7th Grade Homeroom

News and Information

Can you believe it’s May already?! Hopefully the weather will reflect the time of year. As we wind down our seventh grade journey, a few notes:

Seventh Grade Leadership Awards and The Haggerty Award
At the end of the seventh grade year at OLG, our students have an opportunity to apply for recognition in the following areas: Leadership in Faith, Leadership in Academics, Leadership in Co-Curricular Activities, and Leadership in Community Building and Service. Those students who submit an application essay for these recognitions will also be considered for the Haggerty Award (named for a formal principal of OLG). The Haggerty Award winner is a student who shows excellence in all four areas of leadership and receives a scholarship as well as their name engraved on a plaque with all previous recipients displayed at the entry of the school. Invitations to apply will be given in my homeroom class during the week of May 2. Please encourage your 7th grader to apply!

MAP Testing
Spring MAP testing is coming up in May. Students don’t need to study, although a brush up from the year’s notes and old assignments can be very helpful in keeping learned information fresh. Catholic and independent high schools will consider MAP score growth during next fall’s admissions process, however, the schools look at much more than test scores. Please make sure students get plenty of rest and have a good breakfast the morning of each test.
MATH: Monday 5/16, Wednesday 5/18 – 9 a.m.READING: Tuesday 5/24, Thursday 5/26 – 10 a.m.
LANGUAGE USAGE: Tuesday 5/31 – 10 a.m.
Make-up testing dates are TBD.

Talent Show!
Back in business! We would love for 7th graders to sign up for our first Talent Show in three years. Sing, dance, juggle, rap, stand up comedy, contortionist—what’s your secret skill? Permission slips due on 5/13, tryouts on 5/18, and performance on Friday, June 3. Click here for more information.

8th Grade Graduation Reception
One of our traditions at OLG is that seventh grade families host a reception for the 8th grade graduation on Wednesday, June 8. Our phenomenal room parents—Alder Kuhn and Mackenzie Sullivan—are coordinating this year’s reception. Please be on the look out for a sign up to procure items and help with set up / clean up.

Light of Leadership Liturgy and Ceremony
On June 8, not only will 8th graders be graduating, but our 7th graders will be recognized the new leaders of our school at the Light of Leadership Mass and Ceremony. The mass begins at 9 a.m., and seventh grade families are invited to attend this beautiful tradition.

Guest Speaker: Author Jamie Ford
As we wind down our study of the novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 7th graders will have the opportunity to discuss the book, ask questions, and learn from published author! Errr, another, more successful published author =). So excited to have Jamie back, as he inspired myself, as well as a few of my students to write our own books.

Important Dates
Monday 5/2: Service Project sandwich-making
Wednesday 5/4: Class pictures. Full Dress Uniform
Friday 5/6: OLG Spirit Wear Day, Student Council Spirit Day—Anything but a backpack! Bring your school supplies in anything except a backpack if you’d like to participate in this school spirit theme!
Wednesday 5/11: 7th Grade ZOOM with author Jamie Ford; Daily Mass at 9 a.m. (wear uniform blues); no band class; BAND FESTIVAL!
Thursday 5/19: All School Mass (full dress uniform)
Wednesday 5/25: Battle of the Books Final; Spring Concert at 6:30 (for kids in band)
Friday 5/27: Field Day!
Friday 6/3: Talent Show at 1:15 in the gym
Wednesday 6/8: 8th grade graduation; Light of Leadership Mass and Ceremony; 7th grade sponsored reception
Tuesday 6/14: The Last Day of Seventh Grade!

Santos Curriculum Updates (updated April 27 2022)

6th Grade Language Arts and Literature: We are exploring various nonfiction works, including an independent reading project where students choose nonfiction literature and teach the class something new with an engaging activity. We will also write wind down the year with some first person narrative writing and research writing.

7th Grade Language Arts and Literature: The 7th grade class is nearing the end of our study of Jamie Ford’s novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. We are scheduled to meet the author via Zoom! Additionally, we are learning research-based writing with internal citations—a tedious yet practical skill for high school. Additionally, students are conducting an independent reading study of nonfiction literature with a culminating project at the end of May.

7th Grade Social Studies: We’ve begun looking at regional geography, location and regional features of the state. Students have already completed a project about native plants and are moving into a follow up about invasive plants in Washington. In addition to understanding our own connection to our homeland, we will look at the original denizens of this land, the Duwamish, and their land story. In conjunction with are novel study in literature, we’ve looked at some history from Seattle during World War 2, particularly how the Japanese incarceration impacted our local communities.

8th Grade Language Arts: What a musical! I’m still riding the wave of amazingness that this class portrayed! Now it’s back to the daily grind. We’re going to close this year out with a bit of research-based writing, internal citations, and a look at how information is portrayed and manipulated by modern media sources.

Upcoming Dates

Monday 5/2: Service Project sandwich-making
Wednesday 5/4: Class pictures. Full Dress Uniform
Friday 5/6: OLG Spirit Wear Day, Student Council Spirit Day—Anything but a backpack! Bring your school supplies in anything except a backpack if you’d like to participate in this school spirit theme!
Wednesday 5/11: 7th Grade ZOOM with author Jamie Ford; Daily Mass at 9 a.m. (wear uniform blues); no band class; BAND FESTIVAL!
Thursday 5/19: All School Mass (full dress uniform)
Wednesday 5/25: Battle of the Books Final; Spring Concert at 6:30 (for kids in band)
Friday 5/27: Field Day!
Friday 6/3: Talent Show at 1:15 in the gym
Wednesday 6/8: 8th grade graduation; Light of Leadership Mass and Ceremony; 7th grade sponsored reception
Tuesday 6/14: The Last Day of Seventh Grade!