O N C G

Mission
Our Middle School
North community
will provide each
student with a
passion to learn,
the tools to
communicate, and
the opportunity to
dream.
CENTER GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL NORTH
www.centergrove.k12.in.us
317-885-8800
October 2014
Newsletter
MSN Office Hours 7:00 – 3:30
Vision
Empowering
students to
embrace their
responsibilities of
today and to
succeed as lifelong learners in
the ever-changing
global community
of tomorrow.
Student-led Conferences and Acuity!
Upcoming Dates
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October 2 – Student of
the Month Breakfast
7:00 a.m.
October 2 – PTO
Selling Ice Cream $1.25
October 3 – End of the
First Nine Weeks
October 6 – Fall Choir
Dessert 6:00 p.m. in Café
th
October 6 – 8 Grade
Band Side by Side
Concert 7:00 at the H.S.
October 8 & 9 –
Parent/Teacher
Conferences
October 13 – 24 – Fall
Break
October 27 – 31 – Red
Ribbon Week
October 28 - 30 – Boys‟
Basketball Tryouts
th
October 28 – 8 Grade
Orchestra Fall Concert
7:00p.m.
November 2 – Daylight
Savings Time Ends
November 3 – 14
STUCO Canned Food
Drive
November 6 – Student of
the Month Breakfast
7:00 a.m.
November 6 – PTO
Selling Ice Cream $1.25
November 11 – Veterans
Day Program
November 13 – End of
the Mid-term
√ November 24 - PTO
Meeting 7:00 p.m.
November 26 – 28
Thanksgiving Break
On October 8 and 9, Center Grove Middle School North teachers, students, and
parents will conduct student-led conferences. These conferences are an important tool
used as a line of communication that allows for a collaborative effort between students,
parents, and teachers to help students realize their academic potential. During these
conferences parents can gain insights into how their child is working in school,
participating in class, and more deeply clarifying what takes place on a daily basis in each
of their child’s classes. Students will also share details of their academic progress and
goals for improvement for the future.
Our format for conferences is a student-led design. Students lead their parents
through evidence of their academic performance by sharing examples of completed
assignments collected in a portfolio. Student-led conferences direct students to be
accountable for their learning, set goals, evaluate their own progress, and build
communication and critical thinking skills. Teachers are present and serve as discussion
facilitators when needed. Please know that our teachers are also available during the
conference to answer questions or provide clarification.
This year CGMSN is again using online scheduling through Skyward for
conferences. Please sign up for your conference time slot by October 3. In addition,
please make every attempt to be on time for your conference and to be respectful of the
conference time scheduled to ensure that every parent and student has equal time for
their conference. If more time is required, please communicate with your child’s team of
teachers to schedule additional time to meet on another date.
Indiana has adopted new English/Language Arts and math standards focused on
college and career readiness standards. ISTEP+ will now be aligned to these new
standards. To prepare Center Grove students for the new ISTEP+ test, Center Grove
Community Schools will participate in the Indiana Department of Education formative
Acuity testing.
Acuity is provided free of charge to school corporations to use with students as
they prepare for ISTEP+. This test will be given three times per year to help students
prepare for the new types of test questions which will appear on ISTEP+. Teachers will use
the students’ results to plan learning opportunities for students.
All students will take both the English/LA and math tests. Fourth and sixth grade
students will also take the science tests and fifth and seventh grade students will take the
social studies exam.
The first test window for Acuity begins the end of September and runs through
early November. Each school will be selecting the time frame that works best for their
students and teachers. More information is available at
http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/acuity-grades-3-8-algebra-i-english-10
We at North would like to thank you for your support and encouragement as we
work together for the success of your child. As always, if you have any questions,
comments, or concerns, please share them with me by calling 885-8800 or reaching me by
e-mail at [email protected].
Have a great Fall Break!!
Thank you,
Scott Wm. Johnson, Principal
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S PERSPECTIVE
By Matthew Taylor
“The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.”
