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Wilkins Class Update: Week #25
Portfolio assignments are due next Friday! Students need to make sure they have their pictures uploaded into the file, as well as all of their written documentation! Parents can check Gradelink to see what students still have to do.
Wilkins Winners
The biggest hero of the week is Makenna! 8th graders had to present their 1930s essay in PowerPoint to prepare the class to read To Kill a Mockingbird. Makenna’s presentation was outstanding! Not only were her slides beautiful, her public speaking skills were quite impressive. Congratulations, Makenna, on a job well done!
I also want to give a big shout out to Peyton. Fr. Eugene visited our class and laid on the praise for his performance during altar serving.
Top Dojo Point Earners
8th grade: Jenicca
7th grade: Mariano
6th grade: All of 6th grade did a great job this week and earned more points than both 7th and 8th grade!
8th Grade Social Studies
This week in social studies, 8th graders learned about the War of 1812. They did a scavenger hunt while watching a documentary to help them learn about the geography of the war. They also finished their test on the chapter this week.
6th/7th Grade Social Studies
6th & 7th grade finished up notes on the chapter on Egypt. They also had their last day in class to complete their projects. I am excited to have our Egyptian burial ceremony next week. I’ll be sure to post pictures!
Language Arts:
In 6th and 7th grade, Writer’s Workshop was our main focus. This gave the students time to create their own stories while I had one on one time with students to help them work on their essays. This is a slow process, but the personal touch is worth the effort on all of our parts!
In 8th grade we have begun our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird. The students presented their 1930s PowerPoints and turned in their essays. We started the art portion of a project this afternoon where students began to create a visual representation of their personal identity. Since the main character of our novel struggles with personal identity, this is a good way to start the students understanding of what personal identity means.
Upcoming Events
MARCH
- 16th THU- Parent Information Night about Washington D.C. Trip for 6th & 7th graders in room 14 (Mrs. Wilkins Classroom)
- 17th FRI- Stations of the Cross
- 20th MON- Mrs. Johnston’s birthday
- 24th FRI- Stations of the Cross
- 31st FRI- Stations of the Cross
APRIL
- 7th FRI- Minimum Day
- 13th THU- Holy Thursday
- 14th FRI- Good Friday- NO SCHOOL
- 16th SUN- Easter
- 17th-22nd MON~FRI- 8th Grade Trip to Washington D.C.!!!!!
MAY
- 1st-5th Teacher Appreciation Week
- 4th THU- May Crowning- 8th grade only- Noon dismissal
- 5th FRI- Minimum Day
- 8th-12th 6th Grade Camp- Mrs. Wilkins will be out with 6th Grade
Wilkins Class Update: Week #24
Wilkins Winners
My student of the month for February is Nicholas. I have seen Nick take his job seriously in student council. He facilitates student jobs and is a great addition to our student council. Congratulations Nick for your leadership this month!
Top Dojo Point Earners
8th grade: Makenna
7th grade: Donald
6th grade: Quinn
8th Grade Social Studies
The students learned about the scandalous election of the 1800s and how it was a revolutionary event. They also learned about how the Louisiana Purchase was a difficult decision for Jefferson to make based on his ideals of the Constitution.
6th/7th Grade Social Studies
This week in social studies, the students worked more on their mummy project. They are having fun creating their specific pieces and should be done by next week.
Language Arts:
In both grades, we are reading the children’s book Theodore Boone, by John Grisham. I am using this novel to prepare 7th and 8th graders for a future field trip where they will be able to participate in a Youth in Court Day. This is an opportunity for students to participate in a mock trial in a real court in the Vista Court House. I am waiting for a day to open up for us before we can officially schedule this date.
6th & 7th graders completed their plot diagrams this week. They also got to present them in front of Fr. Eugene who delighted in watching their presentation skills. He was excited to have the students teach him about what a plot diagram was!
8th graders worked all week in the computer lab writing their essays and putting together their PowerPoint for next week. I conferenced with students individually based on their last essay they turned in to make sure they understand where their strengths and weaknesses are in writing.
Upcoming Events
MARCH
- 7th grade in charge of Mass this month
- 10th FRI- 6th/7th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 16th THU- Parent Information Night about Washington D.C. Trip for 6th & 7th graders
- 17th FRI- staff leads Stations of the Cross
- 20th MON- Mrs. Johnston’s birthday
- 23rd THU- Peyton at the County Spelling Bee
- 24th FRI- Stations of the Cross
- 26th SUN- 5:30 School Mass
- 31st FRI- Stations of the Cross
APRIL
- 7th FRI- Minimum Day
- 13th THU- Holy Thursday
- 14th FRI- Good Friday
- 16th SUN- Easter
- 17th-22nd MON~FRI- 8th Grade Trip to Washington D.C.!!!!!
MAY
4th THU- May Crowning
Wilkins Class Update: Week #23
Wilkins Winners
Ardy is my standout student this week. I’ve seen Ardy take charge of our candy-grams and it became a totally student-run event. I’m really proud of her leadership with this activity.
Top Dojo Points:
8th: Ashley
7th: Mariano
6th: Namie & Aleidy
8th Grade Social Studies
8th graders finished the chapter on the beginning of our nation under the leadership of George Washington. We talked about the president’s cabinet and how it first was established. We also talked about the fact that political parties were not something that Washington wanted for our country.
6th/7th Grade Social Studies
Students worked this week on their mummy projects. Students were put into groups to create a specific aspects of what is burried with a pharaoh when he dies. Here are some of the projects that students are creating: a sarcophagus, canopic jars, amulets, and death notices. They are becoming experts and will be teaching the class about what they have learned. Ask your student which group they are in and have them explain to you what they are learning.
Language Arts:
8th graders began their research-writing unit on the 1930s. This is an essay that will teach the students about the events and the people of that time. Getting familiar with this era will help the students better understand the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which we will be reading once the research paper and presentations are complete.
6th and 7th graders are working on their essays for The Egypt Game. We’ve been dissecting a five paragraph essay and really concentrating on creating well-formed parts before putting it together.
We also worked on creating a visual plot diagram for The Egypt Game. Students were put into groups and are making posters to show the development of the story.
Upcoming Events:
FEBRUARY
- TONIGHT (Friday)- Middle School Dance “Winter Glam”
- 27th MON- Last day to buy Candy Grams
- 28th TUE- Candy Grams are handed out
- 28th TUE- Fat Tuesday Celebration
MARCH
- 7th Grade in charge of Mass this month
- 1st WED- Ash Wednesday
- 3rd FRI- 8th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 4th SAT- Academic Decathlon
- 10th FRI- 7th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 17th FRI- 6th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 20th MON- Mrs. Johnston’s birthday
- 24th FRI- Stations of the Cross
- 31st FRI- Stations of the Cross
Wilkins Room Update: Week #22
Wilkins Winners
Lauren gets the Cool Christian this week for her extra work in discovering why the Republican party is represented by an elephant.
Top Dojo Point Earners
6th-Aleidy & Namie
7th– Peyton & Aaron
8th– Makenna & Brett tied
8th Grade Social Studies
We began our unit on the beginning of the nation under president Washington. Students learned about how our country started under great economic crisis. They are also beginning to understand how political parties began, and glimpses of reasons for the Civil War are pointed out repeatedly.
6th/7th Grade Social Studies
Students continued to learn about Egypt. They began their projects on preparing for the burial of our pharaoh that we are in the process of embalming. We changed “his” natron (the substance used for embalming) and saw how the natron pulled the liquid from the body so the body can mummify without decay. We will continue this process for another couple of weeks.
Language Arts:
8th graders finished their essays on The Outsiders and completed their final project. This project is an art project combined with a writing project. Students compared themselves to the characters in the book and then wrote a Claim-Data-Warrant paragraph to prove their claim. They then drew a picture of themselves and the character as one.
In 6th & 7th grade, students finished reading The Egypt Game. They also finished writing their notecards that had quotes on it from the book. We took these notecards and organized them into three piles. These piles were then used to write a thesis statement. We talked about how to write a strong Claim-Data-Warrant essay using the quotes as their data. This week we focused on writing a thesis statement and introductory paragraph.
Upcoming Events:
FEBRUARY
- 22nd WED- Bake Sale
- 24th FRI- Middle School Dance “Winter Glam”
- 28th TUE- Fat Tuesday Celebration
MARCH
- 7th Grade in charge of Mass this month
- 1st WED- Ash Wednesday
- 3rd FRI- 8th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 4th SAT- Academic Decathlon
- 10th FRI- 7th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 16th THU- Parent Information Night on Washington D.C. 6:30 location T.B.A.
- 17th FRI- 6th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 20th MON- Mrs. Johnston’s birthday
- 24th FRI- Stations of the Cross
- 31st FRI- Stations of the Cross
Wilkins Class Update: Week #21
Wilkins Winners
This week I have to give a huge shout out to all of middle school. The Spelling Bee was such a huge success that I cannot write a message without honoring all the students and their hard work. The students did so well that we ran out of spelling words and I had to find new words that the students had not studied.
Congratulations to Peyton Farmer for winning the school-wide spelling bee. He will be representing our school on March 23rd. Keep him in your prayers. We’ll be rooting for you Peyton!
My Cool Christian this week is Dana Ortiz. Dana is always willing to help in the classroom, even when it requires her to miss her recess. Thank you Dana for your extra help this week!
Top Dojo Point Earners:
8th: Brett Wilkins
7th: Helena Romero
6th: Dana Ortiz
8th Grade Social Studies
We finished up making our Constitution Notebooks and the students should be fairly informed of their constitutional rights.
6th/7th Grade Social Studies
In Ancient History, we officially began our unit on Egypt. We began by taking a close look at the geography of Egypt, specifically the Nile.
Language Arts:
The spelling bee was our major focus for the first half of the week. As mentioned above, the students did fantastic! The second half of the week we picked up where we were with our novels. 8th grade is fine-tuning their essay on The Outsiders. We also watched West Side Story and compared and contrasted the two story-lines through plot diagramming.
6th and 7th graders continue to read the book The Egypt Game. We’ve been looking at sentences and deciphering complex, compound-complex sentences from the book, as well as creating our own.
Upcoming Events:
FEBRUARY
- 8th grade in charge of Mass this month
- 11th SAT- Gala- I’ll see you there!
- 17th FRI- Daddy Daughter Dance
- 22nd WED- Bake Sale
- 24th FRI- Middle School Dance “Winter Glam”
- 28th TUE- Fat Tuesday Celebration
MARCH
- 7th Grade in charge of Mass this month
- 1st WED- Ash Wednesday
- 3rd FRI- 8th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 4th SAT- Academic Decathlon
- 10th FRI- 7th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 17th FRI- 6th grade leads Stations of the Cross
- 20th MON- Mrs. Johnston’s birthday
- 24th FRI- Stations of the Cross
- 31st FRI- Stations of the Cross
Wilkins Class Update: Week #18
Wilkins’ Winners:
6th & 7th grade students have been working hard on their vocabulary journals (fondly known as Mr. Stick). I wanted to acknowledge Peyton and Aaron for doing an excellent job this week on their work! I also gave an “SMS Cool Christian” to Chapel this week. Chapel is dependable in her work and is a great role model for all who know her! Thanks Chapel for your example!
Top Dojo Point Earners
6th graders: Daniel
7th graders: Raymond
8th grader: Michael!!
Growth Mindset Bulletin Board
This week I began to talk to the students about celebrating a growth mindset. We talked about how we should celebrate when we are not perfect because those are the moments when we actually learn something. We will be creating a celebration board (window). Look for it when you stop by next Sunday at our Open House!
Language Arts
We are working on plot diagramming and characterization in all three grades while reading the class novels (The Outsiders for 8th grade and The Egypt Game for 6th & 7th).
6th & 7th graders worked on understanding what characterization is and the different ways an author will characterize a person in the book. They also looked at the different ways a character develops a plot by identifying pieces of the rising action in the book.
