Fall Family/ Caregiver Conferences 2023

FALL FAMILY/ CAREGIVER CONFERENCES

Happy Thursday Families! The end of the first trimester is quickly approaching and to celebrate we are holding Fall Conferences November 20th and 21st. Please sign up with you child's teacher(s) to get the most uptodate information on their progress so far. Monday teachers will be here all day from 8AM until 8PM. Tuesday teachers will only be here in the morning 8AM- 12PM. Conferences are 15 minutes long and you can also schedule a virtual meeting if you are unable to come to the school.

Happy Holiday and see you at conferences,

Anna M. Young, Principal and Willie Williams, Associate Principal

Link Here For The School Calendar

Directions For Parent Portal Set Up For Infinite Campus

Reminder For Students & Caregivers

Please remind your student to check the lost and found tomorrow and during conferences. Unclaimed items will be donated after conferences.

Special Screening for Students & Caregivers at Glen Hills

SCREENAGERS VIEWING

We are pleased to inform you that Glen Hills, Maple Dale, and Bayside are joining forces to present the award-winning documentary "Screenagers-Growing up in the Digital Age." This thought-provoking film sheds light on the challenges many families face in navigating the realms of social media, video games, academics, and internet addiction.

The documentary delves into the impact of screen time on children's intellectual and emotional development. Furthermore, it offers valuable insights into how adults can guide children to navigate the digital world responsibly and find a healthy balance.

Details of the screening are as follows:

Date: Thursday, November 30th

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Glen Hills Middle School

Address: 2600 West Mill Road, Hills Middle School

We encourage parents to attend this event with their scholars, as it provides an excellent opportunity for families to engage in meaningful discussions about the digital landscape and its effects on our children.

Please note that no registration is required for this event, and it is not a drop-off occasion. We look forward to your presence and participation in this informative evening.

Should you have any questions or require additional information, feel free to reach out to Marian Guillen at marian.guillen@gdrh.org

News From Student Services

Written by: Carrie Gleba 7th & 8th Grade School Counselor

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING

During Social Emotional Learning time, also known as Wellness Wednesday, students have been focusing on mindsets, interests and goals. Students are learning how to develop a growth mindset and apply research-based goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives. If you are interested in extending the lesson to home, consider this conversation starter:

Tell your student about a time you had to learn something new. Explain whether it was hard to learn and how you learned it. Ask your student if there's anything they would like to learn to do this year.

In addition, 7th and 8th grade students learned about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend through a program called SOS (Signs of Suicide). SOS is an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program that teaches middle school students how to identify warning signs. SOS encourages students to ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell) if they are worried about themselves or a friend.

ACADEMIC AND CAREER PLANNING

We have a new opportunity open to 7th and 8th grade students. Over the course of the year, we are inviting guests from across a variety of professions to speak with a group of interested students over their lunch/recess time. Students who are signed up will bring along their lunches. This week Friday will be our first opportunity as we welcome Harmony Geary who will talk about nursing career pathways. Please encourage your child to sign up with Ms. Gleba. Also, if you are interested in sharing more about your business, school or profession with students, we’d love to hear about it! Call or email Carrie Gleba at: 414-351-7160 ext. 2163 or carrie.gleba@gdrh.org

8th Grade

8th Grade Written by: Jessica Herkowski, 6th & 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher

Hello 8th Grade Parents and Guardians!

8th Grade students have been working extremely hard during the month of November. In math with Mr. Grabowski and Ms. Kenwood, students have been working on proportionality and graphing. In ELA with Mrs. Brown and Mr. Allen, they are completing literary essays on their assigned fictional reading books. In science with Mrs. Young, they are finishing up creating paper cars and calculating their velocity. In Social Studies with Ms. Herkowski, students are completing their National History Day Project.

Reminders for 8th Grade Families:

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

Space is still available for the 8th-grade Washington, DC, field trip - don't miss the fun! Sign up today at worldstrides.com/signup by using Trip ID 210948.

7th Grade

Written by: Alhanoof Al K. and Ne’Veah H.

ELA

In 7th grade ELA we are writing stories about what we wish were actual books. We are able to write about whatever we want which is fun for us to do!

