Regina Jr Sr High Newsletter
November 2020
From the Principal
As we enter November it is difficult not to think of All Saints Day and All Souls Day and the wonderful Mass we usually have in its honor here at Regina. Unfortunately, we are not able to hold that Mass this year (it would have been on All Souls Day as well). It is awesome to see the 5th graders come in dressed as their saint and to hear the junior high and high school students reminisce about when they did it.
These are also meaningful days as we remember those we have lost and now look over us from heaven. When I look at my 20 years at Regina I feel blessed from the relationships that were formed and mentorship I received from those who are now guiding me from heaven. This All Saints Day and All Souls Day I pray especially for John DeMarco, Ron Milder, and Bob Brown. I offer this prayer from the St. Paul Center for you as you remember those close to you who are now in heaven.
In your hands, O Lord, we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them with your tender love;
deliver them now from every evil and bid them eternal rest.
The old order has passed away: welcome them into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but fullness of peace and joy with your Son and the Holy Spirit forever and forever. Amen.
This month's newsletter has the following:
- Department Updates
- STO Information
- An AI camp through Stanford over Christmas break
- Information on a Ave Explores: The Saints
- Faithful Citizenship Information
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Glenn Plummer
Upcoming Events
11/3: JH Girls Basketball vs. Tipton @ 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home)
11/5: Parent-Teacher Conferences (Scheduled online)
11/6: Parent-Teacher Conferences (Scheduled online) - NO SCHOOL, Football Playoffs Quarterfinal Round @ Regina
11/9: JH Girls Basketball vs. Durant @ 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home), JH Wrestling at Regina @ 4:15
11/12: JH Girls Basketball vs. West Branch @ 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home)
11/14: Football Playoffs Semifinal Round @ UNI
11/16: JH Girls Basketball vs. Mid-Prairie @ 4:15 (7th-home, 8th-away), JH Wrestling at Mid-Prairie @ 4:15
11/19: JH Girls Basketball vs. West Liberty @ 4:15 (7th-home, 8th-away), JH Wrestling at West Liberty @ 4:15
11/20: Football State Championship Game @ UNI
11/23: JH Girls Basketball vs. Wilton @ 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home), JH Wrestling at Wilton @ 4:15
11/24: Board of Education Meeting @ 6:30
11/25: NO SCHOOL
11/26: NO SCHOOL
11/27: NO SCHOOL
11/30: JH Girls Basketball vs. Tipton @ 4:15 (7th-home, 8th-away)
STO
Dear Regina Families,
Included in this letter is a link to STO (School Tuition Organization) of Southeast lowa. Regina Catholic Education Center is represented by this organization, along with nine other Davenport Diocesan Schools. This website includes Frequently Asked Questions.
In quick summary, contributors make donations to the STO which could have tax benefits to them. There is a total limit that can be given collectively. The money is then dispersed back to the participating schools to be used for tuition grants for qualifying students.
Regina Catholic Education Center relies on these donations to the STO to help support our families who need this assistance to attend our school and receive a Catholic education.
We must fill our portion of the total goal by November 30, 2020, so that Regina may receive the maximum tuition grants needed for our students.
If you know of others who may be able to contribute, please help us spread the word about this important program. An informational flyer and the STO Contribution Form are attached below.
Thank you for your attention to this financial opportunity.
BESTS Letters
All-State Choir
Gavin Gallardo, a junior at Regina Catholic High School in Iowa City, has attained the highest individual honor available to Iowa high school musicians by being selected as a member of the 2020 All-State Chorus. Gavin is the son of Martin and Brandie Gallardo of Iowa City and is a vocal student of Dr. Travis Richter. He is the first ever Regina student selected to participate in this prestigious choir.
District Auditions for the 268- piece All-State Band, 211-piece All-State Orchestra, and 601 member All-State Chorus were held virtually October 22-24. While the 2020 All State Music Festival has been cancelled due to health safety concerns during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, that in no way diminishes the accomplishments of Gavin or all the other musicians designated as members of the 2020 All-State chorus, orchestra or band. This year would have been the 74th anniversary of the event.
Rosary Every Wednesday
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
Straw Poll for Grades 7-12
AI Scholars Live Online
Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
Applications are available at spirit.prudential.com and nassp.org/spirit. Completed applications must be submitted by November 10, 2020.
