DAY, NIGHT, & SEASONS

Hello everyone!

I hope your September is off to a wonderful start! I want to extend a warm invitation to all of our families for Back to School Night on Thursday, September 24th. It is going to be a fantastic event with food trucks available from 4:30 to 6:00 PM, followed by the main program starting at 6:00 PM. Throughout the evening, you will have the chance to meet us (8 Gold teachers), attend grade-level counselor sessions, enjoy a band and orchestra performance, and visit the Community Resource Fair in the main lobby. For 8th graders, we'll touch base on expectations for High School and Course Selection when you see the 8 Gold team. We cannot wait to see you there!

Where We Were

We kicked off our Astronomy exploration by diving into our driving phenomenon: Manhattanhenge! Students worked on modeling different sky patterns to figure out what is happening during this alignment. We also took time to look at how various cultures around the world observe the sky to better understand our place in the universe.

Where We Are

Right now, we are focused on exploring sun angles, day, night, and the changing seasons. Students are analyzing both visual and numerical data to see how Earth's rotation creates day and night. They are also discovering how Earth's tilt and orbit work together to cause the varying seasons we experience throughout the year.

Where We Are Going

Looking ahead, we will continue our investigation into day, night, and seasons through hands-on lab activities. We'll also have a quiz next Thursday, September 17th, our Explaining Seasons Assessment. From there, we will transition into exploring the phases of the Moon and students will log what they see with the moon each night for a week in addition to modeling and exploring why phase changes occur.

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. Don't forget to order your student's yearbook now! It is currently at the lowest price ($22) it will be all year. You can grab yours today on the Jostens Yearbook Site. As the Yearbook Advisor for GHMS, please let me know if you have any questions at all. Students and families can also follow our @ghmsybk Instagram account for updates!

Stay Gold,

Mr. Catwood