So Close!!!

Winter Break is almost here!!!!  Grades are almost final (final grades will be posted by FRIDAY 12/21).  When we return on January 7:

ALL STUDENTS will need their new notebook.  Several students brought a second notebook to school during the first few weeks in August.  They have been safely (a bit dusty) stored in the Science room for January.  We will begin working in our new notebook when we return.

7th grade will be learning about Earth History, specifically Rocks and Minerals

8th grade will be learning about Chemistry.

Things to remember:
- Celebration of Joy (our Middle school potluck) will be on 12/19 at the end of the day
- 12/20 is a HALF DAY with release for middle school at 12 Noon!
- NO SCHOOL December 21 - January 4
- 3rd Quarter begins on January 7

Week of December 10

The end is near!!!  The end of the quarter that is. :D

8th Grade:  We are working on our Balloon Racers.  This is the FINAL PROJECT of our Physics unit.  Important dates:

• Thursday (12/13) - Race day.  Cars are expected to be finished and will compete!  5 meters is the minimum ON RACE DAY!
• Friday (12/14) - Blueprint & Data.  
• Friday (12/14) - Physics Final!
• Monday 12/17) - Balloon Racer Paper.  This includes the instruction manual and physics explanation.

7th Grade:  We are finishing up our Astronomy unit with Constellations!  Students have learned about 5 of them as well as one asterism.  Our final is also on FRIDAY 12/14!

Week of December 3

This week in Science:

8th Grade:  Wrapping up Newton's 3 Laws and will prepare for our final project! 

7th Grade:  Learning about Galaxies

Week of November 26

Welcome back from Thanksgiving Break!  This week in Science:

8th Grade:  Newton's 3 Laws Explanation and more

7th Grade:  Planets Explanation and more ;)

Week of November 19

This SHORT week in science:

7th Grade:  Outer Planets lab and then we will be reading about the outer planets in preparation of our upcoming final and project.

8th Grade:  Newton's 3rd Law Lab and looking at all three laws together

NO School on Thursday & Friday, November 22-23 to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Have a wonderful long weekend!

Week of November 12

Thank you to all the Veteran's and their families.

This week in Science:

8th Grade:  Continuing with Newton's Laws
7th Grade:  Continuing with space learning about the planets

Week of November 5

This week in Science:

Remember that WEDNESDAY is a Half Day!

8th Grade - we are learning more about forces (balanced and unbalanced) and reviewing speed, acceleration, and the graphs that go with them.  Remember to review your notes DAILY!

7th Grade - We are learning about the moon and tides.  After that:  Planets!!!  Remember to review your notes daily!

ALL STUDENTS:
RE-Dos are expected to be completed for any assessments that are below proficiency!  Don't wait until the last minute.  If you did a re-do and it's STILL below proficiency, do another re-do! :)

Week of October 29

Oh my!  October is almost over, where has the time gone?!?!?!?  Please check Synergy (aka ParentVue/StudentVue) often to see if anything is missing or needs a Re-Do. 

Instructions for Re-Do:
1. REWRITE the questions missed on a separate sheet of paper
2.  ANSWER those questions (with hopefully) the correct answer.  Remember for all math questions (8th Grade PHYSICS I'm looking at YOU!) you must SHOW YOUR WORK!
3. STAPLE this sheet of paper to the original assessment.
4. TURN IT IN to the Inbox.

This week in Science:

8th grade - We are continuing with Physics.  Students are learning about Force, no not "The Force," but force as in Balanced/Unbalanced.  Ask them to demonstrate both!

7th Grade - We are continuing with Space.  Students are learning about the Moon, specifically the phases. :D  Ask them what phase is coming next.

Week of October 22

What a great week we had last week with the "Speed Dating" Conferences!  It was great to see all the parents, thank you for all who braved the cold wind!  Grades are updated weekly (sometimes sooner) so I encourage both parents and students to check ParentVue and StudentVue often.

This week in Science:

8th graders are learning more about Acceleration and revisiting Position Time graphs.

7th graders will be looking at the moon!

Week of October 15

Welcome back from fall break!  I hope everyone had a great time.  This week in school:

SPEED DATING CONFERENCES

When: October 16

When: 6pm

Where: The MPR

Want to come have a quick conference with your student's teachers?  

Come by the speed dating conferences on Tuesday.

7th Grade:  We are continuing on the Seasons and space.  Next up:  The Moon!
8th Grade:  Continuing with Physics.  This week we are working on Average Speed.

Week of October 1

Last week of 1st Quarter!  All late/re-do work was due today!  This week we are working on our new units and discussing Standards.

