Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Middle School Families!

WCEA comes this week! They’ll be on campus from Tuesday through Thursday, and we’re eager to share with them all the new changes to our school.

5/6 Language Arts 

We’re a few chapters into our Hatchet novel study unit in which we are focusing on the hero’s journey. Expect students to have reading to do at home during this unit. 6th grade also has a vocabulary assignment for each chapter, and additional homework for both grades may be unfinished classwork. Both 5th and 6th graders will have a Hatchet quiz on Friday.

7/8 Language Arts 

We’re just over halfway through our Night Holocaust novel study unit. Students have a close reading bookmark assignment that goes with each chapter. This week, students will begin doing research on a advocate for peace. The novel study will be completed within the next week and a half, and then students will begin their Night argumentative essay.

Looking Ahead:

Monday, March 18: Please return signed report card envelopes this week

March 19-21 WASC/WCEA visit

Thursday, March 21: Early Dismissal

Friday, March 29: No School

Friday, April 5: Early Dismissal

Sunday, April 7: 5:30pm 2nd Grade Mass

Wednesday, April 10: Early Dismissal

Thursday, April 11: Engineering Fair

Wednesday, April 17: Progress reports go out

Thursday, April 18: Team Day

Friday, April 19: 9:30am Washing of the Feet; Early Dismissal, NO EXTENSION

April 20 – April 28 EASTER BREAK, NO SCHOOL

Happy March, Middle School Families!

The last day of the second trimester is this Wednesday, March 6th! After that day, all teachers will be updating and finalizing grades for report cards the following week. They will come home on Friday, March 15th.

5th & 6th Language Arts 

Students are finishing up their expository essays in writing lab. Most of this is done in class, but your child may have to finish editing and submit at home later in the week if they don’t finish in class. 6th grade will begin our Hatchet unit on Monday! This unit theme is Courage Requires Fortitude, and we will be studying the novel as a heroic journey. I am aware that several students have read this novel in the past, but please encourage them to still keep up with the reading. You always find out more the second time you read something! 5th grade will begin this unit next Tuesday.  The 5th grade View from Saturday test is this Friday.

7th & 8th Language Arts 

Students have begun the next novel study on Elie Wiesel’s powerful Holocaust memoir, Night. To begin the unit, students are conducting a short group research biography on a teenage Holocaust survivor, and are also in the middle of a 4-Corners debate. Both activities will be finished up by the end of this week. To preview the novel, please be aware that it is incredibly emotional and at times graphic. The diocese-recommended Character Based Literacy Program that I use describes it as a novel that “is sometimes hard to read, but presents an important picture of what happened in Nazi Germany.” During the novel study, students will have a chance to explore The Architects of Peace project on the Santa Clara University website. You can take a look at it here: https://legacy.scu.edu/ethics/architects-of-peace/ . For homework, students will have nightly reading, annotating, and vocabulary just like the last novel study. This time, the vocab will be given to them as a bookmark and they will not need Google Classroom for it.

Recycling Art Project

This Thursday is the LAST DAY students will have to complete the project at school. Projects are due no later than Monday, March 11th. Representatives will be at the school picking up the projects for the competition the following morning.

8th Grade Portfolios & May Crowning

Our deep dive into portfolio work will begin this Friday! We have just over 2.5 months to go. Save the date for Friday, May 24th for presentations. We’ll have specific time slots about a month before the presentations. Be sure to keep uploading photos to the website provided by Mr. Adriano! While this is the last major component of the project, it does take some time to gather photos. They can be from anywhere and any time in your child’s life. May Crowning information will be coming your way soon. Mrs. Montijo will be doing the majority of May Crowning preparation with the 8th graders this year. I am aware that some of our girls have already started looking for dresses, and that’s great! Keep in mind the dress requirements: must be long, spring colors, modest neck line, and shoulders must be covered. We no longer require girls to wear the white satin jackets that were worn in the past. Instead, girls may find their own shawl or cardigan if the dress does not cover their shoulders.

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, March 6: Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, March 6: End of Trimester 2

Saturday, March 9: Change your clocks to spring forward tonight!

