12/01/15 Dear Parents, I can hardly believe December is here! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Here are some updates for this week: Religion: 6th­7th: We are in the first week of Advent season and preparing for the birth of Christ. Each week I plan on reading a prayer devotion and scriptures for that Advent week with the students. We will be discussing the purpose and meaning of Advent and what we can do to prepare ourselves for Christmas, discussing the importance of waiting and being hopeful during this time. In 8th grade, we will also be discussing Advent along with the 6th­7th graders. Last week in Social Justice, we focused on “Options for the Poor and Vulnerable” and how it is our duty to help those who are less fortunate. Along with the food drive, we discussed other ways we can help the poor. Students worked in partners to research one service that fell under Catholic Relief Services and how they help people in need. Topics included­ Health and Medical help, education, water sanitation, and emergency rescue. This week we will be focusing on “Being Thankful” and differentiating between what we want and what we need. Reading (Group 1) We are almost finished with our book “Freak the Mighty!” Students will be given a project assignment this Friday. I also sent permission slips home for the movie “The Mighty” based off of our book that we will be watching in class. Please sign these and give them back to me before next Wednesday. If you have any issues or concerns please let me know. History: Last week we talked about the Ancient Sumerians and how their many inventions have impacted our lives, including the wheel, irrigation methods, and writing. Students wrote their names using hieroglyphics, one of the first picture forms of writing. We also learned that Sumerians were the first to build “ziggurats” which were temples built as step pyramids. This week, students are each building a ziggurats out of paper, using a cut­out template. Geometry: We are finishing up Chapter 2 with “Proving Angle Pair Relationships.” We will do some review problems on Wed. and Thurs, and then take a chapter test on Friday. Dance Fitness: Students are continuing practicing their partner dances this week. They will perform them for the class on Tuesday December 15th. Friday, December 18th is the Christmas concert. We are excited to have ​
Ms. Kristi Ninedorf, owner of Dancing through Life Performing Arts Center in Sun Prairie, to help choreograph​
the routine that the students will be performing for the concert. Students will practice the dance with Ms. Kristi on Thursdays. Mrs. Schroeckenthaler ms.schroeckenthaler@st­dennisschool.org