This Week's Collection:

May 18, 2012

Dear HFS Parents,

On a daily basis, I relish seeing all the students of HFS mixing, mingling, and enjoying each other’s company.  Here, it is not unusual to see a middle school student offering advice to a lower school student on how to improve his jump shot, or to see a lower school student run to greet her buddy at morning gathering with a grin and a hug.  It seems clear that all of our students benefit from these interactions.  The positive aspects of attending a K-8 school are numerous, including continuity and comfort for students, opportunities for support and mentoring, and an easier transition from lower school to middle school.  Academically, the benefits of the K-8 school are clear.  At HFS, teachers from kindergarten through eighth grade communicate regularly to ensure that our students receive a comprehensive curriculum that includes a balance that can best be achieved when a student remains in a school for the entire program.  Because your child or children are here, I’m sure you know this.

However, it is important to remember that our students, while all busily involved in the process of growing, are at very different developmental stages in that journey.  I was reminded of this recently.  On Tuesday, May 15, I had the pleasure and responsibility of meeting with our middle school students to discuss a concern that had recently cropped up within our school.  Games involving mildly flirtatious behavior and information more appropriate to adolescents were being shared with younger students.

The challenge is this:  in our small, close community, how do we accept and accommodate the new developmental stage that our older students are entering, awash with powerful feelings and thoughts, while offering a different level of support to our younger students, who deserve and need a few more years of childlike play?  Well, for many of us, we can address this just as we do in our own families.  What is right for one might not be right for another, at least not right now.

It is easy, but unfortunately deceptive, to look at a bright child and mistake that brightness for emotional maturity.  A high reading level may not indicate a readiness for mature content, just as a sudden leap in physical height may not correlate to a sudden leap in responsibility at home or organizational skills.  Information presented too early may cause anxiety in a young mind, and friendships between boys and girls can be damaged if there is pressure to turn these platonic relationships into romantic ones.  At times, it may feel almost impossible to shield our children from the influences that seem determined to make them “little teenagers”, but it is certainly worth it.  When I discussed this with the middle schoolers, my aim was not to sever relationships between older and younger students, but to set boundaries that respect everyone involved.  Children benefit when they are allowed to develop at the pace that is right for them.

A dialogue was begun at this meeting, but the conversation is far from over.  Several middle school students offered their ardent support for setting and keeping limits for their actions and words when they are around younger students.  As for me, I will continue to set and adhere to firm boundaries concerning age appropriateness in my classroom, as I know other teachers do.  I encourage all of our families to engage in this dialogue, when and how it is appropriate for your child or children.  As always, thank you for your trust and for the opportunity to be a part of this amazing journey.

In peace,

Karen De Mey

Announcements/Calendar Updates…

NOTE: Items new to this week’s Collections are identified with bold type.

Items changed after an earlier posting are identified in italicized and bold type

Tuesday, May 22^nd – West Nottingham Academy Singers will perform for all students- 10:30 a.m.

Thursday, May 24^th – Grades 1/2 field trip to Ripken Stadium.

Friday, May 25^th – Field Day from 12-3, all grades.

Friday, May 25^th – School Picnic- Eden Mill Nature Center- 3:30- 7:00 p.m. Please check Sign Up Genius for food items needed.

Monday, May 28^th – Memorial Day- School Closed

Tuesday, May 29^th – Mandatory meeting for all middle school camping trip chaperones, faculty and parents (3-4 PM)

HFS Grade 8 Weekly Collections

NOTES from Humanities-8…

History 8: Students handed in the completed first drafts of their history research projects this week. Next week, they will be hard at work revising, editing, and finalizing all aspects of their papers for presentation on June 7.  In between research efforts, we continue our study of the Constitutional Convention and the major figures who helped to shape that landmark document.

English 8: In the midst of our grammar studies, we have been looking at Walt Whitman and Henry Thoreau to complete our understanding of Transcendentalism.  With the history research project final deadline approaching, our English periods often overlap with history as we fine-tune the research papers.  These 8th graders have worked hard in both subjects and should be well-prepared for next year.

