SPX Middle School
Blog #2
Friday, September 13th, 2019
Welcome to the newest edition of the Saint Pius X Middle School Blog!
School routines have been set, students are busy learning in their classes, and we’re all thrilled to see such wonderful growth so early in the school year!
Thank you for partnering with us here at Saint Pius X School, as we work together to raise young men and women dedicated to Loving God. Loving Others. Making Disciples. And Restoring All Things in Christ!
Have a Blessed day!
-The Middle School Team
General Middle School Updates
1. Please join us at the following school Masses hosted by our middle school classes this month:
-September 18th (Hosted by our 8P homeroom class)
2. Have you heard about the Middle School Virtual Planner? Each day every middle school teacher posts homework on our virtual planner at https://sites.google.com/stpiusxschool.org/middleschool This is a great way for students double-check the assignments recorded in their student planners! We encourage parents to check the virtual planner as well to assist their student as they complete their homework and prepare for assessments!
3. Pius Academy is back for the 2019-2020 School year!
Pius Academy is an afterschool program where middle school students can get one-on-one support from the Middle School Team and Dowling Catholic High School Peer Helpers in any subject area! It’s open to all students as their schedule allows throughout the course of the school year.
Pius Academy is offered on Tuesday afternoons from 3:00-3:45pm starting September 10th, 2019. Pick-up takes place outside the front entrance of the school (West doors) at 3:45pm.
We look forward to working with your children during Pius Academy!
Teacher Updates
6th grade and 7B Language Arts with Ms. Fannon:
6E & 6K - It has been a great few weeks in sixth grade Language Arts! In reading, students just finished reading the short story “Jeremiah’s Song”. While reading, students used context clues to define vocabulary words, completed various reading comprehension questions, and will complete a first-person point of view project next week. In writing, they are still learning all about comma rules and are taking a comma quiz today over comma rules 1-8. Next week they will learn and practice the rest of the comma rules!
AR: Students are now about to take AR tests and were given their point goal for first trimester. It should be in their record keeping tab in their English binder.
7F - It has been a great few weeks in seventh grade Language Arts! In reading, we are using claim, evidence, and reasoning skills to prep for a debate we will have Monday on whether Perseus is a hero or not. In writing, they are still learning comma rules. They completed a quiz over comma rules 1-8, and next week they will learn and practice the rest of the rules!
AR: Students are now about to take AR tests and were given their point goal for first trimester. It should be in their record keeping tab in their English binder.
6th and 7T Language Arts with Mrs. Pedersen:
7 Tallman - Today students took a quiz over the Scope magazine play "Hunting a Snake-Headed Monster." This was the start of our myth unit. We will continue the myth unit using myths from our Literature book. Students will take a comma quiz at the end of next week depending how the review goes. There will be a DOL quiz over weeks one and two next Friday (9-20).
8th Grade - We continue with our Edgar Allan Poe unit. Students will read a play and a poem written by Poe, and we will have a test at the end of next week or the beginning of the next week. There will be a comma review quiz next week. Students have been writing in their journals. They have lots of creative ideas.
Have a great weekend!
Go Hawks!Mrs. Pedersen
Math with Mrs. Gipple:
6th Grade Math
We are wrapping up our first chapter and will take our 2nd quiz next Mon, Sept 16 over the order of operations and number properties. The Ch. 1 Posttest will be next Thursday, Sept. 19th. Students were also assigned Accelerated Math practices for this chapter, these need to be completed by the end of next week as well.
Next up will be an introduction to Algebra! Students will learn how to look at a problem differently and use a variable, or letter, to represent an unknown number.
7th Grade Math & 7th Grade Pre-Algebra
These classes took their 2nd chapter quiz today, 7th math was over variables and algebraic expressions, 7th pre-alg was over equations, solutions and variables. The Ch. 1 Posttests will be next Wed, Sept 18th. Students should have their Accelerated Math from ch. 1 completed by next Wed as well.
Next we being our work with Integers. We will learn to work with a whole new set of rational numbers, negatives!
8th Grade Pre-Algebra
This class will take their 2nd ch. quiz next Mon, Sept 16th over 1 and 2 step equations with rational numbers. The Ch. 1 Posttest will be next Thurs, Sept 19th. Chapter 1 Accelerated Math should be completed by the end of next week as well.
Then we will begin working with graphs and linear functions.
