A week of Lasts

As a teacher, I have mixed feelings about summer break. I really love spending more time with the family, going on vacations, working in the garden, and dreaming about next year. However, I really love teaching this 8th grade class. We really have had a great year together. They are unique, curious, intelligent, and funny (in their own ways.) But here we are. There is a season for all things, is this is coming to the season to say farewell to the 8th graders and welcome to the 5th.  They will be amazing in their new school. They will make new friends, have new teachers, work in various new classes, and spread their wings a little further. I also want to say goodbye to all those who will not return next year for various reasons. Blessings on your new adventure, we love, and will miss you as well.
So this is the week of lasts. For the 6th and 7th graders, tomorrow is the last day they will have their Chromebooks. They will get a new one next year.
This Wednesday we will have our last field trip of the year. I am excited about how many adults are planning to join us for this event.
This week is the last couple of classes. For me it will be the last couple of experiments. On Monday we will launch our stomp rockets, and I have a present for each student. To get the present they will have to perform a simple experiment. On Tuesday, students will be making their own ice cream. I do need a little help from parents on this one and I will send out an email shortly about how you can help. On Wednesday we are gone on field trips and Thursday we are with our own classes the whole day.
6th graders should bring in a reusable grocery bag on Thursday. That is the last day to clean out our desks. We will clean the classroom and spend the rest of our time in worship. at 10:30 we head to the chapel for the last chapel of the year.
Tuesday is the last day for students to turn in any work to me. If they have missing, late, or corrected work, it must be in by the end of the day Tuesday. I will still have Math Club on Tuesday, so students can turn in work all the way until 4:00 in the afternoon.

Thank You. Thank you for a wonderful year.

P.S. This is the last couple of days with normal hair. On Tuesday, my new barber Laura in 7th, will give me a new look. I can't wait to see what she does to me.

Library Books

Looking For Books

As you are gathering your items for school, please be on the lookout for books that belong in our library.  You can put them back on the shelves at anytime.  If you still have books from the school library they need to be returned as soon as possible.

Calling All Chromebooks!!!

On Monday, June 5th, the middle schoolers will be going through the End of Year Chromebook Check-In.  The 6th and 7th graders will be turning in their Chromebooks for the summer while the 8th graders will be having their Chromebooks reset and turned over completely to them.  Here are a few things to remember for Monday in regards to Chromebooks...

• Every student needs to come to school with their Chromebook fully charged.
• Every student with a school-owned Chromebook needs to remember to bring their charger to school to turn in as well.  Lost or broken chargers will result in a $20 replacement fee charged to the family's TADS account.
• Every student needs to transfer any files stored locally on their Chromebook that they want to keep to their Google Drive.  Locally stored files can be found mostly in the Downloads folder as well as any pictures taken in the Camera app.
• Since Chromebooks are being turned in Monday, Monday is the last day to turn in any late/missing/corrected Digital Literacy assignments.

8 Days Left

I hope all of you have had a great 3 day weekend.
I cannot believe that there are 8 days left of this school year. Ever since we went to LEST, the school year has gone by in a whirlwind.
It has been a while since I have shared on the Blog. Sorry about that, I let other things take priority and business of the weeks was my excuse. Outdoor School and the time that surrounded it took more time and energy than I had expected.
I have had a blast this year. I recently had a chance to visit with some of my former colleagues at a wedding. They wanted to know how my year went and if I like Forest Hills. I told them that is a "good fit" for me. I certainly didn't want to compare (as that would hurt their feelings) but just wanted to point how much I appreciate being at a place that really matches up with my gifts and talents. On that note...
Thank you for this year. I have had a great year of growth, encouragement, patience, and I have felt loved and appreciated by so many of you. We are doing something truly special here and God is really at work in this place. I am so glad that God has lead me to this place. I am already excited about how God will work in the coming year.
There are so few instructional days left, but I will keep pushing to the end. Here is what your child can expect in my classes.
Bible-- we are now learning about Jesus and his early ministry (there will still be a year end book check, students should make sure they are following along and doing the work in the book)
Math-- we are finishing chapter 9 (Congruence and Similarity) and will be starting to look at Statistics in Chapter 10.
Science-- we are almost done with waves. We just completed our section on audio and visual waves and a quiz is coming. To finish the year, I plan on doing "fun" experiments. This could be anything from making slime to making ice cream. Please send me any ideas you have.
Worship team-- we have two times left this year to lead worship during chapel. The eighth graders have chosen the four songs we will finish with this year. This has been a great addition to the school and we will continue worship team next year.
History-- we have been looking at how Roman culture has influenced so many things, even today. We will finish with it soon and will be looking to a new choose your own adventure soon.
That is it for me for right now. I am always open to ideas or just talking. Blessings on your last days.
Mr. Bauer

P.S. My grades are up to date. There are many missing assignments for the year.
I know each class is going on a field trip on the June 7. 6th is heading to Silver Falls. I am still missing permission on several students. It is not to late to sign up, please see the email sent with the permission slip for details.

