JMS

Meet Your Teachers:

Rebecca Summerour - Language Arts
Robin O'Neal - Math
Chris Corkery - Social Studies
Dana Simmons - Science
Stephanie Madison - Inclusion

Emily Dennis - Language Arts
David Cuddy - Math
Jennifer McAuley - Science
Tim Nichols - Social Studies
Lori Alexander - Inclusion

7th Grade Photos

Weekly Updates

7A Red Team

7B Blue Team

Hello Students and Parents!!

Thursday! Author Pam Bauer Mueller will visit all 7^th grade students from Noon to 1:00 PM. Order forms have been distributed to students and are also available in the Media Center.

Friday! Our JMS Yearbook Dedication Assembly will be held at 1:15 PM in the gymnasium. Students will be granted time after the assembly to sign yearbooks.

Here’s what’s happening this week….

Language Arts (Summerour)

This week in language arts, students will continue with literature circles. Students have been assigned three assignments (2 reading response questions and a world/self connections worksheet). All three assignments will be due on Friday, May 9, 2008. On Thursday and Friday, students will have some class time to complete the assignments. Assignments not finished need to be completed for homework.

DGP sentence: we had a lot of fun in seventh grade but now were ready for the summer

GPS (Georgia Performance Standards) require students to read a minimum of 25 books. Throughout the course of the school year, students have been recording the books they have read. All reading logs will be due on Tuesday, May 13, 2008.

Second semester exam will cover DGP and plot diagram of the student’s novel. Students will be given a blank plot diagram, and they will fill in the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

It has been a pleasure teaching your student. I hope your student had a wonderful 7^th grade experience!

Thanks, Rebecca Summerour

Mathematics (O’Neal)

Students in Periods One and Three will work with “hands on” equations. They will use manipulatives to help solve one and two step equations with one variable. Periods Two and Four will practice adding and subtracting polynomials. Vocabulary words such as binomial, trinomial, degree, and standard form will be discussed.

All students will take a mathematics placement test on Wednesday. This test will aid in determining mathematics placement in 8^th grade.

Science (Simmons)

******The due date for the children's storybook has been moved to Friday, May 9.*****

Monday students continue learning about animals we have studied thus far by reading and answering various sections and questions in their book. Tuesday students will be given class time to have peers proofread their story. I will also provide a template for students to use as they prepare to write their story for the children's book. Wednesday students will learn about our last group of animals, mammals, and review frog calls again. Thursday and Friday we will begin our study of conservation as well and continue this for the remainder of the week. This will include activities about the harmful effects of the illegal trade in wildlife for pets, habitat destruction, types of pollution, resource conservation, overfishing of the oceans, and responsible consumer decisions that students can make to alleviate some of these problems.

Social Studies (Corkery)

Social Studies: Monday we will complete any skits from Parvana's Journey and work on student test questions.

Tuesday should be the test over the book Parvana's Journey.

Wednesday -Friday we will discuss current events in countries we have covered this year.

Hello Students and Parents!!

Thursday! Author Pam Bauer Mueller will visit all 7^th grade students from Noon to 1:00 PM. Order forms have been distributed to students and are also available online.

Friday! Our JMS Yearbook Dedication Assembly will be held at 1:15 PM in the gymnasium. Students will be granted time after the assembly to sign yearbooks.

Here’s what’s happening this week….

Language Arts (Dennis)

This week in Language Arts, the students will spend Monday and Tuesday working on their children's storybooks for Science. Mrs. McAuley has given instructions to the students as to how their stories may be improved, so we'll spend two full days in Language Arts working on editing and revising before the assignment is due in Science on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the students will continue working in Literature Circles and hopefully complete their novels by the end of the week. Project activities have already been given to the students in each of the literature circle groups, and class time will be given to work on these activities the first three days of next week or as soon as the students finish their novels. In 2nd period, Mrs. Alexander and I will begin reading Frindle to the students on Wednesday and plan to finish the book by Friday.

** Parents, a handout was sent home last week detailing author Pamela Bauer Mueller's visit on Thursday, May 8. If you or your child is interested in purchasing an advanced copy of any of her books, please complete the order form on the back of the handout and send it in with your student by next Thursday. **

Mathematics (Cuddy)

Students in Periods One and Three will work with “hands on” equations. They will use manipulatives to help solve one and two step equations with one variable. Periods Two and Four will practice adding and subtracting polynomials. Vocabulary words such as binomial, trinomial, degree, and standard form will be discussed.

All students will take a mathematics placement test on Wednesday. This test will aid in determining mathematics placement in 8^th grade.

