8th Grade Parent Newsletter Principal's Message The MCAs are off to a great start! Our in-person learners will be taking the Math MCA on Wednesday, April 28. Please remind your child to get a good night's sleep the night before and eat breakfast that morning. We ask that students bring a bottle of water and a book to read. Students must turn their cell phones off for the day. Please do not pick your child up early, unless for an appointment, as getting your child from class disrupts the students who are still testing. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. EMS Book Drive EMS Student Council is sponsoring a book drive! The drive will take place May 3 - 21. Students and staff are encouraged to bring new or gently used books to East and place them in various drop boxes throughout the school. These books will be given to our Little Lending Library and students. Thank you! Is Your Family Moving? This is the time of year when many families make decisions to move. If your family is moving within the Wayzata School District, please contact the Welcome Center with your new address and a copy of your purchase agreement or lease. If you are moving out of the school district, we ask that you fill out the Withdrawal Form. This form should be completed if your family is moving out of the district, making a different choice for education, or homeschooling. Order Your 2020-21 Yearbook Yearbooks preserve the events that happen each school year, and this year is so unique! The Yearbook Club has been working diligently to document and reflect this special year at East Middle School. If you would like to order a yearbook, please visit Jostens. The cost is $35.00. Media Center and Book Checkout Distance Learners library book pick-up (school days from 9:00 - 4:00 p.m.): It is important that distance learners check their Destiny account before coming to retrieve books. After the student logs in they will see the "my info" tab. Select that tab and then confirm that the book that has been put on hold is actually checked out to the student. There will be times when the book on hold is still checked out to another student and will not be ready for pick up on the designated day. If you have other questions, please email Beth Benezra. Enrichment Opportunities East now has an Enrichment Canvas page. This page houses academic enrichment opportunities that are open to all students. What We've Been Working On - Solving systems of linear equations using substitution, elimination, and the equal values method
- Solving absolute value equations
- Solving absolute value inequalities
- Solving and graphing compound inequalities
- Parallel and perpendicular lines
- Sequences
- Functions
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Solve and graph on a number line: | x + 3 | < 5
What We're Working on Next - Parallel and perpendicular lines
- Sequences
- Functions
- Point slope formula
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Write the equation of a line with a slope of 5 that goes through the point (-1, 6).
What We've Been Working On - We have been working on solidifying our quadratics skills as well as doing some MCA review.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - How can you determine if a shape is a rhombus?
- Given the equations, how do you know if two lines are perpendicular?
What We're Working on Next - After the math MCA (4/28), we will return to our focus on quadratics. We will also begin working on systems of nonlinear equations.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How many points of intersection will a parabola and a line have?
- Why do absolute value equations have multiple solutions?
What We've Been Working On - Students completed the social justice unit by submitting their ABC book project with their book club group.
- Students began a poetry unit by refreshing their prior knowledge of figurative language, sound devices, and mood.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - How did you connect to your social justice book? What connections could you make between your book and the real world?
- What aspects of poetry are you most confident in?
What We're Working on Next - Students will continue the poetry unit by reading a book in verse as part of a literature circle unit.
- Students will continue working on poetry and create a poetry presentation.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Which book in verse are you reading?
What We've Been Working On - Planetary order and the solar system
- Solar and Lunar eclipses
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is the order of the planets?
- How are the inner planets alike and different from the outer planets?
- What is the difference between a solar and lunar eclipse?
What We're Working on Next - Gravity and inertia
- Stars and the Milky Way Galaxy
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How does gravity and inertia work together to keep the planets in orbit?
- What is the closet star to Earth?
- What galaxy is Earth located in?
What We've Been Working On - Students began our Economic Geography Unit by focusing on the basic concepts and terms (ex. supply and demand, markets, producers and consumers).
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is one example of a product in stores that has had its price change drastically because of consumer demand or producer supply?
What We're Working on Next - Students will be finalizing the Economics unit and taking the Unit Assessment.
- Students will also take part in a series of lessons on "Personal Finance" that will help them better understand what financial responsibilities they will begin to have in the next few years.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is one topic related to Personal Finance that you would like to know more about?
What We've Been Working On - Over the past two weeks PE/Health classes have either been participating in Volleyball (Allen & Landwehr) or Ultimate football (DeVoe). In addition, all classes have incorporated a fitness Friday workout day.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is an exercise completed which worked on the upper body during the last Fitness Friday class lesson?
What We're Working on Next - Over the next two weeks all classes will finish up volleyball or ultimate football. After completing that unit classes will begin the opposite unit. DeVoe's classes volleyball and Allen & Landwehr classes ultimate football.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What outside of school knowledge do you know about the upcoming unit?
Notes - Please make sure your child has clothing to be prepared for outdoor class and has the correct footwear.
What We've Been Working On - Choir Songs: Keep Your Lamps, I See The Light
- New Song: Secrets
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Are the sopranos and altos singing at the same time as baritones in Keep Your Lamps on page 10?
What We're Working on Next - Music Through The Decades: Introduction to 1950's Rock n' Roll
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What do you know about the style of music in Rock music?
What We've Been Working On - Introduced Jazz Lead and Improvisation
- Concert F Major Scale
- Practice in reading accidentals in music
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What did you think about the Jazz melody and improvisation?
What We're Working on Next - Introduced new concert Song-How to Train Your Dragon
- Key changes within the same piece
- Balance in playing together in an ensemble
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What is the hardest section in your new song?
What We've Been Working On - Dotted eighth sixteenth note rhythms
- Sonata Vivant
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is the hardest part for you about playing dotted eighth sixteenth notes?
What We're Working on Next Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - How is D minor different than D Major?
Notes - Students should be practicing 20 minutes/5 days a week.
