As we complete another successful school year, we encourage our students to maintain a consistency with their academic progress.  We would like parents and guardians to continue to check their son’s or daughter’s InTouch records, Schoolnotes.com, agenda book, and homework.  The final nine weeks is crucial for each student. 

In Mr. Shobe’s Math 7 classes, the students will complete Chapter 13, Probability. In this chapter, students examine methods for calculating the probability of events, including dependent and independent events. They will also learn how to count the possible outcomes of an experiment using tree diagrams and the counting principle.

The students in Mr. Shobe’s Math 7+ classes will complete Chapter 8, Linear Functions, and Chapter 12, Polynomials and Non-Linear Functions.  In Chapter 8, students use graphs and mapping diagrams to represent relations and functions.  Students will find the slope and y-intercept of a line and write an equation of a line parallel to a given line.  In Chapter 12, students identify polynomials and write them in standard form.  Students will add and subtract polynomials, multiply binomials, and multiply a monomial and a polynomial.   All students will be provided a preliminary introduction to Algebra I.

As they study a unit about natural resources, the students in Mr. Jackson’s science classes have been learning about the importance of biodiversity and how easily plant and animal habitats can be changed.  Once this chapter is finished, the school nurse will present a human sexuality unit.  The month of May will be spent learning about plants and their importance to animal life on the planet Earth.

In Mrs. Dinkel’s social studies classes, students have spent the last nine weeks studying Kansas’ history and geography and will soon complete this unit.  As a culminating activity the students will prepare a project over one of the Kansas history standards. Please talk with your student about his or her project and check for progress as the due date is quickly approaching!

Students in Mr. Harms’ English classes are working on a technical letter writing unit. This unit includes friendly letters, a letter of application, and a letter of introduction.  In May we will work on our grammar skills unit and read some non-fiction, including an excerpt of Jackie Robinson’s biography.

It has been another good year, and the 8th grade team would like to thank you for your participation and support.  Eighth grade students did very well on state assessments this year, and we wish all students a wonderful summer and success at the high school.

Mrs. Griswold’s Math 8 classes have been working with data analysis and data displays.  The students will finish the year working with polynomials, angle relationships and transformations.  Math 8+ classes have learned how to factor polynomials.  They will begin work on a unit dealing with rational expressions.  All classes will have a final examination.

English students are beginning a novel unit, "In My Father’s House."  This novel is historical fiction and ties with the unit on the Civil War in social studies.  Students will continue to write and study grammar in conjunction with this novel unit. 

Science classes will finish the year exploring the human body.  Ask your student how structure follows function.  You might also ask your child what his or her DNA looks like when it’s out of the body.  “Our Body - the Universe Within” exhibit opens at Exploration Place too late for a field trip this school year (after Memorial Day), but it would be a fascinating summer activity for your family! 

In social studies we just completed the state assessment.  To end the school year, we will be studying how the South was reconstructed after the Civil War and the era of cattle drives and cow towns.

Mrs. Rindt’s seventh grade science students will finish the year in the laboratory.  We will be looking at Protists and conducting our own experiment with carnations.  The students will be writing their own lab and controlling the variables in the experiment.  Eighth grade students will complete the year by looking at the human body systems and how to stay healthy.  We will be talking about decision making and how choices affect our health.  

In social studies, Mrs. Petru’s seventh graders are completing a study of Kansas history.  We will be doing a unit on homesteading and tasting some home-cooked goodies.  Eighth graders will study the old west and the homesteading the plains.  State assessments were completed in April; we appreciate the students’ hard work and effort on these tests! 

“In My Father’s House” is the book Mrs. Buettgenbach’s eighth grade English students will read to finish the year.  It is historical fiction based on a true coincidence of the Civil War.

The poetry projects recently completed by the seventh graders produced some great poems, some examples of which are printed below.  In the final weeks of English class, the 7th graders will be reinforcing and expanding their knowledge of the parts of speech, such as prepositional phrases and direct objects.  They will also discover how difficult it is to write that manual explaining to buyers how to program a VCR!  At the end of the year, students will read nonfiction and learn how it translates to the silver screen.
 

Haiku This is a great place Full of nature and wildlife A hidden valley	Guardians of the Night Guardians of night Their bright faces inspire The stars are my friends
The Cooking Pot Bibble, babble, bot There goes Mother’s cooking pot. It smells so good, I can not wait And like a fish I take the bait To see what’s inside that bibbling, babbling pot!

