8th

Nov. 10th – 6th Grade Face Your Face Exhibition 5:30 pm @ Ohio County Library 

• November 11– Veterans Day and No School for Students
• November 25 – Alumni Kickball, Thanksgiving Lunch, and Early Dismissal at 12:30 (No Aftercare)
• Wednesday – Friday, November 26th-28th  – No School 

Nov. 17th – 7th/8th Grade Around the World Exhibition 5:30 pm @ Middle School

CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS

Good morning, Please note that there has been a change to the 7th and 8th Grade Deep Dive. It will now occur on November 17th at our Wheeling Park Campus!

8th Grade 

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes-  
• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes-.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

Deep Dive w/ Mrs. McFadden & Mrs. Wallace –

Science w/ Mrs. McKay – Density test onTuesday, 11/4

This week students completed their pumpkin drop design for the schoolwide competition. On Thursday, students were introduced to a challenge to make a short video together on the importance of wetlands. We discussed topics such as biodiversity, and ecological and economical benefits of wetlands.

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• This week we continued to go through our radio drama script and figure out what sound effects we can bring in to create the world we are in for our listeners!!

Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

•  Eighth grade students deep dove into the coal industry
• Company towns
• The Labor Movement
• Matewan Massacre

SEL w/ Mr. Jividen –

• Great Lesson on I Statements and Feelings and Emotions

Elective –

• Broadcasting w/ Mr. Alex – Field Trip 11/7

Middle School Important Dates

Oct. 28th – Pumpkin Drop @ Middle School (We will send out a link so you can watch on Facebook Live)

Oct. 31st – Halloween Parade @ Main Campus (Pick up and Drop off at Main) 11:30 am Dismissal 

Nov. 6th – 7th/8th Grade Around the World Exhibition 5:30 pm @ Middle School

Nov. 10th – 6th Grade Face Your Face Exhibition 5:30 pm @ Ohio County Library 

CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS

8th Grade 

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes-  none.
• We wrapped up I Must Betray You. The students loved the book!
• We kickstarted our final project, an essay, for the book. They’re choosing one of two themes. A character study or choosing a theme.
• We also started our entries for the MLK Essay Contest themed around forgiveness.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Quiz, Wednesday, October 29 – Perfect Squares.
• This week, the students did a quick review on order of operations. They concentrated on using rational numbers such as decimals and fractions.
• The students were also introduced to square roots and perfect squares. They will need to memorize the perfect squares to 20.

Deep Dive w/ Mrs. McFadden & Mrs. Wallace –

• This week we finished up our regions of Europe presentations, and had several European international students from Linsly come visit us to talk about their countries. The kids love hearing from the high school students! 

Science w/ Mrs. McKay – 

      Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Density quiz 10/30

• This week students solved density  problems from an  unknown  mass volume, or density. They also completed a lab to find the highest to lowest density of various salt solutions.

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• This week we finished our scene writing and we had guest Pete Fernbaugh from the Cloak & Dagger Theatre Company come Friday! He is bringing his radio drama expertise to help us create sound effects and take our presentation to the next level!!

Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

• Mid Trimester review of WV geography, settlements, and industry

Oct. 24th – Glow Fest Fall Party (7pm – 9pm @ Middle School)
Oct. 28th – Pumpkin Drop @ Middle School
Nov. 10th – 6th Grade Face Your Face Exhibition 5:30 pm @ Ohio County Library
Nov. 13th – 7th/8th Grade Around the World Exhibiton 5:30 pm @ Middle School

CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS

English w/ Mr. Rouse –  

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- nothing.
• We’ve reached the climax of I Must Betray You. Students are having a particularly hard time not reading ahead, as this is the point where the plot really starts to pull together. Students will need their copy of Lord of the Flies by William Golding, soon.
• We continued our work on research topics, and this week, our topic was which pet is more suitable and why? (Cats and Dogs)

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- none scheduled
• Students reviewed and practiced integral exponent rules on Monday and Tuesday.
• They started their test on integral exponents on Wednesday.
• Most students requested more time to complete the test, so they had Thursday and Friday to finish. I worked one-on-one with each student to ensure they understood the problems. 
• Next week, we will work with order of operations problems using rational numbers.

