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Promotion Ceremony is tomorrow, Thursday, May 29 at Butler Field House located at 13755 South Main Street. 

Students are asked to arrive at 8:45 so we can get them in place for commencement.  The ceremony will begin at 9:30.  8th graders, you are asked to not return to Pin Oak after promotion.  Enjoy the beginning of your summer!

The Bellaire HS summer reading list is available in the front office at POMS. 

English

This week in English, we are wrapping up The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  Students will have a final exam over this novel on 5.27/28.  I am allowing students to use their study guides we’ve been working on in class during the final.

Math

Schlitterbahn News:

The last day to pay for Schlitterbahn was May 9.  We will accept money on Monday May 12.  We will not accept anything on Tuesday.  Chaperones need to pay $25 to Ms. Diaz in the House B office ASAP.  If additional family members are coming, the fee for them is $30.

Students will choose their groups for the trip on Friday morning May 16 at 8:20 a.m.

If they are not going to be present, they need to arrange with a friend to sign them up.  8:21 is too late.

 English

This week, we will take the LTF (Laying the Foundation) exam.  In 8th grade English, there are two parts:  multiple choice and free response.   All students have received a practice multiple choice exam to take home over the weekend.  We started this in class Friday, 5.9.

Math

Math students will have a last Notebook check next week. This grade will be counted as a Test grade.

The list of the Notes:

1. ____Isometric Views Lesson 1

2. ____Stem and Leaf and Box and Whisker

3. ____Review Solving Two-Step Equations

4. ____Writing and Solving Two-Step Equations

5. ____Writing Equations for Real-Life

6. ____Sequences and Arithmetic Sequences

7. ____Solving Equations with Variables on each side

8. ____Practice in Solving Equations with Variables on each side

9. ____Variable Expressions and Distributive Property

10.____Solving Inequalities

11.____Introduction in Algebra

Algebra students have the Notebook check right after EOC Algebra Test.

The list of the Notes:

1. ____Polynomials. Addition and Subtraction

2. ____Polynomials Multiplication

3. ____ Special Products

4.____ Factoring Polynomials

5. ____ Review TAKS 2004, 2006

6. ____ Stem and Leaf and Box and Whisker plot

7. ____ Quadratic Function. Parent function y=x^2

8.____ Find vertex, Line of Symmetry of Parabola

9.____ Solving Quadratic Equations by graphing

10.____ Solving Quadratic Equations by using quadratic Formula

11. _____Number of Solutions of Quadratic Equation

Algebra students are going to have the End-of-Course Algebra Test at May 21. To get ready for the test the have to take online practice tests at web site http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/release/  and print for me the Score Reports for EOC 2002, EOC 2001 and EOC 2000.

Science

Monday/Wednesday May 12 & 14, 2008 (IPC)

·         Completing Electricity Unit

·         Final Exam Review 

·         The students received the review sheets on Friday (May 9, 2008)

·         The review sheets are due May 19, 2008

·         The final exam is May 22, 2008

Tuesday/Thursday May 13 & 15, 2008 (8^th Grade Science)

·         Common Assessment Review

·         The students received the review sheets on Friday (May 9, 2008)

·         The review sheets are due May 13, 2008

·         The Energy Common Assessment is May 16, 2008

·         Completion of the objective packets

Friday May 16, 2008

·         IPC will be reviewing for the final exam

·         8^th Grade Science will be taking the Energy Common Assessment

This week in class, we will be preparing for the LTF (Laying the Foundation) exam for next week.  This exam is a prep for AP Exams in high school.  It has no bearing on promotion to 9th grade. 

During TAKS week, students received a rubric and a choice of writing prompts to write a critical analysis.  The writing topic and rubric are similar to the LTF free-response format.  Students have the option of working alone or with a group (no more than 3 in a group).  These papers are due on Friday, 5.9.

Science

Completion of objective preparation packets

(IPC & 8th Grade Science)

Depends on where we are with the objective packets

Parents thank you for your support in preparation for the TAKS Exams. Good job 8th Graders.

 Math

Algebra students have to finish LTF End-Of-Course practice Packet over this week-end and we will be checking it in class Monday and Tuesday.

Math students will be solving inequalities and equations with fractions next week.

There will be a final exam in English over The House on Mango Street.

8th graders will take the Science and Social Studies TAKS on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

English

All English students recieved a grade report on Friday, 4.25.  Please have these signed and returned for bonus points!

We will contiune reading The House on Mango Steet in class, focusing on rhetorical devices and literary elements.

Math

This week we will begin reading The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.  Copies of this novel are available in class, but I will not be able to check them out to students to take home.  Students are welcome to come after school or during advocacy to catch up on any reading, if necessary.

Math

Math students will be solving Equations with Distributive Property and Fractions

Science

All of next week is dedicated to TAKS Review. The children will have packets that are based on the 5 science objectives. Portion will be completed in class and there will be portions that will completed for homework. Hang in there with us, we are almost at the finish line.

Good luck on the Math TAKS Tuesday! 

