JUNIOR HIGH DEPARTMENT
GRADES 7-8
The Junior High Department consists of three 8th grade homerooms and two 7th grade homerooms.
Students take seven classes each day including one special class. The special classes include Spanish, art, music, computer, and physical education. They rotate on a nine week schedule.
RELIGION
The seventh grade religion course focuses on deepening the students’ understanding of the Church’s liturgy and sacraments as a prayerful celebration of God’s love for us. In addition to studying the liturgy and the sacraments, the students study the lives of the saints and examine the Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments and the Beatitudes. The students are challenged to incorporate this learning to live out their Catholic faith in their daily lives. This course assesses the students’ learning through written exams, quizzes, and multi-genre projects. Students begin journaling, as a method of prayer, on a weekly basis in this course. The end goal of this course is to prepare the students to enter into the study of the sacrament of Confirmation which they receive during their ninth grade year.
Eighth grade students study the Catechism of the Catholic Church with a focus on the sacrament of Confirmation. The sacrament of Confirmation will then be conferred upon the students the following year (ninth grade). In addition, the students study Church history and work on seasonal projects, such as a Rosary Project and an Advent meditation. Reading and discussing articles in the Maryknoll magazine is also included in the class activities.
All junior high students attend Mass on Mondays. An all-school Mass is attended on holy days of obligation, for special events, and on the first Friday of each month.
MATHEMATICS
Junior high mathematics consists of 7th Grade Math, 8th Grade Pre-Algebra, 7th Grade Advanced Math (Pre-Algebra) and 8th Grade Advanced Math (Integrated Math I).
The focus of junior high mathematics is to transition students into high school. Concepts covered include all operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) within the set of real numbers including whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and integers. Students work with linear functions and equations, radicals, exponents, order of operations and basic geometry concepts to build a solid background in all areas of mathematics.
LANGUAGE
The language arts program encompasses an integrated approach with two components: grammar/vocabulary and literature. Using Writers Choice by Glencoe, the grammar program thoroughly covers all areas of mechanics and usage. The overall goal is to enable students to become better writers and communicators. Vocabulary is based on Vocabulary Workshop by Sadlier. Both grammar and vocabulary are taught together in one class. Literature class combines reading comprehension, literary focus, and the “6 + 1 Traits of Writing.” The 6 + 1 Traits curriculum provides a common language for teachers and students to communicate about the characteristics of writing and establishes a clear vision of what good writing looks like.
LITERATURE
The Holt Elements of Literature, Second Course is the text used in the eighth grade. This text includes such well-known literary favorites as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Monkey’s Paw,” and The Diary of Anne Frank. Written analyses (essays) as well as class discussions identifying literary elements such as theme and literary devices are incorporated into the program. Additionally, work outside the textbook, such as reading the novel The Giver, rounds out the students’ literary exposure. The study of these classic literary works often leads to valuable questions and examinations of the human condition and the students’ response to life.
SCIENCE
The area of study for the seventh grade science is Life Science: Ecosystems, Cells and the Microscope, Genetics, and the Human Body Systems. The area of study for eighth grade is Physical Science: pressure, mass, Newton’s Laws of Motion, chemistry, and the Periodic Table of Elements. A multi-modal approach to learning is used, incorporating reading, didactic lectures, note-taking, and hands-on experiments. The seventh grade students participate in the CSRA Regional Science Fair each spring. The eighth grade Science classes participate in the Future City Competition, which is a national engineering competition. Relevant field trips are added when possible in order to provide opportunities for additional experiential learning.
HISTORY
The seventh grade history class studies pre-colonial early American history through the 1825 western expansion. It also includes a six-week intensive study of Georgia history. Students learn note taking skills, writing historical synopses in their own words, documentation of sources, and strengthening of their study skills.
GEOGRAPHY
The eighth grade geography class studies the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Western Europe, and Australia. The class focuses on map skills and identification of locations on both political and physical maps. Various cultures, religions, and traditions are studied. In the second semester, students participate in an extensive interdisciplinary project in conjunction with grammar class. They write a Modern Language Association (MLA) based research paper and present their country to the class with a presentation of twenty-five minutes or longer.
Highlights in the Junior High Department include the following:
- Country Reports: Research Paper and Oral Presentation
- Future City Competition
- CSRA Regional Science Fair
- National Geographic Society Geography Bee
- Induction into the Junior Beta Club (for eligible students)
JUNIOR HIGH FACULTY
Debbie Fain,
BA History, M.Edu Counseling, 7th Grade History, 8th Grade Geography & Literature, Yearbook Advisor, 26 years exp. ext. 226
Donna Skidmore,
BA Elem. Ed., 7th & 8th grade math & Algebra, 12 years exp. ext. 252<
Barbara Lewis,
BA English, MS English Ed., 8th Grade Language Arts & Geography, 7th Grade Literature, Dept. Chair, Yearbook Advisor, 38 years exp. ext. 223
Mary Francis Weber,
BA French & English, 7th Grade Language Arts, 8th Grade Religion & Literature, 7th & 8th Grade French, 26 years exp. ext. 207
Joanna Watwood,
BA Biology, 3 year exp. ext. 241
Sherri Watwood, Junior High, 1 year exp.