Happy Autumn, Middle School Families!
This Sunday is the first day of autumn, my favorite season! That means that our Fall Fiesta is coming up as well! Mark your calendars for Sunday, October 7th. The whole school will be performing at the Fall Fiesta, and the 7th graders will be in charge of the Sunday Mass before the Fiesta. All students must attend, but please let homeroom teachers know as soon as possible if your student will be unable to attend. The Mass is at 10:30am, but 7th graders and choir members need to be there at 10:00. 7th graders and choir members must also wear their Mass uniform and will be able to change into their Fall Fiesta clothing after Mass.

Language Arts: 
7th and 8th graders are about halfway through The Outsiders, and have delved into two creative writing projects: a Robert Frost inspired nature poem for language arts and a spoken word project for writing lab. These projects will allow their creativity and personality shine through their writing, and I’m excited to see what they come up with! The poem is due on Thursday, 9/27, and the spoken word is due on Monday, 10/1. In addition to this writing project, students are also completing reading responses and collaborating with groups on different elements of storytelling and author’s craft. We’ve been having great small group discussions about the novel as well!

5th and 6th graders are moving along in their novel, Iqbal, and since the novel is told from first person point of view, students have started the prewriting process for their personal narrative. Students are writing about a memorable event in their life that had an impact on them and taught them a lesson. Talk about events like this with your student this weekend to help them brainstorm! In addition to this writing project, students are also completing reading responses and collaborating with groups on different elements of storytelling and author’s craft.

8th Grade Families: 
Dons Day and Saints/OLP Days are coming up soon! Students get to spend half a day at the high school with all the other Catholic schools in the diocese to see what a day in the life of a Catholic high school student is like. This is a fun opportunity for all 8th graders, even if you aren’t planning on having them attend a Catholic school. All 8th grade students will attend as a field trip this year. OLP/Saints Day is on Thursday, 10/4, and Dons Day at Cathedral is on Tuesday, 10/16. If you are interested in driving on either or both days, please contact me.

Looking Ahead: 
Friday, 9/28: Minimum Day
Thursday, 10/4 & Friday, 10/5: Minimum Days (for Fall Fiesta)
Thursday, 10/4: OLP/Saints Day
Monday, 10/8: No school for students!
Tuesday: 10/16: Dons Day
Friday, 10/19: No school for students!