Westerly Middle School

Where we create an inspiring, challenging, and supportive environment where students are encouraged and assisted in reaching their highest potential.

7 Catamarans S.S.
Instructor: Manfredi, J.

On these pages you will find important announcements about what your child is doing in class that week. You will also find documents that have been passed out in school that can be viewed and printed out at home. There is also an online textbook that you can view in case your child forgot their in school. Lastly, I will add homework announcements and online quizzes for vocabulary.

The curriculum is ancient civilizations. Students will study: Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, Rome.

Announcements

Curriculum Update - Feb. 13

This week students are continuing their learning of Ancient Egypt. We will be having a quiz on Friday on Egyptian Religion. The topics that need to be studied are mythology, gods/goddesses, their belief in the afterlife, mummification, and pyramids. Students should review their notes, handouts and reading that have been discussed in class. In the future, we will be studying the historical structure of Egypt and culture. Students need to make sure that they are continuing to be responsible as students. This includes being ready and attentive in class and completing all assignments on time.…

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Jan. 9- Jan. 13 - Curriculum update

Students will be finishing their essays this week. Monday will be dedicated to the conclusion paragraph, Tuesday thru Thursday will be for typing, and all students will be expected to be done by the time they walk into class on Friday. On Friday, we will be beginning our next unit - Ancient Egypt. This essay will be a test grade. Please check in with your child and see how their essay is going. Have them show you what they've done and be part of the editing process with them. Another pair of eyes, is always good when looking at these writing pieces.…

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Curriculum Update - Jan 3-Jan 6

This week, students will be writing their essay on the Fertile Crescent. We did brainstorming activities before holiday break and now we are turning those ideas into paragraphs. Students will be asked to work at a one paragraph per day pace starting on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Any work that is not finished in class will be assigned for homework that night. The next day we will move on to the next paragraph. Two days of classtime will also be dedicated to typing their final drafts. Please make sure that your child is working on this assignment at home and assist in the editing process. Thanks and Happy New…

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Curriculum Update (Nov. 22)

We are currently studying the Fertile Crescent in your child's Social Studies class. So far, we have studied the geography of the ancient Middle East both past and present. We have also learned about the historic empires that were created over the course of a couple thousand years. We focused on the achievements that these groups of people made and their contributions to the world. As we move in the second quarter, I must stress the importance of reviewing material more often and developing meaningful study skills. The material that we are studying now is brand new for most, if not all, of them. Below, you'll find a few tips in how to do that: Create a routine. When you get home, you should try to do your homework at the same time of the afternoon/night. QUIET!! - Try to remove all distractions. It is difficult to concentrate when you have the tv on, earbuds in, cell phone in your hand, as your dog is running circles around you. Studying in these conditions is not studying. Get ahead - Break your studying up into two nights instead of one cram session. Once you master half the material, put it away and save the other half for tomorrow. Pay attention - There is no new material on quizzes or tests. Staying alert and engaged in class is the first step to doing well. I hope that everyone has a pleasant, restful…

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October 31-Nov. 4 Weekly Update

Happy Halloween!!! This week in Social Studies, students will be beginning Unit 2 - The Fertile Crescent. Students will learn 17 new vocabulary terms and will focus their learning on the geography of the area in both ancient and modern terms. Students will read information about the impacts on geography on the region and answer comprehension questions later in the week. Just a friendly reminder - Parent Conferences are next Monday. Most parents could be accommodated, some could not. I sent home a confirmation time on bright pink paper. On this form was your 10 minute appointment time. We apologize that it can only be a brief visit but, at the middle school level, we have between 90-110 students on our team and are trying to accommodate as many people as possible. Thanks for…

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Weekly Update (Oct. 17-21)

This week in Social Studies students will be starting the last section of Chapter 1 - The Beginnings of Civilization. We will read, answer questions, and discuss key moments that led to humans settling in one place and developing civilizations. Students will also be working on writing constructed responses. We will start these in class and they will be finished at home. A test on this unit will happen once we finish learning about this material. Students should be reviewing nightly their notes - even when homework is not specifically assigned. Also, parent-teacher conference forms will be going home this week. Please read them over and have them returned as soon as possible. The order in which they are received will be the order your request will be honored.…

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Weekly Update (Oct. 11-Oct. 14)

This week in Social Studies, students will be studying the earliest humans and the Stone Ages. As we start to progress into the school year, students should be reviewing their notes and materials nightly, if they have not been assigned homework that night. Progress reports came out last Friday and they should be signed and returned with a signature by this Friday.

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Weekly Update - (Sept. 26-Sept 30)

This week in Social Studies, students will be beginning their first chapter - The Beginnings of Civilization. Students will learn about the two parts of history - history and prehistory as well as the impact that geography has on historical events. We will also begin our mini unit on understanding time this week. In this unit, students will learn about A.D. and B.C. as well as, how to label a century. Grades have been uploaded into MMS and are current.…

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Weekly Update (Sept 19 -Sept 23)

Students in all classes are reviewing some basic geographic principles and learning a few new ones, such as latitude and longitude. We will be wrapping up this review this week and moving into chapter one of our textbooks. There will be a quiz this week on the geography unit we have learned. Students are advised to go to my school fusion page and practice for this quiz by clicking on the Quizlet that I have made. This will help review key terms that we have been working…

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Welcome!!!

I just wanted to send out a quick welcome to all the new members of the Catamaran Team. We are looking forward to another great year at Westerly Middle School. Thank you to all of the parents and students who came to open house. It was great to see so many smiling faces again. Also, students will be receiving a large amount of information from the school on Tuesday. This includes the student handbook, dress code information, lunch information, and a few more. Please review these documents and sign and return the parts that ask to do so by Friday, Sept. 9. This week, students will receive information about each of their core classes - Mathematics, Social Studies, English, and Science. Please read these so that you are aware of the expectation in each class. Some ask to be signed and returned. Thanks - It's been a great first…

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