7th Grade:  Seasons
8th Grade:  Average Speed

Week of September 24

ALL LATE OR RE-DO WORK DUE NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 1

This week in Science:

8th graders are working on Graphing Motion as we begin our Physics Unit.

7th graders are learning about the moon.

Week of September 17

We are only a few weeks away from the end of the first quarter!!!  Please make sure to check Synergy for any missing assignments.  LAST day for missing assignments:  October 1.

This week in Science:

7th Grade is finishing up our Inquiry Unit!  Our test is fast approaching, make sure you are reviewing your notes DAILY!  The Procedural Text Final Draft is due on 9/20 and will not be accepted late.

8th Grade is starting our Physics Unit!  We've taken our test and will have those tests returned soon.  Make sure to keep your notebook current!

Parent Vue

ParentVue confusing you?  Have you logged on but all you see is NA?  Here's how to see your student's progress:

1. Log into ParentVue
2. Click on the Grade Book tab located on the left side of the screen
3.  Click on the individual class to check grade info. (Example: Language Arts, Science, Spanish, etc)
4.  Once in the Class, click on the standard (Example:  Inquiry and Engineering Process).  After clicking, there should be a list of assignments and scores that relate to that particular standard.  You should also be able to see any notes about assignments teachers may have entered.

Hopefully this clears up the N/A on the grades!

Week of September 10

We want to hear from you!  If you haven't already, please take a few minutes to complete the family survey.  Your input is valuable and the survey will only take a few minutes of your time.  https://www.tinyurl.com/tcds-parents

This week in Science we are wrapping up our Inquiry unit by writing instructions and a test.  The test will be announced this week in class and through the REMIND app.  Not sure what that is??  No problem, a copy of the syllabus with the remind info should be glued to page TWO of your student's notebook.

In 8th grade we reviewed the expectations for the Procedural Text Assignment (due 9/14, Late assignments will NOT be accepted), here is the page we reviewed in class:

Tammy Hutchings

9/14/2018

Science 1

Does eating spicy foods help people to sleep better at night?

Hypothesis:

If someone increases the amount of spicy foods they eat before bed, then they will have worse sleep at night.

Independent Variable:

Amount of spicy food

Dependent Variable:

Sleep patterns

Controlled Variables:

Same environment (bed, pillow, etc), similar age range of volunteers, same type of spicy foods, same conditions leading up to bed time (all have normal days, etc); all volunteers have the same opportunity for same amount of sleep (each being able to sleep for 8 hours).

Materials:

• 20 volunteers
• 280 Taco Bell Crunchy Tacos
• 70 packets Taco Bell Mild Sauce
• 70 packets Taco Bell Hot Sauce
• 70 packets Taco Bell FIRE sauce

Procedures:

1. Split the volunteers into four groups:  Control, Mild, Hot Tacos, FIRE Tacos
2. 30 minutes before volunteer’s bedtime, each volunteer will eat 2 tacos, and then go to bed as normal.
1. Control group will eat their tacos without any sauce.
2. Mild group eat their tacos with 1 packet Taco Bell Mild sauce on each.
3. Hot group eat their tacos with 1 packet Taco Bell Hot sauce on each.
4. FIRE group eat their tacos with 1 packet Taco Bell Fire sauce on each.
3. Have volunteers spend the required amount of time sleeping (8 hours).
4. Volunteers will record their sleep patterns in the morning using a sleep journal.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for 7 days total.
6. Gather the data and put into a chart for analysis.
7. Analyze the results.

Week of September 4

Hope everyone had a great 3-day weekend!!!  In science we are:

7th & 8th Grade - Working on Scientific Inquiry.  This means we are honing our skills in writing procedures, clarifying parts of the scientific method, and looking at scientific measurements.

Parents & Guardians:
   Please ask your student about their work.  Several students are not turning in assignments, or not doing their best (or completing) assignments.  Re-Dos are available for many assignments, they just need to do the work!  You should have received information to log onto Synergy (ParentVue) to check out grades.  All students should have science grades.  Please email me if you are unsure about the grading or if there is an issue.

Week of August 20

This week in Science:

7th grade is working on the Scientific Method Lab.  We are looking at all the parts and will be taking notes later in the week.

8th grade has finished the Scientific Method Lab and is taking notes.

Week 2

Crazy first week and now we're onto our second week of school!

In 7th Grade we are working on our first lab! After our lab we'll get to take some notes!

In 8th Grade we finished our first lab and are working on our notes.

Whirlwind First Day!

Welcome Back!!!  What a crazy day!  It was great seeing all my students today.  This week in Science we'll be reviewing the Syllabus and discussing Science Safety!

