Cockeysville<= /st1:PlaceName> Midd= le School – Home of the Cougars!

8^th Grade Team Inf= o =

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Team News

&nb= sp; The 8^th grade team will be boarding buses to travel to Washington, D.C.= on Tuesday, November 24^th. We leave the building at 8:30 a.m. and return at 5:00 p.m. Permission slips will come home wh= en the date draws closer. Please sav= e the date now! Make plans for transportation home that day since it is an extended day trip. Cost for students will be $20. Cost for chaperones is $10. As per BCPS policy, all chaperones= need to complete the volunteer training. All questions should be directed to Ms. Coleman at scoleman@bcps.org .

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Words from Guidance = Ms. Evert-Brown

Reminder from your 8^th grade School Counselor

Academy of Finance Magnet – Overlea High School Open House Wednesday, October= 14, 2009 from 6 to 8 PM

Eastern Technical High School Open House, Thursday, October 15, 2009 from 6 to 8 PM=

Carver Center for Arts & Technology Open House, Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 1 to 3 PM

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English = Ms. Fritsche Ms. Stoe =

We can hardly believe that it is already October! Time is flying in our English classrooms. Students are engaged in rigorous work and are making great strides. We are so proud of them! Here a= re just a few things that we have been studying:

Academic 8:&= nbsp; Students are well into our first novel of the year, The Giver. Ask them what they think about Jonas’s utopian society. Th= ey have composed many pieces of writing and are starting the beginning stages = of a definition essay. Next, they will be creating their very own graphic novels= . We are expecting great results for both of these extensive works.

GT 8: &= nbsp; Students are almost finished with the reading of our memoir, Farewell to Manzanar. They have had the difficult but creative = task of assuming the role of a character from the book in order to create a pers= onal journal. Next, they will use episodes from their journals to compose and present soliloquies. We are looking forward to seeing their chosen characte= rs come to life in our classrooms.

ALL classes work on grammar concepts and ski= lls through daily rigorous drill

instruction. They also receive extensive instruction of word attainment, meaning, and

usage through our vocabulary programs. Please encourage your = child to practice and use these words

and concepts outside of the school setting.

We are enjoying our time with your children. What fantastic kids! Please encourage them

to visit our help sessions for any additional needs they m= ay have. And thanks to you all for your wonderful communication and support! = J=

History = Ms. Coleman Mr. Cummings<= /a>

&nb= sp; Students have been working their way through history. We examined theories of how North America became populated. Next up? Students will look at the coloniza= tion of the continent by European powers. This will lead into the birth and growth of the English colonies.

&nb= sp; Toward the end of October, students will begin their 8^th grade history project, otherwise known as History Day.&n= bsp; The topic this year is Innovation in History. Details will be coming shortly. For those of y= ou who can not wait, visit www.nhd.org .

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Finally, the soc= ial studies department will once again be selling fair trade coffee this year in time for the holidays. Profit= s help get cool things for the social studies classrooms. A third of the profit goes to CMS’s Outreach Committee which provides food baskets to CMS families = for the holidays. It is a wonderf= ul fundraiser with good product. We invite you to sample it during American Education week.

Science = Ms. Grim Ms. Youngblood

All 8^th grade science students will receive information about the upcoming Science Fiction Book Project during the week of October 19^th. Each class will visit the library = and have an opportunity to select a book to read for their project. Students may also choose a book fr= om the public library or from home. = The assignment includes completing an organizer while reading the book, identif= ying science fact and fiction in the story, writing an essay comparing a charact= er in the book to someone they know, and creating a poster about the book. Please look for this information t= o come home next week.

Academic science students h= ave continued to study weather. T= hey have learned about pressure, wind, the water cycle, and humidity. The students will conclude the uni= t by studying air masses, fronts, and storms.&n= bsp; Please check to see that your child is recording weather data for th= eir assigned city on a daily basis.

GT science students are studying environmental chemistry. Our final topics in chemistry include chemical reactions and acids and bases. The student’s atom models ar= e due by Friday, October 23^rd and they will take their benchmark exam = the week of October 26^th.

Math = = Ms. Mangels Ms. Creighton = =

Algebra II students have just finished a unit on solving systems of linear equations and will be working on matrices= and methods of solving systems of equations with matrices.