Sunday, March 10: 3rd Grade Mass (5:30pm)

Wednesday, March 13: Early Dismissal

Thursday, March 14: Team Day (jeans!)

Friday, March 15: Report cards go home

March 19-21 WASC/WCEA visit

Thursday, March 21: Early Dismissal

Friday, March 29: No School

Greetings, Middle School Families!

We’re about to finish up our current units in all language arts classes.

5/6 Language Arts 

6th grade has finished The View from Saturday and the final assessment is this Thursday. Students will receive the study guide on Monday. 5th graders will finish the novel this week, and will have their final assessment Wednesday. Second drafts of expository essays are due Monday, and the final draft will be due next week. Additionally, we’ll be starting our unit on Hatchet next week as well! This is a novel that some of our students have already read before, but are still excited to read again. It has a reputation of quickly becoming a favorite among 5th and 6th graders.

7/8 Language Arts 

Our unit on To Kill a Mockingbird is done! Students are submitting their Maycomb County newspapers on Monday, and we’ll finish watching the movie as well. This week, students will do a few pre-reading activities to prepare for our next unit on Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir, Night. Similar to To Kill a Mockingbird, Night tackles some tough but important issues. Be willing to discuss these issues with your child over the next few weeks.

Washington, D.C. Trip 

Our deadline to register has been extended to this Friday, March 1st! If you haven’t already signed up, there is still time! Go to worldstrides.com/register and enter our trip ID: 1711992.

8th Grade Portfolios

Please continue to help your child find and upload pictures to the link provided by Mr. Adriano for the slide show. This will be one of the last (and most fun!) components of the portfolio process, but it is best to start locating photos now.

Looking Ahead

Friday, March 1: Early Dismissal

Wednesday, March 6: Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, March 6: End of Trimester 2

Sunday, March 10: 3rd Grade Mass (5:30pm)

Wednesday, March 13: Early Dismissal

Thursday, March 14: Team Day (jeans!)

Friday, March 15: Report cards go home

March 19-21 WASC/WCEA visit

Thursday, March 21: Early Dismissal

Friday, March 29: No School

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The Washington, D.C. trip meeting is THIS TUESDAY, February 12th at 6:oopm in room 9! This meeting is open to all 6th and 7th grade families. We hope to see you there!

5th & 6th Grade Language Arts 

We’re just about ready to finish up The View from Saturday! We’ll wrap up this unit next week, and the test will be the week after (week of the 25th). In addition, students are writing their rough drafts of their expository essays. The peer workshop for the first draft is this Thursday.

7th & 8th Grade Language Arts 

We’ve finished To Kill a Mockingbird! This week, we’ll wrap it up by talking about themes and instances of “otherness” before the test next week. The newspaper project that students have been working on since last week is due the following week. Our next unit, which we will begin late next week, is on Eli Wiesel’s Hollocaust novel, Night.

8th Grade Portfolios

The 8th grade portfolio SLE essay was assigned this past Friday. I assigned it early so students have time to gather evidence to use for it. The first part of the essay, an outline, is due at the beginning of March. Students and families should also be looking through and uploading photos to the link provided by Mr. Adriano. These photos are for the end-of-presentation slide show that each 8th grader will present. This is the fun part!

Looking Ahead:

Washington, D.C. Meeting: Tuesday, 2/12  (6:00pm)

Early Dismissal: Wednesday, 2/13

Valentine’s Day: Thursday, 2/14 (7th/8th grade cookie decorating party at 2pm)

No School – President’s Day: Monday, 2/18

WCEA visitors on campus – Tuesday, 2/19

Parent STEM Night: Wednesday, 2/20 (5:00pm)

4th Grade Mass: Saturday, 2/23 (5:30pm)

Happy February!

5th & 6th Language Arts: 

The 5th and 6th graders are working their way through the last stretch of their novel study for The View from Saturday. We will finish up this unit in the next two weeks. In addition, 5th and 6th graders have started on a new essay in writing lab. The first draft will be completed this week.

7th & 8th Language Arts: 

We’re almost done with To Kill a Mockingbird! Students will finish reading the last chapters of the novel at the end of the week. Since we’re at the end, students have begun their final project for the unit: a Maycomb County newspaper spread that documents the trial, Tom Robinson, and the world in the mid-1930s. This project is due at the end of the month.

St. Mary Policy Reminders: 

Just a few reminders as we move into the second half of the school year: Non-uniform jackets are only okay for cold or rainy weather. They may not replace school sweaters/sweatshirts, and can only be worn outside. They need to be taken off in the classroom. No gum is allowed at school, and will result in an automatic detention. Socks need to be logo-free. Also, please make sure your child has a set of working headphones (see school supply list) for school. They need headphones in class several times a week.

Washington, D.C. Trip: 

It’s time to start planning! The informational meeting is on Tuesday, February 12th at 6pm in room 9 (Mrs. Montijo’s classroom). This opportunity is for our current 6th and 7th graders for next spring. Both students and parents are welcome to attend! There will be a representative from World Strides at the meeting to answer any of your questions.

Looking Ahead:

100th Day of School: Thursday, 2/7

Washington, D.C. Meeting: Tuesday, 2/12  (6:00pm)

Early Dismissal: Wednesday, 2/13

Valentine’s Day: Thursday, 2/14

No School – President’s Day: Monday, 2/18

Parent STEM Night: Wednesday, 2/20 (5:00pm)

4th Grade Mass: Saturday, 2/23 (5:30pm)

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

Catholic Schools Week is here! Here is the week’s schedule:

Monday: Student Appreciation Day

Tuesday: Staff Appreciation Day

Wednesday: Clergy Appreciation Day

Thursday: School Appreciation Day

Friday: Parent Appreciation Day

5th & 6th Language Arts

We are moving into our last stretch of The View from Saturday! The 5th grades will have their second quiz on Tuesday, and their spelling test is moved to Wednesday due to the minimum day on Friday. In addition, the 5th graders have been working with figurative language, and will continue this over the next two weeks. The 6th graders will finish up working with pronouns this week before focusing on context clues next week.

7th & 8th Language Arts 

We are also moving into our last stretch of To Kill a Mockingbird! We will finish the novel next week. This week’s focus will be on Atticus’s persuasive language, and we’ll talk about rhetorical devices for making arguments.

8th Grade Portfolios:

The 8th graders received a January/February Portfolio checklist with things they should be working on in the coming month before the deep dive in March.

2020 Washington D.C. Trip – 6th & 7th Grade Families

The 6th and 7th graders received an envelope with information regarding the 2020 Washington D.C./Williamsburg trip on Friday! We are working with the parish to reserve a room for the upcoming parent meeting, so I will let families know what day and time the meeting will be as soon as I know. Students are welcome at this meeting! We will have a representative from World Strides there to talk about the trip and answer any questions you may have. More info to come soon!

Looking Ahead:

Catholic Schools Week: 1/28 – 2/1

Early Dismissal: Friday, 2/1

100th Day of School: Thursday, 2/7

Early Dismissal: Wednesday, 2/13

Valentine’s Day: Thursday, 2/14

No School – President’s Day: Monday, 2/18

Parent STEM Night: Wednesday, 2/20 (5:00pm)

4th Grade Mass: Saturday, 2/23 (5:30pm)

Hello Middle School Families,

I hope you all enjoyed a much deserved 3-day weekend.

Progress Reports

Progress reports will be ready for you to print out on Tuesday after school. Please login to Gradelink, print out the progress report, sign it, and return it with your student by Friday. If you are unable to print, you or your student may write down the grades on a piece of paper and you can sign and return that instead. Please feel free to email us with any questions or concerns.

5th & 6th Grade Language Arts

We are continuing our novel study of The View from Saturday. Last week we discussed themes in fables, and starting this week that information will be applied to our novel study. The novel depicts characters from different cultural and religious backgrounds, and also includes characters with different abilities. In class, we will be talking about multiculturalism, inclusion, and celebrating differences. Talk with your students about these themes at home too! Please remember that reading is due each class period except Fridays, and 6th graders also have a vocabulary chart to go along with the reading.

