8th Grade Newsletter
January 16 - 19, 2024
January 16 - 19, 2024
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
Junior Achievement (JA) Finance Park Field Trip
We will be travelling to the JA Finance Park at Discovery High School between January 24th and January 26th. Please return your scholars permission slip to their homeroom teacher and reach out to the teacher to verify the specific date your child will be attending the field trip.
Parent Volunteers are needed for our Junior Achievement Field Trip! See below:
8TH GRADE MATH
In math this week, students will continue their studies of Systems of Linear Equations by examining the Substitution Method and then comparing it with the Elimination Method.
ENHANCED MATH / ALGEBRA CONNECTIONS
In enhanced math this week, students will expand their learning of the properties of exponents to begin simplifying exponential expressions, followed by a deep dive into scientific notation.
LANGUAGE ARTS
In language arts this week, students will continue Unit 4: The Fight for Freedom. In this unit, students will read about people who sacrificed for freedom.
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
In science this week, students will continue investigating the trends of the Periodic Table.
Grace Snell Middle School's Science Fair is on Thursday, January 18, 2024 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in our Media Center. Parents, guardians, staff and students are all welcome to come out to see the amazing work of our budding scientists!
SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies this week, students will complete their studies of Georgia's development during the New South era and then transition to studying Georgia's role in the first World War.
CONNECTIONS
Monday: No School
Tuesday: A
Wednesday: B
Thursday: A
Friday: B
January 15 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
No school
February 2 - Digital Learning Day
Students learn virtually & independently from home
February 15-19 - Winter Break
No school
March 6-7 - Early Release and Parent/Teacher Conferences
School Calendars Approved for 2024-25 and 2025-26
Parents, as you make various personal plans for your family for the next two years, we wanted to make you aware that Gwinnett County Schools has released approved calendars for the next two academic school years. You may access the links to each calendar below:
Greetings, Comet Families!
We are approaching the final stretch of your scholar being a middle school student. Second semester can be challenging for some, as winter and inclement weather rolls in. I want to encourage our families to continue pushing through in minimizing student absences from school.
In reviewing our most recent attendance data, I am happy to announce that our 8th grade scholars have actually shown improvements in attendance!
Our 8th grade attendance data is as follows:
September - 14% Absent; October - 13% Absent; November - 13% Absent; December - 12% Absent
While these statistics are moving in the right direction, I know that we can still do more to significantly improve attendance!
Let's partner to reduce our absences even further, with a goal of having no more than 5% of 8th graders absent by March 2024!
School Attendance Matters
School attendance is important because research shows that it significantly and positively impacts learning, and correlates with improved grades. Additionally, regular attendance helps students develop good work habits and 21st century skills, which students need to be successful in high school, college and careers.
Our school environment provides opportunities for scholars to interact with their peers, share ideas, and engage in collaborative learning. Furthermore, teachers play a crucial role in identifying and addressing individual learning needs. Regular and consistent school attendance allows teachers to monitor students' progress, provide targeted interventions, and offer additional support when necessary. Missing school causes students to fall behind in their academic studies, creates gaps in learning, and makes it more challenging for teachers and staff to provide in-time academic and social-emotional support for students.
Our scholars are gearing up to finish their final semester in middle school, strong, so that they will be ready to take on the rigor of their high school education. Yes, attendance does matter, and working together, we will ensure that our GSMS Comets are ready to soar in high school!
Criteria for 9th Grade Promotion
To earn promotion to the 9th grade, students are required to pass five out of six subjects EACH semester. Language Arts and Mathematics must be two of the five subjects passed.
Should a student not earn promotion to 9th grade, he or she may have the opportunity to attend summer school to learn the AKS standards not mastered during the school year. Students may attend summer school for no more than two semester-long classes.
In Georgia, 8th grade students also are required to achieve a reading status of Grade Level or Above on the English Language Arts Georgia Milestones End of Grade (EOG) Assessment and achieve the performance level of Developing or higher on the Mathematics Georgia Milestones EOG Assessment. Students who do not meet either of these state promotion requirements may be required to retest after summer school.
NOTE: For the 2023-24 school year, the Mathematics Georgia Milestones EOG Assessment will NOT be used to determine promotion as the state completes standards setting for the math assessment due to the introduction of new math standards.
A student’s grades in mathematics will be used to determine if students have met the mathematics promotion criteria for 8th grade.
Promotion for an English Learner (EL) or a student with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) is guided by the student’s English Learner Proficiency Plan.
High School Credit - Carnegie Unit Credit Decision Form
Our 8th grade counselor, Ms. Davis, has sent home Carnegie Unit Credit Decision Forms to parents of scholars, who are currently taking Physical Science, Enhanced Grade 8+ Algebra, Spanish I or II. Successful completion of these approved high school level courses in 8th grade, provides an opportunity for scholars to earn high school credit, which can be counted towards graduation!
Scholars who are taking one or more of the courses referenced above, must pass the class and applicable End Of Course (EOC) Georgia Milestones, in order to receive the Carnegie unit credit.
Parents are requested to sign the Carnegie Unit Credit Decision Form and send it back to your child's teacher, with your scholar, as soon as possible. If for any reason a scholar does not qualify to earn the Carnegie high school credit, parents will be notified and their scholar's Carnegie Unit Form will not be processed. In such instances, scholars will earn begin earning high school credit in 9th grade, upon successful completion of their high school courses. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to Ms. E. Davis.
Gwinnett School of Mathematics Science & Technology (GSMST)
GSMST is still accepting registration applications for the 2024-2025 freshman class. The registration deadline is January 19, 2024.
Wednesday Morning Tutorials
Does your scholar need extra support in learning a standard? Does your scholar need to retake an assessment, or make-up an assignment? Your scholar’s teachers host tutorial sessions each Wednesday morning from 8:15 AM - 8:45 AM. Please encourage your scholar to take advantage of this opportunity to get ahead or get back on track with learning!
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
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.