We have launched into the quarter and already completed several assignments. We are moving right along. It's still early in the quarter and not too late for your student to get caught up, make great progress, and experience success this quarter.

Here are a few tips to help your student engage:

• Encourage them to have Canvas and the class activities open while we're discussing them.

• Join us in Canvas through as a Parent Observer where you can see and monitor your student's coursework, progress, and receive announcements.

Davis-Language Arts: We are moving into an essay based on the novel we read last quarter. After the essay we will be working on effective argumentation, argumentative writing and will be working on debates as well.

Science: Geology rocks! We are studying Earth Science this quarter. We’ll be talking about rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes, and so much more that applies to our life in Alaska. Students will be doing a Volcano Research Poster soon, so they may need some help at home on this project!

Social Studies : We will continue to move through history, after finishing the French and Indian War before the winter break. Next up is the American Revolution!

Math: We will be reviewing Equations, Graphing, and Integers before going into our next unit. Students will be solving systems of equations by graphing, substitution, and elimination.

Greetings families! It is hard to believe we are almost halfway through the 3rd quarter! We have enjoyed building on our relationships with students since the beginning of the school year. Please check on your students’ grades frequently to make sure they are caught up. If students are absent (due to COVID, family emergency, travel, or illness) they are still expected to complete their assignments. Please contact the specific teacher if you have any questions or concerns. We want our students to be successful and we are here to support them. Here’s to a strong finish for the 3rd quarter!

In Mr. Dykstra’s Science classes we will be starting our exciting physics unit. This is often a favorite of the students because it involves fun labs with practical implications. Here’s to a great new year!

In Mrs. Wainwright’s Math class, we will be taking our second iReady diagnostic test to collect data and monitor how our students are progressing throughout the school year. Then, we will be taking Unit Test 3: Numbers and Operations: Multiply and Divide Rational Numbers.

In Ms. Franklin’s Language Arts class, students are beginning a novel study. In prior units, we have read narratives and other fictional stories, as well as articles and informational texts. In this unit, we will read the novel Tangerine. After reading the novel, students will write a literary analysis essay in which they will analyze the novel's characters, setting, and actions and cite evidence from the novel to support their analysis.

Mrs. Chico’s ELL Newcomers Academy

ACCESS Testing will be the week of January 31.

MATH - Mr. Priest

Mr. Priest;s math 7 classes are working on everything concerning percentages! Remember, fractions are just a division problem, and don't forget to move the decimal place two spots! Soon your kid should be able to calculate tip and tax.

Pre-Algebra will move into learning about percents and decimals next week.

SCIENCE - Mrs. O’Connor

Olympus team science has involved motion and lab activity. We had an exciting spheros jousting tournament. We are moving on to studying forces and Newton's Laws. Make sure to check Q for updated grades!

LANGUAGE ARTS - Mrs. Lake

For February ELA, we are continuing in SpringBoard and utilizing supplemental lessons when it comes to grammar, poetry, prose, and writing. Please know if you are ever absent, look in Canvas Announcements for what our class is doing, as that is where I type our daily agendas.

Also, please know SpringBoard is accessible through Clever on the ASD website. So, if you’re out, your SpringBoard book is at school, and you see a SpringBoard (SB) assignment, you should go online, make sure you’re in Unit 2, and then go to the activity in question (2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc.). Feel free to contact me through email or through Canvas Inbox with any questions. Thank you!!

SOCIAL STUDIES - Mr. Petrash

In Social Studies, we will do a quick Geography Unit on ALASKA before heading off to study issues in EUROPE. Will there be a war? We will keep up to date on the Current Events of the day, as well as beginning a combined unit on CLIMATOLOGY and NOTE-TAKING. Finally, February will end with the start of my Asian Unit.

STRUCTURED LEARNING CLASSROOM - Ms. Robinson

In February, the Structured Learning Classroom will be working on exploring test-taking skills and strategies. We continue working on time & project management. Finally, we are working on conflict resolution strategies and practicing conflict management strategies.

Mr. Dyer

7th Grade World Geography is studying the human and physical geography of Central and South America and completing slide presentations about a country of the students’ choosing. 8th Grade U.S. History is learning about the Constitution and the structure & function of the government in the U.S.

Ms. Knight

In Strategies for Success class, we have finished up with our unit on teamwork and have now moved on to the concept of growth mindset, specifically how to have one in a school setting. In Drama classes, we have finished up with our unit on Improv. This week we are focusing on theater etiquette and will be moving on to stage directions over the next week or so. In Language Arts 8 class, we are still on Unit 2: The Challenge of Utopia. We are currently in the middle of reading The Giver, and will start working on our compare/contrast essay over the next couple of weeks.

Mr. McKenzie

In Geometry class we working on a unit about polygons and quadrilaterals.. In 8th grade math, we are finishing a unit on solving systems of linear equations. In 7th grade math, we are starting a unit on solving linear equations.

Mr. Denney

Adv. Language Arts 8: We are continuing our work in Unit 2. Through the study of utopian societies, students see that life cannot be perfect, no matter how hard we try, but also see that without hardships, heroes would not exist, and by studying argumentation, students build the power to convince others to do what is right, to make a change, or to see from a new perspective.

Language Arts 7: We are continuing our work in Unit 2. Students are learning to generate ideas through close reading, purposeful research, and productive collaboration, and learning how to write effective informational texts on the issue of marketing products to young people. Students will build on this knowledge to create convincing argumentative texts on relevant and engaging topics.

Introduction to Drama: We continue to explore imagination and creativity through conversations and a variety of games. We are wrapping up learning the essential theater vocabulary terms and learning how to communicate information through pantomime. Next up students will be memorizing and performing 1 minute monologues.

Mr. Oliver

In 7th grade Science classes, we are learning about physics and motion; soon we will be completing our speed and force labs. In 8th grade Science and Advanced Science 8, we are exploring earth science and plate tectonics so that we may better understand Alaskan phenomena like earthquakes and volcanoes.

Ms. Lurtsema

In 8th Grade Math Resource, the students are learning the concept of negative numbers. They will learn how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide negative numbers. They will continue to learn multiplication and division problems.

In 7th Grade Math Resource, the students are learning about exponents. They will learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide with exponents. They will learn formulas for exponent problems. They will continue to learn multiplication and division problems.

Ms. Pirehpour

Students in Affective Skills learned appropriate boundaries with others, showing kindness, and considered the feelings of others. Students also focused on areas for improvement. In Social Skills, students practiced interacting appropriately with others using conversational cards. They also identified triggers and learned effective coping skills. For Study Skills, 7th and 8th graders worked on grammar and using coordinating conjunctions to write compound sentences. Students also completed grade checks to identify areas of need for more focus in the future.

Hello Hanshew Families,

PE Make Up Work

Believe it or not, we’re already nearing the end of the second quarter with less than three weeks remaining before the end of the second quarter/start of the winter break. This also means that students are running low on time to turn in their PE makeup work before the semester ends. To that end, we recommend that all PE students (and/or their guardians) log into Q to check for any absences related 0s and make sure to get them made up before grades become official at the end of the semester. Make up sheets can be picked up in class or found online on Canvas.

Winter Sports

The 2021-22 boys basketball season at Hanshew began January 4. Varsity, junior varsity and C teams will compete through February. The C team schedule has not been announced, but the varsity and jv teams schedule includes:

Thursday, Jan. 27 Central JV and V at Hanshew 5:00 & 6:00

Tuesday, Feb. 1 Hanshew JV and V at Begich 5:00 & 6:00 PM

Thursday, Feb. 3 Hanshew JV and V at Mears 5:00 & 6:00

Thursday, Feb 10 Goldenview JV and V at Hanshew 5:00 & 6:00

Saturday, February 19 Jamboree TBD

Saturday, February 26 Jamboree TBD

CLICK HERE For the link to the schedule and ROSTERS!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11C5rRur5LHXTIjulL4SwZIoPLPHgVw93/edit#gid=2066498931

Cross-country skiing starts January 6th! See Coach Mittelstadt for details.

In Health this quarter, Hanshew 8^th graders have covered the skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular and respiratory systems. They have also completed physical activity, personal care and alcohol units. After six weeks of study, Cameron Anderson, Beatrice Anunciacion, Oliver Casurella, Cameron Hickman, Charles Case and Olivia Soderstrom have distinguished themselves academically in class. Congratulations Health Hawks!

At Hanshew, the Fine Arts Department strives to give our students the ability to express themselves through choir, band, jazz band, orchestra, ukulele, and visual arts.

"The arts, also called fine arts, are modes of expression that use skill or imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others." (https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-arts).

Celebrations in February:

There is plenty to keep the hardy festival-goer busy this month!

Top February festivals in Spain include the Almond Festival, Gastro festival Madrid, San Valentine’s Day and the renowned Moors Versus Christian reenactments. Many national holidays take place during this month. In many Spanish speaking countries, there is a special celebration called "Carnivals." Carnaval, celebrates art, music.

Don't forget, Valentine's Day lands in February too, a favorite holiday in the hispanic culture. For example, during this month, you can watch a tennis match at the Mexican Open, taste 100 Mexican wines, or view and buy contemporary art at Zona Maco in Mexico City. Then, when you're all partied out, witness the Monarch butterfly migration at one of Mexico's butterfly reserves or book your spot on a day boat for a whale-watching excursion!

In Mr. Bushey's Computer Technology course we are wrapping up

our Cyber Security module and will soon be moving onto various multimedia projects along with looking at various careers that correspond with what we are currently learning.

In Mr. Bushey's PLTW: Innovators & Makers, we have finished

looking at various Input devices, such as pressure sensors, flex sensors, temperature sensors, and accelerometers. We are beginning our exploration into output devices which includes simple motors and gears.

Students in Mr. Korniczky’s 8th grade Applied Technology (AT) classes have been working on their first STEM project called the Tower Challenge. The objective is to build a Tower out of coffee stir sticks following criteria and constraints. The final outcome of the tower is to support the most weight and it also must be the most efficiently built. After building the tower, students will calculate the efficiency (which means using the least amount of material while supporting the maximum weight possible). Then, the results will be charted utilizing data of the entire class.

In 7th grade AT class, the students' STEM project is creating Air Skimmers. The objective is to build a rubber band powered vehicle that is shot along the ground with the goal of the farthest distance. Mr. Korniczky said his students' all-time record is 103 feet 9 inches. Presently, students are accomplishing a distance of 57 feet on a tiled floor and that is very good! Students will experiment after understanding some science concepts related to Newton’s Laws of Motion and understanding of how inertia affects the skimmers. Students were also given the opportunity to show their artistic skills by designing their skimmers and later, classes voted on the best designs.

Link to photos: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x-bR_BwjyTOsjUcOpZm17cpzwbe7jEgffDm4gJ-e1wY/view