8th Grade Newsletter

Homeroom Update:

Happy Catholic Schools Week! I loved seeing so many familiar faces join us for our livestream mass yesterday to kick off this celebratory week. A few dates to keep in mind as we enter February: 

• February 3rd: Candy Sale fundraiser begins (see  Wednesday newsletter for info)
• February 5th: noon dismissal
• February 12th: noon dismissal
• February 15th: no school (President’s Day)

• February 16th week: STAR testing will begin this week; Mr. Funcheon and Ms. Gonzales will communicate the exact dates for each of the two tests.
• February 23rd: All outstanding/ missing assignments must be turned in by 2/23 in order to avoid receiving a zero on report cards. I strongly encourage both students and parents to check PowerSchool weekly for updates on missing assignments. Report cards will be sent home electronically on Wednesday, March 3rd.
• February 26th: Graduation photos are tentatively scheduled for this day. More info to follow.

Social Studies & Religion:

In our Social Studies class this past month, our 8th graders have been  learning about the origins of “manifest destiny”. We spent some time learning about the trials and tribulations of life on the difficult trails heading west, the importance of the Texas Revolution in the 1830’s and 1840’s, the impact of the Mexican- American War, and the cultural shifts that took place during the California Gold Rush. In Religion class, 8th grade dove into learning about  the similarities and differences of Eastern and Western churches.  We also took time to reflect on Biblical scripture passages daily with our communal prayer time. As we look forward to February, we will enjoy our Catholic Schools Week with a Bingo game focused on Catholic heritage, and then bring our focus to preparing for our Holy Liturgical season of Lent, which will begin on Ash Wednesday (2/17).

Math & Science:

For Math, 8th grade students have just finished reviewing “Expressions and Equations” on Mathletics. We have now moved on to newer and more advanced concepts regarding “Expressions and Equations”. Students are now working on linear equations and solving for x, while these equations are not new they are tougher. These algebra problems are extremely important for students to understand to excel in  high school mathematics, so,  we will continue reviewing the material to ensure we form a strong base of knowledge. Please remind your students that the 8th grade tutor session is on Fridays at 12:30 pm using the same Zoom link for their math and science class. For Science, 8th grade students have just finished chapter 7 “Acids, Bases, and Solutions' and will begin our chapter on carbon molecules. Upon completion of this chapter we will begin our lesson on the fundamentals of physics, where your student will  complete at home projects demonstrating their knowledge.

ELA:

In Literature, the 8th graders will begin their background research on events and people of the 1930’s to give historical background to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.  Students will be expected to complete novel reading at home daily and come to class prepared for group discussion and writing assignments.  In English, we will dive into an intense unit on writing focusing on content and analysis. In Spanish, students will work on keeping their skills strong by working on reviewing previous lessons weekly via Duolingo.