SPRING SHOW DANCE MOVES

Here are SOME MORE ANGLES for the dance

click on the underlined link to practice let it play a while to get the whole dance, it is in pieces.

SUMMER READING PROGRAM

Our Summer Reading Program is above in the links. These are the books your child can choose from to read and write a reflection journal on this summer. All books are available in the Atlantic County Library System.

Important Dates
9- Family Fun Day
12- Rain date for Family Fun Day
13 - Early Dismissal / Project Development
16- Field Trip to Franklin Institute
19 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm
20 - Faculty Meeting
26 - Memorial Day - School Closed
29-Field Trip To Liberty Science Center

*Please send in your box tops, used ink cartridges, old cell phones, and Tyson labels. It is this type of fund raising that makes our field trips affordable. The Franklin Institute trip is paid for through your fund raising efforts!

Family Fun Day- sponsored by the Kindergarten Classes -This event will take place on Friday, May 9th. Please send in a water bottle with your child. and sunscreen and bug repellent should be applied before school. All students will be fed barbecue lunch courtesy of the PTO. If it rains, Lunch will still be provided on Friday, but the rain date will be Monday, May 12th and students will have to provide a bag lunch.

Field Trips——WE NEED CHAPERONES!!!- Franklin Institute- May 16th Chaperones will be Lydia Beckett, Rhonda Fields, and Christina Holmes. We still need one more. ) Students and Chaperones must pack a lunch and arrive to school on time The bus will be leaving at 9am.
Liberty Science Center- May 29th (Chaperones are Lydia Beckett and Rhonda Fields, we still need two more.) Field Trip permission forms are on our website in case your student lost theirs.

Curriculum-
Mathematics- students will be practicing multiplication and division of negative and positive integers using number lines, algebra tiles, and scientific notation.
Language Arts- Students are adding stage directions to their Greek Myth plays. They are starting to think about scenery and staging possibilities for their puppet theatre. Their group participation is key to this activity, because they must rely upon each other. They will start building their puppets in Art class and will be bringing them home to work upon.
Theme- After wrapping up ancient Greece this week, we are moving on to ancient Rome, students will start with the geography that contributed to the rise of the Roman Empire.
Science- Tomorrow is the final for our study of the non-living environment, next week we begin with respiration- Students will describe the functions of the human respiratory system.
Health-Medicine and drugs- students will identify the differences between medicines and drugs, learn how medicines are used, and how they affect the human body.

CHECK GRADES!

Don’t be surprised at the end of the year, keep track of your student’s grades by going online at mygradebook.com. Email me if you have forgotten your password. There are a few students that are neglecting to hand in their homework on time.

The PTO is providing a BBQ lunch for students and teachers for our Family Fun Day on Friday, the 9th of May. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and PB&J will be provided along with a juice/water. We are looking for donations of condiments like ketchup, mustard, pickles or you may wish to contribute a fruit dish or dessert. Please send in a note with your child if they are unable to eat something particular due to allergies/religious reasons.

View these films to boost your math review!
Use windows media to open files, or go to unitedstreaming.com and pick the ones you need to see. You know your username and password. If not, email me.

Proportions

Area

Online test of your math skills

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/2003/grade7/math.htm

Yearbooks Are On Order-

Please get in your forms to order your yearbook by May 1st. Checks should be made out to: GCCS PTO for $25.00. Any books ordered after this date are $30.00.

Kids in the Kitchen- $20.00 Tickets are being sold for our Kids In The Kitchen Event. Extra forms are available in the office. The event takes place April 23rd, at the Rams Head Inn. Tickets are not available at the door. Checks can be made out to the GCCS PTO by April 18th. Participating kids only pay $10.
Family Fun Day- sponsored by the Kindergarten Classes -This event will take place on Friday, May 9th. Please send in a water bottle with your child. and sunscreen and bug repellent should be applied before school. We still need volunteers for this event. Parents can run stations/games, and help out in many ways. Send in a note that you want to volunteer and I will give it to Mrs. Pauls.

Field Trips- Franklin Institute- May 16th (We need chaperones) Liberty Science Center- May 29th (We need chaperones) Field Trip Permission Forms are here in case your student lost theirs.

