1. Week of Jan. 3 - Jan. 7, 2011 Parent Signature & Date: ________________________________________
MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Mr. Parent
e-mail: tparent@stpatrickcatholicschool.com website: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/7th8th
Getting Ready for High School- January is an important month for middle schoolers wanting to move
on to a private high school next year. High schools will be having their entrance exams this month
beginning on the 22nd. Take note of the schools with two test dates and the schools who only accept test
scores that were taken at their school testing site. Below you will find a list of high schools with their test
dates and times. All test dates are on Saturdays.
• Bell-Jeff: January 22 or 29 8:30 a.m. -11:45 a.m.
• Bishop Alemany: January 22 or 29 9 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
• Immaculate Heart: January 22 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
• *Loyola: January 22 or 29 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• *Notre Dame: January 22 8 a.m. -12 p.m.
• *Providence: January 22 or 29 9 a.m. -12:30 p.m.
• St. Genevieve: January 22 8:30 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
*If you would like to apply to these schools, you must take the entrance exams at the school's testing site.
Many schools use the High School Placement Test (HSPT), produced by the
Scholastic Testing Service. Exam sections include: Verbal Skills, Cognitive Skills,
Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Math Concepts, Math Problem Solving
(no Algebra 1), and Language Grammar Skills.
It Happened This Week!
* January 3- The U.S. Congress elected Nancy Pelosi as the first female
Speaker of the House in 2007.
* January 4- Issac Newton, English scientist, was born.
* January 4- Louis Braille, French inventor of the alphabet used by the blind,
was born in 1809.
* January 6- The Epiphany (Twelfth Night) is celebrated by Christians. Do you know who this is? After the
* January 10- The League of Nations was established in 1920. American Revolution, this man paid
much of the debt out of his own pocket.
He also signed the Declaration of
Independence.
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2. Mr. Tobon
email: ctobon@stpatrickcatholicschool.com webpage: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/ctobon
All classes: Welcome back to school and blessings for the new year!
Religion- Merry Christmas! Yes, we are actually still in the Christmas season until January 9, which is the
Baptism of the Lord. Now that the new calendar year has arrived, guess what time it is. Yes, time to make
our New Year's Resolutions! These goals are steps toward making us better people. We will be going over this
in class, but it might be a good idea to discuss this with your family and friends.
6th Grade: Spanish- Make sure that you are ready with all your letters and numbers in Spanish. You will
need to know them in order for us to move forward this trimester.
7th Grade: Science- We will soon be discussing cancer in class. We will be learning about how it is caused
and how it can be treated.
8th Grade: Science- We will be having our Newton Scooter competition and our Tug of War (friction lab)
coming up. If you have any sports, gardening, or work gloves, keep them handy for our lab.
Remember, the best way to end the trimester successfully is by starting it successfully. Don't fall into the trap
of thinking there's a lot of time left to raise your grade. You should start strong and keep those grades up!
Mr. Benitez
email: rbenitez@stpatrickcatholicschool.com webpage: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/Rbenitez
* All classes - Happy New Year!!! Here are a few ways to start the new year off right:
* pay attention, ask questions, and participate in all your classes
* do not wait until the last minute to study for upcoming exams
* check Gradelink often to see your areas of strengths and areas of improvement
* Reading - Do not forget to bring your Sustain Silent Reading (SSR) book to class everyday. You may read
chapter books, periodicals (i.e. magazines and newspapers), comic books, and graphic novels. Remember, it
is always best to read what you enjoy.
Math Problem for the Week
Jenn’s fish tank was filled half way. She added 9 gallons of water to the tank and found that it was then 7/8
full. How much water can the tank hold altogether?
(answer will be in next week’s newsletter: receive 50 points extra credit if you get it right!)
Answer to last week’s newsletter: 864 in2 -or- 6 ft2
Word for the Week
resolution [rez-uh-loo-shuh n] (noun) a firm decision to do or not to do something
Robert’s resolution for 2011 is to study harder and try to get High Honors at the end of Trimester 2. This seems like
something he should be able to do.
Quote for the Week
“I like a teacher who gives you something to take home to think about besides homework.” - Lily Tomlin