Regina Jr Sr High Newsletter
January 2022
From the Principal
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Many of us may look at 2021 similarly to the way we did 2020, thank God it's over. Through all of the struggles and inconveniences we can't lose sight of the great things that have happened in our lives and to be thankful for the lives we have. I am grateful that my family is part of this awesome community and I get to come to "work" here each day.
The last week of this month/first week of February is designated as Catholic Schools Week. While we use this time to celebrate our Catholic schools, I would like to thank all of our benefactors for their continued support of Regina. I would also like to thank our parents and guardians for choosing a Catholic education for their student. Finally, thank you to our incredible students for making Regina a place where I can say I go to "work."
This month's newsletter includes:
- Information about Discover Regina Night
- Information on Math Club
- An update from Johnson County Public Health
- Conversion of St. Paul
- Department Updates
We celebrate the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25. The story of Paul's Conversion shouldn't be simplified to "he became an apostle." When looking into his conversion and the different people, events, and history involved with it, there is much more to this important vent in our history. Why Saul? Why did it happen on this trip? What was going to happen if Saul accomplished the goal of his trip to Damascus? What about the courage of Ananias?
This event has been depicted in many pieces of art. One of which, Carvaggio's Conversion on the Way to Damascus, is pictured above. This piece has a personal connection as it is on display in a chapel of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome. We have celebrated Mass in this church on our Italy trip. The experience of celebrating Mass in Italian with our Regina students and Italians attending their normal Sunday service was memorable.
Yours in Christ,
Glenn Plummer
Upcoming Events
Jan. 4: JV/V Girls & Boys BKB @ Cascade (4:00)
Jan. 5: Rosary in the Chapel (7:30)
Jan. 6: V Wrestling @ Wilton (5:30)
Jan. 7: F-S/V Girls & Boys BKB @ West Liberty (4:30)
Jan. 8: V Wrestling @ Highland (10:00), JV/V Girls & Boys BKB vs. Monticello (1:00) - V Boys @ Coe (6:00)
Jan. 10: JV Wrestling @ West Liberty (5:00)
Jan. 11: JV/V Girls & Boys BKB @ West Branch (4:30)
Jan. 12: Semester Assessments, Rosary in the Chapel (7:30), PISA meeting (5:30), Boosters meeting (6:00)
Jan. 13: Semester Assessments, V Wrestling @ Regina (6:00)
Jan. 14: Semester Assessments, JV/V Girls & Boys BKB vs. Tipton (4:00)
Jan. 15: Speech/Debate @ Regina (9:00)
Jan. 16: Dance Marathon (12:00)
Jan. 17: No School - Teacher In-service, JV Wrestling @ Solon (3:30)
Jan. 18: Start 2nd Semester, JV/V Girls & Boys BKB vs. Wilton (4:00), 7th/8th grade Boys BKB vs. West Liberty @ 4:15 (7th-home,8th-away)
Jan. 19: Rosary in the Chapel (7:30)
Jan. 20: 7th/8th grade Boys BKB vs. Tipton @ 4:15 (7th-away,8th-home), V Wrestling @ Tipton (5:30)
Jan. 21: JV/V Girls & Boys BKB vs. Anamosa (4:00)
Jan. 22: District Speech @ Montezuma, V Wrestling @ Ogden (10:00)
Jan. 24: 7th/8th grade Boys BKB vs. Durant @ 4:15 (7th-away,8th-home), JV Wrestling @ Northeast (5:00)
Jan. 25: JV/V Girls & Boys BKB vs. Mid-Prairie (4:00)
Jan. 26: Rosary in the Chapel (7:30)
Jan. 27: 7th/8th grade Boys BKB vs. West Branch @ 4:15 (7th-home,8th-away), V Wrestling @ Regina (6:00)
Jan. 28: JV/V Girls & Boys BKB @ Durant (4:00)
Jan. 29: V Wrestling Conference Meet @ Monticello (10:00), JV/V Girls & Boys Wrestling vs. North Cedar (1:00), Family Fun Night (6:00)
Jan. 31: 7th/8th grade Boys BKB vs. Mid-Prairie @ 4:15 (7th-home,8th-away)
Feb. 1: 7th/8th grade Boys BKB vs. Wilton @ 4:15 (7th-home,8th-away), JV/V Boys BKB @ Mt. Pleasant (6:00)
Feb. 2: Rosary in the Chapel (7:30)
Feb. 3: Discover Regina (JH @ 6:00, HS @ 7:15)
Feb. 4:JV/V Girls $ Boys BKB vs. West Liberty (4:00)
Feb. 5: State Speech, Wrestling Sectionals TBD (12:00), Gala @ 6:00
Semester Assessments Schedule
Semester Assessment Schedule
Regina Junior-Senior High School
Jan. 12-14 (A Day all days)
Teachers not giving a final exam are expected to have an educational activity planned for the testing period.
