Greetings,
I hope that by now everyone has recovered from all of the Fall Fest fun! Thanks to all the parents who volunteered their time and/or spent lots and lots of money. We teachers are grateful for your continued support.
Eighth Grade has been reading the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. We have been focusing on the different themes that are present in the novel and examining the effective use of satire and how it is used to bring about awareness – and hopefully – change towards the injustices in society. Students are finding how Mark Twain’s criticisms of the world he knew are still relevant. Seventh Grade has been working on an autobiography Google Slide project.
In Social Studies, Eighth Grade has been learning about the Mexican American War and the Abolition Movement in preparation for covering the Civil War. Seventh Grade has been learning about primary sources, secondary sources, and how to identify the reliability of sources. An additional e-mail is being sent with specifics about the History Fair process that we are beginning.
Choosing a high school to attend is a major decision for Seventh and Eighth Grade students. Catholic high schools offer shadow days as a way to help make that decision. I’ve noticed over the years that students like to attend shadow days on regular school days so that they can miss a day of school only to spend a day at another school. With an upcoming day off next Friday September 22, I can’t think of a better time to schedule a shadow day than on that day. Many high schools will also stay open on Monday October 9 when grade schools are off in order to accommodate visitors. I hope some of our students take advantage of these opportunities.
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.” – Mark Twain