What’s Happening: Week of March 19th – 23rd, 2012

News/Notes

Our final dance wonderfully!  The kids had a great time with the “Mash Up” themed Irish Luau!  The only reminder for students is that the dress code does still apply, EVEN DURING AFTER SCHOOL EVENTS!  There are only two more weeks remaining in the 3rd Marking Period.  Next week, there are only 4 days of school because Spring Break begins on Friday, March 30th!  I know with the weather has been unseasonably warmer, which can make students a little more “squirrely” this time of year.  However, we have to remain focused on constantly improving, and now slacking on our work habits!  FINISH THIS MARKING PERIOD STRONG!!!!!

6th Grade:

This week, we turn our attention to Chapter 7: Ancient China.  Students will be working on the first half of the chapter this week, and hopefully finish the chapter before Spring Break.  In order to ensure that, we will have some kind of abbreviated test before break, still TBD…Otherwise, what tends to happen after break is that students have to “relearn” the chapter before taking the test, which takes time.  Therefore, I will let all of you know what to expect before next week begins.  In regards to the Chapter 6 Retakes this week, it is still scheduled for this Wednesday, march 21st.  If you are planning to retake, remember that you have to bring your original test and foldable as an exchange to be eligible for the retake.  The retake will be scored, and then averaged to your original test score to give you a final grade.  If you do not make any improvement, the original score remains.

7th Grade:

This week will be divided up between work on the Chapter 17/18 Power Point Presentations, and covering Sections 2-4 of Chapter 17, along with Section 1 of Chapter 18 on Friday.  The students are scheduled to be in the Library working on their presentations Monday (today), and Friday.  However, there are some “go-getters” who are patiently awaiting their presentations because they are finished already.  Therefore,  I am going to open up Tuesday-Thursday classes as an opportunity to get their presentations done and over with before next week.  This way I can ensure that everyone will present before Spring Break.  No worries if you are not close to being done, the original deadline for everyone is still Wednesday, March 28th!

« What’s Happening: Week of March 12th – 16th, 2012

What’s Happening: Week of March 12th – 16th, 2012

News/Notes

This week, as the weather begins to improve, we will be having our final dance of the year.  Sponsored by the Middle School  Student Council, “The Irish Luau” will kick off at 7pm, Friday March 16th!  Bring out your green clothes in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, along with your hula skirts and Hawaiian shirts in honor of our annual spring dance theme, Luau!  The dance will run from 7-9pm.  Admission will be $3 and a canned good to donate to the Dansville Food Bank.  Come out and have some fun!

6th Grade

Students will be working on their Foldables Monday and Tuesday this week.  The Chapter 6 Test will be Wednesday, so if they put good work in to study and make a foldable, it will pay off for sure!  The retake date will be the following week, Wednesday March 21st.  If students decide to retake the test, they will be required to bring their original test and Foldable with them as an exchange for the opportunity. The end of this week we will be turning our attention to Chapter 7: Ancient China.

7th Grade

This week, students will be choosing a topic for their Chapter 17/18 Power Point OR Prezi on Monday.  Students are allowed to work individually on the project, or they can work with a partner, with adjusted requirements attached to either situation.  Tuesday, Wednesday will be full days in the Library to research their topic and begin work on their presentation.  The rest of the week we will be reading over Chapter 17 Section 1.  The presentations will be due Wednesday, March 28th.

What’s Happening: Week of March 19th – 23rd, 2012 »« What’s Happening: Week of March 5th – 9th, 2012

What’s Happening: Week of March 5th – 9th, 2012

News/Notes

First off, I would like to apologize for the lack of posts since January.  Due to my illness, and the sickness of my family as well, I was out for several days in February, and I have been playing catch up ever since.  This week is middle school conferences.  Conferences will be Wednesday and Thursday, March 7-8, from 4-7pm in the middle school gym.  Please, if you can make it work, if your last name starts between A-L, try to come on Wednesday.  If your last name starts between M-Z, please come on Thursday.  Obviously, if you cannot make it on the preferred day, feel free to come when you can.   Hopefully if enough people follow this, there will be a balance between each day.

6th Grade 

This week we will be continuing with Chapter 6: Early India.  Students were assigned Vocabulary/Guided Reading Activity for Section 2 last Friday, so that will be due on Monday.  There will be two quizzes this week as well.  Section 2 quiz will be on Monday, and Section 3 quiz will be Thursday.

7th Grade

This week we will be reviewing Chapter 16: The Americas.  Students will be working on the textbook review on pg. 602, along with making their test note card using the study guide provided this week as well.  The Chapter 16 Test will be this Friday, meaning if students decide to retake the test after seeing results the following Monday, they will be required to bring the original test the following Friday for retakes.  The schedule will be a little altered on Tuesday this week due to ACT Explorer Testing during the morning.  Students will be alerted to the changes to scheduling ahead of time.

What’s Happening: Week of March 12th – 16th, 2012 »« What’s Happening: Week of January 16th – 20th, 2012

What’s Happening: Week of January 16th – 20th, 2012

News/Notes:

• No school Monday: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Keep bringing in those box tops and soup labels to your 4th hour teacher!

6th Grade:

First of all, do not forget that WS 6: Sparta vs. Athens essay responses are due Tuesday, January 17th!  We will be covering some of the great battles between the Greeks and the Persians from ancient history this week.  There will be a quiz on Chapter 4 Section 3 Thursday, followed by a very exciting video about the the Battle of Thermopylae!  This is the famous story of how 300 Spartan soldiers held off a million Persian soldiers for 3 days!  It is always one of the favorite stories of ancient history for students year in year out!

7th Grade:

First of all, do not forget that your assignment from Friday: Pg. 533, #1-3 “Feudalism: Good or Bad?” responses are due Tuesday, January 17th!  We will be spending most of this week covering Chapter 15 Section 3, which looks at the church’s influence on medieval European society.  There will be several assignments, and also the Section Quiz on Friday!

What’s Happening: Week of March 5th – 9th, 2012 »« What’s Happening: Week of January 9th – 13th, 2012

What’s Happening: Week of January 9th – 13th, 2012

Welcome back!  I hope you all had a wonderful, restful break!  Since this is the second week back, I want to make sure that everyone understands that I did not intend to forget to post last week.  Rather I couldn’t retrieve my files on my old computer, which was being fixed over break.  Now that I have everything back in order, I can give you an update on where we will be going this week with 6th and 7h grade social studies, along with some general news and notes.

News/Notes

Our annual Box Top/Soup Label competition has begun!  Students should bring in their box tops and soup labels to their 4th hour teacher.  The class with the highest total at the end of the competition will be rewarded.  The competition ends on February 3rd, so get those in on time!  It is a great monetary boost to our school’s supplies for next year!

This Friday, there will be a Middle School Dance hosted by the 8th Grade.  The funds raised for this event will go towards helping students participate on the 8th grade trip to Gettysburg and Washington D.C.  Come out and have some fun!

6th Grade

This week, we will be continuing on with Chapter 4: Ancient Greece.  The kids will be very excited to learn about how boys and girls were raised in the city-states of Athens and Sparta!  It will be very eye-opening how different a world it was back then for children!  They will have 2 quizzes this week, one on Tuesday, and one Thursday.  Students should prepare for those quizzes using their notes, paying attention to the reading, and following up with a review of their Preview Quiz for that section.

7th Grade

This week, we will be continuing on with Chapter 15: Medieval Europe.  The kids will be focusing on learning about a different kind of societal/government structure called Feudalism.  They will definitely be intrigued to learn about knights, kings and queens, and castles for sure!  They will have 2 quizzes this week, one on Tuesday, and one Thursday.  Students should prepare for those quizzes using their notes, paying attention to the reading, and following up with a review of their Preview Quiz for that section.

It should also be noted that they received their Chapter 14 Research Reports on the Samurai last week.  I talked to them about how they could try to improve their score by resubmitting a revision of the original, making necessary changes that will enhance their score.  It will still be treated like a test score, where the average of the original score and the revised score will give them a final grade for the paper.  I encourage all students to set up an appointment with me during lunch, or after school to discuss ways they can improve their paper.  They have to take the initiative to set up that meeting though.  The final day they can resubmit their revised paper by is Wednesday, January 25th.  They must resubmit the revised paper, along with the original paper and rubric sheet.  Please take a look at your son/daughter’s paper and help them make the decision to take advantage to revise!

What’s Happening: Week of January 16th – 20th, 2012 »« NOTE: January 3rd, 2012

NOTE: January 3rd, 2012

I just wanted to send a note to anyone looking for a copy of the Agenda for this week.  My computer is going through some transitional changes as of right now, and therefore I cannot retrieve my file folders and Word Documents, like the Weekly Agenda.  As soon as I get this up to date, I will attach to the respective grade level pages.

Thanks!

Eric Thackery

UPDATE: Friday, January 6th

I have retrieved my file folders as of today, therefore the weekly agenda for this week is finally up (yes, I know it is the end already)!  Thanks for your patience in this matter!

