8th Grade Team Blog

Welcome back to school!  We trust that everyone had a wonderful break.  Please note the following regarding 8th grade:

• We are about to begin our Global Issues Unit in Humanities.  Check out the Global Issues Website to find out more at http://www.earcos.org/gin2009/.
• Student core classes will rotate back to core 1 from 11-12:15 and core 2 from 12:55-2:10 on Monday, January 12.

Tags: , Global Issues, schedule

The 8th grade Eagle Ambassadors have been planning the 8th grade lock-in for this Friday-Saturday.  Please note that only students who returned a signed permission slip before break may pay 70 rmb to attend.  In addition, this lock-in is only open to current SAS-Pudong 8th grade students.  Money is due by Thursday.  Thank you for your support of our 8th grade Eagle Ambassadors and of SAS-Pudong!

Tags: Lock-in, permission slips

Merry Christmas! This week’s SAS winter concerts from Tuesday and Wednesday have been uploaded to YouTube: check out the videos here. I didn’t have a program for the strings performances, so those videos are not yet titled. If you’d like to help me title those videos (song name & composer), then please leave those details in a comment on the YouTube page. Enjoy.

Tags: band, concerts, orchestra, performance, strings, video, youtube

On Friday, December 19th our specialists have planned a fun-filled day for our students.  To add to the team atmosphere and help with movement of groups, each advisory has chosen a color to wear.  Please remember to wear your assigned color next Friday.

Muench– black and white

M. Saich– white

Weiss– purple

Small– green

K. Saich– red

Mangous– dark blue

Thornbury– “Santa” hats (red and white)

Gilli– light blue

Brown– black

Tags: half day color

• Friday is the last day for the used clothing drive.  Please send in donations!
• Humanities classes are finishing up their Heritage Projects next week.  Students are encouraged to get plenty of rest and attend school daily in order to make the most of their time working on the project.  
• Thank you to all involved in the NGO conference on Wednesday.  Please also be sure to check out the post Mr. Chambers put up on Wednesday with pictures from this great event!  

Tags: Heritage project, NGO, used clothes drive

Today we enjoyed a spectacular display of knowledge-meets-action from all of our 8th grade N.G.O. groups!

Tags: collaborative, conservation, environment, Learning, NGO, planning, problem solving, projects, science, solutions

Dear 8th Grade Parents,

The 8th grade Eagle Ambassadors are planning an overnight lock-in at school on January 9th, 

and we need your to help!  The Eagle Ambassadors are taking the lead in planning this overnight 

venture that will start at 3:15 p.m. on Friday and conclude at 8:00 a.m. Saturday.  We have teachers 

and staff members lined up to help, but we could use your support, too!  How can you help?  We need:

- parents willing to shop for snacks, milk (for breakfast cereal potluck), plastic spoons, disposable bowls, 

napkins, etc.

- parents willing to run the popcorn machine Friday evening from 4:00-8:00 

- parents willing to bake items for the students to snack on throughout the night

- parents willing to help with check in at 3:15

- parents willing to help monitor activities from 3:15-midnight

- parents willing to help with clean up at 7:00 a.m.

- parents willing to be available to help with other odds and ends that occur throughout the evening.

The bottom line is that we would love the help of our parent community, so please let us know how you 

can contribute!  Please let Sally know if you’d like to help out.

Sincerely,

Shannon F. Brown, Ed.D.                        Sally WeissGrade 8 Humanities                                     8^th Grade PTSA Coordinator  

Tags: Lock-in, parent help

• This week students began their heritage project in Humanities classes, the final piece in the Journeys Unit.  Within the project students study their backgrounds, explore what has shaped who they are, create a family tree, a character profile, write a narrative and expository essay and construct a digital story.  Because this project asks students to interview a family member to complete theirSign Out family tree and write their personal narrative, it is very important that parents are able to devote sometime to answer questions about family history.  In addition, students are asked to compile photos of their families, ethnicities, nationalities and environments for a digital story about their heritages.  Parental help in getting these pictures together would be very helpful as well.   Finally, it is imperative that students have some access to Word and a computer in order to be able to complete their work.  Mr. Small will have a H.O.T. session on Monday.  Ms. Brown is available on Tuesday for a H.O.T. session.  Students may also go to the computer lab at breaks or during lunch to use computers or the scanner.  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your student’s Humanities teacher. Thank you for your support.

