Fall 2013 Volume 2

Special Notes:

• 7th Grade Experienc-ing Music Field Trip—November 6 at Sweetwa-ter Sound

• RATS trimester 1 ends—November 7

• Dance—November 8, 6:00-8:00, NMS gym

• Veteran’s Day Pro-gram—November 11, 7:45 a.m., high school gym

• 8th Grade Band Pro-gram—November 11, 7:00 p.m.

• Basketball Fundrais-er—November 14, 6:30—8:00, NMS gym

• 7th Grade Alive and Well—November 18-22,

• Midterm Reports—November 18

• Crusader Parent Meeting—November 25 @ 7:00 in NMS library

• Thanksgiving Break—November 28-29 (no school)

CRUSADER CHRONICLE NORWELL MIDDLE SCHOOL

Students of the Month October (6th) Maddy White (6th) Kaden Bussel (7th) Garrison Brege (7th) Kylie Topp (8th) Emily Garver (8th) Garrett Weybright

On November 14th, the middle school teachers will take on the high school teachers in a game of basketball to help raise money to purchase technology for the classrooms. Last year’s

game was a great success won by the high school, which evens the series at one game apiece. The event will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 in the middle school gymnasium. Cost of the event is $1.00 pre sale and $2.00 at the door. There are also several other fun activities planned for the evening. Like last year, there will be many drawings for prizes throughout the night, in-cluding video games, food items from local restaurants, and much more. Attendees will also have an opportunity to shoot free throws and 3-point shots for prizes. Teachers and adminis-trators selected by students will have pies tossed in their face. We will also introduce the 7th & 8th grade boys and girls basketball teams and the high school varsity and JV boys and girls teams, followed by short scrimmages. The high school and middle school cheerleaders will be there to cheer on their teams. Some of the teachers and administrators participating include Mr. Misch, Mr. McClain, Mr. Prater, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Feldheiser, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Dafforn, Mr. Ring, Mr. Wagner, Mrs. McKean, Mr. Hawkins, Mr. Diehl, and others. Conces-sions will be available. Hope to see everyone there cheering on their favorite team!

NMS vs. NHS Crusader Parents Basketball Fundraiser

Dear US Military Members & Veterans …

SAVE THE DATE!

Friday, November 11, 2013 @ 6:30am

Norwell Middle & High Schools are continuing the tradition of honoring those who have served and are currently serving in our armed forces. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine & Coast Guard have laid the ground-work for dedication, service, pride, and love of country.

We encourage military members past & present to attend the Veterans Day breakfast & program presented jointly by NMS & NHS to honor our men & women in uniform. It is our intention to show support of your actions, past & present.

Veterans are invited to attend breakfast at the NMS cafeteria on Monday, November 11 at 6:30am, and the program which follows in the NHS gym. Please allow us the opportunity to honor your service by attending. Please R.S.V.P. to Jody Gates by calling 260-543-2218 x6141, or emailing jody.gates@nwcs.k12.in.us by November 4th, 2013. Leave your name & phone number, and your intentions to attend the breakfast and/or the program to insure adequate seating & food. Parents and community members are also invited to attend the program in the NHS gym, which will start at approximately 7:45 a.m.

We are proud supporters of our U.S. Military & Emergency personnel!

Norwell Middle School honored our military (Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard & POW/MIA) and local emergency departments (Police, Fire & EMS) by dedicating of wall of flags in our library. The flags were donated in large part by Michael Wing and Jon & Jody Gates. The Wells County Sheriff’s Dept. donated a sheriff’s flag. Staff members also contributed monetarily to cover expenses to hang the flags. Come & check out the flag wall when you visit NMS!

My website: http://teacherweb.com/ IN/NorwellMiddleSchool/Rasdorf/apt1.aspx Science: We have made it through 1/4 of the school year. The students know the expectations and many are rising to the challenge of 6th grade. In science we are studying the body’s nervous system. The students are also learning about the parts of the brain. By the end of October we will be finishing up with Unit A—Scientific Meth-od, Qualitative / Quantitative, and the nervous system/brain. For the remain-der of 2nd quarter we will venture into Life Science: learning about the Nile Fish (the miracle fish), endangered spe-cies, biomes, and the food chain/web.

Qualitative data: blue/green color, gold frame smells old and musty texture shows brush strokes of oil paint peaceful scene of the country masterful brush strokes

Quantitative data: picture is 10" by 14" with frame 14" by 18" weighs 8.5 pounds surface area of painting is 140 sq. in. cost $300 In social studies: North America will be our first desti-nation. The students will learn about the physical features of The United States of America and Canada. We will look at part of the history of this continent, and the present day culture. The students will have some memory work, weekly quizzes and pre and post tests. As we travel the world this year in social studies we will get a picture of how many places are similar and also very different at the same time.

Newsletter - October 2013

Assignment Books

Students are to be writing in their assignments books daily. Please let one of the teachers on the

blue team know if your child is not writing in each box (language arts, science, social studies,

and math) every day. In addition, trappers should go home every afternoon. There is no

such line as: “I don’t have any homework tonight!”

STUDENT OF THE MONTH (for October)

Maddy White STARS

Macy Morgan Tytus Morrisett

Reese Bogemann

My website: teacherweb.com/IN/Norwell MiddleSchool/McMichael/ apt1.aspx In writing, we have been reviewing the Six Traits of Writing, with a strong focus on using transitions, para-graphs, and great word choice. Soon, we will be doing a short research piece on a historical research topic related to either the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, or some other topic related to your child’s group historical fiction book. In fiction reading, we recently finished Out of the Dust, which was a whole class book. Our class really dove into the writer’s craft (figurative language) in this book—similes, metaphors, repetition, alliteration, personification, and specific nouns. The elements of fiction were reviewed and ex-tended as well during this study. In the coming weeks, your child will be reading two other books— a book of their choice in addition to a guided reading group book. Students have a reading log for their group book and also a bookmark and sticky flags for their choice book. Please remember, your child should be reading at least three times a week for thirty minutes. Nonfiction reading from Scope magazine is a huge part of our curriculum now. Ask your student about our latest nonfiction reading! Word Study continues each week with word a day and root words. Vocabulary quizzes are every other Friday, and these include spelling! Students should be study-ing for these quizzes at home, either using Quizlet on the computer (or some other tech device), or by studying their worksheets at home. In language, we are using Brain Pop, Flocabulary, booklets, and worksheets to practice our skills. Grammar is sometimes assigned for homework, so watch for these to come home.

(Math) Website: http://teacherweb.com/IN/ NorwellMiddleSchool/Carter/apt1.aspx After completing chapter two over integers, Block 1 will move on to chapter three over rational numbers. For each chapter, the students are reviewing vo-cabulary terms and creating examples in

notes and foldables to help them identify main ideas and key concepts. Students should fre-

quently review their notes and foldables, as well as use websites and the extra practice section in the back of the text-book for review. In Blocks 2 and 3, the students com-pleted a review of skills needed to multi-ply and divide fractions, which will be assessed in chapter 2. All students have worked on the four steps for problem solving, divisibil-ity rules, prime factoriza-tion, exponents, order of operations, sim-plifying fractions, reducing fractions, mixed numbers, improper fractions, GCF, and LCM. These standards should be reviewed often at home, as they may be on the ISTEP+ test in the spring. Students in Blocks 2 and 3 that demonstrated excellent understanding of the Quarter One Skills were: Riley An-trim, Breann Barger, Katie Berry, Au-tumn Brickley, Sophia Cady, Joe Col-bert, Josh Colon, Emmy Cupp, Alyssa Cyrus, Mary Davis, Cody Floyd, Brady Green, Hannah Harber, Jake Holliday, Sydney Lambert, Camden Lamons, Devin Loftus, Braden Mallery, Joey Martinez, Macy Morgan, Mason Morris, Autumn Nelson, Konner Norman, Quin-ton Purdy, A. J. Rogers, Jacob Sherrer, James Sowards-Colburn, Lucas Stauf-fer, Sarah Tourney, Zach Tschannen, Brendan Ulfig, Maddy White and Sabri-na Wright.

Norwel l Middle Schoo l

Mrs. Chavis Math– Period 1

Divide and Conquer lists the divisibility rules the students

have been applying to various numbers.

These rules were used to find the

prime numbers from one to 100. Inte-gers is the next

topic. Period 2, 3, & 4 The classes have been working on Order of Operations, finding area of rectangles and solving expres-sions by replacing

the variables. Minute Mathh is ten problems which the students self-grade

four days of the week.

Social Studies: The students are work-ing on chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6. This in-cludes six to eight vocabulary words with each section. Chapter 3 is looking at the world popula-tion, global cultures, and world trade.

6 T H G R A D E G O L D

Mrs. Burns’ Social Studies: Ancient Greece and Rome was our focus this month. The students learned about the culture, government, religious beliefs, and life as a Roman gladiator. They completed their study by designing a god or goddess that they could ask for assistance in their lives as well as a

piece of ancient Greek pottery.

Mrs. Weybright’s Social Studies:

AMAZING South America Power Point Presentations!!! All students did a great job researching and designing

power points with creativity.

Mr. Niermeyer Science

The students have been learning about clinical tri-als. How they can benefit

certain individuals and how there can be trade-offs.

They have also participated in some classroom activi-ties involving sensitivity

testing and response stim-ulus. We will next learning

about quantitative and qualitative data.

Social Studies

The beginning of the new nine weeks the students will be learning the continents and bodies of water. In addition, they begin learning how to

locate place by using lines of latitude and longitude.

Student of the Month Kaden Bussel

Language Arts — Mrs. Weybright Fiction Reading: Starting in November, students will be in Historical Fiction groups. The Reading Log packet will look a little different than the previous reading logs. Instead of reading 100 pages each week, students will be reading 1/3 of their book each week. They will divide their book’s pages by beginning, middle, and end. Also, each week when you sign the reading log, your son/daughter should show you his/her historical fiction web, 4 active reading post-its, reader response paragraph, and character descriptions. Reading logs are due every Wednesday. Non-Fiction Reading: Students will be going to the computer lab to research the factual information found in their historical fiction book. Also, we will continue to read articles in the Scope magazine. Mini-Lessons:: We are working on identifying and interpreting similes, metaphors, personification, and idioms. December 13th: Beef n’ Boards Field Tripp (dress-up, no jeans, home transportation needs to be arranged — We will be back at Norwell @ 4:30.)

Composition — Mrs. Burns October—colorful leaves, scary movies, and bags full of candy. What a great month! The Comp Café is celebrating this awesome month by building our word choice. We have been identifying and using adjectives and new vocabulary words in our writing. Our writer’s notebook is full of pieces involving the student’s use of technology, a report on their first nine weeks (with illustrations), and stories about their greatest fears. Finally, the students have been researching a middle school in a different state and are now composing a compare and contrast paper explaining the similarities and differences between their chosen school and Norwell Middle School. The students have really enjoyed working on this project together. Also, we have finished our first read aloud, Middle Scholl: The Worst Years of My Life, and have begun reading Claws. The students seem to really be enjoying the story.

“An investment in knowledge always

pays the best interest.”

Benjamin Franklin

STARS for October

Hannah Dalrymple

Riley Fraze Shelby Settle

Grace Stoppenhagen

Mrs. Dickey’s language arts

classes are continuing their

weekly routine of roots,

v o cab , and Reade r ’ s

Workshop. Students just

finished up reading groups

and w i l l b e g i n an

independent novel of their

genre choice.

In addition, we have been

incorporating more nonfiction

by reading an Article of the

Week (AOW). Our purpose

is to focus on nonfiction

reading strategies in order to

i m p r o v e r e a d i n g

comprehension.

We will also be reading the

short story “All Summer in a

Day” by Ray Bradbury, the

teleplay “Monsters Are Due

on Maple Street,” by Rod

Serling, and an adaptation of

“The Tell-Tale Heart.”

Other Important Information

The students learn a root

word every week and a

vocabulary word daily.

There is a quiz every two

weeks. They can use

Quizlet to study.

Students should be reading

a minimum of 20 minutes

5-7 nights a week in

addition to what we do during

Reading Workshop.

During Reading Workshop, the

students read, write, and

conference with me or their

groups. Each student has set

a reading and writing goal

for the second quarter.

C h e c k Po we r S c h o o l

regularly. This is the best

way to stay up-to-date on

your child’s grades.

Check my website regularly

for daily assignments and

other valuable information.

www.nwcs.k12.in.us/

DickeyBonnie.aspx

N o r w e l l

M i d d l e

S c h o o l

Mrs. Gallmeyer-8th Grade

Alex Chance

Mrs. Gallmeyer

Emily Haiflich

Mrs. Dickey

Brandon Runyon

Mrs. Bender

All students have used research skills on a topic pertaining to the Anne Frank era. In groups of two each group orally pre s en t ed th e i r information to their classmates. Some very interesting information came out of these presentations. All classes are continuing their vocabulary lessons weekly. Advanced language students are reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Each student has a calendar that has the reading assignments on it. Along with the reading assignments students are working on various other written projects.

Regular classes: We are reading the play over “The Diary of Anne Frank”. Many students have a part in the play, so this makes the

reading a little more exciting. Students really get into the parts and they start to feel how the Frank family felt in the

Annex. We also made our own diary/journal and named it. Our responses to the diary prompts will be written in this diary/journal.

Congratulations to

Alex Chance

for being the STAR for

October in language arts!

Way to go Alex!!

Mrs. Dickey-7th Grade

To read without

reflecting is like

eating without

digesting. -Edmund Burke

LANGUAGE ARTS

October 2013

Volume 1, Issue 2

Mrs. Bender 7th & 8th

SEVENTH graders will begin the study of science fiction/fantasy as we read the drama “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” This Rod Serling play formerly appeared in The Twilight Zone. As we engage with this piece, we will examine character motive and fear, and we will compare this piece with our class read aloud, Full Tilt (also science fiction/fantasy). We are also studying elements of nonfiction using current events articles and Scope magazine.

eighth graders In order to

prepare for Goodrich and Hackett’s dramatic version of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” eighth graders will peruse a variety of nonfiction and historical fiction Holocaust-related pieces. Students will assume roles of Miss Frank’s now famous family and friends an d re ad a l o ud t hese characters’ parts. In addition to strengthening literary analysis and reading comprehension skills, we will learn about World War II and the Holocaust through the insightful and expressive words of young Anne. Conversations students have with friends or relatives about World War II and the Holocaust will enrich their understanding of Anne’s impossible situation.

All students All students are expected to read nightly in independent novels, and make note of their thinking on adhesive or other notes. All students are required to read one book per month, or two per quarter. Also, be p r e p a r e d f o r vocabulary quizzes every-other Monday.

Mrs. Allen & Mrs. Bender

7th period authors have retrained their eyes and are now reading like writers! They have noticed good writer’s craft in our read aloud mentor text Guts by Gary Paulsen. My authors now acknowledge that they recognize good craft in their independent readings from Scope magazine and their choice readings too—YEAH! My young authors have also learned to read with an editor’s eye, so watch out world! These editors are armed and dangerous… with red pens! They know their editing symbols and they’re not afraid to use them. Our next genre of focus is Expository Writing! We are currently reading Stormbreaker by Anthony

Harowitz and analyzing the author’s craft via Mrs. Smith’s Kindle and the SMART Board. Students are enjoying teaching the rest of the class “what’s good” about the author’s mentor text passages. This quarter authors will compose a “How To” piece. The How To Expository Essay will culminate with the inclusion of these 6 Traits of Writing: detailed ideas, organized steps and transitions, compound sentences, descriptive word choice (no dead verbs), and the author’s own, unique VOICE! Throughout Writing Workshop I am most proud of the students’ abilities to “learn the language” of a good writing conference. I’m impressed by how well students are able to

articulate what strengths and weaknesses exist in a fellow author’s writing. The level of feedback and the articulate discussions are something to see! Please let me know if you’d like to join the class for a peer conferencing or author’s chair day– I’d be happy to have you join us! You may even sharpen your own writing skills in the process.

Kudos to my teacher’s choice Narrative Essay authors: Reis Myers, Holly Harmon, Kylie Topp, Matt Decker, Garrison Brege, Aurdrey Barnes, Rylan Privett, and Gabi Wren—GREAT JOB AUTHORS!!

N o r w e l l M i d d l e S c h o o l

Mrs. Mann‐8th Grade

STARS

Mrs. Mann

Mrs. Smith

Calista Gerard 7th Grade 

Mrs. Allen

   Mrs. Smith‐7th Grade

We have successfully completed the first 9 weeks of the school year with m a n y w r i t i n g accomplishments. Through the use of MUG Shots, students are writing higher level sentence structures using semicolons and colons. They have quickly discovered how easily their sentence fluency improved! Our first published writing was a first person narrative; ask your child to share his narrative and writing skills with you. Kudos to the following wri ters for creat ing fabulous first person narratives with many skilled writer’s crafts: Jessica Weirick, Garrett Weybright , Victoria M e c k l e y , M a d e l i n e

Marquardt , Allison Topp, Kennedy Hall. We learned a great deal from our completed read aloud Freak the Mighty. Students identified many allusions as well as excellent examples of “show me” not “tell me”. Complimenting our read aloud, we will watch the movie The Mighty and compare and contrast the book and the movie. Moving into the second 9 weeks, we will be finalizing the details of a business letter as well as expanding NGWC skills. Students will continue identify writers craft and learn to

analyze how the craft is part of the w r i t i n g whole.

     We  will  be  spending  a majority of our wri ng  me focused  on  non  fic on pieces.  The 7th & 8th Grade Language Arts department is using Scope Magazine as an effec ve  way  to  teach  non fic on reading and wri ng.          We  will  spend  a  few weeks examining  the use of persuasion  in  the  form  of argument  and  debate essays.    Students  will  be learning  about  propaganda, connota ons, and the power of persuasion.         Students will  also master the differences between fact and  opinion,  and  how  the use  of  both  supports  an argument.  Ask your student to  see  one  of  the  ar cles they  have  wri en  or  an argument essay.        As always if you have any ques ons  or  concerns, please  do  not  hesitate  to contact  us.    We  can  be reached  via  email  at chris na.allen@nwcs.k12.in.us  and lori.bender@nwcs.k12.in.us      Let’s  con nue  having  a produc ve  and  fun  school year.  

If there's a book you really want to read, but

it hasn't been written yet, then you must

write it. ~Toni Morrison

Composi on October, 2013

Volume 1, Issue 2

Kylie Topp

Pelal Abdulrahim

7th Grade Science We just finished our “Scientific Method” unit which was a difficult unit because

students were expected not only to understand content but also to apply this new content in a scientific environment. We have students who are experts in the scientific method, which means these students scored in the “A” range for this difficult unit. Our experts are: Alec Allen, Skyler Brown, Megan Dettmer, Caleb Dummer, Tristan Fry, Lars Geisler, Seth Goetz, Kyle Henschen, Hunter Monnot, Allison Reineck, Brandon Runyon, Elizabeth Smith, Nathan Stephens, Jance Sullivan, Josh Williams, Gabi Wren, and Kade Zadylak. Congratulations to all!!! We just started our scientific method projects that students will work on the next two quarters and present their project in the fourth quarter. This assignment is called “My Very Own Experiment” and the criteria for this assignment will be located on my website in its own unit. Currently, we are studying “Plate Tectonics” which will consist of 2 units. Students will learn the layers inside of the earth, which consists of chemical and physical layers. Students will define and characterize the movement of tectonic plates and the formations that are created due to their movement. Important Information: Remember, if you need any information about 7th grade Science from Mrs. Everett’s class, you may visit my website at the following address: h t t p : / / t e a c h e r w e b . c o m / I N /

NorwellMiddleSchool/Everett/

Mark your Calendar: Alive and Well will visit the 7th grade during the week of November 18!

