September 14: A Great Start to the School Year!
Math
The 7th grade has been working hard since the start of the school year making discoveries about prime and composite numbers using their knowledge of factors and multiples. This week, we’re working on prime factorization and exponential notation. To celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the 7th grade has been given the following bonus question this week:
Is 5779 prime or composite? If it’s composite, find the prime factorization of 5779.
For the next two weeks, we’ll learn about how to find the greatest common factor (GCF) and least common multiple (LCM) of a set of numbers and we’ll also take a trip into the world of square roots and cube roots. After that, we’ll be finished with the first unit and preparing for our first test. That’s a prime start to the school year if I do say so myself. (*ba-dum-tss*)
Shana
Humanities
I loved spending time with the 7th graders over the past week and a half. They are bright, curious, and kind. In history, we have been learning about the origins of ancient Rome and how the geography of the region affected its early growth. We are also working on creating an alphanumeric outline, a skill that can be of use to students in so many areas of study. In English/Language Arts, we are summarizing and analyzing the summer reading book, The Outsiders. Additionally, we are investigating our first week of vocabulary! Outside of school, see if you can spot any advertisements or words with any of the following Greek/Latin roots:
- Monos – one
- Unus – one
- Duo – two
- Quartus/Quatuor – fourth/four
- Decem – ten
- Centum – hundred
Judaic Studies
Shana tova! I am having a wonderful time learning with this class!
Our first unit examines the origins of Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur and tracks their development over time. The school value of “Elu v’elu/openness” is central to this unit: our Big Idea is that Judaism offers a range of ways to think about God and to the High Holidays so everyone can find a way to connect. Students were surprised to discover that the Torah does not describe Rosh haShana as the new year or as the birthday of the world, nor does it say anything about fasting on Yom Kippur! Where did those ideas and practices come from? Next week we will study several mishnayot from Masechet Yoma (the tractate of the Mishna about Yom Kippur), and will try to understand what kind of experience the rabbis wanted us to have on this day, and why.
Warmly,
Jessica
Hebrew Heritage
We started this year with a short unit on “The five senses”. We learned a song called ” In honor of the summer” by Gazoz.
The class learned the song analyzed it and broke it down into categories by senses while learning a list of new vocabulary from the song.
It was great to see how the students were working together and using their Hebrew skills after a long summer.
We are off to a great start and I can’t wait to see what this year will bring.
Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom, Shana tova and an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur.
We started science these last two weeks with excitement and enjoyment under the new course theme. Within an environmental science theme we will be focusing on the engineering process in order to create inventions to solve environmental problems. We started science by exploring the simple machines and applying that knowledge in the creation of catapults which uses levers and roller coasters which uses inclined planes. The energy level and enjoyment within these first classes has been amazing. We cannot wait to continue with the introduction to engineering as we prepare for our first STEAM project of “Rube Goldberg Machines”.
Mike Noll
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