7th Grade

Religion - Week of 1/8

Monday - No Class. 
Tuesday - Create notecard plan for CDA project
Wednesday - 
Thursday - Work on CDA Project.  
Friday  - No HW
 

Math (week 1/6)

Monday: worksheet
Tuesday: (p.232)10-37
Wednesday: (p. 237)1-11
Thursday: (p238)13-31odd,32,34,37-43odd
Friday: worksheets

Social Studies 

Monday 1/6  Orca Family Tree due 
                         Friday.
                       Read p 27-43
                       Vocabulary 1-9 due Thurs

 Students will have more classtime to work on these.

Tuesday 1/7  Finish and study Voc 1-9 
                       Study Salish Sea 
Wednesday NO CLASS 
Thursday 1/9  Family Tree due Friday. 
                Study Vocabulary 
Friday 1/10 
  

For more information on Science Fair please see the Science Fair Page in the classroom section on the webpage 

English Language Arts

Monday:  Definitions - CH 6
Tuesday:  3 topics on CDA essay
Wednesday: Chs the Right Word
Thursday: CDA Essay
Friday:  Draft due Tuesday.  Bring flashdrive next week. 

Literature

Monday - 1/6 NO CLASS 
Tuesday 1/7   Comprehension Wksht due Thursday. Good sentence with correct spelling and punctuation. Include the question in the answer. May be typed or handwritten. 
Wednesday 12 NO CLASS 
Thursday 1/9  NA    
Friday 1/10

1/6/2020

Happy New Year and welcome back to school!  It is great to see the students again.  I missed them over break and I think that they missed each other.  

Permission slips went home yesterday for our annual March for Life field trip.  The March for Life will be on Tuesday, Jan 21, 2020.  Every year, the 7th and 8th grade students go to Olympia along with the Catholic Daughters, Fr. Cal, and several other Catholic grade schools to protest against abortion.  The St. Pius X Catholic Daughters provide a tour bus every year that we are transported on.  We will take a tour of the Capital building, have lunch, and then attend the rally to listen to the speakers on the steps of the Capital.  This is one of the events that the students really remember being a part of and is often the first time that they realize that they can, in fact, take action for something they believe in. Students should bring a brown bag lunch, comfortable walking shoes for touring the capital, and a warm coat.  Umbrellas and/or hats are also encouraged if it looks like rain since we will be outside for the rally no matter the weather.  

Also, students have several big projects that they are working on.  They are in the middle of their science fair project and have a timeline from Mrs. Fox.  The science fair will be Jan 30, 2020 at 6:00 in the gym.  I can't wait to see their experiments!  

Students also have a writing project from me - our annual Catholic Daughters Essay Contest.  We will dp the majority of the writing for this project in class.  The theme this year is "Blessed are the Peacemakers" (Mt 5:9) or "Living in Harmony with others."  The final, typed essay is due 1/17  in order to not compete (as much as possible) with science fair.  Students have brainstormed essay topics and I am currently conferencing with them on individual ideas.  We will start writing tomorrow in class with a written first draft due Tuesday 1/14.  This is less time than in past years, but I am accepting shorter essays this year as well.  Your student has a packet with further details and a rubric on the assignment.  


12/3/2019

Hello -  We will be making sandwiches for Lazarus House this Thursday.  If you could help by bringing in sandwich making supplies, it would be very appreciated.  I will provide some materials as well, but the more sandwiches the better.  The Lazarus House bus will pick up the sandwiches Friday morning right after Mass.  

11/25/19

Dear Parents - 

The students earned their class party through brining in over 40 items for the food drive.    They asked if they could have a "show and tell"  at their party, and I told them they could.  I guess they are feeling a little nostalgia for their youth.  They can bring in something that they want to tell everyone a story about on Wednesday when we have our class party.  Favorite photos or an instrument or a hobby might be great ideas.