Wednesday, 1/12
8:20 – 9:35 (1st Period Classes)
9:45 – 11:00 (3rd Period Classes)
11:10 – 12:25 (5th Period Classes)
1:00 – 3:30 (Test Make-up Period)
Thursday, 1/13
8:20 – 9:35 (2nd Period Classes)
9:45 – 11:00 (4th Period Classes)
11:10 – 12:25 (6th Period Classes)
1:00 – 3:30 (Test Make-up Period)
Friday, 1/14
8:20 – 9:35 (7th Period Classes)
9:45– 11:00 (8th Period Classes)
11:00 – 3:30 (Test Make-up Period)
**Students reporting late to a testing period will not be given additional time**
No lunch service will be provided over these three days of testing. If a student is staying at school they will need to bring their own lunch.
Students need to make arrangements for transportation in order to leave school immediately after their last testing period or test make-up period.
All students are to be in their scheduled classes from 8:20-12:25 on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 8:20-11:00 on Friday. All students may be excused from their study hall.
Discover Regina Night
Coaching Opportunities
- Head Boys Golf
- JH Softball
- JH Volleyball
- JH Football
- JV Football
Please contact Mr. Hotek (taylor.hotek@regina.org) if you are interested in any of these positions.
Regina Spirit Days
We will have Regina Spirit days throughout the year. The dates below will be Regina Spirit Days.
Students are allowed to wear Regina Activities, Club, or other Regina clothing on these days. Bottoms can be jeans or any dress code bottom. (No sweatpants, yoga pants, or athletic shorts.)
January 7
January 21
February 4
February 18
March 4
March 25
April 8
April 29
May 6
May 20
Monthly Adoration
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F054DAFA72CA75-eucharistic
Math Club
High School Math Club meets Wednesday mornings at 7:30 am in Mrs. Hill's room. Students work together on problem-solving and participate in contests. Many students have already qualified for the State Math League contest.
If there are junior high students interested in meeting for a Junior High Math Club, please email Mrs. Hill (beth.hill@icregina.com).
One Year Anniversary for Vaccines
COVID Guidance
Department Updates
Counselor's Office
In December, all sophomores took a field trip to the Kirkwood Regional Center in Coralville. There they learned about the opportunities available to take college credit while in high school through Kirkwood.
Looking ahead:
The summer 2022 internship portal will be open from Dec. 13, 2021, through Feb. 11, 2022, for current high school sophomores and juniors. Internships are 60 hours in length and students can earn high school credit.
The winter/spring 2022 job shadow application portal will be open from Jan. 3 – 28. High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the opportunity to explore a variety of careers and gain useful information about what it takes to succeed in different fields. Job shadows are typically 2-6 hours in length. In-person and virtual job shadows are available.
ACT Test Prep
Doorway to College will provide ZAPS ACT test-prep seminar at Regina High School.
Monday, January 17, 2022 - Time: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Target audience: Sophomores and Juniors planning to attend a four-year college or university after high school.
Cost: $100
Sign up at www.doorwaytocollege.com
Semester Course Changes:
The new semester will start Tuesday, January 18th. Students needing to add or change anything in their schedule can do so by contacting Mrs. Zoulek or stopping by her office. The last day to change classes is Wednesday, January 26th.
Save the Date: Monday, February 7, 2022 at 6:30 PM
Virtual Meeting: How to Earn College Credit In High School
Mrs. Zoulek will facilitate a presentation covering the various ways to earn college credit while still in high school. Learn all the various terms and what they all mean--PLTW, Academies, PSEO courses, Alternative Concurrent Course, AP.
