8th Grade

ELA Summer Reading for the Incoming 8th Graders

This summer you shall read Gary D. Schmidt’s follow-up to The Wednesday Wars…


Okay for Now


You will need a composition notebook to keep a journal of 15 minutes of reading per night over the summer. You will briefly write about what you’d read (7 - 10 sentences minimum), and one of your parents MUST sign off on every night’s reading.

Each entry must be dated, signed by a parent, and thoughtfully written.

Any unfamiliar vocabulary that you come across must be jotted down under your nightly summary and the definition must be LOOKED UP and written out as well!

Here is the link for the novel on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544022807/ref=emc_b_5_i


Have a fantastic summer and see you all in September!


Mr. Henrickson


Dear incoming 8th Grade parents:

I am certain you have been made privy of the engaging short stories we have been deconstructing these past months, and I do hope they have been enjoyable - even if only academically so - for all! After the holidays we shall begin our novel units. The two works I have chosen to tackle with your children are Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. You will find the links to purchase the titles from Amazon below:

    • https://www.amazon.com/Death-Salesman-Penguin-Arthur-Miller/dp/0140481346/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2P08TOHR5VL2W&dchild=1&keywords=death+of+a+salesman&qid=1624025055&s=books&sprefix=death+of+%2Cstripbooks%2C173&sr=1-1

    • https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0060935464/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14Z2SBZ1BZT9P&dchild=1&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird+paperback&qid=1624025089&s=books&sprefix=to+kill+a+mockingbird%2Cstripbooks%2C158&sr=1-1

Please have the books secured by the time we have returned from Christmas break so that we may hit the pavement running!

If you have not read these works nor seen any film versions, some of the situations within them are concerned with suicide, rape, racism and infidelity. However, they are not ABOUT these topics! As such, you may desire to discuss these matters with your child prior to our reading.

As ever, if you would like to discuss the works with me, you may call or email and I will happily oblige your concerns.

Cheers,

Mr. Henrickson

Dear incoming 8th Grade parents:

We’re off to a grand year of reading, writing and all which that entails! As such, I wanted to permit all of you a peek behind the curtain at what we shall be tackling for the first few months.

Along with the merry mechanical skills one would expect to be espoused in an ELA classroom (proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.), we will embark upon the study of the walls we build around ourselves - whether due to internal trepidation or societal influence - through the short stories “The Furnished Room” by O. Henry, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver. All works have been approved by Monsignor Camp and Sister Maureen.

*A Note about “Cathedral”: There is a scene within this short story wherein its three characters briefly indulge in sharing a joint (marijuana). The scene does NOT celebrate the use of recreational drugs; rather, the author presents the scene as a device to reveal the protagonist’s habitual escapist tendencies which negatively impacts his relationship with his wife along with his views of the world at large. It is necessary that this scene occurs in order to magnify the protagonist’s climactic redemption of faith in God and humanity by the story’s end. I shall make it expressly clear to the students that the scene does NOT advocate the use of drugs in any way, shape or form.

Should any parent have cause for concern over any of these titles, please feel free to contact me at rhenrickson@stpathunt.org. I shall be more than happy to discuss those concerns.

I feel very strongly that as the teacher of your children I should be as transparent as possible with regard to what they will be studying in class, and why. The titles are chosen with great care and consideration; geared not only towards the bountiful academic ends your children will achieve, but also the enlightenment of character and strengthening of moral fortitude which are the cornerstones of a well-rounded Catholic education.


Warmest regards,

Mr. Henrickson


Henrickson’s Classic Classroom Canons


1. SEATING:

A) All students are fully seated (legs under seats, pulled all the way in) as soon as they enter the classroom (and at the 7:40 homeroom bell). They must remain that way for the entire period, no exceptions. This keeps them from slouching back or slumping forward into “sleepy” positions, keeps their feet off of the chairs, and keeps them from leaning the chairs back, potentially causing them to fall.

B) Seating is always Boy-Girl, Boy-Girl. While this may sound archaic, it truly keeps the students more in line as it separates the cliques and they are a bit more embarrassed to do ridiculous things if a person of the opposite gender is on either side of them.

C) All students must ask permission to get out of a seat for any reason (tissues; throw something out; hand something to another student; etc.).

2. FOOD:

A) NO FOOD is permitted at any time (unless lunch is to be held in the classroom). This includes GUM and any form of CANDY. Candy draws ants into the room, and gum stuck under tables has ruined boys’ slacks and girls’ skirts/skorts in the past. I always straighten & check the desks between classes. If I discover any candy wrappers in a students desk, that student will receive an infraction.

3. RESTROOMS:

A) Any 7-1 homeroom student may use the facilities one at a time before 7:40 and again at the end of the school day.

B) Only one female at a time is permitted to use the restroom during ELA classes.

C) Males are generally not permitted to use the restroom during ELA classes. If a male student requests use of the restroom prior to/after lunch, I recommend he hold off until lunch period or when he returns to his homeroom. If he persists for a second time, I will gauge the authenticity of his needs and only then determine whether or not he should be allowed to leave the room. This reduces “pre-planned” meet-ups in the restrooms where all fashion of adolescent hijinx may occur (Monsignor Camp has had to replace tiles, piping, fixtures, etc. on multiple occasions in the Boys restroom at considerable expense).

D) Any student leaving the classroom for any reason (including the restroom) MUST sign out with the correct time and then sign back in with the correct time. He or she must also indicate what period it is. I shall check the log during the class to make sure everything has been filled out correctly.

4. WATER:

A) Drinking water is only permitted at the very beginning of class. I tell the students they may have their “final gulp” before having to put the bottles away (off of their desks). This may seem a Draconian gesture, but I find it helps with the constant self-distraction of guzzling water when the students should be paying attention, and eradicates the anxious crinkling of plastic bottles or crashing of metal bottles which have fallen to the floor during class. It also cuts down on students having to use the restroom the following period. Any student who absolutely needs water during the period is free to ask, and I will determine who may do so on a case-by-case basis.

5. SPEAKING:

A) Only one student speaks at a time. I impress upon the students that to speak over someone else - whether it be me or a peer - is distracting and disrespectful, and that if I did that to his or her grandparent they would feel the same about me.

6. CHROMEBOOKS:

A) Chromebooks are to be kept in their cases unless I specifically ask for them to be taken out, not in nor on their desks. This eliminates the inherent temptation to peek at them. Any student caught utilizing a Chromebook other than when permitted will receive an immediate infraction.



No Spiral Notebooks (ONLY Composition books)


No "Clicky" pens (regular pens with caps only)

Junior High Rules and Regulations

1. When you arrive at school you go to your locker and then immediately to your homeroom to start the day promptly at 7:40am. Consistent lateness will reflect on your report card.

2. Only St. Patrick’s School or St. Patrick’s Sports sweatshirts and sweatpants are allowed to be worn during the school day. You will not be permitted to keep your sweatshirt or sweatpants on if they are not representative of St. Patrick’s School.

3. School shoes must be worn when you are in your school uniform. NUT passes and gym days are the only days that sneakers are acceptable. Without a doctor's note, infractions will be given when school shoes are not worn.

4. All NUT passes must be handed in to your homeroom teacher. If one is forgotten it must be handed in the next day or an infraction will be given. If you wear a NUT pass on a day that is not allowed (ie. school mass, Olympic Day, retreat) your parents will be emailed to drop off your school uniform and an infraction will be given.

5. Chromebooks are to be used only when a teacher instructs you to do so. Anyone who is caught doing something other than what is asked of the teacher, including homework for another class, will lose their chromebook for the remainder of the school day and the next school day.

6. Anyone arriving at school in clothing that is not appropriate will have an email sent to your parents for a uniform to be dropped off and an infraction will be given. All clothing guidelines are clearly noted in the handbook.

7. Cell phones must be turned off and handed in to your homeroom teacher. They will be given back during homeroom at the end of the day. Anyone caught with a cell phone after prayers have been said will be sent to Sr. Maureen. Sr. Maureen will then contact the parents to pick up the cell phone.

8. It is highly recommended for parents to download the Google Classroom app to know what is happening in each of your child’s classes. This is where you can see all announcements, assignments, and grades posted in real time. Please ask your child for their login information in order to do this. Grades will also be posted on PowerSchool each trimester.

Junior High Grading Policy

● Grades will be given as percentages.

● Test and project grades will be weighted twice as much as quiz grades, classwork, and homework.

● All grades will be averaged together to calculate the trimester grade.

● Class participation, effort, and classroom conduct will be reflected in the effort and conduct grades on the report card.

● The grades for each trimester will be averaged together to give a Final Grade for the school year.



Student Signature: _________________________________________________ Date: ________



Printed Name: _____________________________________________________ Class: _______