Team Enterprise


Welcome to Team Enterprise!

Opportunities for learning and growth are abundant for students on Team Enterprise. Student's classroom experiences are guided by a challenging and diversified curriculum that fosters connections between disciplines and to relevant contemporary issues. Academic units include a Young Adult Author Unit, the Pond and Stream Study, and Africa: A Study of Cultural Conflict and Cooperation. Team Enterprise works to develop fundamental learning skills including organization and study methods, analytical thinking, and working cooperatively with others. The team also strives to enhance student responsibility and to create opportunities for students to make good choices in an environment that allows those who make mistakes the ability to correct them. Special programs such as the trip to Camp Jewell and attendance of a play performance build teamwork, cooperation and offer opportunities for student learning outside the curriculum.

Guidance Counselor	Mrs. Sue Poriss, sporiss@nwr7.org


Social Studies	Mr. Dan Wilbur, dwilbur@nwr7.org

Seventh grade classes examine areas of the world including Africa, Latin America, and East Asia. Each unit explores the geography, culture, history and current events of the region. The course will provide students with tools for studying the past and present, reading and researching, and making connections across various cultures and themes. Students will be engaged in projects and simulations designed to foster growth in analytical and evaluative thinking skills. In addition, interdisciplinary work will be done with the English and reading departments utilizing selected works of young adult literature to supplement each unit of study.


Reading	Ms. Casey DiBella, cdibella@nwr7.org

Reading 7 will focus on developing a student's reading, thinking, and writing skills using a whole language teaching philosophy. Students will read self-selected books as well as assigned material. Response journals provide a means for close interaction with text. Some of the skills to be addressed include comprehension, critical reading skills, and the development of strategies for use in all content areas. Study skills such as organization, discriminative listening, following directions, study and testing strategies and the use of textbooks will also be part of the curriculum.


English	Ms. Jennifer Hurley-Coughlin, jhurley@nwr7.org

Seventh grade English is a developmental course that stresses the introduction and use of the writing process. The major types of writing addressed are creative, expository, persuasive, and descriptive. Students write and edit frequent papers using these formats. The skills of spelling, grammar, and usage are integrated into the study of writing as well as being stressed individually. Students study and discuss novels in class and work at developing research skills.


Science	Mr. Pete Favuzza, pfavuzza@nwr7.org

The focus of studies in seventh and eighth grade science is on the interaction of thinking processes with the content of science. Through the study of the living and nonliving worlds, students learn how to apply observations and intuitions to new situations and problems, they formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and draw conclusions. In seventh grade, topics in biological and physical sciences are addressed through the following content areas: Forces in action, energy at work, and earth materials and resources. In the second year of General Science, students learn about atoms and molecules, introductory chemistry, electricity and aspects of human physiology.


Math	Mr. John Hawkins, jhawkins@nwr7.org

Seventh grade math offers students some review of the basic operations with whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents. The course also develops many new topics involving geometry, integers, equations, inequalities, and the collection, display, and interpretation of graphed information. Technology is also introduced in the form of scientific and graphing calculators, and the use of computer software. Statistics and probability are introduced if time permits. In addition to the development of basic proficiencies within each topic, students engage in a variety of lab and project experiences. These individual and group activities are designed to enhance the application and understanding of learned skills.


Special Education	Mrs. Val Teggi, vteggi@nwr7.org
	Mrs. Laura Douaihy, ldouaihy@nwr7.org (Paraprofessional)

Special education exists to help students to develop their own exceptional styles of learning and apply them to all of the curricular areas. Support in each academic class is provided, and options exist for separate special education classes.