COMMUNITY SERVICE

Gifts of Kindness

"Gifts of Kindness" Tag Distribution will be during lunches November 12-20. The collection of gifts will be November 26-December 7.

School-wide Hat Day
Over $6,000 was raised last year!

SIXTH GRADE ACTIVITIES

Viking Value Award

A sixth grade program that recognizes students (quarterly) who consistently demonstrate characteristics of good citizenship. Their respective team of teachers and counselor selects students each marking period.
The criteria recognizes students who:

• Demonstrates a positive attitude to his/her peers.
• Has recently done something special for classmates or the school.
• Has been exceptionally helpful to someone in need.
• Demonstrates a cooperative attitude in the classroom.
• Volunteers to be of service to peers, the school, or the community.

Students' names are announced and certificates are presented at a Grade 6 assembly. A bulletin board display highlights the students.
 

SEVENTH GRADE ACTIVITIES

QUARTERLY CHARACTER PROGRAM

Each year the seventh grade students assemble for several grade level meetings. At these meetings we discuss many school issues such as school rules, behavior issues, field trips and major grade level events. The quarterly assemblies in the seventh grade are known as our Quarterly Character assemblies. At these assemblies we also recognize students who have demonstrated outstanding character.

The Quarterly Character assemblies serve to not only recognize students’ accomplishments but they also represent an important component of the building wide effort to promote good character. At the assemblies we discuss the meaning and importance of the six pillars of character that the school emphasizes: Respect, Responsibility, Citizenship, Trustworthiness, Caring, and Fairness. Presentations and discussions of character issues are presented to the students.

Students who are recognized at the assemblies are selected by their teachers. Each team of teachers selects four students for the Quarterly Character Award. Any staff member may communicate with the team leader to provide input for student selections. Award winners receive a certificate of recognition and their pictures are posted in the Quarterly Character display case; student names are posted in the Viking Voice. In selecting students for the award the following criteria are considered:

1)Demonstration of one or more of the six pillars of character in exceptional ways.

2)Application of the six pillars in the school setting with peers and adults.

3)Serving peers, the school, or the community, by volunteering to fill a need.

4)Consistency in demonstration of character.

EARTH DAY
Seventh graders celebrate Earth Day with a variety of interdisciplinary activities:

• Science classes view a PowerPoint presentation of students enjoying the great outdoors.
• The Math Department participate in a nationwide Grocery Bag Project. Students research relevant conservation statistics and display their facts, along with art work, on grocery bags. The bags were then distributed in a local grocery store on Earth Day.
• In Communication Arts, students discuss the story, "The Last Tree." Students write reflections on paper leaves, which are placed on a paper tree in the hallway.
• English classes took advantage of the glorious weather in an outdoor activity designed to illustrate the availability of resources in an ecosystem, as well as factors that influence the natural selection process.

Holocaust Unit
Seventh graders participate in an interdisciplinary unit involving English, Communication Arts, Social Studies, Math, and Science. In English, students read The Diary of Anne Frank and discuss racism. In Communication Arts, students read The Wave, and discuss propaganda techniques. Social Studies students examine German history and events leading to the Holocaust. In Math, students evaluate the statistical figures of casualties during World War II and the Holocaust. Students also view Swing Kids, a movie about the Hitler Youth movement. The unit culminates with Holocaust Remembrance Day. During this special day, students will imagine themselves in the shoes of a teenager who lived through the Holocaust. The day ends with a speaker who will recount personal experiences during the Holocaust. The entire unit provides a meaningful experience to all students.

EIGHTH GRADE ACTIVITIES

YOUTH SUMMIT 
The Bernards Township Municipal Alliance Against Substance Abuse and Youth Services Commission will present a Youth Summit. This special program provided information and explored issues that affect young people as they grow up. The program provided an exciting vision of the future and the courage to make positive choices along the way.

Washington, DC

Each year, eighth graders at William Annin are invited on a two-day trip to Washington, DC in the spring. The trip is an extension of many parts of the middle school curriculum and it is also a special culminating experience for the middle school years.

STUDENT STAR AWARD

Each month, the 8th grade team teachers recognize students as a "Student Star." The criteria for this recognition are good moral character, evidence of school contributions, concern for others, a cooperative spirit, respect for school and others, and a demonstrated sense of responsibility. The award is not academically based, but intended to recognize those students who serve as a role model for their peers.

Recipients of the award are recognized in the following ways:

1. The students are invited to a team meeting to receive the award and a letter to their parents. All team teachers are present as well as the guidance counselor and an administrator (when available).

2. The students are asked to create a poster which celebrates who they are and it is displayed on the bulletin board in the middle stairwell for the month they are selected.

3. The students names are announced via morning or afternoon announcements.

4. The student names appear in the Viking Voice.