April Dates

09 - Environmental Celebration/Clean Up (1-3pm)
15 - Faculty Meeting
21 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm
23 - Early Dismissal / Professional Development
24- Take your Child To Work Day
28- ASK TESTING- Students Cannot Miss School
29- ASK TESTING-Students Cannot Miss School
30-ASK TESTING-Students Cannot Miss School
May 1 ASK-TESTING-Students Cannot Miss School

May Dates

1- ASK TESTING-Students Cannot Miss School
2- ASK TESTING-Students Cannot Miss School
9- Family Fun Day
13 - Early Dismissal / Project Development
16- Field Trip to Franklin Institute
19 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm
20 - Faculty Meeting
26 - Memorial Day - School Closed
29-Field Trip To Liberty Science Center

Pictures of Hip-Hop Party

Students and Electronic Devices!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Students may not bring electronic devices, mp3s, cell phones, or electronic games to school or on any school or tour bus. If staff should see a device, teachers and staff will confiscate them and delete all picture and video files before returning them to a parent along with a copy of our policy. This policy is in place to PROTECT our students. If students need to tape or play anything in school, our class has its own video camera, digital camera, ipod nano, and computers. We are well-equipped and do not need anything brought from home. This policy extends to field trips and the school bus to and from school. If a student has a cell phone, it must remain off during school hours or while on our property and it must remain in their backpacks. If you have any questions/concerns about the policy, feel free to attend a Board of Trustees meeting.

Curriculum-

Mathematics- Integers, ASK PREP, Percents re-testing.
Social Studies/Theme- Ancient Greece, Geography of Greece, Culture, government, & religious practices Language Arts- Reading a Play, Drama Vocabulary/Writing a play, ASK PREP in persuasive and speculative writing and reading comprehension.
Health- Media persuasion.
Music- Musical accompaniment to a dramatic piece.
Science-Interactions of Life- the Living Environment.
Long-term Projects- Make a puppet for your Greek play.

Take Your Child To Work Day

The NJ Department of education encourages school districts to participate in “Taking our Children to Work Day” activities by giving students credit for attendance and affording them an opportunity to discuss what they have learned once they return to school. April 24th is the day selected for this year’s program. If you plan on taking your child to work, documentation must be provided from the workplace in order for us to adjust the student attendance records. We encourage participation in this initiative to introduce our children to possible career choices.

The GCCS board of Trustees is considering a revision to the dress code policy. We will let you know what the actual dress code is when it is fully revised and approved.  My apologies for the earlier announcement.

Environmental Celebration-
BE THERE!
Save the date for our annual Environmental Celebration. Students will be presenting their solutions on conservation and preservation problems to the GCCS community on April 9th from 1-3pm. We welcome your attendance and hope to get 100% family participation. Students will also take part in cleaning up our school grounds. We sent home notices regarding supplies we needed for the clean-up, please look at the notice and if you can, send in supplies that you can spare.

IMPORTANT APRIL DATES
09 - Environmental Celebration/Clean Up (1-3pm)
15 - Faculty Meeting
21 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm
23 - Early Dismissal / Kids In the Kitchen!

Curriculum
Theme/ Social Studies/Geography-We have finished our China Unit and are moving on to learn all about Ancient Greece. In this week’s unit your child will learn how the geography of Greece encouraged the development of city-states, and direct democracy in the city-state of Athens.
Mathematics-Percents, Percents, Percents- student will understand and estimate percents using graph paper, manipulatives and numeric calculations.
Science- Our science lab this week illustrates that changes in populations are affected by migration patterns, food-chain disruptions, and climate anomalies.

The Philadelphia 76ers conducted a contest in which one area school will host team mascot Hip-Hop’s birthday party. The school that sent the most birthday cards to Hip-Hop hosts the birthday bash with enough cake for every student in the school. The GCCS students worked together to make over 4,000 birthday cards and won the visit form Hip- Hop. We will celebrate his birthday this Friday at 2pm, students will wear Red, White, and Blue for the event and spent some time making a gigantic Birthday Card to present to the 76ers mascot.
“Hip-Hop is one of the most recognizable mascots in the Greater Philadelphia Region,” said Lara Price, Sixers Senior Vice President of Business Operations. “Hip-Hop would love to share his birthday with everyone. This contest is his way of giving back to the community and sharing the occasion with as many of his fans as possible.”

Ram’s Head Inn will host “Kids in the Kitchen” at 6 p.m. on April 23 to raise awareness and gain community support for Galloway Community Charter School.
Restaurant staff will teach GCCS students how to prepare a three-course meal with style - from napkin folding to menu planning to preparing and serving. Students also will check coats and serve as hosts and hostesses. We are still looking for a few 7th graders to participate in the kitchen, plating the meals. The event begins at 6 p.m., and a donation of $25 per person is requested. Sponsorships in the amounts of $25 and $50 are available. Checks should be made payable to Galloway Community Charter School, 112 S. New York Road, Galloway Township, NJ 08205

Environmental Celebration- Projects are Due!
Save the date for our annual Environmental Celebration. Students will be presenting their solutions on conservation and preservation problems to the GCCS community on April 9th from 1-3pm. We welcome your attendance and hope to get 100% family participation. Students will also take part in cleaning up our school grounds in the morning. Student due dates for their environmental projects are April 1st. They will be making posters that go along with their solutions in class, please send in a tri-fold presentation poster board or poster board with your child before the end of March.

 “Kids in the Kitchen”
Ram’s Head Inn will host “Kids in the Kitchen” at 6 p.m. on April 23 to raise awareness and gain community support for Galloway Community Charter School.
Restaurant staff will teach GCCS students how to prepare a three-course meal with style - from napkin folding to menu planning to preparing and serving. Students also will check coats and serve as hosts and hostesses. We are still looking for a few 7th graders to participate in the kitchen, plating the meals. The event begins at 6 p.m., and a donation of $25 per person is requested. Sponsorships in the amounts of $25 and $50 are available. Checks should be made payable to Galloway Community Charter School, 112 S. New York Road, Galloway Township, NJ 08205.

IMPORTANT APRIL DATES
01- Environmental Projects Due!

09 - Environmental Celebration/Clean Up (1-3pm) 

15 - Faculty Meeting 
 21 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm 

23 - Early Dismissal / Kids In the Kitchen!

STUDENT 
SPOTLIGHT!
We offer our congratulations to Evangelista Farquaharson; she is leaving today for Princeton, NJ to participate in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. The Junior National Young Leaders Conference helps scholars develop and sharpen their leadership skills by examining the leaders of the past and empowering them to make a positive social impact in their community and the world. Students work together to develop action plans that affect change within their home and communities. We are so pleased that she was selected for this wonderful opportunity.


Congratulations are also in order for Brian McAlister whom after winning the local tournament, is headed to the State Tournament of the Odyssey of the Mind Competition, which will take place on April 12th. His team is comprised of 6th to 8th grade students and this is his second year competing in the State Tournament. Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, state, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the program.

An Apple for the Teacher
Mrs. Wendt was recently awarded a $2,000.00 grant from Best Buy to purchase podcasting technology for our classroom. Keep looking at our website to see how we use it!Last weekend, Mrs Wendt enjoyed her shopping spree at Best Buy and purchased a Macbook, a Canon digital camera, a 1gb SD card, a Panasonic Digital Video camera and tapes, an Ipod Nano, software, service plans, and Podcasting accessories. Until now, the students have been using Mrs. Wendt’s personal equipment, but thanks to the Teacher Awards Grant from Best Buy, the students have all of their own resources for podcasting and vodcasting. The students just finished creating Poetry multimedia projects using the Dell laptops and Windows Movie Maker, now they will have access to the new Leopard operating system and imovie 08, Garageband, and many other Mac OS applications. You can see their projects online at google video, just type in Mrs. Wendt in the search bar. You can also see some of their work on itunes. This week we are taping their presentations of The Firebug Connection, for a collaborative book talk. They will edit their individual parts in the coming weeks and we will put it all together for itunes.

Click here to see possible dance moves for pon de replaydance at spring show.

Wind Power!

This a a webquest you will complete on Wind Power!  Get right to it!

Projects Due!

Environmental

Backyard Conservation

Student will build a scale model (At home) of a conservation project- plans are underway for bird, bat and butterfly houses- as well and composting models and water and waste management models. This is the link to the BACKYARD CONSERVATION website if your lost your book.

They should be no larger than their desks please.  Due Date APRIL 1^st.

Book Report Makeover:

FireBug Connection Book report makeover.  Student can go to my website and look at the possible  book report ideas.  They have already read the book.  Due  March 25^th.

Parent Teacher Conferences are over and I hope you are all pleased with your student‘s progress towards their goals.  I will mail home updated grade averages next week, so keep your eyes peeled for the mail.

Mathematics- We will have a 7A Quiz on Monday, March 10th on scale and proportions.  Students can study from their books or go to united streaming for more practice. 

Username:gccs student

Password: student 

Theme- Students are finished reading our environmental mystery novel, The Firebug Connection.  Now they will come up with book report makeover for this book.  It is due the 25th of March. Language Arts/ Literacy- Persuasive speaking and persuasive writing are occupying our time for the next few weeks. Students are also exploring their creative side with creative writing prompts and story starters.