NOTES from Technology-8…

Algebra I: While the school year is quickly winding down, we are not quite ready to call it quits in Algebra I.  This week has been spent identifying the utility in problem solving situations of representing equations for quadratic functions in standard, vertex, and factored forms , as well as algebraically transforming from one form to the others.  We have also solved quadratic equations using the factoring method, along with the Zero Product Property.  As if this was not enough for this week, we used the “completing the square” algorithm to develop and apply the Quadratic Formula for solving quadratic equations.  The Quadratic Formula is often considered to be one of the most important and useful formulas in mathematics.

Please remember that students will be taking a final examination (focusing on the second semester) on June 5.

Science-8: The 8th graders have spent the week experimenting with levers and pulleys.  We will have a big test on our work unit on Monday.  For the remainder of the school year we will be incorporating all that we’ve learned about motion and work to build an invention that performs a simple task. Students may be scavenging your home for odd items!

NOTES from Explorations-8…

Computer Technology-8: Students took a brief survey on their mindsets and the Brainology program. The class then reviewed material for the comprehensive test next week. Students have been instructed to review the unit takeaways and the review materials distributed this week.

Music-8: This week the music composition students continued to diligently work on their online piano compositions at noteflight.com. They’ve done a great job applying the music composition skills they’ve learned this year in class. I’m looking forward to hearing the compositions presented in class next week! Students, if you still need to put finishing touches on your composition, don’t forget it must be completed by Saturday, May 19 at 11:59pm.

Spanish-8: We are learning the difference between the two “to be” verbs: “ser” and “estar.”  We will put that together with what we already know and that will finish our Spanish class.

HFS Grade 7 Weekly Collections

NOTES from Humanities-7…

English-7: The class completed a timeline for the first four chapters of Lord of the Flies, including main characters, setting, main events, and symbols.  They enjoyed putting their knowledge into visual form, using a great deal of artistic ability and creativity.   Having completed our vocabulary program, we look forward to a grand review of over 300 words before the school year ends.

Social Studies-7: This week, the 7th grade Social Studies students began studying Islam. They read about Muhammad and the early days of Islam. Then, they read about the expansion of the religion so they could answer the question “How and why did it spread so quickly?” The students took an in-depth look at Ramadan and the split between the Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Next week we will study the centuries of turmoil that arose in the Middle East following Muhammad’s death.

NOTES from Technology-7…

Math-B: We have been solving equations with multiple variables and even some negative numbers.  We will have a quiz on Investigation 3 next Tuesday 5/22. In Investigation 4 we will use what we have learned to explore and calculate slope.  We will also have to use what we learned earlier in the year about ratios to help us.

Science-7: The 7th graders enjoyed seeing the fruits of their labors as we looked at the bacterial growth that accumulated on the plates they set up last week.  Swipes of keyboards, door knobs, floors and other places resulted in some interesting colonies.  We then moved on to fungi – learning about the structures and functions of fungi.  Thank you for all of your donations!  We enjoyed getting a close up look, using the microscopes, of the fungi inhabiting our refrigerators.  Our trip is just two weeks away.  Please start gathering the needed items.  Students will be required to bring their luggage to school on Tuesday, May 29, so that we can do a pre-trip check.

NOTES from Explorations-7…

Computer Technology-7: Students took a brief survey on their mindsets and the Brainology program. The class then reviewed material for the comprehensive test next week. Students have been instructed to review the unit takeaways and the review materials distributed this week.

Music-7: This week each music history student started compiling information about a 20^th century musician he/she chose for his/her final project. After students spent time researching online in class, they started to design their poster that will be presented to their fellow classmates next week in class. Students, if I have not yet approved your music video, please email me the link. It has to be approved before it is shared with your classmates on presentation day.

