Nov. Pirate Press

THE PIRATE PRESS Hannibal Accelerated Middle School Newsletter Volume 16, No. 3

Published Monthly

November 2006 Edition

3. Current grade reports that are issued approximately once per month (Progress reports, Quarter grades, Semester grades) 4. Office referred discipline incidents and the actions taken with your child 5. Lunch account balance 6. Fines owed by your child

* ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS * STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES Student-Led Conferences will be held from 3:30 to 7:30 P.M. Tuesday, November 7 and 3:30 to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday, November 8. Teams will be communicating with parents to schedule times. During the conference, parents and students review work collected in a portfolio. The parent and student evaluate progress and then plan together where and how efforts will be focused for improvement. To assist you in this process, first quarter grade cards will be distributed Friday, November 3. This enables you to view your child’s grades at home prior to attending the conference. Teachers will be available throughout these conferences to answer any questions from students or parents. If you would prefer to have a round table conference with your child’s teacher, please call us to schedule a round table at another time. We are pleased to inform you that the Hannibal Middle School library will be hosting a       Scholastic Book Fair during this time also. We hope you will join us and help your student in planning for future academic success.

In order to participate in this opportunity we need your email address. Please email us at [email protected] and include the phrase “MS Parent Link enrollment” in the subject line and provide your students’ names in the message. Soon after you email us, we will reply with your user ID and password so you may begin to access Parent Link as often as you like.

STUDENT OF THE MONTH September

PARENTLINK NEWS We are pleased to announce that ParentLink will be available to parents of middle school students. The ParentLink program allows parents to use the Internet to track their child’s progress at school. Parents have access on a daily basis to the following information: 1. Current day attendance 2. Teachers’ grade book including scores on every assignment, test, quiz, project, etc.

Brandon Coleton Davie 1

Kara Lockwood

Lake

Courtney LaForce

Lauren Shepherd

Adara Reeves

and is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Shepherd. She is a member of the youth group at Clover Road Christian Church and is in the Young Astronaut Club. She enjoys playing basketball and loves to play and watch all other sports. She is on the honor roll, is Mathlete of the Month, and always gets the B.U.G. Award. She enjoys collecting things like basketballs and glass bottles. Taryn Dungan is in the eighth grade and is the daughter of Missy Douglas and Kenny Douglas, and Ron and Connie Dungan. She is a member of the “Just Say No” youth group at Hannibal Free Will Baptist Church. She participates in softball, track, and is a basketball cheerleader. She is on the “A” honor roll and a Student of the Month. She enjoys running and softball.

Taryn Dungan

* 6TH GRADE TEAM NEWS * BEARS

The faculty of Hannibal Middle School selects students from each class to recognize as Students of the Month. The following were selected for the month of September: Brandon Davie is in the sixth grade and is the son of Chad Davie and Joni Fusselman. He is a member of the band, Young Astronauts Club and Math Club. He participates in basketball. He earned all A’s in the fourth quarter and won 10th place in the Math Contest. He enjoys playing basketball, playing outside, and playing football. Kara Lockwood is in the sixth grade and is the daughter of Keith and Kelly Lockwood. She is a member of Clover Road Christian Church youth group and Drama Club. She participates in volleyball, basketball, softball, and soccer. She has a B.U.G. Award, Courtesy Award, and is on the honor roll. She enjoys sports, running, talking on the phone, and hanging out with friends. Coleton Lake is in the sixth grade and is the son of Tim and Angie Lake. He is a member of the band and Student Council. He participates in hunting, fishing, and baseball. He was on the “A” Honor Roll for making A’s all year. He enjoys playing guitar and trumpet and also enjoys fishing and hunting. Courtney LaForce is in the seventh grade and is the daughter of Steve and Kelly LaForce. She is a member of the Church of the Nazarene youth group. She participates in softball, basketball, and swimming and is on the honor roll. She enjoys reading and collecting knick-knacks and stuffed animals. Adara Reeves is in the seventh grade and is the daughter of Antwoine and Melanie Reeves. She is a member of the Drama Club. She was fifthgrade Student of the Year and was on the “A” Honor Roll. She enjoys playing piano and making crafts. Lauren Shepherd is in the eighth grade

MR. HULL-SCIENCE MRS. UTTERBACK-SOCIAL STUDIES MRS. TUCKER-ENGLISH MRS. GREVING-MATH MISS KING-LD

Study sessions for Bears students are offered Tuesday and Thursday. Study session time is 3:05 - 3:50 PM. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. Please feel free to contact us, if you have a concern. We also encourage you to continue to sign the planner each day so you know what work your child has each evening. Your support is appreciated. The entire Bear’s Team has been working hard to raise money for the purchase of SMART Boards and digital projectors. This technology will allow our students an interactive, hands-on environment with the ability to expand their knowledge outside the classroom. Thanks to all the Bear’s students who have been giving their time to work concession stands at the football games. The Bear’s teachers have had a great time getting to know our students outside of the classroom. Social studies students are going to be studying various religions, government styles, and types of architecture. They will also be looking at economics from a global standpoint. During this month we will also begin to prepare for History Day. Students will be expected 2

to do a History Day project. Throughout the next couple of months, students will be researching their chosen topic and organizing the information to put together into their finished project. Their final History Day project will be worth 200 points. Bears English classes have just finished the unit on sentences. We will now put this knowledge to use by writing more descriptive sentences, paragraphs and research papers. Our next unit of study will be on the parts of speech with our first lessons about the different kinds of nouns. The students continue to write journal entries and complete word practices each day. We are also working on our yearlong Sixth Grade Scrapbooking project. Be sure to ask your child at student-led conferences to see what they have completed so far. Math students are well into the second unit of the year called, “Bits and Pieces I.” In this unit the students will be able to develop a deep understanding of rational numbers. Your child will also be learning about fractions, decimals, and percents, and will become comfortable moving among these three representations. We will be working on problems that reflect different contexts and that involve writing, comparing, and ordering fractions and decimals. If anyone is interested, I am available on Tuesdays for study sessions to provide extra help. I encourage parents to utilize the SIS parent link to check for missing assignments. In science we have just tested over the ecosystem. We will be moving on to cells and genetics. There will be fun labs over this topic. If you did not ask your child about the recent field trips to Continental Cement and the Riverboat, please do. Students were allowed to take fossils from Continental Cement. We are looking forward to seeing many parents at the student-led conferences on November 7th and 8th. Your child will be bringing home information about this including a sheet asking you for the day and time you would like to attend. Your child will have many things to share with you!

LIONS

MRS. SCOTT-SOCIAL STUDIES MRS. SMITH-LD MRS. MCLAUGHLIN-MATH MRS. KENT-SCIENCE MRS. MOSLEY-ENGLISH

Study sessions for Lions students are offered Tuesday and Thursday. Study session time is 3:05 - 3:50 PM. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. During the last couple weeks of October and the month of November we will study ecosystems. During this time we will talk about how organisms get energy, where they live and what factors they need in order to survive. You child will be given this information in several different ways through the use of technology. This unit is very exciting and has a lot of hands on activities. Be sure to ask about the owl pellet lab. We just finished our unit on geography and took our big test. The students did very well. We have now started our unit on North America. The students are studying the geography, landmarks, climate/vegetation, and much more. The students will be making portfolios of all of their work for North America. We will soon start discussing history day papers and projects. All students are encouraged to participate in History Day! In English, we have finally completed our autobiographies and can’t wait to share them with you at our student-led conferences. We are also wrapping up a short unit on fragments and run-on sentences. We will begin our November packet, which will consist of many different kinds of writings. In addition, we will begin our grammar study of nouns. The children will learn about common/proper nouns, singular/plural nouns, and possessive nouns. Thanks, to all who sent cans for our canned food drive, as well as those who sent contributions for the United Way. We have such a giving group! During the month of November the math students will continue working in Bits and Pieces I. This is the first of three units to help develop an understanding of fractions, decimals, and percents. 3

We will continue to work on becoming more comfortable moving between these three representations of rational numbers. The problems will involve writing, comparing, and ordering fractions and decimals. This unit makes use of models, such as fraction strips, number lines, and grids. At home it will help your child if you discuss how fractions, decimals, and percents are used in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.

challenging and the projects have made for good conversation. Harry Potter has discovered "Diagon Alley," as we read aloud from Year One, The Sorcerers’ Stone. In Mr. Schieferdecker's English class, students are learning about prepositions, prepositional phrases, and finishing their autobiographies. In Exploratory, students are rapping up their first speeches. There will be more to come in the upcoming months for students to explore! In Mrs. Sanders' reading class, we will begin an adventure series of books. Students are getting spelling lists and are supposed to get them signed by a parent or guardian. Some students are not getting that accomplished, so I am not sure if parents know that students have spelling. Pegasus science classes will finish up our earth science unit. We will finally get to dissect owl pellets. That is always a good time. We will continue studying food webs and different types of symbiosis. As we get closer to the end of November we will begin studying our life science portion of our book. In that portion of our book we will cover cells, genetics, and heredity. I hope to see everyone at student-led conferences! This month, we will continue working on Bits and Pieces 1: Understanding Fractions, Decimals, and Percents. In this unit, your child will learn the meanings of fractions, decimals, and percents. Students will also become comfortable moving among these three representations of rational numbers. You can help you child with his or her work for this unit in several ways: 1. With your child, find examples of how fractions, decimals, and percents are used in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. 2. Look over your child's homework and make sure all questions are answered and that explanations are clear. 3. Have your child pick a question that was interesting to him or her and explain it to you. As always, if you have questions or concerns about this unit or your child's progress in class, please feel free to call.

