ask your child to practice their presentation with you!

6th graders have recently explored the geography and government styles of ancient Greece as well as learning about the famous city-states of Athens and Sparta. Was life better as an Athenian or Spartan? The next unit focuses on ancient Rome and the innovations that the Romans created from the ideas of the Greeks.

Next week the entire middle school will be participating in a water filter STEM challenge. During their Math and Science classes, we will be focusing on filtration systems and water conservation. The goal is to create a filter for clean water by reducing the turbidity, balancing the pH, staying within a budget, and maintaining the rate of flow. 

6th grade wrapped up our waves unit with a challenging assessment. Throughout this unit, students learned how video calls work across the world. We examined the role of sound and light waves as well as diving into challenges around the great "digital divide". Science ILEARN will be on April 29th and 30th. 

The nervous system is the last body system 7th grade will be covering this year. We will explore the structure and function by investigating the connection between our gut and our brain. There is so much to learn about how our brains sense our surroundings and influence our actions. This is one of my favorite units to dive into with middle schoolers so they can learn about their developing brain. 

I am so proud of how the 8th graders researched a genetic topic of their choice. They found new information and taught both their peers and me interesting points. Fr. Bill introduced our next unit of study the theory of evolution with the creation story. He let the students know that the bible was written in a pre-scientific world.  

6th grade students are kicking off spring and the outdoor weather with some wiffle ball. Classes will relate the rules of wiffle ball with baseball and softball.

7th grade students are learning the rules and skills of lacrosse. Gameplay will be heavily adapted for safety and students will use rules from both men's and women's lacrosse.

8th grade students will be learning to play the lifetime sport of slow-pitch softball. Classes will be able to compare the differences and similarities with baseball and fast-pitch softball. Gameplay will be slightly modified to help with safety.

Over the last two years, our middle school has integrated a Positive Behavior Plan aligned with our Gospel Values. Students earn signatures for demonstrating positive behaviors, such as tidying up a classroom, helping a classmate, engaging appropriately in class activities, and more. These signatures can be exchanged for items at the "Gospel Guide" store. The store greatly appreciates any donations you can contribute. Click HERE to donate items and thank you for your support!