Week of January 21

We begin the new semester this week.  All students and staff are looking forward to a great second half of the year.  Last Friday we celebrated the first semester during an assembly at the end of the day.  There was plenty to celebrate. During the first semester: 32 students had perfect attendance, 88% of students did not earn an office referral, 49 students earn positive referrals, 326 students received positive postcards, and out of 555,000 opportunities to be in class, students were on tiem 553,097 times which is 99.97% of the time!  A big thank you goes out to all LMS students for a great first semester and a fantastic start to the second semester.

Mrs. Norman's S4S Class

The winter dance will be held this Friday from 3:00-5:00 in the LMS gym.  All LMS students in good standing are encouraged to attend.  Admission is $4.00.  We hope all students will join us as we dance away the winter blues.  Parents, you are encouraged to volunteer as chaperones.  Who knows, you might even be able to show our students a dance step or two.  

Report cards are going into the mail on 1/25.18.  Student grades can also be seen on Powerschool.  If a student is requesting a schedule change, they need to do so by Monday, the 28th.  Honor roll will be announced on February 1st. 

Upcoming Events: 

• January 25                     Winter Dance 
• February 15                   Early release 
• February 27                   NAEP testing

Week of January 14

It is the last week of the first semester.  We will be celebrating our students' hard work and success during the first semester with an assembly on Friday.  While we will be running a modified 'all' schedule on Friday to accommodate the assembly, our dismissal time is 3:00.  Only the elementary schools have an early release on Friday.  Students will receive their second semester schedules during lunch on Wednesday and report cards will be mailed out on the 25th.  First semester honor roll will be announced on February 1st.

All LMS students and families are cordially invited to the 1st Annual LMS Chili Cook-Off and family game night on Wednesday, January 16th from 6:30-8:00 pm in the LMS cafeteria.  Bring your family's best chili to share and relax and play some games while you see who has the spiciest, most unique, and best overall chili in the Laramie Middle School Community.  You do not need to enter a chili to attend.  We need plenty of folks to taste and vote as well.  We hope to see you all on Wednesday night.

There is no school for students next Monday, January 21st due to professional development.  We look forward to seeing all of our students back on Tuesday, the 22nd for the first day of the second semester.  If your student would like to request a schedule change, they need to do so by the end of the day on the 28th.  Students should see their grade level counselor to get the schedule change form. Please contact Mrs. Hodney (6th and 8th A-L) or Mrs. Hogsett (7th and 8th M-Z) if you have any questions regarding schedule changes.

Upcoming Events: 

• January 16                     LMS chili cook-off and game night
• January 16                     Wellness fair at LHS
• January 18                     End of the first semester 
• January 21                     No school-professional development 
• January 25                     Winter Dance 
• February 15                   Early release 

Week of January 7

It's great to be back in the new year. We are looking forward to a great 2019 beginning with a strong end to the first semester. There are two weeks remaining in this semester. All work submitted for credit needs to be by the end of Scout Learning Lab on the 19th. Please check your student's progress in Powerschool and contact their teachers if you have any questions or concerns.

A question we often hear from students, is "When am I ever going to use this?" In the second part of our So What? series, we are taking a look at some of the essential learnings in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math and how they apply to our lives outside of school.

Sixth graders learn different ways to multiply fractions. They discuss diagrams as well as the standard algorithm. Sixth graders also find the area of triangles, parallelograms, and trapezoids. Students will use various methods for discovering formulas for the area of these shapes that will connect to problem solving and reasoning skills that they can use in areas outside of the classroom. It is important for them to learn how to see problems from a new angle in order to find various solutions.

The end sixth grade focuses on statistics and the value of numbers in a data set. Students use this knowledge to understand what different statistics actually mean. They can then solve problems such as predicting who will win an election before all the votes are actually counted.

Seventh grade math includes unit rates and proportions. A rate is a ratio that compares quantities in different units. Rates are commonly found in everyday life. Sometimes students ask, “Where will I ever use this?” The prices in grocery stores and department stores are rates. Rates are also used in pricing gasoline, tickets to a movie or sporting event, in paying hourly wages and monthly fees.

Eighth grade math classes solve multi-step linear equations and identify and model relationships between two variables that have a constant rate of change. Eighth grade also studies systems of linear equations. The ability to model the relationship between variables is critical to understanding how to solve real life problems. Knowing how to compare two situations and how they relate to each other can help us compare them and make a better decision.

Being able to solve a system of equations allows us the answer questions like: When does producing items by machine become cost-effective? and How does the cost of traveling by plane compare to the cost of traveling by car? The level of understanding needed to answer questions like these is expanded in later courses, but 8th grade math builds the foundation for solving systems of linear equations.

Upcoming Events: 

• January 7                       PTO meeting
• January 16                     Wellness fair at LHS
• January 18                     End of the first semester 
• January 21                     No school-professional development 
• February 15                   Early release