If you have any questions, please contact the NASSP at 888-651-2951 or spirit@nassp.org.
Ave Explores: The Saints
Ave Explores: The Saints will look at the process of canonization, how we can grow closer to the saints, and call upon them for support and prayer as we welcome them into our homes and families. We will see how the Communion of Saints is far from distant, boring, or confusing, but is instead a beautiful and wonderful part of the life of the Church, and a gift to faithful, everyday Catholics who strive for holiness just like the saints.
2022 Italy Trip
Chromebooks
Also, please remind your students to charge their Chromebook every night.
Department Updates
Business
Computer Applications News
October brought the end of Quarter One for Computer Application students and now we are rolling away with the Quarter Two students. We ended the class with Keyboarding Races and a few awards. Lucas Donato won in several categories including most improved score and most lessons completed. Luke Rustan had the fastest wpm time and Gigi Marinez had the highest accuracy score. Things got tense during the races.
The new quarter students are completing the “All Things Google” part of the class, making sure they know how to navigate and organize their Google Drives and Google Classroom, plus a bit about Mail and Contact lists. We will soon be moving on to our Drawing unit. We took a short video for Mrs. Schemmel which was a little different with both online and in-person faces to include.
Library News We continue to allow students to request books from the library which are then bagged in a paper bag and placed where students can pick them up.
The link is: https://tinyurl.com/rhsrequest
English Language Arts
In English, we are studying concepts such as mood, imagery, suspense, and foreshadowing in our mystery and suspense unit. The students read "The Tell Tale Heart," "3 Skeleton Key" and the scripts of two Twilight Zone episodes as well as science fiction stories by Isaac Asimov. In our current grammar unit, we are studying the parts of a sentence. Currently, we are working on identifying direct and indirect objects.
We have begun the research paper in Language Arts 8. Students are learning to put research into their own words and to develop a bibliography and in-text citations. We are studying persuasive techniques as we read and watch famous speeches by Martin Luther King Junior and Abraham Lincoln. We have just finished studying basic nonfiction concepts as we read the book Before Columbus.
9th Grade
The Freshmen classes are reading Fahrenheit 451. We’ve had great discussions about censorship and the importance of books in our past and future. We are also reviewing the eight parts of speech for a grammar review.
11th Grade/AP Language
The Junior English classes are reading short stories such as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" that represent American Romanticism. Soon we will read some stories and poems from Edgar Allan Poe. Additionally, we are continuing to review SAT vocabulary.
Juniors just finished reading a nonfiction book of their choosing, and are still examining the components of argument. They will begin reading The Crucible and identify the logical fallacies used in the play. They recently reviewed released AP student essays from past exams. Soon they will take a practice AP exam which will help them prepare them for their May AP exam.
12th Grade/AP Literature
Seniors have been writing sonnets, villanelles, and sestinas in hopes of publication and winning contests. They are also putting finishing touches on their research project which is a collaboration between Mr. McFerren and Mr. Moeller. Next up for Senior English will be Geoffrey Chaucer and for AP Lit., Frankenstein.
Family & Consumer Science
Learning Center
Junior High
I ‘m happy to see that several parents have signed up for conference time slots. I would like to meet you. Even though I am not in the building, I work with the students in my section on whatever they need help with, and Mrs. Gavin, who is in the room, does the same. One of the things we would like to share is that your students should have things to work on at home on most days in order to stay current on assignments. If they are stuck with something, they can always contact me for advice or to schedule an extra work session outside of their regular time in Learning Center. If that occurs, I will always let you know ahead of time.
i -Ready Math News
Students who are placed in the i -Ready Math program can now earn incentives to spend time working on the digital tutorials. For a certain number of lessons passed, they can dip into the treat bucket or choose to have an out-of-dress-code day. It has been hard for them to keep up with current assignments plus spend time on i -Ready, but since they can do i -Ready at home also, we hope to encourage them to make the time once their homework is done..
Math
Mrs. Welter
Pre Algebra: In Pre Algebra we concluded our unit on Pythagorean Theorem. We have moved on to solving equations. This is a very important unit to be successful in future math classes so we take it slowly. We begin with One Step Equations. Then move to two step equations and the distributive property. We also will simplify expressions. We put all of these concepts together and finish with multi step equations and equations with variables on both sides. It is a fantastic unit that is the basis to most Algebra.
Mrs. Hill
Algebra 2: We're getting ready for our Chapter 3 test over Linear Systems this week. Then, we'll head into Chapter 4 - Quadratic Functions and Equations.
Statistics: We're in the middle of our Probability unit. Then, we'll work on Distributions of Random Variables.
High School Calculus: We just started in on derivatives and will be moving on to the very important concepts of Product Rule, Quotient Rule, and Chain Rule.
AP Calculus AB: We're getting ready for our Unit 3 exam this week (Differentiation: Composite, Implicit, and Inverse Functions) and will then cover Unit 4 (Contextual Applications of Differentiation).
AP Calculus BC: We finished our Unit 6 topics this past week (Improper Integrals, Extensions of L'Hospital's Rule, Partial Fraction Decomposition, and Integration by Parts) and started covering our Unit 7/8 topics (Euler's Method, Logistic Models with Differential Equations, and Arc Length). Then, we'll start tackling Parametric Equations and Polar Form.
Math Club
Congratulations to Connor Ye and Riordan Smith on qualifying for the State Math Club Contest!
Math Club has new meeting times. We meet in Mrs. Hill's room (609) on the following days of the week:
Wednesday mornings at 7:30: High School
Friday mornings at 7:30: Junior High (grades 7-8)
We are always looking for new members. We participate in competitions once a month (Math League, American Scholastic Mathematics Association, and others).
Please email Mrs. Hill (beth.hill@icregina.com) with any questions.
Music
This is a short update on what we are doing now in junior and senior high bands. After working through a lot of music fundamentals (key signatures, note names, rhythms) we are working hard on learning bucket drumming pieces for a virtual concert. We are putting to work our new rhythm reading skills. So in the near future we will be able to show you the product of our work, It's a lot of fun and you'll enjoy the music.
Lesson #4 is due on November 9th. Parents should be hearing practicing and students should be doing some!
P.E.
School Counselor
This year is off to a good start, but it's hard to believe we are 1/4th of the way through the school year already. This fall's tasks, among many, have been supporting seniors through college applications, working with students who need academic or social and emotional support, updating JMC grades and schedules, registering students for this and next semester's college and AP classes. We currently have 93 students taking AP courses, 12 students in Kirkwood Academy courses, 13 in the Digital imaging course on site through Kirkwood, and an additional 6 taking online Kirkwood offerings.
Upcoming events/promotions through the Student Services Office:
- November dates TBD: Girls Circle JH girls group start up
- November 2nd: College Application Day Recognition
- Week of November 9th: Register with Jrs and Srs for sem 2 IOAPA and Kirkwood courses
- November 12th: Open Minds Open Doors Virtual STEM event for JH girls
- Nov. 30th - Dec. 2nd: Soph and Jr Kirkwood dual enrollment highlights/college & career planning discussions
- December 9th: Juniors doing Mock Interviews Online
- December Date TBD: 7th grade STEM Career Virtual Field trip
- December--registering Sophomores and Juniors to take the PSAT
- January 18th: ACT Prep seminar by ZAPS, onsite at Regina
- January 26th: PSAT test date for Sophomores and Juniors
Science
7th grade science - Mrs. Coffin
Students are finishing their review unit on Cells and moving into organ and body systems. We are working on making flashcards as our study skill for this unit.
8th Grade Science - Mrs. Goldsmith
Science 8 has just finished their unit on the human body, ending with the reproductive systems and pregnancy & birth. Next up is a study on how life forms change over time, including fossils, natural selection, and comparative anatomy. We will finish our life science portion of the year with a look at ecosystems and biomes.
Earth & Space Science (9th) - Mrs. Coffin
We are going to finish our Star Boards highlighting the life span of various size stars. After a brief flashback in history with Hidden Figures, we are going to move even farther back and learn about Earth's Deep Time.
Biology - Mr. LaKose
Having finished our studies of cells, including cellular metabolism by looking at chloroplasts (photosynthesis) and mitochondria (aerobic cellular respiration), we are now moving onto the cell cycle and cellular division (both mitosis and meiosis). A conversation about a loss of cell cycle control (i.e. cancer) will be included.
