8th Grade Newsletter

Homeroom Update:

8th graders have had such an eventful month! We enjoyed visits from a handful of local High Schools in-class, and many of our kiddos have had an absolute blast shadowing individually on different campuses. We also spent quite a bit of  time with our PK buddies this month, spending Tuesday mornings with them in Church at our morning assemblies, and hosting our second Faith Family activity. The entire Middle School staff is so proud to see the class of 2024 leading our school campus and creating fun memories of their final year here at St. Leander!

Just a reminder that High School virtual open houses, informational sessions, and applications are in full swing for our students. Please be sure to check with your preferred High School web pages for up-to-date application information. Keep in mind that if a Catholic High School education is a priority for your kiddo, we strongly recommend you apply to two or more Catholic High Schools. 

Also a gentle reminder that the first installment of our Graduation Fees is due soon, on 11/15/23. If you have not already done so, please turn in your  $125 to the front office in a clearly labeled envelope with name, family number, and “Grad Payment #1” clearly written as soon as possible. Thank you!

Important Dates:

11/1: All Saints Day mass at 1pm

11/3: noon dismissal

11/9: Movie Night at 8pm

11/10: no school (in honor of Veteran’s Day)

11/15: Graduation Fee installment due ($125)

Report Cards sent home

11/17: SJND class field trip

11/20-11/26: Thanksgiving Break (no school)

11/27: school resumes

Social Studies & Religion:

In our Social Studies class, our 8th graders have been immersed in colonial history! We’ve explored the regional specialties of the 13 original colonies, learned about key historical figures from this time period, and deepened our understanding of subject specific terminology. We finished off the month of October with a special treat, watching Hamilton! What fun I had as a teacher, watching these kiddos belt out the songs as we watched along. As we look ahead to our November curriculum, we dive head first into the importance of the Revolutionary War and how our young nation set up our representative government in the aftermath of revolution. 

 In Religion class, 8th graders covered our first unit in our Family Life booklet which is all about God’s Gift of Family, and are moving into our newest unit, all about God’s Gift of Self.  In addition, we also spent time learning about the Council of Jerusalem and the early conflicts within our Christian faith in our Religion textbooks.  We are very excited to focus on our Christmas Nativity play this month, which is a time honored tradition for the 8th grade class to present!  As we head into November, we will split our Religion time together focusing on our play and our next Religion unit, the growth of Christendom throughout history.

Math & Science:

For Math, 8th grade students completed their section on finding rate of change and slope using tables and graphs . They are continuing to learn about interpreting data using graphs and understanding linear relationships.  They are learning to  find slope and y-intercept using  equations. Students will also be distinguishing the difference between proportional and nonproportional equations.  They will be using the equation y=mx+b and learning to write linear equations using data from a graph or table.   This method of data graphing  and interpretation will also be helpful  for their upcoming science fair project.  In addition to the Math text, we are also continuing to cover content standards for Eighth grade through our use of ALEKS, the online math program that we practice daily.  This month, we also begin HSTP practice activities to prepare for the high school entrance exam.  

For Science, 8th grade students have completed their pinball games!  It was so exciting to see them use their imagination, collaborate with their groups, come up with their designs, test and redesign different components of their projects and then complete a final working product.  We tested the games and had so much fun!  Students  are currently working on completing their report and reflection of their projects for their final summative assessment grade before the end of the trimester.  They will be explaining the design and construction of their projects, identifying the simple machines they used in their designs and how the machines enabled the games to work and identifying and explaining how Newton’s  Laws of Motion are implemented in the function of their machines.  Next in Science, we will continue our Physics studies with a section about friction and elastic forces.  We will also  explore solids, liquids and gasses and learn about forces in fluids and Bernoulli’s Principle of the relationship between pressure and fluid movement. 

ELA:

In Literature, 8th graders have finished their novel reading for My Brother Sam is Dead  as well as all final projects/essays related to it. Students have already begun their novel study for S.E. Hinton’s That Was Then, This is Now. Students have a timeframe written in their literature notebooks of when their reading should be completed by. Students are expected to complete their nightly reading as I have been administering pop quizzes to prepare them for high school. For ELA, students will begin reviewing for the HSPT beginning with a formal diagnostic to narrow down the subjects they have the most difficulty with. Students will also work on timed mock HSPT tests, as well as discuss test taking strategies. In addition to this, they will continue working on their weekly prefixes, suffixes, and roots unit. Last, but not least, if your student would like my assistance with writing their essays for their high school applications, please email me directly to set up an appointment.