--Bum Phillips
In recent weeks the Guidance Counselors, Mr. Johnson, and I met with each of the grade levels to explain our
behavioral expectations for the school year which help in maintaining a positive learning environment for all students at
Center Grove Middle School North. Topics that we addressed with students included: following the middle school dress code,
following our electronics policy, general harassment and sexual harassment, acts of intimidation, bullying, and cyber bullying.
We explained to the students that while cyber bullying often takes place off school grounds, there can be school and legal
consequences when it interferes with school purposes. The Indiana Code defines bullying as, “Overt unwanted, repeated acts
or gestures, including verbal or written communication, or images transmitted in any manner; physical acts committed,
aggression, or any other behaviors that are committed by a student or group of students against another student with the
intent to harass, ridicule, humiliate, intimidate, or harm another student, and create for that student an objectively hostile
school environment.” The goal of all staff members at Center Grove Middle School North is to help students work toward and
achieve self-discipline, with the support of parents. Thank you for your continued support in helping to make CGMSN a safe
and positive place for students to learn!
While speaking with students, we shared that their teachers, guidance counselors, and our administrative team is
here to assist them, and that if there are ever any issues or concerns that they would like our help with to contact us.
As the school year continues, this is just a reminder that we ask parents to call our Attendance Hotline, 885-3392,
prior to 10:00 a.m. to verify morning tardies to school, absences, and early dismissals. Please note that doing so verifies the
student’s absence, but doesn’t excuse it. Only those absence types listed in the “Classification of Absences” section on pages
8-9 of the Student Handbook are considered to be excused. Students will be allowed nine absences from school without a
doctor’s note or a properly documented excuse as listed in the “Classification of Absences” on pages 8-9 of the Student
Handbook. Again, these absences are considered “unexcused;” however, we recognize that there are times in which students
need to miss school without necessarily seeing a doctor and we allow up to nine unexcused absences. Once a student has
reached nine absences, he/she will be required to provide a doctor’s note for any future absence.
As stated in the Student Handbook on page 9, a student is considered to have Perfect Attendance if he/she has been in
attendance during every school day as having zero absences and zero occurrences of lost instructional time. Absences because
of participation in school-sponsored activities are not considered an absence in the case listed above. A student is considered to
have Outstanding Attendance if he/she has had no more than one (1) absence and/or no more than two (2) occurrences of lost
instructional time. Absences or lost instructional time caused by participation in school-sponsored activities are not considered
an occurrence in the case listed above. Students who miss school due to days of suspension or occurrences of truancies are not
eligible for perfect or outstanding attendance.
Additionally, students are free to enter the hallways and go to their lockers for their first period class at 7:20 a.m. If you
drop your child off, having them arrive no later than 7:20 a.m. will likely allow them to get their materials for class at their
lockers and take care of any visits to the bookstore or the restroom without being tardy to their first period class. Please allow
for additional time if your child intends to eat breakfast before going to class. On the topic of drop-off procedures, please
drive as far forward as possible (beyond the main entrance/mailbox—just as you would in the afternoon for student pick-up)
when dropping students off at the curb. Also, if you are in the student drop-off lane, and are able to come to a complete and
safe stop, please release your student anywhere along the sidewalk. Please then join the thru-traffic lane so that other
parents may drop their child off. Please share this drop-off procedure with your older children or other relatives who may
drop off middle school students.
Thank you for your assistance in following the CGMSN traffic patterns that were outlined in our handout at Parent
Registration. If you do not have that paper—which included a diagram as a “visual aid”—feel free to contact the school office
to get another copy.
Dear guardians/parents:
On Tuesday, November 11th, Center Grove Middle School North will be
honoring our local veterans for Veterans Day 2014. This is an invitation to
veterans who are family members or friends of our students. Our celebration
includes a breakfast for the student and his/her veteran guest which starts at 7:45 a.m.
and a school-wide convocation which starts at 9:00 a.m. in the Trojan Gym.
This year Center Grove Middle School North is excited to host our
guest speakers: Kevin Rankel, father of former CG student and Marine John Rankel; Logan
Deffner, CG graduate and former Marine; and Jefferson County native Harley B. Guynn,
former Yeoman 1st Class and Veteran of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We thank them for
their time, generosity, and willingness to share their stories!