Chemistry - Mrs. Goldsmith
Students finished learning how to write the names of compounds and chemical formulas, so now we are examining how atoms arrange themselves spatially within a compound, based on patterns in bonding. From there we will begin the math of chemistry--measurements and calculations. Significant figures, metric conversions, and dimensional analysis will be major components of that chapter.
Anatomy & Physiology - Mr. LaKose
Students have just taken their Unit I Exam covering the language of anatomy, cytology, chemistry of life, tissues, and the integumentary system. Up next is the study of the skeletal system, articulations (joints), and the muscular system.
AP Biology - Mr. LaKose
Students will be taking their Unit 2 Exam over cells and cell transport, having recently completed the organelle elections (shout out to ribosomes for their victory!). Unit 3 is comprised of metabolism and cellular energetics, including photosynthesis and cellular respiration (both aerobic and anaerobic).
Principles of Biomedical Science - Mr. LaKose
The first part of Unit 1 “Medical Investigation” was recently wrapped up with students creating a status report as an update to their collective evidence as a means to update the commissioner on the case. We have moved onto 1.2 “Master the Morgue” and have been learning about autopsies and further evidence that can be collected as we continue to investigate the mysterious death of Anna Garcia.
Social Studies
7th Grade Contemporary Global Studies: As we enter into November, we will continue with our study of the political geography of Latin America and then will zero in our focus on the country of Brazil. We will be discussing the favelas of the major cities of Brazil and will take a virtual field-trip through the favelas using an online Google Expedition. We will then complete a mini-DBQ with the main question of, "How wealthy is the country of Brazil?" This Mini-Q will examine Brazil’s wealth on national, regional, and local scales with the students analyzing documents for the completion of a final essay. Overall, the 7th graders did excellent work with their first DBQ essay over the benefits/costs of the European Union and I look forward to reading their second essays over Brazil!
8th Grade U.S. History: The 8th grade just finished up a test over the 13 Original Colonies. We are working on a project about Native American's portrayal in Hollywood, we are watching the documentary Reel Injun, that was produced by at Native American, we are reading an article about Native American mascot names and discussing weather they should be used. The next unit we will be studying is the American Revolutionary War.
World History: We are wrapping up Module 5 Greece, Alexander the Great, and the Hellenistic Age and are about to embark on the Roman Empire. We will look at how the Roman Empire was able to rise to power. We will be focusing on how the Roman Empire helped spread Christianity. Students will also be diving into the world of document-based questions to answer the question of what caused the Roman Empire to fall. Module 6 will wrap up right before Thanksgiving Break.
Government: The election is getting closer. Students have been researching who their senators are and comparing the candidates in the Senate and Representative races. We also had a mock voting ballot to see how the class falls for election day. (Results are shown in the picture) I have been very impressed with the maturity of the students in their attitude and in their questions. This class I feel is taking an active role in becoming better-informed citizens. We are finishing up Unit 3 the legislative branch next week. We have discussed the similarities and differences between the Senate and the House. We are also looking at the process for a bill to become a law. Our final portion of the unit will focus on the spending power of Congress and where our money goes. We will have our Unit 3 Test on election day. After election day, we will work on our next Unit the executive branch. The plan is to finish Unit 4 right before Thanksgiving Break.
AP Modern World History: The MONGOLS have arrived. We are exploring the impact the Mongols are having on Russia, China, India, and the Middle East. Students participated in a trial against Genghis Khan to evaluate if he and his descendants were civilized or uncivilized. Unit 2 will be tested over next week and then the students will be working on an Autopsy of Land-Based Empires. This is a fun and interactive way to see the rise and fall of the major land-based empires in the time period of the 1450s-1700s. We will finish up Unit 3 right before Thanksgiving Break. (Picture of the Trial of Genghis Khan)
AP US History: For AP US History, there are a total of nine periods that the students will be working through towards the exam in May of 2021. The students have just finished Period 3 with the study of the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, the Constitution, and the presidencies of Washington and Adams. We will now jump into Period 4 which will cover the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase, War of 1812, and the concept of Manifest Destiny! Some engaging activities during Period 4 include a Monroe Doctrine simulation and a Shark Tank activity for the Market Revolution. While focusing on the content of Period 4, the students will continue to work on their APUSH writing skills by starting their first LEQ (Long-Essay Question) and the addition of another DBQ essay as well. We have maintained excellent pacing in APUSH this year so far and I am proud of their efforts!
