Aloha 8th Grade Families,
Can you believe that half of the school year is over? 8th Grade has been very busy with taking their HSPT tests and submitting their applications to the private high schools. All transcripts and recommendation letters for the private high schools have also been sent. It was through the process of composing the recommendation letters with Mrs. Rader and the other Middle School teachers that we were able to reflect on how talented this class is outside of the classroom. I am honored to be in a classroom with students of so many different talents. Some of these gifts include: sports, drama, drawing, speaking foreign languages, and even designing video games. I am most proud of how many students place importance on service work for our community.
Speaking of talent, Eva M., Marcos E., and Donald W. recently submitted a video documentary sponsored by CSPAN illustrating the importance of Freedom of Speech. The students compiled news footage from CSPAN and live video footage of the Occupy movement in order to convey their message. Donald W. also gave an inspiring speech on the definition of the topic.
For Language Arts, we are reading the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. For this novel, we will be working on providing evidence to support inferences we are making about the characters.
For Social Studies, we are covering the creation of our first U.S. government and U.S. Historical Documents.
As a gentle reminder, please send your child’s baby photos to school by next Friday, 2/10 so they can be used for the 8th Grade Dinner/Dance slide show presentation. Also, 8 candid photos of your child are due on Friday, 2/24 which will also be used for the slide show. It is crucial that the photos be submitted on time or they will not be included in the presentation. Daily reminders have been given to students that have not turned in their photos.
Have a wonderful week!
Upcoming Events:
Feb 7 - Parent Observation at 8:30am
Feb 9 - Parent Observation at 8:30am
Feb 11 - Annual Benefit
Feb 14 – 8th Grade Valentine’s Day Potluck and Card Exchange
Feb 15 - Short Wednesday 12:30 Dismissal
Feb 16 - New Student Applications Due Today
Feb 17 - Local Holiday No School
Feb 20 - Presidents' Day Holiday No School
Feb 21 - Mardi Gras
Feb 22 - Ash Wednesday Prayer Service at 12:55pm
Feb 24 - Free Dress Day
Mahalo and Aloha,
Mrs. Filion
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