We have started reading a new novel, Things Not Seen, by Andrew Clements.  Andrew Clements is well-known for a series of “school stories,” novels about students and situations in school. In this book, “Things Not Seen,” he takes a departure from that path for a unique and moving story about a boy who wakes up, takes a shower and finds that he’s gone completely invisible.

Science- On Wednesday, March 12^th, we have a Chapter 5 science test on Plant processes.  The study guide is on our class website and students should re-read the chapter a few times. I am providing them with a copy of the test beforehand so that they may study and memorize what they need.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES March 4^th- 5^th and 6^th. 3rd Notice!!!

Please mark down your choice of three available times in order of preference. I will schedule on a first-come, first-served basis. That means you need to get this form back to me immediately to get the time you are hoping for. Each conference is 20-25 minutes long, if you have any special concerns outside of report cards and ILP’s that need to be addressed, please mark them down at the bottom of this page and we can set up a separate time to discuss those issues.

Thank You,

Mrs. Wendt

Student’s Name___________________Parent’s Name________________

Tuesday March   4th

1:45pm            __Mandy Weed______

2:10 pm           _Maryam Sarhan_____

2:30pm            __Amirah Culver_____

2:50pm            ___Devon Evans______

3:10pm            ____Deion Drew______

3:30pm            ______Louis DiBono___

3:50pm            ____________________

4:10pm            ____________________

4:30pm            ___Rashad Kinlaw____

Wednesday, March 5th

3:45pm            ___Tyrique Beckett____

4:10pm            ___Kenny Hill________

4:30pm            _Evangelista Farquharson

4:50pm            ____________________

Thursday, March 6th

3:45pm            _Christine Lam________

4:10pm            __Keano DeGennaro____

4:30pm            __Daniel Choloply______

4:50pm            __Brian McAlister______

Any special concerns:________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Upcoming Projects

Students will choreograph their own dance number for the Spring Show.

Each student will write 6 persuasive essays to get ready for the NJ ASK testing. There will be one assigned each week on Monday starting February 11^th. It must be completed by each Friday.

Environmental Project-

Student will build a model of a backyard conservation project.  It will be due April 1^st.

Book Report Project-

Student will choose a Book Report Makeover to complete for the novel, The Fire Bug Connection. Due Date- March 25th.

Important February Dates
15 - School Closed / Prof. Development
18 - President’s Day - School Closed
19 - Faculty Meeting
25 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm

Thank You Parents!

We had box tops sent in this week, keep them coming!  We also had so many parents contribute to our fabulous Technology Celebration, Thank You for sharing and coming out to see all the hard work the students have completed.

GUIDED READING/ENVIRONMENTAL THEME-

We have just started reading a new novel, The Firebug Connection, by Jean Craighead George, whose main writing genre is Ecological Mysteries.  In The Firebug Connection, Maggie receives a gift of firebugs at her parents’ research center – but they keep dying. She follows every clue to locate the culprit. We are reading this story to discover the effects of global warming, the green house effect, and chemical pollutants on some of the smallest members of our planet, bugs and insects.  We will also be reading and learning about the many forms of backyard conservation we can accomplish ourselves to help conserve and protect our natural resources.

MATHEMATICS-

The next unit in your child’s mathematics class this year is Ratio, Rate, and Proportion, Students look at problems involving many situations and learn to make comparisons using ratios, fractions, percents, and rates.  UNIT GOALS   One goal of this unit is to develop students’ abilities to make useful comparisons of quantitative information using ratios, fractions, decimals, rates, unit rates, and percents. A second goal is to have students learn to use quantitative comparison information to make larger or smaller scale models. Students should also learn different ways to reason in proportional situations and to recognize when such reasoning is appropriate. HELPING WITH HOMEWORK  As your child studies this unit you can help with homework, and at the same time, encourage sound mathematical habits by asking questions such as:

• When quantities have different measurements, how can they be compared?

• When can a comparison be made by subtraction? When can division be used?

• Why is a ratio a good means of comparison? How can it be scaled
up or down?

Why is a ratio a good means of comparison? How can it be scaled up or down?

• Where can ratios be used in daily life to find unknown quantitiesor inaccessible measurements?

• How can we use proportions for solving problems?

In your child’s notebook, you can find worked-out examples from problems done in class, notes on the mathematics of the unit, and descriptions of the vocabulary words.

HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE MATHEMATICS INCOMPARING AND SCALING   You can help your child in several ways:
• Ratios, proportions, and percents are found all around us. When you notice such a use in a newspaper or magazine, point it out to your child and discuss with your child what the numbers are telling them about the situation.

• Have your child share his or her mathematics notebook with you, showing you what has been recorded about ratios. Ask your child to explain why these ideas are important.

• Have your child pick a question that was interesting to him or her and explain it to you.

Important January Dates
# 28 - Board of Trustees                                                                                                             

Meeting 7pm

Important February Dates

05 - Technology Celebration (6-8pm)
15 - School Closed / Professional Development
18 - President’s Day - School Closed
19 - Faculty Meeting
25 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm

We are gearing up for the Technology Theme celebration on February 5^th from 6-8pm in the evening. We hope you will be able to attend our celebration and encourage your children who have been working so hard to learn the curriculum.  Each student will have a research report on an infectious disease, a poster and a diorama from the novel they have been reading, Fever, 1793.  We will host the Ogivie Tea party in our room, this is a scene from the novel and we hope that students will contribute tasty treats for this party.  Please save this date or make arrangements for someone else from your family to come that evening so the students can participate fully in the culminating event of technology theme.  You will also have the opportunity to visit Cook’s Coffee house in the other 7^th grade classroom, also a scene from our novel.         

 Other classes will have presentations and displays and they can’t wait to share their knowledge with us.  We are very excited and are hoping for 100% participation from our room.

Curriculum

Health-Students are focusing on how to prevent catching infectious and communicable diseases, especially during flue season.

Music- We will be watching two musicals in the coming weeks, Beauty and the Beast, and Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic, Cinderella. Students will practice the dances found within these musicals, the Gavotte and Waltz.

Class Wish List

¨    Tissues

¨    Tea cups and saucers (loan)

¨    Tea pots (loan)

¨    Lined notebook paper

¨    Used ink cartridges

¨    Used cell phones

¨    Box tops for education

¨   
Campbell’s labels

Important January Dates

21 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - School Closed
22 - Faculty Meeting
28 - Board of Trustees Meeting 7pm

 Book Report Project 2

http://titania.stockton.edu/mrswendt/files/2007/11/book-report-project-2.doc

International Night Script

This link will take you to  the part you must memorize for Tuesday.

For those who did not understand the scientific notation lesson, use your Math on Call Book and view this brief video clip.

If it requires a user name and password our Username: gccsstudent Password: Student.
you won’t have to view the entire video, just the segment on scientific notation.

There is also a link here with a detailed explanation of Scientific Notation  and how it is used. It is in word format.

Scientific Notation

Spirit Day
Please be advised that next Wednesday, Dress as your Favorite Literary Character Spirit Day, is to be celebrated without masks, gore/blood paint, or the representation of any “scary” character. Characters MUST be from a BOOK, not a movie or video game. Thanks in advance.
THEME
Today we began our unit on the Rise of Islam in the ancient world.  The students will be creating extensive powerpoint presentations during their Technology period. We will showcase these presentations on the activboard in our classroom at the International Celebration.

Send In Box Tops!
We need your help, Please start sending in your Box-tops for Education. I have only received a couple from from our students this year and these simple little tabs that you clip from the food you already purchase are  money, so don’t throw them away with the packaging.  We use the money we earn to offset the cost of field trips and assemblies.     

Mathematics
We just began our new unit on  Number Sense, this week we will review place value, working with decimals, and writing in scientific notation. There are a few students who will retest on the last unit.  The retest will be Monday, October 29th. These students will work on the skills they had trouble with during centers and I will provide extra practice sheets for them to work with at home.If you are wondering what YOUR student scored, just login to the online gradebook and check!  I will be sending home another progress report next week, this will need to be signed and turned back in to me.

Book Report Projects
Book report projects are due November 1st.  Some students are making book jackets, others are making life sized posters. The students have chosen many different creative ways to share their reading with the class and I can’t wait until their presentations.  We will be recording their presentations and putting them on itunes for you to view.
Brochures, Posters and Essays
As a wrap up to the Byzantine Empire portion of  Theme, students created beautiful brochures on the Justinian Era and ancient Byzantium.  Each student also wrote a 5  paragraph essay about what it means to be an American. These essays were also sent to the local Elks Lodge and entered into a contest they are sponsoring for local middle schools.   We thank them for the opportunity and the classroom visit. These essays are displayed outside our classroom for you to view when your visit us during the International Celebration on Thursday, November 15th.

SNACK ATTACK!

I spoke with every family at the home visits and not one disagreed with my healthy snacks policy.  Please send in fruit cups, fresh fruits, and crispy vegetables instead of processed chips and snack-cakes.