Regina Jr Sr High Newsletter
February 2020
From the Principal
We had an awesome Catholic Schools Week. Father Beckman celebrated our K-12 Mass on Wednesday. We were joined by over 20 alumni and parents for career day on Friday morning, including an all-school presentation on making good decisions by Father Michael Rossmann ('03). The 11th graders won the Souper Bowl by being the grade with the most food donations this week. Congratulations to Jacob Marzen (12th grade) for winning our first ever spelling bee! Samantha Glass (7th grade) came in second place and Riordan Smith (8th grade) finished in 3rd place. We also had many talented performers in our variety show.
We enter February on this high note and hope our athletes and artists can use this momentum to carry over into their state qualifying events and our musical at the end of the month.
Some of the articles and links included this month include:
- Parents Guide to TikTok - I see so many students using this at school (my own at home). Even though it does have a cost, I thought it was worth passing on the information.
- Remembering Kobe Bryant - a great article about what Kobe's Catholic faith meant to him and did for him.
- Information on Safe Haven Sunday, an initiative from the Diocese of Davenport.
- Information on a Women's Health Program being started by Dr. Ann Larew.
Our Iowa Assessments results are also included in this month's newsletter. Once again the performance of our students demonstrates the excellent education our teachers provide at Regina. Please contact me if you have any questions about the data.
I pray that our weather this February fairs better than last year. Nonetheless, stay warm and have a great month!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Glenn Plummer
Upcoming Events
Sunday, Feb. 2: Super Bowl LIV - GO CHIEFS!
Monday, Feb. 3: boys jh basketball vs. Mid-Prairie at 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home), girls jv-v basketball @ home at 6:00
Tuesday, Feb. 4: 11th grade retreat, jh boys basketball vs. Wilton at 4:15 (7th-away,8th-home), f/s-jv-v boys basketball @ Mt. Pleasant at 4:30, Discover Regina High School at 6:30
Wednesday, Feb. 5: 7-12 Mass at 2:15
Thursday, Feb.6: jh boys basketball vs. West Liberty at 4:15 (7th-away,8th-home)
Friday, Feb. 7: girls & boys jv-v basketball @ home at 4:00
Saturday, Feb. 8: wrestling sectionals @ West Branch at TBA, ACT testing at 8:00, girls & boys f/s-jv-v basketball @ home at 4:30
Monday, Feb. 10: jh boys basketball vs. Wilton at 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home), Discover Regina Junior High School at 6:30
Tuesday, Feb. 11: girls & boys f/s-jv-v basketball @ home at 4:30
Wednesday, Feb. 12: 7-12 Mass at 2:15
Thursday, Feb. 13: boys f/s-jv-v basketball @ West Liberty at 5:30
Friday, Feb. 14: 12th grade retreat, boys f/s-jv-v basketball @ home @ 4:30
Saturday, Feb. 15: girls regional basketball @ TBD at TBD, wrestling districts @ TBD at TBD, robotics competition at Regina
Monday, Feb. 17: SCHOOL IN SESSION, boys basketball districts at TBD
Tuesday, Feb. 18: girls basketball regional at TBD
Wednesday, Feb. 19: wrestling state duals, 7-12 Mass at 2:15
Thursday, Feb. 20: boys basketball districts at TBD, state wrestling, jh boys basketball vs. West Branch at 4:15(7th-away, 8th-home)
Friday, Feb. 21: girls basketball regional at TBD, state wrestling, jh boys basketball vs. Tipton at 4:15 (7th-away, 8th-home), musical at CCPA at 7:00
Saturday, Feb. 22: state wrestling, musical at CCPA at 2:00 & 7:00
Sunday, Feb. 23: musical at CCPA at 2:00
Monday, Feb. 24: girls basketball regional at TBD, jh boys basketball vs. Mid-Prairie at 4:15 (7th-home, 8th-away)
Tuesday, Feb. 25: boys basketball districts at TBD, Regina BOE meetinng at 6:30
Wednesday, Feb. 26: ASH WEDNESDAY, 7-12 prayer service at 2:15
Thursday, Feb. 27: jh boys basketball vs. West Liberty at 4:15 (7th-home, 8th-away)
Friday, Feb. 28: Booster Fish Fry at 5:00
Saturday, Feb. 29: boys basketball substate at TBD
Snow Make-up Day on President's Day
Discover Regina Nights
More information will be coming in the near future. Please note the date change for Discover Regina Night (moved due to Caucus Night).
Iowa Assessments Results
STO Financial Aid Deadline
Diocese of Davenport Clean Heart
Buy a Brick
Regina's NCAA Basketball Raffle
RHS Women's Health Program
I coach the Regina Women’s Soccer Team and appreciate the opportunity to interact with these wonderful young women. As a coach, pediatrician, and mother I am concerned about the health of young women both playing sports and in their personal lives, during their high school years and for the rest of their lives. I feel that participation in high school sports has many benefits, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and can be the basis for lifelong health and wellness habits. High school sports are not without risk and this includes physical injury.