Book Reports

Third Trimester Book Report

The final book report of the year is due Friday, May 26.  Students will have Tuesday, May 23 for working on their report in class.  Students should come prepared with their book, writing supplies, and other items as needed.  Students who need to do their oral reports will sign up for sharing on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of that week.

Language Arts

Grammar, Grammar, Grammar

Now that research papers are completed and turned in for grading we are off to new adventures.  We will be ending the year looking at adjectives and adverbs, words that modify nouns and verbs.  Being able to identify and use them correctly in our writing is important.  When we want others to understand exactly what we are communicating we use adjectives and adverbs.  They also make our writing more interesting!

Subject Update: Digital Literacy

A bunch of grades were just added to Digital Literacy on Gradelink for several projects we had done.  I wanted to give a quick reminder of how Digital Literacy is graded.  All assignments in this class can be resubmitted to earn up to 100% (this also goes for those that did not originally turn it in).  If someone received a score under 100%, there is a comment left for them in Google Classroom on what they need to improve to earn their 100.  The goal is everyone has the opportunity to get 100% in this class if they are willing to put in the work for it.  I hope all make it a goal to get there!

Up and Coming

Good Morning Forest Hills Middle School Families,
So much has happened and will continue to happen since LEST that sometimes I just feel like a whirl wind is passing around me.
First of all, thank you to everyone for the support and encouragement. I felt appreciated yesterday as I got so many hand written letter. I really do enjoy your kids and working along side you as a family. I also want to thank those who have Volunteered to drive for Out Door School.
There are many things coming up to look forward to.
Tomorrow we will do our third round of MAP testing.
Friday is the Fiesta Event that the student council is putting on.
Out Door School is May 16-19.
Year end trips happen on June 7th (6th grade is heading to Silver Creek Falls).
June 6 Laura will cut my hair.
June 8 is the last day of school and 8th grade graduation.
There are probably more things I should write down, but I can't think of anything.

In Science, we have finished looking at light waves and color and have moved on to Seismic waves and Communication waves. If you are in a field that uses communication waves (especially in fiber optics) and would have some time to share with our students, I would greatly appreciate it.
In Bible, we are in the Exile. We have looked at Daniel and his 3 buds and just finished looking at Esther. We will soon get back to the promised land.
In History we are finishing looking at Buddha and will soon start learning about ancient China.
In Math, we will finish translations soon and will test next week. The next chapter is on Congruence and Similarity.

I continue to see God working in this place and enjoy the time I have been given here.
Blessings on you day,
Mr. Bauer

MAP Testing

Next Wednesday, May 10 all students in grades 6 - 8 will be taking their spring session of the MAP testing.  

Please make sure that no appointments are scheduled for this day. 

It is really helpful for students to get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast.  Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and a really good book (book report reading!!) to read in between sessions.

Research Papers

We are nearing the end of writing research papers.  This week students have

been engaged in creating cover and work cited pages.  They have also formatted their outlines and papers accordingly.  Everyone is working on the editing process which includes reading paragraphs on their own (out of context of the paper), reading sentence by sentence - backwards, and reading it out loud as a story would sound.  During this process students are to make adjustments to their paper, shortening or adding as needed.  We will end this process by reviewing the spelling, punctuation and grammar of the whole paper.

[Since this process is new for the 6th grade their due date has been shifted until next week - possibly Tuesday - to allow time for editing.  Keep in mind this is a learning process, and learning takes time.]  7th & 8th grade papers are due Thursday / Friday.

Chapel, Wednesday, April 26

Hope Diamond Hope in God

The Middle School Drama Team will be leading chapel this Wednesday, April 25.  Their topic: Which is better to have - hope in a rare diamond OR hope in God?  While we know the answer, there are times in our life were it is a tough choice and we need to be reminded to follow the right path.  

Our Drama Team will perform an original puppet skit about this topic.  Chapel is held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church at 8:25am.  We hope to see all of you there for their special message.

Research Paper

Outlining our Research Paper

This week we have been working on outlining our research paper.  This can be a challenge since it requires us to organize how our paper will be presented.  Students already wrote their wonderful thesis statements which are to appear at the top of their outline.  This is used as a guide to the major topics they will be discussing.  Once they have determined their major areas they are to break down into sub-topics.  Under these sub-topics they are to write the notes from their note cards (not in complete sentences).  Many will be surprised that this will be several pages long.  Students are welcomed to move topics and sub-topics around until they are happy with the flow of their paper.  The goal is to have their outlines completed by end of class on Friday, April 21. Once they are completed we will begin working on the rough draft.