Spanish-7: We have been working on our pronunciation.  We will spend the remainder (our 4 classes) putting together some of what we’ve learned this year.

HFS Grade 5/6 Weekly Collections

NOTES from Humanities-5/6…

The fifth and sixth grade students have done a lot of reading from “The Giver” this week. They have been considering difficult questions and thinking about emotion and pain in ways that are unfamiliar (from the perspective of someone who has never experienced these things before). The students began an activity in which they selected personally meaningful quotes from the story. Anything that made an impression or “jumped out” at them they wrote down. Then, they typed these quotes into “Wordle.” Next week we will finish with this activity. Surprising and interesting patterns will emerge from their word clouds. In Social Studies, the students discovered the lost city of Machu Picchu. They took a virtual hike to the city and kept a journal of their experiences. They also began to study the architectural accomplishments of the Inca. Roads, bridges, and buildings were incredibly advanced, especially considering the methods the Inca used to construct them. On Friday we experienced a variety of activities. The students learned a lot from our electrician guest speaker. They traveled to Criative Acres Alpaca Farm to see the animals that were so necessary to Inca culture. Then, they ate lunch at La Tolteca to sample Mexican food.

NOTES from Technology-5/6…

Math-A: This week in Math A, the students finished studying the area and perimeter of triangles. While completing a worksheet, we realized that everyone needed a reminder of how to add and multiply decimals. After a quick review, the students felt much more comfortable completing their calculations. Then, they began working with parallelograms. They used critical thinking skills to find the area of parallelograms by using what they already knew: area of triangles and rectangles. The students were able to split the parallelograms into these familiar shapes to accomplish their goal. With further work, the students discovered the formula to find the area of a parallelogram.

Science-5/6: The 5/6th graders showed off our magnetic personalities and learned some shocking truths as we began our explorations of electricity and magnetism.  We’ve played with magnets, determined their poles and fields and learned what makes them magnetic.  Then we turned our attention to electricity, concentrating first on static electricity.  On Friday, Mr. James Smolenski of JPS Electrical, came in to teach the students about working with electricity.

NOTES from Explorations-5/6…

Computer Technology-5/6: Students took a brief survey on their mindsets and the Brainology program. The class then reviewed material for the comprehensive test next week. Students have been instructed to review the unit takeaways and the review materials distributed this week.

Music-5/6: The fifth and sixth grade band students continued to practice music that contains three different parts: melody, harmony, and rhythmic percussion parts. The students are doing a great job in playing pitches that span an octave in range! Students, remember you’ll be sharing your ‘Performance Project’ on Wednesday, May 23^rd.  Don’t forget to bring your sheet music!

Spanish-5/6: This week we made a school supplies backpack (labeled in Spanish of course) and took a vocab quiz.  We won’t add anything new but we will review some of what we have learned this year.

HFS Lower School Weekly Collections

NOTES from the 3/4 Grade Classroom…

Warning:  This week’s message has been written without the use of the twelve subject or predicate pronouns the class has learned.  In class, the students call this activity “The Pronoun Game”, or, “The Dozen Forbidden Words of Doom!”  Enjoy, and try the game at home some time.  The game is not as easy as the game appears to be!)

The week has been busy!  The intermediate students were wonderful ambassadors to our visiting students.  In Reading, the class is reading a play called “The Case of the Kidnapped Nephew”.  The students will be able to try out their acting skills next week.  Rubrics for each student’s book report format were given out this week, and book reports are due on Monday, June 4.  In Writing Workshop, the students’ SPICE essays continue to develop, now including personal experience, pop culture references, definitions, and strong topic sentences.  Next week, the students will also add second person perspective and a reference to a respected person in terms of their SPICE.  In Social Studies, Beadopolis added a high-rise apartment complex to house the ever-growing population.  The students’ written reflections are growing, also, in complexity and understanding with each stage of growth.  In Science, each student has chosen a different aspect of sound (coincidentally, all dealing with animals) to research in class.  The students will present their research next week.  A unit test on the physics of sound will be given on Thursday, May 24.  The Intermediate Math group is exploring the final topic of the year, decimals.  Information on end of the year field trips has been sent home this week.  Have a great week!  (Whew!  Mrs. De Mey wrote the weekly collections without using any of the “Dozen Forbidden Words of Doom”!)