8th Grade Algebra
This class took their Ch. 1 Posttest today which was a review of rational number operations, variable expressions, equations, tables and graphs.
Starting next week, we will work with many different types of algebraic equations as well as work with proportionality.
Please let me know if you have any questions and have a wonderful weekend!
Go Hawks!
Mrs. Gipple
Religion with Mr. Tallman:
We’ve been having a lot of fun in religion class the last two weeks. Last week all middle school classes discussed the desire to develop a servant’s heart (stop in to see these on display in the hallway!) and the details of our middle school service hour requirements.
Additionally all middle school classes began doing a Religion Question of the Day (RQD) journal, which consists of a daily Catholic religion question which the students answer and we discuss to open class each day. These questions are posted on our classroom Twitter account each day (@MrTallmansClass) so you can join in! Today’s question was to list the Ten Commandments – it led to some very candid and honest conversations in class!
6th grade is beginning to develop a common religion class vocabulary by learning the meaning of 30+ words that all young Catholics should be able to define. Classes will be working on these throughout next week. Watch for a test over these vocabulary words in two weeks!
7th grade is in the process of learning to recite the Nicene Creed word-for-word. This week they received a study tool to help them with this…they should be practicing the creed daily in preparation for a test over the creed in two weeks!
8th grade is preparing to put together their Faith Hero Posters next week. This week they brainstormed individuals in their lives who have helped them meet Jesus. We’ll honor these individuals by celebrating them on a poster which will eventually be put on display in the middle school hallway!
I pray that you all have a wonderful weekend!
Peace,
Mr. Tallman
Social Studies with Mr. Klein:
6th Grade:
The sixth grade are hard at work on their Five Themes of Geography group projects. They are researching a country and finding relevant information based off the Five Themes: Location, Movement, Place, Human Environment Interaction, and Region. Once they have all their information, they will be creating a poster and presenting to the class. After the project, we will be doing a "deep-dive" into how to read and understand maps.
7th Grade:
We have started our first unit of study with Colonization. The seventh grade have begun the process of finding out information about the British Empire and how they began colonizing the rest of the world, specifically in India. When we are done looking at the British Empire, we will begin our study of how and why Africa was colonized.
8th Grade:
In eighth grade, we are finishing up our Age of Exploration unit by creating colonies within North and South America. Students must research a particular place and create a proposal to the King of England as to how they will create their colony for funding. When we are finished with the group project, we will begin learning about the Thirteen original British Colonies in North America.
Spanish with Sra. Schoessler:
Spanish is rolling right along in grades 5-8. In 5th grade, students have learned the alphabet, how to introduce themselves and classroom commands. Sixth grade is planning their first dialogue and they will greet, ask a couple of questions and say goodbye with their partner. In 7th grade, students have just completed their first unit by presenting a dialogue that they wrote. They talked about the weather, the days of the week, numbers and other vocabulary from this unit. They all did a fantastic job! Eighth graders will be reviewing family and food - and will likely do a dialogue or presentation soon. Please encourage all students to continue to study their vocabulary for five minutes nightly. It is especially important for the 8th graders to study the vocabulary and verb conjugations so that their conversational skills become more fluid. I am already impressed with the work ethic and attitude of all students. I truly feel blessed that I work with such amazing children!
Enrichment with Mrs. Moser:
Enrichment is an integration of art, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The goals for students are to gain perseverance and grit using critical thinking skills by allowing them autonomy to make creative mistakes through the exploration of these venues. I want students to collaborate with others, be intrigued by mistakes, and adapt through productive struggle.
Right now, sixth graders are working on Biomedical Engineering through a program called Orthopaedics In Action®. This is a unique, hands-on curriculum for middle and high school STEM classrooms. The purpose of this curriculum is to bridge the gap between engineering and biomedical sciences and to reinforce cross-cutting concepts in science and mathematics. It features real- world challenges from orthopaedics, a branch of medicine that deals with the musculoskeletal system, and medical device design.
Please ask your sixth grader about what they are learning in Enrichment!
If you have any questions feel free to contact Mrs. Moser at nmoser@stpiusxschool.org or (515)-276-1061 ext. 142.
We are still looking for a parent willing to be a Mock Trial Coach! If you are at all interested please contact Mrs. Moser for more details at nmoser@stpiusxschool.org or (515)-276-1061 ext. 142.As the year is beginning to take off we are also looking to bulk up our Makerspace materials for students to create with! A few things we are looking for are gently used:
Friday, September 13th, 2019
Welcome to the newest edition of the Saint Pius X Middle School Blog!