Supply List

  Mrs. Hutchings Science Supply List

2018-2019

Individual Supplies:

• Two Composition Notebooks: preferably College Rule, Composition ONLY!!!
• 1-2 Box/Pkg Pencils and erasers.  Mechanical are GREAT!
• Optional (but helpful):  Crayola Crayons/Colored Pencils (NO MARKERS!)

Class Supplies:  In order of greatest need

• 1 ream Copy Paper
• 1 package College Rule Loose Leaf Paper
• 1 package Mechanical Pencils/Lead
• 2 Boxes Kleenex
• 1 package Tape
• 3-4 Glue Sticks
• 1 Box Crayola Crayons (24 count) OR Crayola Colored Pencils (12 or 24)
• Expo Markers
  

Teacher’s Wish List:

• Whiteboard Cleaner
• Colored Expo Markers
• Crayola Crayons/Colored Pencils
• Kleenex
• Tape
• TeachersPayTeachers Gift Cards
  

Shhhh....it's almost time...

Summer has been great, but it is that time:

Tomorrow is the Meet and Greet for Middle School!  I'm super excited to see everyone!  If you can't make it tomorrow evening, don't forget:

School Starts on MONDAY August 6!

Hello Summer!

Students & Families,

It has been a wonderful year, full of new experiences and challenges, and we have reached the last day of school.  I hope you all have an excellent summer full of things you enjoy.  Reading books is always a great thing to do (even if it's only a bit), so is sleeping in, drawing, pestering siblings, etc.  Have fun and I hope to see you all in the fall!

Mrs. Hutchings

BreakOut!

Good luck on this Clue!!!

Week of 5/14

Last full week of school!  We are wrapping up school with projects and finals.  Last day for late or Re-Do work is 5/17.

Last day of school!

We do not need to hold an extra day of school!

The State is allowing schools that can show they have enough minutes
in their annual schedule without making up days missed during the
walkout to count total minutes instead of total days.

We have extra minutes so we do not need to have school on Friday,
May 25.  Our last day of school, as planned, is Thursday, May 24.



Our Parent Survey is still open!  If you haven't completed the survey,
please take a few minutes to do so today.  Your feedback and comments
are EXTREMELY important to us.

Once you've finished the survey, please let your child's teacher know.
The grade level with the highest percent of participation wins an
Eegees party.  We will count survey participation through next Friday,
May 18.

You can take the survey here => tinyurl.com/tcds2018 

Week of May 7

This week in Science:

7th Grade are working on Symbiosis, learning about ecosystems

8th Grade are continuing Genetics!

Resource Students & Parents

Attention Resource Parents!

Resource Field Trip: Friday, May 11^th, 9-11:30am. All Resource students have been given a pink permission slip to take home. Please make sure you fill out and return the permission slip for the resource field trip.

Thank you so much!!

#RedForEd School Closure

Dear Parents,

The following letter was set home with your student today giving information about the school closure on Thursday, 4/26/18.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Hutchings

April 24, 2018

 

Dear Tucson Country Day School Parents and Guardians,

We thank you for your patience as we have talked with our teachers and staff to assess the impact of Thursday’s scheduled walkout.

Based on the information we have received from our employees, the Administrative team and members of the School Board are in agreement that we will close the K-8 portion of the school on Thursday. Since the RedforEd movement does not impact the private tuition-based Early Education program, our preschool and prekindergarten will run a regular school day on Thursday. As you know, per our school calendar, the entire school will be closed on Friday.

Our decision to close the school on Thursday is based on the number of teachers and staff members who will be absent from school and our concern about our ability to provide adequate supervision and ensure the safety of all students.

The State requires us to be in session for 180 days each school year or risk being penalized and lose funding. Our calendar is a 180-day calendar so we will need to make up the day we are closed. Adding one day to the school calendar means we will be in session on Friday, May 25.

We will provide you with additional updates as they become available. As of this time, we plan to be in session on Monday. We will keep you informed. The most current and accurate information will be posted on the school’s eplanner page as noted above.

 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

 

Your Tucson Country Day School Administration Team,

Cindy Kappler Adrian Hannah Jordan Krause
Chief Operations Officer Principal Assistant Principal

Parent Letter from Administration

Dear Parents and Students:

Please click on the following link to read the statement provided by the Administration team here at TCDS.

Parent Letter

Week of April 16

AIMS & AZMerit Testing Week!!!

This week students will be testing.  We will have shortened class periods, but students should still expect to learn content.  There should not be any homework this week, but we are going over concepts we learned last week:  Genetics in 8th Grade and Organism Relationships in 7th Grade.