• We would like to invite you to visit the Third Annual 8th Grade Environmental NGO Conference on Wednesday the 10th of December. The event will be open to parents and the whole school community from 1:00-2:45. This is the culminating event for our quarter long Science exploration of Environmental Science, and coming is a great way to show your support for your son/daughter and also learn about current local environmental issues and what our 8th graders think we should do to make change. Students are currently working in groups to develop a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) to address a specific environmental issue facing China. They will be presenting their ideas in a conference-style event on the 10th. It will be an educational and informative event and will be something you won’t want to miss. Please come and see their work and learn from our 8th graders!

• The 8th grade Eagle Ambassadors are planning an 8th grade Lock-in for Friday, January 9. Permission slips will be issued through advisory next week. The lock-in will be from 3 p.m. Friday until8 a.m. Saturday. Transportation will be part of the cost.

• There will be a clothing drive December 8-12.  Clothing will go to Li Min School. The principal said that they would be happy to receive winter clothing for their students. He also mentioned that many of their students are from areas affected by the earthquake and adult clothing would be used and worn well also.

Tags: Heritage project, NGO

• While we do not all celebrate the American Thanksgiving, today is a good time to say that we are thankful for our students, parents, and teaching community in the 8th grade! Thank you for being an important part of our whole!
• We would like to invite you to visit the Third Annual 8th Grade Environmental NGO Conference on Wednesday the 10th of December. The event will be open to parents and the whole school community from 1:00-2:45. This is the culminating event for our quarter long Science exploration of Environmental Science, and coming is a great way to show your support for your son/daughter and also learn about current local environmental issues and what our 8th graders think we should do to make change. Students are currently working in groups to develop a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) to address a specific environmental issue facing China. They will be presenting their ideas in a conference-style event on the 10th. It will be an educational and informative event and will be something you won’t want to miss. Please come and see their work and learn from our 8th graders!
• Humanities students are finishing final drafts of a short story assessment. Mr. Small’s students should turn in their final drafts on Monday. All classes will begin their Heritage projects next week. Please check teacher blogs frequently for updates.
• The 8th grade Eagle Ambassadors are planning an 8th grade Lock-in for Friday, January 9. Permission slips will be issued through advisory next week. The lock-in will be from 3 p.m. Friday until8 a.m. Saturday. Transportation will be part of the cost.
• Tomorrow is the final day for Giving Tree bag donations. Please give items to advisory teachers.
• Science classes took a field trip to the village to collect water samples last week. They tested the water to look at pollution levels.

• There will be a clothing drive December 8-12.  Clothing will go to Li Min School. The principal said that they would be happy to receive winter clothing for their students. He also mentioned that many of their students are from areas affected by the earthquake and adult clothing would be used and worn well also.

Tags: Giving Tree, Humanities, Lock-in, NGO, science, Thanksgiving

• Advisories met together Thursday in the LLH for a grade level meeting. In addition to complimenting students working hard for SLCs, being diligent about turning in homework on time, being kind to one another, having good attendance, and celebrating students who have shown great improvement, outstanding effort and academic excellence, all students were reminded that:
  • the Giving Tree donations should be brought in by next Friday, November 28 to their advisory teachers.
  • they should attend to their personal hygiene.
  • break times are primarily to eat a snack, drink a drink, and use the restroom. Break times should be used wisely.
  • at lunch time students may be in one of four locations: the cafeteria, outside, inside the library, or in the Orange Couch Room until 12:50.
  • backpacks are to be locked in lockers in the morning and left there until 3:00. Backpacks should not be carried to classes.
• Humanities classes will be starting their second half of the Journeys unit on December 1. Students will be completing a heritage project that will help them to focus on their journey thus far and the effect of their heritage on that journey.
• Dr. Brown will start hosting Humanities H.O.T. sessions on Tuesday, December 1.
• Humanities classes were introduced to the Kepler Mission via Mr. Chambers.  Students were asked to consider how this mission to orbit the sun and look for inhabitable planets would be important, tie to our Journeys Enduring Understandings, and impact the students themselves.  Students posted their responses to their blogs, and some students opted to go to the SETI/NASA website to submit their name and writing to go on the DVD that will be on-board the spacecraft and put into the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum– an awesome symbolic journey that any of us have the option to take!

Tags: Advisory meeting, Giving Tree, H.O.T., Kepler Mission