Holy Spirit Middle School English/Spelling

In-Class Spelling Bee Winners for Middle School

2011-12-14T12:34:00.000-08:00

The following students are the winners for their language arts groups and will participate in the school spelling bee in Wednesday, January 25:

6 green -- Megan Fine and Adrian Daves
6 gold -- Jaira Salgado and Behira Salgado
7 gold -- Natalie Donlan and Satchel Oskins
7white -- Phil Bewsey and Sam Fought
8 green -- Jace Richmond and Eamon Hegarty
8 gold -- Haley Thibo and Alex Moreno

Parents: These students have in their possession the list that will be used in the school finals.
Students: Congratulations and good luck as you move on.

Spanish test information:

6^th gr. 12/19

7^th gr. 12/20

8^th gr. 12/21

In-Class Spelling Bees

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday of this week, we will hold spelling bees in each middle school English/spelling group to determine representatives to the school-wide spelling bee in January. All students will participate, and we will spell down to two champions in each group. I will post winners on Thursday.
Miss Richardson

Next Week in English / Spelling

2011-12-09T05:51:00.000-08:00

6 green will have a Sitton Unit 11 assessment on Monday and will begin Unit 12. There will be a quiz on verb tenses Tuesday. We will then begin a review of colons, semicolons, hyphens, and dashes.

6 gold will have a Sitton Unit 11 assessment on Monday and will begin Unit 12. We will begin working on verb tenses in grammar.

7 gold will have a Sitton Unit 11 assessment on Monday and will begin Unit 12. In grammar we will begin the study of simple, compound, and complex sentences.

7 white will have a Sitton Unit 11 assessment on Monday and will begin Unit 12. On Tuesday will be a quiz on correct use of irregular verbs. We will then begin the study of simple, compound, and complex sentences.

8 green will have a Sitton Unit 11 assessment on Monday and will begin Unit 12. On Tuesday we will quiz recognition of gerund uses. 100 Words... 66-70 will be due Monday, December 19. Students are researching term paper topics and will make a decision by Christmas break.

8 gold will have a Sitton Unit 11 assessment on Monday and will begin Unit 12. In grammar we will be studying recognition of gerunds and participles. 100 Words... 66-70 will be due Monday, December 19. Students are researching term paper topics and will make a decision by Christmas break.

** Grade 8 -- After Christmas break, Mr. Bridge, a librarian with the Indianapolis/Marion County Public Library system, will meet with eighth graders to discuss with them and give them an opportunity to explore the resources available to them on-line, as they prepare to do research for their term papers. It is important that every eighth grader have a library card. Christmas break would be a good time to take care of that.

** Please encourage your children to support our Advent service project, providing school uniforms for our twinning parish in Honduras. In Honduras students must have these uniforms to attend school, so we are providing much more that clothing: we are providing access to education. This is our only service project for Advent this year, and we encourage each student to show generosity as he or she is able.

May our hearts be light as we move toward the remembrance of our Savior's birth,
Miss Richardson

Some Important Items for the Week

2011-11-30T04:58:00.000-08:00

Eighth grade has a 100 Words... quiz tomorrow over words 41-60. They also have the opportunity to earn three extra credit points on their descriptive essays by preparing them for display. These are due Friday.

6 gold students have final drafts of summary paragraphs due this week.

All sixth, seventh, and eighth graders have a Sitton 10 assessment on Friday. They should be preparing by studying the Word preview words for the week and their own Personal Words to Study.

*Friday is a $2.00 dress-out day. The money will be used to provide a gift for our twinning parish in Honduras. *Our major Advent service project is to provide uniforms for students in our twinning parish.
We are encouraging each student to contribute something to this cause.

Miss Richardson

From Now Till Thanksgiving

2011-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

6 Green are studying irregular verbs and especially the difficult pairs lie/lay, sit/set, and rise/raise. Next week we will begin Sitton Unit 10 with the Word Preview and skill sheet. Final drafts of summary paragraphs are due Tuesday.

6 Gold is studying verb phrases. Next week we will begin Sitton Unit 10 with the Word Preview and skill sheet.

7 Gold are studying irregular verbs and especially the difficult pairs lie/lay, sit/set, and rise/raise. They are also reviewing verb phrases. Next week we will begin Sitton Unit 10 with the Word Preview and skill sheet. Final drafts of summary paragraphs are due Tuesday.

7 White are studying the principal parts of common irregular verbs.   Next week we will begin Sitton Unit 10 with the Word Preview and skill sheet. Final drafts of summary paragraphs are due Tuesday.

8 Green are pausing their study of diagraming to do a unit on participles, gerunds, and infinitives. Next week we will begin Sitton Unit 10 with the Word Preview and skill sheet.  Sentences for 100 Words...51-55 are due Monday, and 56-60 will be due 11/28.

