Week 2: August 31, 2018

Happy Labor Day weekend! This week marked our first week ofcurriculum. We began reading in our literature series with a storycalled “Broken Chain” by Gary Soto. This story led to discussionson self image, review of plot, introduction to subplots and parallelepisodes. Students also took the STAR assessment. This is a pre-assessment that allows the teachers to see how we can bestsupport your child’s learning. With this information I can help yourchild set reading goals for the semester.

We have a bulletin board in our class called “Words to Grow By.”This board will be for words that will stretch student vocabulary.They will not be tested on these words; they are simply to help expand their understanding of higher level thinking. This week’sword was deus ex machina. This is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly solved by a seemingly unlikely source. While the story we read was not solved by a deus ex machina, the surprise ending was a great way to introduce the terminology.

I also sent out book orders with students this week. As you mayremember, this is a great way to fill your reading library at home,and your purchase allows me to buy books to fill the class library.You can send cash or checks payable to either Scholastic bookclub or me, Christy Wilkins, or you can order online with a creditcard at:
https://orders.scholastic.com/MVRB3
All orders are due next Friday, September 7th. Thank you for your support.

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