What a GREAT Friday

Hello Middle School Families,
Today has been a great day.  As we celebrate Good Friday, I pray that you too find some time to reflect on what Jesus did for you and all people on the Cross.
The 6th grade started the day getting together with our buddies in 2nd grade. We did an Easter craft with different color beads and a pipe cleaner to make a bracelet. The colors went with a poem.
Red is for the blood He gave.
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the sun so bright.
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins we've made.
White is for the grace He gave.
Purple is for His hour of sorrow.
Pink is for the New Tomorrow.
A prayer, colorful and bright, a promise of a brand new life.

For my two absent kids, don't worry, I made you one and put it in your desk.
We also had a special Chapel to remember what Jesus did on the cross. Our kids (6th-8th) were great examples to those around them. Many of the 8th graders had a special task of reading from Scripture. The worship team sang a song. All of the 8th graders were in a "Stick Skit." It was wonderful. It should how we are the reason that Jesus went to the Cross. It also showed Him rising again and use turning back to worship him. The 8th graders did a wonderful job. I was able to record there last practice before the service. I have it on my phone and will try to figure out how to share it with you all. We can't put it on the website as we don't have permission to publish the song.
After Chapel we went back to our rooms to finish the conversation. The teachers read from Scripture the resurrection of Jesus and women finding him.

In Science, we have finished with Sound waves and mechanical waves in general. From here we go on to Electromagnetic Waves. We will start with light waves. Mr. Munster and I are working on a lab in which they will wear different colored glasses. We will then show them different colored paper and have the write down what they see. It will be a good one to show them how color affects light.
In Math, my class will finish the chapter on Pythagorean's Theorem in the coming week and start studying for the test.
In Bible, my class will take a quiz on Tuesday. They are all working on a studying guide for each other. We will then continue to look at Daniel during the time of captivity.
In History, we will finish our study on Mohenjodaro early in the week an move to learning about Hinduism.

I want to remind everyone that Graded papers are also a form of communication. Today I found many graded papers in my recycling bin. This is frustrating. Many of the students tell me that parents don't care. I find this hard to believe. If you wouldn't mind talking to your child about your expectations on graded papers. If you really don't care, could you please at least have them come home and recycle them there. Thank You

We look forward to a great, long weekend.
Blessings on your Easter.
His is risen


Mr. Bauer

Memory Work

Memory for April 18 - 

Isaiah 53: 7 - 9 & 12

There are three references about Jesus’ trial, death, and burial.  Find the fulfillment in 1 Peter; Matthew and Mark.

Research Report

Research Update

The Next Step is . . .

Students have finished their research or are just about done and now it is time to put it all together.  This week we will begin writing a thesis statement.  This statement is found at the end of their introduction (yet to be written) and tells us what their paper will be about (similar to a table of contents).  This statement is to be one sentence and is what we will use to organize our outline.  Once this statement is done we will begin organizing our note cards and writing our outline.  In Digital Literacy the students have learned how to format their outline according to MLA standards which is what they will be using in high school and beyond.  Once the outlines are finished students will begin writing their rough draft.

Crazy week

Good Afternoon from the desk of Mr. Bauer,

There are so many things going on this week that I thought I would give you a heads up.

Tomorrow is the special event for Jean Fasholtz. She is receiving a national award for her service to our school. Each class will present her with a different gift. The event starts at 8:30 and will be held at St. Peters. The service should take about 30 minutes. The choir is singing. Please come on out if you can.

Wednesday is a normal chapel day. You are always invited to come to chapel.

Friday is the celebration of Jesus being crucified. We call this day Good Friday. It also happens to be my daughter's birthday. There will be a special chapel at 1:30 in the afternoon. The worship team will lead a song and the eighth graders will be doing a "stick skit."

Next Monday is a day off in observance of Easter.

As far as my classes...
In History we are completely in exile now and focusing on the remnant in captivity. The stories of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abendego are coming as well as Daniel in the Lions Den.
In Math we continue to work with Pythagorean Theorem and its uses in a coordinate plain.
In Science we finish with sound waves, looking at using sound waves in sonar, and soon move to light waves.
In History we will learn about daily life in Mohenjodaro. That is a city in India.

I am sending in Outdoor School information this week.

Blessings and have a wonderful Holy Week.