In order to make this event a success, we would like to have the names of
veterans who would like to attend this celebration. A veteran is any type of
military personnel who has or is currently serving our country in any branch of the Armed
Forces.
Center Grove Middle School North is very excited about this event as our
students wish to acknowledge the devotion and sacrifice our men and women
have given to our country.
Sincerely,
Social Studies Department
Center Grove Middle School North
Please keep this letter so that you have the information
needed for Veterans Day.
Please return this to your student’s social studies teacher at Center Grove Middle School North by
October 30, 2014. Remember that once this form has been submitted, your veteran has a reservation
for our Veterans Day celebration which includes breakfast.
We regret that breakfast cannot be included for any veterans and students if returned after October
30th. However, anyone is welcome to attend the program at 9:00 a.m. in the Trojan Gym.
Name of Veteran _____________________________________
TEL: (
Branch of Military ____________________________________
Years of Service _______________
Student Contact at CGMSN ____________________________
Grade_______________________
___________
) ___________________
How many people will be attending the breakfast INCLUDING the student(s)
Honoring those who served
We would like to extend an opportunity for all veterans to be honored – living or deceased –
through a looping PowerPoint presentation that will be shown throughout the school on
Veterans Day and available later on the school website. For a $5.00 donation per entry, a slide
will be created to honor your veteran(s). If you wish to do this, we will need the following
information and a photograph of the veteran in uniform or other military attire. Photographs
may be submitted electronically to: [email protected]
If submitting an actual
photograph, please write the student’s name on it so that it can be returned.
Return this slip with the money (checks can be made payable to CGMSN) and information below:
Veteran’s name __________________________ Military branch: ______________________
Years of service: __________________________
Personal connection to Center Grove Middle School North:
___________________________________________________________________________
(Example: Grandfather of Kelli Swigert, 6th grade)
All requests MUST be submitted by October 30th. No late requests can be honored.
Submit electronically or return to your social studies teacher.
The MSN office hours are 7:00 – 3:30. At 3:30
the front entry doors are locked and the office is
closed.
Parents must call the attendance HOTLINE
885-3392 before 10:00 a.m. the day of an absence.
If your child needs to leave school early for a
doctor's appointment or other planned event
please send a note signed by a parent giving us
the time and reason for the early dismissal. Your
child must bring that note to the Student
Services Office upon arrival to school. We will
then write them a pass to leave class and meet you
in the Student Services Office at the appropriate
time.
The PTO will be selling ice cream for
$1.25 during all lunch periods on the
following dates:
Oct. 2
Jan. 8, 22
Nov. 6, 20
Feb. 5, 19
Dec. 4, 18
Mar. 19
Apr. 9, 23
May 21
Book Rental is past due. Book Rental can be paid
with check, credit card, or cash. On line payments
can be made with check or credit card. If you
have any questions about your book rental fees or
want to discuss payment arrangements please call
Debbie Cooksey, 885-8800 ext. 5110 or
email [email protected].
SCHOOL- WIDE FUNDRAISER
Fundraiser items will be delivered to Middle
School North on Wednesday, October 8, 2014
and ready for pick-up from 1:30 – 4:00. If your
child had a large order, please plan to pick your
child up after school on delivery day. All
fundraiser payments are due by Wednesday,
October 29.
Donations --If you are interested in
supporting Middle School North, but prefer
that your son/daughter not participate in the
school-wide fundraiser, we included a
donation envelope in the fundraiser packet.
We appreciate your consideration of this
donation—feel free to contact the main office
for donation envelopes— please make checks
payable to CGMSN.
PRIZES! Students who sell 12 items or more
will be eligible to participate in the candy bar
draw worth $5, $10, $20, or $100. If you
sell 24 items, you will be eligible to choose
two candy bars, sell 36 items, and choose
three candy bars, etc. The top three sellers will
win $50.00 in addition to their cash draws, with
an additional prize for the leading seller!