Math

In 7th grade math, we are working with fractions, decimals and percentages. We have learned how to use a table to solve lots of different types of problems. We have also learned about what proportional relationships are. We used graphs, tables and equations in solving problems.

Science

In 7th grade Science, we are learning about bath bombs. We learned what ingredients made up the bath bombs and which ones of the ingredients make the gas that makes the bath bomb bubble when you put it in water.

Social Studies

In 7th grade social studies, we are learning about all the different parts of africa. We are also making our own lands and cities.

S.T.E.A.M.

In 7th grade STEAM we are doing a fish passage. We are learning how fish can survive in the water and how we as humans can keep the water clean. We are learning about all the different water sources in Wisconsin like the 5 Great Lakes.

7th Grade Reminders

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

6th Grade

Written by: Brian Wesson, 6th/7th Grade Teacher

In ELA sixth grade students are working on a deep study of characters from short stories. Being able to compare characters from different stories.

In Math we are creating ratio tables to solve story problems related to proportional relationships.

In Science class students are studying thermal energy by seeing how cups hold in heat or coldness.

In Social Studies we are working on a project about Indigenous tribes.

6th Grade Reminders

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

5th Grade

Written by: 5th Grade Students From Ms. O'Connor & Mr. McClendon's Classrooms

Right now in writing the 5th graders are learning about how to write memoirs. The first step is to gather seed ideas/ brainstorming ideas to write memoirs. We're doing so by writing down our emotions, traits, important people in our lives, and lessons we have learned.

In reading, 5th graders are learning all about nonfiction reading. Students are practicing notetaking to find the main idea of their topic.

In Social Studies students are completing a Northeastern project. Students can pick any state from the Northeast and make a slideshow or a poster about the state of their choice. Students will also Learn about landmarks, climate, etc.

In Science, students just wrapped up their scientist presentation and now are going to learn about matter and how matter is everywhere. Not “matter, like you matter” it is the matter that has mass or takes up space. If you don't know what mass is, mass is an amount of ” stuff” in an object. So imagine two balls of the same size, one is made out of foam and the other one is made off of metal lead. Which ball would feel heavier??? The lead ball because there is more matter in that ball.

In math, students are learning about multiplying fractions with common denominators using ratio tables.

The life skill of the Month is gratitude. Students learned about Chris Nikic, an Iron Man inspiration. Students will be writing letters to people they are grateful for.

Reminders

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

4th Grade

These past few weeks in 4th grade, math students have been working on multiplication problems. We no longer stress memorization of math facts but instead work with students to develop strategies. We practice multiplication facts in a number of ways. Some of the students' favorites are online games like Boddle.com or Mathigon.com-Multipication by Heart. We have also been practicing using strategies to solve problems we don't know. Students made ratio tables using animal speeds to practice multiplying by two-digit numbers. We multiplied all the way up to 30x! One of my favorite methods to practice math facts is our dot multiplication cards. These offer visual support if a student needs it, but also helps students to become faster with their fact recall. Let us know if you would like a copy to work with at home!

Reminders

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

Updates From The Music Department

Article by: Cheryl Miracle, Band Director, Lauren Smrz, Choir Director, Andre Torrence, Liz Day, Orchestra Director, General & World Music Teacher

Band

The bands are flourishing here at Glen Hills MS. We held a casual pep band performance after school on Monday, November 13th. Ms. Miracle couldn't think of a better way to celebrate her birthday than with students making music. We have a few upcoming performances coming our way with the North Shore Band Festival on Monday December 11th. This event will feature the combined 7th and 8th grade bands from Glen Hills, Maple Dale, and Bayside along with the Nicolet HS bands. Concert is at 6:30 PM at Nicolet HS and is open to the public. We are also gearing up for our performances here at Glen Hills in January. The 5th -8th grade bands have been working on full band literature and making great progress on their scales and counting. Each day there is visible and sonic growth. We are so proud of our musicians at Glen Hills and it is an honor to work with them each and every day.