Deep Dive w/ Mrs. McFadden & Mrs. Wallace –

Science w/ Mrs. McKay – 

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• We continued our scene writing for our Radio Drama retelling of “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. We will be having a guest next Friday, and a couple Fridays in November,  from the Cloak and Dagger Radio Drama Company to help us continue writing and creating!! 
• Please check your email about an upcoming Field Trip to see a Radio Drama Production at the Cloak and Dagger Theatre on Saturday November 15th at 4pm.
• Our music journal entry was “Please respond to the piece ‘The Rite Of Spring’ by Igor Stravinsky.” It was a very controversial piece when it premiered in Paris in 1913 – ask your kids why!

• Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

• 8th Graders explored the natural resources that kickstarted West Virginia’s industry
• Thank you to Trennan for making me dig deeper on how WV ended up as the salt capital of the United States

Middle School Important Dates

Oct. 24th – Glow Fest Fall Party (7pm – 9pm @ Middle School)

Oct. 28th – Pumpkin Drop @ Middle School 

Nov. 6th – 7th/8th Grade Around the World Exhibiton 5:30 pm @ Middle School

Nov. 10th – 6th Grade Face Your Face Exhibition 5:30 pm @ Ohio County Library

Hi all and Happy Saturday! We had a great week at middle school capped off by Special Persons Day. While we have many exciting days at WCDS, this one is probably my favorite. It was great to visit with grandparents and other special visitors!

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Vocab Test – Wednesday (10/15)
• Continued our reading and discussion of I Must Betray You.
• We missed some days this week, so not much else happened outside of our usual vocab and research topics. This week, our topic was early or late start times for school.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Wednesday, October 15, Integral Exponents Test
• Students learned three more exponent rules. They practiced Power to a Power, Products to a power, and Quotients to a power.
• The students are realizing that showing their work is necessary to move through each problem. 
• The math expressions they are working on may take up to five steps to simplify. Writing each step is necessary to avoid confusion.
• On Monday and Tuesday, we will review and continue to practice for the math test on Wednesday.

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• Students continued working on our Radio Drama Scenes!! It’s going really well and I’m so proud of what they have come up with so far!!
• Our music journal entry this week was “What is your favorite song right now, and why? Is there a specific lyric that stands out to you, and why?”

Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

• Student learned about the four regions of West Virginia
• We discussed economics, geography, and population centers of each region

• https://here.wcdsedu.com/events/

Good morning. I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures today. My dearest iPhone 11 that has been by my side since 2019 has moved on. On a positive note, I have a new phone payment to fill that void until something like 2052…

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes-  Vocab Test
• Students continued their reading and discussion of I Must Betray You.
• Research topic #2 was on dress codes.
• Wrapped up the week with a writing activity where they wrote the prompts and passed them around.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- None scheduled.
• Students took a test this week, which covered using rational numbers in all operations. Tests have been recorded and returned.
• Interim grades are current and in Google Classroom.
• Next week, we’ll work on order of operations using rational numbers.

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• This week we decided on a retelling of “Twas the Night Before Christmas” for our holiday radio drama. Students broke into small groups to begin working on scene writing!
• Our journal entry was a response to the avante garde piano pieces “Sonata V by John Cage” and “The Banshee by Henry Cowell”. Take a listen!!

Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

• Golden Horseshoe Prep
• Field Trip to WV Penitentiary Wednesday October 2nd
• Will leave from school for an 11 o’clock tour and will return for lunch

SEL w/ Mr. Jividen –

This week, students are learning about coping skills. Coping skills are the tools we use to handle our difficult emotions. Coping skills can be used anytime we feel the need to ‘cool down.’ Ask your students what coping skills they are learning and practice using some at home together.

• Middle School pictures will be on Thursday, September 25th.  
• https://here.wcdsedu.com/events/

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Vocab quiz on Wednesday.
• We continued our reading and discussion of I Must Betray You, and we’ve been using American standards to compare and analyze Romania during the totalitarian reign.
• We have started talking about the research papers, and I modeled some examples from previous classes, as well as modeled some ways to find reliable information using the internet.
• I will start giving the students weekly research topics to go out and find some information about. This week, we covered the growing stray cat issue.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Test, next Wednesday, 9/24
• The students worked hard on using rational numbers in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems.
• They were given a chance to practice these skills during “working days” in class.
• We’ll move on to exponents next week.

Deep Dive w/ Mrs. McFadden & Mrs. Wallace –

•  Students finished their Central American country presentations, then jetted off to South America. We continued to work on our giant map, as some of the artistic students began drawing iconic images on the map.

