As we enter Semester 2 (your student's LAST semester in Middle School!), our focus is on preparing for high school.  8th grade teachers are working with students to improve their academic skills as well as skills that will help them be successful in high school: time management, organization, independence, self-advocacy, and communication (just to name a few).  

8th graders just completed the pre-registration process.  They filled out worksheets with courses they are wanting to take in high school.  Students took a pink worksheet home to share with their families - if you didn't see the pink sheet, please ask your student to show you.  The presentation is linked here: High School Pre-Registration

High School registration is on JANUARY 29th during 7th PERIOD!  Your student is aware of this date.  They need to bring a FULLY CHARGED Chromebook to school.  

As mandated by the state of Nebraska, we have spent a few days focusing on financial literacy. To finish it off, the students are planning and budgeting a fictional trip to a national park (this also connects with our unit on Expansion and Change). 

Speaking of our unit. The students have learned about the U.S. policy of “Indian Removal” of the 1830s. This is basically also a practice for their upcoming District Common Assessment (DCA) which deals with the controversial start of the Mexican-American War. That DCA will be coming up in the next week or two. 

In Bayne’s class, we have a student teacher named Ms. Steen. She is awesome and from UNL. She was my practicum teacher from the fall, so she is familiar with Irving and my classroom. Presently, we are co-teaching a lot as she gets her feet wet. Feel free to say hello to her at Parent-Teacher Conferences down the road.

Students are watching, reading, and analyzing argumentative speeches and essays. Students are learning the different parts of an argument and how these parts work together to convince an audience that your argument is correct.

After MLK Jr. Day, students will read their quarter 3 book; English 8 will read Wolf Hollow by Laura Wolk while Diff. English will read Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson. While reading, we will look at our Quarter 3 theme: When is it right to stand up for yourself and others?

Students just finished their Winter MAP Math Test this week! We are beginning Semester 2 by diving into some Geometry concepts! Chapter 6 covers transformations on the coordinate plane and similarity of shapes when resized. Please encourage your student to keep up with their weekly homework in order to practice new content. The test for this module is scheduled for January 28.

Students just finished their Winter MAP Math Test this week! We began Semester 2 by picking up where we left off before Winter Break - Chapter 5 Sequences. We find patterns, write equations, and compare the graphs/tables of many sequences. The test for this chapter is scheduled for January 23.

Students just finished their Winter MAP Math Test this week! We began Semester 2 in Chapter 7, which explores the relationships between congruent triangles, and the polygons they can create. We also dive into proofs and what information is needed. The test for this chapter is scheduled for January 29.

During quarter three, students are using a paper planner/calendar to write down their CW (Classwork) and HW (Homework) for each class.   The goal is to do learning activities BEFORE they are due and turn them in to avoid bad grades.  This is different from last semester where students used StudentVue to do late and missing assignments.  If you’re interested in helping your child at home, having them sit down and do even 15 minutes of homework each night will help them build a homework habit.  

The eye dissection occurred at the end of week one in Mrs. Ellenberger’s classes.  Students enjoyed seeing the parts of the eye that we learned.  Ask your student what they thought about it! The third quarter will focus on astronomy. Students are learning about how Earth’s position around the sun and its tilted axis causes the seasons.  Students will learn about the phases of the moon, eclipses, and tides.  Your student will be looking for the moon both in the evening and morning as we explore why we have different phases of the moon.

Students are partway through the Economics unit. In this unit, students are learning about how wants, needs, and values influence financial decisions. Students are also exploring goods, services, human, natural & capital resources, supply and demand. Review for the summative assessment will start next week, with the summative assessment the week of January 26. Looking ahead: we will be taking a job shadow field trip to NUtech Ventures on February 4. Students will learn the ins and outs of the company and will be served lunch while we are out of the building. 

Rewards Plus: We are starting a Unit called “Viruses” that will incorporate many reading and writing skills that we are continuing from last semester.  Some of those skills include vocabulary, many types of sentence writing, parts of speech and literary device practice.  The story will also include lessons on comprehension and paragraph writing.   

Rewards Secondary: We are starting Unit 5 that will be divided up into four lessons involving the practice of many reading and writing skills that we learned last semester including prefixes, suffixes, parts of speech, vocabulary, sentence structure and paragraph writing.

***Please encourage your child to read at home, practice spelling words and fluency.