Welcome Parents!
Prayer for a New School Year Lord God, At the beginning of this new school year, teach us to be your hands and feet where we are, At the beginning of this new school year, teach us to love as you love us At the beginning of this new school year, teach us to pray for those in need So that You are honored and glorified. Amen
Welcome to the SMS Middle School!
Communications What is the best way to reach our teachers? *Please use our teachers’ individual SMS emails. * Reminder- Please allow up to a 24 hour period for the teacher to reply as our job description does NOT permit us to be at our computers for lengthy amounts of time as we are instructing your children and handling daily occurrences .
SMS Middle School Teachers’ Email Addresses: 8A: KReigle@StMatthiasnj.org 8B: DdeLeon@StMatthiasnj.org 7A: MLynch@StMatthiasnj.org 7B: LAbbott@StMatthiasnj.org 6G: DVattelana@StMatthiasnj.org
Assignments (Classwork & Homework) ● Classwork and Homework will be assigned during class periods. Students will be given adequate time to copy the daily assignments. (Please make sure your child has a planner to keep track of their schoolwork.) ● Posting of Assignments: Homework will be posted on Google Classroom . Google Classroom and the SMS Teacher Websites are communication tools allowing teachers/families to support the middle school student in becoming organized with their assignments and information about school-wide events. ● Submitting Assignments: Google Classroom will be utilized to submit most assignments electronically. Math will be a paper copy with student work shown. ELA will have a balance of typed (electronically) and handwritten (paper) essays.
Assignments ● Parents are responsible for accessing PowerSchool (online gradebook) to check on completed homework assignments. ● Middle School students should be reading independently for at least 30 minutes each night. ● Homework may not be done in school. It is assigned as a reinforcement of the concepts taught in class and, additionally, it is an opportunity for parent/child to connect over the lessons learned.
Grading ● All grades will be put on powerschool within a week of the due date. ● Teachers will give sufficient warning of all major tests. ● For every day a long term assignment is late, it will be lowered a letter grade. After 3 days late, it will be an automatic 55%. ● Any student caught cheating or helping someone cheat will receive a 55%.
Expectations Student/T eacher Contracts of Expected Behaviors in Middle School were distributed to your children this afternoon. Please sign & return the final page of the form as soon as possible. At dismissal, parents picking up students by car go to the back parking lot. The front of the school is for walkers.
Mrs. Vattelana Gr 6: Required Text: Religion: Blest Are We, Faith in Action. RCL Benziger. Science: Integrated Science Glencoe, Course 1. Social Studies: World Civilizations Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Mathematics: Math Connections Glencoe, Common Core State Standards. Gr 7B: Mathematics. Required Text: Pre- Algebra Glencoe, Common Core State Standards.
7th & 8th Science- Mrs. Lynch Course Overview 7 th Grade Science: Life Structure & Function; Life Changes & Interactions, Energy & Matter, Exploring the Universe; STEM Activities last week of each month. 8 th Grade Science: Interactions of Matter, Motion & Energy, Earth & Geological Changes, Exploring Ecology; STEM Activities last week of each month. Required Text 7 th Grade Science: Integrated Science Course 2, Glencoe 8 th Grade Science: Integrated Science Course 3, Glencoe Course Materials: Binder, Chromebook, Colored Pencils, Pen/Pencil, Agenda Planner
7th Social Studies: Mrs. Lynch Course Overview: 7 th Grade Social Studies: Colonial America through the Civil War Required Text: 7 th Grade Social Studies: United States History, Holt McDougal Course Materials: Binder, Chromebook, Colored Pencils, Pen/Pencil, Agenda Planner
6th & 7th Grade E.L.A. - Mrs. Abbott Reading 1 novel read (as a class) per month in each genre short story, mystery, thriller, poetry, historical fiction, realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, non-fiction Each student is required to have an Independent Book on their AR Level with them every day. One book project will be completed for each Independent Book read. *Individual reading goals determine when their projects will be due. Book projects include: Book Shelf Shelfies, “alternate ending” essays, composing a song based upon the story. Writing One 5-paragraph essay written per month in each of the writing genres Personal Narrative, Descriptive, Technical, Persuasive, Poetry, Expository* *One multi-page research paper will be written over the months of March-April-May Each student has a Writing Journal in which they will write daily.
6th & 7th Grade E.L.A. - Mrs. Abbott Grammar Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition Vocabulary 10 words per week ( 5 taken from the 100 Words For Middle Schoolers by American Heritage Dictionaries and 5 taken from our current class novel). Word, Definition & Part of Speech from Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Sentence using the word properly. (Additionally, 7th grade will be responsible for a Synonym and an Antonym for each word ). Vocab words will be posted in Google Classroom as a Google Doc every Friday afternoon allowing the students to have a full weekend and one school week to master the words. Written test every Friday in class. Public Speaking Every Friday at the beginning of ELA class, students will have the opportunity to practice their public speaking skills by bringing in an item to share in a simple 1-2 minute presentation. Becoming confident in public speaking enables our students to be poised when communicating information. Students are to sign-up with Mrs. Abbott in advance of the week they wish to practice public speaking.
8th Grade E.L.A.- Mrs. de Leon Reading ● Implementation of Reader’s Workshop strategies. Teacher-led instruction followed by group and independent student work and small group instruction. ● Independent reading books on students’ AR level should be brought to class everyday. Projects will be completed for Independent Reading book periodically. ● One novel per month covering various genres of literature according to the CCCS Writing ● Implementation of Writer’s Workshop strategies. Teacher-led instruction followed by group and independent student work and small group instruction. ● Focus on narrative, persuasive, informational and expository writing. ● Fusing of grammar and vocabulary into language arts program.
8th Grade E.L.A./Social Studies- Mrs. de Leon Blogging/Technology ● Weekly blog- students read and respond to age-appropriate current events articles. Assigned on Monday and due by 11:59PM the following Thursday. ● Use of technology via Google Apps for Education- Classroom, Slides, Docs, etc. Social Studies ● Topics covered in 8th grade include: -The Civil War -The Holocaust -Reconstruction -Reconstruction -Westward Expansion/Movements in America -An Industrial Nation: Developments and Differences -The Spirit of Reform
7th and 8th Grade Mathematics: Mr. Reigle Textbook: 7th - Glencoe, Pre-Algebra Common Core State Standards 8th - Glencoe, Algebra 1 Common Core State Standards ● Calculators: Graphing or Scientific ● Daily Assignments ● Educational Websites ● Please email me if you have specific questions about the topics we will cover
Religion: Homeroom Teachers Blest Are We- Faith in Action (RCL Benziger) ● 6th Grade: Faith in Action ● 7th Grade: The Study of Jesus Christ ● 8th Grade: The Story of Our Church
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