Best Day

I probably just had the best day of teaching in my life.
I would really like you to ask your 6th grader what happened in Christian studies. In case they don't tell you what happened here is my story.
It all started in my Christian Studies class. We have been having some issues in our Middle School. We have dealt with these issues in many ways. In my 6th grade class we have been praying for each other after our Bible lesson. We have been writing down prayers on index cards and then passing to the left and right.
Today I decided to do something completely different. I had the kids push their desks to the sides of the room so that the middle space was bare. I had 6 chairs on the outside of the bare space. The kids were curious to say the least. They all wanted to know what I was doing. I played worship songs as the kids sang along. If they wanted someone to pray for them, they would go sit in a chair. I have done this before with my High School youth group. It has always been a great time, but I was concerned because they are 6th grade and pretty immature. For the first four songs everyone just sang. I thought I had made a huge mistake. No one was willing to take the risk of having others pray for them. On the next song, someone took the risk. I had intended for just one kid to go pray for those in the seats, what I saw was several people going over to pray for each other. My heart was so touched. That was what started the huge ball rolling. At one point I was singing with only one other student. Everyone else was praying or receiving prayer. Eventually I ran out of songs and it seemed like everyone had prayed for each other.
I then decided to pray for each child out loud. Can you believe it? I would say what I am thankful for each child and something I know they are struggling with. Most of the time I was in tears. Tears of joy of course. We were interrupted by a fire drill. I was praying for Briana Millett at the time, so right in the middle of the class. I knew I was doing the right thing when almost everyone came to me and said we have to finish. When we came inside, I kept them from their next class and finished. As I was praying for the last student, several kids came and stood by me. Then they took in turn to pray for in the way I was praying for them. They lifted me up and prayed for my struggles. In the end we had a huge 6th grade group huge. I will always remember that.
The rest of the day was also enjoyable. Students were on task. They were focused. I also heard that the other students had talks and I will let those teachers share with you. We are changing the culture in this place. As an added bonus our students were great at lunch and earned their third gold star. When they come back from Spring Break they will no longer have assigned seat. (unless we need to go back to it)

As far as students coming work...
Christian Studies we will be going on to Jeremiah and soon have the Babylonian invasion.
In Science students should finish their instruments and bring in sound proof material.
In Math we finished the test on Ch. 6 and moving on to the second book starting with the Pythagorean Theorem (say that 5 times fast)
In history we will finish India in the coming days.

Have a wonderful Spring Break.
Blessings
Mr. Bauer

Research Papers

I am so pleased with the hard work everyone has put in this week.  I challenged each student to have enough note cards to meet the April 4th note card expectation, and they have succeeded!  We have also spent time talking about the direction they see their paper going.  After Spring Break we will finish up the note cards and begin working on the outline.

The final paper for 6th grade is due Thursday, May 4.

The final paper for 7th & 8th grade is due Wednesday, May 11. 

Book Reports

3rd Trimester Reports due Friday, May 26

 

      This week students have been searching and previewing books for their last report of the year.  Students have been encouraged to find a good book before Spring Break so they can enjoy some down time reading a good book.  Time reading their book also counts toward the Read-a-thon everyone is participating in.  There will be a day in April and in May set aside for reading / working on their reports.  

       I have been enjoying the quality of work everyone has been putting in to their reports.  There have been some wonderful books shared each trimester which have encouraged others to read them for next term.                                          Keep up the great job!

Happy Monday

Good Afternoon,
This last week was a productive one. The report cards are done, the lock-in is over, and students continue to learn and grow. I just can't believe that we have one week before Spring Break.
In 6th Grade Bible: we just don't seem to mover very far very fast. I guess that can be a good thing. We have made it through Joash. We are in the middle of Hezekiah. Jerusalem is under attack and God will continue to protect his people.
As far as praying for each other, I want to ask the kids to answer two questions in the morning on a note card. Something like, what excites you about the future, and what are you worried about in the future. We will then pass to the left, right, or some other direction and pray for each other. This will encourage empathy and build up understanding for each other.
In math (Course 3) we have completed functions and will test this Thursday-Friday.
In Science the students have been tasked with 2 upcoming experiments. The first is to build a musical instrument at home. The letter sent home should explain everything they need. We will also try to sound proof a "room". The room will be a box and the students are asked to bring in material they want to test to reduce the noise of a buzzer. I would like to conduct our experiment right after Spring Break.
In History we have moved onto India. I don't know much about India and am excited to see what helped or hindered its development.
Please continue to come talk to me about anything. I wouldn't mind if you just wanted to come talk about how awesome you kid is. It always seems like I only meet with parents about the hard things, so if you would like to come talk about the good, I am up for that as well.
Blessings on your day,
Mr. Bauer

Giant Probability Experiment!

