Tamika Dees, Head of Middle School

October 25, 2024

“Reading is like breathing in, and writing is like breathing out.” -Pam Allyn
 

Greetings, Middle School Families, 

Big things are happening in the Middle School English department here at Oakridge! This team of 4 extraordinary educators have an average of 20 years of teaching experience and have taught various grade levels throughout the years.  This week’s newsletter is a special feature of the amazing things happening in our English, Writing, and Public Speaking courses. 

Fifth grade English is well underway and the students have worked very hard to master elements of fiction and correctly identify plot structure. Students are continuing to progress through the novel, Terror at Bottle Creek, as they analyze main characters and correctly identify text evidence to support their inferences.

In the Sixth Grade Intermediate Writing classes the students are learning all about plot structure and writing for an audience, as we write Spooky and Cozy Fall Stories to share with the lower school. We are so excited to visit classrooms the week of Halloween and share our work! 

Our students in 7th Grade English are finishing up a unit on fairy tales by writing their own fractured fairy tale story.  Students will apply their learning of plot structure along with targeted grammar usage skills in quoting dialogue and using consistent verb tense throughout their creative stories.

Finally, 8th Grade English students have been reading and learning about epic poetry, the hero’s journey, and heroic archetypes as they have read excerpts from Homer’s The Odyssey.  Throughout the unit, the students have focused on short writing prompts, vocabulary lessons, and close reading skills. 

We applaud these educators for their out-of-the box thinking, creativity, and their passion for teaching. Please stay tuned in the upcoming weeks as we continue to feature our phenomenal departments and the amazing things happening here in the Middle School at Oakridge.

College Advising

We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming NCAA College Athletic Placement Workshop, which promises to shed light on the exciting world of college athletics and provide you with essential insights into the recruitment process. This event will be held on Monday, November 4, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. for Meet the Coaches and a 6:30 p.m. presentation in the Flavin Fine Arts Performance Hall.

Information Station: 

7th Grade Class Trip- March 26-28
8th Grade Class Trip- April 9-11
October Food4Life Menu

With profound gratitude,

Tamika R. Dees