Guest Speakers: Jon Weih from Kirkwood Community College and Haruhi Abbas from the University of Iowa
Target Audience: Students in Grade 8-11 and their families
English
LA 7:
We are beginning our drama unit, reading several excerpts from different plays so students can gain a hands on understanding of the difference between a play script and the text of a novel. Next they will be separating into groups and then writing their own scripts.
JH Creative Writing:
We are entering the final part of the semester and are hard at work writing our short stories. We will have peer review sessions when we come back from break before the final versions of the stories are due for the end of the semester.
English 7:
We finished reading Fever 1793 the day before break. Once we return, we will begin a symbolism project and a summative assessment for the novel. The students have been working on analyzing the title of our text, creating book covers, comparing and contrasting the pandemic of 1793 with COVID, discussing themes and conflict, etc. The 2nd Free Reading Project will be due on January 18th.
ELA 8:
In English, we are now about halfway through Tolkien’s The Hobbit. All students should have read through Chapter 7 by Christmas break. We are learning about the first half of the hero’s journey and are starting to identify and analyze common archetypes in the novel, such as the hero, antihero, mentor, and sidekick. In language arts, we are working on punctuating compound and complex sentences in grammar and continuing with our nonfiction book Before Columbus. After Christmas break, we will be writing a comparison of Mayan, Incan, and Aztec cultures using the book and our own research. We will begin writing some short research paragraphs as preparation for writing a longer research paper later in the winter. We have been practicing writing strong topic sentences and using transition words in our writing as we move from one supporting detail to the next.
English 9:
Writing an essay on who is to blame for the tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet will kick off our return to Regina in January. Additionally, we will be reviewing and studying for our semester exam that will cover Romeo and Juliet, as well as some chosen vocabulary words. Following the exams, we will jump back into our regular routines of grammar review and writing practice, as well as begin our background study of mythology. We will learn the Greek gods and the Hero’s Journey archetypal patterns in preparation for reading The Odyssey.
English 10:
We have begun our unit for Night. We explored 21st century atrocities to ground our thinking about our history and what we are doing to change things in the current world. We are exploring identity throughout this novel, and will be journaling daily. We are completing an identity timeline for Eli Wiesel as we read that will be a part of our identity final project at the end of the book. The 1st Free Reading Project was turned in on December 17th.
English 11: We will review and study for finals for the first two weeks back after break. The semester exam will cover Macbeth, as well as some chosen SAT vocabulary words. We will resume ACT practice, as well as further study of The Elements of Style. Following the exams, we will study Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, which they usually enjoy.
AP English Language and Composition: We will continue our study of rhetorical analysis, practicing our close reading skills and essay responses. Additionally, we will continue to review our usage and mechanics utilizing The Elements of Style and Grammar for Writing. Our semester exam will consist of elements of argument and rhetorical analysis, as well as allusions.
English 12: We will wrap up Catcher in the Rye, write one more essay, read a couple of short stories (TBD), and review the 176 vocabulary words for the final test. And that will take us to the end of the semester. One down, one to go. [And thanks to your progeny, I had a blast this semester.]
AP Literature and Composition: We just finished the short and uplifting novel The Alchemist which is often taught in junior high, but I think that, though it is written so an 8th grader could easily read it, the novel’s depth goes unappreciated until early adulthood. So, now we will embark on a journey with Frank McCourt by reading his memoir Angela’s Ashes. This is a quintessential tragicomedy. We laugh and cry with the turn of nearly every page. We will also take a practice AP Test for the final. By the way, a number of years ago half the English Department met Frank McCourt, but only one-quarter of that department is still on the Regina faculty and McCourt is dead. Alas! For those halcyon days.
Math
Algebra 2 - We will be working with quadratic equations through the end of the semester. Students will be given the semester review packet before Christmas break so that they can start reviewing for their cumulative final.
Statistics - Students have been working on the normal, geometric, and binomial distributions. They have their semester review packets so that they can start reviewing for their cumulative final.
AP Calculus AB - We are almost through the 5th of 8 units for the AP Exam and will be starting Integration soon after Christmas break. Given that the course covers so much material, students will just have a Unit 5 exam during finals week. However, they do have some cumulative materials to work on over break to make sure that they are reviewing the topics we've covered since the beginning of the year.
