November Newsletter

WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY!

Math Corner

We have been learning math with games! Enhanced Algbera students have learned how to factor equations through bingo, battleship, carousels, matching activities, and the highly competitive game "arrows through the heart". The next CBA is December 13th.

In Geometry, students have learned how to dilate through dilating the letters in their names. We have moved on from similar triangles into the Pythagorean Theorem. The next CBA is December 13th.

English Corner

Da Vinci 8 has been learning to become Shakespearean actors! As we have been performing the play in class, students have been reading summaries outside of class to help them learn what is going on in the scenes before we perform the play. We have some students with some real acting chops! (Note: all kisses between Romeo and Juliet have been replaced in our performances with classroom appropriate high fives.)

We have also begun our "Pie the Teacher" reading incentive program, where students can earn tickets for a chance to pie a teacher of their choice at the end of the schoolyear. All four of the DVA 8 teachers have offered up their faces as sacrifices for the sake of literacy.

Ga. Studies Corner

This month we studied Westward Expansion in Georgia to analyze the changes that developed as the country expanded. Students completed a variety of activities including simulations and the first mini Mock Trial. The students worked as lawyers, witnesses, a judge, and bailiff to conduct a case based on the question, "Was Andrew Jackson responsible for the death of 4,000 on the Trail of Tears?" This past week we began looking at the differences between the North and South and causes of the Civil War. This was further explained during the field trip to the Atlanta History Center.

HS Physical Science Corner

November saw the conclusion of Unit 4: Electricity and the beginning of our last unit for the semester - Unit 5: Waves. Waves have so many applications so there are SO MANY things you can talk about with your students at home to help with their understanding of this current unit! Applications in the medical field include x-rays, radiation, infrared (basically most of the EM spectrum!). We are also talking about sound waves - so many applications there - music, Doppler Effect, traveling through air vs. water.

We will conclude this unit with "The Waves Around Us" Socratic Discussion - I would love for you to talk to them about that and find places to research and discuss the potential for negative effects (mental and/or physical) on the increase of radio/microwaves around us with the increase of communication devices.

Below are some pictures from our exciting Electricity Project - they build their own lightbulbs, generated voltage from lemons/limes/potatoes and created a motor with coiled copper wire, batteries and magnets!

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Extra Curricular

Two of students favorite after school activities are Tech Fair Club on Wednesdays and Chess Club/Strategic Games Club on Thursdays. Here are some pictures of students enjoying those! Beta club also sold and passed out Goggle Grams in the month of November!

Unit Celebration

We held our second unit celebration on November 1st. Our theme for this unit is "Resistance and Transformation". In science, students transformed a lot of energy - including static electricity with the Van Der Graff! We culminated the event with transforming ice cream into ice cream sundaes. :-)

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Students in Strategic Games are trying out one of Mr. Wildeboer's new board games: Arcs!

Enrichment

In art enrichment, students have been making watercolor paintings and mini sculptures.

Field Trips

This month, students visited JISA and the Atlanta History Center. The Atlanta History visit was on Friday November 22 and was entitled "The Price of Freedom." Students learned about the Civil War through studying primary sources, reenacting as solders through the Civil War exhibit, and viewing a production of a slave owner. We culminated the trip with viewing the cyclorama depicting the Battle of Atlanta!

Updates:

Students will be coming home with a permission slip to visit either Johnson High School or Flowery Branch High School/STEAM program on December 4th. Please sign it, and have your child return it ASAP. Thanks to those of you that sent it on today! Sorry for the short notice. Here is a link to the form.

Remember to follow our DVA Facebook page to see your children learning, exploring, and creating this year! https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562546417654

We have also recently joined Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/hallcodva/

The next Savannah payment is due January 7th! It will be $160 due at this date. The trip is March 10-12 and totals $647 (before fundraising). Chick-fil-a biscuits are underway to help decrease the costs. You can volunteer here. If you have other fundraising ideas, we would love to see parents set up some more fundraisers this year! If anyone has a cabin or something similar to donate toward a raffle, that would be great! Please email Coach Greene for suggestions or if you'd like to head up or be a part of the fundraising committee: holli.greene@hallco.org. Coach Greene emailed those that said they were interested in helping with fundraising, but has not hear back. If you have any questions about the trip or payments, please contact Mr. Wildeboer: matthew.wildeboer@hallco.org.

Click on this link for a copy of the calendar that was made last year and used by individuals fundraising for the Savannah Trip. It is especially great for social media posts or out of town friends/family that want to help.

High School Program of Choice applications are currently underway and due on Dec 13th! Information can be found here.

The Coat Drive is underway. If you have any new or gently used coats to donate, please bring them to Mrs. Elena Lewis.

The Spelling Bee will be on December 19th.

DVA Christmas Musem Store - Dec 12 and 19 - info below

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