Students have two quizzes tomorrow.  They have to be able to recite or write the Hail Holy Queen prayer that we have to memorize as 7th Graders in Religion.  They also have their Chapter 4 vocabulary quiz tomorrow.  Thay have had three weeks on these words and we have taken two and a half days in class to study so I am expecting lots of great grades from your students.  

Christene


11/17/

Dear Parents - 

In Religion this week, we are taking a short sidebar from the book chapters and MDI to do a mini-unit on the Rosary.  Knowing the Sorrowful Mysteries as well as the Hail, Holy Queen prayer (the prayer which ends the Rosary) are both Archdiocesan standards for 7th graders and fit in well together as a mini-unit before the Thanksgiving break.   This is a great opportunity as well for the family to spend some time on this meditation as well as we focus on what we are grateful for in the upcoming weeks  If you don't already regularly pray the Rosary, this is a great change for your student to lead you in prayer.  I hope that each student will lead the Rosary at least once. Because there will be little religion homework this week, this is a great chance for students to study and make up any religion tests that they did poorly on.  

I would also like to send out an early request for two food-related service opportunities.  There is a St. Vincent de Paul food drive happening that the students are collecting food for.  Seventh Grade is focusing on boxed items like cereal, but any food is welcome.  We have already collected a few items.Also,  the parish make and donate sandwiches the first Friday of every month to Lazarus House in Seattle.  Last year, the 7th graders made sandwiches for this group and I would like to do that with them again.  This is a great opportunity for them to do a small work with great love to help those on the margins.  To do this,  I will need your help in bringing in sandwich and bagged lunch ingredients on December 5.    

11/14

     We played Jeopardy review in Religion and Language Arts today focusig on preparing for the chapter quiz tomorrow on Ch 3 and on the vocabulary words.  The students enjoyed this game and it is one more way that they can study.  I have attached the powerpoint here so they can use it to quiz themselves and each other.

Religion CH 3 Jeopardy

Vocabulary CH 4 Jeopardy

11/12
     We will be reading at Wednesday Mass next week on 11/20.  Thank you to Grace, Zane, and Mayrene for volunteering to read.  I appreciate this gift of self and I know that the church does too.  
     There will be a religion quiz on Thursday covering Chapter 3.  Students 

11/4
Hello Parents - 

     The class enjoyed and learned all about the library research databases last Friday.  I think they got a useful resource that they can use often as they grow.  I heard one student say: "Why didn't we learn about this year's ago!"  This is a free on-line resource through the library and provides millions of scholarly and magazine articles searchable by topic and age level.  It will provide them an additional place to research besides Google search.  Thank you for your flexiblity.  

   We are currently studying Chapter 3 in Religion, which is all about Scripture, particularly about the Gospels.  Students have taken notes for 2 days and will have some assignments coming up to practice.  This is starting to deal with some actual theology which is very exciting to teach them.  I do want to note for you and for them that this has traditionally been a difficult chapter for students.  Encourage them to come in and review with me, review with you, and read the chapter multiple times.  

There will be a Veteran's Day Assembly tomorrow at 9:30.  What a great chance for our students to learn what it means to be a veteran and to pay tribute to those who have served.

I am not available for my normal "office hours" for tutoring this week but I can be available by appointment at additional times.  

Thank you for the privilege of teaching your child.  

10/28/2019

Dear Parents - 

Your child is bringing home a field trip permission form and a library card registration form. I want to apologize profusely for the late notice.  The end of the month snuck up very quickly.  We will be walking to the Mountlake Terrace Library on Friday to be trained on how to use the library databases for research as well as how to use the Dewey Decimal system.  We will walk down after Mass and return in time for lunch.  Grades 5-8 will be joining.  If your student does not already have a library card, I highly encourage that you fill out the registration form so that they may check out books to bring home and to use all the library resources.  Please return the permission slip and registration form (if needed) by Friday.  Otherwise, your student will sit in the office and read while we walk to the library.  Ms. Melton and Ms. Yim will be joining us on the field trip.

With the field trip coming up, I am teaching the students how to create an MLA format bibliography this week.  They will be creating citations for books, websites, and articles. This is an essential skill for them to take with them in the future both here at St. Pius and into high school.  They will then use the library resources to create an annotated biblography of 2 books, 2 articles, and a reference book like an encyclopedia.

The Unit 3 Vocabulary Test is this Wednesday.  Students are encouraged to use the Sadlier.com Vocabulary Workshop resources to help study as well as their definitions.  Being able to really understand the word in context is just as important as knowing the definition, so they should be studying the synonyms and antonyms as well.  

The Halloween Carnival is coming up on Thursday.  Students will change into their costumes at recess.  Please no masks, no weapons, and no inappropriate messages in costumes.  7th Grade parents typically bring small toys for the carnival prizes.

Last week, opt-out forms went out to families.  If you would like your child to NOT participate in the Touching Safety lesson this year, please fill out the form and return to me.  Otherwise, this year's lesson will be on Oct 30. 

Thank you as always for the opportunity to teach your child,
Christene Poteet

10/10/2019

Hello 7th grade Parents - 

Yes, it is true.  Your children's test was pushed back to Monday.  While I do not like to give tests on Monday, upon deeper consideration this seemed like a better option for the students than rushing into the test after their writing project.  We had an extra day to study in class and we discussed some additional study strategies that they can use like creating an outline of the chapter, creating mnemonic devices like silly sentences, categorizing and color coding like ideas and practicing the writing strategies on a topic of their choice.

We are reading at Mass this Wednesday.  Thank you to Paulina, Abenezer, and Ciara for volunteering.  It is truly a gift of self and an act of joy to proclaim the Gospel.

As always, thank you for the privilege of teaching your child.

Christene 

10/6/2019

Hello-

Students have a busy week in ELA since MAP testing is finished.  They have been working on a short (or for some of the students, long) story involving microbiomes.  They have a 2nd draft that will be edited for spelling and grammar.  Their final draft is due Wednesday.  Then, they have a test on Chapter 2 in ELA about the writing process.  They were given a study guide last week as well as some example questions from the similar 6th grade chapter.  

We will be celebrating Dias de la Muertos as a school and a class. This is a Mexican tradition in line with Halloween/All Saint's Day.  Some readings will go home with more detail in the coming weeks about the holiday if you have questions, or you can always contact me.  Students are welcome to bring in pictures of departed loved ones and/or small momentos of those loved ones,,  We will be completing some related art projects to put on our in-class memorial.  On Halloween, before the school festival, we will have a small class celebration honoring our loved ones in the style of Dias de le Muertos.  

Grandparents Day is coming up on 10/25 as well.  Start inviting your Grandparent or Special Grandfriend to our celebration.  More details to come in next week's letter.  

We have 2 scheduled field trips coming up this month and another in the planning stages so hold onto your horses - its going to be a busy month.  The first field trip is the 7th Grade's annual trek to the WA State Corn Maze in Snohomish, WA.  They get to walk the main freeways and roads in WA as they traverse from the East Side of the state to the ocean - in miniature, of course.  This will be Oct 22.  We will leave about 9:30 that morning and return after lunch.  The 4th grade will go with us.  Permission slips will go home early this week and we will need drivers.  Please return them as soon as possible.  And - PLEASE - let us know if you can drive.  New state laws coming into effect mean that we will need more drivers than  we have previously needed.  

The 2nd field trip will be Nov. 1, right after the Halloween festivities.  The 5th through 8th grades will walk down to the Mountlake Terrace Library and be trained on how to use the free library resources for research.  They will be trained on the databases (a new research tool for them), the card catalog, and the Dewey Decimal system for finding relevant research. Students will be given a short research project to complete using these resources.  If your student has a library card, please have them bring it as they will have an opportunity to check out books.  If they do not have a library card, they can apply for one then if you/they would like but they would need some form of address verification like a letter or ID.  If your child is under 13 and does not have their own card, please fill out the additional parental permission form allowing them to access library materials.  This is required by the library.  

