Dec 5 - 9

Math and Science - This week we continued our study of solving linear equations by focusing on combining like terms. Students should be able to recognize like terms and combine them by adding the coefficients. We also learned the Distributive Property and applied it by expanding algebraic expressions. This coming week we will focus on expanding expressions to solve, as well as factoring algebraic expressions. In science we continued our study of Light and Optics by creating a comic about an optical device of students' choice.

Humanities -

CNGS Updates - Activity Day is coming up this Thursday December 15th.

The Grade 8 team is pleased to be hosting a "Homework Club" after school, as per student requests. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions or complete unfinished assignments. Homework club runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after school from 2:45 - 3:45 and students are welcome to attend any teacher's day, they are not limited to their own teachers.

Grade 7 Leadership classes are running a "Winter Clothing Drive" and families are asked to donate any new or gently used winter clothing to support newcomer and refugee families. Students can bring in donations until this Thursday.

Nov 14 - 18

Math and Science - This week we wrapped up our study of Squares, Square Roots, and the Pythagorean Theorem. Due to the many absences some students have not yet written their unit final and should be prepared to do so during the week of November 21-24. In science we learned about pressure, including how pressure and density are related and how to do simple pressure calculations. We also continued learning how to interpret a solubility graph and compare concentrations of solutions. Students will write their Mix and Flow of Matter unit final on Tuesday November 22nd, and we will begin our next unit of study, Light and Optical Systems, the following day.

Humanities -

ELA

This week Mr. Lancaster returned and students bade farewell to Mr. Meeks.

CNGS Updates - We had a very successful Activity Day sign up on Friday after school. Students that were not able to sign up on Friday can bring their form and money this week and sign up for any activities with spots remaining. Any and all parents and guardians interested in volunteering for Activity Day can reach out to Ms. Connolley at alconnolley@cbe.ab.ca - we will need a lot of help and supervision!

The Grade 8 team is pleased to be hosting a "Homework Club" after school, as per student requests. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions or complete unfinished assignments. Homework club runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after school from 2:45 - 3:45 and students are welcome to attend any teacher's day, they are not limited to their own teachers.

Due to parent-teacher conferences being switched online our Book Fair has also changed. Each homeroom class is assigned one period in the week to shop the Book Fair. 8-3's designated period is Thursday in period 6, and 8-4's is Thursday in period 7. This is the only chance students have to shop the Book Fair. Regular book exchange will resume on November 30th.

The booking system for parent-teacher conferences will close this Wednesday, November 23rd at midnight.

Oct 31 - Nov 4

Math and Science -

Humanities -

ELA

On Monday students were given the article "New York teenager invents low-cost tool to spot elephant poachers in real time" to annotate and then respond to. We also continued reading the novel "Refugee" chapters 16-21, discussing and reflecting on the experiences of the three main characters. Students are learning to construct meaning and make connections through listening. We have been taking notes using a graphic organizer, and conducting listening checks (quizzes) to assess comprehension.

Social

We began our new unit on Japan by learning how to write our names in Katakana (a form of Japanese writing). We also had the opportunity to experiment with origami, and try our luck with some trivia. After our introduction to the unit we began to learn about the geography of Japan, and how it influenced their worldview in the 1500's. Then we discussed the events that occurred in Japan before the "Edo" period, or time of peace.

oct 24 - 28

Math and Science - This week we continued our study of Squares and Square Roots, focusing on estimating the square roots of non-perfect squares, which students should be able to show as both a fraction and to one decimal place. We applied this knowledge to problems involving area, perimeter, and side lengths of squares.

In science we planned, built, and tested boats to demonstrate our understanding of buoyancy.

Important upcoming dates - unit exam for Squares, Square Roots, and Pythagorean Theorem on Monday November 14th, and unit exam for Mix and Flow of Matter on Thursday November 17th.

Humanities -

ELA

On Monday students were given the article "Why Canadians are Protesting for Women's Rights in Iran" to annotate and then respond to. We also continued reading the novel "Refugee" chapters 10-15, taking short breaks from the story to reflect on our three main characters, and the situations they face. Students are learning to construct meaning and make connections through listening. We have been taking notes using a graphic organizer, and conducting listening checks (quizzes) to assess comprehension.

Social

In Social Studies students have completed a group assignment where they created a hypothetical society and presented it in front of the class. Early in the week we simulated a few situations that each society would have to face. Students were tasked with coming up with solutions true to their society's worldview and beliefs. Later in the week we began our new unit on "Japan." We brainstormed all that we knew about Japan (on whiteboards), and then participated in trivia as an introduction to the new unit.

CNGS Updates - Snow has delayed the ending of the girls soccer season and games will be played next week, rain or shine. Dress warmly! Volleyball season continues on and many of our senior athletes will participate in a tournament next weekend, good luck Phoenix!

The Grade 8 team is pleased to be hosting a "Homework Club" after school, as per student requests. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions or complete unfinished assignments. Homework club runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after school from 2:45 - 3:45 and students are welcome to attend any teacher's day, they are not limited to their own teachers.

Over the next two weeks students are reflecting on Remembrance Day and the theme for our eighth grade students is how the legacy of the Canadian Armed Forces paved the way for us to participate in a number of different communities today - whether they be faith groups, sports teams, public schooling, LGBTQ+ support groups, or any other communities our students are part of. Students have been asked to create an artifact that represents their understanding that may be included in our Remembrance Day assembly which will take place on Thursday November 10th.

We are also collecting donations for the Veterans Food Bank from November 1st until November 10th. Please bring in non-perishable food items, new clothing items, new cleaning supplies, or cash to contribute to this worthwhile endeavour.

oct 17 - 21

Math and Science - This week we continued our study of Squares and Square Roots. By this point students should have their perfect squares and square roots memorized from 1 - 225 (1 squared through 15 squared). We began to estimate the square roots of non-perfect squares by using the benchmarking strategy, identifying the nearest perfect squares above and below, and setting up a number line. You can ask students to demonstrate this for you by asking them to estimate the square root of 12 or 30, for example.