Science w/ Mrs. McKay – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – results of carbon sequestration of trees
• This week students identified tree species in their surroundings using I-Naturalist and measure and recorded circumference and diameter of various tree species

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• This week we did a lot of listening to Radio dramas and began brainstorming about our own radio drama that we will writing for the holiday show!!
• Our journal entry this week was responding to the piece “4’ 33’’” by John Cage. Ask your child about the piece and all the things ways it can be interpreted and all the things it can mean.

Art w/ Mr. K – 

• Our 7th and 8th graders are getting creative in art class with 3D cardboard sculptures! Each student chose their own subject, and they’re learning to think in layers and multiple dimensions as they build. The projects are looking awesome so far!

SEL w/ Mr. Jividen –

• This week, students are learning about building relationships and working together as a team. Through interactive and engaging group activities, students will have the opportunity to get to know new peers in their class and work on relationship-building skills. Ask your student who they’ve met recently.

Elective –Creation Lab w/ Mrs. Boldrick & Mrs. Ochap – The students continue to work on their 2×4 challenge and their miniature classroom models. As the students complete their miniatures, we will move into their upcycle project.

Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – No Tests
• Famous West Virginians Prep
• WVians Draft
• Working to schedule a field trip to the WV Pennitentiary

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Aimsweb will be on Tuesday, September 9th next week.
• Students started their reading and discussion of I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys.
• They started using Guided Reading Bookmarks to supplement their reading.
• Students also had discussion questions for their readings.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Quiz – Wednesday, September 10. Chapter 1, Sections 1-5
• Aimsweb will be on Thursday, September 11th next week.
• After some confusion about absolute value, the students reviewed it and did more practice to understand the concept.
• We worked on simplifying fractions and finding equivalent fractions.
• The students also worked with finding common denominators and which helped them compare and order rational numbers (decimals and fractions).
• Next Monday, we will review for the quiz on Wednesday.

Deep Dive w/ Mrs. McFadden & Mrs. Wallace –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- none scheduled
• We zoomed with a former student of Mrs. Wallace who grew up in Costa Rica.
• We continued to learn more about the countries of Central America.
• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- 

Science w/ Mrs. McKay – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – none
• Students performed greenhouse effect simulation, learned about the electromagnetic spectrum, and interpreting graphs.

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• This week students learned a short body percussion routine and tried it as a round. They also decorated their music journal folders and went outside for our first entry of “how does the world and sound around us create its own music?”. 

Well here we are. These kids are 8th graders. Some of them are taller than me. I am excited to share the classroom with this incredible group. I am already impressed with the leadership and inclusion I see when it comes to interactions with our sixth and seventh graders. It’s going to be a great year!

English w/ Mr. Rouse – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- none.
• We did some active recall exercises in which I gave them a word, and with that word, they wrote out the core memories they had connected to those words.
• I let them choose between a comparative diagram, a character map, or an outline of A Castle in the Sky.

Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Not scheduled
• We are learning about rational numbers, which include whole numbers, natural numbers, decimals, fractions and integers.
• The students joined Google Classroom and Delta Math.
• The first homework assignments were given on Tuesday and Wednesday. There will not be homework assignments on Friday, unless absolutely necessary. The students should expect math homework three to four days a week.
• We are already having so much fun in class; I’m excited to teach them!

Deep Dive w/ Mrs. McFadden & Mrs. Wallace –

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- 

Science w/ Mrs. McKay – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – signed safety contract due 9/4
• Daily bellringers
• Surface tension demonstration
• Using pipettes

Music w/Mrs. Chelsey – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• Welcome back 8th grade!! This week we jumped back into vocal warm ups and did several theatre games; ask them what “yes, no, maybe, banana” is. We also did a trust game and an old favorite rhythm game “pass the beat around the room”. 

Social Studies w/Mr. Jividen – 

• Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – 
• 8th Grade students collaborated to set classroom expectations
• We discussed the West Virginia Golden Horseshoe test at length
• We started our West Virginia History exploration in Ohio County

SEL w/ Mr. Jividen – Mindfulness

Students this week start to learn about mindfulness. At its core, mindfulness means paying attention and is very connected to social and emotional learning and academic success. It is a non-religious practice that supports students in noticing what is happening inside and outside themselves in the moment. It’s been shown to improve academic outcomes and help with many social-emotional issues. Over the course of the school year, students will learn mindfulness tools to help with their feelings and emotions, make responsible decisions, and improve their overall self-management.