7th & 8th Grade Language Arts

We’ve gotten to the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird! This week, we will finish up the trial and students will complete a deep dive into the trial as court reporters. Please remember that as students read, they also need to be annotating with sticky notes, and also logging in to Google Classroom to complete the vocabulary assignment that goes along with each reading.

Art 

The 7th and 8th grade will be entering The City of Escondido’s 27th Annual Earth Day Poster contest again! Students will receive the information and guidelines for the project this Thursday during art class, but it’s not too early to start collecting some recyclables. Over the next few days, have your student look through your recyclables to find some inspiration for an art project. Students will begin planning and sketching their project on Thursday and it would be great if they already had some items in mind. The final art project will be due no later than Friday, March 8th. Students will be working on this primarily during art class on Thursday afternoons leading up to the due date.

Washington D.C. Trip 

It’s time to start planning for the 2020 Washington D.C. trip! Students in grades 6 and 7 will get to see an informational video this week, and an information packet will be sent home. Once you receive this packet, talk with your student to see if your family might be interested in the trip! It will happen during Easter vacation in 2020, and is open to next year’s 7th and 8th graders. A parent informational meeting will be held at the beginning of February.

School Supplies

As the school year has reached the halfway point, school supplies start to disappear. While we do have some extra pens and pencils in our rooms, it is still the students’ responsibility to have their own. In addition, working headphones are a requirement. Please make sure your student has a pair so she/he can fully engage in online activities.

Looking Ahead

STAR Makeup week: 1/22 – 1/25

Martin Luther King Day- No School: Monday, 1/21

Check Progress Reports: Tuesday, 1/22

Progress Reports Due (signed): Friday, 1/25

Catholic High School Placement Exam: Saturday, 1/26 (good luck 8th graders!!)

Catholic Schools Week: 1/28 – 2/1

Early Dismissal: Friday, 2/1

Happy January!

Our first full week back sees us on our normal schedule, and jumping right back in where we left off.

5th & 6th Language Arts 

Spelling is back this week, with our normal weekly spelling test on Friday. Spelling words and the weekly assignment was passed out to all 5th and 6th graders this past Friday. We’re also back into The View from Saturday, so expect nightly reading due each day we have language arts (except Fridays), and for 6th graders, a vocab chart to go along with the reading. 5th graders now complete the vocab component along with chapter comprehension. In writing lab, students are working through a Themes in Fables mini-unit, in which they will write their own fable this coming week! After this unit is complete, students will transition back to expository writing in preparation for the View from Saturday essay that will be assigned toward the end of the novel study.

7th & 8th Language Arts 

Spelling is back in the upper grades as well this week, with the normal test on Friday. There will also be a quiz on chapters 9-16 of To Kill a Mockingbird on Tuesday for 8th graders and Wednesday for 7th graders. Our novel study continues like normal with nightly reading and Google Classroom vocab due each day we have language arts (except Fridays). Students are continuing with argumentative writing as well. This past week, students did some collaborative work with identifying arguments versus statements and finding the right evidence. This week, students will put that knowledge to practice with two To Kill a Mockingbird in-class writing assignments. Students will also be making a literary device booklet for more in-depth literary analysis during novel study.

Looking Ahead:

STAR Math: 1/14 – 1/18

Winter Glam Dance: Friday, 1/18

STAR Makeup week: 1/22 – 1/25

Martin Luther King Day- No School: Monday, 1/21

Check Progress Reports: Tuesday, 1/22 (please wait until this day to print them out, as teachers may still be making updates prior to Tuesday)

Progress Reports Due (signed): Friday, 1/25

Catholic High School Placement Exam: Saturday, 1/26 (good luck 8th graders!!)

Catholic Schools Week: 1/28 – 2/1

Early Dismissal: Friday, 2/1

Christmas is just around the corner! We have an action-packed week ahead of us preparing for the Christmas pageant, so our schedule is going to be a bit different. We appreciate our students’ flexibility and understanding this week as we modify our schedules to fit everything in.