Yesterday, all the middle schoolers were introduced to a giant probability experiment that has swept the nation.  This experiment is conducted by millions of people around the world every year as everyone tries to beat the odds.  This grand test of probability and statistics is the March Madness Bracket Challenge.  Each student was given a bracket to try and guess how this year's college basketball tournament will go.  We then calculated how many different brackets can be made (over 147,000,000,000,000,000,000!!!).  To put this number into context, if every person on the planet filled out 20 billion different brackets, there is still a chance the perfect bracket would not be predicted!

As the tournament plays out, we will track the progress so all the students can see how they did with some extra credit being offered to the best bracket in every class.  This is really a great hands-on activity that brings probability and statistics to life every year.

Happy March Madness!!!

Homework and Upcoming Focus

Good Afternoon from the Desk of Mr. Bauer,
I am writing to give you a little heads up on what is coming up.
In 6th Grade Bible: we continue to work through the sin of man and how God continually remains faithful. We have now made it passed the three main kings (Saul, David, Solomon) and on to the divided kingdom and the many kings would defile God. Today we heard Ahab and Jezebel die. We know move into the time Elisha was a prophet, we learn about young King Joash, Hezekiah, and Josiah. The students are really good at remembering the stories as well as point out the evil in others. We do have a hard time when it comes to recognizing our own sin. I also want to start praying for each other in class more. I am not sure what that looks like right now, but hope to give a plan on that really soon.
Mr. Munster and I had a great time today as our prep time is the same. He should me many of his "toys" that we will be using with the kids in the coming weeks. We will soon move away from physical waves and learn more about light waves and sound waves. We have a couple of good experiment ideas and hope the kids will really get into them.
In math we come to a close on functions in the next couple of days. This means our next math test will be early next week. From here we start the second book. Our next chapter will be on the Pythagorean Theorem.
In History, we finished learning about the kingdom of Kush today. We will have our assessment on Thursday. This will give the kids two more days to study. The next two chapters in the book are about Judaism and its beginnings. I think our time would be better spent by moving on to look and learn about India and its origins. We learn so much about Judaism in our Bible time. If we have time at the end of the year, we can come back to it and reinforce some of what we are learning.
Blessings on your day.
Mr. Bauer

Housekeeping Items

There are a few housekeeping items to keep in mind for this week:
*Tuesday is auction picture day.  Students are to wear a solid colored shirt for the pictures. No logos, stripes, designs, etc.  SOLID COLORS ONLY!

** Scholastic Book Orders are due online by Thursday night.  Orders will be submitted on Friday.  This is a good time to select a book for the last book report of the year!

*** The Middle School Lock-in begins at 7:00 pm Thursday night and ends 7:00 am Friday morning.  Students must have their permission forms and money to their teacher by Wednesday.

**** Students are to be collecting pledges for the all - school Read-a-thon.  Pledges are due by March 19.  Reading begins Monday, March 20 and ends April 2.  Reading their books for the research project, book report, and Literature class all counts towards their time.  Let's work hard together to raise money for more FOSS Science Kits!!

***** Students are to bring their library books, note cards, file boxes and chromebook to class everyday as we work on making source cards and note cards for the research papers.  If they forget to bring them to class they will need to spend extra time at home working to get them done.

Writing - Research Papers

Research Time

We have come to that special time of year that students embark on a special journey - researching and writing a paper.  Students in 6th - 8th grade have selected topics they will be learning more about during these next several weeks.  Detailed information will be coming home with students as we go through each step of the process.  The most important part of this assignment is the process of researching and sharing what they have learned.  These skills are used everyday in our real world.  If you have not returned the permission slip to go to the public library on Friday please do so as soon as possible.  I look forward to guiding the students through this process and reading their special reports.

 

 

Successful Field Trip

I am sure you are all wondering how the field trip went. I was a success. We met Mr. Schultz at the Scoggins Creek Bridge and released about 450 Rainbow Trout fry. They will make their way down to Hagg Lake within the week and start growing there. Mr. Schultz said that we hope to have %5-10 of the fish make it to adulthood. That doesn't seem like a lot, but for us that is between 25-50 fish. Not bad for a little Middle School like us. We did have a reporter from the Forest Grove paper meet us there. She took pictures of the kids releasing fish and asked some questions of the students, teachers, and Mr. Schultz. Please let me know if you see something in the paper in the coming weeks. It would be really neat to see what they say.
We also had an Earth Quake Drill today. It is no big deal and I really wouldn't have said anything, but Mr. Schiemann complemented our "bigger kids" for showing a good example to the "younger ones". He made sure that I heard the compliment and gave me a thumbs up for the behavior of our Middle Schoolers. Way to go guys, you rocked it.

