Merry Christmas!

We wish you and your family a very merry Christmas as you celebrate
the baby in the manger come to save the world. 

What a reason for JOY!

Crystals are forming!!!!!

Almost everyone was able to get an ornament started. We had a few people absent and we ran out of time for a few. Crystals are already forming on the first group done. A few are forming on the second group. These should be ready to go on Friday. The designs were great. Everyone was creative.

Crystal Ornaments

Science classes tomorrow (Tuesday) December 15 - Remember we are going to be creating crystal ornaments (using borax).

If possible, please bring in a wide mouthed jar (canning jars are excellent) if you can to hold your ornament while the crystals form. If you happen to have some food coloring lying around the house, bring that in as well. The food coloring will add a colorful tint to the crystals.

Think about your design this evening. Look on pintrest. Search the web for cool ideas. Be ready to be creative and have some fun.

Christmas Giving - The Final Update

Thank you so very much for your generosity as we provided Christmas for two local families in need. I am humbled by your giving spirits, and I know the families will be blessed by you. 

Enjoy some pictures of the well-organized, yet chaotic wrapping process that got the gifts prepared for delivery on Monday morning.

The Upcoming ("Christmas Crazy") Week

There is so much to be excited about coming right around the corner! Namely - Christmas!!! But as we prepare to meet the Baby Jesus once again, there's still a packed-full week of school to get through. For the most part, school will continue as normal - normal classes, normal homework, normal tests/quizzes. However, here are some out-of-the-ordinary things you can expect next week:

• Monday:
• Final research papers for 7th and 8th grades are due!!
• All three grades will begin a fun Christmas-focused writing unit.
• 6th & 7th grade will be watching a movie based on the book we just finished reading aloud as part of our Christmas short story unit - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.
• 6th grade will start presentations of their mini history projects.
• Tuesday:
• Vocab is due a day early for 7th & 8th grade since we will not be having our class Wednesday afternoon.
• Wednesday:
• Dress rehearsal for our Christmas program will be in the afternoon 
• Thursday: Christmas Program Day!!
• The first performance will be at 1:00 p.m. All students need to be in their green Forest Hills t-shirt, unless they received different instructions from their band or handbell teacher.
• The second performance will be at 7:00 p.m. All students need to be dressed in "Sunday Best" for this performance, unless they received different instructions from their band or handbell teacher. 
• Students who are in band should report to the gym at 6:30 p.m. 
• Students who are in handbells should report to the gym at 6:30 p.m. 
• All other students should report to Mr. Plucknett's room at 6:45 p.m. on the dot.
• Friday: Christmas Celebration Day!!
• There will be so much happening this day! The three classes will be doing a variety of things including some or all of the following activities:
• Being in service to our school by helping clean up the gym from the program the night before
• Visiting with our buddies (the students can bring a little something for their buddies if they want to)
• Yummy Christmas breakfast provided by our wonderful parents
• Movies (Be sure to sign the permission slips coming home today!!)
• Parties complete with Secret Santa Gift Exchanges
• A special chapel put on by our very own 8th grade class

We are so excited for this fun-filled week! As always, let us know if you have any questions about anything.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

There HERE!!!!

The cockroaches arrived on Wednesday and were put into their habitat on Thursday morning. Most of the students have been able to see them. A few think they are awesome and few are totally creeped out. As a species they are quite docile and yet quite large. They can grow to be 3 inches long. During the day they will remain hidden as they prefer dark places. 

The cockroaches were brought in for the 7th grade life science curriculum. These students will get a chance to learn more about them during an investigation. This will take place towards the end of the second trimester.

Ask your student what they think about them.

Book Fair & Book Orders

We invite you to come support our school tomorrow morning at the Book Fair hosted by Barnes & Noble. Present the voucher coming home in your family envelope today at checkout, and a portion of your sale will be donated to Forest Hills. What a great way to get some Christmas shopping done and help out our school as well! Remember, Barnes & Noble is known as a bookstore, but they have a lot of games, toys, puzzles, and other things too, so come shop around with us from 9:00-12:00 tomorrow morning!!



Also, Scholastic book orders came home yesterday. If you like the convenience of ordering online or with the flyer, this is another great way to help out our classroom. Orders are due Monday in order for the books to arrive before Christmas break.

