Magnificent Middle School Classes

Cells, Cells, and More Cells
 
By Taylor Schababerle
Editor in Chief, The Spirit
           
               The seventh graders had a quarter full of cells. The students worked on many cell-themed activities including using microscopes, building a Cell City, and Edible Cells. The seventh graders used microscopes to examine cells closely and to study different types of cells. The hardest concept for the students to learn was the names of the different organelles. They constructed a Cell City to help them understand the names of the cells and their functions. They also built an Edible Cell. To build the Edible Cell, the seventh graders first decided which foods they wanted to represent each organelle. Then they brought in the food and constructed the cells. Lastly, they created a diagram of their Edible Cell and answered questions about their projects. If they wanted, the seventh graders could eat their cell when the project was finished.
                 The students prepared for their midterms by completing a study guide and collecting all of their past work. They also used their knowledge of PAGES to help them study. The seventh graders sure had a busy quarter, and we wish them luck on their midterms!
 
Midterm Mania!
 
By Thomas Whitson
Sports Editor
           
            The students in Ms. Festa’s class have been very busy so far in the second quarter! Ms. Festa has also changed her expectations for her students. As the students become better adapted to middle school, the teachers’ expectations raise as well. Even with the new challenges, Ms. Festa thinks the students will rise to the occasion and do their best.
            In language, the sixth graders have just completed their University of St. Thomas Essay Competition entries. Ms. Festa always challenges her students to write well-constructed sentences when they write in any of their classes. The students are studying prepositional phrases and how to use them correctly. When Ms. Festa begins teaching prepositional phrases, Peng and Pablo, the prepositional phrase penguins, come out to help.
 In literature, the students prepared their second quarter oral book presentation. In this presentation, the students reviewed the setting and the synopsis or commentary of a historical fiction or historical book. The students were also going over vocabulary, context clues, making inferences, and how to annotate a story.
            Midterms have passed! Since it was the sixth graders’ first time taking midterms, they needed some extra preparation. Ms. Festa told her students to stay calm, look at their reviews, and try not to stress out. The midterms the students took were for science and social studies. We wish the students luck with their first midterm grades!
                                 




















Eighth graders create movie posters about their literature books.

Writing Their Way to Christmas
 
By Taylor Schababerle
Editor in Chief, The Spirit
           
            The eighth grade language and literature students were challenged this quarter! In language, they wrote 1000-word fictional stories on a topic of their choosing. The students also wrote flash fiction stories and essays to be submitted for a contest. They worked on extreme punctuation to use in their stories including parentheses, ellipses, and brackets. The students also learned how to write dialogue in their stories. The eighth graders prepared for their midterms by completing study guides and gathering all of their old papers to use to study.
               In literature, the eighth graders created original movie posters to promote a book that they had read. They were hung on the walls in the middle school hallway for all to see. Also, the students read 80 pages a week, and they were graded for each page they read. Besides working in their books, students learned vocabulary by playing games as a class and studying vocabulary cards. The class that completed the game the fastest got extra credit points on their vocabulary test. The eighth graders had a lot of fun this past quarter while learning!
 
Exploring Geography and Creation
 
By Brian Nehme
Sports Editor
 
            During the second quarter, Mrs. McBee’s sixth grade social studies and theology classes have been working hard and fast. In social studies, the students have just finished chapters which contained information about the United States. They studied Chapter 4 in their text books about how economies work and Canada. The students also have a midterm for social studies. They has a review which helped them to study for midterms by telling them what they needed to study. They had a time in class where they could ask any questions they had for the midterm so that Mrs. McBee could review it with them. In class, the students were involved in what they read. They asked many questions so they could really understand the topics they were studying.
            In sixth grade theology, the students have had their hands full preparing for Mass. They discussed what they would be doing at Mass, and what the homily would be, and who the priest would be. They also made prayer baskets for the Mass. The expectations for the Mass are that they stay actively engaged, pay attention, pray, and sing. The students finished their chapter on creation and were beginning learning about the human person. They will start studying the Bible after Christmas. The sixth graders have been doing a great job in both of Mrs. McBee's classes.
 
­Fractional Mathematicians
 
By Jacob Lim
News Editor
           
                Have you ever wondered what is happening in sixth grade math? Well, the students are learning about fractions. To practice their skills in fractions they work on IXL, and they do in-class activities. If they are having trouble, the sixth graders are able to work with their peers. Mrs. Harvey also let her students use their Chromebooks in class to work on online math activities. There were only tests every two to three weeks, but they did have homework often. There were no projects this quarter, but there were activities like the chains activity and creating mathematical ornaments for Christmas. The chains activity was where the students solved problems and made chains, and they got to take them home. While learning new concepts, the students still struggled with dividing decimals but they are getting better with practice. We can’t wait to see what our sixth graders are going to do next quarter!
 
Prepared Seventh Graders
 
By Hannah Yohr
Technology Editor
           
            Mrs. Bowring had the seventh graders’ hands full this quarter with projects, tests, and fun! There haven’t been any projects in language, but there was a big literature project. Although there haven’t been any projects, she still had main focuses in language. They were mostly learning pronouns such as personal, possessive, subject, object, and pronouns after conjunctions “than” or “as.” They also completed some assignments from writing prompts and learned editing symbols. The students were also getting ready for the IOWA testing coming up in the spring. During the quarter, Mrs. Bowring gave two tests; a pronoun test and an adjective test. They were also getting seasonal! Mrs. Bowing gave them a Daily Oral Language warm-up about the Advent season.
                The project in literature was the biography project where they read a book on a famous historical figure and presented a report in costume to the class. Other main focuses in literature were vocabulary; the Make Way for Sam Houston book, comprehension reviews, and learning to recognize the author’s purpose. Mrs. Bowring has helped students learn vocabulary by creating flashcards. Some games for vocabulary were creating stories and a stand/sit quiz. There were three tests this quarterin literature; an author’s purpose test and two vocabulary tests. Another activity in literature was a story-mapping Christmas tree. Mrs. Bowing’s class was really getting prepared this Advent for Christmas, while continuing to be productive and having fun!

History’s Mysteries
 
By Isabel Suschitz
News Editor
 
            The seventh and eighth graders have been studying history in Ms. Fama’s classes. They have been learning about the Texas Revolution in seventh grade and how the United States formed their government in eighth grade.
            The seventh graders have been learning about the conflicts between Mexico, Spain, and the U.S. fighting over Texas. They also learned about the 2016 Election and life on the Texas frontier, as well as what life was like under Mexican rule. Seventh grader David Pfister said he was most looking forward to learning about Texas becoming a state in the U.S.
            The eighth graders have been learning about the American Revolution, the 2016 Election, government under Articles of Confederation, writing of the U.S. Constitution, and development of the modern U.S. government. Eighth grader Isabella Abraham said she liked learning about the Declaration of Independence the most. Looks like the seventh and eighth graders have been extremely productive this quarter!
 
Booming Math
 
By Alexa Halim
Editor-in-Chief of Halo News
 
            The second quarter started off with a bang in Mrs. Kinchen’s classes! The seventh and eighth graders were busy learning many new concepts and preparing for midterms. They used IXL and Google Classroom on their Chromebooks and their textbooks, Simple Solutions, and notebooks to enhance their learning.
            The seventh graders learned probability, proportions, and percentages. They did a slope ornament/snowflake project where they made an ornament or snowflake using slope. The seventh graders learned the very hard concept of applying proportions to different kinds of problems. They used many books to help understand the concepts. The seventh graders used their textbook for guided practice and word problems. They used their Simple Solutions, completing four lessons every week, and their notebook to write notes.
            The eighth graders learned linear equations. They discussed concepts like slope intercept formula, standard form, and parallel and perpendicular lines. They were challenged by manipulating linear equations, because they take away numbers and move letters. The eighth graders used their textbook for review, Simple Solutions every week for four lessons, and a notebook for notes. They prepared for their midterm with a paper study guide, video, and list of IXL skills.
            During the winter break, the seventh graders need to remember their main skills like percentages, proportions, decimals, integers, and slope. The eighth graders need to remember all linear equations. The middle schoolers have been very busy with math this quarter!
 
Mrs. Hartfiel’s Guide to High School
 
By Dylan Michaels
Photo Editor
 
            In theology, eighth graders have been learning about the parts of the Mass such as their meaning and where they are found in the Bible. They have been working hard to understand the gift that God gives us at each Mass, and they are doing great! They have been getting little nuggets of information from Mrs. Hartfiel to prepare for high school theology.
            Seventh graders have been learning about the birth of Jesus and his public ministry. Mrs. Hartfiel has kept her expectations high for the seventh graders and has been encouraging them to think outside the box.
            Walking into one of Mrs. Hartfiel’s classes, you can expect to find them praying the Responsorial Psalm, prayers from the heart, or a Hail Mary.
            Both grades have been working hard to prepare for their midterms. They prepared a general review and then got a more detailed review to study. Mrs. Hartfiel’s theology classes have had a great year so far!
 






















Eighth graders learn about insulators and conductivity in science.

Energizing Science
 
By Izzy Christiansen
Feature Editor
 
            The sixth graders were in full steam ahead mode by working hard throughout the quarter. In Mrs. Cueva’s science class, the students learned about plate tectonics. To help them prepare for tests in this subject, they went over worksheets and the information in their journals. They made many models to help them understand their topic including maps of Pangea and models of seafloor spreading. Before their test, the students completed web searches and looked at data in their textbooks. The sixth graders are on their way to a great year in science.
            In eighth grade, the students learned about thermal energy. To prepare them for high school, Mrs. Cueva allowed them to read sections of the textbook, complete vocabulary, and make models of the section. For this topic the students modeled kinetic and potential energy by shooting straw rockets. The students constantly worked in Simple Solutions to expand their knowledge on different topics. Their favorite topic to learn about has been chemistry. The eighth graders are the perfect example of noble leaders in science!