Eighth Grade Newsletter Your Monthly Update from the CCP Middle School Team
December Edition
Theology
Mr. Thro
mthro@chaminade-stl.org We are finished with new material for the 8th grade first semester. We have been studying some pretty heavy subjects the second part of the semester including the heresy of Arius, the Council of Nicaea, the origin of the Nicene Creed, the concept of Salvation promoted by St. Athanasius, the Trinity, the Catholic and Christian concept of God (opposed to many cultural concepts), the Hypostatic Union in Christ, the Church Year, and the name of some of the items we see used in the liturgy. We have an essay test on the 4th and the 8th. There are four essays for them to prepare, which you can see on the Daily Classwork Page on the Theology page on Canvas. The students are able to prepare their response ahead of time and are also allowed to bring their typed responses into the test with them. We have looped through the information two or three times, so I am hoping some of these ideas are sinking in a little bit. The exam is going to include: 3 – 5 reading passages with questions to answer for each passage, an identification section where they will be asked to identify ten of the items used in our liturgy, a section of vocabulary matching a section with a set of problem/situations for them to solve using information we have studied this semester to form their solutions. For my part, working with your sons this semester has been great. They truly are a really great bunch of kids. You need to sell your parental secrets. Many regards, best wishes for you and your families. Please be safe!
Science
Mr. O'Shaughnessy
boshaughnessy@chaminade-stl.org In science we have completed our 3rd unit over Plate Tectonics. Students investigated various plate boundaries in our virtual lab, located an earthquake using seismic data, created a graphic organizer outlining information we discussed as well as completed all the activities associated which each discussion day. Now our topic of study is focused on volcanoes and is closely related to our previous unit. Please double check the gradebook to make sure all assignments are submitted and uploaded. I will be prompting students with more information about the final exam as we get closer to the end of the semester.
Social Studies Mr. Gambaro
dgambaro@chaminade-stl.org Next week we will be wrapping up our first semester content. The final topic is the Texas Revolution and eventual statehood. This semester’s exam will be two part. The first will be a take home assignment. It will be assigned next week and due on exam day. The second part will take place on exam day. It we be an open notes paper exam. Study material has been posted under All Coursework, located in my Canvas page.
Latin
Mr. Makarewicz
jmakarewicz@chaminade-stl.org For the remainder of the semester, we will be reviewing for our assessment week assignments. During our assessment week class, students will complete three assignments that cover listening, reading, and grammar/vocabulary. Information about the exam and what students need to study can be found within the December section of the class document on my homepage.
Spanish
Mrs. Galvan
mgalvan@chaminade-stl.org The eighth grade has finished Lecciones 4-5 in their Senderos textbook. We are spending the remaining classes, reviewing for the final exam. The final exam will be on Canvas, just like their chapter tests throughout this semester. They will have a final exam Quizlet study set called "Final Exam Vocabulary (830-sm. 1)." I will also provide three study guide worksheets that we will cover one class at a time. The students can combine those three study guides to prepare grammatically for the exam. Videos with the answers to each study guide will also be posted under "Course Resources" on Canvas, if they miss any corrections in class. I'm available for additional help after school in the atrium on Tuesdays from 3:00-5:00. I am also available every morning in my classroom from 7:35-8:15.
Chinese
Dr. Chen
xchen@chaminade-stl.org Can't believe that we are heading to the end of the year already! Next week, we will practice the characters and wrap up the third unit of this semester. For the final assessment, students will do a test on reading and writing. They can use their character sheets as reference during the test. So please have the character sheets organized and have them handy.
French
Mrs. Dalton
cdalton@chaminade-stl.org We will be testing next week on Thursday, December 10th over textbook Unit 3, lesson A. Students will be allowed to use their “adjective grid” on the test. The exam will be on Canvas or Paper depending on the student’s learning environment. The study guide was provided on 12/3 and can be found on Canvas. For the final exam day, students will be creating a family tree using a digital format. This will be a summative project in lieu of the end of the semester exam. A rubric will be available Monday 12/7. Please check canvas for Final Project details. Feel free to reach out and schedule a zoom to review or meet for any unanswered questions or concerns! Joyeux Noël!
English
Mr. Master nmaster@chaminade-stl.org As we are rounding the final turn in the semester, we are concluding some of our overarching units. We will be finishing The Book Thief this week. Students are evaluating, editing, and revising an essay that asks them to identify a character or characters who represent an assigned Characteristic of Marianist Education. Students are completing the 8th and final vocabulary unit of the semester. Finally, we are taking a series of 4 practice grammar exams to habituate students to the types of questions they’ll encounter in their final grammar assessment. Students will also use these practice exams to create a 1 page front and back “cheat sheet” that may be used on the exam.
Stem
Mrs. Young
jyoung@chaminade-stl.org Week 3 down, 9 more to go! The guys have been working really hard, asking great questions, and coming to class eager. I have really enjoyed this crew! This week we focused on technical sketching and taking 2D shapes and transforming them into 3D shapes. We will continue working with technical sketching next week, focusing on multiview sections and how they impact blueprints for individual parts. Because of the timing of this course, we do not have final exams during final exam week. We will have a normal class on Thursday, December 17th, where we will be opening up AutoCad Inventor for the first time and getting everything squared away. As a quick note, we will not have any homework during the winter break. Breaks are a time for family, relaxation, and enjoying all the little pockets of joy the 2020 is hardly bringing! For extra credit this weekend, there will be a quick math riddle to solve featuring the Mandalorian (no spoilers!). Something quick and easy because I always feel like these December weekends fly by! If you have questions, please feel free to contact me any time!
Theater
Mrs. Lawrence
slawrence@chaminade-stl.org In 8th grade Drama, we are working on our first performance project, creating Open Scenes. Students will perform their scenes for classmates live in class. Students are invited to view the Drama Department’s livestream event of The Adding Machine and Oedpius Rex, performing December 3 - 6. Tickets are free to Chaminade students, and can be found here https://chaminadestl.tix.com
Art
Mr. Anthony
manthony@chaminade-stl.org 8th grade Visual Art students are off to an excellent start this semester. They are exploring leadership as a theme this semester and have been spending time learning how to express their ideas about through their drawings. Students had the opportunity to work with their hands this week using clay by making pinch pots. They will not have an exam during exam week and will continue learning about color theory. Keep up the good effort gentlemen!
Band
Mr. Jones
hjones@chaminade-stl.org Winter Jazz Concert The NEW date is Wednesday, December 9, at 7:30PM in the SKIP. This concert will be live streamed and will be available later with a link on you tube. (This was the original Christmas Concert date.) Middle School Jazz Band members should be onstage in the main auditorium by 6:45PM. The attire is white jazz polo, khaki pants and dress shoes. We expect the performance to end at 8:45PM. Christmas Concert This performance was originally scheduled for December 9. Instead, each group will be video recorded on stage during their class time as follows: Beginning Band (10:00AM) and Intermediate Band (8:15AM) on Friday, December 11. ATTIRE for all groups is coat and tie with dress shoes. A video link for this performance will be sent to each band family during the week of December 14.
DATES TO REMEMBER: 12/7: No School! 12/8: House Polo Day! 12/9: Virtual School Day! 12/11: House Polo Day! 12/15-12/18: 1st Semester Final Exams 1/5: Back to School
ATTENDANCE REMINDER: Will your son be absent? Does he have an appointment and need to leave early or arrive late? Call the Middle School Office at 314.692.6687.
Messages from your Middle School Team: Principal Dr. Guidry
tguidry@chaminade-stl.org
Counselor
Mr. Twellman
jtwellman@chaminade-stl.org
Learning Consultant Mr. Hale
jhale@chaminade-stl.org
Final exams are just around the corner! Our schedule is below:
We have many resources on our Middle School Office page on your son's Canvas to help them prepare for exams. If you need anything else, feel free to contact us!