Grade 7

Click here to see an overview of the curriculum of this grade.
Click here to view the School Handbook (general policies for grades K through 8)
Click here to see photos from 7th Grade.
Click here to read the quarterly Curriculum News

Parent Information

Overview of the School Year

Students in Grade 7 will find a very busy and important year ahead. We have come back from a full week at Nature's Classroom and are ready to begin schoolwork.

It is imperative that your child keeps track of assignments, completes all homework, and studies for tests and quizzes. All work should be done neatly and carefully. Presentation is an important part of a grade. Assignments can be checked in the homework notebook in the back of the classroom whenever a child is absent of has forgotten what was assigned for the night.

There will be service projects to be done during the year. We share some of them with Grade 8. We have the Holly Ball in December and the Grade 8 Farewell Luncheon in June. There will be two class treasurers who will collect dues to be used to fund these events. The remaining funds will go toward the class trip in June and if any money is left it goes into the Grade 8 account in September.

It is important, that the young men and women of St. Mary Grade 7 continue to respect each other for who they are and what they bring to the class and the school. They do not need to be best friends with everyone in the class, but they must be kind to each other.

If at any time you have concerns, please call me. With your continued support this year will be the best!

Mr. Ferdella

Some hints on how to help your child succeed in science

Science is perhaps the most dynamic subject that a middle school student will study. It is forever changing as new information and understanding displaces the outdated and unknown.

With this in mind, St. Mary School replaced all of the science texts last year with the most up to date middle school books that Prentice Hall offered. These texts are a system that will take the student from grade five to grade eight using a similar format. The texts not only provide current scientific information, but they also contain information on how to learn science.

Every chapter begins with a title page that includes the publishers web site (www.phschool.com) that has activities related to the material in the text, and a list of other activities that the students can do. Some of these I incorporate into the classes, others can be done at home. The Discover activities that begin each section are nice into to the subject being studied and can often be done out side of the class. Some of the “Try This” activities are specifically designed to be done at home and involve the family. These activities can be a great tool for understanding the important ideas of the section.

Each section begins with Guide for Reading which is two to three questions, that when answered, are the essence of the section. There are also checkpoint questions mixed into the text that the students should be able to answer before they move on.

Each chapter includes a study guide at the end of the chapter, as well as a practice test that has questions similar to the type that will be found on their quizzes and tests. I encourage the students to take these practices and correct them because it is better they discover what they don’t know before the quiz, then I discover what they don’t know during the quiz.

Every text has a skills handbook near the end. These are the science skills that the students will be developing as they study science. They are not a separate block of instruction in the curriculum; these skills are part of all the activities related to science. As such, they will be continually part of the curriculum. As their teacher I am continually assessing the students on their strengths in these skills and adjusting the curriculum when a greater emphasis is needed on a given topic. The individual students should be referring to these sections as needed.

Lastly, I strongly encourage all students to have an appropriate dictionary available in their study area at home. Although the text provides a glossary for the key vocabulary included in the book, there will be times when they will be presented with an unfamiliar term.

I will continually encourage students to understand the importance of critical thinking and understanding in science so they will be better positioned to deal with the new information as it arrives.

Thank you,
Michael T. Moakley

Curriculum Night

Homeroom Time: The students begin to file in from the patio at 7:50 am and are considered tardy if not in their homeroom by 8:00am. The time from 8:00 – 8:15 is used for class planning time and meeting time. Each morning, the class receives math related Before School Work that I expect them to work on during homeroom time. It is to be passed in when completed and credit is given for correct answers and incorrect attempted answers. A running tally is kept and a winner will be recognized at the end of each quarter. At no time during homeroom is a student to leave without letting me know.

Prayer Time: Every day we start and end our day with prayer. At 8:10 and 2:25 a bell rings to signal prayer time. Students are expected to stop whatever else they are doing and participate or stand respectfully during prayer. At the conclusion of Morning Prayer, the seventh grade files into the office to lead the school in a patriotic song.

Homework Board and Student Assignment Books: All students have a planner which they are expected to carry with them to each class. This is part of a concerted effort to teach the students good organizational habits and help students develop personal responsibility for their work. In our homeroom, we keep a class homework board so that the students can double check their assignments when packing up to go home, or if they have been absent.

Textbooks, notebooks, folders and binders: Textbooks must remain covered all year for protection of the book and for easy identification if the book is left behind in any classroom. Each student has a cubby space for storing belongings. All of the students’ belongings should be marked with their first and last name.

Snack and Water Bottles: Snack time for the upper grades is 9:45am, which is usually the beginning of third period. Snacks are permitted as long as they are neat, quick, and do not interfere with the class. All students are encouraged to bring a water bottle to school to help cut down on the number of trips to the water fountain.

Bathroom Breaks: One student at a time is allowed to use the restroom provided they sign out in the class bathroom book when they leave and when they return.

Dismissal Procedures and Notes: The walkers and students attending the after school program are dismissed at the conclusion of prayer, usually no later than 2:30. The bus riders are dismissed at 2:30 and car riders after that. If a student is to be dismissed in a matter different than usual, she or he must bring a note with written permission. In order for a student to be dismissed early, a parent or guardian must go to the office to sign the student out.

Service Projects: The seventh grade does a number of service projects during the course of the school year. The first project, which is done in conjunction with the eighth grade, is the Coat Drive for Saint Ann’s. In addition, the class assists Father Mike with Parish mailings, and replaces the missals and song books in Church as needed. If anyone has any ideas for other projects the seventh grade can participate in, please let me know.

Class Events:

• The seventh grade has first grade buddies and will periodically meet with them throughout the course of the year.
• The Holly Ball is a seventh and eighth grade lunch and dance that is currently scheduled for December 22. Traditionally, this is the seventh and eighth grade Christmas party and a separate classroom party is not held.
• The seventh grade is scheduled to be on retreat on January 16th.
• The seventh grade hosts a luncheon for the graduating eighth graders in school on May 28th.
• Finals are currently scheduled for May 29 – June 5th. This means our class trip will most likely be during the last week of school, either the 8th or the 11th.

The best way to contact me about any questions or concerns is via email. I typically do not have time during the school day to make phone calls, but I do check my email periodically throughout the day.

Jeannie MacDonough (macdonoughj@stmarysparish.org)