In Mrs. Broderick and Mrs. Donohues 7th grade science class today, we did a chemical reaction in a bag! We mixed baking soda, road salt, and water. The bag filled with gas, bubbled, and got hot. In the end, we found out that we made chalk!
Smith School kicked off our annual Scholastic Book Fair today! Students came in to explore all the great supplies & reads there are to offer. The Book Fair is open daily at Smith- 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM tomorrow through Thursday, 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM on Friday. Don't miss out📚📖
On Monday, Smith School kicks off the WEEK OF RESPECT with a pajama day! We want to honor the unity in our community each day during the week of respect. Our Student Council will start each day with an emphasis on HOW to add to someone else’s experience at Smith Middle School.
Wishing a happy Rosh Hashanah to all who celebrate in our school community. May the new year bring joy, peace, and prosperity. Shana Tova!
🍎 Today we learned about the dates of our birthdays and counting to 100 in Mrs. Merritt's Grade 6 Spanish class. 📘 This was a student-led class in which the vast majority of the conversations were happening in the Spanish language. The students were mirroring Mrs. Merritt's enthusiasm, energy, and passion for the subject. Most importantly, the students were collaborating throughout the lesson and building their self-confidence. ✅ Thank you Mrs. Merritt!
Today we celebrate National Custodian Appreciation Day!
👏 Big impact: Think of all the hours they’ve put in, often when no one is around to see — prepping for events, cleaning classrooms, waxing floors, sanitizing every surface, and making sure everything is in working order. They create an environment where students and teachers can thrive.
💬 A few words of appreciation can go a long way! Today is the perfect time to say thank you to custodians who work tirelessly to keep our schools ready for learning.
⚠️ Navigate the school year with great success by downloading the District’s official school calendar. You can access the calendar through any of the schools or District's homepages in the blue menu bar!
Staying informed about Ramsey’s calendar is a crucial practice for students, parents, and educators alike. This simple habit can have a significant impact on planning, participation, and overall academic success.
An added bonus, Ramsey’s District calendar also includes an observance resource list. 🗓
Mrs. Broderick wows her 7th grade Science students as she demonstrates a Density Tower experiment!
SMITH SCHOOL- THE VOTES ARE IN! This year’s StuCo executives are… PRESIDENT: Noah Felmlee VICE PRESIDENT: Tessa Frank TREASURER: Joey Burns SECRETARY: Edward Jean
A Special THANK YOU to StuCo advisors, Mr. Schrettner and Ms. Aiello for making the election possible and a huge congratulations to all our candidates🎉 It takes a great deal of courage to stand in front of your classmates and teachers, you all did an exceptional job presenting your ideas for making Smith School an even better & brighter place to be!
Check out this video slideshow of today’s Pep Rally- created by our very own MultiMedia teacher, Mr. Bruce Reicher! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OOICYF4JYwiugGxEBHMWJAS06IfRt26B/view?usp=sharing
Smith School casts their votes! Voting for Student Council Executives was held during all 3 grade level lunch periods today. “StuCo” advisors, Mr. Andrew Schrettner and Ms. Gina Aiello, arranged for an authentic voting process during grade level lunch periods- allowing students to have their voices heard and practice the democratic process.
Why it matters: Student council at the middle school age is important as it helps students develop leadership skills, learn about the democratic process, and take ownership of their school environment and community.
Check back this afternoon to see the results of our 2024-2025 election!
Smith held an amazing first Pep Rally of the year! Student Council candidates made their speeches describing what they will do to make our school community stronger, Chef O and representatives from Ramsey Responds spoke to our end-of-year Charity Challenge event, and of course the new T-Shirt cannon generated excitement. Next up for this exciting day- voting for StuCo executives!💙💛
7th grade students in Mr. Schrettner's civics class created pyramids to represent the different levels of community: their home, school, town, state, and nation. Students then named the different rights and responsibilities they have at each level of community, from the responsibilities to follow school rules to the right to vote in future elections.
🍎 Today we learned... about responsibilities of being a citizen in Mr. Schrettner's Grade 7 Social Studies class. 📘Students collaborated with one another on how they are accountable at home, at school, in our town, and our state. Mr. Schrettner intentionally drew a direct connection to the daily responsibilities students have in their experience to the responsibilities they may have as adults one day. 👍 Thank you, Mr. Schrettner!
Mrs. Broderick's scientists observed more properties today by taking data for the melting point of soap and fat 👩🏼🔬
Registration for Fall Enrichment classes is open! 🍂🐏
Head to the District website and visit Families on the main menu, then Enrichment Offerings to learn more!
🍎Today I learned... about character archetypes in dystopian fiction.
📘 Ms. Larsen's Grade 8 English Language Arts class studied how archetypes of different characters in dystopian literature can help the reader understand the story and connect with the people in a novel.
👍 Thank you Ms. Larsen!
September 17th marks Constitution Day! 7th Grade Civics offers students the opportunity to explore the rights and responsibilities of citizens over the course of the school year. On Constitution Day itself, students explore the concept of citizenship and witness a live naturalization ceremony from the Constitution Center!
Important learning happens when students are asked to communicate their thoughts and ideas. By talking it out, students develop their opinions and beliefs about various topics. Students in Mr. Schrettner's class use a 'give one, get one' strategy, in which they listen to their classmates' ideas and then share what they have learned.
Active citizenship begins now for our students! Seventh-grade students in Mr. Schrettner’s civics class create their own classroom constitution. This document outlines the rights and responsibilities of students and teachers in the classroom. The modeling of civics and democratic values helps students feel ownership of their learning and environment while practicing important POG skills, such as collaboration and communication.
Today, Smith School took time to honor and remember the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001. Social Studies classes across all 3 grades addressed complex concepts of how 9/11 affects us and how the nation has moved forward while remembering.
In 6th Grade: Through primary source accounts of photos, videos, and personal stories from teachers who witnessed the day students were able to get a sense of firsthand accounts of the events of 9/11 and consider how personal values affect the decisions we as people make
In 7th Grade: Students used a KWL chart to establish prior knowledge, what they were interested in knowing more about, and what they learned as a result of the day’s lesson & activities. They engaged with articles and audio/visual resources from the 9/11 Memorial Museum. They explored human interest stories about moments of community and empathy that came out of this tragedy.
In 8th Grade: Students explored the preceding events to the attacks on 9/11 to answer the “Why” behind it and understand the factors that went into these acts of violence, as well as examining the lasting impacts in the aftermath of the attacks
