2 TIME CHAMPS!

Hey everyone,

As I sit down to write this, it's hard to believe that today is my last day before summer break. It feels like just yesterday we were welcoming students into our classroom for the first time, and now they are preparing to walk through the doors of high school as freshmen. Before we close the book on this school year, I wanted to send one final message of gratitude.

First, congratulations to 8 Gold on winning Color Wars! The competition brought out so much school spirit, teamwork, and excitement, and it was wonderful to see our students come together and represent our team so proudly. They earned every bit of that victory.

I also want to thank the parents, guardians, family members, and friends who showed up to support our students at the event. As I looked out into the crowd during Color Wars, I recognized many familiar faces who have consistently encouraged, supported, and cheered on our students. Your involvement matters more than you know. Education is always a partnership, and I am grateful for the role each of you plays in helping your child succeed.

Below are group photos from after winning Color Wars:

To our students, thank you for making this year memorable. Over the course of the year, I have watched you grow not only as learners but as people. You've tackled challenging concepts, worked through obstacles, celebrated successes, supported one another, and developed skills that will serve you well far beyond science class. Watching that growth is one of the greatest privileges of being a teacher.

As you move on to high school, I hope you continue to stay curious, ask questions, take risks, and believe in yourselves. The next four years will bring new opportunities, challenges, friendships, and experiences. While middle school has come to an end, your journey is just beginning.

Families, each year I ask for your feedback. If you have a few minutes, please consider filling out this survey: BLOG & COMMUNICATION FEEDBACK. It helps me better understand what you've enjoyed about these blog posts, what could be improved, and how I can make them even more helpful in the future. Your input truly makes a difference. Thank you for following along with us throughout the year. I hope these updates helped spark conversations at home and gave you a window into our classroom.

If you ever want to reach out, you can contact me at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org, and feel free to follow along on Instagram at @classwithcatwood, especially if you have younger students who may eventually find themselves on 8 Gold.

I am going to miss this group very much. Have a safe, relaxing, and well-deserved summer.

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood

2 WEEKS

Hey everyone,

I honestly cannot believe that we are already this close to the end of the school year. It feels like just yesterday we were kicking off new units, building Driving Question Boards, and settling into routines, and now we are down to the final two weeks of school. This year has flown by, and it has been amazing watching students grow academically, socially, and personally throughout all of the experiences we have shared together in Earth Science this year.

Where We Were

Over the past two weeks, we wrapped up many of our discussions connected to the anchoring phenomena for our Earth’s Resources unit. Students explored climate and environmental case studies from across the country and compared multiple climate datasets from six cities alongside Lancaster, PA. Through analyzing patterns and relationships in the data, students worked to better understand how environmental conditions, resources, and human impacts can vary from place to place while remaining interconnected.

Students also completed a quiz focused on putting many of these concepts into words and clearly explaining the relationships we discussed throughout the unit. It was great seeing students take the scientific ideas we explored through activities and discussions and communicate their understanding in a more detailed way.

We also celebrated Mr. Roberto and his final days with us for the school year! Having Mr. Roberto with us this year has been such a positive experience for our classroom, and students enjoyed getting to work alongside him throughout many of our labs, demonstrations, projects, and discussions this year.

Below: Class photos with Mr. Roberto

Where We Are

Currently, students are in the middle of their Community Resilience Plan Project. In this project, students are creating plans focused on addressing environmental issues that impact Lancaster, PA. One major topic students have been researching is air pollution and Lancaster’s ranking as the 19th worst city in the country for air quality.

Students are identifying stakeholders who are affected by these environmental issues and analyzing how different groups within the community can contribute to possible solutions. The goal is for students to think critically about how science, policy, community action, and individual responsibility all connect when addressing environmental challenges.

Students will finish creating the presentation component of the project on Monday, and presentations will take place on Wednesday and Thursday.

Where We Are Going

As we close out our Earth’s Resources unit, students will be watching The Lorax and drawing comparisons between the themes presented in the film and many of the topics we discussed throughout the unit. Students will analyze ideas related to resource use, environmental responsibility, pollution, sustainability, and human impact on Earth’s systems while connecting them back to real-world environmental issues.

Beyond academics, we are also heading into many of the fun end-of-year traditions and celebrations, including Color Wars, yearbook signings, and other activities that help celebrate the close of another successful school year together. Please encourage students to be on their best behavior as we approach the end of the year. Poor decisions or behaviors may impact their ability to participate in events such as Color Wars.

If you have any questions or want to connect further, feel free to reach out at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our classroom adventures on Instagram at @classwithcatwood where I share updates and snapshots of what we are learning.

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood

PSSA TO PDSI

Hello everyone,

We’ve officially made it through PSSA testing! It’s been great to return to our normal classroom routines, and students are working on that transition of getting right back into learning, collaborating, and thinking critically. We still have a few more weeks left of our Earth's Resources unit!

Where We Were

Over the past two weeks, we finished watching David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet, which gave students a powerful look at how Earth has changed over time and the impact humans have had on the environment. To extend our thinking, students participated in structured debates where they analyzed evidence and shared their perspectives on big, real-world questions. We discussed whether transitioning to alternative energy sources can realistically replace fossil fuels, how the documentary argues that human activity has driven environmental decline, and whether that argument is convincing, and whether humans have the right to significantly alter the Earth’s environment to meet their needs. These conversations pushed students to think beyond simple answers and support their ideas with clear reasoning and evidence. Mr. Roberto and I were pretty impressed by the arguments posed by both sides of each debate! A job well done.

Where We Are

We are now shifting into investigating why floods and droughts have increased in recent years. Students will be working with real-world data sets and learning how scientists collect and interpret this information. Using tools like the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), total annual precipitation, and average annual temperature, students are identifying patterns and trends over time. These data sets come from organizations like NOAA and are collected using tools such as weather stations and rain gauges. Students will begin to understand that drought is not just about a lack of rain, but a combination of temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture conditions, which is what the PDSI helps measure on a scale from very dry to very wet. As we analyze both local Lancaster data and data from across the country, students will ask questions about what trends they notice, what surprises them, and what factors might be contributing to these changes.

Where We’re Going

Looking ahead, we will begin connecting these environmental patterns to how humans use energy and natural resources, and how those choices can impact temperature, precipitation, and extreme weather events. Students will continue building their understanding through discussion prompts focused on trends in Lancaster data and how energy use may influence climate patterns, especially through greenhouse gas emissions that can lead to global warming.

As we move into the final stretch of the year, students will apply everything they’ve learned in our Community Resilience Plan Project. In this project, students will identify environmental challenges impacting a community, analyze data and evidence, develop realistic solutions, and present and defend their ideas. Along the way, we will also take time to celebrate Mr. Roberto’s last day on May 7th and recognize all of the work he has done in our classes. This final stretch is all about connecting science to the real world, thinking critically about problems, and empowering students to design solutions for the future.

If you have any questions or want to connect further, feel free to reach out at curtis_catwood@conestogavalley.org. You can also follow our classroom adventures on Instagram at @classwithcatwood where I share updates and snapshots of what we are learning.

P.S. If you haven't purchased a Yearbook, there are only a few copies left. You can buy a copy here: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/customer/1044712/Gerald-G-Huesken-Middle-School/

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood