Don't Forget...

• 25 Notecards, Due Tuesday, November 3
• Vocab, Unit 4, Due Wednesday, November 4
• 100 Notecards, Due Friday, November 6

Ask Your Child About...

• Declaration of Independence
• Applied Skills
• Reaction Time
• Upcoming Test on Motion, Velocity, and Acceleration
• Focusing the Research Paper Topic
• Plans for Baby Atticus and the Plucknetts

Subject Update: US History - 10/8

Our study of US History has shifted to American Independence and the founding of our country.  Today, we finished the first chapter of what led to the Revolutionary War.  As a part of our study, we will be watching in class a few episodes of the HBO miniseries John Adams.  The parts we will watch follow this founding father from his role in the Boston Massacre to his work helping craft the Declaration of Independence.  Due to content mainly found in later parts of this miniseries, it is rated TV-MA.  A permission slip to watch this, which details any questionable material we will see, was sent home today.  Our test on Ch. 5 is Monday, and we will start watching this on Tuesday.  Let me know if there are any questions.

Subject Update: Literature - 10/8

This week, we started our new novel, The Count of Monte Cristo.  We will be reading this from now till Christmas.  As with the last book, your 8th graders will be purchasing their copies of the book unless they brought their own.  These books are $7 each.  This will be charged to your account through TADS.

This is a long and complex book.  Because of this, we read a majority of it in class.  Of the 15-20 pages of reading each night, we will usually get through 10-12 of these pages in class to help everyone understand what is going on in the story.  This is a wonderful book that becomes an all-time favorite for many 8th graders!

Ask Your Child About...: 10/8

Ask Your 8th Grader About...

The Count of Monte Cristo

Boston Massacre

Boston Tea Party

Theophilus

LEST Sign-Ups

Acceleration

Book Orders

Scholastic Book Order - Due Friday, October 16

This month is an exciting month to order books! Your child is bringing home three different book orders to peruse. You can also order online where there are even more choices than are in the flyers.

This month, if the total order for 7th & 8th grade combined is $125 or more, every student in those two classes will receive a free book! What an awesome opportunity! This breaks down to an order of roughly $5/student. Also with $125, I get to spend $15 on books for our classroom, and I also earn 1325 bonus points to purchase free books for the classroom (approximately $50 worth of books). This is a great month to order!!

Thank you for your support,

Kresha Schulze
Middle School Language Arts

•  VISIT scholastic.com/readingclub
•  ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code - MFP3G
•  SHOP from a carefully curated selection of the best books and value packs
•  SUBMIT your order and earn FREE Books for our classroom
•  All book orders will be shipped to our classroom so we can celebrate the joy of reading together!

8th Grade Service Opportunities

Yesterday, the 8th graders learned about some of the service projects we do as a class each year.  First, we had a visit from a representative from the Hillsboro Senior Center telling us about our service project there.  On the first Tuesday of each month, four 8th graders travel to the Hillsboro Senior Center to help serve lunch.  As this is during school hours, they will be held responsible for the information they missed while they were gone.  They will miss the end of Science class, US History, lunch, recess, and the start of Fine Arts when they help at the Senior Center.  In your Family Envelope coming home tomorrow, there will be a permission slip that gives permission for your 8th grader to attend any of these Senior Center trips throughout the year.  A sign-up sheet for these trips will be up in the classroom.

Our other service project the 8th graders participate in throughout the year is HomePlate.  HomePlate is an organization that services homeless and at-risk youth in the Hillsboro area.  Three times per week at different locations around town, they offer a meal, fellowship, resources, clothing, and many other things to any young people that need it.  Our role in volunteering with HomePlate is to provide the meal.  On service days, four 8th graders will stay after school, prepare a meal in our school kitchen with Mrs. Nuno, transport the food to the location in Hillsboro, and serve those that come.  The students will be picked up from the location (different depending on the day) at 8:00.  Since it takes up most of the evening, the students who go to HomePlate will be given an extra day to complete any homework that is due the following day.  We have committed to do this four times throughout the school year.  In the Family Envelope tomorrow, there will also be a sign-up sheet for this.  Included on that sign-up sheet is a place for parents to sign up as well.  We need parents to help out for our HomePlate projects to happen.  Please consider accompanying your 8th grader on one of these nights.  For more information on HomePlate's ministry, go to www.homeplateyouth.org.

These are great opportunities for us to serve our community and be Christ's shining light to those around us!