Seven Blue- Fall/Winter 2007

The Seven Blue Team is off to a great start this year! We are pleased to have such a wonderful group of motivated and enthusiastic students. Our team leader this year is Mrs. Lisa Doherty who teaches English, math and study skills. Mr. Ryan Bonnamy teaches English and social studies; Mrs. Cheryl Hasenjaeger teaches math; Mrs. Laura Scott teaches English; Ms. Liz Simpson teaches science and social studies. 

Email

You are encouraged to e-mail us with any comments or concerns. We would like to have your e-mail address in our database. If your e-mail changes, please let us know.  

ldoherty@CUSD 200.org Mrs. Doherty

rbonnamy@CUSD 200.org Mr. Bonnamy

chasenja@CUSD200.org Mrs. Hasenjaeger

lscott@CUSD 200.org Mrs. Scott

lsimpson@CUSD 200.org Ms. Simpson 

Edline

Edline is an easy way for you and your students to keep up-to-date on your students academic progress online. The implementation of Edline is the result of a two year pilot researching and testing the best tool to serve as an interface in posting academic information online for the District 200 learning community. Edline will be used by the teachers on a voluntary basis. The school district has sent each household a letter with your activation code. Once implemented, it is District 200’s expectation that teachers will update their classes twice a month.  The Blue team will update every other Wednesday, if not sooner.

September 24, 2007- All students have been activated and parents should have received their codes in a letter. 

Important Dates

Colonial Days-  December 5 and 10

Career Days

The seventh grade has two career days in the spring (one AM and one PM). If you are interested in coming to speak, please let us know.    

Brookfield Zoo

March 2007– Date TBD

Chicago History Museum

May 2007 – Date TBA

Classes

Block (English; a.k.a Language Arts/Literature)

This year in block, Mr. Bonnamy, Mrs. Doherty and Mrs. Scott have some great literature and writing assignments planned. Along with using the textbooks, we will be reading several exciting novels. Students will soon be learning about the Revolutionary War in social studies.  To help students understand life during this time, the language arts classes will be reading My Brother Sam is Dead.  Please read some of the novels that your child is reading this year—it makes for great dinner conversation for the family.

Math        

Mrs. Hasenjaeger’s math students are currently working on conversions.  Math homework is recorded on a blue assignment sheet (we call it the “blue sheet”).  Checking the blue sheet is an excellent way for you to see how your child is doing in math.  The blue sheet is collected on Wednesdays, but students should have it with them every other day.   

Science

Seventh graders will be working on a classification unit for the next 3 weeks.  Students will be coming home with TIPS activities related to the topic of classification.  The week before the holiday break the students will be solving a holiday related mystery using the microscopes. 

Social Studies   

The seventh grade social studies text is titled The Call to Freedom: Beginnings to 1877. Please make sure your child’s book is covered to avoid unnecessary wear. As social studies teachers, we are preparing students to learn the story of our country, with an emphasis on exploration through Reconstruction (after the Civil War). Students will soon be learning of the principal characters involved in the rising action leading to the turbulence of the Revolutionary War.