"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
Nelson Mandela

Thursday, February 6, 2014

New 7th and 8th grade Projects due 2/27/14


Seventh Grade Black History Month PROJECT
Due February 28th, 2014
NO Late Projects will be accepted!


On the back of this paper you will find the names of twenty-two important, fascinating, and powerful African-Americans! Choose one for your research project.

You will do research on your chosen person covering the following areas:
Dates of birth and death; interesting events of his/her life; family, jobs; where they lived; contributions (important things they did) to the community and the United States of America


WHAT are you handing in? (The PRODUCT): 

You must submit one (1) of the following products:

**A graphic representation (cartoon) of at least 6 panels of the person’s life.

**A short story, poem, or play with the person as the main character (typed as described below).

**A traditional 2 page (12 point font, double-spaced, Times New Roman font) research report.

ALL options must contain all the required information.

ALL projects must be free of plagiarism and be entirely your own work!

***This project is worth 100 points as follows: Note-taking, 10 points; Plagiarism lesson, 10 points; proof-reading practice, 10 points; rough draft 20 points; final draft 50 points.

ALL projects MUST be given to me in a hard copy (on paper). I cannot, upload, download, or print your project for you. Parents, it is essential that you find a way for your child to print his/her project. If this cannot be done at home or at your job, consider the Free Library of Philadelphia, Kinkos, or Staples, etc….

I will not be accepting any electronically submitted projects this time!


You will have some research time in class, but you will also need to spend some time at home or at the library doing research.


CHOICES:

18th & 19th Century
(1700s & 1800s)
James Forten
Solomon Northrup
Richard Allen
Absalom Jones
Henry Highland Garnet
Frederick Douglass
Sojourner Truth
Phyllis Wheatley
Osborne P. Anderson
Charlotte Forten Grimke
Charles Lenox Redmond
Sarah Redmond
Martin Delany
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
William Still
Henry Brown
Mary Ann Shadd


20th Century
(1900s)

Thurgood Marshall
Bayard Rustin
Medgar Evers
Ralph Abernathy
A. Philip Randolph
Ella Baker

List Of Poets for African-American Poetry Project
8th Grade  February 2014


Maya Angelou

James Baldwin

Toni Cade Bambara

Amiri Bakara

Gwendolyn Brooks

Countee Cullen

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Mari Evans

Nikki Giovanni

Robert Hayden

bell hooks

Langston Hughes


Audre Lord

Toni Morrison

Ishmael Reed

Sonia Sanchez


Alice Walker



TASK:  You will research ONE of the above listed African-American poets—this includes the life and work of one of the poets.

You will then write a two-page paper (double-spaced, 12 point font, Times New Roman).
The paper will include ONE page on the life of the poet:
·      Birth, death
·      Area in which he/she grew up
·      Family life
·      Experiences as an African-American writer in the era in which he/she lived
·      Major themes of work (poems)
The SECOND page will be an analysis of one of the writer’s poems:
·      Figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification, etc…)
·      Setting
·      Theme

This project will be due Thursday, 2/27/2014  NO EXCEPTIONS!

This is a 100 point major project for the third marking period.  ***This project is worth 100 points as follows: Note-taking, 10 points; Plagiarism lesson, 10 points; proof-reading practice, 10 points; rough draft 20 points; final draft 50 points.


PLEASE NOTE: ALL projects MUST be printed out as a hard copy. Absolutely NO electronic submissions will be accepted. SO, please make plans to print your paper at home or at the Free Library.



Wednesday, November 27, 2013

High School Applications DUE and Report Card Conferences


 Report Card Conferences coming up:

We are holding report card conferences on Wednesday December 4th, Thursday December 5th, and Friday December 6th, 2013.  The conference times are as follows:  Wednesday from 1:10PM to 3:00PM, Thursday from 1:10PM to 3:00PM, and on Thursday evening from 5:00-7:00PM, and Friday from 1:10-2:30 PM.  Please consider which day is best for you. You can report to the third floor of the Bache Building (room 22—Science lab) starting at 1:00 PM each day and sign our sign-in sheet for a conference time. Conferences will be held on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be advised that conferences are 10 minutes in length—if you feel the need for a longer discussion, you will need to contact our counselor to arrange another time.  Also please be aware that any report card with any grades below a “C” will need to be picked up by the child’s parent or guardian—we cannot release such report cards to students.

 ******
******ALL 8TH GRADE APPLICATIONS FOR HIGH SCHOOLS ARE DUE TO OUR COUNSELOR, Ms. Jennifer Manness, BY WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 4TH 2013. IF YOU FAIL TO TURN IN AN APPLICATION ON TIME, YOUR CHILD MAY NOT BE ASSIGNED TO A HIGH SCHOOL NEXT FALL.




Saturday, July 20, 2013

FALL 2013 Supply List for 7th & 8th Grade Reading & Social Studies


Required Items:
·      FOUR (4) individual copy books or notebooks (copybooks last longer)
·      FOUR (4) individual folders
·      loose-leaf paper
·      blue or black pens
·      pencils
·      a 12-24 pack of colored pencils
·      highlighters (1-2)

****It is important that you have separate notebooks or copybooks, not one big notebook.  Sometimes notebooks will be required to be handed in to me at separate times, so if your math notes are in the same book, that will not work. For this age, organization is key.

***In general, I would load up on copybooks/notebooks and folders while they are on sale.  Many times, kids run out in the middle of the year.  I would also buy lots of pens and pencils while they are cheap.

PLEASE SEND IN THE FOLLOWING FOR USE BY THE ENTIRE CLASS:
·      2 boxes of tissues
·      1 roll of paper towels
·      2 bottles of hand soap
·      1 bottle of hand sanitizer
·      2 containers of Wet Ones hand wipes
·      1 container of Clorox Wipes

ITEMS YOU SHOULD HAVE AT HOME FOR STUDENT USE:
·      scissors
·      stapler
·      scotch tape
·      loose leaf paper
·      colored pencils
·      pencils, pens, markers

Monday, July 1, 2013

Summer Reading & Assignment for Rising 8th Graders


SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT FOR RISING 8TH GRADERS (current 7th graders)


June 6th, 2013

Dear Rising 8th Graders and Parents/Guardians,

            Students will have a Summer Reading Assignment that will be due the first day of school (September 9, 2013).  Please read this assignment carefully and make sure it is handed in to me on the first day of school.  This assignment will be the first 100-point grade of your 8th grade year!

1.     Choose one (1) book from the attached book list.
2.     Buy the book or get it from the library.
3.     Get a copybook for your reader response log.

Assignments:

1.     As you read, keep a reader response log. For each chapter in your book, you should write two (2) entries of at least ten (10) sentences each.  You may use your Reader Response to Literature Log (you have one, but I will give you a new one if you need it) as a guide to what your prompts should be about.  Please do your logs every time you finish a chapter so your thoughts and impressions are fresh in your mind.  Be organized and keep all your responses in one copybook with each chapter’s response clearly labeled.
2.     After you finish the book, write a one-page book review. What did you like or dislike about the book? Be specific. What characters did you identify with and why?  Explain. Who would enjoy this book? Would you change the ending? How?
           

****Please take these assignments seriously.  You have all summer to finish it, and it is your first grade as an 8th grader!

Thank you,


Kristin R. Luebbert, M.Ed, MS.Ed
Reading/Literature teacher

CC: Yvette Duperon, Principal
READING LIST 2013

For Rising 8th graders

PICK one (1) of the following novels to read for your summer assignment:

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Scat by Carl Hiaasen: 
These novels (realistic fiction) are entertaining environmental mysteries that are humorous and feature middle school students as the main characters.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
These novels (dystopian fiction) are exciting and full of adventure as well as moral dilemmas (problems) for their characters.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
This is another dystopian series (a dystopia is a society in which everything has gone wrong) with a strong female heroine.

Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi
A novel (realistic fiction) about two best friends (young men) who have grown up playing basketball together. Will the distractions of the neighborhood tear them apart?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Titian’s Curse by Rick Riordan
A trilogy of fantasy novels featuring hero Percy Jackson—the Gods of Olympus are still alive in the 21st Century!


Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
A novel (realistic historical fiction) that features the strong and devoted Logan family and their trials, tribulations, and triumphs as they live through the Depression in segregation-era Mississippi.




CC: Yvette Duperon, Principal




Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Closing Exercises are Thursday, June 20th!

Our students are practicing and the gowns should be here today!

A few reminders:  Ceremony starts at 10:00AM  SHARP!!!!

Students should arrive no earlier than 9:15 am on Thursday Morning and report to the Martin Lunchroom.

Parents and guests should arrive at 9:45 and enter the Martin Auditorium from the Parrish Street entrance.  Please DO NOT walk through the school building.

Immediately after the Closing Exercises conclude there will be a short cake and juice reception in the Martin Schoolyard.

Congratulations and Onward!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Tickets Distrubuted TODAY for Closing Exercises--AND other reminders

Parents and Guardians,

***All students who handed in the names for their two tickets to Closing Exercises received those tickets today.  Each ticket has the name of the person who will use it written on the back.  PLEASE ask your child for the tickets today when they arrive home and keep them in a safe place.  We do not have extras, and lost tickets will not be replaced.

***Luncheon for 8th grade students will be at the Ukrainian League Club on 23rd and Brown this Friday June 14th.  Please see the previously published dress code (published below).

Thursday, May 30, 2013

EIGHTH Grade Closing Exercises Information


May 30, 2013

Dear Parents and Guardians of Grade Eight Students,

We are all looking forward to our closing exercises on Thursday June 20th, 2013.  In order to ensure a safe, enjoyable program for all of our graduates and their families, please adhere to the following procedures:
·      Each student will receive up to two (2) invitations to the closing exercises.  Attached to this letter is a form for you to fill out the names of your guests.  Please list the given name of each guest (no nicknames).  You will be given invitations with each name written on them.
·      You will be issued the number of invitations (up to 2) equal to the number of names you provide.
·      Everyone over the age of 5 must have an invitation with their name on it to enter the closing exercises. Children without invitations MUST sit on their parents’ laps.
·      Due to space restrictions and fire regulations, NO strollers or baby coaches will be allowed in the auditorium.
·      NO blank invitations will be issued or accepted at the door.
·      NO Balloons are allowed in the auditorium.
·      No school-age child may attend closing exercises without his/her own parent or legal guardian.
·      Invitations are not transferable.
·      All names for invitations are due to the principal by Friday June 10, 2013
·      Students who do not provide a list of name will not receive tickets.
The day of closing ceremony
-       Students should arrive at school by 9:00am
-       Guest will be allowed to enter (Parrish Street Auditorium entrance only) by 9:20am
-       Invitations will be collected at the door
  



DRESS CODE FOR CLOSING EXERCISES AND LUNCHEON

STUDENT DRESS CODE:
Students are wearing gowns but NOT caps.  Caps are reserved for graduation from high school and college.  Please do not send your children with a cap—they will not be allowed to wear it at closing exercises.
**Under the gown, boys should wear dress pants, a dress (collared) shirt and dress shoes (NO sneakers).  Girls should wear a nice dress or pants outfit.  Girls’ shoes should NOT be flip-flops, if they wear sandals, they must have straps on the back.  If they wear heels, PLEASE make sure they can walk comfortably without falling!

++++The 8th grade luncheon (students only) will be held on Friday, June 14th during school hours.  Students may wear appropriate nice clothes instead of uniforms: Boys may wear nice long pants (no jeans) and a button down or collared shirt (NO t-shirts), no low pants or underwear visible.
Girls may wear a nice dress or pants outfit (no jeans). NO visible cleavage, bare shoulders, bare midriffs, mini-skirts, or shorts. Sandals should have straps around the heel.
**Students not adhering to the dress code will not be allowed to attend the luncheon.

Calendar of Events

June 14th, 2013            Eighth Grade Luncheon (Hosted by the Home and School)           


June 20th, 2013            Closing Ceremony




Thank you,

Kristin Luebbert, Jeffrey Rupertus, 8th grade teachers

CC: Yvette Duperon , principal