Christmas Giving Update

Thank you so much for your generous outpouring of love for these two families. We are blessed to be able to share the love of Jesus with them this Christmas!
If you wanted to contribute to the effort but didn't get a chance to peruse the list, we could use more gift wrapping supplies and boxes, both big and small to package things in. We could also collect more gift cards for the families. Fred Meyer is a great choice because it can be used for groceries, clothing, household needs, or even gas.
Gifts should be delivered to Mrs. Schulze's classroom by Wednesday, December 9.
Thank you again!

Thankful for Gifts and the Ability to Give

We are so blessed to be in this place where we can learn about the love and grace of Jesus everyday! I am especially thankful to be here when this time of year rolls around and we can focus our thanks on the gifts God has given us while we look ahead to his greatest gift - Jesus.

We are honored here at Forest Hills to once again be partnering with Hillsboro Family Resource Center to provide Christmas wishes for families in our area who are struggling financially. The best part though - we get to share Jesus's love with them at the same time!

As in the past, the middle school is sponsoring two families this year. Below is the list with the families' needs as well as some wishes for their kids. (Wrapping supplies are also included.) Please peruse the list and see what you might be able to provide this year.

I wanted to get the list out before this weekend's shopping extravaganza takes place. There is no pressure to choose and buy this early. However, I know a few of you are extreme Black Friday shoppers and might find some of this stuff this weekend for a great deal!
When you choose what you'd like to give these families this year, you can comment on this post or email Mrs. Schulze directly.
Thank you for the inspiration you are to our team every year as you selflessly give of your time and resources to help those in need in our community.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The Middle School Faculty would like to wish you and your family a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. May you enjoy time with your loved ones and spend time contemplating all of God's gifts to you in this time and place.

Ooga Booga!

We had a lot of fun yesterday when our student council presidents led us in some fun activities to celebrate Thanksgiving! One was called "Ooga Booga" and hails back to Mr. Schiemann's time as a camp program director in upstate New York. In truth, I can't do this game justice in a blog post, so I'll give you a couple of pictures and a command - go ask your kid about this (if they haven't filled you in already!). A good time was had by all!

Choir Singing in Chapel Monday - 11/23

This Monday, November 23rd, the middle school choir will be singing for our Thanksgiving chapel.  Come see the choir sing their praises to the Lord!

End of Trimester Coming Up Tuesday, 11/24!

Next Tuesday, November 24th, will be the last day of the first trimester here at Forest Hills.  All late, missing, and absent work needs to be turned in by then in order to be counted towards the first trimester grades.

With Monday, November 30th, the second trimester starts, and all grades in all classes start fresh.

First trimester report cards will come home in family folders on Friday, December 11th.

Library Field Trip

      Yesterday was a fantastic field trip to the Main Branch of the Hillsboro Library! Most students were diligent and productive, and everyone was respectful. I received several compliments from the library staff regarding the behavior of our students. Way to go! Each class did something a little bit different, so ask your child what they did while at the library.

Library Field Trip - Monday!!

It's time for the library field trip! Here's what you need to bring:


6th Grade - Just come ready to listen and learn! We will be taking a tour of the library, learning how it all works, and enjoying an activity - all put together by one of the librarians.

7th & 8th Grades:

• Washington County Library Card
• Reusable grocery bag to help carry all your books back (you could also bring $2 to purchase one from the library if you'd like)
• File box with blank note cards
• 2-3 sharpened pencils

And don't forget good library etiquette:

• Talk quietly
• Move calmly
• No running, not even up and down that really fun staircase
• Leave the elevator for people that really need it
• Use the librarians as a resource
• Be productive

Welcome Atticus Maxwell!!

Dad, Mom, and baby Atticus are all doing well!

Auction Class Art Projects - Volunteers Needed!

Hello Middle School Families!

I am looking for a volunteer(s) from each middle school grade to lead the auction art project this year. Projects are created by the kids with project parent(s) and finished art is auctioned off at our annual fundraising auction in the spring. Project parents conceptualize, and create class art projects, with complete creative freedom. Project parents coordinate directly with the teacher to schedule the creative process/time in the classroom.

If this sounds like something fun, you would be correct! Working with the kids on these projects is an extremely rewarding process. They are so creative, get very excited, and love the art they create. Teachers support the process and are great to work with as well.