PEGASUS

MRS. SANDERS-SCIENCE MRS. STOLTE-MATH MRS. BREWER-SOCIAL STUDIES MRS. EPKER-ENGLISH MR. SCHIEFERDECKER-LD

Study sessions for Pegasus students are offered Tuesday and Thursday. Study session time is 3:05 - 3:50 PM. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. Students will begin a grammar study of nouns. You may hear your child talking about the Macaroni Test! After studying dialogue and quotation marks, students will begin working in groups of two to create a conversation poster. In place of the quotation marks and commas, students will be using macaroni! We continue working on grammar and punctuation through our daily oral language lessons and through our sponge activities. In reading, Mrs. Epker's class is working on the play Damon and Pythias. We will present the play to the rest of the team. To stay current on class activities and grades remember to check out our class web page! http://www.teacherweb.com/MO/Hannibal/Epker/ In Mr. Schieferdecker's Reading class, students are finishing one of our favorite books, There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom, by Louis Sachar. We have done a few projects with the books that the students have found both fun and 4

Congratulations to Comets Mathletes for their assignment completion, problem solving, class participation, and positive attitude. September Mathletes are: Block 2- Adara Reeves Block 3- Cameron Inman Block 4- Jessica Hill Block 5- Bethany Brocaille Block 7- Mikayla Todd Block 8- Danny Sawyer October Mathletes are: Block 2- Paul Davis Block 3- Hayley Bross Block 4- Samantha Lane Block 5- Cody Mundle Block 7- Jacob McLerren Block 8- Meagan Maisel November greetings from Mr. Baker's class! The month of October was a busy one for Comet historians, as we completed presentations on North American explorers from England, the Netherlands, and Spain and got into an in-depth study of the thirteen English colonies and their early history. November's chilly breezes will blow in some exciting days in Room 119. We will begin studying the economic and technological development of the English colonies and eventually, by the end of the month, start looking into the decades leading up to the American Revolution. Also, we'll take a couple of days early in the month to discuss the big issues our parents will be voting on in the November 7 elections. I hope students will understand that this isn't just about mudslinging advertisements on TV! Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Have a happy Thanksgiving and a great November! Comet Reading students will soon be starting their first class novel. Students will select from many tried and true titles guaranteed to captivate their interest and take them on a vicarious journey, by way of the characters, to another time, place, and lifestyle. Students are expected to be an active participant in the group, which will serve to positively impact their reading experience. In addition to experiencing good literature, students are expected to write meaningful responses about the books. Students must clearly communicate their thoughts and feelings and support their responses with details from the text. Continue to encourage your child to participate in our school’s new reading incentive program. The new quarter starts in November and with it is the new theme, “Reading, I’m loving it!” Watch for information coming home about this! Thursday and Friday, October 19 and 20, were our Mark Twain/Tom Sawyer enrichment days. We began at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum. Next we toured the Mark Twain Cave and had lunch at the cave’s shelter house Then we

* 7TH GRADE TEAM NEWS * COMETS

MRS. DAVIS-LD MISS BLACKBURN-SCIENCE MRS. ERVIN-READING MR. BAKER-HISTORY MRS. ALBERTSON-MATH MRS. LYNG-ENGLISH

Study sessions for Comet students are offered on Tuesday and Thursday. Study session time is 3:05 - 3:50 PM. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. The Comet science classes will be identifying and describing forces of nature. Students will take part in class demonstrations showing Newton’s laws of motion. Cooperative groups will create race tracks and do time trials using toy vehicles. Students will practice distance and time measurement and then calculate acceleration and speed. Rube Goldberg machine drawings will be studied to help students identify the uses of simple machines. Students will then create their own drawing of a complex machine involving three simple machines. This month, in math, we are continuing our unit on Variables and Patterns. So far the students have been conducting experiments and making tables and coordinate graphs of the data. The students are learning to tell the story of the graphs. They are describing situations that change over time and seeing how variables are related. Soon we will be writing equations to describe patterns they observe in the changing situations. As always, if you have questions or concerns about this unit or your child's progress in mathematics, feel free to call or e-mail. 5