Mr. Bauer :Fish, Science, and Course 3 Math

Good Evening,
I am so excited about our Field Trip on Tuesday. All 6-8 graders will head to Hagg Lake to release the nearly 500 Rainbow Trout that we have watched hatch and grow. They are very active now and really need to get a food supply. The weather on Tuesday looks cold and rainy. Kids should come prepared for the weather. If they want to be part of the releasing, they should bring rubber boots. I will bring a couple of extra pairs that we can share if you don't have a pair. We will be back before lunch, so if you purchased lunch, you will not miss out.
In Science, we have moved on from Space Science. We have already started learning about waves. In our last experiment, I retired 10 slinkys after our tests. It was a fun experiment of timing and creating different shapes in our waves. The kids had a good time. Next we will use a water/light table. The light shines through the water (there is a glass bottom in the table) as we make observations about the different waves and the properties about how they change. I think the kids will enjoy this one as well.
In Math, course 3, we have started to learn about functions and relationships in inputs and outputs. In a function, there can be only one answer for each input. It is fun to see those who have really put in the effort, grow each day. We continue to have Math Club each Tuesday and Friday after school until 4:00.
If your family would like to donate any gift cards, the auction committee is still accepting them this week.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
Blessings
Mr. Bauer

Subject Update: Digital Literacy

This last week, our topic for Digital Literacy was using a spreadsheet to make a timeline.  This could be useful in the future for all middle schoolers as an option for a technology book report.

Our next topic in class will be how to use the many features of the public library website.  This will help with their upcoming research papers.

Grade Link Check

Tomorrow is our last study hall of the trimester. If students need help or something printed off, they should make sure they talk to teachers then. All work for Mr. Bauer must be in by Thursday. I will have grades done by the end of the evening on Thursday.

End of Term - Coming Soon

Coming Soon

End of 2nd Trimester

Sending out a reminder that the end of the 2nd trimester is on Thursday.  For Mrs. Moeller's classes all late, missing, and incomplete work needs to be in on Thursday.

I just returned from a weekend in San Jose at a gymnastics meet with my daughter and am now working on lesson plans and grading.  As I grade assignments this week students will have time to correct them for points back.  At this time I would like to have all corrections turned back to me by Friday, March 10.  

Subject Update: Digital Literacy

It has been awhile since we have had Digital Literacy class thanks to testing and LEST.  Today, a bunch of digital literacy grades went into the gradebook.  These are grades that have been posted on Google Classroom for awhile, but hadn't been transferred onto Gradelink.  To remind everyone, Digital Literacy assignments can always be corrected and re-submitted with a chance to get 100%.  Missing assignments in Digital Literacy still have a chance to get 100%.  With this, everyone can get 100% in the class if they are willing to work for it.  Since many of these were just posted on Gradelink, and the end of the term is coming up next week, I am giving until Monday, March 6th as the last day to turn in late work or re-submitted work in Digital Literacy class.

If you have any questions, let me know.

Mr. P

Exciting Times

Good Morning FHLCS Middle School community,
We have many exciting things happening in the Middle School. I want to believe that you child is keeping you up to date on all the interesting things that are happening, but they are probably like most Middle Schoolers when they say their day was "fine."
In Bible, we are learning about the Kings. We have seen Saul made some bad choices and watched as the Lord chose David to be the next King. It reminded all of us that God looks at the inside, the heart, and not at the outward appearance. This led to a good Middle School talk and how we treat others. We also saw many similarities about how the this story matches up to the story of Cinderella. Ask your 6th grader how their comparison essay is going.
We have a new class pet. First ask you child about Buster. He is my fake ferret. Then ask them if they have seen the Rainbow Trout. We have 500 trout eggs in the common room outside my class. We will see them hatch and grow a little before we will take them to Hagg Lake. This has come upon us so quickly. I thought we would have them for a few months, but we only have them a couple of days. We will then need to take a Field Trip out to Hagg to release them. The bummer is that we are now gone from school for the next several days and will miss out on a lot of the neat things. I will try to take daily pictures to show the class.
The first parent of a student in each of my classes to respond at the bottom of this post (on the blog site, not the email) will receive 5 extra points for that class. Please let me know one thing they enjoy about the class.
In Science we have started the exciting world of Physics. We are specifically looking at waves, making waves, measuring waves, and learning the different properties of waves. Mr. Munster seems particularly excited as he has many neat toys that we can use in experiments to learn about waves. I am excited to see how the kids learn about and investigate this interesting subject. Ask you student about Slinkies and tell them if you did any neat things with them as a kid.
In History, our students have started to decorate their Sarcophagus. They are excited to draw their faces, add information about their social class, and decorate it with information they learned in the last 2 chapters. When you see them, just look for their (in hieroglyphics).
That is it for me for right now, I will try to update as I watched things at LEST-- take lots of pictures kids.