Additionally, the homeroom in each grade
level with the highest percentage of student
participation will have a classroom party for
those who participate in the fundraiser or
make a donation.
Payment – is due Wednesday, October 29
Thank you for your support of the Middle School
North Fundraiser, and Please make all checks
payable to CGMSN.
Conferences will be help on October 8th and 9th.
More information will be sent to you in the
upcoming weeks.
The 2014-2015 fall break begins at the end of the
school day on Friday, October 10th and classes
resume on Monday, October 27th.
20142015
Yearbook
Students and/or parents can find daily homework
assignments by visiting the CGMSN website at
www.centergrove.k12.in.us/cgmsn
Students having difficulty assuming responsibility to
complete homework can be required by their
parents to show that they have completed the
homework due the next day.
Make-up work is the responsibility of the student. A
student will receive an equal number of days to
make up work as he/she was absent from school.
Example – if a student is out one day, they have
one day to make up the work when returning to
school. The student may receive a “0” for work not
made up within the appropriate number of days. A
request for make-up work can be made on the third
consecutive day a student is absent by calling the
Student Services Office (885-8800 ext. 5005)
before 8:30 a.m. Requests received after 8:30 a.m.
cannot be processed until the following school day.
Assignment requests are prepared during the
teacher‟s prep period; therefore, requests must be
limited to extended illnesses. The make-up work
and student‟s books are to be picked up in the
Student Services Office before 3:30 p.m. A student
who is absent the day of a test is expected to take
the test upon returning to school. Again, students
are encouraged to record daily assignments, longterm projects, and upcoming events in their
agenda.
Interested in ordering a 2014-2015 yearbook?
They are $25.00 and you can do so by ordering
online at www.yearbooksonsales.com or by calling
1-866-282-1516 to place an order! Also, if you
haven‟t already you should be receiving a mailing in
late September that included an envelope and
order form so you can mail a check or money order
to the company. If you have questions please call
Jostens at 1-866-282-1516.
There are 15 students chosen each month by their
team of teachers for our Students of the Month
Program. The criteria used for students of the
month: positive attitude, good citizenship, respectful
to staff and students and gives maximum effort.
These students will be recognized at a continental
breakfast on Thursday, October 2th, here at MSN.
Parents of the following students are invited to
attend:
6th Grade Black – Chloe Graham
6th Grade Red – Matthew Ochoada
6th Grade Silver – Audra Martin
6th Grade White – Matthew Harold
6th Grade Unified Arts – Thomas Feitl
7th Grade Red – Exri Putzek & Gage Adams
7th Grade White – Jalen Goines & Addison Osborn
7th Grade Unified Arts – Andrew Veteto
8th Grade Red – Michelle Poe & Logan Strong
8th Grade Silver – Lexi Nash & Braden Tugan
8th Grade Unified Arts – Brody Fisher
Guidelines for locker decorating:
1 – It must be a CGMSN athletic team or club.
2 – Decorations are limited to one decal, or one
piece of paper per locker, not multiple pieces of
paper on each locker. Laminated paper seems to
work the best.
3 – Questions please see Joe Higginson, Athletic
Director.
Happy Birthday
From Center Grove Middle School North
Athletics for only $20.00.
Sign is located at entrance to school parking lot!
For only $20.00 a day, you can say “Happy
Birthday” to your favorite CGMSN students. You
can also say “Good Luck” or “Congratulations” to a
club, organization, or sports team. See the ad on
our web page, contact Joe Higginson 885-8800,
ext. 5168 or Debbie Cooksey ext. 5110. Make
checks payable to CGMSN Athletics.
Immunizations
All incoming 6th graders and New
Students must have an up-to-date
Immunization Record on file. The
Indiana State Department of Health
Immunization Division gives a 20 day waiver to
new students the day that they enroll, but all 6th,
7th & 8th graders must have their up-to-date
record turned in by October 1, 2014 or they may
be excluded from school. This is a corporation
wide date. The Middle School requirements are as
follows:
3 Hep B (Hepatitis B)
2 Varicella (Chicken Pox
1 MCV(Meningococcal)
5 DTaP (Diptheria,Tetanus & Pertussis)
2 MMR (Measles, Mumps & Rubella)
1 Tdap (Tetanus & Pertussis)
4 Polio (Inactivated Polio)
If you have any questions, please contact our
school nurse.