were off on a cemetery tour: Mt. Olivet (members of the Clemens family, Joe Douglas, Clarence Earl Gideon, and many other notable Hannibalians), Riverside (Jewish cemetery, Jake Beckley, the Cruickshank crypt), and the Old Baptist Cemetery (the model for the cemetery in Tom Sawyer). We would like to thank the Mark Twain Home Foundation and the owners of the Mark Twain Cave for their generosity. Our admission to these two sites were free. We would be unable to provide this valuable field experience if not for their generosity. Comet English students have been learning how to write letters properly. Students chose recipients for their friendly and business letters. Many grandparents are in states of shock after receiving handwritten letters from their grandchildren! Students are encouraged to share their responses with their English classes. Our next focus area will be that all-time favorite, the parts of speech, and from there we move on to poetry. Look out Walt Whitman, here come the Comet poets.

drawing of a complex machine involving three simple machines. This month, in math, we are continuing our unit on Variables and Patterns. So far the students have been conducting experiments and making tables and coordinate graphs of the data. The students are learning to tell the story of the graphs. They are describing situations that change over time and seeing how variables are related. Soon we will be writing equations to describe patterns they observe in the changing situations. As always, if you have questions or concerns about this unit or your child's progress in mathematics, feel free to call or e-mail. Congratulations to Sirius Mathletes for their assignment completion, problem solving, class participation, and positive attitude. September Mathletes are: Block 1- Erin Allen Block 3- Victoria Dudgeon Block 4- Gunnar Person Block 5- Gabe Johnson Block 7- Rosha Williams Block 8- Krystal Ferguson October Mathletes are: Block 1 – Kane Laks Block 3 – Jazmin Adams Block 4- Ashley Stevenson Block 5- Alexis Hunold Block 7- Stephanie Willing Block 8- Michael Maple Sirius Reading students will soon be starting their first class novel. Students will select from many tried and true titles guaranteed to captivate their interest and take them on a vicarious journey, by way of the characters, to another time, place, and lifestyle. Students are expected to be an active participant in the group, which will serve to positively impact their reading experience. In addition to experiencing good literature, students are expected to write meaningful responses about the books. Students must clearly communicate their thoughts and feelings and support their responses with details from the text. Continue to encourage your child to participate in our school’s new reading incentive program. The new quarter starts in November and with it is the new theme, “Reading, I’m loving it!” Watch for information coming home about this! Welcome to second quarter, Sirius History students and parents! We have just finished our unit about explorers and the beginnings of slavery and we are now ready to begin learning about the American colonies. We will be learning about the original thirteen colonies and the different people involved with colonization. We will also be studying the first Thanksgiving. There is much to be thankful for during this month of Thanksgiving and I feel blessed to have such a wonderful group of students!

SIRIUS

MRS. ODOM-MATH MRS. HAGENAH-HISTORY MR. WRIGHT-ENGLISH MRS. JOHNSTON-SCIENCE MRS. BOOKER-LD MRS. PARK-READING

Study sessions are offered in math and keyboarding each Tuesday and Thursday. All other teachers will assign study sessions as needed. Your student will bring home a signed form if a study session is required. Study session time is 3:05 – 3:50 P.M. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. The Sirius science classes will be identifying and describing forces of nature. Students will take part in class demonstrations showing Newton’s laws of motion. Cooperative groups will create race tracks and do time trials using toy vehicles. Students will practice distance and time measurement and then calculate acceleration and speed. Rube Goldberg machine drawings will be studied to help students identify the uses of simple machines. Students will then create their own 6

Please continue to check planners and watch for grade sheets to come home with an update of their grade. Also, you may sign up and use Parent Link and that will help both you and your student keep up with their work. I am looking forward to seeing all of you at Student-Led Conferences. Sirius English students are reading for details, sequencing information, and making inferences. Also, writing a friendly letter and a business letter along with spelling completes our studies at this time.

