School Day 8:20 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Advisors:

Ms. Roberts

Mrs. Neuhausel

Mrs. Westfall

Ms. Trueman

Art (Ms. Swanson):
In 7th Grade, students have the opportunity to participate in Sculpture, Painting, Ceramics or Mixed Media. Each class meets two times a week for one trimester. Students also have the opportunity to participate in Set Design for the Spring Musical.

English/Language Arts (Ms.Trueman):
Each trimester, students will focus on the five CCSS strands of Language Arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language. Students are encouraged to discover their own reading preferences through choice reading, and in-class novel study includes both whole-class novels and thematic units with individual reading choices. Major writing units include narrative, analytical, expository, and persuasive genres. Other important areas of study include vocabulary development and grammar skill building.

Ensemble Music (Mrs. Baldwin, Ms. Neace, Ms. Logan):
7th and 8th Grade Band, Choir, and Orchestra meet during the school day three times per week and focus on developing students' playing and singing technique and music literacy skills. Extracurricular opportunities include Jazz Band, Jazz Combo, and the Spring Musical.

General Music/Drama (Mrs. Baldwin, Ms. Neace, Ms. Logan):
General Music students explore music as it pertains to modern culture, looking at a variety of pop genres and artists. 7th Grade Drama explores public speaking in all venues, focusing on presentational techniques, improv, and solo acting.

Mathematics (Mrs. Neuhausel and Ms. Tremont):
Instruction in mathematics is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. In 7th grade we utilize a curricular program, CPM Core Connections, as our anchor resource. Major areas of focus include proportional relationships, operations with rational numbers, expressions and linear equations, two- and three-dimensional shapes, and statistical and probability models. Pre-Algebra, an accelerated 7th grade mathematics course, integrates these standards with those from 8th grade to also include understanding of irrational numbers, linear functions, exponents, and Pythagorean Theorem.

Physical Education (Mrs. Gonzalez and Mr. Sislow):
Health is a comprehensive program that emphasizes life-long habits and includes study of the following topics in 7th grade: Executive Functioning, Goal Setting, Anabolic Steroids, Body Image, Anger Management, Depression, Sexual Education, Internet Safety, Signs of Suicide, Loss and Grief, Emotional IQ, and Substance Abuse.

Physical Education focuses on helping students to develop and maintain a suitable level of fitness and health; to become competent in management of their body; to foster mental alertness in reacting strategically to game situations; to acquire needed safety skills and habits; to obtain personal and educational benefits from the program; to develop an appreciation and interest and the cardiovascular benefits of exercise; to interact with others in socially and sound manner; to understand how the body functions and its relationship to physical activity; to demonstrate a knowledge of game rules, safety measures, and etiquette.

Science (Mrs. Neuhausel and Mrs. Galfano):
Instruction in science is aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards. In 7th grade we utilize a curricular program, IQWST (Investigating Our World Through Science and Technology) as our anchor resource. 7th grade science focuses on concepts and practices related to energy; forces and interactions; structure, function and information processing of organisms; growth, development and reproduction of organisms; and weather and climate.

Social Studies (Ms. Roberts):
The 7th grade Social Studies curriculum focuses on world geography. Each trimester has a guiding question to help explore how people interact with their world. Trimester One focuses on how people think about their world. Major units include Physical Geography, Creation Myths and  World Religions. Trimester Two centers on how people (try to) organize their world. Major themes are identity, homelands, conquest and the drawing of borders. Trimester Three explores how people use and abuse their world, with special attention to how economic and environmental interests connect or come into conflict.

Spanish (Sra. Westfall):
Seventh grade Spanish students continue to build their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar topics, thus allowing them to express themselves in a variety of contexts. Some topics studied are family, home, celebrations, and food. Students work to develop proficiency in Spanish in all four skill areas; reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Students will also study cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries.

Student Services:
The seventh grade Student Services Team consists of the school psychologist, a speech and language pathologist, gifted/enrichment teachers, an ELL teacher, and a special education teacher. Our team works together to meet the needs of students with IEPs and 504 plans. Services are provided to students in a proactive, inclusive manner. In addition, the student services team provides educational supports to all students.