What’s Happening: Week of January 9th – 13th, 2012 »« What’s Happening: Week of December 12th – 16th, 2011

What’s Happening: Week of December 12th – 16th, 2011

News/Notes

KEEP STUFFING THE OFFICE WITH NON-PERISHABLE ITEMS AND WINTER CLOTHING FOR THE DANSVILLE FOOD BANK!  We want Ms. Dupuis to have to operate from a different room because she can’t actually open her door:)  Give to those in need this holiday season!

I will not be here on Friday, December 16th.  I am flying (with my 18 month old for the first time) to Kansas for a family wedding.  I hope everyone has a very safe, and happy holiday break!!!!!!

6th Grade

We will continue the Kingdom of Israel video series for Monday-Wednesday this week.  The only other thing students are encouraged to do are those Hieroglyphic Holiday Greeting cards!  You have to get it finished and “turned in” by Thursday for it count for some extra points this marking period!

7th Grade

The Samurai research report will dominate the agenda for this week.  On Monday, we will be watching a video titled, Samurai: The Last Warrior.  This video is currently on Netflix, and can be viewed (if you, or someone you know, has an account) from home barring you are absent that day.  If you are absent, and unable to view the video on your own time from home, you can make arrangements with me to stay after school Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for Power Hour to view it through my Netflix account.  The reason I am stressing the importance of viewing this video is because it will also serve as a valuable resource for your research report.

Also, if you want extra time to work on your research report, please have a signed note from a parent/guardian that you can bring to me any of those 3 days as well.  You can then join Power Hour and work on your report.  

RESEARCH REPORTS ARE DUE (typed or written) NO LATER THAN THE FINAL BELL ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16TH!!!!!!  Remember 2 things:

• I will not be here to remind you of that deadline on Friday, and
• This report serves as your Chapter 14 Assessment grade (worth the value of a test)

 HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!

NOTE: January 3rd, 2012 »« What’s Happening: Week of Dec. 5th – 9th, 2011

What’s Happening: Week of Dec. 5th – 9th, 2011

News/Notes

Keep bringing in those canned goods, non-perishable food items, and outdoor winter clothing.  We want to fill Ms. Dupuis’ office so full that she can’t even get through the door!!!!!

6th Grade

The Chapter 2 Retake date is set for Thursday, December 8th, 2011.  Due to the snow day, the test date was moved one day back, so the retake date moved back one day as well.  If they choose to retake, they MUST have the original test and foldable to hand in to be eligible for to receive the retake test.

7th Grade

The Chapter 13 Retake date is set for Wednesday, December 7th, 2011.  Due to the snow day, I decided to push the retake date back one day, since I did that with 6th graders as well .  If they choose to retake, they MUST have the original test, notecard, and map of Africa to hand in to be eligible for to receive the retake test.  They will be able to use the map of Africa on the retake again, so if they did not have one the  first time they should make one before to use for the retake!

Also, I wanted to mention that some students took advantage of the Chapter 13 Extension Project on Monday (some still have to go later this week)!  Students retold, or acted out an African Fable of their choice.  They did an AWESOME job!!!!!  I was able to videotape several of the performances, and they may possibly show up on the Dansville Middle School home page soon.  If they do, be looking for the link next week posting’s on my website!  GREAT JOB 7th GRADERS!

What’s Happening: Week of December 12th – 16th, 2011 »« What’s Happening: Week of November 28th – December 2nd, 2011

What’s Happening: Week of November 28th – December 2nd, 2011

I hope we all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!  I know that I am still stuffed from the countless number of servings I had over the course of the long weekend.

News/Notes Schoolwide:

Students: There will be a school-wide Holiday donation challenge over the course of the next two weeks!  Beginning on Thursday, December 1st students across the entire middle school will be charged with “FILLING Ms. DUPUIS’ OFFICE”!  Any non-perishable foot items, and/or winter weather outdoor clothing will be acceptable.  Our goal is to fill her office with all the items collected so that she can barely make her way into her office!  The donation drive will end Wednesday, December 14th.  We will then make the entire donation to the Dansville Food Bank!  Let’s be a part of something truly special this holiday season!

6th Grade: 

This Wednesday is your Chapter 2 Test, so BE PREPARED!  What does “BE PREPARED” mean to each and every one of you?  It means that you need to completely fill out your Foldable Notes using the Foldable Outline you have had since the beginning of the chapter, along with the Study Guide provided to you last week.  Please remember to bring your finished Foldable to the day of the test.  If you do that, you will be able to use them as a backup while you take the test!  As many of you found out on the last test, that is a wonderful advantage to have!  There will be plenty of time to complete the Foldable during class Monday, and Tuesday.  However, do not discount the review assignments, and time at home to study as well.

The rest of the week after the test we wil be looking at a very special extra credit activity that many of your parents will really enjoy…more to come in class!  Also, we will begin covering Chapter 3: Ancient Israellites.  The homework packet that you will receive on Friday will not be due until the following Friday.  It will serve as the only assignment to be completed for Chapter 3.  We will not have a Chapter 3 Test!

