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7th Grade Roaring Times
Excellence is a Daily Pursuit
November 14, 2025 – Issue #08
Gravette Middle School
Upcoming Events
Get ready for an exciting week at GMS! Check out the calendar below and stay in the loop—ROAR loud and show your pride!
Dec. 15 – Band Concert
Dec. 19 – Dodge Ball Tournament
Dec. 19 – Last day of Class
Dec. 22 - Jan. 5 – Christmas Break
Jan. 6 – School Resumes
Book Challenge
Due dates for Quarter 3 will be released when we return to school.
Student Spotlight
Each week, we'll shine a spotlight on two students in order to get to know them a little better. This fun feature is a great way to celebrate our students and share their unique interests, hobbies, and personalities!
Zander Donohew Zander's favorite subject is Math because he feels confident in it. His favorite sport is basketball, which he loves playing whenever he's bored. Someday, he hopes to make it to the NBA!
Eliana Downum Eliana's favorite subject in school is English because she loves to read. She enjoys playing softball and dreams of playing at the college level when she grows up.
HAC Login
Login to HAC: http://gravetteschools.net/grades
Merry Christmas!
We hope everyone has a wonderful break and a happy holiday season!
Important Reminder
7th grade will have 2 REWARD TRIPS each year! Qualifying for these reward trips will depend on 3 simple things:
Attendance – Maximum two tardies per class or 9 absences per semester.
Grades – No failing classes and meet Book Challenge expectations.
Behavior – No ISS or OSS, no more than 9 total behavior logs per semester.
7th Grade Academic Focus
ELA
This week, we finished reading Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt. Students reviewed the elements of a plot diagram and practiced identifying both internal and external types of conflict.
We were disappointed in the number of students who completed their independent reading/Book Challenge. As a result, many students will not be eligible for the reward trip. Students are required to read four books of their choice—at their reading level—each quarter.
Please ask your student what they are currently reading. They should be reading every day!
After we return from Christmas break, we will begin focusing on writing.
Social Studies
Next week, students will dive into an important chapter of our nation's story as we explore the American Constitution—what it is, why it matters, and how it continues to shape our country today. After Christmas break, we'll shift gears and begin an exciting new journey into Arkansas History, discovering the people, places, and events that make our state unique.
KeyCode
Welcome to Coding Class! We're kicking off a brand-new semester after Christmas break, and I'm excited to get started with our new group of students! A quick reminder: your Chromebook must be charged every single night. Everything we do in this class is on your device—activities, assignments, lessons, and projects—so coming prepared is a must.
We'll begin the semester by learning the home row keys, which is the foundation for typing efficiently and confidently. Get ready to build strong keyboarding skills that will help you in every class! Looking forward to a great start!
Math
Students have been learning the parts of a circle and how to find the area of circles, semicircles, and quadrants. They are also calculating the distance around semicircles and quadrants. To do this, students are applying circle formulas such as 3.14 x d or 2 x 3.14 x r.
For semicircles, they use (3.14 x d) ÷ 2, and for quadrants, (3.14 x d) ÷ 4 or [(2 x 3.14 x r) ÷ 4].
To find the distance around part of a circle, they add the curved portion to the diameter or radius. For example, the distance around a semicircle is (3.14 x d ÷ 2) + d, and for a quadrant it is [(2 x 3.14 x r) ÷ 4] + 2r.
Science
We wrapped up our Physical Science unit this week—much to the relief of many students! We ended on a fun note with a marshmallow molecules project, and yes... we may have eaten the extra marshmallows afterward.
Before break, we're shifting briefly into Life Science with a quick review of photosynthesis and cellular respiration to keep those science skills sharp.
Electives
Musical Theater: We workshopped the first six scenes of our show, have the Miracle song roughly learned, and started our one-page plays featuring everyone's roles from Matilda.
Podcasting: All 10 episodes are due this week, which means every student should have completed their own FULL season of their first podcast!
Ukulele: We just finished our Country Music Week in class, bringing in some George Strait, Dolly Parton, and the Zac Brown Band. Students worked fluency on Bb and Gm chords, as well as worked the skills of reading off of a chord chart. This Saturday, we'll have a few players at the Gravette Museum playing Christmas carols.
Art: In art class this week, students explored mark-making techniques with oil pastels to create bold, patterned papers. They also spent time brainstorming and sketching nature-inspired ideas that reflect their personal interests. Using these sketches, students created their own printmaking plates out of styrofoam, which they'll use next week to pull prints onto their patterned backgrounds.
All of this work is building toward their Mixed Media Nature Print final project, and they're off to a great start!