Middle School eNewsletter

Issue II, October, 2005

Upcoming Events:

• Friday, October 28 – FIELD OF SCREAMS gathering, 6:00 p.m. to around 7:30 p.m., West Greenwich , RI . Directions at: http://www.field-of-screams.com/directions.html .
  B and Girls on that day. Boys A team still has a game @ Moses Brown.
• Tuesday, November 1 – Rescheduled Games for Girls (home vs. Pennfield), and Boys A (home vs. Pennfield).3:15 p.m.
• Friday, November 4 – Middle School Dance #1, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Campbell Center
• Monday, November 7 – Richard Ryan to work with faculty 3:15 – 5:00..NO SOCCER PRACTICE for Boys
• Tuesday, November 8, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m., Richard Ryan to present to Middle School Parents, Flynn Lecture Hall.
• Thursday, November 10 – Veterans Day Program 11:00 – 11:30 a.m.
• Friday, November 11 – SCHOOL CLOSED –Veterans Day
• Thursday, November 17 – 7 th grade geological fieldtrip to Jamestown

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SNAP SHOT – A quick glimpse into the classrooms………..

The students and faculty have hit the heart of the trimester and the buzz of the Middle School is like that of a machine that has fully warmed up, reached its optimum RPM, and is humming along just right. Just what kind of machine it is, well, we'll leave that up to each person's imagination. Take a look under the hood, and here is what you will find……

The 6 th grade is busy uncovering the mysteries of Ancient Egypt. They are beginning their first research project where they will investigate a particular aspect of this remarkable culture, and then present their findings in character to the rest of the class, as an archeologist, an Egyptian laborer or tradesman, or perhaps the Queen of the Nile herself. While this is going on, the students have also begun a careful study of the trees found on campus which will lead to the definition of the “scientific method”; they are working on algebra puzzles and using x/y tables to generate patterns for plotting on the coordinate plane; and are also wrestling with the definition of a “hero” in English. In Study Skills, the students are learning how to recognize “ clues ” (look for the bold type) in questions and writings that will help direct (notice the italics) their thinking. In art, the class has been working on their leaf study in complementary colors, a nice tie in with science class.

The 7 th grade is wrapping up their “Around the World Projects” for which each student has done extensive research on all aspects of their chosen country. With their passports now stamped, they are off on remarkable journeys to all points of the globe. While on these journeys, they might come across the various elements and minerals they are investigating with Mr. Wheeler in science as they develop their understanding of the building blocks of the planet. In English, the students have been introduced to a variety of short stories, taking the time to dissect the literary elements within the story, while sneaking some grammar lessons in as well. Pumpkins are the name of the game in mathematics as the 7 th grade completes its annual pumpkin project for Halloween, pretending on paper to be the managers of a pumpkin patch and working through the many mathematical challenges they might face as they try to keep their patch prosperous. The students are also beginning to speak foreign languages, completing their hallway perspective sketches, writing about diseases in Health Class, and discussing Romeo and Juliet in Drama.

Not to be outdone, the 8 th grade is getting a historical perspective of our government, looking at the Mayflower Compact and learning about our state's history, all while keeping up with current events. In English, Mr. Hill and Ms. Lovejoy are working on the students' research skills with a “pre-exposition” assignment as they investigate people in the news. In Algebra they are looking for algebraic patterns in complex tile structures and finding ways to graph these patterns with multiple representations. The excitement of the day comes when they fire up the Bunsen burners to study the mass of a substance in a closed system. Eighth graders are like moths when it comes to an open flame. They too are working hard on their second languages, learning about Van Gogh and post impressionism, exploring various theatre games, and looking forward to choosing their exposition topics this week.

It is a good thing the young have so much energy. I'm exhausted just looking at this list, and yet I see the excitement and enthusiasm the students bring to class each day. They should all be proud of their hard work and accomplishments.

DRAMA ELECTIVE: Sharing our favorite stories – Diane McNeil This semester's Drama Elective Class has been focusing on the art of storytelling, and its willing audience is the Preschool class. The younger children have enjoyed hearing such stories as THE CAT IN THE HAT and STREGA NONA, but more importantly, a weekly trip to the Middle School commons has provided both age groups with an opportunity to form close-working and personal relationships. Puppets that are made to accompany the storytelling will be donated to the Preschool classroom, and later in the semester, the Middle School students will present a play for their younger friends

GIRLS SOCCER – Theresa Conroy: The Girls Soccer team is off to a good start under the strong leadership of three captains Chelsey Frost, Anthea Weixel, and Abby DeBlois. The team is a combination of 5 th through 8 th graders with a variety of skill levels. They had their first victory against Moses Brown with a score

of 6-0. The highlights of the game were the strong offensive plays by Erica Santos, Shreve Cameron and Mackenzie Gilbert, with a combination of defensive stops by Bryce Feingold and Min Jin Lee. The team appreciates all the support from their parents and classmates and hopes to see many new fans at the final home game Nov 1 st (3:15) versus Pennfield.

BOYS SOCCER A – Tim Greenwood: A Thriller in Rehoboth On October 20, a beautiful fall day, our Middle School A team left campus to challenge the Wheeler squad. It was an exciting match as both teams started strongly, and each had excellent opportunities to score. Defensemen Tory Dumas, Ethan Thoms and goalie, Phil Hackett, all made outstanding plays to prevent any Wheeler goals, and the half ended in a scoreless tie. In the second half, our relentless attack continued and enabled Ian Sutcliffe to put one home to give us the lead. Wheeler continued to battle, but Sam Jedrey's late score sealed our victory as we won 2-0. The entire team played extremely well and looks forward to our rematch with Wheeler at our final game on Nov. 3. Your support would be appreciated. As of this newsletter, the Middle School A team remains undefeated.

SOCCER B – Ben Bartlett: A Great Game All Around On Saturday, October 22nd, the Mighty B's took the field versus Block Island to showcase its talents most commendably for the Founders Day festivities. Despite what can be said about "ties," this sixty minute battle between these two squads ended perfectly, 2-2. After jumping out to a quick lead when Clay Barker drove home a terrific feed from David Monti, the Mariners surrendered two goals to their guests before the end of the first half. Except for Clay Barker's second goal of the day, both teams' defenses "shut the door" on several excellent scoring opportunities in the second half. Mr. Jedrey perhaps said it best in his post-game comment, "It would have been a shame for either team to lose that one." In other words, the Mighty B's gave a tremendous, overall effort and should be pleased with the end result. .

LOST AND FOUND – The pile is growing! Now that the weather has turned colder in the morning, our lost and found pile has suddenly had a growth spurt. Please remind your child(ren) to bring home all of their belongings each night. Also, please initial their clothing on the inside so if it is left behind, it has a better chance of finding its rightful owner.

EMAIL ADDRESSES: Please alert Barbara Streuli of your email address changes at bstreuli@rockyhill.org with a copy to Mike at mjedrey@rockyhill.org .