What We've Been Working On - We have been learning about the composer Hoagy Carmichael, who composed the song "Heart and Soul".
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Tell me all that you know about Hoagy Carmichael.
What We're Working on Next - Students will have a written test on Hoagy Carmichael.
- Students will also have a piano playing test. They will play the melody "Heart and Soul" while Mr. Critzer plays the accompaniment. So fun!!
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - Play "Heart And Soul" for me on your iPad piano.
Notes - Be sure to have your iPad fully charged for school.
What We've Been Working On - Finished painting AlterEgo clay sculptures
- Completed a Clay Create Process Assessment
- Started Digital Surrealism Unit, focused on creating a vision of their future self
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Can I see you Clay AlterEgo? What does it represent?
- What are you thinking about including for your final Surrealism artwork? What setting, characters and details will you use to tell your story symbolically and literally?
What We're Working on Next - We will be completing the Digital Surrealism Unit.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What did you thinking about including for your final Surrealism artwork? What setting, characters and details did you use to tell your story symbolically and literally?
What We've Been Working On - In Person: Finish first wood project and start 2nd
- Distance: Complete Graphic Design Unit, Work on wood project, Work on safety notes and quizzes
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What are you thinking about doing for your second project and why?
What We're Working on Next - Working on Wood projects: Cutting, sanding, measurement and assembly
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What has been the most challenging part of your project?
What We've Been Working On - Over the past two weeks, we have dived into our food units. Students started with reviewing Food and Kitchen safety that they learned in 7th grade. They have also gone over kitchen equipment and measuring terms as well. Students have learned some new cooking terms and techniques. We have also been practicing with halving and quartering a recipe and then measuring out ingredients to make play dough and using it to practice our knife skills before moving on to using real food to practice pealing, shredding, slicing, dicing, julienning and mincing.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - What is a new cooking technique you have tried?
What We're Working on Next - Over the next two weeks, students will be working on their food labs from home. Since we will be cooking from home students will have lots of flexibility to practice their cooking skills. Our first food lab will me the Ranger Cookie OR and Individual cookie of their liking. They will have a food rubric that they will need to fill out and submit. Students' second food lab will be our Fruit Salsa OR one of the other recipes I have made available OR a recipe of their choosing where they can practice with their knife skills. Students are welcome to continue to practice their knife skills before doing the Knife lab by using a vegetable or fruit of their choice to practice on. My recommendation would be an apple, carrot, or potato. Those food items are big enough to practice all of their different knife skill cuts (peel, shred, slice, dice, julienne, and mince). We will also continue to talk about the attributes of yeast and how they work to make dough rise. We will also discuss nutrition and talk about food labels.
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What recipe are you planning to make for our Yeast Lab?
What We've Been Working On - Saying where we go, with whom, when, why and what activities we do there
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About What We've Learned - Tell me about some places you would go on vacation, with whom, when, why and activities you would do there. Also say activities others in the family would do.
What We're Working on Next - Writing Assessment about vacations for your family: where you go, with whom, when, why and what activities people do there
Question(s) to Ask Your Student About Upcoming Material - What are some activities you will write about? What are your creation phrases? Are you practicing at home each evening?
- Introduce inviting and declining invitations.
COVID-19 Variant Testing Due to the rise in COVID-19 variant cases in the state, the Minnesota Department of Health encourages the following: - Weekly testing for student-athletes in addition to testing three days before any competition
- Every two week testing for students who are not athletes
- Teachers and staff should continue to be tested, even if they are vaccinated, in order to identify those who may be asymptomatic carriers.
The Minnesota Department of Health's Decision Tree has more information about what to do if you have COVID-19 symptoms. Wayzata families can either visit a community testing site or use a free at-home testing kit and drop-off at a UPS site. Thank a Teacher this holiday season with a bundt cake! This school year has been unusual to say the least! Our teachers and staff have been a consistent, welcoming presence in our students' lives this year more than ever. Show your support for all they have done with a donation to the Wayzata Education Fund. Each donation made in honor of a teacher or staff until June 1 will include a special certificate of thanks from you, and every donation of $25 or more will come with a bundlet from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Whether they’ve helped make a difference in person or virtually, show your appreciation by participating in our Thank a Teacher program. Updated MSHSL Mask Policy The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has established requirements for the wearing of masks/face coverings. Masks/face coverings are not required for student-athletes in outdoor contests and practices when they are actively engaged in competition and/or practice. Masks/face coverings are required to be worn when outdoor sports participants are not actively practicing or competing and cannot maintain social distancing. Looking to learn a new instrument? Check out our new Learn to Play the Ukulele - Beginner class! Youth ages 12 to 17 may register and attend with a registered adult.
We have a big summer of youth camps planned! Join us at Oakwood Elementary School where your child can learn, grow, and play with friends all summer long. Youth camps include everything from science, engineering, arts and crafts, dance, theater, and more. With a wide variety of camps to choose from, there is something to spark your interest! Registration is now open. Register now! Financial assistance is available or call 763-745-5200 for more information. Parenting with Vision: “The Danger of a Single Story” is a powerful Ted Talk given by award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. In the Ted Talk, Adichie shares stories of the stereotypes she held about others, and ones Americans held about her. Wayzata parents Denise Silva and Kristen Spargo invite fellow parents to join them to view Aichie’s Ted Talk on Zoom, reflect on the stories she shares and discuss them together. Monday, May 10, 2021 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM Tuesday, May 11, 2021 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM Thursday, May 13, 2021 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM Friday, April 30, 2021 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Monday, April 26, 2021 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Monday, May 3, 2021 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM 12000 Ridgemount Avenue, Plymouth, MN 55441 | 763-745-6200 |