8 Gold are diagraming participial phrases. Next week we will begin Sitton Unit 10 with the Word Preview and skill sheet.  Sentences for 100 Words...51-55 are due Monday, and 56-60 will be due 11/28.

Especially this week, I want to express my gratitude for your cooperation and support. God bless you and your family as we break for Thanksgiving.

Miss Richardson

Very Brief Blog

2011-11-11T12:21:00.000-08:00

Our server is being shut down and will not return until Monday, so two important reminders:

At this morning's Veterans' Day program, Mrs. Parsons gave each student an assignment to contact a family member or friend, who is or has been in a branch of the armed services, to thank him or her for protecting our country. Students who know no service members were asked to pray a Hail Mary for those who are serving.

8 gold students have their descriptive essays and everything used in preparing them due Monday. This is a very important assignment.

Have a good weekend.
Miss Richardson

Important Deadline for Eighth Grade

2011-11-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

Final drafts of descriptive essays and all work leading up to the final draft are due:
Green group - tomorrow, 11/11
Gold group - Monday, 11/14

Grades for the Second Quarter

2011-11-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

If you are having difficulty accessing English/spelling grades, please know we have been experiencing serious difficulties with our grade book program. The problems seem to be subsiding now. Barring further down time, all grades should be accessible by Monday. Ah, technology!

Miss Richardson

Picking Up after Fall Break

2011-11-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

6 green have finished their study of the four kinds of sentences and will begin working with types of pronouns. They have begun work on Sitton Unit 8 which emphasizes adding suffixes to root words. Their Sitton assessment will be next Monday. Please be sure some study time is spent this week with word preview words and personal words to study.

6 gold are continuing to work on recognizing the four kinds of sentences. They have begun work on Sitton Unit 8 which emphasizes adding suffixes to root words. Their Sitton assessment will be next Monday. Please be sure some study time is spent this week with word preview words and personal words to study.

7 gold is learning the difference between active and passive voice and how to shift from one voive to the other. We are also learning that it is best in formal writing to use the active voice. They have begun Sitton Unit 8 which emphasizes comparison of adjectives and adverbs, comparative and superlative degrees. Their assessment will be Monday. Please be sure some study time is spent this week with word preview words and personal words to study.

7 white have been working cooperatively to learn to recognize the difference between active and passive voice. They have begun Sitton Unit 8 which emphasizes comparison of adjectives and adverbs, comparative and superlative degrees. Their assessment will be Monday. Please be sure some study time is spent this week with word preview words and personal words to study.

8 green is diagraming completers and will be moving on to diagraming phrases. Their Sitton Unit 8 emphasizes the spelling of words containing double letters, vowels and consonants. Their assessment will be Monday. Please be sure some study time is spent this week with word preview words and personal words to study.

8 gold is diagraming direct and indirect objects and moving on to predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives. Their Sitton Unit 8 emphasizes the spelling of words containing double letters, vowels and consonants. Their assessment will be Monday. Please be sure some study time is spent this week with word preview words and personal words to study.

I am continuing one-on-one conferences with students in all six groups as we are in the process of taking our first typed drafts of essays and revising and editing to create final drafts.

God bless,
Miss Richardson

The Week Before Fall Break! Woohoo!

2011-10-17T13:31:00.001-07:00

Today begins the second grading period. At conferences next week we will be discussing student progress and mapping strategies for improvement as the year goes on. It is every student's goal to make a full year of progress in class, on benchmarks, and on ISTEP.

This week;

6 Green are doing peer revision and editing of their summary essays. Typed drafts are due Friday. They will then conference with me before submitting final drafts for evaluation. We will be covering Sitton Unit 7 and focusing on frequently confused homophones. We have finished drawing projects illustrating the difference between a word used as a preposition and the same word used as an adverb. Watch for our display in the middle school hallway.

6 Gold are finishing the first hand-written drafts of their summmary paragraphs.  We will be covering Sitton Unit 7 and focusing on frequently confused homophones. In grammar we will continue work on recognizing prepositional phrases.

7 Gold has the typed draft of their summary essay due Wednesday. In grammar we continue to work with recognizing and correctly spelling possessive nouns. (This is a tough one.) Sitton this week focuses on words that are similar in spelling but have completely different meanings such as final and finale.

7 White are working collaboratively on their Sitton skill for the week, words that are similar in spelling but have completely different meanings such as final and finale. Typed drafts of their summary paragraphs are due Wednesday. We continue to master the difficult skill of correctly forming possessive nouns.

8 Green have typed drafts of descriptive essays due Wednesday.  They will then have one-on-one conferences with me before turning in final drafts for evaluation. Sitton this week focuses on how spellings change when prefixes and suffixes are added to base words. In diagraming, we have moved to recognizing direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nominatives, and predicate adjectives.

8 Gold have typed drafts of descriptive essays due Wednesday.  They will then have one-on-one conferences with me before turning in final drafts for evaluation. Sitton this week focuses on how spellings change when prefixes and suffixes are added to base words. In diagraming we are working with adjectives and adverbs.

Both eighth grade groups will have a quiz over 100 Words... 21-40 the after fall break.

God bless,
Miss Richardson

Progress in English and Spelling

2011-10-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

We are working on Unit 6 in Sitton spelling and will have assessments next Wednesday. Please be sure students are spending a little time each evening on Word Preview words for the week, Personal Words to Study, and the 1200 word list.

Eighth graders are beginning their unit on sentence diagraming. This a very effective method for learning all of the ways words can be used in the English language syntax.

Seventh graders are mastering the art of using apostrophes to indicate singular and plural possessive nouns.

Sixth graders are learning to recognize prepositional phrases and to distinguish between prepositions and adverbs.

Have a good weekend,
Miss Richardson

Spanish Club Information

2011-10-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Middle School Students are invited to a call-out meeting for Spanish Club on Monday, October 10, immediately following school until 4:30.

At this first meeting, we will have handouts for the students to take home to their parents to sign. We will also discuss plans for the club, which include: building on Spanish skills the students are learning in class; learning about Hispanic culture and folklore; and establishing and building upon students' relationship with our sister parish in Honduras, San Francisco de Asís.

The club will meet on the following dates this semester: Oct. 10 & 24; Nov. 7 & 21; and Dec. 12. We are asking for each student to bring $5 per semester to pay for snacks.

Please plan on picking up your students promptly at 4:30 on Monday. Those students who are not picked up at that time will be sent to Holy Spirit After-Care.

The club is being sponsored by Mrs. Alessandra Brown-Baéz and Mrs. Chris Brokaw. Please call the school office if you have questions.

Next Week in English / Spelling

2011-09-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

Sixth and seventh graders will be completing first drafts of their summary writing compositions. Eighth graders will do the same for their descriptive writing.

All groups have Sitton Unit 5 skill sheets due Monday and assessments Tuesday.

In grammar sixth graders will be studying prepositions and prepositional phrases, and seventh graders will be reviewing correct placement of apostrophes in possessive nouns. Eighth graders will begin a unit on sentence diagraming as a comprehensive review of all aspects of English syntax.

*Eighth graders remember pizza orders are due October 10.*

Enjoy the weekend,
Miss Richardson

Accomplished This Week (Ask Students for Results)

2011-09-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Grade 6 -- Finished parts of speech review, took a quiz, and made corrections for additional credit /
                 Finished Sitton Unit 4 /
                 Made final selection for summary writing

Grade 7 -- Finished parts of speech review, took a quiz, and made corrections for additional credit /
                 Finished Sitton Unit 4 /
                 Made final selection for summary writing

Grade 8 -- Finished parts of speech review, took a quiz, and made corrections for additional credit /
                 Finished Sitton Unit 4 /
                 Analyzed examples of good descriptive writing and wrote topic sentence for own writing /
                 Finished and quizzed the first twenty of 100 Words Every High School Freshman Should
                 Know

Enjoy the first official weekend of autumn,
Miss Richardson

Moving Forward on Writing Projects

2011-09-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

GRADE 8

Eighth graders have created attribute charts to determine what aspects of their D.C. pictures they want to emphasize in their descriptive essays. We are looking at examples of descriptive writing to determine what constitutes good description and how descriptive essays can be improved.

Don't forget to continue preparation for the 100 Words... quiz Thursday over words 1-20. Also continue to spend some time with Sitton spelling every evening.

GRADES 6 and 7

We finished our parts of speech review today, and tomorrow will begin to select specific parts of the acticles we brought in to begin our summary writing.

Continue to spend time every evening preparing Sitton spelling. That includes studying the word preview words for the week, studying the personal words to study list, and reviewing the 1200 word list for words from previous years.

Parents, please be sure your middle school students are spending between 90 and 120 minutes every night (approximately 15 minutes per class) on written assignments, note study, note card preparation, and reading.

God bless,
Miss Richardson

Next Week in English/Spelling

2011-09-16T12:10:00.000-07:00

All groups have a quiz over parts of speech on Tuesday. With that background solidly in place, we will be ready to plunge into other aspects of the language. Be sure students are memorizing the "quick notes" for parts of speech and reviewing practice sheets we did in class.

On Thursday, eighth grade has a quiz over the first twenty of the 100 Word Every High School Freshman Should Know.

We will be working on Sitton Unit 4.

Have a good weekend,
Miss Richardson

Back to Class As Usual

2011-09-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Benchmarks have been completed, so we will be returning to regular language arts classes.

All groups have a Sitton Unit 3 assessment on Wednesday. Be sure students have spent time in preparation by reviewing the five Word Preview words for the week and words from the Personal Words to Study list. Spelling should always be studies out loud, looking at the word, and walking.

