Middle
September 11, 2020
Head of Middle School Takes Students on a Virtual Tour
While Middle School students were at home participating in remote learning during the first week of school, Head of the Middle School Bill Waskowitz gave them a peek at new safety measures enacted on campus over the summer. Using his iPad camera, Waskowitz walked students, who were logged on via Zoom, through the building, as well as The Schiff Center and Stoehr Gym. “Providing our Middle School students the chance to virtually see the numerous changes that were made to make our Middle School spaces safe for students was of paramount importance,” Waskowitz said. “Our students needed to ‘see’ these many changes, such as our revised traffic flow patterns, and classroom reconfigurations, before they literally came to school. Creating a sense of comfort and familiarity is essential for this age group, allowing them to confidently be themselves at this stage of their development.”
Life Science Students Examine Living, Non-living Things via Microscopes
Sixth-graders in Karen Glum and Jennifer Licata’s life science classes spent the first few weeks of the school year learning the difference between living and non-living things. In a recent experiment, students determined whether a “mystery pollutant” was living or nonliving by running a variety of tests. The activity also included a lesson on microscope parts, as well as practice using microscopes. “One of the characteristics of life is to be made of one or more cells. Students have to learn how to use microscopes so they can try to determine if the ‘mystery pollutant’ is made of cells,” Licata said. “We will use microscopes again this year when we study cell structure and cell division so these are skills they will continue to develop.” Students participating in the class via Zoom had the opportunity to participate in the experiment with virtual microscopes and use the video call to view the classroom microscopes.
Eighth-grade Latin Students Inscribe Tablets
Eighth-graders in Marcie Handler’s Latin class recently brought the stories they read to life in an interactive lesson. Students are reading Latin stories about the construction of Roman baths and sanctuary at Aquae Sulis, which is located in modern-day England. “Some of the most interesting artifacts found in the excavations in Aquae Sulis are inscribed lead tablets,” Handler said. “People visiting the temple to Minerva-Sulis would inscribe their wishes on a lead tablet and leave it for the deities.” Eighth-graders recreated the tablets by first composing their wishes in Latin and then inscribing the wishes on the tablets in Roman cursive. Handler said Roman cursive was used specifically for writing on lead tablets, wood, and papyrus.
Sixth-graders Study Geography Terminology
Sixth-grade geography teacher And McGarvey is teaching his students how to think like geographers. Students recently learned how geographers organize the data they gather around five themes—location (absolute or relative), place, regions, movements, and human/environmental interaction. Students created presentations about the five themes, researching and sharing a photo that represents each theme. McGarvey said the themes also help students organize and understand the world around them. The lesson also gave students an opportunity to practice their presentation skills.
Seventh-graders Craft Raps in Chinese Class
Mia Wu, Middle and Upper School Chinese language teacher, has found a creative way to reinforce the language with her seventh-grade students. During a recent lesson, Wu asked her students to write a rap using Chinese pronunciations. Students learned how to pronounce Chinese phonetically using pinyin, a tool used to teach the Chinese language, and wrote their raps. Students presented their raps to their classmates. Virtual learners shared their raps via video.
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Five Stingers Sign to Play in College
Five Stingers from the Class of 2024 signed their letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.
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