Progress Report Grades are Coming Up

Teachers will be filling out progress reports for all seventh grade students by the end of next week. Parents and guardians can expect these reports in the mail by the middle of October. If you would like to check grades before that, log onto the district's Home Access page. Email Ms. Short for more information.

Book Club Friday

Students are reminded that this Friday, 10/1, is Book Club Friday. Students are required to bring a book that they are currently reading for Friday's class.

Understanding Literary Genres

Watch the PowerPoint presentation outlining the differences between fiction and non-fiction on YouTube.

Congratulations to the Recent Students of the Week

Here are the students of the week for September 20th to the 24th:

Period One - Janaja M.
Period Two - Kiana F.
Period Three - Yasin K.
Period Five - Arianna P.

Congratulations!!!

This Week's Current Events

Current Events for the week of September 20th to the 24th!

The Week in Rap - Sept. 24th from Week in Rap on Vimeo.

Blog Question - Due by Thursday, September 30th

Every person in class brings something to our classroom community. For example, a positive person brings the gift of positive energy that might help keep his or her classmates on track and feeling good about themselves. Describe how you add to our classroom community. What special gift or quality do you bring?

BE SURE TO WRITE YOUR NAME WITH YOUR RESPONSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT!

Open House

This is a reminder that HW Smith's Open House will be held this Thursday, September 23rd from 6:30 to 7:30 in the Middle School wing of the building. Families will have the opportunity to learn more about their child's classes and teachers during the Open House. If you have questions, please contact the Middle School Office at 435-4279.

Students of the Week

Every week one student in each ELA class is honored with the distinction of Student of the Week. Students earn this honor by maintaining high grades in ELA, working well with his or her peers, being a role model to his and her classmates, and/or showing improvement. This week's Students of the Week are:

Period One - Paw L.
Period Two - Shabbak H.
Period Three - Amina B.
Period Five - Falastin A.

Student Lockers

This year seventh grade students will have lockers that actually lock. Here is a little tutorial to remind students how to open their combination locks.

Book Club Fridays

Students will have the opportunity to share the books they are reading in their effort to complete the twenty-five book assignment during Book Club Fridays. Book Club Fridays will be held every other Friday and will give students to both read a book of their choice and share their thoughts on that book with their classmates. Students are required to bring a book with them to ELA class on Book Club Fridays. Students can read books from home or borrow them from our classroom library. Students can also borrow books from the school library or even the public library.

The first two Book Club Fridays will be held on:
Friday, September 17th
Friday, October 1st

Current Events Fridays

Every Friday, seventh grade students will have an opportunity to learn about current events in our nation and world via a great website called www.theweekinrap.com. This website is shown in classrooms across the country and delivers a summary of the most important events in a fun and concise manner. Check it out!

The Week in Rap - 2010 Summer Recap from Week in Rap on Vimeo.

Summer Reading Assignment Reminder

Just a reminder that all summer reading assignments are due by the end of the day next Friday, September 17th. Students can turn their assignments in before Friday, but none will be accepted after 3 PM on the 17th. If students need help with the assignment, they can work with Ms. Short during lunch next week.

25-Book Assignment

All seventh grade students are required to read twenty-five books over the course of the year. Students will need to read a certain number of books each marking period.

Marking Period One - Six Books (Summary Activities Due October 25th, 2010)
Marking Period Two - Six Books (Summary Activities Due January 10th, 2011)
Marking Period Three - Seven Books (Summary Activities Due March 28th, 2011)
Marking Period Four - Six Books (Summary Activities Due June 15th, 2011)

Students are required to complete a summary activity for every book read. Students received a handout outlining the choices for summary activities today in class. If parents would also like a copy of these options, please contact Ms. Short at kshort@scsd.us.

Welcome back!

Ms. Short would like to welcome all of her seventh grade students and their families back to another great year of learning at HW Smith. Just as a reminder, families are encouraged to contact the school at 435-4279 if they have any concerns regarding their children. Together we can make this an amazing year!