7th Grade:

This Tuesday is your Chapter 13 Test, so BE PREPARED!  What does “BE PREPARED” mean to each and every one of you?  It means that you need to completely fill out your Study Notecard using the Study Guide provided last week, along with a completed duplicate Map of Africa (RE: Use pg. 445).  Both the notecard and map can be used to help you on the test, so don’t forget to bring them both on Tuesday!

The rest of the week after the test will be divided into two parts.  On Wednesday, after we go over tests I have reserved some time for those of you planning an African Fable presentation as part of the Chapter 13 Extension Project to work in class.  Don’t fret if you are not doing that, there will be another Extra Credit opportunity for everyone that day!  The rest of the week we will begin Chapter 14: Medieval Japan.  This chapter, there will not be any section quizzes, or a test at the end.  Instead, we will breeze through the textbook, completing one homework packet along the way.  The rest of the chapter will be dedicated to your first Project Assessment of the year:  A research project on the Samurai warrior!  More to come in the next week!

Have a great week!  STUDY HARD:)

What’s Happening: Week of Dec. 5th – 9th, 2011 »« What’s Happening: Week of Nov. 14th – 18th, 2011

What’s Happening: Week of Nov. 14th – 18th, 2011

Sorry for the missed post for last week.  As many of you know, it was Parent/Teacher Conferences week, so I was pretty busy getting ready for that!  Not to mention, preparing for Student Council’s first dance of the year, which went off wonderfully!

This week some of you may be absent for “some” reason on Tuesday, which seems to happen every year around this date:)  If you are one of these students, I would recommend seeing me on Monday to get the agenda for Tuesday.  I have talked to several parents last week at Conferences about Hunting Opening Day absences.  I appreciate those of you who recognize the absence for what it is, and had your son or daughter get the necessary agenda ahead of time.  That makes a big difference because I appreciate the heads up!

6th Grade: We will be continuing with Chapter 2 this week.  Beginning on Monday, we will have the Section 2 Quiz, therefore it would be a good idea to bring your Preview Quiz to study at the beginning of class.  Also, you had an assignment (Vocabulary/Guided Reading Activity 2-2) from last week that is due on Monday as well, so don’t forget to finish it on time!  Be sure to take a look at the rest of the agenda for the week, and COPY IT DOWN on Monday morning!  I will be absent on Wednesday attending a conference for our Positive Behavior Support program at the middle school.  Remember, that every class has a chance to obtain a 2 for 1 “Free Day” on December 14th and 15th if you can earn 15 Class Kites between now and then.  Many of the classes already have a head start from good behavior last week!  Keep up the good work!

7th Grade: We will be continuing with Chapter 13 this week.  Beginning on Monday, we will have the Section 2 Quiz, therefore it would be a good idea to bring your Preview Quiz to study at the beginning of class.  Also, you had an assignment (Vocabulary/Guided Reading Activity 13-2) from last week that is due on Monday as well, so don’t forget to finish it on time!  Be sure to take a look at the rest of the agenda for the week, and COPY IT DOWN on Monday morning!  I will be absent on Wednesday attending a conference for our Positive Behavior Support program at the middle school.  Remember, that every class has a chance to obtain a 2 for 1 “Free Day” on December 14th and 15th if you can earn 15 Class Kites between now and then.  Many of the classes already have a head start from good behavior last week!  Keep up the good work!  Also, if you are planning on doing the Extension Project for this chapter (An African Griot for an Elementary class), it would be a good idea to get your story cleared with me sometime before the Thanksgiving Break.  I am hoping to set up possible classrooms in the elementary for your storytelling this week, and would like to schedule them between Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break.

SHORT WEEK: (Nov. 21st -23rd)  I just want to mention this now, since the week will be abbreviated.  Both 6th and 7th graders will be wrapping up their respective chapters, and beginning the review process for the chapter tests.  Right now, the 7th grade test is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29th.  The 6th grade test is scheduled for Wednesday, November 30th.  In order to get a head start on Notecards (7th Grade), and Foldables (6th Grade), we will be working very hard during class in the short week before Thanksgiving Break.  Hopefully, this will alleviate some of the pressure to study and prepare over the entire break.  It does not discount the process of studying for the test over break altogether, but it will take care of the bulk of preparation.

LET’S HAVE A TREMENDOUS TWO WEEKS, AND ENJOY TURKEY DAY!

What’s Happening: Week of November 28th – December 2nd, 2011 »« What’s Happening: Week of Oct. 31st – Nov. 4th, 2011