Science October 2013

Volume 1, Issue 2

No rw e l l

M i d d l e

S c h o o l

Lars Geisler

Mrs. Everett

Joshua Schmidt

Ms. Jones

Clare Johnson

Miss Kimball

SCIENCE STARS

OF THE

MONTH

SCIENCE 8TH

The eighth grade students are beginning

chemistry. The students completed an individual

webquest, which was unique to many of them. The webquest guided the students through each phase of

matter and how particles behave in each phase. We

also finished several mini labs about the properties of liquids, beginning with surface tension, where we

tested how many drops of water a penny could hold,

and we moved a floating paper “boat” with soap power. We also held viscosity races to see how fast different

liquids would flow.

Students have recently been graphing the energy, temperature, and important points, in endother-

mic and exothermic reactions. In order to physically

see an endothermic reaction we completed a “Phases of Matter” lab in which the students

used the Bunson Burners for the

first time in order to add energy and change ice from a solid, to a

liquid, to a gas and record the

temperatures at which the water changed phases.

SCIENCE 7TH

The seventh grade has been working very

hard to learn and apply the six steps in the scientific method to different lab experiments. In a completely

student led project, groups designed several unique

ways to present and describe the steps in the scientific method in order. These projects ranged in creativity

from wrapping paper boxes, to songs, to posters, to

food, and far beyond. While this was a challenge for some students, the goal of this project was not only to

retain the steps in the scientific method, but also to take

the steps and apply them in future labs, and even other aspects of life.

Students are currently working on a project

called “My Very Own Experiment” in which they must create and plan an entire lab from beginning to end,

complete the experiment, and type their own lab report.

Many of the students seem very excited to have com-plete control over their experiments and I

look forward to seeing our results in the

next few weeks.

8th Grade Science

Our onion project is off and running. Many groups already have little sprouts. This project will last several weeks as we observe and make infer-ences regarding the growth of the onion inside the soil which stu-dents cannot see. Each group chose a variable to test on the

plants. They will also be writing in a journal each day recording the progress of their onion plant. This will cover many of the literacy standards required by the state.

We have finished our unit on the scientific method. Students took their first formal assessment over this unit. This was one of the largest tests stu-dents will take this year. We are beginning our unit over states of matter. This is the introduction to our chemistry unit. We will be doing many interesting labs and projects.

Congratulations to all those students re-ceiving A’s in science for the first quarter. Also con-gratulations to our first students making the “Wall of Fame.”

7th Grade Science

We have just started our unit over plate tectonics. We began by looking at the different physical and chemical layers of the earth. The students have done several projects and folda-bles to help them understand the difference between the two types of layers of the earth. We will continue this unit with sea-floor spreading and plate bounda-ries.

Congratulations to students who received an A in science for the first quarter.

 

Soci

al S

tudi

es O

ctob

er N

ewsl

ette

r 8th Grade U.S. History 8th Grade U.S. History

7th Grade Social Studies 7th Grade Social Studies

Mr. Schorey 

Thanks to all the parents who helped make our field trip to Mississinewa such a great success.  Currently in my US History classes the students have been studying the United States Cons tu on.  At the moment students are working in groups doing research on the Bill of Rights and they will be presen ng their findings in front of the class through the use of their Power Point slide shows.  Students should be doing quality research, see how the Bill of Rights is unique to our country, and learn how these amendments affect our lives in so many ways.  Over-all, I think the kids are really enjoying the project and if your son or daughter decides to become a lawyer in the future please don’t blame me, I’ll take the 5th.    

Mr. Diehl’s STAR—Calvin Stoller Mrs. Everett’s STAR—Maddy Denny In 7th grade social studies we have wrapped up our study of the  world’s three monotheistic religions. We will be adding more religions to the list as we move through the year. We already have begun our study of Ancient Egypt and students will be completing their first political map. We will begin our study of the “Modern Middle East” in November. We will focus on the conflicts that have gone on in the area and how they all started. We will also be working on the maps of the Middle East. Remember, there is valuable information on our website! Students who achieved an ex‐ceptional score on the world’s three monotheistic religions assessment were Michaela Adam, Alec Allen, Jordan Archambault, Leah Aschliman, Aaron Bacon, Kylie Bau-man, Sydney Beitler, Kayla Berkshire, Lauren Bodner, Garrison Brege, Dylan Burnau, Ian Cook, Matthew Decker, Dru Denney, Levi Dirig, Caleb Dummer, Emily Eubank, Autumn Fox, Jessy Gardner, Lars Geisler, Calista Gerard, Kyle Henschen, Gilberto

Hernandez, Jadelyn Heyerly-Jones, Hailey Hudson, Levi Leidig, Mitchel Mayer, Austin Mounsey, Mason McMurtry, Tiana Moser, Taylor Murphy, Rylan Privett, Kassidy Puterbaugh, Allison Reineck, Luke Rinehart, Jack-son Roller, Brandon Runyon, Elizabeth Schmidt, Caden Sheets, Aaron Simerman, Taylor Smith, Shelby Stinson, Calvin Stoller, Jance Sullivan, Makaelyn Turner, Ashley Vandenboom, Josh Williams, and Gabi Wren!

Mrs. Smith We are deep into the heart of the Colonial Era. Discontent rapidly turned some colonists into patriots, while others remained loyalists. The Revolutionary War is brewing and the earliest seeds of democracy have been planted! The students are exploring causes and effects of the American Revolution and how our democratic society evolved. The class is also working hard on the new reading-writing standards for social studies. They are reading several primary-source documents including these: The Declara-tion of Independence, Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech, Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow, newspaper accounts of the Boston Massacre, as well as both of Thomas Paine’s works Common Sense and The Crisis. Please ask your son or daughter about the latest read aloud from this time period - Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Pre-Algebra Pre- algebra students have been exploring equations, first by using models and then by using the properties of equality. The students have solved one step and two-step equation, and showed all the steps it takes to get the answers. We also wrote our own algebraic expressions. The students surprised me with their understanding. Presented in our next chapter the students will examine factors and monomials. They will learn to evaluate expressions containing powers and exponents. And also learn how to simplify algebraic fractions.

General Math General Math students have been working very hard on the terms and principles of algebra. They have learned to add subtract, multiply and divide using negative numbers. Next they will learn to solve equations: one and two-step equations and inequalities. They will then take these equations and learn to graph them to find the slope of a line. It will be a very challenging chapter.

Algebra Students will use linear equations and their graphs to solve real life situations using frac-tions and decimals.. They will be able to identify the equations of vertical, horizontal and parallel lines and the equations that represent direct variation. This will lead us to writing and using the linear graphs to model real – life situations. The concept of correlation will be introduced.

October STARS: Mrs. Habegger: Ethan Premer

Mr. Lowden: Audra Beachy Mr. White: Jordan Page

Math Department

This year the art classes are creating artworks that incorporate science concepts, such as weather, body systems, cells, atoms, and direct

observation.

Related Arts

6th grade students are creating brochures about the different types of ecosystems.

The 7th grade is creating tie dyed t‐shirts that represent different types of cells. They will also silk screen lettering on top.

8th grader Kennedy Hall is using plaster gauze to create a cast of her hand that will represent friendship. The plaster shows changes in the states of matter.

6th graders Ethan Prough and Kaiden Slater are creating silkscreen designs of body systems.

7th grade students created acrylic observational paintings of the trees they studied in science class.

