New York City Trip: We are down to the wire on final arrangements and payments for the annual trip to NYC! Final preparations are being made with the Student Tours travel agency. Hopefully, many of you have visited the school website where much of the details of the trip have been posted. The eighth graders are getting more excited about the trip as the time draws nearer. We want to remind them that their participation is still contingent upon their continuing to be prepared for their classes and behaving appropriately. As mentioned earlier, the closer we get to graduation, the more this transition brings up mixed feelings about leaving Pierce. We ask that parents help us to keep students on target and completing their work so that they can participant and enjoy their trip to New York City. We have reviewed these expectations with students and seek your support to reinforce these expectations. We thank the chaperones for giving so generously of their time. They include, Reed Rathgeber, Tracy Bare, Amy Hintzman, Dawn Galolo, Mike Sadler, Billy Harris and Josh Frank. Thanks also to all the 7^th and 8^th grade staff who have helped in the planning and preparing for this annual trip.

A REMINDER TO 8TH GRADE PARENTS:

PLEASE SEND IN YOUR FINAL PAYMENTS FOR THE NYC TRIP (IF YOU HAVE NOT) SO WE CAN MEET ALL OUR FUNDING OBLIGATIONS ON TIME.

THANKS!

What's Up for 7th GRADE?

On Friday, April 27th, 7^th graders had a great time on their field trip to the Museum of Science as part of their science curriculum. They will also have a math field trip on June 19^th to the Boston Common. More details will be forthcoming as the date nears.

On Wednesday, June 20^th, our last day of school (NOON DISMISSAL), we have our annual end of year awards assembly for the 3^rd-7^th grades. The program begins at 8:30 and ends about 9:30 am in the amphitheater, if weather permits. Students are recognized for their achievement in academic, athletic, music, theater and participation in special programs. Parents are welcomed to attend. At the conclusion of this program, we have an official talk of the transition from 7^th to 8^th grade with the 7^th graders. We remind them of our expectations as they begin their new roles as the senior members of the student body.

We wish you all a very smooth ending to the school year and a very happy, healthy and enjoyable summer!

Sincerely,

Pipier Smith-Mumford

Principal

Josh Frank

Vice Principal

GRADE 7

English, Ms. Kra, Mrs. Lyons, and Ms. Post

Seventh Graders have begun their study of William Shakespeare’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Students will learn how to read verse by studying Shakespearean vocabulary, verb conjugations (thou canst, thou art), and two forms of poetic meter. Each night, they will respond to their reading by writing a plot summary, recording examples of figurative language, and examining five lines of writing. Students will memorize and present ten lines from the play and finally, they will write a humorous, original One Act play.

To finish up the year 7th graders will read and write poetry, focusing on poetic terminology: onomatopoeia, hyperbole, metaphor, simile, symbolism, alliteration, meter, and free verse; they will study formal poetic structure while writing their own poems. Each student will create a personal poetry anthology in which they will compile their edited and illustrated poems.

Additionally, students will have one more Independent Reading due in June and they will continue their study of the Parts of Speech. Summer Reading lists will be sent home and books from the list will be available at the school-wide Book Fair. I want to wish you all a restful and joyous summer (when it arrives)!

Social Studies, Dr. Tegnell and Ms. Post for Ms. Lyons

In 7th grade Social Studies, we will be continuing our study of the antebellum United States. Beginning with the War of 1812, we will examine the Era of Good Feelings, Jacksonian Democracy, the sections, reform movements, the Mexican-American War, and the causes of the Civil War. Students will engage in such activities as debating Cherokee removal, exploring the Nat Turner Rebellion, deciphering the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments, negotiating the Compromise of 1850, and assessing responsibility for the Civil War. Students will continue to develop such skills as researching and writing an historical essay, evaluating primary source documents, creating historical narratives, and making inferences from graphs and maps.

Math, Ms. Bare, Ms. Hintzman, and Ms. Galolo

During third quarter, students explored two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometric figures. We reviewed the most common geometric shapes then built upon our knowledge of shapes in two dimensions by using nets (two-dimensional “skins”) and other methods to find the surface area and volume of three-dimensional figures.

Students are now engaged in the “Roads and Ramps” unit, in which they are using angle measurements (using their new tool the Slope-O-Meter) to construct scale drawings and to explore practical applications of slope and the Pythagorean Theorem. Our final unit will pull together the math knowledge students have built this year as they plan, budget for, and construct model homes, and will incorporate their science explorations of “green building” techniques.

Science,

Ms. Hintzman

Students have been learning how to use fossil, geologic, and genetic evidence to draw conclusions about evolutionary relationships between species; compare the mechanisms of various evolutionary theories; and discuss how the theory of evolution relates to the nature of science itself. We had the opportunity to visit the traveling Charles Darwin exhibit at the Museum of Science at the end of April to pull together the main themes of our study.

For the remainder of the school year, we will focus on environmental science issues and ecology. Students will study population growth and its affect on all aspects of a nation’s health; work to develop an understanding of how all elements of an ecosystem must function interdependently, and explore the human impact on our environment. The quarter will culminate with the Solar Chocolate Factory challenge, and student development of web sites that advocate for an alternative source of energy.