Week of April 9

This week in Science:

7th Grade:  We are continuing with Ecology.  Students have learned about Biomes, Biotic & Abiotic Factors. :D

8th Grade:  We are continuing learning about Genetics as we prepare for AIMS (Monday 4/16).  Remember:  Late AIMS/BD assignments will receive ZERO credit and Re-Dos are not accepted.

Week of March 26

Welcome back from Spring break!  I hope everyone enjoyed their time off! 

It is now CRUNCH time!  AIMS (8th grade only) and AZMerit testing are almost here.

8th Grade:  We are preparing for AIMS and the homework assignments are related to reviewing the information already learned.  Because of this, the BD Reviews are not eligible for late credit or re-do.  Please make sure you are reading and answering the questions completely!  We are also working on our Genetics Unit.  We are starting off with a quick review of cells and cell structure.

7th Grade:  No AIMS testing for 7th grade!  We are beginning our Ecology unit.  Starting off with Biomes

Parent Survey

Many thanks to those of you have already completed the 2018 parent survey.
We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let us know your thoughts
about many different topics relating to TCDS.

If you haven't taken the survey yet, we encourage you to take a few
minutes to fill it out.  We want to hear from every family.

The survey takes about ten minutes.

This year, we are running a contest to see if we can increase the number
of families who take the survey. The grade level with the highest
percentage of participation will receive an Eegee's party.  YUM!

Click this link => https://tinyurl.com/tcds2018 to get started now!  Then
please let your child's teacher know you've taken the survey so you can be
counted in the contest.  It's that easy!

Week of March 12

This week in Science:

7th Grade has finished Inside Earth (Rocks, Minerals, Plate Tectonics) and we are preparing for our final exam!  Test is on Thursday and we will be reviewing the test on Tuesday.

8th Grade has finished Chemistry.  We are preparing for the final exam.  The test is on Thursday and will be reviewing for the test on Wednesday.

Also: 

All Missing/Re-Do Work is due on 3/14.

Week of March 5

This week in Science:

7th Grade:  Finishing up the Rock Cycle.  Working on Rock & Minerals Pick-A-Project in preparation of next week's test over Rocks, Minerals, Plate Tectonics, and Layers of the Earth.  Make sure to study your notes as we will begin reviewing before the test is announced!

8th Grade:  Finishing up Periodic Table.  We will begin reviewing some of the Chemistry concepts before our text next week.  Make sure to study your notes as we begin reviewing for our test.

Week of February 26

I hope everyone had a great Rodeo Break!  This week in Science:

7th Grade:  Learning about the Rock Cycle.  We will be taking lots of notes (both from lecture and reading).

8th Grade:  Learning about Atoms and their parts!

Week of February 19

This is a short week due to Rodeo Break (No School) Thursday and Friday!  This week in Science:

7th Grade:  Finishing up the Rock Cycle Lab we started on Friday.  Then we will be reading and reviewing Minerals that we learned about last week.  Any reading/notes that aren't finished during class becomes homework.

8th Grade:  Finished up the Atoms Lab on Monday.  Completed the Elements, Compounds, and Mixtures Review, and worked on some reading.  HOMEWORK (which was given after the review) is the Color-By-Number, due 2/26.  Students are also expected to complete the reading (ZERO notes need to be taken) by 2/26 as well.

:D

Project Rubrics

Parents and Students,

It was requested that I share the Rubric that is used to evaluate student projects.  Listed below is the rubric that is used, and given to each student along with the project information when projects are introduced. 

Rubric:

	4	3	2	1
A. Required Elements – Standards and Objectives	The item includes all required elements, as well as additional information. Includes the standard/objective information.	All required elements are given.	All but one of the required elements are included.	Several required elements were missing.
B. Content Accuracy	The information given is accurate and understandable. Went above and beyond “textbook” style explanations and gave good clarifying examples.	The information given is accurate and understandable. Includes some examples.	The information is not completely accurate. Limited examples are given.	The information is very confusing, not written clearly and is confusing. Definitions are given but examples are missing.
C. Creativity	The pictures and illustrations reflect an exceptional degree of student creativity. Includes a lot of color and design to give visual appeal.	Some pictures and illustrations are given and reflect student creativity. Some color and designs are used to give visual appeal.	The pictures and illustrations are made by the student, but are sloppy or based on ideas or designs of others. Some color is used.	Very few pictures or illustrations are included. Minimal color is used.
D. Mechanics	No spelling, grammar, punctuation errors in the entire project. Project is astounding in neatness, clarity, and legibility.	1-2 spelling, grammar, punctuation errors are found in the project. Project is neat, clear, legible.	No more than 4 spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors are present in the project, and it is mostly neat	Several spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors are present. Hard to read, illegible.

