Finishing out March in English Class

Spartan students have been hard at work over the last few weeks of English class. They have been working on a persuasive essay called "Dumb Law". This essay allowed students to select an old, outdated law from a provided list and defend this law, saying why it should still be enforced.

The students used the three forms of persuasion that they were taught in English: appeal to reason, appeal to emotion, and appeal of good character.

Next up is a Letter Writing Unit, where students will learn the differences between business letters and personal letters and will discover how to write each kind.

February Students of the Month

The Spartan Team would like to congratulate Renna W. and Michael D. for being selected as our Students of the Month for February! Keep up the great work, Renna and Michael!

January Students of the Month

The Spartan team would like to congratulate Marissa H. and Jeffrey B. for being selected as Spartan Students of the Month. Keep up the great work! We are so pleased with both of you!

Comma Projects for English

Spartan students are beginning their comma unit in English class. Students will be working in groups of 3 or 4 in class to create a detailed presentation about one comma rule. Each student will become a PRO at this rule, and will teach their classmates about it during their presentation.

The students will be given several days in class to work on this, and presentations will be Friday, January 27 - Friday February 3.

I'm excited to see what the students come up with!

Our Spartan Elf : Victoria Dolanch!

One of our Spartan students, Victoria Dolanch, organized a toy drive for the Children's Hospital! What a noble and sweet idea! Victoria got the whole school involved in this initiative, and many toys were donated to children who will not be able to go home for the holidays.

Way to go, Victoria!

Glopsnerch Essay

Spartan students are busy creating a gift for someone - a glopsnerch! They are writing essays, describing what a glopsnerch is, what it can do, how to care for it, and who is receiving it as a gift. These essays are done in class. We are following the entire writing process, and it will take us about 2 weeks of class time.

Students may also build a model of their glopsnerches, and bring them in for up to 10 bonus points in class! Several models have been turned in already, and they are excellent!

Language Arts: Nonfiction Unit

Students in Language Arts are reading nonfiction pieces during our Informational Reading Unit. We read two articles on sharks and an informational piece on the Black Death in our textbook, and we will read a few additional pieces on Jackie Robinson in the upcoming weeks. This unit helps students develop and practice nonfiction reading strategies that will help them succeed in all of their academic classes.

In addition to our article analysis, students completed a cross-curricular mini-unit on nonfiction articles with Mrs. Drakeley's English classes. Students read articles on an online newspaper for teens called Tween Tribune. After reading two articles of their choosing, students wrote and posted replies to the articles that will appear on the website.

Students will also have the opportunity to practice their research skills as part of this unit by completing a scavenger hunt in the library using reference resources to answer trivia questions.

Language Arts: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

In Language Arts, students are reading the novel Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick. This novel is about a boy named Steven who is dealing with his little brother Jeffrey's diagnosis of cancer. Fans of this book might enjoy reading the sequel, After Ever After, which focuses on Jeffrey in remission.

Science: "Expanding Your Horizons" STEM Conference

Five Spartan students attended the “Expanding Your Horizons” (EYH) conference at Robert Morris University on October 15. Katie, Nikki, Cat, Alexa, and Natalie participated in the nationally recognized conference for girls in 6^th-9^th grade who are interested in future Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers.

During the all-day conference, the Spartan girls attended hands-on workshops developed and led by RMU faculty and leading industry professionals. These included “Perfume Science”, “Regeneration Science”, “Explosions and Chemical Reactions”, “Unisphere Planetarium”, “Call my Random Number”, and “Endangered Animals”. Additionally, a speaker from the Society of Women Engineers gave a motivational talk about her successful career path during the lunch break.

According to Alexa, “The conference was inspirational and fun. I definitely recommend it for young girls who are interested in STEM careers. I spent time with friends, met interesting new people, and gained valuable knowledge.”

Katie returned with information about a middle school summer camp sponsored by the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative. The camp, titled, “A Starfish Can Grow a New Arm, Why Can’t I?” is tentatively scheduled for July 2012. It will be held at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Biotechnology and Bioengineering. Please see Mr. Cornali if you are interested in learning more about this summer science opportunity!

September Spartans of The Month

Congratulations to Rodney and Sarah, our "Spartans of the Month" for September 2011. Keep up the great work!!!