We will be returning to our writing projects. Sixth and seventh grade will be focusing on summary writing and eighth grade on descriptive writing. We will also finish our review of parts of speech with a quiz coming up early next week.

God bless,
Miss Richardson

Some Thoughts for the Week

2011-09-06T13:31:00.000-07:00

On Friday at 9:15 A.M. students and staff will participate in a prayer service to commemorate the events of September 11, 2001, and ask God's blessings on our country. As our nation's leaders have requested, we will be involved in some sort of service on that day. Students also have permission to dress in red, white, and blue. We ask that dress be appropriate for a day of solemn remembrance rather than what one might wear on a festive national holiday.

Regarding e-mail communication: We are having serious issues with our server. If you e-mail me and do not receive a response within twenty-four hours, please resend the communication. If you get a "delivery failed" message, please contact the school office. This is information which can help us troubleshoot the problem.

We continued to benchmark today and will also do so tomorrow during language arts classes. Students who have finished their benchmarks have begun work on Sitton Unit 3. As soon as all students have finished, we will resume our writing projects -- descriptive writing for eighth grade and summary writing for grades six and seven.

Opportunity for Eighth Graders

2011-08-31T04:22:00.000-07:00

The Serra Club of Indianapolis is offering an opportunity for eighth grade boys and girls who have an interest in exploring religious vocations to spend a day at the Bishop Simon Brute College Seminary at the former Carmelite Monastery on the west side (for boys) or Our Lady of Grace Monastery on the south side (for girls). The purpose of the pilgrimage is to give young people a sense of the unique vocation that priests, brothers, and sisters offer to God and the Church.

The date for the pilgrimages is Friday, October 7, from 10:00 A.M. until 1:45 P.M. The organization can accommodate two or three boys and two or three girls from each participating parish.

If you and your child are interested, please contact me and I will send you the application form. Deadline for application is Friday, September 16.

God bless,
Miss Richardson

Between Now and September 6

2011-08-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

Students will be benchmarking in my class on Wednesday and Thursday, so I will not see them again for regular class until next Tuesday. In the interim students should be studying their Sitton words -- reciting aloud as they look at the words.

Eighth graders have a parts of speech sentence sheet to complete and sentences for 100 Words... #6-10.

Next week we will continue work on our writing projects: description for Grade 8 and summary for Grades 6 and 7.
6 gold students needs to remember to have a one-page Internet, newspaper, or magazine article on their topic of choice. Be sure to e-mail the article to me before Tuesday morning if you are choosing an Internet article and do not have a printer.

Enjoy the last, great, long, holiday weekend of the summer!
Miss Richardson

Sitton Spelling and Writing Assignments

2011-08-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

All grade levels are beginning their first major pieces of writing for the year. Sixth and seventh grades will be working on summarizing and eighth grade on description.

We are moving into our second unit of Sitton spelling. Skill sheets will be due on Monday and assessments will be on Tuesday. Please be sure students are spending a bit of time each evening on Sitton study. They should be marching around the house looking directly at the words and spelling them aloud. Spelling should always be studied out loud, and looking at the word as they spell helps it to "look right" on the assessment.

Miss Richardson

Study Work for Tonight

2011-08-24T12:19:00.000-07:00

All 6th, 7th., and 8th. grade groups have Sitton spelling to study tonight. Each student should spend about ten minutes with Word Preview words for Units 1 and 2, his or her own Personal Words to Study list, and the 1200 word list reviewing past words.

Eighth grade had fun today discussing items from the research ideas we are compiling on the topic of Washington, D.C.

First Sitton Assessments of the Year

2011-08-22T12:17:00.000-07:00

All groups have an assessment for Sitton Unit 1 tomorrow. These are Cloze assessments, meaning students will be filling words into blanks in the context of a preprinted story. Assessments will be returned to students on Wednesday, and we will begin our "personal words to study" lists. Ask to see the results.
Miss Richardson

Good First Week Growing to Greatness

2011-08-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

We had a productive first week in middle school language arts. Good organization, good work ethic, and respectfulness have been evident this week.

All students have a Sitton Unit 1 assessment on Tuesday.
Eighth graders have their D.C. writing research chart due Tuesday.

Enjoy the weekend,
Miss Richardson

Unit 1 of Sitton Spelling

2011-08-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

All students in the middle school have their 1200 word lists, and our notebooks and folders are set up. We have done the word preview for Unit 1. All students have a brief assignment due tomorrow on their Unit 1 skill sheet.

Eighth graders should be continuing their writing research, finding topics of interest to them related to the D.C. trip.

Some Thought for This Week

2011-08-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Grade 8: We are planning to tie much of our writing this year to our Washington, D.C. trip. Between now and next Tuesday, students are researching and exploring ideas to use in the course of the year. There is a sheet that needs to be completed by next Tuesday. We also started Sitting spelling today.