Projects can be painted canvas, ceramics, woodwork, glass, photography, quilting, etc. Check out Pinterest for some amazing ideas. There is a budget of $75, time spent counts as PAL hours, and all proceeds from the auction make a great difference at our school. Even if you don't have an idea but want to work with the kids, I will help you figure out a project.

If this is something you might be interested in, please contact me or your child's teacher.

Thanks,
Kelly Knoebel (bulakellyk@hotmail.com)

Library Cards

7th & 8th Graders - Bring your library cards to school this week!

Mango Languages Grading Procedure

We wanted to make sure the middle school parents and students are well-informed regarding our grading procedure for Mango Languages. We let the students know during their class on Thursday, but here is a reminder for them and an official notice for parents.

Mango is a self-paced programs which makes it extremely difficult to assign a letter grade to. The expectation is that a student will not move onto a new lesson until they have passed the quiz at an 80%. Thus, students are currently at different points in the learning program. As such, we have opted to put Mango on the E-S-N scale. E stands for Excellent, S stands for Satisfactory, and N stands for Needs Work. Mango grades will be assessed on time spent actively engaged in the program. Early on, we informed everyone of the expectation that the students should spend 60 minutes actively engaged with their language each week. Allowing for some leeway in that time for computer issues, bathroom breaks, and checking out books in the library, in order to earn an E, the students must reach 50 minutes per week (25 minutes per class session). Considering our classes are 40-45 minutes long, each student should easily be able to reach this standard. If a student is absent, forgets their Chromebook, or otherwise encounters issues that keep them from participating, they are expected to make up the time at home. (A side note - Mango is a smart program and will stop logging time when the student stops answering questions. They must actively use the program in order for it to log their time spent.)
The grading scale is as follows:

• E = 100%+ of expected time
• S = 80-99% of expected time
• N = 0-79% of expected time

Currently, to earn an E, 8th graders should be at 3 hours 45 minutes, and 7th & 6th graders should be at 4 hours 10 minutes.
As always, please contact us if you have any questions.

Christian Studies Test - Thursday, October 1

This coming Thursday (10/01), students will have a test on the Young Peacemaker Curriculum.  Students have taken notes as study guides both on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  The notes taken on Tuesday are in the pictures below.  For Monday notes, students should have written down what was on the board in the library.  Let Mr. Schiemann know if you have any questions (schiemannm@fhlcs.org).

Picutre Book Picnic - October 2

 

 This Friday is the annual Picture Book Picnic. We gather with our buddies, share our favorite books, and have lunch and recess together. Please make sure your child brings a cold lunch that day, and if they would like they can bring a towel or blanket to sit on and a favorite book to share.

Ask Your Child About... A New Blog Series

We are starting a new series of blog posts - "Ask Your Child About..." Most Fridays you can expect to see a list of things that happened in school over the course of the week and possibly things they are preparing for the next week. Ask your child about them! These posts will be grade specific and found on each grades' blog page.

Christian Studies Assignment - due 9/17

In Christian Studies, we are examining what it means to confess your sins, using a model called the 5-A's.  Students have a worksheet on the 5-A's that is due on Thursday, September 17.

Christian Studies Homework: due 9/10

All students have homework due this Thursday (9/10) in Christian Studies with Mr. Schiemann.  They are to write a paragraph about a time when they made a My-Way choice and how that followed the cycle in the picture.  They are then to write a paragraph about a time when they made a Wise-Way choice and how that followed godly steps.  Please e-mail Mr. Schiemann if you have any questions (schiemannm@fhlcs.org)

Headphones Needed

We have begun our 2nd language studies on Mango Languages. It's been fun and the kids have enjoyed learning things like how to say hello and address people in either Spanish or French.
Mango speaks the language to the students, so they can hear the correct pronunciation of the words. In order for this program to be successful for all of the students, each child needs to have a set of headphones at school everyday. Headphones were on the original supply list and can be purchased fairly inexpensively from places like Ross, Marshall's, Target, and maybe even the dollar store (I haven't confirmed this, but the kids tell me it's true). Please make arrangements for your child to have a pair of headphones available to keep at school. Thanks for partnering with us in this exciting new curriculum and helping make it a success!

