8th Grade Final Newsletter

Homeroom Update:

In the blink of an eye, we find ourselves entering our final month of 8th grade! To say that  the Middle School staff are proud of these almost graduates would be a vast understatement. We are so excited for these St. Leander Gaels to go forward into their new school communities and continue to make positive impacts on the world around them. Let’s take a look at some key dates to add to your May calendar:

• May 7th: supply pick up 11:45
• May 8th: St. Leander BBQ Fundraiser
• May 11th: STAR testing- Reading (2nd period)
• May 13th: STAR testing- Math (3rd period)
• May 14th: Virtual Retreat with Fr. Mark Ruiz at 9am 
• May 14th: Outdoor 8th Grade celebration at 5pm on our Big School yard
• May 28th: Last day of school/ Graduation Mass at 6pm in our Church

Social Studies & Religion:

In our Social Studies class this past month, our 8th graders have been learning about American life post- Civil War. We read about the ideals that inspired Reconstruction and the policies that were enacted in the North and the South. Our students studied the impact of these policies on various ethnic, socio-economic, and geographic subgroups that make up our American brethren. As we enter our final month of 8th grade, we will be covering American Industrialization, the Progressive Era, and World War I.  In Religion class, our 8th graders have wrapped up our third unit “The Age of Faith and Beauty”, where they learned all about the similarities and differences in mass around the world and the different devotions that Catholics worldwide participate in. This coming month, we will be looking at the historical events of the Protestant Reformation, the practice of Penance and Reconciliation, as well as wrapping up our Family Life lessons.

Math & Science:

For Math, 8th grade students have just finished our review of Geometry inMathletics, and we are now moving on to newer and more advanced concepts in Geometry. This lesson is entitled Geometry 6 -9 on our Mathletics software, and we will be learning concepts like “Pythagorean Theorem”, “Solving for X for Triangles”, and “Volume of 3d Objects”. This section serves as a preview of what your students will encounter during high school geometry and is important to note that all formulas for geometry problems can be found by an easy google search. We will spend the month of May engaging with geometry and upon completion begin our introduction to Data and Statistics

For Science, 8th grade students have just finished chapter 10 on ‘Forces'' where we learned about scientific ways to define how things move in our universe. Now we are working on Chapter 11 “Forces in Fluids'' where we have begun to look at the fundamentals of Newtonian Physics as they pertain to air and water. Students will learn the basics of aerodynamics, buoyancy, and hydraulics, and upon completion of this chapter we will begin chapter 12 “Earth, Sun, and Moon” . 

ELA:

Students have completed their novel study for To Kill a Mockingbird and we will be spending the month of May working on completing our poetry unit and beginning our drama unit.  Students will read the play for The Diary of Anne Frank.  In Language Arts, students will begin a massive review of all concepts covered over the past three years, utilizing Noredink.com.   Lastly, students will work on continuing to build their Spanish vocabulary utilizing Duolingo.com.