The 8th graders worked on writing verbal poetry and we discussed moods that matched the mood of the poetry they wrote. They also began to take notes on the characters in the books that best matched their personalities.
8th Grade Social Studies
Students read about and discussed how to Amend the Constitution as well as reviewed the role of our state and local government. We also began to create a book on the Constitution to help students better understand this great document.
6th/7th Social Studies
Students took a test on Mesopotamia and began working on their Mesopotamia projects. We also talked about how to properly cite books when creating a bibliography. They will use this skill to write their bibliography of the books and websites they used to create their projects.
Mesopotamia Projects Due Monday 1/23/17
Upcoming Events:
JANUARY
- 29th SUN Open House – come visit us after Mass!
- 28th– 3rd Catholic Schools Week
- 29th TUE Career Day Presentations
FEBRUARY
- 3rd FRI Report Cards go home
- 3rd FRI Noon Dismiss
- 8th WED Noon Dismiss (teacher work day)
- 11th SAT Gala- get your tickets soon!
- 17th Daddy Daughter Dance
- 20th MON No School
- 24th FRI Middle School Dance- “Winter Glam”
Wilkins Class Update: Week #17
Wilkins’ Winners:
I want to give a shout out to Michael. Michael took the initiative this week to make sure he got help for his portfolio. I admire students who take the time to ask for help to make sure they are on top of their assignments. While I mentioned Quinn last week I wanted to mention that I also gave him a Cool Christian Wednesday after Mass this week. It is my goal for the new year to give out at least one Cool Christian a week. We’ve got great students and I look forward to sharing their excellence with you.
Top Dojo Point Earners
6th graders: Ardy
7th graders: Maya
8th grader: Brett
Portfolios
I cannot let this week go by without acknowledging the hard work the 8th graders have put into their portfolios. These portfolios are one of the biggest assignments the 8th graders have each year. They work on putting together a book that showcases their work that supports how they embody the Student Learning Expectations. Today students turned in 10 Assignment Reflection Sheets, 6 full page reflection sheets, and 10 photographs. In May, the students will present their work. This is an event that will be open to all St. Mary parents. Please consider stopping by in the spring to share in their hard work.
Language Arts
8th Grade
This week in grammar, 8th graders continued to work on understanding verbals. We are also in full swing reading The Outsiders, a classic novel by S.E. Hinton. Students are enjoying the book, and I am using this novel to have students practice characterization and plot diagramming. They are also working on gathering quotes to write an essay on their chosen topic to describe a theme behind the book.
6th & 7th Grade
6th grade students were able to quickly pick up on possessive nouns. This was the final grammar skill they needed to learn to be able to fully complete their 5-A-Day worksheet.
7th grade students were also introduced to their final grammar skill, misplaced and dangling modifiers. This, too, was their last grammar skill.
We also began reading the book The Egypt Game. Students are pulling details about characters from the book and we’ve talked about point of view and plot diagramming.
8th Grade Social Studies
We continued the Citizenship Handbook and we are talking about the principles and structures of the Constitution as well as how the Constitution sets up the three branches of government. We also talked about freedom of speech after watching a short video on Congressman Duncan Hunter and the ‘Cops as Pigs’ issue from this week in Congress.
6th/7th Social Studies
We finished taking notes on Mesopotamia and students chose projects to expand on their knowledge of the subject. We not only covered the content from the chapter, but we also talked about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Upcoming Events:
JANUARY
- 16th MON No School
- 18th WED Bake Sale
- 20th FRI Noon Dismiss (teacher work day)
- 29th SUN Open House – come visit us after Mass!
- 28th– 3rd Catholic Schools Week
- 29th TUE Career Day Presentations
FEBRUARY
- 3rd FRI Report Cards go home
- 3rd FRI Noon Dismiss
- 8th WED Noon Dismiss (teacher work day)
- 11th SAT Gala- get your tickets soon!
- 17th Daddy Daughter Dance
- 20th MON No School
- 24th FRI Middle School Dance- “Winter Glam”
Wilkins Class Update Week# 16
Wilkins’ Winners:
I have noticed a huge effort on Quinn’s part to be on task this week. He’s been thoughtful about raising his hand and turning his work in. Great job Quinn!
Top Dojo Point Earners
6th graders: Claire & Theresa
7th graders: Raymond
8th grader: Ashley
Language Arts:
We started our new year by talking about how to set SMART goals. Students then wrote three New Year resolutions, and we will be creating a bulletin board with their goals posted. No names will be shown, so come in during Catholic Schools Week and see if you can guess your child’s resolution.
8th Grade
This week students learned their last grammar strategy: verbals. We will continue to work on fine tuning our understanding, but from now on, 8th graders will be completing the entire 5-A-Day worksheet on a weekly basis.
Students also began a new literature unit: The Outsiders. We began our unit discussing how we feel about people who are considered outsiders. Students enjoyed this discussion using our four corners strategies. Ask them about these conversations, they enjoyed having them in class.
6th/7th
In grammar, students learned (or reviewed) pronoun shifts. Students also received a book: The Egypt Game. This book will segue us nicely into our Egypt unit in social studies in a few weeks. To open up this unit, we had a class discussion where students got to share their opinions on how they feel about learning history for fun.
American History
We started a unit titled “Citizenship Handbook.” This unit goes over the basics of our government and constitution. This week we discussed how the ideas behind the Constitution were formulated. At the end of this unit, the students will take a mock citizenship test to see how they would do if they were required to take a test to earn their citizenship!
Ancient Civilizations
This week we began a new chapter on Mesopotamia. This unit talks about the beginning of cities and government. Students are learning how to take notes from lecture. We are talking about how to set up their pages for notes, how and why they should use multiple colors, and what to do with their notes after a lecture.
Upcoming Events:
JANUARY
- 16th MON No School
- 18th WED Bake Sale
- 20th FRI Noon Dismiss (teacher work day)
- 29th SUN Open House – come visit us after Mass!
- 29th– 3rd Catholic Schools Week
- 31st TUE Career Day Presentations
FEBRUARY
- 3rd FRI Report Cards go home
- 3rd FRI Noon Dismiss
- 8th WED Noon Dismiss (teacher work day)
- 11th SAT Gala- get your tickets soon!
- 17th Daddy Daughter Dance
- 20th MON No School
- 24th FRI Middle School Dance- “Winter Glam”
Wilkins Update: Week #14
Wilkins’ Winners:
I want to give a shout out to Brett, Lauren, Lorraine, Meredith, Theresa, and Dana. We’ve been doing vocabulary notebooks, and this group of students have consistently done fantastic work. Thank you for your persistence in excellence!
Top Dojo Point Earners
6th graders: Meredith & Namie
7th graders: Eric & Ryan
8th grader: We had many outstanding students this week!! 🙂
8th Grade
This week we finished Chapter 3: Creating the Constitution. Students took a test on the iPads, and their grades should be posted this weekend.
We finished summarizing the Maccabees and began illustrating to create a book.
We continued to add to our Jesse tree and having students use their ornaments to lead us in prayer. We also added another element to the tree by placing “Our Gifts to God” next to the tree. Check out the picture to see what students see as the gifts they believe they share with others.
6th/7th
We reviewed pronoun cases and then learned about vague pronouns.
Students watched the movies The Maccabees. We had a discussion comparing Chapter 5 in our books, the movie, and the play. We talked about what information was missing in the play and how we can add content. Students will be taking a test next Monday.
Upcoming Events:
DECEMBER
- 12th MON Progress Reports Due to teacher
- 12th MON Our Lady of Guadalupe Play
- 16th FRI 10am Christmas Pageant, Noon Dismiss
- 19th-30th Christmas Break
JANUARY
- 3rd TUE School resumes
- 6th FRI Noon Dismiss
- 16th MON No School
- 18th WED Bake Sale
- 20th FRI Noon Dismiss (teacher work day)
- 29th SUN Open House – come visit us after Mass!
- 28th– 3rd Catholic Schools Week