Grades 6 and 7: We did our word preview for Sitton spelling Unit 1 today. We will cover approximately one unit per week.

Active First Day for Room 11

2011-08-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great first day, and we are organized and ready for tomorrow.

We had a community circle to get reacquainted with old friends and learn a bit about our new classmates. We organized and labeled all materials so we are ready for a regular class schedule tomorrow.
We went over procedures and items from the Student Cultural Guide.

All 8th Graders need P.E. clothes for tomorrow. Also please have any supplies that were not here today.

I'm looking forward to visiting with parents at Back-to-School Night at 5:45 in the gym. See you then.

Miss Richardson

Message for Mothers of Eighth Graders

2011-04-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Hello, Eighth Grade Moms,

Just a few details about next Friday:
Please arrive at school between 8:00 and 8:15 A.M. Eighth graders will report to Room 11 and moms to Room 6. At approximately 8:20 we will meet up again for the procession to church. Follow your child's lead during the ceremony. After Mass the class picture will be taken. Eighth graders are then free to enjoy lunch and the rest of the day with you.

See you then,
Miss Richardson and Mrs. Pachut

Hibernian Essay and Other Things for Tomorrow

2011-03-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

All eighth graders who have decided to apply for the Hibernian scholarship to Scecina must hand me a rough draft of the 300 word essay before the beginning of spring break (2:40 Thursday). This draft must be readable but does not have to be typed or edited to final form.

All students should prepare "purple feet" for this week of Lent and have them ready to turn in at homeroom tomorrow. Also please have the total miles from you pedometer for the period from Ash Wednesday through today.

All middle schoolers will participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation tomorrow.

Miss Richardson

Week of March 14 (A Good Week for the Irish-at-Heart)

2011-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

All classes have Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 10 due on the 15th.

Sixth graders are working on the use of apostrophes to show possession. We will be creating visual representations in order to understand the concept.

Seventh graders have just finished their study of sentence completers and will be moving on to a review of simple and compound sentence and introduction to complex.

Eighth graders are continuing their study of verbals with this week's emphasis on infinitives.

Eighth graders planning to attend Scecina will be bringing home information today regarding a $1000.00 scholarship offered by the Ladies' Ancient Order of Hibernians. It involves the writing of a 300 word essay and the submission of some other documentation. Mrs. Moran and I will be offering editing and revision assistance on the essays. I will also help with pulling together the other necessary paperwork. The submission deadline will be Monday, April 11. (Last day before class trip)

On Tuesday of the week eighth graders are on their class trip, Mrs. Pachut and I will be taking the seventh graders to an Indianapolis Indians game in conjunction with Baseball in Education program. Lessons in all subject areas that week will revolve around activities related to the program and aligned with state standards.
The approximate cost of the trip, including game ticket and lunch, will be approximately $15.00. We are strongly encouraging the students to use the next month to earn their own money for the trip rather than just asking parents for it. Many more details to follow. (If anyone anticipates financial difficulty, please contact Mrs. Parsons.)

Whether you are environmentally green or Irish green, have a good week.
Miss Richardson

Spirit Week and the Beginning of Lent

2011-03-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

On Monday all middle schoolers will be Mouseketeers. On Tuesday all have a vocabulary test over Chapters 7-9. Please be sure time is spent in preparation for that. Tuesday afternoon is the pep rally which will culminate our spirit week.

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. We will be spending that day with a retreat in preparation for Lent. The day will include creative projects, reflective time, music, a keynote speaker , and time with Father Paul. All students will partake of a light Lenten lunch to appreciate the value of developing self-discipline by denying ourselves and of being in community with those who do not have as much as we do. Students will neither need to bring nor buy lunch. It will be provided as a part of the retreat.

Eighth grade parents, please be sure Mrs. Spears and Mrs. Legere have a working e-mail address for you. There will be a great deal of important information coming home over these last weeks of the year. Coming home today is the invitation for the St. Joseph's Day Mass and dinner on March 15.

Enjoy your weekend,
Miss Richardson

ISTEP

2011-02-25T12:55:00.000-08:00

Students will be taking the Applied Skills portion of the ISTEP test Monday through Wednesday of next week. Please do not schedule appointments on those days. Brains that are rested and fed work most efficiently and will be best able to recall, classify, organize, and express concepts learned over the last year.

Progress Reports

2011-02-10T12:50:00.000-08:00

Remember third quarter midterm progress reports will be available on-line tomorrow. If you have any access problems, contact Mrs. Parsons. Please use this opportunity to work out a plan to maintain or improve effort for the rest of the quarter.

Activities for January 24-28

2011-01-21T12:24:00.000-08:00

Seventh and eighth graders will continue to prepare for the JA Finance Park field trip. The trip is on Thursday, and we will do a follow-up activity on Friday. Regular English/spelling classes will resume January 31.

Sixth grade is preparing for a test over direct and indirect objects, predicate nominatives, and predicate adjectives on Friday, January 28. We will also finish Sitton Spelling Unit 16 and have an assessment this week.

Please help to assure that students in all three grades are spending time reviewing grammar notes and practice; studying vocabulary words and prefix, suffix, and roots word parts (in the back of the vocabulary book); and their personal Sitton words to study along with the 1200 word list. This should be occurring every evening for fifteen to twenty minutes. We cannot put to use in real life situations information that we do not understand and have not committed to memory.

Have a wonderful (if cold) weekend,
Miss Richardson

Preparation for JA Finance Park Field Trip

2011-01-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Seventh and eighth graders will be spending four class periods in English (Thursday through next Tuesday) preparing for the Finance Park field trip. We will be doing a simulation of the activities we will do on the day of the trip. This involves preparing a family budget for a month and a year based on realistic and representative numbers. I have asked students to have a conversation with their parents about the approximate monthly cost of various utilities. Share this information if you are comfortable doing so. If you are not, I completely understand.

Miss Richardson

Welcome Back for the Third Quarter

2011-01-07T12:24:00.001-08:00

Here is an update of information for next week:

Grade 8
We are continuing one-on-one conference with first drafts of term papers. Students have one week from the day of their conference to turn in the final draft for a grade. The final grade on the paper (along with deadline grade and in-class cooperation grade) will constitute one-third of the English grade for the third quarter.

The following assessments are next week: Sitton Unit 14, Monday; vocabulary review for Chapters 4-6, Tuesday; and 100 Words... 31-50, Thursday.

Our next area of grammar study will be participles, gerunds, and infinitives.

For those submitting information to Scecina is order to be eligible for the scholarship drawing, please check for a Homework Watcher containing important information from the school office.

Grade 7
We are currently studying subject and verb agreement in grammar.

7 gold has a vocabulary review test for Chapters 4-6 on Monday.
Both 7 green and 7 gold have Sitton 15 assessments on Friday.

Grade 6
We are currently studying completers (direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nouns, and predicate adjectives) in grammar.

All sixth graders have a Sitton 14 assessment on Monday and a vocabulary review test for Chapters 4-6 on Wednesday.

Please continue to save Boxtops for Education. These are an easy and effective way to earn funds for the school.

Thank you for your support in the first semester.
Looking forward to a productive second semester for our middle school students,
Miss Richardson

See You in Two Weeks

2010-12-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a new year abundant with blessings --
Miss Richardson

'Tis the Week Before Christmas Break

2010-12-10T12:09:00.000-08:00

All classes will be finishing up midyear benchmarks next week.

Eighth graders should have handwritten drafts of the body of the term paper ready Monday. Monday will be devoted to revising. They have until the 17th to turn in the typed draft. (Please refer to the rubric and informational letter sent home at the beginning of the project.)

We will be covering Vocabulary Chapter 6 and Sitton Unit 13 in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades.

Miss Richardson

Generosity and Responsibility

2010-12-03T05:33:00.000-08:00

Please continue to urge your children to earn money or give from their own entertainment money to support our Christmas service project to provide gifts for children at the St. Elizabeth/Coleman Center. If every student contributes something, we will make our goal.

On Monday all middle school students received the list of words which will be used for our in-class spelling bees on Friday, December 10. These bees will determine two students from each middle school group as participants in the school wide bee on Wednesday, January 19. The twelve middle school representative will have the school bee list to study from December 10 until January 19.

Term Paper update for Grade 8:
All notes need to be complete by Monday.
Next week in class we will be writing the first draft of the paper.
Students will have the week of the 13th to type papers at home.
Papers are due December 17.

Students will be taking winter benchmarks beginning Wednesday, December 8.

God bless us as we all try to remain merry and bright.

Miss Richardson

Christmas Service Project

2010-11-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

This year our school wide service project is to provide toys for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children at St. Elizabeth/Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services. We are going to be asking the students to donate money so we can provide toys requested by the center. We will be asking the students to earn the money they donate. Here is where we need parents' help. Generosity does not always come easily to students in middle school. They need to be prompted and urged to move outside of their own wants and think of others. Perhaps you could suggest additional chores around the house for which you would be willing to pay, or if your child baby-sits or rakes leaves or snow, remind him or her of the possibility of sharing some of that profit. If your child has savings or allowance for personal use, a percentage of that could go to this cause.

It would be nice if every middle school student could contribute something. The amount is not important. As Jesus taught us through the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, the gain comes through the act of sharing. We will be collecting funds until December 10.

Wishing all a blessed Thanksgiving,
Miss Richardson

Next Week (Can't Think of Anything Clever)

2010-11-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

All resources and supplies for eighth grade term paper are due Monday. On Tuesday we will type and print title pages in the computer lab. Wednesday through Friday we will talk about and create outlines, so we can begin our note taking from our sources. Eighth graders also have a Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 4 test on Wednesday and we will be covering Sitton Spelling, Unit 11.