Computer Technology-3/4: Students began typing their SPICES essays. They will continue this exercise next week as well.

Music-3/4: This week the third and fourth graders continued to demonstrate understanding of various rhythmic and pitch patterns on their instruments. They also drew out the Bb major concert scale on the treble clef for their specific instrument. Students, remember you’ll be sharing your ‘Performance Project’ on Monday, May 21^st in band with your classmates. Don’t forget to bring your sheet music!

Spanish-3/4: With only 3 classes remaining, we are practicing what we’ve learned.

NOTES from the 1/2 Grade Classroom…

This week the primary class has been busy finishing up the school year.  They finished their food chain mobiles from theme and played Food Pyramid Showdown as their final assessment on the Survival: Food unit.  In science, they did self-assessments on their plant observations for our plant unit and will have a final assessment next week on plants.  In math, the first and second grades have been working together to review time, money, and fractions this week.  Next week, they will have their end of year math assessments.  In language arts, the class finished “The Secret Zoo” with much excitement and they are ready to start the second book in the series!! (Hint, Hint: Good summer reading choice!)  Also, the class has been working on their final portfolios as a culmination to the school year.  The students are taking note of their strengths and what they need to work on over the summer, which they will present to me next week.  Please remember next Thursday, May 24^th the primary class will be going to Ripken Stadium for their first annual Education Day.  Remember to bring in a booster seat, bring a water bottle, wear sneakers, sunscreen, and a Harford Friends School t-shirt; lunch will be provided.  Please email me if you have any questions.

Computer Technology-1/2: Big fun as we wind down in computer technology. Students first brainstormed favorite activities, then selected from the following activities: PhotoBooth, UltraKey typing practice, visiting National Geographic Kids or writing thank you notes to teachers.

Music-1/2: This week the first and second graders continued to learn to play the xylophone or a keyboard piano. They are doing a great job playing notes ‘C’ and ‘D’ in the treble clef  as well as ‘C’ and ‘B’ in the bass clef. Students also discovered the New York Philharmonic Kids website and were able to create different instrumental parts for a piece of music and some students even competed against Polly in a percussion showdown!  Students, remember ‘Music Show and Tell’ takes place next week-Tuesday, May 22-in music class. Don’t forget to bring your item!

Spanish-1/2:  With only 3 classes remaining, we are practicing what we’ve learned.

NOTES from the Kindergarten Classroom…

This week we began reading Beetles by Edana Eckart.  We were happy to be able to apply our prior knowledge about insects to this story, remembering that insects have six legs, three body segments, two antenna, and can have wings.  We learned about the Goliath Beetle, the biggest and heaviest in the world.  It can be up to seven inches long and lives in Africa.  We also illustrated pictures of our own beetles, real or imaginary.  We discovered a Hello Kitty beetle, a clapping beetle, a colorful beetle and a Niibeetle.  Can you tell who discovered each one?

We also listened to the folktale from Thailand called “The Elephants and the Bees. ”  It explained why elephants’ noses are so long and why bees like to hide inside hollow dark warm places.

During Math we have reinforced the concepts of equivalent names for numbers, for example the number ten can be represented many ways: 5+5, 6+4, ten tally marks, ten sticks, one less than 11, etc.

We also made posters that show various ways to make numbers into the teens.

We read One is a Snail, Ten is a Crab by April Pulley Sayre and Jeff Sayre, and used some of the animal combinations on our posters.  We worked some more with our function machine, and added the minute hand to our clocks and learned how many things we can do in a minute.

Kindergarten Spanish: With only 3 classes remaining, we are practicing what we’ve learned.