Issue #3, 2009-2010 School Year

Brookside Middle

IB 8D Team

NEWSLETTER

September 21, 2009

What's happening in classes:

Language Arts

LA classes finished Nothing But the Truth last week.  Folders, which were the culminating project for this book, were due on Friday and we had a comprehensive test on the book Friday as well.  Students did well on the folders by keping up with the daily assignments, and this effort translated to good grades on the test.  The students who did not keep up with the daily work will require more daily effort on future assignments.  This week will bring writing instruction and review of their Brooksid eWrites papers in preparation for the FCAT Writing Assessment.  Standing homework remains to read 30 minutes for five nights a week.

American History

Students have been continuing a review of our early history, seeing why colonists came to America and why they decided to embark on a Revolution to free us from Great Britain's rule.  They turned in their composition notebooks last Friday with 9 assignments.  Most students are keeping up well with assignments whether in the notebook, the Study Guide, or elsewhere.  The notebook is the most crucial part of their American History grade as it contains answers, thoughts, notes and reflections on what they're studying.  Last week, students created a timeline of the American Revolution.  This week they begin to learn about the ideas and causes of our Constitution.  Studying the Constitution will take the remainder of the quarter as its ideas underlie much of the events in our history.  The next Vocabulary quiz will be on Friday, October 2nd.  There will be a quiz on Chapter 7 at the end of this week.

Math

TBA

Science

In science class we have been focusing on using the scientific method to solve problems and answer quewstions about the natural world.  Scientists are often very dependent upon tools that help with observations and to make measurements.  We will be reviewing how to use these tools, make accurate measurements and how to convert numbers in the metric system.

IMPORTANT DATES

Thursday, September 24 - Mid-term grades given to students to bring home for a signature     

Wednesday, October 7 - Brookside's Open House for parents 6:00-7:30pm.  Follow your 8th grader's schedule, including Encores!

IN OTHER NEWS

Church of the Palms is once again offering TUTORING SERVICES, beginning September 29th.  Call the church to sign up: 922-3294

Dads are invited to share a breakfast treat with your son or daughter  in "Donuts for Dads" this coming Thursday, September 24 from 7-7:30am in the Brookside Cafetorium.

The Phillippi 7K Run will take place Saturday, September 26 at Phillippi Shores Elementary School.  Start time is 7:30am.  A 1-mile Fun Run/Walk starts at 9:00am.  Registration forms are available in Ms. Drackett's and Ms. Downing's rooms.

Parents,

   We ask for your support in checking that your student leaves the house dressed appropriately for school each day.  Please check the Agenda to review our dress code.  Appropriate dress is one important way of helping all students focus on learning.  Thanks for your help!

Students will take the state mandated, county test titled FAIR (Florida Assessments for Instructional Reading) this coming Friday in all Social Studies classes.

Sarasota County Parks and Recreation is offering Dance and Cheerleading courses beginning Monday and Tuesday of next week, September 28-29th.  If interested, registration forms are available in first period classes.

Issue #2, September 8, 2009

Brookside Middle School

IB 8D Team

Weekly Newsletter

Recent Classroom Activities
 
Language Arts
We continue to read the novel, Nothing But the Truth by Avi for character development and understanding. Students will be using a new note-taking strategy and will be writing daily reflections. Remember to read 30 minutes or more a day and enter the information into the Agenda book. Look at the weekly reading log, which we complete in class on Mondays, to see how your student is doing after the first week.

Science
This week in Science we will be reviewing the Scientific Method.  Students should be familiar with it by 8th grade, but may have forgotten some of the finer details.  In our studies of the Scientific Method we will also familiarize ourselves with basic inquiry skills, how to make accurate measurements and how to design and conduct an experiment.  We will also start to address the science FCAT this week.  Students will be exposed to the format of the test and will take a practice test at the beginning of next week.

Humanities
September is Constitution month, September 8^th is Pledge of Allegiance Day, and September 17^th is Constitution Day. This week students start their study of the social science of civics, a unit that will last several weeks.  They will learn the history behind the Pledge of Allegiance, review the causes of the American Revolution, memorize famous lines from the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, as well as study the Constitution and its impact on our country, its government, and its citizens. Vocabulary quiz on Wednesday, 9/16; oral recitations of the D of I and Preamble are due Thursday, 9/17.

Math

Both Math 8 and Algebra classes are working on integer operations and the Algebraic Properties of numbers.

Sleep and Adolescents

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/res_plan/section6/section6a.html

Early school age children typically need ten hours of sleep a night. This drops significantly in adolescence, not for biological reasons but for social and cultural reasons. Sleep researchers have found that teenagers studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions (removing clocks and lighting cues) typically sleep nine hours a night.  However, adolescents only average seven to seven and a half hours of sleep per night. Clearly, chronic sleep deprivation is a serious problem in this age group. Overt daytime sleepiness is fairly common, affecting about ten percent of all school children. Chronic sleep restriction in adolescents leads to significant neurobehavioral consequences significant declines in school and work/occupational performance and increased risk- taking behaviors. --Dr. Scheer, MD

 GETTING YOUR CHILD REPROGRAMMED FOR the SCHOOL SEASON:

·         Help children prioritize sufficient sleep as a fundamental need  rather than a low priority  

·         Emphasize the need for a consistent sleep schedule and bedtime  routine  

·         Allow 30 minutes to wind down and relax before bedtime  

·         Make the child's bedroom conducive to sleep - dark, cool, quiet,  and free of clutter  

·         Try to keep TV and cell phones out of the bedroom  

·         Avoid caffeine especially after noon  

·         Consider a nightly goal of 9 to 10 hours of sleep for children and  teens.

FALL SPORTS ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tryouts for boy's & girl's tennis, golf and girl's volleyball take place this week, September 8 - 11. 

INTRAMURALS:  will begin @ September 30th.  More information will follow.

Please check the Sports page on the Brookside website for more information.

Thanks for your support; GO CUDAS!

ATTENTION JROTC Cadets!

JROTC Teams started on Tuesday, 8 September, from 2:30 to 4. Our physical training group will run after teams from 4 to 5.

Don’t forget, on Wednesday cadets and parents are invited to the JROTC Orientation in the cafeteria from 6 to 7 pm.

Be sure you put bowling on your calendar our JROTC bowling on Friday, 11 September, and our Lido Beach Picnic on Saturday, 12 September.


Sign up for the PTSO!
The PTSO is once again asking for parent support to raise funds for Brookside, funds that go for classroom projects, Renaissance, FCAT snacks, the 8th grade dance (!), and staff appreciation among other very worthy causes.

Membership for the entire year is only $10!  The first team to have the most families join the PTSO this year will win a PIZZA PARTY!  The deadline is October 2.  Please help both your student's team and school by joining.

Students will be bringing home flyers this week.  You may give your dues and forms to the front office or mail them to the school c/o any of the following: Elizabeth Loveridge, JoAnn Stonecypher, or Lisa Hollingsworth.

IMPORTANT DATES

Tuesday, September 8 – Picture Day
Wednesday, October 7 – Open House, 6:00pm – 7:30pm