Students are also given their choice of project, however their projects are expected to demonstrate their learning of the content, not simply a repitition of notes presented in class. 

This was the additional information given to 8th graders for their Chemical & Physical Change/Properties Project (given 2/9, due 2/12)

Choose one project from the list below. Make sure it includes how evidence of chemical reactions indicate that new substances with different properties are formed. All projects are equal points.

• Poster - Draw a poster that illustrates how evidence of chemical reactions indicate that new substances with different properties are formed.

• Experiment -Design an experiment using common substances found in your home that will investigate and show evidence of how chemical reactions indicate new substances are formed. 

• Color Book -Design a five page coloring book that shows chemical changes that are creating new and different substances. 

• Game - Create a sorting game to help younger students determine the differences in chemical changes and physical changes. 

• Student Choice - Present your idea to the teacher for approval. Must include how evidence of chemical reactions indicate that new substances with different properties are formed.

To receive a 3 (which is meeting the standard) students were expected to explain how chemical reactions create new substances, and give evidence, write the information at an 8th grade level, show creativity, and make sure to include all parts of the chemical evidence.  For students completing the experiment, I also expected their step-by-step instructions on how they completed the experiment.

Projects are expected to be a fun and engaging way for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the content learned in class. 

Week of February 12

This week in Science:

7th Grade:  We are working on Minerals!  Learning about their properties and how they are identified.  Next up: Rocks!

8th Grade:  We are working on Elements and Mixtures.  We did the lab a while back and are now revisiting the lecture information.  We are also preparing for AIMS testing  by reviewing basic science principles, science and technology and history.

Week of February 5

This week in Science:

7th Grade:  We finished up Plate Tectonic mini unit with our projects!  They were introduced on Friday and due on Tuesday.  We also worked on them during class on Monday.  After Plate Tectonics we are moving onto Rocks & Minerals.

8th Grade:  We are working on Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes.  Make sure to check grades on SchoolDex.  Students are expected to stay on top of their assignments and remember their work should be at (or above) 8th grade quality...we are getting close to 9th grade!

Week of January 29

This week in science:

7th Grade:  We finished Layers of the Earth and are working on Plate Tectonics.

8th Grade:  Finished Properties of Water and are working on Compounds, Mixtures, and Elements.

Week of January 22

Please remember:

• ALL students have DAILY homework:
• Study notes 5-10 minutes, this helps in remembering the information and works better than trying to "cram" right before a test.
• Update notebook.  Students are expected to bring their updated notebook to class DAILY.  Notebook checks will no longer be announced.  Remember that lab summaries (1.5pg for 7th, 2pg for 8th) as well as all graded assignments need to be glued in!
• Check SchoolDex often!  I update my grades on a weekly basis (at minimum), and if there is ever a question, please contact me.

This week in Science:

7th Grade:  We've finished our Layers of the Earth Lab and have worked on the notes.  Next up:  Mini project and review!

8th Grade:  We've been learning about the Properties of Water.  The lab took a bit longer and we will be finishing that up on Wednesday and working on the notes.

Week of January 15

No School Monday 1/15 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.  I hope you all had a great day off!!!

This week in Science:

7th Grade:  We are finishing up Continental Drift Theory and will talk about Plate Tectonics

8th Grade:  We are working on Solids, Liquids, and Gases and how they change phases, what each one means.

Make sure to keep your notebook current!

Week of January 8

Welcome back to school!  The following is regarding the new lunch detention policy:

Lunch Detention for Missing/Low Quality Work and Behavior Issues

At TCDS, we believe tasks and assignment given to students shave value.  We expect students to complete tasks and assignments in a quality manner and don time.  When this does not happen, we believe students should be held accountable for getting their work done.  To this end, we are implementing a new lunch detention program designed to keep students on track and encourage them to complete work in a timely manner.

A teacher, crew leader, or administrator can assign a student to lunch detention for one or more pieces of missing or low quality work.  When a student is assigned, parents swill be notified by email.  Students assigned to lunch detention are expected to bring their lunch and their missing/low quality work to the MPR at the beginning of the lunch period.  They will be supervised by an administrator.  If a student does not report to the MPR for an assigned lunch detention, one additional detention will be assigned and parents swill be notified.

Students can also be assigned to lunch detention for behavior issues in class.

We appreciate your support.  Please contact an administrator if you have any questions about this new policy.

This week in school:

7th Grade:  We are starting to work on Rocks and Minerals.  Make sure to bring your NEW notebook!

8th Grade:  We are starting on our Chemistry Unit.  Make sure to bring your NEW notebook!