Friday 1/12

Grade Level News for 7th Grade

Update from the Principal's desk:

SFMS Families,

Registration is around the corner for all grade levels. Please remember that teachers use multiple data points when making recommendations.

I wanted to provide you with an update regarding the 24-25 principal process. This morning, our LSC delivered feedback to three officials from the County Office, including our Superintendent. The team takes the feedback very seriously and will work to find the best candidate for SFMS needs.

Thank you,

Molly

From the Seventh Grade Team - Our teachers are noticing that some students are running low on school supplies from the beginning of the year. Please take a moment to check in with your child to make sure they have updated and working supplies from the beginning of the year.

Upcoming Dates

1/15 - Student/Staff Holiday (MLK day)
1/17 - Creative Scoops ($3 during flex)
1/16-1/20: 7th grade bball tournament
1/23 - 1/27: 8th grade bball tournament
2/16 - Student/Staff Holiday
2/19 - Student/Staff Holiday
2/20 - Student Holiday
2/21 - Navigating the Journey (South Forsyth Vertical Night)

English-Language Arts News

Happy New Year! 7th Grade ELA students have started the year with a bang! In Unit 4, students are learning about misplaced and dangling modifiers.
They will have a quiz on these January 12. Also, students will learn about argumentative writing. They will begin by learning argumentative vocabulary so as to be able to discuss this genre of writing using academically specific terms; there will be a quiz on these January 19.
Next, students will read and analyze argumentative writing and be assessed on a summative January 26.
Finally, students will create their own argumentative essay based on informational texts on the topic of space exploration; this summative essay will be due February 14.

Math News

7th Grade Math is working on Geometry, Rational vs Irrational Numbers, and Percents!

Below are our upcoming assessment dates. Please continue to check Canvas for any updates.

7th Grade Math: 1/23- Percent Application Test
7th Grade Advanced Math: 2/6- Angles and Circles Test
7th Grade Accelerated Math: 1/18- Roots and Rationals Test

Why can’t your nose grow to be 12 inches long? Because then it would be a foot!

Life Science News

7th Grade Science is continuing through our Genetics unit with Unit 4B! Here are some key upcoming dates:

Selective Breeding Formative Assessment on Friday, January 19th
Unit 4 Test on Friday, January 26th

All study materials will be posted on Canvas for students to use at home! Please encourage your student to start preparing early!

A Science Joke: Why do biologists look forward to casual Fridays? They’re allowed to wear genes to work.

Social Studies News

We have finished geography of India and will be moving onto history of India next week! Students will be watching the Gandhi movie at the end of the unit, which requires a signed permission slip. Permission slips were emailed out last week to parents/guardians, please sign the google form ASAP, and reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

Important Dates: 1/17 India Geography Quiz

Enrichment News

7th grade ELA Enrichment will be covering the following this week:

-We will be continuing our Slaying Grammar unit and covering verbs

-Students will learn about linking verbs, helping verbs and infinitives

-Students will continue their Creative Writing Assignment by adding verbs

Connections News

Marketing:

Welcome to Q3 Marketing class!

Our 6th graders are learning the basic’s of marketing and the 4 P’s (product, price, place, promotion).

7th graders are learning the basics and all about entrepreneurship while 8th graders will begin learning about the different HS marketing pathways😊

Healthcare Science:

6th and 7th grade will be learning new medical terminology.

8th Grade will create a leadership plan for High School incorporating the CTAE pathway of their choice.

HOSA's SQT's are scheduled for 1/16. HOSA chapter Meeting for 6th and 7th grade is scheduled for January 18th. 8th grade's next meeting is scheduled for February 8th. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Kauffman at f22003@forsyth.k12.ga.us

Art:

Advanced Year Long Art as an 8th Grade Connection:

Advanced Year Long Art is an connections class that is available to 8th graders only. The space in this class is LIMITED. To be accepted into the course:

Students must submit an online application by 11:59 PM on 3/29/24
Students must apply in the spring of their 7th grade year
Students must follow all directions on the application

It is not required, but highly recommend, that interested 7th graders sign up for one of Ms. Shoemake's Advanced Art Application Help flextime session in the month of February. Ms. Shoemake will explain what the course entails, how to access the online application, how to submit the application, and how the application will be scored.

To receive a link to the application, students should pick up a flyer from the art room (525)

Competitive Opportunities

There are two different art competitions currently available to students:

Design A Bookmark about Agriculture (sponsored by the Georgia Farm Bureau
Keep Forsyth County Beautiful's Storm Drain Art Contest

Interested students can talk to Ms. Shoemake in the art room (525) for more information

South Vertical Team Art Exhibition

The 2nd annual South Vertical Team Art Exhibition will be housed at the Cumming Arts Center from 1/17/24-2/10/24. The exhibition features artwork made by students from South Forsyth High, Lakeside, South Forsyth Middle, Haw Creek Elementary, and Daves Creek Elementary. SFMS has 27 artists whose artwork will be displayed, and we are so proud of them. The artwork can be viewed for free on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays during the run of the exhibition. Congratulations artists!

Counseling Corner

Happy 2024! This is a great time for a reset and take the opportunity to reflect. Ideally, we should strive to do this year-round, but January is a great place to start! Change can be intimating to teens (and adults too), but our ultimate goal is to help our children become healthy and independent. In order to do this, we need to encourage them to evaluate their choices to see if it is serving them well. For this stage in their lives, this could mean getting more sleep, consuming nutritious food, limiting social media, taking more time to do physical activity, exploring interests, evaluating relationships, or taking time to take care of our mental and physical health. I provided some ideas below.

New Years Resolutions for Teens

New Year's Resolutions for Tweens

Nurse Notes

Flu season is upon us! As we see numbers increase across our community and state, we would like to remind families to keep students home from school if they are experiencing symptoms. Please visit this link to read about when it is recommended your child stay home. Thank you for helping to keep all our students and staff safe and healthy by following these guidelines!

Testing Calendar is subject to change.
Students that do not take their final, their grade will result in a zero for that summative assessment.

Parent Volunteer Opportunities:

Sign up HERE if you would like to volunteer throughout the school year.
We love our SFMS teachers! To our new parents, Welcome!! Each month we try to do something special to let our teachers know all of their hard work is appreciated! This second 1/2 of the year we would like to cover lunch duty on the following dates with volunteer parents:
- - Feb 8-Sweet Treats sponsored by Andrew Peters-The Peters Team Keller Williams Realty
  - March 14-International Potluck sponsored by Sheba Naqvi-Bald Ridge Family Practice
  - April 18-Open for sponsorship; please contact Jennifer Davis if you would like to sponsor (jenniferdavis429@gmail.com)
Volunteers stand in the cafeteria for an hour and let the kids know when to head back to class. You will be with 7 other volunteers and maybe get to embarrass your child! It is super easy! This gives the teachers a quiet time to enjoy lunch and it is a much appreciated way to give back. If you can’t come during school hours, please consider donating soft drinks for our teachers. You can send these in with your student and drop off at the main office. There is a slot for these on the sign up as well.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080944AEAC28A4FB6-47010609-sfms

PTO Board Volunteer Positions

SFMS PTO Board is looking out for parent volunteers to fulfill the following open positions for 2024-25 schools year - President, VP resources, Member at Large, Communications, Treasurer and VP of services & events. If you are interested in contributing, pls email ptosfms@gmail.com and we will schedule a meeting in February to outline the responsibilities for each position.