Christene
9/30/2019

Hello Parents - 

I am so proud of our 7th Grade readers at Mass this Sunday.  They represented our school so well.  It was a joy to watch them share the Good News with the congregation.  I hope you all got a chance to see them as well.  This is truly acting as a Missionary Disciple. 

MAP testing for the 7th Graders starts tomorrow and goes through Friday.  Please make sure that your student gets here on time, eats a protein-filled breakfast and healthy lunch, and gets plenty of sleep.  There will be no homework and tests this week, including no vocabulary.  

If you have a pet that you would like blessed, please bring it to the school parking lot after Mass on Friday.  There will be a short blessing of the animals.  Please, however, do not bring the pets into the classroom.  Every year I have had someone ask and they have been heartbroken when I say no.  I would appreciate your support in heading this off at the pass this year.  

The 7th Grade does have an ELA/Science project that they are working on, however.  They are writing a 3 page short story with a first draft due on Wednesday.  They were a little hesitant about having to write a story with a microbiome being essential to their conflict, but I think they are starting to enjoy their stories now.  They have had plenty of time in class (3 periods), but some students are finding that their ideas are taking a little longer to write out or that their stories are really quite a bit longer than 3 pages.  Those students may need to take some time on Tuesday to finish up.  They need to bring their finished drafts to class with them on Wednesday so we can edit and revise.  

We will continue on with the Missionary Discipleship Institute this week learning about Jesus and his relationship with those on the margins.  We will particularly be focusing on asking ourselves who is on the margins and what does that mean to us.  Ask your students if they can replicate the "Pen Game" on Friday.  

This is the first year that the 7th Grade has been charged with raising and lowering the school flag.  They are quite excited about this new duty.  On Friday the 19th, we had a class speaker recently come and teach the class about Flag etiquette.  Our St. Pius X Scout Master, a 12 year veteran, spoke to our class about how to respect the flag and how to properly raise, hang, lower, and fold the flag.  The students enjoyed the speaker, especially when we walked out in two lines and performed a raising  ceremony together.  One thing I learned from the speaker was that the flag is folded 13 times with every fold representing a particular group.  

We are still looking for an auction parent to lead our class project.  If you have even the smallest interest, please contact me right away.  I would truly appreciate your help.

As always, thank you for the privilege of teaching your child,
Christene Poteet



9/22/2019 - Class Letter

Hello Parents –
 
                We have been off to a great year in Seventh Grade so far.  If you have not been regularly checking out our website, I encourage you to do so.  There are links to helpful information for your student such as Vocabulary review games coordinated with our book and study guides for the Religion chapters.  This is also the most frequent place that I will communicate with parents as a group.  I hope you decide to check it regularly.

                One piece of information that I hope you noticed on the website is that the 7^th Grade will be school and parish leaders on Sunday, September 22, 2019 and read at the Children’s 11:00 Mass.  We need 7^th Grade readers for the First Reading, Second Reading, and Prayers of the Faithful.  Please let your student and me know as soon as possible if they can read.  We would also like as many 7^th Graders as possible to represent our class in the student choir.  This is also the same weekend as a Pancake Breakfast so you can treat yourself and support the school at the same time.

We began our lessons on the Missionary Discipleship Institute last week and will continue this idea  the first week of October during MAP testing since the MDI lessons will typically include no HW.  Students have been exploring real-life models of how God loves us.  I have uploaded some pictures on the website of the charts that the students made of people who love them and how that love is shown in concrete ways.  We then took this into a conversation about how this echoes God’s concrete love for us. 

In the meantime, this week we will be returning to the book using Chapter 2 – Developing a Friendship with Jesus.  This is a short chapter that will have a quiz on Friday.  Since we will do this chapter in a single week, students are allowed to use a single notecard on the test. 