television, or in magazines. In addition, paying attention to the local weather forecast and whether or not forecaster’s predictions are accurate could be interesting for your child. Please continue to monitor your child’s notebook and progress on homework. The algebra students have completed their study of linear equations and proportions. They are currently working with graphing relations and functions. This unit involves graphing transformations on the coordinate plane, analyzing relations in equations, graphing linear equations, and working with various functions. This unit requires students to extend their understanding of equations that represent various relationships. This time of year many students seem to lose their focus on school as they look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday break. Please remind your child to stay organized and current with their assignments. Congratulations to the students earning the award of Mathlete of the Month for their work during the month of September: 2nd block – Jeff Niffen 3rd block (Algebra) – Bhavesh Katbamna 4th block – Lauren Shepherd 5th block – Paul Trenhaile 6th block – Cory Jones 7th block – Madison Kenison October: 2nd block - Nick Louderman 3rd block (Algebra) - Lindsay Linderman 4th block - Lakin Shepherd 5th block - Mackenzie Stratton 6th block - Becki Werner 7th block - Kayla Drebenstedt North Star students have done an incredible job of writing their Fractured Fairy Tales. These are traditional fairy tales with just a little twist. Either the characters are changed, it is written from another character’s perspective, or the location of the traditional story is relocated. These students have really tapped into their creative sides to write these tales and they have practiced using their 6 + 1 writing skills to complete this project. As part of our English class we continue to work on parts of speech and grammar. We recently finished reading Stuck In Neutral. Students seemed to enjoy the story even though it had a controversial ending. We will begin a new read aloud soon. Along with the read aloud, all of the 8th grade English classes get the opportunity to check out library books every two weeks. Ask your student what book they have been reading lately. Nothing But The Truth by Avi is the novel that all students are currently reading together. It is a documentary novel – told in the form of school memos, diary entries, letters, radio talk show transcripts, and dialogue.

* 8TH GRADE TEAM NEWS * NORTH STARS

MS. REDD-MATH MR. TRULLINGER-SOCIAL STUDIES MRS. WILLIAMS-ENGLISH MRS. DENTON-SCIENCE MRS. GOODING-LD

Study sessions for North Star students are offered on Tuesday and Thursday with other dates available by appointment. Study session time is 3:05 - 3:50 PM. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. History students will complete our unit on the West in November. We will then take a look at the industrialization of the country in the years following the Civil War. This unit will include an examination of the impact of the transcontinental railroad and many of the new inventions that changed American life. We will also consider the growth of cities and labor unions. The math students have completed the introduction unit involving algebraic reasoning. They are currently studying the unit called “What Do You Expect?” This unit teaches students about probability and expected value. They are exploring long-range expectations in probability situations and learning how to make better predictions. You can help your child work with these ideas by noticing situations involving probability in the newspaper, on 7

North Star science is entering their unit on cells. We will be looking at the function of cells as well as how they work in our bodies. We will be "making" cells, working in groups and participating in labs.

The algebra students have completed their study of linear equations and proportions. They are currently working with graphing relations and functions. This unit involves graphing transformations on the coordinate plane, analyzing relations in equations, graphing linear equations, and working with various functions. This unit requires students to extend their understanding of equations that represent various relationships. This time of year many students seem to lose their focus on school as they look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday break. Please remind your child to stay organized and current with their assignments. Congratulations to the students earning the award of Mathlete of the Month: September: 2nd block – Taryn Dungan 3rd block – Emma Burditt 4th block – Lairyn McGregor 6th block – Emily Spurgeon 7th block – Kathryn Leicht 8th block – David Colborn October: 2nd block: Addy Nemes 3rd block: Dustin Wisdom 4th block: Chris Decorte 6th block: Taylor Bailey 7th block: Kailey Wessel 8th block: Erica Graham Mr. Greenwell’s history classes will be studying westward expansion of the United States. Special attention will be given to the California gold rush and also to the plight of Native American Indians. Satellite students have completed their Fractured Fairy Tale writing pieces. They were very creative and delightful to read. I know you will enjoy reading your child’s story during student-led conferences. Starting in November, Satellite students will be reading the novel The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton. They will have some time in class to read, but you should expect to see the novel most nights. We will continue with our 6+1 Traits of writing study and also focus on grammar skills. You should be seeing a grade sheet come home about every week. I offer extra credit for parent signatures on these grade reports. You may also check your child’s progress on ParentLink.

SATELLITES

MRS. YOUSESCIENCE MR. GREENWELLHISTORY MRS. BAUMENGLISH MS. EIGHINGERMATH MRS. CISSNA -LD

Study sessions for Satellite students are offered on Tuesday with other dates available by appointment. Study session time is 3:05 - 3:50 PM. Activity buses are available on Tuesday and Thursday to transport students home after study sessions and activities. In science, students are in the middle of the unit on cells. Since this is their first exposure to cells, we are moving a bit slower than usual. There is much new vocabulary and there will be a research report on different types of viruses coming up. Students seem to be enjoying the new text book we have this year. In fact, all of the texts we use in science are brand new. As always, please check the school website for assignment listing and the extra credit question “Mystery Question,” or an easy, convenient way to reach me. The math students have completed the introduction unit involving algebraic reasoning. They are currently studying the unit called “What Do You Expect?” This unit teaches students about probability and expected value. They are exploring long-range expectations in probability situations and learning how to make better predictions. You can help your child work with these ideas by noticing situations involving probability in the newspaper, on television, or in magazines. In addition, paying attention to the local weather forecast and whether or not forecaster’s predictions are accurate could be interesting for your child. Please continue to monitor your child’s notebook and progress on homework.