General & World Music

6th,7th, and 8th grade have just finished our presentations on Instruments Around The World. We have taken a fun virtual trip to different countries in class. Scholars have also completed their lessons on the Theory Thursday unit. The 4th and 5th graders have also taken part in Theory Thursday and are having fun counting rhythms, dancing to rhythms, learning quarter notes, quarters rest, treble staff, and bass staff. They are also learning about placing notes on the staff.

On Tuesday, November 13th, the cheerleaders, band, and drumline cheered on the basketball team as they won an exciting game.

The drumline and dance team are getting ready for their first performance this school year. We will be performing at Bayshore Mall on December 15, 2023, at noon. Our scholars are excited and ready to go.

If you would, please support them, they've been working so hard to perform for the school, parents, and our entire community.

Choir

The 5th-8th Grade students in Choir are working on their performance pieces for our Winter Concert! Stars, Skies, and Light is the theme of our program! 4th-8th Grade has been practicing our inner hearing and our ability to hear “Do” in our head and singing Do on Cue. We’re also continuing to improve our music reading skills and how they apply to singing and where to locate the notes we’re singing on the piano. The 4th Graders in Ms. Mclean’s class are learning about the different voice types and timbres that can make up a choir. They are also learning about all of the fun warm-ups we do at the start of each choir class!

Orchestra

Right now, orchestra classes are diving deep into learning repertoire for the January winter concerts. 8th Grade is working at playing in D minor, a key that involves B-flat, something new for this class. 7th Grade is working on a piece that involves syncopation, which is playing off beat. 6th Grade is working hard at learning to play 16th notes, syncopated notes, and ties, all new concepts for this year. 5th Grade is working on playing the longest piece they have learned so far ever and they were able to play through the whole piece this week for the first time. The new 4th Grade class is just now learning about how to hold and pluck open strings on the violin and viola.

Extra Curricular Opportunities:

Drum Line, Mr. Torrence - Mondays & Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 PM

Open Band Practice, Ms. Miracle - Mondays 4:00-5:00 PM

8th Grade Jazz Combo, Ms. Miracle - Tuesdays 7:30-8:15 AM

Jazz Lab, Ms. Miracle - Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 PM

Chamber Orchestra, Mrs. Day - Tuesdays 7:45-8:45 AM

Jazz Ensemble, Ms. Miracle - Thursdays 7:45-8:45 AM

Upcoming Performances:

North Shore Band Festival (Band 7 & 8) at Nicolet HS on Monday, December 11th at 6:30 PM.

Bayshore Mall Performance (Chamber Orchestra & Drumline) Friday, December 15th from 12:00-12:30 PM

Milwaukee Admirals Game National Anthem Performance - (Band 7-8 & Orchestra 7-8 and Chamber Orch.) Friday, January 5th at 7:00 PM

GHMS Winter Concert (Grades 7-8 Band, Choir & Orchestra) is at Glen Hills MS on Wednesday, January 17th at 6:30 PM.

GHMS Winter Concert (Grades 5-6 Band, Choir & Orchestra) is at Glen HIlls MS on Thursday, January 18th at 6:30 PM.

World Language

Article by: Maestra Swenson, Spanish Teacher

¿Qué tal?

Spanish classes are wrapping up their first big units of study. 6th graders wrote a short introduction of a person for Día de los Muertos, they acted out skits, and will be taking a reading and writing skills test.

Seventh and eighth graders are wrapping up their school units. Seventh grade students spent quite a bit of time learning how to tell time in Spanish. We talked about the “old school” way of saying it’s ten minutes to whatever the next hour is. We practiced digital time which most were very comfortable with. And finally, we looked briefly at military time. My favorite response was, “What?!?! We’re doing Math in Spanish now?!?!!”. It was quite the eye opener for some to realize math is everywhere.

Eighth grade students have finished up learning about the present progressive tense and saying what they are doing at any exact moment. They will be finishing up testing for our school unit by the end of the month.

As always, I strongly encourage you and your student to check their grades and not wait until the end of a marking period to turn in missing work or ask to retake tests and quizzes. Practicing the skills and vocabulary for 10-15 minutes a day goes a long way to help build confidence and competency.

Reminders

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

Updates from Physical Education

Written by: Gus Kaufmann, EJ Higgins, & Laura Sanders, PE Teachers

We are almost at the end of the first trimester. It was a great trimester to kick off the school year. During our first trimester we covered many skills and games like swimming, speedball, tennis, outdoor pickleball, wrestling, gymnastics, and many more fun and exciting ways to be active!

We will start our second trimester with roller skating. We will skate from after thanksgiving break until winter break. A few reminders for our skating unit :

Students do not need to change into PE clothes for roller skating. However it is recommended to wear pants that do not touch the ground as they could get stuck in the skates.
Students must wear socks for roller skating
Students may only use the school issued roller skates
4th grade students must wear wrist guards that will be provided by the school.
Students are strongly encouraged to wear helmets during roller skating, but are not required.

We look forward to a great second trimester with your scholars!

Reminders

Caregiver & Teacher Conferences 11/20 and 11/21 Sign Up Here

November 16th is Human-Growth- Development day for 7th and 8th grade.

Athletics & Activities

Written by: Renee Sladek, Speech & Language Teacher & Basketball Coach, Sedale Washington, Special Education Teacher & Basketball Coach

The lady basketball STARS are 7-1 so far this season, including one of our toughest battles at Bayside, which we won by one point a few weeks ago. Our only loss was the first game of the season, where we were short handed. The girls have been working so hard in practice and their hard work is showing off in their teamwork and overall record. We are so thankful for all of the support at home and away games. We look forward to closing out the season with the same energy. A huge THANK YOU to the cheerleaders and pep band for coming in to support the girls basketball team!!!! It has been GREAT to see you.

Reminders

Boys Basketball will be getting going with tryouts for both 7th and 8th grade the week of December 11th.

Link Here For Upcoming Fall Clubs & Activities

Talent Development

Nurturing Leadership in Students by: Benjamin B. and Philippe-Christophe G.

I only came to this school last year, and I was facing some challenges. I was being bullied, and I didn’t know at first how to get around the school. I had no idea how great the school year would eventually be, and I owe it all to my friends and all the experiences I had in Mrs. Murali’s class. I got to participate in the Future City Competition with people who were all nice to me, and I got to participate in the science fair. While I was still new at school, I got to go to the Regional and State Science Fair and I even won second place! Through the STEM opportunities provided at my school, I gained many long-lasting friendships. Today I am a better student, and a learner because of the fun experiences I had in the Talent Development Program at our school with Mrs. Murali. One of the highlights of this year is teaching coding to 4th and 5th graders at our STEM Club. I want to pursue a STEM field and become an engineer when I grow up. The opportunities that we get at Glen Hills Middle School are amazing! Our teacher flew a Cessna Airplane yesterday over our school to create excitement for us in the STEM field. She will be flying in a Zero-G to conduct the microgravity experiments designed by us. How many schools can provide opportunities like this? -Benjamin B.

The start of the sixth grade school year was rather lonely - mainly because I didn’t have very many friends. Little did I know how much this school year would be - I owe it to the experiences in Mrs. Murali’s class and all the new friends I met along the way! It’s an honor to be here - from building our District 14 Future City Model to the NASA project, viewing CO2 with the FLIR camera in microgravity, to winning the Nicolas Green Distinguished Student Award! I couldn’t ask for more! Even this year has a lot to unpack - teaching 4th graders how to code on Scratch, learning how to get better at chess, I even got a robot that I can code! I believe my experience with STEM opportunities and the Talent Development program will help me in my journey to becoming an astronaut, working in the Mission Control area, or designing rovers to go on Mars in the future. It’s a one-in-a-thousand type of opportunity - have you ever considered how many schools in Wisconsin provide this many opportunities? If it wasn’t for the Glen Hills Talent Development Program, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am glad I took part in all of the STEM activities presented to me to become a better student. I am looking forward to the many more opportunities that my school has to offer in 7th and 8th grade. - Philippe

We are hosting our annual STEAM Fair at Glen Hills Middle School from 9 am-1 pm on Saturday, December 9, 2023. Students and parents are encouraged to sign up to volunteer or attend the event to participate in various STEAM activities provided by the community organizations.

Link to the sign-up: https://forms.gle/WchjqLGkQFrc3nft8

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