The weekly newsletter from the middle school provides information for the week of January 17-21, 2011. It includes notices from three teachers - Mr. Benitez, Mr. Tobon, and Mr. Parent. Mr. Benitez informs students about online resources for homework and upcoming math assessments. Mr. Tobon discusses an upcoming religion test and notes about the beatification of Pope John Paul II. Mr. Parent provides information about upcoming high school entrance exams.

1. Week of Jan. 17 - Jan. 21, 2011 Parent Signature & Date: ________________________________________
MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Mr. Benitez
email: rbenitez@stpatrickcatholicschool.com webpage: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/Rbenitez
* All classes - You can now find copies of your weekly vocabulary words worksheet, daily math journal problems,
and daily word problems on my website. This will help students who are either absent due to illness or who have
forgotten their paper/journal in class. There is little to no excuse going forward as to why your vocabulary and/or
math journals are not completed.
* 6th Grade Mathematics - It is very important that you continue to study your multiplication facts. This week
you will be assessed on multiplication facts of 4s. It is a good idea to buy or make flashcards and study at least
10-15 minutes a night with a parent, sibling, or friend. With some hard work and dedication, we can master those
multiplication facts! Great job to students who passed their multiplication facts assessment on 3s!
Math Problem for the Week
I have a 5 scoop ice cream cone. Each of my 5 scoops is a different flavor of ice cream. The five flavors are
blueberry, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and bubble gum. You don’t know what order my ice cream flavors are from
top to bottom. However, here are some clues to see if you can figure out what flavors are from top to bottom: 1) The
bottom flavor has 10 letters, 2) The vanilla scoop touches both the chocolate and blueberry scoop, and 3) Vanilla is
below the chocolate scoop but above the bubble gum scoop. Good licking, I mean luck!
(answer will be in next week’s newsletter: receive 15 points extra credit if you get it right!)
Answer to last week’s newsletter problem: Zero, regardless of who you pass your paper to, someone will be shorter than
someone else in the class. A taller person cannot switch with a shorter person, or a shorter person cannot switch with a taller person.
Word for the Week
ossify [AH-suh-fye] (verb) - 1: to become or change into bone or bony tissue; 2: to become or make
hardened or set in one’s ways
The corpse began to ossify with many of its bones becoming visible due to decomposition.
The teacher refused to conform to the changes made in teaching. She is ossified in the way she teaches.
Quote for the Week
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” - W.B. Yeats
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2. Mr. Tobon
email: ctobon@stpatrickcatholicschool.com webpage: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/ctobon
All classes
Religion- Last week, we had some great discussions regarding vocations. I was impressed by the great
questions that many students asked with regards to the videos I showed in class. We will continue our
discussion and prayer about vocations this week.
Also, did you hear the recent news? It looks like the late Pope John Paul II will be beatified on May 1st. Why
is this an important date with regards to John Paul's life? (hint: it has to do with a special feast)
Science- Each class is about to end their current chapter in the book. Going beyond the quizzes we have
been taking, the chapter test will follow soon. The best way to prepare is by going over notes from class and
using the book to supplement the notes with vocabulary and detailed explanations.
Spanish- Word of the week: estudiar - v. to study. (Me gusta estudiar con mis amigos todos los días. I like to
study with my friends everyday.)
"Be saints of the new millennium." -Pope John Paul II
Mr. Parent
e-mail: tparent@stpatrickcatholicschool.com website: www.myteacherpages.com/webpages/7th8th
Getting Ready for High School- Below, you will find a list of high schools with their test dates and times.
All test dates are on Saturdays.
• Bell-Jeff: Jan. 22 or 29 from 8:30 am -11:45 am
• Bishop Alemany: Jan. 22 or 29 from 9 am - 12:30 pm
• Immaculate Heart: Jan. 22 from 8 am - 2 pm
• *Loyola: Jan. 22 or 29 from 8 am -12:30 pm
• *Notre Dame: Jan. 22 from 8 am - 12 pm
• *Providence: Jan. 22 or 29 from 9 am - 12:30 pm
• St. Genevieve: Jan. 22 from 8:30 am - 11:30 am
*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 19th- Edgar Allan Poe, American author, was born in 1809.
January 20th- Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States in 2009.
Zits
By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman