7th Grade Newsletter
September 14-September 27
Important
Dates
Sept. 14 Jeans Day/Sock
It To Poverty
Sept. 15 Flower
Sept. 16 Teacher
Blessing @
Sept. 19 School
Pictures
Sept. 21 Fiesta Set Up
Sept. 22 Parish Fiesta
Religion
Mrs. Kristin Griffin
It is heartening to see our students
generously bringing in donations of food and clothing this week! We realize that the very items we take for
granted are so desperately needed by many people right here in our community. Globally, we have learned that Palestinian
children scavenge daily in landfills, searching for items they can exchange for
money or food. Rather than feel
despair, we have discussed that God has blessed us in order to fulfill a
special purpose here on earth. By sharing
our resources and talents, we live the Gospel message and help to make the
world a better place.
Students will test over Chapter 1
tomorrow and begin Chapter 2, “The Gospels.”
We will learn about the four evangelists, the symbols that represent them,
and the differences and similarities between their writing.
Mrs. Diane Marrin
Homeroom students have been working
on our “Come to the Table” theme with collage “placemats” depicting who they
are as young Christians. We have also engaged in some class meetings on
behavior expectations for seventh grade students at St. Peter’s School. In our religion text they have completed
Chapter 1, “Introduction to Sacred Scripture,” and have a test tomorrow,
Sept.14. Chapter 2 will give an overview of the Gospels.
Mrs.
We have been busy preparing for our Mass—the students
did a great job today! We will resume in our books with Chapter 2, “An
Introduction to the Gospels,” next week. Since we will be studying Jesus
in the New Testament for the first half of the year, the students will be asked
next week to select one of the Gospels and to read it in its entirety. As
they read, they will be keeping journals of what they read and what they think
about what they’ve just read. This will be due before the end of the
quarter. Please check in with your child to make sure he/she is keeping
up with the reading. There will be a test over Chapter 2 the week of
Sept. 24.
Our homeroom is on safety patrol next week. If your
child is on duty, please have him/her here by
Geography—Mrs. Dianna
Youngblood
Seventh graders are currently study
Chapter 2, “Planet Earth.” This week
students learned about the earth and solar energy, and about water on
Earth. Next week students will explore
the land and plate tectonics. A test
over the material is scheduled for early in the week of Sept. 24.
Health—Mrs. Tina Wendling
The seventh graders have been
looking at the influences that affect our overall health and the choices we
make. We have been spending some time
exploring what it means to be a person of “character” and how our values drive
our actions. The students interviewed
some of their role models to determine their values and this week brought in
and shared articles about individuals who have demonstrated good
character. Next, we will write personal
belief statements articulating what we believe in and what values define
us. No easy task even for adults I know,
but research shows that teens who have a strong sense of self and identity are
much less likely to engage in risky behaviors.
Once that is complete, I will be asking the students to set a long-term
health goal for the first half of the year.
With the older students in particular, my focus this year will be on
BECOMING healthier people, not simply learning facts and stats.
Students
tested over “A Boy and a Man” on Tuesday.
They are continuing their study of plot by reading “A Secret for Two”
and “Zoo.” Seventh graders have also set
their own AR goals and are enjoying the wide range of AR tests now
available. Please continue to encourage your
children as they select books to read.
If you haven’t already, take a family field trip to our beautiful
downtown library—it is quite inspiring!
Writing—Mrs. Kristin Griffin
Thank you for reviewing, signing,
and returning your child’s recent tests over helping verbs and subjects and
predicates. The results indicate that,
while a few of the students really struggle, the majority have retained this
knowledge and are ready to forge ahead.
Thus, we are currently reviewing nouns (both common and proper),
pronouns, and antecedents. Language is
ever evolving, but there are many basic concepts that do not change. Just as students memorize mathematical facts
and equations, they should also have a firm grasp of the basic parts of speech
(verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc.) by seventh grade. You might consider having some type of grammar
reference available at home. A couple
of inexpensive books I recommend are: Scholastic Guides: Checking Your Grammar by Marvin Terban
and Painless Grammar by Rebecca
Elliott, Ph.D.
6 Trait Writing—Ideas:
This trait is the heart of the message.
It is the central idea and the support for that idea.
For the next few weeks, students will be working on
how to generate intriguing topics that connect to their own experiences. We will strive for clarity, focus, and
quality details that go beyond the obvious as we write.
Math
Blue: Ms. Mary
DiGiovanna
The students are studying decimals operations in
Chapter 2. Currently, we have discussed
comparing, ordering, and rounding decimals.
We have also started to discuss the four operations of addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division with decimals. A chapter test is
tentatively scheduled for Sept. 20.
Red:
Ms. Mary DiGiovanna
Moving at a swift pace, the students
are studying decimal operations in Chapter 2.
Almost halfway through the chapter, they have studied comparing,
ordering, and rounding decimals. Also, the four operations with decimals have
been studied. The Chapter 2 test is
tentatively scheduled for Sept. 18.
White: Mrs.
Diane Marrin, ext. 326 dmarrin@stpeterskc.org
Seventh graders are studying decimal operations, rounding, estimating,
and measuring in metric units. Most of the students are doing very well with
all assignments turned in complete and on time. The excellent Chapter 1
test scores reflect this. Tomorrow
there will be a binder check. Please
sign the checklist before binders are turned in.
Science
Mr.
The students are in the process of completing their
study of life processes. Beginning the week of Sept. 17, the students will
begin their study of the cell theory and cellular activities (diffusion,
osmosis, active transport, respiration, and reproduction). There will be two separate tests: one over
diffusion, osmosis, and active transport, and the other over cellular
respiration and reproduction.