Classroom News
December 7, 2025
Hello Families,
Here’s the weekly update from the MSBG Adolescent Classroom! Below you’ll find important upcoming dates, followed by highlights from our work together this week.
Mark Your Calendars
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December 19 – Last Day of School in 2025
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January 5 – First Day of School in 2026
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Pizza Forms are due (if participating)
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Qdoba Forms are due (if participating)
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January 19 – Dr. MLK, Jr. Day [no school]
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January 20 – Extracurricular Activities begin again!
In the Classroom
History
For the next two weeks, the students will be working on Building An Empire. With a partner or small group, they will build their empire from elements of the various empires we have been studying: Ottoman, Mughal, Russian, Spanish, Mongol, Chinese, and Safavid.
Literature
We are finishing up our unit on Copper Sun. The students will have the book completed by Tuesday (Dec. 9) and will work on a project of their choosing to culminate the unit.
Science
In Diversity of Life, we have been looking at and comparing the systems of humans, insects, and plants. This week sees an investigation into whether viruses are alive.
In Weather and Water, we are learning about global winds, solar angle, differential heating, and the Coriolis Effect.
Writing
Students will need to have the written portion of their My Own Museum completed this week. Please encourage that focus at home and during the school day.
Microeconomy & Fundraising.
A Quality Dozen: Our 17 new birds are doing well! One of them has announced that he is a male with a rather hearty crow that caught me by surprise. We may have to find a safe place for them to be while Mr. Jeremy is out of town for a week in December. If anyone has ideas, please reach out.
Shirts?: The business proposal has been approved, and the purchase order has been submitted. We are poised to place our orders and be ready to start pressing samples in January.
Student-Run Extracurricular Activities: Our three-week trial run of extracurricular activities is already a success after just one week. The class has discussed it, and we will plan to do this again for an eleven-week period between Dr. MLK, Jr Day (Jan. 19th) and Spring Break (April 4th). A schedule will be put together this week, hopefully ready to be disseminated to the whole community before Winter Break.
Fundraising Event: The students are hard at work planning another fundraising event, likely to be held on the Wednesday before Winter Conferences (Feb. 11th). We are currently looking for a venue that can hold approximately 50 people for the event, but we can use the Oberheu Multipurpose room as a failsafe Plan B. More information will be coming soon, including a permission form for the students who are choosing to participate.
That’s it for this week! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Jeremy or Kayla at middle@montessorischoolbg.org. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Stay tuned for next week’s update, titled: “Time Flies,” or “Clock and Dagger.”
From the Room Where It Happens,
Jeremy & Kayla