Parent information meeting will be on October 6
from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Center Grove High School in
Room 333 (enter through door #3 on southwest
side of building). Practice begins the week of
October
7.
For
more
information,
visit
www.centergrovewrestling.com.
State law requires the following:
No student can be in possession
of prescription or non-prescription
drugs in school.
All medications have to be stored in the nurse‟s
office.
Prescription medications have to be in their original
container with dosage directions on the label.
Non-prescription medications (e.g. Tylenol/Advil)
have to be stored in the nurse‟s office with a parent
note.
Students are expected to take all medications to
the nurse‟s office immediately upon arrival at
school.
Please join the White River Township Fire
Department and Kroger for a cookout benefitting
Christmas Angels on Saturday, October 4 from
5:00-8:00 p.m. in the Kroger parking lot (3100
Meridian Parke Drive). There will be Fire Trucks
including the new ladder truck, Patches the Fire
Dog, the Safety Trailer and great food! All money
raised will go directly to the Christmas Angels Fund
which supplies gifts to needy families in our area
during the holiday season. For more information,
contact the WRTFD at 317-888-8337
The Center Grove Girls Basketball League is open
to all 1st-8th grade girls. Registration is now open
for all leagues. To register
visit http://www.cggbl.com. If you have any
questions, please feel free to e-mail
[email protected].
Parents and children of all ages are invited to attend one of the top child safety programs in the country on
October 24 (3-7pm) and October 25 (10am-4pm). All activities are FREE. S.I.P. Kids will be taking high quality
digital fingerprints that are printed on a record and then provided to parents for safe-keeping. Local police and
fire departments will also be on hand to offer important safety information for families. Free cookout – fun for
the whole family. For more information, visit www.KeepingKidsSafeProject.com. Event Location: Hubler
Chevrolet, 8220 US 31 South, Indianapolis.
The CGMSN PTO will award an ice cream party to the grade/team that collects the
most free money label points per student in Period 1 (July 29-December 1) and Period
2 (December 2- May 1). This incentive is in addition to those offered by grade/team
teachers.
The labels that count for this contest and their base values are:
·
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Box Tops for Education = 2 pt for each box top or bonus box top
Tyson Project A+ = 4 pts for each complete label
School Spirit (Aunt Millie‟s, Holsum, Snack Planet, Soft „n‟ Good and Sunbeam
Bread) = 2 pts until October 27, 1 pt after October 27
· Labels for Education (Campbell‟s and other products) = ½ pt for each label or
bonus label.
· E-labels bonus certificates count for this contest. If you submit a receipt for a
bonus, please let us know.
Have your student bring the labels in and mark them with their grade/team (i.e., 6th
red). It is really helpful if Box Tops are submitted separately from the
other labels.
Some additional information about the Aunt Millie‟s School Spirit Label Program is
attached.
Keep collecting!
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY
The purpose of CGMSN National Junior Honor Society is to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to
stimulate a desire to render service, to promote worthy leadership
and citizenship, and to encourage the development of character in students of MSN.
MSN COMMUNITY NEWS:
NJHS members are looking for service opportunities. If you know
of a need in the community, please contact one of the sponsors below.
Service opportunities can range from helping a neighbor with yard
work to stuffing envelopes to helping “man” a booth for a civic event.
Any ideas are welcome.
Service does not include work done for immediate family.
FREE TUTORING
Does your child need an extra boost in school? NJHS students have free tutoring services available for
MSN middle school students immediately after school until 3:30 on Mondays and Fridays. If you would like to
schedule your child to receive help in completing homework or in practicing difficult content, please contact
Mrs. Shelly Jones at [email protected].