In science we used the educational software Gizmos to complete a simulation to discover the effects of density on buoyancy. Students also had some work time to catch up on previously due assignments - please check your student's PowerSchool and Google Classroom to ensure they're keeping up with their coursework.

Humanities -

ELA

On Monday students were given an article to annotate and then respond to. We have been practicing annotation techniques over the last few weeks, and are now getting the opportunity to apply this knowledge. We also continued reading the novel "Refugee" chapters 7-9. Students are learning to construct meaning and make connections through listening. We have been taking notes using a graphic organizer, and reviewing daily to both comprehend and remember ideas and information.

Social

In Social Studies we continued to create our own societies with a focus on worldview. Students have been working in groups and were encouraged to advocate points of view that recognize the ideas of others and advance the thinking of the group. At the end of the week each group presented their society and map in front of the class. They were assessed on speaking, looking at different points of view (different elements on the poster), and citizenship and identity (comprehensive idea of worldview).

CNGS Updates - Our boys soccer season wrapped up this past week and our girls team has a playoff game at home this upcoming Tuesday at 4:15. Volleyball season continues on and many of our athletes participated in a tournament over the weekend.

Within the next few weeks the Grade 8 team is pleased to begin hosting a "Homework Club" after school, as per student requests. This will be a great opportunity for students to ask questions or complete unfinished assignments. Homework club runs on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after school from 2:45 - 3:45 and students are welcome to attend any teacher's day, they are not limited to their own teachers.

This week CNG students are participating in Spirit Week with a door decorating competition being judged on Monday, dress in Halloween colours on Tuesday (the assigned colour for grade 8 is purple), Pajama Day on Wednesday, and Creepy Twin Day on Thursday. On Monday the 31st students are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes or to dress up in Black and Orange. There is no school for students this Friday, October 28th. We wish all students and families a very happy Diwali on Monday the 24th!

oct 11 - 14

Math and Science - This week we began our study of Squares and Square Roots. Students should be able to describe in words, with symbols, and with a diagram why some numbers are considered square numbers. They should also memorize their squares from 1 squared up to 15 squared. Students will write their first quiz in the new unit on Thursday, October 20th. In science we did a lab comparing the viscosity of different fluids by measuring their flow rate. We also watched a demonstration about the effects of temperature on viscosity of fluids and students have a graphing assignment due on Tuesday.

Humanities - In ELA we read chapter 2-6 in the novel "Refugee" by author Alan Gratz. Students are learning to construct meaning and make connections through listening. We have been taking notes using a graphic organizer, and reviewing daily to comprehend and remember ideas and information. On Friday we conducted a listening check (quiz) to check for understanding.

In Social Studies we are utilizing our knowledge of worldviews to create our own societies. Students are working in groups and are encouraged to advocate points of view that recognize the ideas of others and advance the thinking of the group. These societies will be presented as posters, and both completed and presented next week.

CNGS Updates - Soccer and volleyball seasons are in full swing and students and families are encouraged to come and watch games and cheer on our Phoenix athletes!

Within the next few weeks the Grade 8 team is pleased to begin hosting a "Homework Club" after school, as per student requests. This will be a great opportunity for students to ask questions or complete unfinished assignments. More information will be available later in October.

A reminder that this upcoming week is a full five-day week. The schedule for Friday is a Monday 3, 4, 5, Homeroom.

Sept 26 - 29

Math and Science - This week we continued practicing our multiplication and division of integers, and learned about the order of operations. Students should be able to predict whether a product or quotient will be positive or negative depending on the signs in the equation. Students should also be able to follow GEMS or BEDMAS to solve an equation with multiple operations. Students will write their Integers unit exam this upcoming Thursday before the long weekend. We completed a lab in science where students identified different substances and classified them as either mixtures or pure substances, and students designed a flow-chart to categorize any given substance. Students also learned about some of the different ways to separate mixtures.

Humanities - Students spent time getting to know Mr. Meeks who is in for Mr. Lancaster until he is able to return.

CNGS Updates - Soccer and volleyball seasons are in full swing and students and families are encouraged to come and watch games and cheer on our Phoenix athletes!

Within the next month the Grade 8 team is pleased to begin hosting a "Homework Club" after school, as per student requests. More information will be available later in October.

A reminder that this upcoming weekend is a four-day weekend for students. Teachers will be in on Friday engaging in a system-wide Indigenous Education professional learning day, and the school will be closed on Monday October 10th for Thanksgiving.

Sept 19 - 22

Math and Science - This week we had a check-in quiz on modeling multiplication of integers. We then learned how to model integer division using integer chips and number lines, and practiced multiplying and dividing integers using the sign rules to cement our understanding. Students should be able to predict whether a product or quotient will be positive or negative depending on the signs in the equation. This week we were introduced to the Particle Model of Matter and its five key ideas which students should know. We used the Particle Model of Matter to describe what happens when substances undergo changes in state (freezing, melting, evaporating, etc).

Humanities - Students continued their exploration of world view.

CNGS Updates - Monday brings the beginning of Orange Shirt Week, culminating in National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Friday (the school will be closed). Students will engage in lessons and activities around Truth and Reconciliation and the TRC's Calls to Action this week across subject areas. All members of the CNG community are asked to wear an orange shirt this Thursday.

Picture Day is this Tuesday, September 27th.

Our soccer, volleyball, and cross country seasons are all in full swing. The last race of the Cross Country season is this Monday at Confederation Park. Go Phoenix Go!