Spanish
¡Saludos desde el Departamento de español!
Español 1 – The Spanish I students are studying the following:
· Use the verb SER and adjectives to describe themselves and others.
· Use the verb TENER and Tener que to tell what they have to do.
· Use Time telling to talk about school and class schedules.
· Use the present tense of -AR verbs to talk about their daily household chores.
· Having fun speaking español in class!
Español 2
Students just got done doing their oral presentations. They did an amazing job!
This coming month we will continue working with verb Gustar (me gusta, me gustan), differences between Ser and Estar and Verb ir + a. Combined with these verbs students will be applying vocabularies for activities, places, foods and drinks, and adjectives. We will concentrate once again in the placement and agreement of adjectives as we write short paragraphs.
As a treat for Día de los Muertos, students will be coloring skulls to decorate the altar, and they will also learn about the meaning of this special day in the Spanish world.
Español 3
Students finished their oral presentations on a trip to a Spanish speaking country. It was a challenging one, but I am proud to say they did an excellent job!
Students will continue working with Saber and Conocer and Reflexive verbs. They will also learn more vocabulary about the community and more adjectives. The goal is to have them write a short story about places in the community.
To end the month of October, for Día de los Muertos, we will watch a movie describing customs and beliefs of the Spanish world. They will be filling out a questionnaire about certain aspects of the movie Coco.
Español 4 – In Spanish IV students are learning how to:
· Use various daily activities and household chores to talk about things that they need to do.
· Use various verbs to make polite requests and to make suggestions.
· Use the Present Subjunctive Mood of regular and irregular verbs.
· Create sentences that express requests and suggestions using the Present Subjunctive.
· Having fun speaking español in class!
Theology
VIA- VIA classes continue to work on community and we are settling into a new normal of junior high! We have talked about Units 1-3 which included knowing and understanding who God is, a deeper look at the Trinity and how creation helps us understand our Creator. Weekly Sunday Gospel reflections continue as we also talk about the Rosary, the liturgical calendar and prayer. Several of our VIA sections have had the opportunity to celebrate Mass as a class in the chapel. Pictures below are from Mrs. Boland's class's Creation Wheels and Mrs. Welter's student's representations of what the Trinity means to them.
Theology 10: We have been studying the Covenants of Abraham, Moses and David. The students have been working on a Respect Life topic and writing a paper on a subject they chose. This is tied into our class since October is Respect Life Month. Our journal topics have been about leadership and coming up with 20 life's little lessons. As always we do reflections on the Gospel readings for the week.
Theology 11: In Junior Religion, we have finished our unit on Law and Morality. Your student chose a law to research and related it to our Catholic Faith. We will continue with information on Jesus as our Moral Guide. This will focus on his service and the Beatitudes. After this we will discuss the SEER method of decision making and conscience. Weekly Sunday Gospel reflections and watching the mass continues on each Thursday or Friday.
Theology 12 - Seniors completed the book & final essay/project over, Behold the Mystery - A Deeper Understanding of the Catholic Mass, by Mark Hart. We have begun our unit on the Sacraments and taking a deeper look at what these are and how they can impact our lives. All 3 sections of 12th grade theology have been able to celebrate Mass as a class in our chapel. Christmas Basket Project officially kicked off with a dinner on Sunday, October 25. Seniors hosted their adopted families here at Regina and enjoyed a meal of soup, chili & macaroni & cheese. It was an amazing evening of community and some important relationships were formed. Please keep our families in your prayers and watch for emails on ways to support this project. On Oct 30, seniors participated in our annual Service Day by going out into the community and raking yards.
Regina Junior Senior High School
Email: glenn.plummer@regina.org
Website: www.regina.org
Location: 2150 Rochester Avenue, Iowa City, IA, United States
Phone: (319)-338-5436
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReginaEducation/
Twitter: @gap_4