NJHS members are also available to tutor elementary age students. Arrangements will need to be
made directly with the NJHS student. Contact one of the sponsors shown below to match your child with and
NJHS tutor.
NJHS MEMBERS:
Remember to have your service hour cards completed and signed each time you complete an
hour of service. Cards can be tuned in to the box outside the library.
If you’re interested in being a part of the weekly tutoring with Mrs. Jones, please talk with her.
If you would like to possibly tutor an elementary student, come see Mrs. Witt.
October meeting dates are: Exec. Council - Wed., Oct. 8 at 6:30 AM
Chapter Mtg. – Friday, Oct. 10 at 6:30 AM
2014-15 NJHS Officers:
President:
Vice-President:
Secretary:
Service Mgr.:
Advertisement:
Attendance:
Colin Armstrong
Ashlynn Beard
Jordan Boyd
Luke Irons
Rachel Taylor
Morgan Jackson
Sponsor Contact Information:
Mrs. Meg H. Witt
[email protected]
885-8800 ext. 5232
Mrs. Chrissy Harmon
[email protected]
885-8800 ext. 5230
6th Grade Black Team
Language Arts has been on a steady pace of alternating between journaling, daily oral
language, and words on the vine vocabulary. We have been practicing the various types of
sentences including: declarative, imperative, exclamatory, interrogative, simple, simple with
compound subjects and predicates, compound, complex, compound-complex, fragments, and
run-ons. Some of which is completely review and some are new to this grade level. You
should feel proud of the hard work and practice your child has been doing! I know I am! In
addition to sentence types and parts, we are building knowledge and fluency with figurative
language while reading Where the Red Fern Grows.
CAMP balloon challenge
In Science, we have finished our tasty skittles and gummy bear lab! The students are
now real scientists! They have written a full lab report over the gummy bear lab. 6th grade
black team students are pros in making qualitative and quantitative observations and we have
been practicing making our inferences based on our observations. We have started talking
about the different types of matter and will also dive more into atoms!
In Social Studies we have been learning about difference cultures in the Western
Hemisphere and comparing them to our culture. We just learned all about Greece. I, along
with the 6th grade black team students, are very excited and looking forward to Greek Day!
Next stop in our culture world journey is Rome!
In Math class we are just diving into fraction work. Students are mastering how to
add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions. After fall break, we are looking forward to
working with percents.
Student of the Month
Jansen Thrasher
Honor Math has just completed sixth grade. (Well not quite all of sixth grade.) We
are moving on from Indiana’s academic standards for sixth grade and looking toward the
seventh grade standards (and the purple math textbook).
6th Grade Red Team
Math – Miss Campbell’s math students are excited to announce
that they’ve survived their first chapter test in 6th grade math!
We’ve conquered decimals and have moved on to the land of
fractions where we will be learning how to simplify fractions,
change between mixed numbers and improper fractions, and
between decimals and fractions. After those skills are mastered,
we will then move on to operations with
fractions.
Language Arts – Red team students are falling in love Billy’s puppies,
Old Dan and Little Ann, in Where the Red Fern Grows. Idioms,
hyperboles, alliteration, and onomatopoeias are heard through the
hallways as we continue figurative language. I heard it through the
grapevine the students love Language Arts! Mrs. McDowell hopes they
feel it is a piece of cake since it’s so much
fun. 
Science – In science, we are continuing to
study scientific processes and vocabulary. We have worked on
several interesting and exciting labs and activities to help us
become more comfortable with being scientists. We are starting
to work on writing lab reports and using a variety of different
measuring devices and will be continuing with these skills as well
as some more exciting labs for the rest of the grading period.
Social Studies – Who were the Spartans? Where is Athens?
What the heck is the Trojan War?! Students are traveling through Greece learning about the
ancient civilization and how they have impacted our life today. Democracy, geometry, the
Olympics, and even columns are ideas the Greeks introduced
to the world. Ancient Rome will be our next destination!