* ENCORE NEWS * INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY MR. MCAFEE MR. GREENING

In Industrial Technology this month we will 8

be finishing the line and measure unit and will be beginning the drafting unit. Students will begin to learn how to draw using the tools and the rules of drafting. This will enable the students to take what they see (whether real or in their minds) and develop the first step in creating it. Students will investigate the areas of orthographic, isometric, and perspective drawings and how these may apply to their individual projects. The projects that will be coming up this month will be the stepping stone and the drafting project of the house of the future. In addition, students will begin working with their PBE projects. These Performance Based Exercises will teach them the basic uses of many of the tools, machines, and concepts that will be needed to complete the year’s work in this class. In addition, we have started the ITE Club meetings. Any student interested in joining the ITE Club must talk to me about the requirements for club members. Have a good year.

[email protected] The seventh grade keyboarding classes are finishing the practice lessons for the correct fingering of the letter keys. For this group of seventh graders, keyboarding class is half over. During the month of November, students will work on improving their keying techniques. Emphasis is on using the correct fingering. Keeping eyes on the book, not on the keyboard or monitor, is of utmost importance. As a goal, the textbook suggests that students increase their keying rate on sentences and short paragraphs by approximately one word each lesson. Using Microsoft Word, students will learn how to set tabs. Setting tabs allows students to indent paragraphs and to align columns in tables. Students will key several tables using tab stops. We will be typing an assignment that uses proofreader’s marks. The bullet feature and column feature of Microsoft Word will also be used to complete assignments. As keyboarding class progresses, proofreading becomes more important. Some students are already applying their keyboarding and proofreading skills as they’ve been typing assignments for other classes. Interspersed with keying practice, students will work on Internet search strategies. The students will complete two Internet scavenger hunts. Also in November, the students will start working with Excel. Sirius students are welcome to stay after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work on missing assignments or to type an assignment for another class.

LIFE SKILLS MRS. SCHNELLE MRS. EDWARDS

Mrs. Edwards’ classes are getting ready for our sewing unit. Students need to bring $1.25 to pay for the pattern, their material, thread to match, and elastic. If they are making a pillow, they'll need additional material and stuffing. This is a fun unit and students will end up with a pair of pajama pants to take home. Happy Thanksgiving to you. This month, Mrs. Schnelle’s classes are starting on nutrition. We will be studying the five food groups. We will be paying special attention to the milk group focusing on the importance of calcium in everyone’s diet, especially teens. Toward the end of the month, we hope to be in the kitchen.

ART DEPARTMENT MRS. GOSNEY MRS. EDWARDS MR. MYERS

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

In Mr. Myers’ seventh grade art classes our mask unit has come to an end. Our masks were outstanding and extremely creative. Our next unit is our drawing unit. We will be learning a variety of techniques that will improve our drawing. Students will start out with a simple graphing project. Next we will move on to a great many different things designed to help students see drawing in a new way. Key terms like dimension, shape, form, and light source will all become important to our seventh grade artists. Be sure to ask your child how they did on our color quiz. Students in Mrs. Gosney’s classes have been working on one point perspective drawings of a Halloween or Fall House. I am expanding the project, continuing with one point perspective landscapes. These are being done with graphite and charcoal, the minimum requirement is that

MR. HARRISON MISS STRAIT

Classes are progressing quite nicely. They have done numerous projects in MS Word and Excel. We've covered three units from our book and many additional activities that support the skills covered by the book. Projects we've undertaken include: Earthquakes (Excel), Crossword Puzzle Creation (Excel), Biography of a Famous Person (Word), Technology Terminology (Google and Word), Progress Report Project (Excel), and Adding, Subtracting, Multiplying, Dividing Integers using Cell References and Formulas (Excel). As always, should you have any questions, feel free to email me at the address below: 9

students have two buildings, one road and one fence going to the vanishing point, being aware of perspective and shading and shadows. Most students seem to understand one point perspective and are doing a great job on the projects. Students are finishing a gourd-ghost as a sponge. Students have come up with some interesting characters. This is an introduction to the three dimensional gourd project that I will be introducing in a few weeks for an extensive three dimensional project. Mrs. Edwards’ classes next unit will be on color. Students who do not have markers need to purchase them. We will study the primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. We will look at color schemes such as warm colors, cool colors, primary colors, secondary colors, complementary colors, monochromatic colors, etc... This is a very fun and colorful unit. Happy Thanksgiving to you.

The seventh grade choir, Pirate Ladies, and the Pirate Singers are beginning their Christmas songs and perfecting sight singing skills. Vocalocity, the sixth grade after school choir, continues to practice Thursdays 3:10 – 4:00. Any student who would like to join us is most welcome. We have a GREAT group of students but the more the merrier. The fundraising campaign was a huge success!! Thank you for the support, this would not be possible without your support. We were able to purchase new outfits for the Pirate Ladies, guitars and keyboards. The 7th & 8th Grade Honors Choir will begin November 7 at 7:15 a.m. This is open to any 7 th or 8th grade student. Even students who are not in choir have an opportunity to sing. Hope to see you there! The STAR students of the month of September are 6/7 – Courtney LaForce and 8 – Nathan Blackburn. These students have exhibited excellent talent and hard work. Congratulations!

FOREIGN LANGUAGE MRS. WRIGHT

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

The Spanish students have been learning the verb “to be” along with articles and subject pronouns. They are also learning the colors and soon they will be studying regular –ar verbs. This will allow students to make more complex Spanish sentences. The French students have been studying the verb “to have” as well as school-related vocabulary. Our book puts a lot of emphasis on writing and I am very pleased with how well they are learning to write as well as speak French. As the students prepare for vocabulary quizzes and chapter tests, don’t forget that parents can be an important part of helping them learn the information. I stay after school for tutoring until 4:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please encourage your student to stay for help with assignments and test preparation.

MR. NELSON MRS. ROBERTS MR. PANULA

The Advanced Band is working in sectionals to focus on musical and technical skills necessary to play pieces of music. We have a regular warm-up of exercises in different key signatures and rhythms exercises. The students are tested on these exercises and scales on a regular basis via Smartmusic, so you should see instruments home to do some practicing. We will also work as a full band this year as we get closer to concert times. We continue to pass out different styles of music for them to experience. The Intermediate Band is continuing to work mainly on technique exercises in our new method books. We constantly challenge our students to improve their playing skills and these method books are a way to introduce new concepts and skills to them. We test these exercises continually, using the Smartmusic technology, so your student should be practicing at a consistent basis. Along with their method books, they are getting to experience the ‘ensemble’ sound that a full band produces as we introduce new concert band works to them. Advanced Band and Intermediate Band will have their first concert December 14, 2006 . Please check the band website for more specific times and details. The Beginning Bands are making good progress in their method books. Every page introduces a new skill and it is important that each student practice his or her instrument every night,

VOCAL MUSIC DEPARTMENT MRS. ROBERTSON MR. HARVEY

Congratulations on the fine work presented by the music students at the annual fall concert. You did a great job! The sixth grade students currently are learning note names and values, playing their recorders, singing and music reading skills. The music appreciation students have completed learning about the Baroque and Classical music periods. It is time to begin their guitar unit. They will learn to play basic chords and to use them in simple songs. 10

even for a short while. If a new skill is not learned, the introduction of new skills will make it just that much harder to catch up with the rest of the class. For example: all the students have learned 6 notes. If someone cannot match the sight of the note on the staff with the appropriate finger combination and proper sound, it will be nearly impossible to play the note or combination of notes with the proper rhythm for that exercise. Band students test every few class periods, so please encourage your student to spend some time on their instrument each night. Practice sheets are also part of the student’s weekly and quarterly grade! Please visit the band department’s webpage at: HREF="http://www.teacherweb.com/MO/Hannibal/d higbee/" MACROBUTTON HtmlResAnchor http://www.teacherweb.com/MO/Hannibal/dhigbee/ and follow the links to the HHS band webpage at HREF="http://www.hannibalbands.com/" MACROBUTTON HtmlResAnchor www.hannibalbands.com . Both of these pages will provide you with pertinent information about upcoming events, assignments, and details of the band program.

MR. ZESSIN

AHOY! MATES~First I would like to congratulate the September Health Stars for the Month. They are: Kane Laks, Jacob McLerren, Whitney Creech, Connor Brown, Jake Grimes, Mikayla Todd, Holly Hayden, Adara Reeves, Peyton Murphy, Logan Rhodes, Blake Boren, Cody Mundle, Wes Blankenship and Paul Davis. These students did a wonderful job forging ahead into the first month of Health! Thank you for your efforts! October found us exploring our skeletal and muscular systems with my good mate Captain Bones. We continued by wading through the bloody vessels of the circulatory system where we found our hearts and the purpose of miles and miles of vessels that are needed to provide nutrition and oxygen to our living tissues. After so much work we headed to the galley to see what nutritious meals and snacks we could devour to keep us energized and healthy for our long voyage ahead. The food pyramid will help us to make good food choices to sustain our energy so we don’t get sleepy heading into the cold winter months. This will also lead us down the eerie channel of the digestive and excretory systems as our bodies break down the foods to use the good and throw away the bad! All for now! Remember mates, it is not the quantity of treasure we seek, but the quality of Health that will provide us a lifetime of Wellness. Until next time! ARRRGH!