AP Calculus BC - We just finished up the notes for the Parametric, Polar, and Vector unit, leaving us just one large unit on Sequences and Series to cover during second semester. They have their semester review packets so that they can start reviewing for their cumulative final.
P.E.
Religion
Welter VIA- Our VIA class has focused on the Advent Season this month. We created a Journey to Bethlehem in the classroom as our Advent Countdown. The students have “sent boxes of Hope, Peace and Joy” to people in honor of each week of Advent. They have also learned a lot about Advent traditions. For Church history, we have compared the Gospel stories of Jesus’ birth and watched The Nativity to see how it is portrayed in film.
Theology 11-The students have been working on Advent activities, as well as going through our curriculum of Morality. The Ten Commandments are the focus. The students have learned what commandments fall under Love of God and Love of Neighbor. The final in January will be a cumulative essay. We continue to read the Gospel and answer questions so they can reflect over the Good News.
Science
7th grade science - Mrs. Coffin
The 7th grade science students are busy designing and testing the prototypes of their Rube Goldberg machines. The goal is to ring a bell. Lots of great thinking, planning, communicating, and testing happening in Room 315. There is also a lot of organized chaos happening; isn’t science wonderful!!!!!
8th Grade Science - Mrs. Goldsmith
Students in 8th grade science just finished their chapter on the periodic table. Now that they know all of the magical information hidden within this seemingly innocuous chart, they are ready to use it to explore how compounds form and how they react. This is when we will get to do some fun labs where we see how much substances can change when the right things are mixed together. Reminder: there will be a final exam over the information that we learned in the first semester. Don’t worry, though--everyone will be as well prepared as possible when the time comes!
Earth & Space Science - Mrs. Coffin
The Earth Science students have come down from space and are attempting to learn more about spaceship Earth. We have learned about how the planet formed and why it is still such an active place. We will learn about the layers of the Earth and of Earth’s atmosphere before moving on to understanding Earth’s biogeochemical cycles.
Biology - Mr. LaKose
Students have been hard at work covering the “Central Dogma of Genetics”: DNA → RNA → Protein. We have covered protein synthesis, including transcription and translation, DNA replication, the role of mutations, and introducing evolution in a biological context. This will serve as a precursor and the underlying theme to the study of biodiversity seen in semester two.
Chemistry - Mrs. Goldsmith
Chemistry kids are learning about THE MOLE! No, there’s not a spy in class, rather a very large number. If you don’t know what that number is, ask one of the students or call their friend, Avogadro! This is a great foundational chapter for when we later learn about stoichiometry. The mole chapter not only covers conversions between units using moles, but also calculating percent composition and empirical & molecular formulas. We did a chalk lab, which produced some chem-tastically decorated sidewalks outside, at least until the rains came. Just a reminder--don’t forget to start studying for the final exam!
Anatomy & Physiology - Mr. LaKose
After being hard at work covering osteology and arthrology, including microscopic and gross anatomy of bones, a bone case study, bone quizzes, bone fractures and disorders, functional and structural classifications of joints, movements at synovial joints, analysis of common joint (i.e. jaw, shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee) as well as joint disorders. Students will next be working with fetal pigs as our sample mammal to dissect and learn the basic musculature. Our lab practicum final will include various stations with pins isolating specific muscles that students will need to identify, as well as state the action of said muscle.
AP Biology - Mr. LaKose
Mitosis, meiosis, and cell signaling is the overview of unit 4, which is our focus for finals week. Students reviewed mitosis and meiosis already, and will investigate how cells communicate with each other prior to their final.
Principles of Biomedical Science - Mr. LaKose
The Anna Garcia saga is behind us, and students applied all of their knowledge thus far to a new case: Marcel Newgard. Each of the five groups had a different underlying cause of death to which the evidence presented steered them in the appropriate direction, with each group ultimately creating an evidence board to present their findings to their peers (with great success!). Unit 2 is our current focus, entitled Clinical Care. We will be building a patient’s medical history, taking and recording vital signs, and other roles of a primary care physician.
Physics - Mrs. Goldsmith & Mr. Staab
Physics classes have just finished up their unit on displacement and force in two dimensions. We had angles, forces, and vectors galore! The current unit covers motion in two dimensions, which includes projectiles, circular motion, and relative velocity. We are definitely LAUNCHING into some fun in physics!!