Middle School Devotion

Valentine Day Devotions

Tuesday morning the whole Middle School came together to share their friendship, enjoy a little food and a wonderful devotion.  Mr. Bauer  shared with us some of the people behind Valentine's Day and how they showed love to others.  We were encouraged to share Christ's love with each other not just on Valentine's Day but everyday.

Book Orders

Calling ALL Book Orders

All orders need to be submitted by Wednesday, Feb. 15. 
Students can bring in cash or check to Mrs. Moeller
or do their order online.

MIDDLE SCHOOL CELEBRATION

Tuesday, Feb. 14 we will celebrate our friendships 

and the Love God has for us.

Our celebration will include a special light breakfast / snack buffet 

in the common area from 8:00 - 8:20 am

Games / Activities in the classrooms from 8:00 - 8:20 am

All Middle School devotion from 8:20 - 8:30 am

MAP TESTING!

TAKE TWO

Wednesday, February 22

After Chapel, all Middle School students will be taking the second set of MAP testing with their homeroom teacher.

It is very important that every student comes to school with their Chromebook completely charged  and ready to go, please double check that they are charging properly the night before.  

After this round of testing, results from both tests will be available to the parents.  These results will give us an idea of how each student has been doing and what needs attention.  Please keep in mind that this is only a snapshot into their learning.

REMINDER: 2018 DC Trip Informational Meeting

This is a reminder for all 6th and 7th grade families.  This Friday, February 10th, at 3:15 in Mr. P's room will be an informational meeting for our 2018 DC Trip.  Anyone that has any interest in going on this trip should try to attend or let Mr. P know if they are not able to attend.

Every other year, our 7th and 8th graders have an opportunity to experience an unforgettable trip during Spring Break.  This trip starts in Washington DC and continues on to Philadelphia and New York City.  In DC and Philadelphia, we are able to see history come to life as we visit monuments, memorials, museums, and our government buildings.  In New York City, we are able to experience the unique culture surrounding our nation's largest city.  It truly is an amazing trip!

I hope to see you all at the meeting!

Call for Auction Items!

This is a reminder on behalf of our Auction Committee to bring in the items for the classroom baskets.  It is through these wonderful donations that our auction is such an amazing success every year.  With the funds raised from the auction, we are able to make our school the wonderful place that it is.

If you forgot what item you were assigned to bring in, contact the office.  Thank you so much for your help!

Mr. Bauer and his two cents

It feels like I haven't talked to you all in a very long time. That is probably because it has been a long time. With Snowmageddon coming and going, school just has not been normal lately. I would like to say the crazy is over. But as the weather crazy is over, now we get to the school crazy. Before I tell you about that, I would like to share with you the winner of the latest photo competition. Brennan of 7th grade gave us a glimpse into his life with his cat. 

I would like to say that we had several good pictures, but in the end cuteness wins the day. If you would like to see all 48 submitted photos, you can look at the Kahoot we used to vote with by going to Kahoot.it and looking for Jan 2017 Snowmageddon Photo Competition. My user name is pbfour if you look for it. The kids had a great time taking the pictures and voting for their favorite. Brennan is now currently the owner of the tut your own horn trophy. If we have another day off, your kid could claim the title next. 

As far as the crazy coming up, this week is Lutheran Schools week. Monday we are asked to wear our crazy socks. I just so happen to own some precious Disney socks I will be sporting.  We have several BasketBall games this week as well as a dance on Friday. A flyer went home with students on Friday about the upcoming dance, but if you missed it...it is on Friday from 8-10 pm in the Cafeteria. Practices for many LEST events are in full swing. The teachers are also looking for a make up day for the lock-in that we missed. 

"Hidden Figures" This movie will motivate, inspire, teach, and encourage curiousity in many of our students on Tuesday. I am so excited to use this movie as a wrap up to our Science investigation of Space. However, I feel like this is more than a Science movie. I don't want to give too much away, but I hope to see many parents come along. 

My grades are up to date. I encourage you all to look at your child's progress. This grading period is coming to a close sooner than we think. I did grade a quiz that was given this week and was very pleased that the average grade was an A. If your child would like to correct it for extra points, they may do so and turn it in by this Friday. However, this is a bonus to people who read the BLOG. If anyone asks, I will tell them to read the BLOG. From here we will look specifically at individual planets as well as do an investigation on orbits. 

In Math, we finished out chapter on lines. We will be going over a review early this week and we anticipate the test to be on Thursday and Friday this week. 

In History, we finished our study on Pharoaphs. Instead of testing on this section, I will continue to on to the next chapter which is about the daily life in ancient Egypt. I will gather an assessment after that section. I would like to do some sort of progect, but have not fiured that out just yet. 

In Bible, we will continue to be stuck in the wilderness for another 40 years, because we did not trust God. Aren't you glad we no longer have to worry about that? No, we wont be wondering, but we will be learning to trust in God and see the mistakes the Isrealities made in the desert and see how Faithful God was and is to his people. 

It came up this week that I could say something that I appreciate about each of our wonderful students. All of them have their individual personalities and should be reminded of how great they are and how great God created them to be. It is my personal goal to write to each of you about your student in the next two weeks. Please hold me to this and give me a gentle reminder if you do not hear from me in two weeks. Also, I want to use this as an encouragement, help me to share with your child that anything I say about them should be used to hurt others in what good things I say about them.

I really do love my life right now. 

Thank you for being a part of my blessings from God. 

Mr. Bauer

Language Arts / Public Speaking

Public Speaking - Poetry Time

The 7th & 8th grade classes are starting a new unit in Language Arts - Public Speaking (part two).  Students will be selecting a classical type poem, approximately 12 lines long, and reciting it in class.  During this unit we will be talking about selecting and analyzing a poem.  We will learn tips on how to memorize the poem and add emphasis to make it come alive for our listeners.  Each student will then present their poem to the class using the speaking skills learned previously.  

Public Speaking is a very important part of our lives no matter what profession we are in.  Being comfortable speaking in public also helps us share our faith with friends and those we come in contact with.  

New Year - More Learning

New Year, New Things to Learn

After a crazy, fun and exciting Christmas Break we are ready to dive in to some new learning.  We spent the first week back getting caught up from having short weeks.  Be sure to check GradeLink to see how your grades have shaped up.  Some students went right to work correcting assignments and those updates will be happening soon.  Be sure to check your grade specific blog for specific information about your classes.

Specific Information for Everyone

BOOK REPORT DAY:  Thursday, Jan. 12 all students will have their Literature Class time to spend on their book report.  Everyone is to bring in their book (electronic versions are acceptable) to read or work on their project.  Students can also bring in their chromebooks to work on their papers and technology projects.  We will have one more day in the beginning of February for students to work.  All reports are due by Feb. 24 (oral reports will be presented before this date).

Book Orders: Flyers for Scholastic Book Orders are available to all students to take, look through, and order from.  All orders are due to me or on the Scholastic website by the 15th.  I will be submitting them on Monday, Jan. 16.  This is a good opportunity for students to select their last book for the third trimester book report, purchase some new books, or purchase fun gifts for Valentine's Day.  

Mr. Bauer Writes Again

It seems like such a long time since I have written anything on our Blog. The Christmas season was crazy and the weeks leading up to it where not normal.
Even as I sit to write this, I am watching the snow come down outside our house. I have just been informed that, "It is STICKING!!!!"
We have some exciting things coming up. There is no school this coming Friday or Monday. However the Middle School lock-in is on Friday evening to Saturday morning. Information was sent home with your students. There is a permission slip that is needed so please ask your child about the lock-in. Also, last night, Mr. P, Mrs. Moeller, Mr. Schimann, and I went to the movies. You might think that is a little weird, but we did it on purpose. A few weeks back I saw a preview for "Hidden Figures" and was excited about how we could use that for a learning opportunity. I am pleased to say that we all enjoyed it and saw areas that each of our core subjects come into the movie. We are in conversation right now with the Manager, we met him last night and had about a 20 minute conversation, about how we can have a private showing for our Middle Schoolers and parents as an educational field trip. More information will be made available when we have solidified plans. In the mean-time, if you want to see the movie, maybe you can wait and come see it with us.
Coming up in my classes:
Bible: we finished our novel, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and will be getting back to Moses. The Isrealites are in the wilderness and the Ten Commandments will be given to them soon.
Science: We have moved away from the Moon and Earth and started reaching out further. This coming chapter focuses on the Solar System and where each planet is located and just how far away these bodies are. We will also discuss he importance of water to life.
Math: we are closing in on finishing our Chapter on lines and linear equations. I anticipate the chapter test to be earlier part of the week after this coming week.
History: we are still looking at the Pharaohs  of Egypt and their accomplishments. We may even finish that chapter this week and have an assessment early the next week.
Our students continue to impress me and remind me of why I love to teach.
Thank you for all the Chirstmas presents. My family and I have enjoyed many of the items already and will continue to in the coming weeks.
Blessing on your weekend
Mr. Bauer