5th/6th Language Arts: 

The 5th grade contest essay is due this week! Students have been working hard on it the past few weeks, and will finish up conferences with me during class on Tuesday. The essay will be due, printed out on Wednesday. In addition, 5th graders will have a View from Saturday reading quiz Wednesday as well. I changed the vocabulary assignments for 5th and 6th graders, so students will no longer have to do it on Google Classroom. 6th grade will now receive a vocab chart for each reading, and 5th grade will complete in-class “vocabulary detective” assignments for each chapter instead of each reading. Please make sure that your student is checking his/her planner for homework each afternoon when you get home from school. Students will have to complete some View from Saturday reading over the break.

7th & 8th Language Arts: 

Although our classes will be modified this week, ELA will continue as normal. Christmas creative writing is due printed out with the cover page on Thursday. Aside from what was assigned this past Thursday, there will only be one other reading assignment this week (ch. 12) due on Thursday. Students will need to read To Kill a Mockingbird over the break so we can continue the novel study upon our return.

*We will have all school confession on Wednesday with the second graders’ First Reconciliation.  

Looking Ahead:

Thurs. 12/20: Class parties after recess (7th/8th is a movie and brunch party in room 11)
Fri. 12/21: Christmas pageant at 10am; early dismissal (you may pick your student up from the classroom after the pageant) *no extension, students must be picked up by 12:15*
Sat. 12/22 – Mon. 1/7: Christmas break!!!                                                                                                                      Tues. 1/8: School resumes

Season’s Greetings, Middle School Families!

The Advent season is in full swing at St. Mary and we’re all excited for Christmas! This week, we have the Our Lady of Guadalupe performance, put on by the 6th graders on Wednesday after Mass. It starts at 9, so please come if you can!

5th & 6th Grade Language Arts: 

We’re continuing the Leadership Requires Engagement unit with The View from Saturday through Christmas and into January. Please remember that every time students have reading homework, they also have vocabulary words to complete on Google Classroom. This will also be the last week of spelling until after we return from vacation. The 5th graders are continuing to work hard on their Catholic Schools Week contest essay. Their final draft of this essay will be due, printed, next week. I will be sending home the permission form for parents to sign in order for us to submit essays to the contest this week. In 5/6 writing lab, we will be putting View from Saturday expository writing on hold until we return from break, and will do some Christmas creative writing for our last few class periods leading into Christmas.

7th & 8th Grade Language Arts: 

We’re continuing the Change Requires Effort unit with To Kill a Mockingbird through Christmas and into January. Please remember that every time students have reading homework, they also have vocabulary words to complete on Google Classroom. This will also be the last week of spelling until after we return from vacation. We’ve had some great discussions about To Kill a Mockingbird so far! Please be willing to continue discussions with your student at home regarding the themes and issues that the novel brings up. As a reminder, it takes place in the segregated South during the Great Depression, and as we read further into the story, more issues of inequality will surface. Please also note that the story’s narrator uses the language and terms of the time period, which contributes to a better understanding of the deeply rooted prejudice that our characters face and seek to change (hence our theme, Change Requires Effort!). We are also going to put argument writing on the back burner until January to engage in some Christmas creative story writing for our last few writing periods of 2018.

Art

7th and 8th graders are working on a piece to submit to MCA’s Christmas Art Contest. Final pieces are due this Thursday, Dec. 13th. You will receive a permission form on Monday that will need to be signed in order for us to submit your student’s artwork.

Looking Ahead:

Wed. 12/12: Early dismissal; Our Lady of Guadalupe at 9am after Mass
Thurs. 12/20: Class parties after recess (7th/8th is a movie and brunch party in room 11)
Fri. 12/21: Christmas pageant at 10am; early dismissal (you may pick your student up from the classroom after the pageant) *no extension, students must be picked up by 12:15*
Sat. 12/22 – Mon. 1/7: Christmas break!!!                                                                                                                      Tues. 1/8: School resumes