= &= nbsp; Algebra I students are working on solving linear equations. Our focus in this u= nit is the application of the skills within the context of solving equations. Therefore we will be emphasizing word problems and how to solve them. Algeb= ra students are encouraged to use all resources available in the text and onli= ne to practice problems to prepare for the unit assessments and the HSA.<= /o:p>

= &= nbsp; Algebraic Thinking 2 is a crucial year for mathematics. The ground work is established that will be needed for success in Algebra I next year. Algebra= I is a high school graduation requirement. Parents are encouraged to check to= see that the AT2 homework is completed each evening. This independent practice = is vital to success in higher level mathematics courses. The AT2 classes are currently working on expressions, functions, and equations.

Level 1 Spanish &nb= sp; = Ms. Horlacher = Ms. Grieves

= Hello, again Parents and Guardians!

= &= nbsp; We had a great beginning in Spanish I! We are just about to end chapter 1 and take the unit exam. It is an intimidating exam but most students = do well. Chapter 2 is all about getting to know other people and how to describe them. As you may already have guessed from looking at the textbook, each chapter is devoted to either a Spanish speaking country or a state that has much Hispanic influence. Chapter 1 focused on Spain, chapter 2 will focus on Puerto Rico.

= &= nbsp; As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us!

= &= nbsp; We hope all is well and look forward to a great year!

Level 2 Spanish &= nbsp; Ms. Senior

We will spend the first qua= rter doing the first unit that incorporates a significant amount of review of level 1 content. This unit, “Familiares= y amigos”, emphasizes information related to our home and personal life= . We are presently reviewing verbs and calendar items as we describe when and who does various chores in the home. This will be followed by our discuss= ing daily schedules as we review time and Reflexive Verbs. We will end the unit= by doing a project on an imaginary family and a BCPS exam that includes all the communication skills..

Coach class continues to be well attended every Tuesday from 2:30-3:15. Students often come to practice more, or review and retake assignments which they did not do well after their first attempt. Pa= rents are reminded that during the first quarter students are invited to re-do so= me quizzes and assignments only after reviewing the concepts in coach class. The better grade is added to the students’ average, so please encourage your child to take advantage of t= his opportunity. In the second quarter, the 2 grades are averaged.

&= nbsp; Please continue to monitor http= ://new.schoolnotes.com for homework and other relevant information. I can be reached at ksoonfahsenior@bcps.org.

French &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Ms. Coffman

Bonjour! In French Level II classes, we are currently working on a family photo album Project. Students are u= sing the new vocabulary and grammar through describing their relatives and creat= ing a photo album. By now, they should be able to describe their relatives and friends by telling their name, age, profession, what they are like…. =

= We reviewed some vocabulary and grammar from last year for the first 1-2 weeks= and have already started unit 1 in the book. We still have some new gramm= ar concepts ahead in the first unit so the unit exam won’t be taken until the end of October. So far most of my students are doing very well in Level II so just keep up the good work…BRAVO!

= Merci. Au revoir!

Other Areas of Note…

The Outreach Committee would like to remind = you the Thanksgiving Food Baskets will be collected November 16, 17, and 18. An= yone wishing to donate a food basket can contact JoLee Sproul for the food item = list at jssproul@verizon.net.

<= u>EDUCATIONAL TOURS SUMMER SCIE= NCE ENRICHMENT TRIP

= Dear Parents,=

= We are continuing to enroll students in this summer's Florida Science trip.&nb= sp; This trip will contain 4 days of non-stop hands-on science activities for e= ach of the participants. The date of the trip are June 28 - July 1. The trip is open to students in all 3 grades. = If you were unable to attend the meeting on October 9, a second meeting will be held on October 23, 6:30 - 8:00, to provide trip information. Fundrai= sing for the trip has already begun.

= &= nbsp; If your chil= d is unable to participate in the trip, but you would still like to support the students that are, please consider purchasing an Entertainment 2010 Book or= Joe Corbis Pizza and Cookie Dough. Contact me for order information.= =

= &= nbsp; Thank You,=

= Mr. Segal

MSTA Teacher Conventi= on Schools Closed	10/16
S= pirit Week	1= 0/19-10/23
Picture Day	1= 0/23
B= ook Fair	1= 1/02-11/05
1= ^st Quarter Ends	1= 1/05
Assessment Day Schools Closed	1= 1/06

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