Please feel free to contact us if you have questions or
concerns at [email protected] and
[email protected]
6th Grade Silver Team
Language arts students are still reading Where the Red Fern Grows along with learning about figurative
language. Block B enjoyed crafting and presenting their Simile and Metaphor creatures! We will be starting a
figurative language project in Honors soon. We‟re still working with sentence structures, and we plan on
decorating the sidewalks with compound and complex sentences!
We have wrapped up our geography skills unit and finished exploring the world of archaeology in Social
Studies. We will be diving head first into ancient civilizations with Ancient Greece! We will continue to sharpen
our map skills with Daily Geography. Also, coming soon is our annual Veterans Day extravaganza! We will
continue our team fundraiser during Block B to support this great event (Sierra Mist Fridays).
We are working hard in math to sharpen our basic skills while working through the units involving
fractions and integers. Students will be performing all four operations as well as comparing and ordering these
interesting numbers. We will then move into Algebra and begin solving one and two-step equations and
inequalities.
The students are learning to observe and infer with precision in Science! Our problem-solving skills
have been put to the test as we continue to use the scientific method on a regular basis. Our yearlong honors
science project is under way and progressing fast. By the end of the year your students will be true scientists!
We are looking forward to our student-led conferences, which will be held October 8 and 9. As always,
feel free at any time to contact the silver team teachers with questions or concerns. Have a wonderful Fall
Break!
Mrs. Harmon [email protected]
Mrs. Suri [email protected]
Miss Pedersen [email protected]
6th Grade White Team
Things have finally settled down for students on the White team. The jitters and nerves of our first days
in middle school are only distant memories as we calmly go through our daily routine. Sixth graders have
transitioned into the busier school days and are learning to manage their time and stay organized. That„s no
small feat!
In language arts, students delved into units on figurative and descriptive language, story element charts
(plot lines), inferences, constructed responses, and sentence structure. During this time students also began
units of study of different parts of speech, Latin and Greek roots and their influence on vocabulary today,
sentence structure, and grammar. If it sounds like we have been busy, we have!
Cat got your tongue?
Maria and others figure out idioms.
How about if the cat‟s away, the mice will play?
Social studies skills such as finding latitude and longitude, creating compass roses, labeling the
continents and oceans, landforms and water features, and locating and identifying the four hemispheres have
all been accomplished followed by studies of culture and archaeology. Students are now involved with different
areas of social studies besides map work although we will utilize and add to our atlas throughout the entire
year. Coming up in social studies will the history of ancient Greece!
Fantasy football in middle school? Well, sort of! Peyton Manning and his (sigh!) Denver Broncos might
have played in last year‟s Super Bowl, but can he keep up his winning record? Whoever picked the Broncos in
Football Math certainly hopes so! Or perhaps Andrew Luck is your quarterback of choice! Students in math
classes pick an NFL team and weekly chart the team‟s record into fractions, ratios, decimals, and percent‟s.
Every year students enjoy following their teams and receive weekly reinforcements of key math concepts and
statistics. GO COLTS!
In science, students have had a great time learning while completing fun and ACTIVE labs in class!
These pictures show students involved in the heart rate lab as well as the Drops on a Penny lab which
illustrates water and surface tension.
Warm weather work.
7th Grade
7th Grade Red Team - As the first nine weeks is drawing to a close, we hope that your children have
enjoyed the 7th Grade Red Team so far. In geography students will be finishing our study of
Africa. Language arts classes will be finishing their short story unit and beginning to learn creative
ways to enhance their writing. Science students will be exploring physics while the honors classes
work with chemistry. Rational numbers will be the major emphasis in the math classes. The honors
math class will be focusing on geometry. Thanks for your participation in the school-wide
fundraiser. If you are collecting box tops, please have your son or daughter turn them in to Mrs.
Thompson.
Each day we have been sending out our daily homework via email. If you are not receiving
these emails, please send Mrs. Pearson an email with your updated email address so you can be
included on the list. You may also want to update your email address on Skyward. You can also find
the homework at www.centergrove.k12.in.us/cgmsn and click on Homework Hotline under Site
Shortcuts. You could also follow us on Instagram @cg7redteam for team updates and pictures.