Science (McAuley)

Monday students will test their knowledge of local frog calls. They will teach each other about bird adaptations and reproduction and go on a bird hike in the wildlife habitat. Tuesday students will learn about our last group of animals, mammals, and have a "bingo style" test over the animal kingdom. NOTE: students will work on their children's storybooks in Language Arts both Monday and Tuesday. The final product is due Thursday, Wednesday if possible. Wednesday we will begin our study of conservation for the remainder of the week. This will include activities about the harmful effects of the illegal trade in wildlife for pets, parts, and circuses, habitat destruction, types of pollution, resource conservation, over fishing of the oceans, and responsible consumer decisions that students can make to alleviate some of these problems.

Social Studies (Nichols)

Social Studies: Monday we will complete any skits from Parvana's Journey and work on student test questions.

Tuesday should be the test over the book Parvana's Journey.

Wednesday -Friday we will discuss current events in countries we have covered this year.

Dear Parents:

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The 7^th grade teams of teachers would like to express how excited we are to begin this school year! With your help and support, we can form a partnership that will result in a meaningful and successful year for your child. One of the most important aspects of life is personal responsibility, and one of our team goals is to assist your child in becoming an independent young person. This is accomplished through communication, commitment, and caring on all our parts.

Communication

Agendas: Each child will be issued an agenda book the first day of school. This daily planner not only aids in organization, but also provides a way for us to communicate with you and for you to be informed of your child’s assignments. The following are important aspects of the agenda:

It contains the JMS handbook, school policies, academic resources, & a school calendar

Your child must have his or her agenda every day
If it is lost or stolen, a new one must be purchased ($5.00)

An agenda signed by a teacher or administrator is the ONLY hall pass for students
Please check the agenda daily for messages from teachers

Throughout the week students should record assignments daily for each class.

Students are required to have a parent / guardian sign (no initials, please) the agenda every Thursday night that will be checked each Friday morning. Failure to obtain this signature or presenting a signed agenda that does not include assignments recorded daily for each class will result in loss of privileges.

The 7^th grade teachers provide additional ways to keep you updated on what topics, projects, assignments and activities will be occurring in Math, L.A., Social Studies and Science. A weekly email is sent to those parents who supply an email address on their child’s syllabus. For your convenience, this weekly update is also available on the JMS website.

Commitment

We are committed to providing a positive, challenging, and stimulating learning environment for all students. The following are important guidelines for encouraging success for all students:

Student Work Policy:

Policy for Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies: Students who do not complete assignments will earn a zero. However, 2 opportunities to remove the zero are:

1) Turning in the completed assignment at the beginning of class the following day for a maximum grade of 80

2) Using the JMS Learning Lab to complete the assignment and turn it in within 1 week from the due date for a maximum grade of 70.

Policy for Math: please see your math syllabus
Homework is an extension of learning that helps your child to practice newly acquired skills and understandings. We expect students to be the sole owners of any individual assignments given outside of class. We respectfully request that parents act as facilitators, not partners, in completing the child’s homework.

Make-up Work:

Students who are absent will have 3 days to complete missed assignments for full credit. It is the student’s responsibility to obtain missed work (including notes) in each class.

Unexcused Tardy Policy: A student entering class after the bell has rung is tardy. Each set of 3 or more tardies to class within a 9-week grading period will result in SAS.

Behavior Consequences: The following consequences apply to students not following directions:

            1^st – Warning
            2^nd – In-class discipline (isolation, contact home, break detention)
            3^rd – Silent Lunch
            4^th – SAS
            5^th – Office Referral (“write-up”)

It is our goal to create a safe, productive learning environment for your child, and we appreciate your support of these policies. Depending on the infraction, consequences may not follow the above progression.

1. You have read and agree to the policies set forth in the 7^th grade team letter
2. You have read the policies outlined in the agenda (student handbook portion)

Please feel free to contact us via e-mail (create addresses by using our first initial followed by our last name; i.e., jmcauley@jeffcityschools.org), or contact the JMS office to schedule appointments.

Thank you for your time and support, and we eagerly await getting to know your child and helping him or her to excel in school and beyond.

Respectfully,

JMS 7^th Grade Faculty

Red Team Blue Team

Rebecca Summerour (language arts) Emily Boggs (language arts)

Chris Corkery (social studies) Tim Nichols (social studies)

Robin O’Neal (math) Dave Cuddy (math)

Dana Simmons (science) Jennifer McAuley (science)

Stephanie Madison (co-teaching) Lori Alexander (co-teaching)

Caring

Please take a moment to sign your child’s syllabi, indicating that