To end the year in Math 8, Mrs. Carmichael’s students will study angles and work on algebra skills.  Math 7 students have been studying probability and will perform experiments to find the difference between the theoretical probability and what actually happens!  Students did a great job on their math state assessment.  I am proud of what they have accomplished this year!      
 

As the semester winds down the art classes are busy creating a variety of projects.  First hour is working on a “cut paper” design.  Their only medium is paper, and with the aid of a craft knife students cut a repeated pattern of two designs into a large sheet of drawing paper.  Then they fold the designs to make them pop out of the paper.  This project teaches the design principles of pattern and contrast.

Third hour is making tunnel books.  These are similar to traditional books in that they have pages and a spine, but otherwise they are very different.  Tunnel books look like a series of cardboard sheets which stand parallel to one another and are viewed from one end.  They are displayed upright and resemble a diorama.  Each student chose a theme, and using photographs as references, is drawing a series of five pages that will show depth and space when assembled.  This project emphasizes the art element of space.

Fourth hour art students have begun a printmaking project.  The term printmaking includes a variety of techniques, but the general definition is to prepare an image on a special surface that can be used to print the image over and over.  A rubber stamp is an example of printmaking.  In fourth hour we are preparing our drawings on a sheet of special thin Styrofoam that will be printed.  The theme for the prints is insects, and the art elements and principles addressed are space and contrast. 

In drama classes we just completed individual pantomime performances and short improvised duets.  On May 1 we will begin our final small group plays.  The class will be divided into small groups of two to four students and assigned a scene from a play.  The scenes must be memorized.  We will rehearse the plays in class and perform them in the classroom during the last week of school. 

Well, it is the evening after our Pioneer League Instrumental Music Festival, and boy, am I tired! What a great day for us! For our large ensembles, our RGMS orchestra received a II rating, and both our seventh and eighth grade bands received straight I ratings! Special congratulations go to the students and ensembles for their I ratings.

In addition to the Pioneer League Instrumental Music Festival, our jazz band also competed in the Wichita State University Jazz Festival, and also received straight “I” ratings, as well as the opportunity to interact with some really interesting judges!

There are only two events left on our calendar! 
   On May 8, we will have our district-wide band concert at the high school at 7:00 p.m. 
   On May 13, we will have our district-wide orchestra concert at the high school at 7:00 p.m.

This year has been a pleasure! Thank you for all of the support that you give us! I can’t wait to come back next year! If you have any questions about getting some summer lessons, or finding a good summer music camp, please give me a call or e-mail. Thanks!

In FACS we have been busy finishing our sewing projects and preparing for the last unit, Foods and Nutrition.  In this unit we prepare peanut butter cookies and mini pizzas, as well as some dishes using a pound of beef.  Yummy!

The students have the opportunity to earn extra credit during this unit by preparing food at home, and then completing a worksheet which asks a few brief questions about the experience.  The worksheet is available both in class and on-line on my district website (http://www.goddardusd.com/staff/jbuchanan).  Each student may complete up to three extra credit papers, which are due no later than Friday, May 16.

Thanks for the wonderful year and enjoy your summer vacation!

The RGMS Physical Education students are glad to see that spring is here!  With warmer weather comes the opportunity to enjoy more outdoor activities.  The boys have been playing tennis, softball, and speedball.  They will also explore the basics of golf.  The girls look forward to Frisbee golf and regular golf, along with tennis, softball, and soccer.  We will be finishing up our last round of fitness testing by the end of the semester.  It is rewarding to see how much improvement many of our students make throughout the course of the semester.  Not only are many of our PE students in better physical condition, but they also feel good about themselves and the progress they have made.  We urge you to encourage your PE student to give his or her best effort daily clear up to the end of school, and to continue to be active throughout the summer months.  Thanks to the many parents who have given positive support and encouragement to their students to lead a healthy, active life-style.

We as a staff strongly encourage you as parents to help your student stay active this summer.  We often see a number of kids who are pretty physically fit by the end of the school year, only to lose a lot of what they have worked to gain by being too sedentary over the summer.  The summer offers many opportunities for your student to stay active.  Have them swim or ride their bike daily.  The Goddard school system’s coaches also offer many summer camps for those interested in sports.  You can find information and registration forms for these activities on the here. Enjoy your summer . . . and keep moving!
 