7th Grade White Team - The 7 White Team would like to thank all of our families who participated in
Family Night last month; it was a big success! We had a wonderful time learning about improv and
speaking techniques from our amazing Comedy Sportz experts and browsing the book fair. October
will bring many exciting topics for our White Team students. In Math class, students will study
positive and negative rational numbers. Students will investigate Newton‟s Laws of Motion and
Energy in Science class. Honors Science students will begin their study of Chemistry concepts. In
Global Studies, students will discover ancient civilizations, master the Middle East, and discuss
current events. This month in Language Arts students will study the parts of speech and continue
their work on essay writing, building vocabulary, and reading fiction and non-fiction. Parents are
encouraged to continue checking Skyward regularly to assist their student in their schoolwork and
success.
8th Grade
8 English –
8th Grade Red Team
Have you discovered what AoW represents? (Article of the Week) Our students are reading an article most weeks from
varied sources like the NY Times, The Week, government websites, and the LA Times. In addition to using the MUTT
method, they are responding to each article in a way that demonstrates thoughtful understanding and allows for
personal reflections.
We continue to read classic short stories by renowned authors (Poe, Bradbury, Keyes, Jacobs...). As we read, we
incorporate words with Greek and Latin roots with the goal of being able to break down unfamiliar words by analyzing
the parts. Questions we are trying to answer this month are---How do our experiences shape us as people? What
can we learn from ourselves and those around us? Answers to these questions will lead us into writing
memoirs!
Please continue to check my web page for updates, documents, and curriculum enrichment opportunities.
Please follow our whole team on Twitter at @Msn8Red. At last count, we had nearly 160 followers. We are
off to a great start, working hard but learning much!
8th Grade Red
Loves Using iPads!
Young Hoosier
Nominees are Extra
Credit ALL YEAR!
Math - Honors math will be working on systems of equations in chapter 4. Regular math will finish equation
and work on story problems. Make sure your child has a Ti-30 calculator. Most mistakes on quizzes are due
to computation errors. It is never too late to work on flash cards, especially with negative numbers. All
test/quizzes are given back to the students please have them show you their quizzes.
Science - In science during October we will begin our physical science study. We will start by studying the
molecular makeup and energy associated with the different phases of matter. We will also begin studying
atoms, elements, and the periodic table as we enter our chemistry unit.
In Biology we will continue our unit on cell biology. Topics of study include Cell. Cell structure and function, cell
membrane structure and transport, the role of ATP, and photosynthesis and cell respiration.
Social Studies - In the month of October the 8 Red History class will be focusing our efforts on causes and
effects of the American Revolution. With a concentrated effort on looking at the conflict from multiple
perspectives the students will be truth detectives in trying to understand the cost of freedom, and to whom that
cost is worth dying. During the unit many American heroes and villains will be introduced as the war plays out
amongst all the colonists and their families. We will conclude October with a focus on after effects of the
revolution as Americans decide what to do with their newly found freedom.
8th Grade Silver Team
On the Silver team, students in math have been working on solving equations, combining like terms, and
applying those skills to word problems. We have also been working on solving proportions and how people use
proportions in everyday life. As this unit ends, students will be starting a data unit in which they will work with
mean, median, and mode to make box and whisker plots.
Students in English have been reading short stories, covering story elements, literary terms, and the masterful
skills of authors (especially Ray Bradbury and Edgar Allen Poe). As this literary and author writing style unit
culminates, students will begin the 2nd 9 weeks writing their first major essay: the memoir.
In October Mr. Peterson‟s students will be finishing up the Nature of Science and Metric Measurement units
which began the year. Students are on the cutting edge of collaboration and sharing as they use several iOS
app like Numbers and Google Drive as they test various product claims. They will continue to collect and
analyze data, as we work toward making info-graphics and other ways of presenting what they have learned.
In addition, students have sailed the “ocean blue” with Christopher Columbus and explorers from England,
France and Spain. After colonizing the Americas, they are discovering how and why the settlers changed
from a colony to an independent nation.