Art Class

November 4-8

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYTurkey Burger Sandwich Teriyaki Bites Chicken Nuggets Baked Chicken Pepperoni PizzaSpaghetti & Breadstick Cheeseburger Salisbury Steak Sloppy Joe Sandwich Fish Sandwich

Mixed Vegetables Soft Pretzel Green Bean Casserole Whole Wheat Roll California BlendCooked Carrots Baked Beans Italian Blend Mashed Potatoes Peas

Fresh Cauliflower Potato Wedges Cucumber Slices Cherry Tomatoes Celery SticksLettuce Creamy Slaw Lettuce Baby Carrots Lettuce

Applesauce Lettuce Sliced Pears Romaine Salad Jello with Fruit CocktailMandarin Oranges Pineapple Apricots Sliced Peaches Assorted Fruit

Fresh Fruit Blueberry Cake Fresh Fruit

November 11-15

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYChicken Fryz Cheese Toastie Chicken Wrap Mini Burger Sandwich Sausage Pizza

French Toast & Sausage Turkey & Noodles Rib BBQ Sandwich Chicken Sandwich Mexican LuncheonGarlic Stick Hot Roll Green Beans Baked Beans Tortilla Chips

Tri Tator Cooked Carrots Italian Blend Sweet Potato Tots PeasMixed Vegetables Mashed Potatoes Baby Carrots Fresh Cauliflower Corn

Celery Sticks Cucumber Slices Lettuce Romaine Salad Green Pepper SlicesLettuce Lettuce Applesauce Fruit Cocktail Lettuce

Sliced Peaches Pineapple Mandarin Oranges Fresh Fruit Sliced PearsOrange Smiles Fresh Fruit Assorted Fruit

November 18-22

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYCheeseburger Pizza Burger Sandwich Pita Pocket Shaved Turkey Sandwich Cheese Pizza

Popcorn Chicken Tacos with Cheese & Lettuce Italian Sub Potato or Chip Bar Macaroni & CheeseSoft Pretzel Refried Beans Green Beans Broccoli Sausage

Sweet Potatoes w/cinn. Fresh Cauliflower Potato Wedges Cherry Tomatoes Fresh BroccoliItalian Blend Corn Celery Sticks Lettuce Mixed Vegetables

Cucumber Slices Lettuce Romaine Salad Fruit Cocktail Baby CarrotsLettuce Applesauce Sliced Pears Fresh Fruit Lettuce

Pineapple Fresh Fruit Mandarin Oranges PeachesApricots Assorted Fruit

MuffinNovember 25-29

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAYNew York Sub Turkey Slice Pepperoni Pizza

Vegetable Beef Soup Hot Ham & Swiss Corn DogBread & Butter Oatmeal Roll Green Bean CasseroleCheese Stick Dressing & Gravy Baby Carrots

Cucumber Slices Mashed Potatoes Fresh CauliflowerMixed Vegetables Baked Sweet Potatoes Lettuce

Creamy Slaw Celery Sticks Sliced PearsLettuce Lettuce Fresh Fruit

Pineapple ApplesauceMandarin Oranges Fresh Fruit

Thanksgiving Cake

THE CRUSADER CHRONICLE Norwell Middle School

1100 E US 224 Ossian IN 46777

Fall 2013 Newsletter-Volume 2

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Ossian, IN 46777 PERMIT #12

 

 

    NMS ATTENDANCE REMINDER During cold & flu season we know that more students may be staying home ill.  We want to remind parents/guardians to please be prompt in calling in a student absence.  

The NMS policy is “it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to call the school by 8:00 am the day the student is absent. The NMS A endance line is available 24 hours a day and can be reached by calling  1‐888‐543‐2218. If a parent/guardian does not call, the school will a empt to contact the parent at home or work to no fy them of the absence. A note from parent, doctor, or other health care provider must be received by the office within 6 days a er the student’s return to school. Students will be considered truant if no note or call is received from a parent. A note from a health care provider will not be counted towards the six parent/guardian excused absences per semester.” 

Thanks! Stay healthy!