8th Grade Newsletter
October 16 - 20, 2023
Embedded Files
Our Mission
Grace Snell Middle School provides a culture of excellence that prepares all students to reach their maximum potential today, tomorrow and beyond.
Our Week at a Glance
Important Notes from your 8th Grade Team
PSAT Digital Check will take place during homeroom on Monday, October 16th. Students will need to know their student ID number, home address, email address and phone number.
If your child did not leave his/her Chromebook with his/her homeroom teacher on Friday, it is very important to bring the Chromebook to school on Monday, October 16th, in order to conduct the required PSAT digital check, which will be conducted in homeroom
Picture Day is HERE!!!!!!!! Come prepared to get those beautiful smiles captured for our yearbook on Monday, October 16th!
School will dismiss early this Wednesday and Thursday, at 1:15 PM, in preparation for Parent Conferences, which begin at 2:00 PM on Wednesday. If you have not already done so, please sign up for a conference with your child's teacher, using the link: PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE LINK
All 8th grade students at Grace Snell Middle School will take the PSAT 8/9 on October 25, 2023
What's Happening in our Classrooms
What's Happening in our Classrooms
8TH GRADE MATH
In math this week, students will continue working with the characteristics of a linear function, specifically domain and range. They will learn to find domain and range from both the graphical representation and the slope-intercept form of a function.
ENHANCED MATH / ALGEBRA CONNECTIONS
In enhanced math this week, students will take the summative assessment for Unit 1B: Modeling Linear Relationships and Functions. We will then begin Unit 2, which covers rational and irrational numbers; we will start by looking at square roots, cube roots, and repeating decimals.
LANGUAGE ARTS
In language arts this week, students will continue Unit 2: The Thrill of Horror. Students will analyze figurative language in the poem "The Hollow" by Kelley Deschler and they will begin analyzing the theme of "The Monkey's Paw" by W.W. Jacobs.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
In science this week, students will learn to use Ohm's law, which states that the current through a conductor between two points is directly proportional to the voltage across the two points. They will also develop and construct models of series and parallel circuits.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies this week, students will wrap up Unit 3, which covered the role of Georgia in the American Revolution and begin our next unit, which covers America's efforts to expand westward and how that time period impacted Georgia's development.
CONNECTIONS
Monday: B
Tuesday: A
Wednesday: B
Thursday: A
Friday: B
important dates
important dates
October 16 - PSAT 8/9 Digital Readiness Check
(ALL students MUST have their fully charged computers. Scholars who have damaged or lost their computers MUST inform your teacher and make arrangements to secure a loaner for the PSAT assessment)
October 16 - School Picture Day
October 18 & 19 - Early Release and Parent Conferences
October 25 - PSAT for all 8th Grade Students
November 3 - Digital Learning Day # 2
(Students work independently at home)
meet your 8th grade team
meet your 8th grade team
Dr. Brown
Dr. Brown
From the desk of our assistant principal
From the desk of our assistant principal
Dr. Brown
Dr. Brown
Greetings, Comet Family!
October is a very busy month for our 8th grade scholars.
PICTURE DAY
Our long anticipated picture day is finally here! You scholar does not want to miss taking his/her last middle school picture for the yearbook! Picture Day is on Monday, October 16th.
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
Maintaining open lines of communication between our parents and teachers is vital to the success of our scholars. We hope that all of our parents have had the opportunity to sign up for a parent conference with your scholars' teachers. Conference will be held this week, beginning on Wednesday at 2:00 PM. Conferences will be held in person.
PSAT 8/9
As you are aware, all 8th grade students will take the PSAT 8/9 assessment on October 25th. This is the first year that students will take the assessment digitally, as the paper-and-pencil version of the test has been phased out.
The PSAT 8/9 measures knowledge and skills that students are learning in school, to help prepare them for success in college and career readiness. Additionally, the PSAT 8/9 is a precursor to the PSAT/NMSQT, students will take in 11th grade, to qualify them for thousands of dollars for college, as National Merit Scholars.
The results of the PSAT 8/9 assessment will help establish a baseline for teachers to focus instruction and support student growth, as they begin embarking on their journey to high school, and begin positioning themselves to qualify for college scholarships!
There are two sections on the PSAT 8/9: Reading & Writing, and Math
Reading & Writing (54 Questions)
Use of reading/writing passages that come from different subject areas and vary in difficulty level.
Emphasis on showing command of evidence, both textual and quantitative.
Emphasis on high-utility words and phrases in context.
Focus on revising texts to improve the effectiveness of written expression, and meet specific rhetorical goals.
Measurement of ability to edit texts to follow core conventions of Standard English sentence structure, usage, and punctuation.
Math (44 Questions)
Focus on the math that matters most for college and career readiness and success.
Math problems in (and out of) context.
Use of both multiple-choice and student-produced response question formats in the Math section.
Parents and students are highly encouraged to use the resource links below to become familiar with, and to practice questions similar to what will be on the PSAT 8/9, PRIOR to October 25th. Use the provided resource below to score your practice test and review the given explanations.
Wishing our 8th grade scholars the very best in taking the PSAT 8/9, and for taking steps to prepare for high school, college, careers and beyond!
PSAT 8/9 Parent and Student Resources
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/psat-8-9-student-guide.pdf
http://bluebook.app.collegeboard.org/
https://www.desmos.com/testing/georgia/graphing
Old Paper Version of PSAT 8/9 Practice Test:
PSAT 8/9 Practice Scoring:
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/psat-8-9-practice-test-1-scoring-guide.pdf
PSAT Practice Test Answer Explanations:
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/psat-8-9-practice-test-1-answers.pdf
portrait of a graduate
portrait of a graduate
Gearing up for
Gearing up for
Class of 2028
Class of 2028
Watch this video to get a snapshot of the competencies our scholars are developing at Grace Snell Middle School now, to prepare them to reach their maximum potential today, tomorrow and beyond!
Our 8th Grade Teams
Team G.O.A.T.
Team Blaze
Team Phoenix
Team I'So Elite
Team Trailblazers
State law requires that children between the ages of 7 - 16 attend school DAILY.
Students will be excused from school for the following legal absences:
Personal illness
Death in the immediate family
Recognized religious holidays observed by your faith
Absences mandated by governmental agencies
Service as Page in the Georgia General Assembly
Visit with parent or legal guardian prior to deployment or while parent is on leave (up to 5 days)
Instances where attendance would be hazardous
Students absent from school for legal reasons stated above, will be excused IF they bring a written excuse from a parent, guardian, or medical provider, stating the reason for the absence.
The written excuse must be given to the desk clerk in the front lobby on the day the student returns to school.
8th Grade Office
Dr. A. Brown, Assistant Principal
Ms. E. Davis, Counselor
School Hours
8:55 AM - 4:00 PM
No drop-offs before 8:50 AM
Early Dismissal
Early Dismissal
Missed instructional time is detrimental to a student’s performance.
Parents are urged to make dental, medical, and other appointments before or after school hours.
If it becomes necessary for a student to check out during the day, parents must report to the desk in the front lobby to sign out the student.
Parents will be required to show picture identification in order to check out their children.
No check-outs or transportation changes shall be made after 3:30 PM.
It is the expectation that students make up missed assignments whenever they are absent from school, or check-out early.
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