PE Classes Need Your Help! Attention golfing fanatics -- Do you have any used 9-irons or pitching wedges just sitting around gathering dust? The Robert Goddard PE department can certainly make good use of your gently used golfing irons or wedges.  With this gorgeous spring weather the students would like to learn some golfing techniques, but can't do so because of the lack of equipment.  Our current supply of clubs must be shared with Eisenhower Middle School, so please donate your clubs to the school.  Thank you!

The 8th grade students will be working on their Literature Circle Units during the month of May.  This exciting unit allows students to select a book of their choice from a chosen group based upon a specific topic.  The 8th graders choose books from a sports theme. 

Students then form circle groups with others reading the same book.  In their circles, students discuss the book and participate in lessons on topics such as vocabulary, comprehension, significant events, characters, internal/external conflicts, point-of-view, predictions, and inferencing. 

AR points will be due on Thursday, May 15.  If you have any questions concerning this class, please feel free to call or e-mail me.  Keep your reading skills sharp by reading a book each week during the summer break!

Plan Time:  10:30 - 11:30   794-4230  ext. 2622 bcole@goddardusd.com

As we enter the last few weeks of this school year seventh graders are working in literature circles.  Classmates will be reading pre-selected novels with a few of their classmates.  While looking at the types of conflicts and tolerance in each story, students generate their own questions, make predictions, identify theme and point of view, and relate story events to their own lives. 

The last unit in seventh grade reading finds us exploring a couple of segments from “The Twilight Zone”!  Students will read a screenplay and identify the all-important rising action and climax in the science fiction genre.

Students need to continue reading for “daily reading” points until May 20.  This is also the last day that AR tests can be taken for this fourth quarter. 

 If at any time you have questions regarding the reading program or your child’s progress, do not hesitate to call.  Log on to www.schoolnotes.com to check my lesson plans for the current week.  I have really enjoyed my first year at RGMS!  Thanks for all of your support at home!  Go Lions!

794-4230 ext. 2626       sshobe@goddardusd.com    Plan Time: 10:35 - 11:35

In April, students learned action words, colors, body parts and various objects in the classroom.  They put this all together into Project Monstruo during which each group designed, labeled and wrote a description of a monster and then presented to the class in Spanish.

In addition, students used their knowledge of numbers to recognize and tell time in Spanish.  They also explored other cultural viewpoints of time that exist around the world and compared it to their own.

In May, students will learn to ask for and give ages as they discuss their birthdays in Spanish.  The semester will conclude with a study of family and the coming of age celebration for Hispanic girls, la quinceañera.

For any questions, feel free to contact me at school by phone at 794-4230 or by e-mail:  lesposti@goddardusd.com.

As part of our Wellness Initiative, and as a follow-up to the DARE program at the intermediate level, students in the middle school participate in several drug awareness activities.  The program we have adopted is Project Alert, and it is implemented through our Technology classes.  Project Alert involves a Drug IQ Test, videos, role-playing activities, and research projects on the Internet.  The test is actually used as an instrument in leading future discussions on various topics regarding drug abuse and awareness.

The 7th grade students will begin researching a website titled “Tobacco-Free Kids” in order to identify the effects of smoking on the body.  This activity involves multi-tasking, wherein students will key answers in a Word document to specific questions about this topic.  The assignment typically takes two or three class periods to complete.

Several videos are viewed focusing on different ways to “say no,” to the pressures that cause young people to abuse drugs, and how to make better choices when confronted with these issues. 

If you would like to learn more about Project Alert so that you can take this opportunity to dialogue with your child about drug awareness, you can log on to http://www.projectalert.com. 

Robert Goddard Middle School will have their Pops Concert at Eisenhower Middle School at 6:15 p.m. on May 15.  This is a change from the original time so please mark your calendars accordingly!   Students will need to be in the Eisenhower choir room by 6:00 p.m.   Your child will be issued a new t-shirt to wear for the concert, and he or she may wear jeans.   Girls will be in charge of bringing a dozen cookies, brownies, etc; boys will need to bring two 2-liter bottles of pop. 

Choir shirts need to be checked in any time after the Pioneer League Choir Festival in Maize on April 30.  Please make sure the shirts have been cleaned before their return.  Any damaged or lost shirt will cost you $20 to replace. 

I’ve enjoyed working with your student this year, and look forward to seeing many of the 7th graders return to choir in the 8th grade.  Have a great summer!