Sixth and seventh graders will also be covering Sitton Spelling, Unit 11, and their Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 4 test is Tuesday. Sixth graders will be finishing up their unit on capitalization and seventh graders their unit on correct comma usage. These tests will be the week of the 22nd.

Enjoy the unusually beautiful afternoon.
Miss Richardson

Next Week in English/Spelling (on an Extra Hour's Sleep!)

2010-11-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Grade 8: On Monday students will have a second opportunity to prove their understanding of simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences. On Monday and Tuesday, I will conference with each student to finalize term paper topics. We will also cover Sitton Unit 10 and Vocabulary in Action Chapter 4. There will be a quiz on Wednesday over words 21-30 in 100 Words Every High School Freshman Should Know.

Grade 7 will cover Sitton Unit 10, Vocabulary in Action Chapter 4, and begin a review of all the rules of comma usage.

Grade 6 will cover Sitton Unit 10, Vocabulary in Action Chapter 4, and will begin a review of all the rules of capitalization.

A good weekend to all,
Miss Richardson

Term Paper Project Begins for Eighth Grade

2010-11-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

The following is for eighth graders and parents:

Signed information sheets are due tomorrow. Returning this form on time is the first 5% of the deadline grade. Success on this project will be determined, in large part, by staying current on activities and deadlines Keep you second copy of the important dates and requirements posted in a prominent place at home. At the end of the day Tuesday, all students will have selected their topics and will be ready for a trip to the public library to find resources.

Miss Richardson

After the Break

2010-10-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Eighth grade students will begin next week to prepare for their term paper project. This project fulfills the eighth grade standard of completing a research paper of at least 750 words. This year students will select a topic tied to the class trip to Washington, D.C. Full information and the evaluation rubric will be coming home on Wednesday. Please watch for them and post them in a prominent place.

All second quarter grades for Grades 6, 7, and 8 will be entered and available on-line by Tuesday.

Have a not-too-spooky fall break.

Miss Richardson

Vocabulary Tests and English/Spelling SMART Goals Next Week

2010-10-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

       I will be meeting individually with students to set their English/Sitton spelling SMART goal for the next quarter. Students are currently working on their rough drafts and should have those completed and with them in class Monday.
       On Thursday of next week we will be taking the Vocabulary in Action test over Chapters 1-3. This test requires students to recognize a word from a definition and a definition from a word. I strongly (underline twice) suggest note cards for the three chapters (word on one side and definition on the other). Students who bring note cards to class on Monday will receive extra credit on the test.
       Soon students will see the results of their efforts in the first quarter. Some will be pleased and know to continue their efforts; some will recognize the need to step up the effort in the second quarter. Please access your child's report card on line and have a discussion about the next quarter.

See you at student-led conferences,
Miss Richardson

October 11-15

2010-10-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

Next week students will be working with Sitton Unit 7 and preparing for a Vocabulary in Action test over Chapters 1, 2, and 3. In grammar 6th grade focus will be prepositional phrases, 7th grade pronoun usage, and 8th grade simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences.

Please check the Student/Parent Cultural Guide for uniform specifications. Many students have gone far afield on some of the requirements. Mrs. Parsons has declared the grace period over, and, as of Monday, uniform notices will be written for violations of the dress code. These notices will prohibit a student's dressing out on the middle school dress-down days.

Please consider contributing to the Box Tops for Education drive. This is an easy and valuable way to earn money for the school. We now have boxes in our homerooms to accept the box tops. Clip them and send them in.

Thank you for your continued support of our efforts in your child's behalf. Keep in touch if you have questions or concerns.

Enjoy the gorgeous weekend -- a brief return to summer.

Miss Richardson

Focus of Next Week

2010-10-01T12:51:00.000-07:00

We have finished our week with several assessments. Grade for these should be available on-line by Tuesday.

Next week we will be focusing on Sitton Spelling Unit 6 (assessments Friday) and beginning Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 3. After this chapter there will be a test covering Chapters 1-3. It is essential that students continue to review the words from the first two chapters as they begin to study the third.

In grammar sixth graders will be studying prepositional phrases, seventh graders correct pronoun usage, and eighth graders distinguishing among simple, compound, and complex sentences.

There is much in this section of language arts that has to be committed to memory: definitions for vocabulary words, Sitton word preview words and personal words to study, grammar concepts (lists and mnemonics to help in using them). Please try to enforce ten to fifteen minutes of note study every single night.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weekend and the activities it brings.
Miss Richardson

Assessments Next Week

2010-09-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Next week is a heavy week for assessments. Please be sure your student is spending quality time each evening in preparation. We have worked hard in class, but review and some memorization are important in order to be ready for these assessments.

