Weekly News
11/3/25-11/7/25
Simple Gifts
Students were presented with the procedures for our annual tradition of Simple Gift giving next month. On Nov. 3rd, teachers shared an Interest Survey with students which encourages them to share some of their interests and likes so that the peer who draws their name will have a good idea of where to start with the crafting of a gift. Students drew names on Friday, Nov. 7th, and were given a Simple Gift Idea Form. This form requires the student to work out ideas for a gift, outline what materials they will need, and to schedule the times during which they will work on the gift over the next month. Advisory teachers will have frequent check-ins to encourage students to craft a thoughtful gift for a peer in time for our exchange the week before Winter Break. All non-perishable items should be wrapped (but not labeled with names) and brought to school on Thursday, Dec. 11th.
MS English
Students have been working on characterization and character analysis in the novel “godless” the last few weeks. While students are keeping up with the plot, themes, and settings of the novel, characterization is our main focus. Using the S.T.E.A.L. method of characterization, the kids are following the speech, thoughts/emotions, actions, how characters affect others, and the looks of the characters to continuously track the physical descriptions and personalities of the main characters. By novel’s end, students should be primed with examples from each of the S.T.E.A.L. categories to write a character analysis.
For Families of 8th graders - High School Classes Already? Let's Meet...
On Thursday, Allie Blosser, our Upper School Academic Dean and College Counselor, sent the following message via email to families of 8th graders:
Dear 8th Grade Families,
I hope your eighth grader’s school year has been off to a good start. Can you believe your student will soon be registering for high school classes? In that spirit, I wanted to reach out to learn about your hopes and priorities for your student’s high school experience and answer any questions you have about our high school program.
I have reserved time over the next two weeks to meet with families to discuss the next steps for their child. We’ll discuss graduation requirements, our college counseling process, opportunities for support and challenge, as well as course offerings and extracurricular activities. Students are welcome to attend these meetings with you if you’d like them to be a part of the conversation. This link will direct you to my Google Calendar, where you can schedule a 30-minute meeting with me. I have scheduled the meetings to be in person, but if you’d prefer to meet virtually, please email me (ablosser@ngfs.org) and let me know. In addition, if none of the listed options work for your schedule, please send me some times that suit you, and I’ll try to make one of them work. In the meantime, please feel free to look through our Upper School Curriculum Guide. I am looking forward to meeting with y’all.