PHYSICAL EDUCATION MR. STEVENSON MR. GRAHAM MRS. HEELEY MRS. LONG MR. NICHOLAS

SPECIAL SERVICES

Greeting from the physical education department. This past quarter, the students have participated in many different activities. Students have enjoyed flag football, softball, badminton, and pickleball. We encourage each student to give their best effort everyday in class and watch their skills grow. In the following months we will have units including floor hockey, basketball, volleyball and social dance. Keep up the good work The Physical Education Department would like to congratulate the following students for being chosen as September Student of the Month: Coach Nicholas - Paul Davis Coach Graham - Austin Martin Coach Heeley - Sarah Hammock Coach Long - Katie Merrell Coach Stevenson – Joel Shrum Congratulations to the October Students of the Month Coach Nicholas - Dalton Powell Coach Graham - Danny Sawyer Coach Stevenson - Gunnar Person Coach Heely - Adara Reeves Coach Long - Mikayla Todd

MRS. GOODING MRS. CISSNA MISS TALLEY MISS KING MRS. PRICE MRS. BOOKER MR. SCHIEFERDECKER MRS. SMITH MR. CLAYTON MS. MARTH MS. HERNANDEZ MRS. DAVIS

Become a Successful Advocate for Your Child 7 Steps To Being Your Child's Best Advocate: 1. Positive Parent/Teacher Relationships. Positive interactions between parents/teacher are best for your child. Share your views, offer advice and become a good working team. Touch base often, share concerns in a friendly manner always anticipating outcomes. 2. Be Well Informed About Your Child's Needs. Learn as much as you possibly can about your child's needs. Ask good questions! Find out who the organizations and professionals are regarding the needs of your child and learn as much as you can. 3. Be a Note Taker.

HEALTH 11

Keep good records. Keep a running diary/journal of all correspondence you have with the school staff, organizations, support services, phone calls etc. A record of all verbal and written dialogue will help you to become an expert on your child's program and needs. 4. Keep and File Records the School Is Sending. Always keep copies of records or information that is kept in the student's file at school. Make sure you save all letters, documentation, program plans, conference notes and anything else pertinent to your child's education. Make this a part of your regular record keeping. 5. Ask Questions. Be candid, if you don't understand terms being used, ask for clarification. Make sure you completely understand the process, procedures, planning and interventions being discussed on behalf of your child. Getting the answers to the questions you may have will avoid any sense of frustration. 6. Include Your Child. The whole process is about your child. Talk to your child, your child's point of view is very important; he/she should not be left out of the loop. His or her feelings are extremely important. 7. Remain Positive and Think Positive. Sometimes this is the most difficult step. How do you get positive outcomes? Certainly, it isn't by becoming aggressive. Build a productive working team by remaining positive. Remember: anger, hostility, aggression and frustration will not be productive in ensuring the best program is in place for your child. A 2-way trusting relationships will maximize your child's benefits. From the article: Become Your Child's Best Advocate by HREF="http://specialed.about.com/mbiopage.htm" MACROBUTTON HtmlResAnchor Sue Watson As found at http://specialed.about.com/od/iep/a/advocat.htm

enthusiastic mathletes this school year! DRAMA CLUB Students may join Drama Club by paying dues of $2.00 to Mrs. Lyng in Room 123. This membership provides free admission to Drama Club’s fall play. Drama Club meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month through March from 3:103:50 in the auditorium. You must be a member of Drama Club in order to participate in the plays. In the spring, we also produce a Shakespeare Festival. This year’s festival will feature the comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. As in the past, we rely heavily on the generosity of our parents and grandparents. If you are willing to share your time and talents (sewing, set construction, publicity, etc.), please contact Mrs. Lyng. We are also in the market for costumes, especially leotards, tights, turtlenecks, formals, and any other period clothing. Questions? Email me at [email protected] or call the school, 2215840.

* CLUB NEWS * MATH CLUB The first meeting for Math Club was held on Thursday, September 7, after school in room 14. Membership is increasing this year …hurray for H.M.S.! The Math Club will meet EVERY Thursday throughout the school year. If you are involved in other clubs/activities and are interested in participating, please talk to your math teacher. Sponsors for the club are Mrs. Connie Dewey and Mrs. Heidi Greving. If you have any questions, please see one of the sponsors or talk to your math teacher. We look forward to including many 12