Grade 6
Wednesday -- Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 2
Thursday -- Grammar, parts of speech
Friday -- Sitton Spelling, Unit 5

Grade 7
Monday -- Sitton Spelling, Unit 4 (rescheduled from tomorrow because of Habitat for Humanity field trip)
Wednesday -- Grammar, parts of speech
Thursday -- Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 2
Friday -- Sitton Spelling, Unit 5

Grade 8
Tuesday -- Vocabulary in Action, Chapter 2
Wednesday -- Grammar, parts of speech
Friday -- Sitton Spelling, Unit 5

Enjoy the first weekend of autumn.
Miss Richardson

Next Week in English/Spelling

2010-09-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

All groups will have Sitton Unit 3 assessments tomorrow. Encourage students to review the five words for the week, their personal words to study list, and the 1200 word list to review words up to their grade level. Remember the purpose of this program is to have students exit eighth grade never making an error on these basic words which make up 90% of what we write.

We are beginning Vocabulary in Action Chapter 2 and will continue next week. Ask your student about his or her results on the Chapter 1 test.

We are continuing our study of grammar skills. This study in individualized based on the grammar preassessment we took the first week of school and benchmark results.

Please continue to assure prompt arrival each day and steady attendance. This is absolutely essential at the middle school level. Eighth grade parents, remember when you are scheduling shadowing that missing a day of Unified Arts is the equivalent of missing a week of class. Try to schedule on days we don't have school or perhaps half days that don't interfere with Unified Arts.

Midterm grades will be available online tomorrow.

Miss Richardson

Next Week

2010-09-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

Vocabulary Chapter 1 tests are Tuesday.

We will continue Sitton Spelling Unit 3 with assessments on Friday.

In grammar we will be working with skills identified by preassessments and benchmarks.

Please continue to support us by checking blogs, monitoring evening study times, and encouraging steady attendance and morning promptness.

Enjoy your weekend.

Miss Richardson

Getting Deeper into September

2010-09-08T12:43:00.000-07:00

All students have a test next Tuesday over Chapter 1 of Vocabulary in Action. Please help to assure students are preparing for the test a bit each evening. Progress reports will be available online next Friday, and this score will be a major part of the English grade.

We hope to finish benchmarks by the end of this week.

Tardies and absences have been a problem as we have begun the new school year. At the middle school level, regular attendance is essential. While written assignments and tests can be "made up," the instruction, discussions, and feedback from teachers and peers cannot be. Part of becoming a young adult is understanding that sometimes one must function with an ache or pain. The time between 7:30 and 7:45 in the morning is used for homeroom procedures, organization. and announcements. All students need to be prepared for the day and in their seats when Mrs. Parsons begins announcements for the whole student body. Thank you for encouraging promptness and regular attendance.

Please continue to spread the word about the blogs. These will be our major means of communication as the year goes on. We are open to comments and suggestions. Enjoy these beautiful days and the activities they bring.

Miss Richardson

"No Labor" Weekend

2010-09-03T06:18:00.000-07:00

Students will have no written homework over the holiday weekend. However, please be sure that on Monday evening they spend some time reviewing notes and material from this week, thus getting back into "school mode." This study should include Chapter 1 vocabulary words and Sitton personal words to study.

It is also the expectation of the middle school teachers that every student is involved, at all times, in reading a book of his or her choice, be it fiction or nonfiction.

During my class times next week, all classes will be Benchmarking reading, language arts, and math. Results from these tests will be discussed at fall conferences in October.

We will also study Sitton Unit 3 next week also.

Have a safe and restful holiday,
Miss Richardson

Brief Update As We Begin September

2010-09-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

All groups have a Sitton Spelling Unit 2 assessment on Friday. Please be sure your student has been reviewing the word preview words and personal words to study.

We have all begun Chapter 1 in our Vocabulary in Action series. Ask your student to tell you about what he or she has learned so far -- to discuss a new word or two.

On Friday eighth graders will begin working with the 100 Words Every High School Freshman Should Know from the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. I work from a class set, but the book is available at local book stores if you would be interested in having a copy of your own.

Please help spread the word to all middle school parents that our blogs are up and running.

Miss Richardson

So Far This Year

2010-08-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

All groups have completed grammar preassessments and Vocabulary in Action prebook tests. These will be used to determine skills on which we will concentrate in the coming weeks.

Each group has also completed a written response paragraph to start the year. Sixth graders wrote about their attitudes toward language arts; seventh graders wrote about what makes them unique individuals; and eighth graders wrote about how they want the Class of 2011 to be remembered. Ask your student about his or her paragraph. These would make good dinner table conversations.

Every night this week sixth, seventh, and eighth graders should be reviewing their Sitton word preview words for Unit 2 and their personal words to study from the Unit 1 assessment. These grades will be available on-line Wednesday.

This is my very first blog ever, in any context, so I hope it comes through successfully. Have a wonderful evening.

Miss Richardson