Spanish, Sra. Megias

As we continue our study of Mexico, students are learning how young teenagers from Cuernavaca spend their time. We are able to talk about what we like to do (gustar and regular –ar verbs), where people and As we continue our study of Mexico, students are learning how young teenagers from Cuernavaca spend their time. We are able to talk about what we like to do (gustar and regular –ar verbs), where people and things are (estar) and where we go during our free time (ir). New vocabulary includes places in the city and prepositions. Our culminating project will be a celebration of el Cinco de Mayo, which is the date the Mexicans were victorious over the occupying French army in Puebla in 1862. The lesson will include details of the historical significance of the holiday, music and a traditional craft project: papel picado.

Our final unit describes the life and culture of several young Hispanic teenagers in Miami, Florida. Students will learn vocabulary about the weather, the family and grammar which includes regular –er and –ir verbs, ver, salir, hacer, deber, poner and the personal a.

Mandarin, Ms. Sun

For the last term of the first year of Chinese, we will emphasize a review of what we have learned previously. The seventh graders learned how to greet each other in Chinese, and how to identify their nationalities; how to talk about where they live, their family members and pets. They will create conversations in pairs for different occasions, make index cards for all the characters, phrases from these two units, and practice oral fluency of the Chinese.

The supplementary reading materials, “Ni Hao - 1” and “Shao nian zhong wen – Level 1” will be provided to enhance their reading and speaking skills and their understanding of Chinese culture.

Art, Ms. Moore for Mr. Rae

Seventh graders have started a full body portrait using cardboard and other materials. This mixed media work again asks the student to explore the materials and use them to express their many sides. They are excited about working on such a large scale, and with so many different materials.

Music, Ms. Sheridan

We have been studying the roots of American music this quarter through an excellent DVD series, many listening examples in each genre and through our work with guitar. For the next month we will examine form in music as we create our own traditional pieces using Garage Band. Ask your child to share their work with you. Their compositions are always original and creative!

GRADE 8

English, Ms. Kra

Eighth graders are now in the midst of reading John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Students were introduced to background material on the Depression era to preview the

setting of the novel. In addition to class discussion, students are examining characterization, descriptive language, relationships as well as issues around race and gender in their journal responses. To conclude the unit, students will write a final five paragraph essay in which they will explore a theme of their choice from Of Mice and Men.

Students will then learn two forms of poetry, The Villanelle and the Sestina and they will be required to write their own poems following these ancient forms. We will close the year with a literature based unit in which we explore themes from Facing History and Ourselves around genocide and human responsibility. Students will read Elie Wiesel’s Night and respond to their reading by writing about resistance, resilience and survival. We will end the unit with a final creative project. As eighth graders prepare for their graduation, they will write graduation poems and speeches in which they reflect upon their experiences at Pierce, as well as look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

Social Studies, Ms. Rathgeber

In this final quarter of 8th grade social studies, students are going to be involved in a few different and exciting projects culminating in our trip to New York City. To go along with our unit on the Progressive Era, students are currently working on their Take Action! Project. In this project each student has chosen an issue that they think is important. Some examples of issues are : hunger, the environment, homelessness, and many others. Each student has written a mission statement and laid out how they will take action. Over the next couple of weeks, students will be taking action on their issue and presenting what they did to the class.

Along with the Progressive Era, 8th graders are taking a close look at the election of 1912, and its impact on our current state of politics. After we finish with this unit, we will move on to World War I and Foreign Policy and then into World War II. During this first full week of June, the 8th grade will be going to New York City where they will get to see first hand some of the places that we have studied throughout the year. When we return from NYC, students will do a final project on their trip to New York.

Mathematics, Ms. Bare, Ms. Amico

We have just completed the unit What Comes Next?, where students created exponential and linear growth models for the population of the United States and a second assigned country, and tried to predict how many people will live on earth when they are 50 years old. The What Comes Next? Unit concluded with students writing a paper where they predicted the future population of a country and justified their prediction mathematically.

In the next few weeks we will be starting our final unit of study--quadratic equations. We will look at these in the context of a rocket launch. The height of the rocket is a function of the square of the amount of time since the launch, and is therefore described by a quadratic equation. Students will learn to rewrite quadratic expressions in two special ways, either in factored form or in vertex form, which will provide insight into the trajectory of the rocket, its ultimate height, and the time that it lands. The goal of the unit is to give students exposure to quadratic equations in a real life context and to give them a motivation to learn the algebraic techniques used to solve the problem. We will briefly touch on quadratic formula, which will be covered in greater depth during 10^th grade Algebra 2.

Science, Ms. Amico

The final term will be spent studying weather. In addition to new material, this topic allows us to review much of what we've studied this year. Forces, energy transfer and density are all important concepts that play out in the study of weather and weather events.

Sp Spanish, Sra. Megias

Our eighth graders are continuing in their unit “Celebraciones” which focuses on Hispanic teenagers in San Antonio, Texas. They are learning to talk about past events (preterite tense of –ar and –er verbs and direct object pronouns), how to ask for help, respond to requests and tell a friend what to do (informal commands.)