 Pin Oak PTO General Meeting: Preparing for College

The Pin Oak MS PTO invites all parents to a General Meeting on April 8, 2008. The meeting starts at 6:30 pm with presentations by Pin Oak PTO President, Ann Nichols, and Pin Oak Principal, Michael McDonough. They will speak about school and PTO accomplishments this year.  At 7 pm, we welcome speaker Paula Fendley, HISD College and Career Readiness Coordinator. Ms. Fendley will speak to parents about preparing for college. This program is appropriate for 6th through 8th grade parents. We hope to see you there! Donde Batten1st VP, Pin Oak MS PTO

We are having our third & final meeting for “Pin Oak Idol”. I would like to get everyone together for this final planning secession. We need your help & guidance with this event. I’m hopeful that some of you have worked this event in the past & have ideas, knowledge or suggestions that we can use to make this a successful project. The event is currently scheduled for Friday May 16th.

Auditions will be held on April 9th & 10th at 4:00 – 5:15 at the school. 

Please forward this e-mail to any other parent/person whom you feel is interested in helping with this event. 

Meeting – April 7th @ 5:45 in the Pin Oak Middle School library. Thank you for your interest in volunteering & we hope to see you there!

English

Free Choice Book projects are due this Friday, 4.11.  Students may do a project or write an analysis and review of their book.  Below are the guidelines for the essay:

lit-analysis-guidelines.doc

Lit. Circle 2 has been moved to Monday.  Lit. circle questions turned in today received ten bonus points!  Thanks for being prepared.

Science

All month will be going through TAKS Reviews in class and for homework.We will try to finally do the hot air balloon project. Each child needs at least 9 pieces of colored tissue paper for Monday (April 7, 2008). Thank you for hanging in there with us. GOOD LUCK 8^{th Graders.}

Math 

Dear parents, this Thursday, April 03, 2008, students are going to take the Math TAKS Test. Students may practice at home to take Practice TAKS Test online. Web site is: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/resources/online/index.html Some students did not turn in the Score Report for TAKS 2005 and TAKS 2006. They have to complete it this week end. After April 8, the Score Report will not be accepted. After TAKS test, I am going to check student’s Graph paper Notebooks.

The list of the notes for Algebra class is:

1. ____Systems of Eq. Solving by Graphing.

2. ____Solving Systems by Adding3. ____ Solving Systems by Multiplying

4. ____ Solving Systems by Substitution

5. ____Number of Solutions of System,

6. ____Writing Systems for Real-Life Problems

7. ____Solving Abs. Val Equations

8. ____ Solving Abs. Val Inequalities

9. ____ Powers and Exponents. Properties of Powers

10.____ Negative and Fractional Exponents

11.____Scientific Notation

12.____ Exponential Function

The list of the notes for Math class is:

1.____Area of Trapezoid

2. ____Problem solving with Area

3. ____ Project Area on Geoboard

4. ____ Prism and Pyramid. Volume and Surface Area

5. ____Project Rectangular Prism

6. ____Problem Solving with 3-d Shapes.

7. ____Surface Area of Polyhedrons

8. ____ Practice 12.3,12.4,12.5,

9.____ Mean, Median, Mode

10.____ Probability of Depend and Independent Events

History

In History, students will continue to study the American Civil War. Their spirals will be due on Wed. and Thurs. Students will also have the opportunity to do bonus to make up zeros.

Later in the week, students will be assigned a person from history that they will be responsible for studying and making “come to life”. Details will be given to student later in the week.

Literature Circle 2 this Friday, 4.4

In literature, we are studying various pieces from the Civil War period in American History.  This week, we are reading “Harriet Tubman: Conductory on the Underground Railroad” and “Lincoln:  A Photobiography.”

History

In History, students will be studying the Civil War (Ch. 15 & 16). They will have a vocabulary quiz on Friday (Ch. 14 &15). They will also debate the issues of slavery and states’ rights.

A packet will go home to parents from the PTO on Tuesday March 25 with all the info.

Have a fun and safe spring break.  We will see you on Tuesday, 3.25.

English

Independent reading dates have changed:

Literature circle 1 — 3.26/27

Literature circle 2 — 4.4

Free-Choice Project — 4.11

Kindness Quilt — essay and fabric due no later than 3.28.

Essay and Fabric Requirements:

Format

• 12-14 point font; times new roman, arial, or century gothic is fine — please, nothing ornate or fancy.
• 3/4-one full page typed and double spaced
• first and last name; date on the top left hand corner

Writing Requirements

• Write about a time someone did something kind for you.  Be sure to mention how this kindness affected you then as well as its impact on you today.
• Write an explanation about the fabric you chose to represent this act

Fabric Requirements

• must be 100% cotton
• turn in three, 8″x8″ squares — one for the binder which will be kept in the library along with everyone else’s essays and fabric; one for the actual quilt, and one will be sent with a copy of the essay to the person that did the act of kindness, or to a person of your choosing in the community.

History

After Spring Break students will be studying social reform movements and events leading up to the Civil War.

Science

Tuesday/Wednesday March 25 & 26, 2008(IPC & 8^{th Grade Science)}