School routines have been set, students are busy learning in their classes, and we’re all thrilled to see such wonderful growth so early in the school year!
Thank you for partnering with us here at Saint Pius X School, as we work together to raise young men and women dedicated to Loving God. Loving Others. Making Disciples. And Restoring All Things in Christ!
Have a Blessed day!
-The Middle School Team
General Middle School Updates
1. Please join us at the following school Masses hosted by our middle school classes this month:
-September 18th (Hosted by our 8P homeroom class)
2. Have you heard about the Middle School Virtual Planner? Each day every middle school teacher posts homework on our virtual planner at https://sites.google.com/stpiusxschool.org/middleschool This is a great way for students double-check the assignments recorded in their student planners! We encourage parents to check the virtual planner as well to assist their student as they complete their homework and prepare for assessments!
3. Pius Academy is back for the 2019-2020 School year!
Pius Academy is an afterschool program where middle school students can get one-on-one support from the Middle School Team and Dowling Catholic High School Peer Helpers in any subject area! It’s open to all students as their schedule allows throughout the course of the school year.
Pius Academy is offered on Tuesday afternoons from 3:00-3:45pm starting September 10th, 2019. Pick-up takes place outside the front entrance of the school (West doors) at 3:45pm.
We look forward to working with your children during Pius Academy!
Teacher Updates
6th grade and 7B Language Arts with Ms. Fannon:
6E & 6K - It has been a great few weeks in sixth grade Language Arts! In reading, students just finished reading the short story “Jeremiah’s Song”. While reading, students used context clues to define vocabulary words, completed various reading comprehension questions, and will complete a first-person point of view project next week. In writing, they are still learning all about comma rules and are taking a comma quiz today over comma rules 1-8. Next week they will learn and practice the rest of the comma rules!
AR: Students are now about to take AR tests and were given their point goal for first trimester. It should be in their record keeping tab in their English binder.
7F - It has been a great few weeks in seventh grade Language Arts! In reading, we are using claim, evidence, and reasoning skills to prep for a debate we will have Monday on whether Perseus is a hero or not. In writing, they are still learning comma rules. They completed a quiz over comma rules 1-8, and next week they will learn and practice the rest of the rules!
AR: Students are now about to take AR tests and were given their point goal for first trimester. It should be in their record keeping tab in their English binder.
6th and 7T Language Arts with Mrs. Pedersen:
7 Tallman - Today students took a quiz over the Scope magazine play "Hunting a Snake-Headed Monster." This was the start of our myth unit. We will continue the myth unit using myths from our Literature book. Students will take a comma quiz at the end of next week depending how the review goes. There will be a DOL quiz over weeks one and two next Friday (9-20).
8th Grade - We continue with our Edgar Allan Poe unit. Students will read a play and a poem written by Poe, and we will have a test at the end of next week or the beginning of the next week. There will be a comma review quiz next week. Students have been writing in their journals. They have lots of creative ideas.
Have a great weekend!
Go Hawks!Mrs. Pedersen
Math with Mrs. Gipple:
6th Grade Math
We are wrapping up our first chapter and will take our 2nd quiz next Mon, Sept 16 over the order of operations and number properties. The Ch. 1 Posttest will be next Thursday, Sept. 19th. Students were also assigned Accelerated Math practices for this chapter, these need to be completed by the end of next week as well.
Next up will be an introduction to Algebra! Students will learn how to look at a problem differently and use a variable, or letter, to represent an unknown number.
7th Grade Math & 7th Grade Pre-Algebra
These classes took their 2nd chapter quiz today, 7th math was over variables and algebraic expressions, 7th pre-alg was over equations, solutions and variables. The Ch. 1 Posttests will be next Wed, Sept 18th. Students should have their Accelerated Math from ch. 1 completed by next Wed as well.
Next we being our work with Integers. We will learn to work with a whole new set of rational numbers, negatives!
8th Grade Pre-Algebra
This class will take their 2nd ch. quiz next Mon, Sept 16th over 1 and 2 step equations with rational numbers. The Ch. 1 Posttest will be next Thurs, Sept 19th. Chapter 1 Accelerated Math should be completed by the end of next week as well.
Then we will begin working with graphs and linear functions.