Today's Visit from the Pastor

Last year as a school, we implemented an "adopt a church" program to help support our association congregations.  The middle school has adopted Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Forest Grove and St. Peter's Lutheran Church next door to FHLCS.  Throughout the year, the middle school will be praying for their adopted churches and helping them out with various ministries in various ways.  Another part of this is getting visits from the pastors in our classrooms so we can learn more about the churches.  Today, we had a visit from Pastor Mike Warmbier, pastor at St. Peter's, to introduce us to the ministries of St. Peter's and the history behind this congregation that has existed since 1882.  Thank you so much Pastor Warmbier for your time!

Google Calendar

We are implementing Google Calendar as the students' digital planners this year. We have created an academic calendar for each grade. These calendars have been shared with "view only" permissions to all students and parents. (If you did not receive an email letting you know that a calendar has been shared with you, please let us know.) These calendars will be maintained by the teachers and will include the "big" things - tests, quizzes, projects, and long-term assignments.
We will be giving each class some training in Google Calendar, and each student will be expected to keep up their own personal calendar as well. This is where they will be responsible for entering the smaller, daily assignments, like math and any unfinished work that will need to be finished at home that night. We encourage you to have a conversation about this with your child and have your child share their personal calendar with you, so that you can track how they are doing with the responsibility.
We find that by sharing the responsibility the students learn to care for themselves in the areas of time management and organization while not letting the big things fall through the cracks. They might fail a few times at tracking those smaller assignments, but if they are learning from their mistakes, they should get the hang of it.
Some students prefer to have a paper planner. If your child is one of them, this is absolutely acceptable and may be brought in at any time.
As always, let us know if you have any questions.

Language Arts Update: Writing Journals

I'm so excited to be introducing new writing journals to the students this year! Each week they will be given a new prompt on Monday or Tuesday, and they will have until Friday to complete it. Time may be given in class some days to work on it, but it is also expected that it will be a little bit of homework each week. It is intended to be a week-long project. I know some students will go home and finish it all the first night. Others will do a little bit each day. And still others will wait until Thursday to finish it. Time management is an important skill for middle schoolers to acquire. Help your child learn to pace out their work, so they aren't spending hours on homework one night a week and no time on homework the other nights. I love reading everything these kids write! These journals are going to be a great exercise for them and fun for me, too!

Peacemaking in the Middle School

Middle school can be a difficult time for kids in their attitudes and relationships.  Because of this, for the month of September, the middle school is starting their day a little differently.  For Christian Studies this month, Mr. Schiemann is working with the whole middle school together teaching them a conflict resolution class called Peacemakers.  They are learning the differences between peacemaking, peace-breaking, and peace-faking, and also what the Bible tells us we are called to do when faced with conflict.  If you get the chance, talk to the middle schoolers throughout the month to find out what they are learning and what strategies they are gaining.

Mango Languages!!!

Today, all the middle schoolers started on our new foreign language program.  They had a choice to study either Spanish or French.  We took a placement test to see how much they knew coming into the program, and started right in on learning simple welcomes and greetings!

This program is done entirely on an interactive online curriculum called Mango Languages.  Each student is able to work and learn at their own pace with just their Chromebook and a set of headphones.  This class will be meeting twice a week, but their learning is not limited to that time.  They can get on their Chromebooks and work on their language of choice any time!

Acceptable Use Policy - DUE MONDAY!!!

Along with the Chromebooks yesterday, each middle schooler also received a copy of our Acceptable Use Policy for using the Chromebooks.  One of the back pages on this policy is to be signed by student and parent and returned no later than Monday, August 31st.  If you have not done so already, please read to policy over the weekend with your middle schooler.  If we do not get the signed paper from the policy by Monday, their Chromebook will be locked, and they will not be able to access any features until it is turned in.

If there are any questions, feel free to e-mail us.  Have a great weekend!

FHESST!!!

FHESST stands for Forest Hills Eighth Seventh Sixth Together. Today, all the middle school students were assigned to their teams. We began with a devotion about Living in Faith Everyday and what it looks like to live out our faith, and they participated in some team building exercises with their teams It was an exciting afternoon of fun with their classmates.

Team "Blades of Grass"

Team "That One Group"

Team "I Don't Care"

Team "Dignified Face Wreckers"

"Team Rocket"

Team "Newt and the Fighting Spectacles"