Brrrrr... Winter is on the way.

Assalamu alikum,

Brrrrr... what a wintry beginning to the week. I want to remind students and parents that we go outside for recess and that appropriate clothing is required. Students need to wear jackets, gloves/mittens, and hats or hoods when going outside. Students without appropriate clothing will stay indoors.


 This week in the warmth of the classroom, we will be doing math and science as always.

6th graders are focusing on review of multiplication and learning division of fractions. There will be a test on all fraction operations at the beginning of next week. In science we are looking at the factors that affect a population. We will be introducing a long-term team project on ecological systems.



7th graders will transition from similar figures to scale this week and will be creating scale maps of their rooms and using scale to interpret real distances represented on maps. In science, they will be researching and preparing for a debate on the FCC's control of radio and microwave frequencies. This is an interdisciplinary unit with a summative persuasive/argument essay written and assessed in both ELA and Science.


8th graders have a test Thursday on Linear Equations and Bi-variate Data. In science, we are learning about the life cycle of stars and will continue research on the stars of their chosen constellation.



Stay warm,
Sister Patti Picard

Vocabulary Quiz Thursday

Assalamu alikum,

Remember, every Thursday there is a vocabulary quiz for science. It seems a large number of students did not remember this week. Below are the words for each grade that will be on the quiz.

**Reminder, Friday is the concept quiz. I have included some links to help prepare for the Friday Quiz. **

6th Grade
direct observation
indirect observation
sampling
estimate
mark and recapture

7th Grade
electromagnetic spectrum
radio waves
microwaves
infrared waves
visible light
ultraviolet
x-rays
gamma rays
radar
thermogram

Electromagnetic Spectrum Practice Activity


8th Grade
apparent brightness
absolute brightness
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
light-year
parallax
composition* not on the list but will be included
nuclear fusion* (repeat from last week)
main sequence

H-R Diagram Practice Activity

2nd Quarter and Rolling Ahead

Assalamu alikum, 

This week marked the beginning of the 2nd quarter. We jumped into the new units for math and science. Below is a brief view of what we covered this week and what lays ahead for the next week. 

6th Grade

In math we are completing a unit of fraction operations. This week we reviewed adding and subtracting fractions and simplifying fractions by reduction and writing as mixed numbers. Next week, we will be reviewing adding and subtracting mixed numbers. 

In science, we made the transition to life science and our unit on ecosystems. We investigated a soil ecosystem and identified the biotic and abiotic factors within the ecosystem. We made comic strips showing the levels of organization in an ecosystem. 

7th Grade

Seventh grade began a unit on similar figures and scale. Next week, we will determine if two shapes are similar and find the missing measurements using what we know about similar figures. 

In science we are learning about electromagnetic waves, their propagation, different forms and uses on Earth. Next week we will identify uses and man-made sources of the different type of electromagnetic waves. There will be a test the following Monday. 

8th Grade

We are gathering, graphing, and interpreting bivariate data. Next week we will be graphing scatter plots, determining correlation and writing the equation of the trend line and interpreting what the slope of the trend line means. 

In science, we are looking at the stars. We will classify different types of star by size, color and temperature, and describe the life-cycle of a star. Students will utilize the HR-Diagram to find information and compare characteristics of different stars as a connection to bivariate data in mathematics. 

Have a Great Weekend! 

-Sister Patti Picard 

Math Exam Review Answer Keys

Assalamu alikum,

Below are the links to the answer keys with solutions of the practice math exams that we took today in class. Please use the link to check your work and problem solving process. Remember, exams are tomorrow,
November 5th.

6th Grade Answer Key
7th Grade Answer Key 
8th Grade Answer Key

Jazak Allah Khayr,
Sr. Patti Picard