Social Studies
AP US History
Well, we made it to the halfway point in APUSH before Christmas break and we are exactly where we need to be pacing-wise! Prior to the break, we discussed the main events and concepts such as Manifest Destiny, slavery, the causes of the Civil War, and then the Civil War itself. When we return from break, we will be examining the Reconstruction era. Reconstruction will be the final era we will study before the students take the Period 5 exam during their finals exam time. Once the 2nd Semester starts, we will be winding down the days till we start to review for the AP Exam. We still have a lot to cover though including WWI, Great Depression, WWII, Cold, War, Vietnam, and then we will work our way all the way up to Obama's presidency. A reminder that the AP US History Exam will be on Friday, May 6th at 8 am.
AP World History
Students are finishing their exploration of the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution. Students compared and contrasted the Atlantic Revolutions at the end of December. After semester tests, students will learn about the long term consequences that came from the Age of Revolutions.
7th Grade Contemporary Global Studies
The 7th graders have really been putting forth great effort in Global Studies for the 1st Semester. They are currently studying Southeast Asia with a focus on contemporary issues in China. Prior to the break, they worked on a Netflix series template on a topic of interest related to Asia, studied the five major religions of the world, in addition to major forms of government in order to apply that knowledge to our study of Asia. During their finals exam time, they will be taking a test that will cover such topics as Chapter 7: China, geography of the countries of Southeast Asia, in addition to major religions and governments. The students will complete a study guide and we will review it together in the days leading up to the exam.
World History
Students are finishing up learning about the Medieval Times of Europe. We explored how territories were forming, the social structure of feudalism, life for the average person in Europe, and the changes that came about in medieval society, government, and the rise of nationalism.
Government
Government is in a transition period for January. First semester students are finishing the judicial branch unit in which they learned about the difference between the federal and state systems, criminal and civil trials, and the jobs of juries and judges. Second semester students will start off with the beginnings of our government.Spanish
Spanish I – Students are learning appropriate vocabulary in order to talk about favorite foods and beverages at breakfast, at lunch, and at dinner. They continue to study -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs in the present tense. They can use the verb estar + adjectives to talk about how they and others feel, Etc.
Spanish II – Students are learning appropriate vocabulary in order to discuss travel preparations, to talk about sporting events and athletes, and to talk about ways to stay healthy. They are also using demonstrative adjectives to point out people and things, close and far away. The Present Progressive of -AR, -ER, and -IR verbs helps to talk about what they and others are doing. They are learning reflexive verbs to discuss their morning time and nighttime activities (la rutina diaria).
Spanish III- We started the month of November with an oral presentation using the imperfect tense. Students talked about things that happened and/or they used to do when they were 5 years old. We continued studying the differences between the past tense and the imperfect tense. We continue working on this in December. Students also reviewed and learned vocabulary of family relationships as well as outdoor/vacation activities. They also worked on some listening comprehension and dictation exercises. Before Winter break students will be working on a list of over 150 verbs in Spanish. Their Semester exam will be over these. There will be a Quizlet on Google Classroom for their convenience. They also have this list on paper.
Spanish IV- Students did an amazing job presenting their favorite recipes using the command/imperative form. Some even shared the final product by bringing some samples! We also learned vocabulary used with technology and professions. Students have been practicing all verb tenses learned so far (over 10 tenses!). The week before Winter break, students were introduced to the present subjunctive mood. We started by learning the endings of the 3 conjugations and the uses. We will continue when we return in January.
For their final semester exam, students have been given vocabulary lists and around 250 verbs. These lists will be on Quizlet (On GC) so that students can review and practice over break if they so desired.
Vocal Music
We are entering a very exciting season for the choral program at Regina Junior High and High School. First, on Wednesday, December 15th at 7 p.m. at Saint Patrick's Church we held our first choir concert in two years. Our Christmas Concert featured a wide variety of vocal works from our junior high boys and girls choirs, to our high school mixed choir, to our all state choir auditionees.
After Christmas we go full force into the Spring musical. This year we will be presenting Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Rehearsals will begin in earnest on the first day after Christmas break and continue through to the performances which will be held at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts on February 25th and 26th at 7 p.m., and February 26th and 27th at 2 p.m. You will not want to miss this memorable performance.
Thank you all for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you at the shows.
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