In Language Arts, we are practicing our study skills and concentrating on organization in our writing as we read, take notes on, present on and then write about the Writing Process (Ch 2).  Students will take notes on and become experts on particular parts of the Writing Process.  They will then have a writing assignment on the Writing Process to practice organizing their writing and using transitions.  They will have a chapter book test as well after MAP testing concludes.  

Keep in mind that MAP testing is coming up for the 7^th Grade the first week of October.  Please help your student be at their best by not scheduling appointments, coming on time, and ensuring that they have a hearty, protein-filled breakfast and lunch.  I cannot wait to see where they are ready to learn.
 
Christene Poteet


9/15

Hello Parents! 

I am still looking for parent volunteers to lead our class auction project and the Graduation Brunch in the Spring.  I know how busy you are .but these are really important projects which help our school be the best it can be.  If you are interested in either of those jobs, please contact me as soon as possible.

Also, Seventh Grade is reading at Mass this coming Sunday. Is your Seventh Grader interested in reading or gift bearing?  This is the student mass so please come in and show off your uniform. 

Christene Poteet


9/10  

CURRICULUM NIGHT DOCUMENTS

• Seventh Grade Parent Letter
• Textbooks
• Missionary Discipleship Institute Parent Letter
• Science Curriculum Letter
• Religion and ELA Curriculum Overview
• Poteet Syllabus
• Your Middle Schooler
• Supporting your 7th Grade in ELA- Provided by Common Core

9/9 These are some great online resources to study to help students study for religion and vocabulary quizzes.  

VOCABULARY RESOURCES:  Sadlierconnect.com has online practice tests and vocabulary games to help your student practice.  They will have a vocabulary test about every 2 weeks. 

RELIGION RESOURCES: There are chapter reviews and practice questions available online at Christ Our Life 2009 to help study for the religion quizzes.  There will be a quiz every chapter and a comprehensive Unit Test after Chapters 9, 17, and at the end of the year. 

9/9

Hello Parents - 

Don't forget that curriculum night is tomorrow, 9/10 at 6:00.  I look forward to seeing you there.  I will be askingfor some volunteers to help with Graduation, the Auction Project, Grandparent's Day, and other activities, so think ahead about what you can do.  

Also on the docket - Lauren, Alex, and Nathan will be reading at Mass on Wednesday.  Zane and Paulina will be helping bring up the gifts.

There is NO LONGER a blue Tuesday folder.  All communication will come home with your student's homework and via email.  

Look at your student's Unit guide for Religion.  They will receive one at the beginning of every chapter.  This will include the learning targets, ideas and vocabulary they will need to know to master the chapter quiz.  I tell them that this is their study guide and they should reference it often.  

They also have a vocabulary quiz this week and will be beginning to get Grammar homework and essays regularly starting this week.  

If your student has extracurricular or large family activities, help them write out their schedule in their planner.  This will help them stay organized and manage their time better. Remember - they will still need your help in creating a plan for long term projects and studying.  

Thank you for the opportunity to teach your child,
Christene Poteet

Don't forget - SUMMER BOOK REPORTS, IXL, AND READING LOG ARE DUE TUESDAY, 9/3!

9/2/2019

Dear Parents - 

It was a joy to be back in the classroom with your students last week. They are a blessing - I appreciate their smiles and love of learning.   We finished up two days of orientation activities culminating 7-8  skits for the school about how to act as a St. Pius Eagle.  I think they had fun and the new students learned some unique things about what makes our school special.    

We will work especially hard on organization this year to help your student be successful.  We organized our desks, our pencil boxes and pouches and even our binders.  Checking in regularly on your student's planner and helping clean out their binder will help your student be successful this year.  

Students brought home their textbooks to cover and a syllabus stating my expectations.  Also listed are the times that I will be available to tutor:  Tuesday and Thursday until 5:00.  Please contact me ahead of time if possible

Please contact me at cpoteet@stpx.org if you have any more questions or comments.  .