In an effort to address these issues I propose a RHS Women’s Health Program with the following goals:
- Educate young women about basic health issues including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and nutrition
- Work towards injury prevention by teaching young women proper warmup techniques
- Help young women appreciate the value of current and life-long exercise, strength and conditioning, healthy lifestyle habits, and nutrition.
I propose a 4 part program with the following format:
- Sunday evening one hour sessions (Feb 9 and 16 and March 1 and 8) to be held in the elementary gym from 7-8pm
- Each session would begin with a speaker, follow with a question and answer period, and end with an opportunity to learn and practice proper warmup techniques
Tentative speakers to include:
Paul Pomrehn PT - warmup technique and injury prevention
Katie White MD - cardiovascular risk factors and lifelong health
Allison Demory RD - nutrition
Phil Arendt - strength and conditioning
The above program is open to all female athletes at Regina. Parents are welcome to attend.
There would be no cost for this program - A Regina Womens Health T-shirt would be available to order at the cost of $10
Regina Musical
Ave Explores: Stress, Anxiety, and Mental Health
Health Class Update
Library News
Library, Computer Apps and Learning Center News
It was a busy time getting ready for final exams and activities. Students in Learning Center worked hard to remedy any missing assignments and be ready to test.
Students in the Computer Applications class finished the semester by using PowerPoint advanced animation techniques to create a slide show giving their best tips for studying and taking tests. Our intention was to have Via teachers show the combined presentation in class, but we ended up with too little time at the end. The kids did a good job though of figuring out how to use advanced animation.
The library has had some new projects to support this year. One of them was requested by Mrs. Welter, who wanted her kids to read non-fiction or biographical accounts of people of faith, who told how faith played a role in their lives. We had some selections on our shelves already, but located many more through reviews and recommendations. If you have personally read books of this type and want to send us your recommendations, we would be glad to add them to our list for next year. A couple of examples are Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy and Physics and Faith: Michael Faraday by Colin Russell.
The 8th grade American History class will be completing an invention project using Little Bits electronic parts. Students have a budget for parts, and have to choose what to buy to complete their inventions. This project was featured last year in a video produced by Grant Wood AEA. Here is a link to that video if you’d like to see what they will be up to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwXh9RYyL5M&feature=youtu.be
Mrs. Coffin’s students made use of some Makerspace items for their Rube Goldberg projects. Don’t forget that if you have legos, knex, scrapbooking or nearly any sort of items that kids can use creatively, we will find room in our makerspace area.
Mr. Kahler’s Theology classes will be learning how to use the Cricut die-cutting machine to create bookmarks featuring a favorite Bible verse or short quote. In the past, some students liked using the Cricut enough that they bought one of their own.
Several parents have volunteered to read and record the class novels used in junior high. For our students who struggle with reading, the recorded books will allow them to both listen and read along, resulting in both improved reading skills and greater participation in the class activities regarding the content of the books. So far, Anna Daniel and Jenny Comer have submitted recordings, and Laura Aschenbrenner has a book in progress. We are so grateful for this time-consuming, but very much appreciated gift to our students!
Math Club
Math Club has a busy February.
February 1 - Math League contest at UNI
February 5 - AMC 10 administration (at Regina)
February 14 - ASMA written competition (at Regina)
February 22 - Math League contest in Carlisle, Iowa
We also have regular meetings on Friday mornings at 7:30 am in Mrs. Hill's room. We'd love to have new people come and join us. Everyone is welcome. Math Club is a great way to build up problem-solving skills.
Math Department Updates
Mrs. Welter's Math Classes:
In Prealgebra we have started our geometry unit. It will focus on angles and the properties of them. The students will be identifying vertical, adjacent, supplementary and complementary angles.
Mr. Staab's Math Classes:
Geometry
We are currently working on proofs and triangle concurrences using Side-Side-Side and Side-Angle-Side. Looking forward we will be moving on to Special right triangles right angle trigonometry next.
Pre-Calculus
In Pre-Calculus are currently working on finding arc lengths of areas of sectors we will next be reviewing unit circle to get ready for law of sines and cosines which will finish the unit exploring the area of oblique triangles
Mrs. Hill's Math Classes:
Algebra 2 is working on Polynomial functions. They are learning how to use their graphing calculators effectively.
High School Calculus is working on applications of derivatives. We will begin Implicit Differentiation on Monday.
Calculus AB is learning about Integration. We will be learning u-Substitution, one of Mrs. Hill's favorite topics, next week.
Calculus BC just started Sequences and Series. We are learning the convergence and divergence tests.
Religion Department News
We have finished up the very beginning of church history culminating with watching Paul the Apostle movie that reinforced much of what was in the first few units.
Starting February 3rd half the classes will begin a reflection of faith unit by reading the book Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton. It is a great book focusing on the importance of faith and how that can get us through struggles, great and small, throughout our lives. It also supports our building goal for this year of increasing the opportunity for students to engage in reading. The classes not starting the book will continue with the church history units
Science Department Items
7th Grade Integrated Science with Mrs. Coffin: The students presented their Rube Goldberg machines to the parents and a group of judges. The machines ran efficiently and/or the students were able to explain why their machine didn’t work. Our after-action survey indicated that the students learned the most about force, Newton’s laws, and friction. They really wished we had more time to work the kinks out of their machines. Alas, we need to move on. We are going to take a brief review of the cell, using our Chromebooks, and then begin the unit on Genetics. Watch for news about our Brassica rapa.
8th Grade Integrated Science with Mrs. Goldsmith: Students have started second semester with a unit on Space--the Solar System and Universe. That will be followed by Planet Earth and the Atmosphere. Students are getting a solid foundation for what they will be covering in greater detail as freshmen next year in Earth and Space Science. The remainder of the semester will include a review of topics in chemistry.
Earth and Space Science with Mrs. Coffin: Students finished up their final covering Earth’s place in the universe and how Earth was formed. We have started a unit on Earth’s Systems. One of our first systems will be plate tectonics. This part of our learning will end with a project called: Dear Mr. President. Students will make a recommendation to the President about where and how to build houses in a tectonically active area. We will even make houses and see how they “stand up” to a 6.0 earthquake! Watch for pictures.
Biology with Dr. Ensign : Students are beginning their study of the cells of the human body. They will be creating a 3D model with their team to show how a cell functions and then present it to the class. It should be interesting to see what they create!
Chemistry with Mrs. Goldsmith: Students are working on Chemical Reactions in our current unit. They will be able to predict the products (and what they will see happen) of almost any reaction if given the reactant(s). Our lab for this unit is one of my favorites! Students will be given five unknown solutions (which all look like water) and will be able to determine which chemical is in which tube from the results of their reactions.
AP Biology with Dr. Ensign : We are currently discussing molecular genetics/gene expression and the role it plays in the human genome. What in the world does all that mean? Don't feel bad, that's exactly what the students thought when I introduced the topic! The joy of AP classes....
Anatomy and Physiology with Dr. Ensign : As we finish studying the Respiratory System students will be measuring their lung capacity to see how much hot air, (I mean air) is present in their lungs. We have also been closely following the journey of the coronavirus and the impact worldwide.
Biomedical Science with Dr. Ensign : As we try to solve the mysterious death of the fictional character Anna Garcia we are embarking on the study of Sickle Cell Disease. Students will be investigating how one small change in the cell (remember Biology-see above), can have devastating effects on a person stricken with this disorder.
Physics with Mr. Staab: Students are currently working on Work, energy and simple machines. They just completed a lab studying how energy is lost through friction
AP Chemistry with Mrs. Goldsmith: AP Chem kids are studying intermolecular forces and the properties of liquids and gases. Students just completed a chromatography lab and will examine several series of chemical reactions in the next lab. Our next unit will cover Kinetics--Reaction Rates, Reaction Mechanisms, and Catalysis. Looking ahead: the AP Chemistry exam will be Thursday, May 7!
Social Studies Update
7th Grade Geography
As we start our new semester, the 7th graders are finishing up their study of the countries of Southwest Asia or what is commonly referred to as the Middle East. We have also discussed issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the war in Syria, and now we are focusing on the impact of oil on this region as well. We will finish up this unit during the first couple of weeks of February and then will move on to study of the rest of Asia!
The class is working on a unit on inventor/inventions. We researched an individual who had invented something and found background information on the invention. Then we worked in the library on a Little Bits invention, which is a kit of electronics and created a small invention. The last part of the unit was a small invention convention
World History
The students are starting their journey this semester in Medieval Times. Students will be analyzing the consequences of the fall of the Roman Empire. This unit will focus on the Byzantine Empire, Medieval Society, and the major role the Catholic Church played in the development of the European world.
AP World History
As I tell the students, you need to start loving revolutions. The students will begin studying the Enlightenment, followed by the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions. As we study the governmental side of revolutions we will also explore the effects of the Industrial Revolution.
AP US History
The AP US History students have just finished up Period 5 which was the study of the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era. We are now starting the Gilded Age with Period 6 and will finish around mid-February with in-class long and document-based essays as their final assessment. As we work towards March, the students will also start to complete in-class timed essays in preparation for the AP exam since the test date for the AP US History exam is on Friday, May 8th at 8 am. It will be here before we know it! I really have been so very proud of all of their efforts so far this year!
Government
Election season is upon us. Students will begin this semester learning about how our founding fathers set up our new government after the American Revolution. Throughout this unit, we will also discuss the caucus process and the impeachment process.
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