We recently enjoyed a buffet lunch at Casa Romero, one of the best authentic Mexican restaurants in Boston. After a presentation by the owner, who described in Spanish the different dishes, we ate such delicacies as pollo al mole poblano, mixed salad with cactus, jicama and chayotes, Guadalajara style chilaquiles and Chihuahua style beef fajitas.

Our final unit focuses on the history and culture of San Juan, Puerto Rico, as experienced by two young teens from New York. Students will learn how to make suggestions, express feelings (sentirse), talk about moods and physical conditions (o>ue stem-changing verbs), the preterite of jugar and ir, and ser vs. estar. We will write interviews and dialogues based on trips, real and imagined. Students will continue to improve their writing skills by preparing a short excerpt in their journals describing what they did in New York on their class trip. A final town wide reading, writing, speaking and listening assessment will be given at the end of the course.

Our culminating event will be the traditional end of the year fiesta, which will include refreshments and a viewing of class videos. Buena suerte a todos en la escuela secundaria.

Mandarin, Mrs. Sun

My eighth graders will learn how to have a conversation on the phone; how to describe the weather; to ask someone to help them to do something; and to say what they want to do. They will be evaluating their fluency in Chinese with a three-day end-of-the-year assessment from May 29 -31. This assessment includes reading, writing, listening and speaking.

The supplementary reading materials, “ni hao – 2 & 3”, “shao nian zhong wen – Level 1, and “Practical Chinese – Level 1” will be provided to enhance their reading and speaking skills and understanding of Chinese culture.

Health, Ms. Amico, Ms. Bare and Ms. Hintzman

Students are in their final rotation and will have completed the health curriculum by June. As time allows we will bring them all together to discuss some adolescent issues. This gives us an opportunity to involve guidance and guidance interns, some of whom have been observing in classes during the year.

Music, Ms. Sheridan

8th graders have just concluded their unit on Jazz and the Harlem Renaissance. We studied musicians, artists and poets from this time period and made connections between these art forms through biographical research, listening examples and exploration of improvisation in visual art and music. Our finished musician biography papers and representational collage will be on display soon!

For the next month, we will be working in the computer lab exploring music composition using Garage Band. Students will learn the basic tools for navigating this program. They will also learn how to record their own original music and edit it as part of their final project. Ask them to share their compositions. They are always amazing!

Physical Education, 7/8, Ms. Leach and Mr. Miceli

Springtime curriculum in Physical Education includes track and field and various large group games. The students are currently developing their skills in events such as; high jump, shot put, long jump, hurdles, sprints and distance running. Many of the students are trying to earn a spot to represent

Pierce at the annual track meet. The meet will take place on Friday June 1^st at the newly renovated Downes Field. The meet takes place from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Parents are very welcome to attend to cheer on our athletes. If anyone would like to volunteer to help out that day, please see Ms. Leach or Mr. Miceli.

Our coed indoor soccer team, coached by Billy Harris, is currently 3-2 and gearing up for the playoffs.

In June, we conclude the school year playing some of the student’s favorite large group games. We have thoroughly enjoyed our classes this year and enjoyed teaching the children.

After thirty-nine years of teaching in Brookline this will be Ms. Leach’s last, please join me in wishing her all the best in her retirement as her tremendous career comes to a conclusion. She has touched a countless number of students in her years at Pierce and will surely be missed!

Art, Ms. Moore for Mr. Rae

8th graders are finishing up the linoleum portrait project. After multiple printings on a variety of materials, including paper, bubble wrap, plastic wrap, foil, fabric, folders and waxed paper. The students focus on deconstructing and then reassembling the portrait to express their different sides and/or moods. The next project is the Name Portrait, which will provide an opportunity look at all types of Calligraphy and Fonts, and to design

a 12” square based on each student’s name.

Important Upcoming Dates

MAY

9 PTO/Principal’s Forum: Courageous Conversations

with 8^th graders, Dinner at 6:45, conversation from 7:10-8:30 pm

16 School Council meeting,

17-18, 29 7^th Grade MCAS

18 Progress Reports issued

21-25 8^th Grade MCAS

25 Retiree Breakfast sponsored by PTO

Memorial Day Assembly

28 NO SCHOOL-Memorial Day 29-31 Annual Book Fair

JUNE

1 7/8 Track Meet, Rain date: 6/4

Faculty Breakfast sponsored by 8^th grade parents

6-7 8^th Grade-NYC trip

8 8^th Grade Community Service

Event (9 am arrival to school)

11 Pierce Picnic, 5:30 pm,

Rain date: 6/13

13 8^th Graders’ marks close

14 8^th Grade Awards-5-7 pm Dinner/Dance, 7-9:30 pm

18 8^th Graders in school from 8-11 am

8^th Grade Graduation, 4 pm,

Reception hosted by 7^th

grade parents

19 7^th Grade Field Trip, Grades close

20 Last Day of School, Awards assembly