8th Grade Algebra
This class took their Ch. 1 Posttest today which was a review of rational number operations, variable expressions, equations, tables and graphs.
Starting next week, we will work with many different types of algebraic equations as well as work with proportionality.
Please let me know if you have any questions and have a wonderful weekend!
Go Hawks!
Mrs. Gipple
Religion with Mr. Tallman:
We’ve been having a lot of fun in religion class the last two weeks. Last week all middle school classes discussed the desire to develop a servant’s heart (stop in to see these on display in the hallway!) and the details of our middle school service hour requirements.
Additionally all middle school classes began doing a Religion Question of the Day (RQD) journal, which consists of a daily Catholic religion question which the students answer and we discuss to open class each day. These questions are posted on our classroom Twitter account each day (@MrTallmansClass) so you can join in! Today’s question was to list the Ten Commandments – it led to some very candid and honest conversations in class!
6th grade is beginning to develop a common religion class vocabulary by learning the meaning of 30+ words that all young Catholics should be able to define. Classes will be working on these throughout next week. Watch for a test over these vocabulary words in two weeks!
7th grade is in the process of learning to recite the Nicene Creed word-for-word. This week they received a study tool to help them with this…they should be practicing the creed daily in preparation for a test over the creed in two weeks!
8th grade is preparing to put together their Faith Hero Posters next week. This week they brainstormed individuals in their lives who have helped them meet Jesus. We’ll honor these individuals by celebrating them on a poster which will eventually be put on display in the middle school hallway!
I pray that you all have a wonderful weekend!
Peace,
Mr. Tallman
Social Studies with Mr. Klein:
6th Grade:
The sixth grade are hard at work on their Five Themes of Geography group projects. They are researching a country and finding relevant information based off the Five Themes: Location, Movement, Place, Human Environment Interaction, and Region. Once they have all their information, they will be creating a poster and presenting to the class. After the project, we will be doing a "deep-dive" into how to read and understand maps.
7th Grade:
We have started our first unit of study with Colonization. The seventh grade have begun the process of finding out information about the British Empire and how they began colonizing the rest of the world, specifically in India. When we are done looking at the British Empire, we will begin our study of how and why Africa was colonized.
8th Grade:
In eighth grade, we are finishing up our Age of Exploration unit by creating colonies within North and South America. Students must research a particular place and create a proposal to the King of England as to how they will create their colony for funding. When we are finished with the group project, we will begin learning about the Thirteen original British Colonies in North America.
Spanish with Sra. Schoessler:
Spanish is rolling right along in grades 5-8. In 5th grade, students have learned the alphabet, how to introduce themselves and classroom commands. Sixth grade is planning their first dialogue and they will greet, ask a couple of questions and say goodbye with their partner. In 7th grade, students have just completed their first unit by presenting a dialogue that they wrote. They talked about the weather, the days of the week, numbers and other vocabulary from this unit. They all did a fantastic job! Eighth graders will be reviewing family and food - and will likely do a dialogue or presentation soon. Please encourage all students to continue to study their vocabulary for five minutes nightly. It is especially important for the 8th graders to study the vocabulary and verb conjugations so that their conversational skills become more fluid. I am already impressed with the work ethic and attitude of all students. I truly feel blessed that I work with such amazing children!
Enrichment with Mrs. Moser:
Enrichment is an integration of art, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The goals for students are to gain perseverance and grit using critical thinking skills by allowing them autonomy to make creative mistakes through the exploration of these venues. I want students to collaborate with others, be intrigued by mistakes, and adapt through productive struggle.
Right now, sixth graders are working on Biomedical Engineering through a program called Orthopaedics In Action®. This is a unique, hands-on curriculum for middle and high school STEM classrooms. The purpose of this curriculum is to bridge the gap between engineering and biomedical sciences and to reinforce cross-cutting concepts in science and mathematics. It features real- world challenges from orthopaedics, a branch of medicine that deals with the musculoskeletal system, and medical device design.
Please ask your sixth grader about what they are learning in Enrichment!
If you have any questions feel free to contact Mrs. Moser at nmoser@stpiusxschool.org or (515)-276-1061 ext. 142.
We are still looking for a parent willing to be a Mock Trial Coach! If you are at all interested please contact Mrs. Moser for more details at nmoser@stpiusxschool.org or (515)-276-1061 ext. 142.As the year is beginning to take off we are also looking to bulk up our Makerspace materials for students to create with! A few things we are looking for are gently used:
